Shimano 11 speed has a different pull ratio than 10 speed. Shimano kept it the same from 8-10 but had to change for 11. That’s why the 11 speed mech won’t shift well on 10 speed shifters

I had heard about the different pull-ratios but other people hve used the same mix of components and had no issues so I thought it would be ok, I need to do some more rides/tweaking before making any decisions on replacing derailleur etc.

Finally got the chain the right length by using 2 spare links I found and joined them with two pairs of quicklinks. Just been a ride, shifting seems ok but it sometimes jumps up 2 cogs towards the last 2 or 3 cogs at the top of the block.
Also, sometimes when in the 46 tooth cog my shifter still has one more click in it which doesn’t do anything. Tried tweaking things with the barrel adjuster which has helped but may need some more tweaking. Think I have the stops setup right now too, derailleur, jockey wheels and chain or look to be inline.

Any further tips appreciated.

Thanks for the info!
My new one appears to be only 114 links which would explain the shortfall. I actually have some old links from new chains I’ve shortened in the past but not 100% sure they are all 10 speed, is there an easy way to tell or do I need a micronometer to make sure?.

Wish I’d checked now how many links the new chain would have before purchasing as I knew there were different lengths just always had to shorten them in the past, so didn’t think it would be a problem.

Hi guys,

Fitted a longer B-screw and I think it’s done the trick. However, I’ve gone to fit my brand new KMC X10 chain and it’s about 3 links too short!!.

Is this because most 10 speed chains just aren’t made for wide-range cassettes??

Any advice appreciated.

Thanks.

Yeh I’ve seen those, I’ve also seen longer B-screws, would that work as I only need an extra 6/7mm of clearance?

Thanks, how did you do that?

Anyone know how to get Youtube embeds to work in the forum?

Managed to work out how to embed them, hopefully this works:

Edit: hmm, unfortunately not, any ideas?

Can anyone recommend a budget narrow wide chainring 104BCD 32 Tooth? Been checking the Uberbike Components website regularly, but their black version seems to be constantly sold out.

Also, I presume I’ll need a 10 speed chain if going with the 10 speed wide ratio 11-46 cassette, even though the derailleur is 11 speed?

Thanks.

Thanks happybiker thats virtually the exact same setup I’m looking to get, so I think i’ll bite the bullet and go for it.

I have Shimano Brakes but they aren’t I-spec just band-on, so not sure how they would fit.

So can anyone else confirm their experience of mixing Deore 10spd with SLX 11 spd? or should I just try and get all 11spd components?.

Because I’ve just fitted a dropper post and the 2x dropper lever does not work well with my front gear shifter.

Hi all,
Still looking at doing this on a budget but nickjb mentioned something interesting that I could continue using my Deore 10 speed shifter with an 11speed rear derailleur, does that mean I could fit an 11 speed 11-46 cassette? OR does he just mean it will work better with an 11-42 10 speed cassette.

However, there is the Deore M6000 Medium Cage derailleur which is designed for up to an 42 tooth big cog.

Also, can I convert my current 2×10 FSA Gamma Drive MegaExo crankset to 1x by just fitting a narrow-wide chainring?. I believe chain line may not be optimal, can this be fixed with spacers or something?.

Sorry for all the questions but would appreciate the advice.

Managed to get a 2x lever from a local bike shop and have now finished setting it up. Going for first ride with it on today!

Borrowed my Dad’s wooden mallet and they went on easily with a couple of taps. Wasn’t sure whether the diamond knurled part of the grip was supposed to be at the top or bottom. At the moment I have it at the top with the Deathrgip writing also visible on top.

A shop locally is selling the Giant Switch 2X lever for £18.99, anyone know if this would be compatible??

PM sent!

Also, is there a way to rotate the cable actuator/collar anti-clockwise so that it’s slightly more hidden from view. There is a small screw on the back of this collar which I tried loosening but it still wouldn’t move.

Any ideas? Perhaps undo it more?

Started installing it today. Doesn’t look like i’m going to be able to get the 1x lever to work next to my front shifter.
Anyone got a 2x lever that they don’t want, rather not pay another £25 for another lever.

It’s just thats its quite an expensive part and didn’t want to go through the trouble of fitting it to find it was faulty.

Hi,
I recently wrote about 3 different MTB routes in that area, I think all should be mostly rideable as the trails in Dorset are generally quite gravelly. The Purbecks is one of my favourite places to go MTBing, so hope you enjoy these:

https://outbiking.co.uk/isle-of-purbeck/
https://outbiking.co.uk/rempstone-heath/
https://outbiking.co.uk/chapmans-pool/

Thanks will take a look when I can, I assume it’s safe to do this without causing any damage?

Thanks for the feedback guys. Can’t seem to find anywhere selling the RAD cage in stock. Do the goat links work just as well?

ok thanks for the info, looks like a new mech/shifter would be needed.

I highly recommend the Vittoria Barzo, fast-rolling, plenty of grip and lightweight. I rate them so much I wrote a long-term review of them on my blog here: https://outbiking.co.uk/best-mtb-tyre/

I would also highly recommend the Vittoria Barzo, been running one on the front for over a year now and has performed brilliantly in dry and wet conditions.

I thought they were so good that I’ve just written a review about them on my blog here: https://outbiking.co.uk/best-mtