LOL khani – yes I know I’m probably over thinking the potential issues, but its also a warranty thing – it is a brand new bike afterall, and I don’t want to invalidate the warranty by putting a sub-standard part in there!

Despite what I said above about not fiddling – I couldn’t resist it :oops: , and today bought the tool from the local car accessory shop and took the valve core out.

Replaced it with a ‘new’ one from a spare inner tube valve, and hey presto problem fixed!

Funny, cos the two valve cores look identical, but for some reason the original one screws further into the valve so the pin is just out of reach of the pump, whereas the ‘new’ one sits a few mm further out

So, thanks all for your advice and patience – but one last question if I may… is there any reason I shouldn’t just leave this ‘new’ valve core in and get on riding? Specifically, is there anything special about the one that came with the shock, or is a schraeder valve core just a schraeder valve core, whether its on an expensive shock, a truck tyre, or a bike inner tube? I’m thinking pressure ratings, compatibility of rubber seals with lube – that kind of thing.

Thanks.

Landcruiser, you speak wise words. I’m always tempted to have a go myself, and thats how I’ve learnt to do most things on a bike – but I should try and resist that temptation when its brand new and could be a warranty issue…

Ok, I’m getting there… Good picture, made things a lot clearer.

So, No 1 no longer an issue.

As for No 2 I’ll try and pick up a valve core extractor, but if that doesn’t fix it or I get in out of my depth, It’ll be back to the shop on Monday.

Thanks all – what a great resource STW is!

mttm, just re-read your post…

there is 5cc of Float Fluid (a heavy blue coloured oil) on top of the air piston to lube the seals.

But should this be able to escape through the air fill valve? Thought the air ‘bag’ would be sealed from the seal lube?

Thanks mttm, looks like we’re knocked No 1 on the head, and closing in on the problem with No 2.

I managed to unscrew the valve core on an old schraeder tube with the help of a teeny pair of needle nosed pliers. The one on the shock is deeper in, so that won’t work. Anyway, I’m thinking at this point having identified the issue, maybe its best to let the shop sort it, as it is a brand new bike, and I don’t want to do any damage inadvertently by poking around in there. What dya think?

Hi Coatesy, thats good, looks like no 1 is turning out to be a non issue – breathes large sigh of relief – I hate the hassle of warranty repairs!

On 2, I’ve tried another shock pump and same issue. Maybe there’s a make out there that extends further into the valve, but it really outta work with any shock pump right?

Anyway, thanks for the replies guys, keep em coming – I was real depressed when I thought my shiny new purchase was a dud, but the shared therapy room of STW is working wonders….

Hi Phiiiiil, thanks for the advice.

1. After doing it twice, there doesn’t seem to be any more coming out, and fork operation seems normal in all other respects. So, if you say its normal to have a bit of lube in the air side, then maybe this was all it was – phew!

2. Yes, the air pressure will push it down, but then it pops up again, so the guage is reading the pressure in the pump chamber rather than in the shock, and when you press the button on the shock pump to release some air, again, the chamber in the pump empties but not the shock. I think you hit the nail on the head, the valve core is screwed in too far, but no idea if this is a simple job to adjust. I tried taking an inner tube scraeder valve apart to see if this offered any hints. Seems that needs to be screwed all the way down for seals to seat, so height of pin not really adjustable. Is the schraeder valve in a shock the same, or can the height of pin be adjusted – I just don’t know, and as its new, don’t really want to go in there poking around to find out! If so, hopefully the guys in the shop can adjust it and I’ll be on my way again quickly – otherwise they’ll be sending it away for warranty repair – and that means no new bike for a few weeks at least!

Yes, just collected my new Giant Trance. Yes, I know they’re common as, but its my first full suspension so I’m excited!

Hi Stato. With you on No. 1, but thought the 0.6mm difference in spacing was between 9sp and 10 sp. chainrings, not composite vs metal?

This would be a moot point if all 9sp were metal and all 10sp composite, but there are a few 9 speed composite middle CRs out there (like the SLX M660 9sp).

Thanks Z1ppy – guess it’s time to get the file out!

Just been doing a bit of digging on the interweb, and seems like this is a general incompatibility between any Shimano crankset with composite middle ring (like M660, M770, M590 10sp), versus ones with all metal ring (like M665, M410, M590 9sp). Even though the BCD is the same, the composite middle ring requires a shorter spider, so if you try and fit it to cranks designed for a metal ring it won’t fit without filing either the ring or the spider!

You have been warned….

Hi Capt. Are we talking the same pedals?

I’m thinking these, which are double sided…

Pedal

Anyway, thanks everyone for the advice on full suspension, will be finding out myself soon enough – made the mistake of going back to the shop this afternoon and ended up buying the Giant Trance 8O

Will be collecting it tomorrow! Oh well, Christmas has come early this year….

I’ve threaded a nice shiny nickel plated outer link onto my keyring – I’ve used others as zipper tabs – all in the interests of daydreaming about cycling when I should be doing something more useful…

Longshot – but have you checked the chain is threaded round the rear derrailleur cage correctly.

I cleaned my chain a couple of weeks back between consecutive day races, threaded it wrong side of the small flat plate in middle of RD cage. Everything worked fine, but it made a sound like it was rubbing FD cage – looked everywhere – even did a 60k race with it like that the next day – didn’t find out until I cleaned it again the day after :oops:

Luckily no harm done – except to my mechanical reputation amongst riding buddies!

Yeah, no biggie… just like to know what I’m getting myself into! There’s many a time I’ve struggled to get going again after bottling out on an obstacle. And, if I know its gonna be even harder on a FS it might give me an excuse to buy some of those new Shimano trail pedals with the little flats as well as the SPD clips – that way I can get a bit of momentum up before clipping in :-)

Hi Muddydwarf. It was a Giant Trance I tried this morning. I’m not at the shop anymore, but looking at the pics on the Giant web site I see what you mean.

I think what was throwing me was that I was finding the saddle too high while sitting astride it with my feet on the ground – so was adjusting it down. I now realise this distance (saddle to ground)will be affected by suspension sag. What I should have done was adjust saddle position relative to my feet on the pedals, which is constant. Silly mistake – thanks for clearing that up!

So, that begs another question – will a full suspension bike be a bit more difficult to get your leg over when initially mounting it, because the saddle is about an inch higher relative to the ground before the rider’s weight compresses the rear shock?

Thanks Muddydwarf, that makes sense. So the rear suspension only acts on the back wheel, and the distance between BB and saddle is fixed? Hmm, interesting, must’ve been the different geometry of the frame as you say. Guess I would have to set the saddle higher on the FS bike to start with.

Aaaargh! Just when I thought I’d got it sorted I come across this on Wiggle…

Wiggle BB91-41[/url]

Description says “PressFit bottom bracket designed specifically for road bikes” but the picture clearly shows a BB91-41. Wrong description, wrong picture, who knows….

Yeah, Bike24 seems to have some of the best prices on Shimano & SRAM bits & pieces at the moment – kinda makes up for the PITA it is to pay – last time I had to send them a scan of my credit card!

Ok, so the fog is clearing, looks like the BB91-41 from Bike 24 is the XTR version and will fit, otherwise there’s a BB71 at Merlin (but for some reason I can’t open the web page at the moment). I’d prefer to use CRC or Bike 24 as its part of a larger order, and I’m sure one of the CRC ones must be a BB71 but they just don’t label it as such – ever get the impression the guy who puts the descriptions and pictures up on the web site doesn’t know anything about bikes – there’s some shocking mislabelling!

Ah, reggiegasket, now we’re getting somewhere! You’d think so from the pictures, but lurking in the detailed descriptions there’s some other differences like 3 is for 42mm diameter shells and 4 is for 41mm diameter shells. Also 1 & 2 seem to be SLX/XT level whereas 3 & 4 are XTR.

The plot thickens…

Ok Z1ppy & cooie, have your fun, but I didn’t choose to have press fit – it came with the bike, and now I’m stuck with it!

Singlespeed shep, as links above, there’s even two versions of BB91 on offer – 41A and 42A. And I’m afraid the eccentric BB is not really what I’m after, that’s for adjusting chain tension on a single speed.

Still confused – clarity and sympathy required – yes I know, shouldn’t have come to STW :P

When I lived in Hong Kong I came across Kontrol Kong, Hitler Wong, Spoon Poon, and … wait for it … Fanny Pong!

that near the crown I’d do the nail varnish thing and not worry

Just out of interest, what is the “nail varnish thing”?

Can’t help with that I’m afraid – Amazon are so good at customising the page you see based on previous user preferences that I’ll see a completely different page to you! However, suggest you go to the Amazon US store (www.Amazon.com)find the model you want, and click on buy, and at some stage in the process you’ll see a message saying something along the lines of “click here if your Kindle is for use outside the US”.

PS: I think the new colour Kindle Fire is only available in the US at the moment, so it won’t give you the international option

I moved to Perth with my family four years ago. I’ve seen many immigrants here settle well and go native, and a few who haven’t fit in and end up going back. If I could characterise what was the difference between them, those who didn’t like it were perhaps a bit arrogant about expecting their new country to adapt to them, rather than the other way around. If you have a flexible, outgoing and positive attitude, I’m sure you’ll do just fine – no different to many things in life. And, don’t worry about the kids, you’ll find they’re much more flexible than us adults…

There’s a regular Perth MTB Club Wednesday night ride around Kalamunda…. damn, wrong Perth … goes back to sleep …

You need to go to the Amazon US store and select “for international shipment” and enter your country as Australia. It’ll then sort out everything you need to use it in Oz.

Just a tip for anyone out there with big sweaty hands like me who finds the attack grips too small – swap them for a pair of chunky XO grips. Yes I know the internals are different (pull ratios an all) but the rubber grips are interchangeable between XO and Attack.

And, Ergon do specific gripsift grips that are shorter than their standard models.

Interesting – so some of you have had “friends” that tried to take advantage? weird.

Not really weird TJ, everyone puts different values on posessions … and friendship!

Mine also has to be a ‘depends’. When I’ve borrowed mates bikes I’ve returned then properly cleaned and lubed, and adjusted gears/brakes & even added components at my expense where needed. Unfortunately some I’ve lent mine to have been less generous – having to be pestered for a couple of weeks to return it, giving me back a dirty bike & expecting me to clean it, scratched paintwork, bent chainring teeth etc etc.

So, like any treasured posession, I’ll only now lend my ‘best’ bike to someone who appreciates the gesture and I can trust to look after it.

I used to go for some real cheap ski holidays when I lived in London. We’d drive through a day and night without stopping to get to the alps, stay in one of those French resorts designed for families where it’s just self catering appartment blocks rather than chalets & hotels. Didn’t have that chocolate box prettiness, but the skiing was just as good… and damn cheap!

the cold inhibits stuff growing in the camelbak. I’ve done it to mine for ages and it seems to work

Great – mine’s going in the freezer tonight to test it out. Have to eat some ice cream to make room for it :D

store the bladder in the freezer there will be no need for disinfecting it

That idea intrigues me. Is the theory that bacteria won’t grow at low temperatures? Is there a risk of the ice bursting the tube if you’ve left any water in it? Tell me more….

Walking back down the other way (very gingerly and slowly) was a Japanese guy with no shoes on (and no bag or anything). How do you end up in that scenario?

My guess – he’d had an argument with wife/girlfriend. Usually the reason for ending up in a higly embarrassing state…

Been thru this myself. Bottom line is that a standard three speed front mech will work ok with just about any size of middle on a double setup – its not rocket science, the thing just yanks the chain off one chainring and it catches on the next.

That’s the short answer, the long answer is you can get some issues with chain rub at the extremes of the cassette, because the greater diameter of the 36T chainring means the chain is running higher in the FD cage where it’s narrower. Then there’s a whole nother issue of the big gap between the 22 and 36 chainrings causing clunky shifting.

So, if you’re anal about shifting like I am, then I’d really recommend buying the M665 36T chainring and M665 double specific front mech, which are specifically designed for working together in a 22/36 double. It’s a long story to go into here, but its all about fine tuning cage size & shape, with chainring diameter and ramps, and the M665 stuff does it well – and gives really sweet shifting….

Did the same on my SLX. Started with an alloy race face light, looked nice and light & sporty but quickly started to look rather … err … well … bashed. So replaced it with an E-13 turbo charger plastic one which I think looks real gnarly (sorry _tom_) and soaks up the punishment better. Which will suit you kinda depends on whether you’ll actually be hitting it against things. Where I ride its regularly pinging off logs and rocks so I was better off with the more robust plastic kind.

The plastic ones do need longer chainring bolts, but my turbo charger from CRC came with them (as it damn well oughta at that price!)

One thing to watch out for – if you stay with the 32T middle, and use a 36T bash, you may get chain rubbing on inside edge of the bash when you’re in the wee cogs at the back – at least I did. Solution is to get a smaller bash – 32T/34T – or space the larger one out with washers. I chose the 36T bash as I wanted the option to try a 36T chainring later – which I did, and never went back to the smaller one.

Thanks Beckykirk43 – head survived pretty well unscathed, but my neck did get compressed with the impact (heard the creaking sound as it was happening – nasty!) and the muscles have already gone into spasm to protect the injured vertebrae, so I’m expecting an uncomfortable week or so ahead…

Anyway, appreciate the advice on the unisize helmets – kinda confirms my suspicions. Guess the only real answer to my question is to try a few in the LBS, but I feel real guilty doing that when I know I’m going to end up buying online :oops:

Know where you’re going with that one Nick1962 :wink: – surprised ‘you know who’ hasn’t caught onto this thread yet – maybe he’s still out for a ride. All I can say is I’m bloody glad I was wearing a lid – there I’ve said it (now dives for cover and waits for the usual STW helmet vs no helmet argument to erupt!)

Tomglass20, thanks for the offer, but it has to be red & white to match the new bike (yeah I know – I’m a real tart) – and anyway I’m in Oz, so it’d be real mean for me to hold you to the 60 quid delivered offer :-)

Thanks Maccachod :D , but then I looked at the small print …
and unfortunately I bought mine in Hong Kong when I lived there, its over three years old, and I certainly don’t still have the receipt :(

Oh well, back to buying a new one then, and the question of whether the new “one size fits all” Slant will fit me as well as the old Large size one did…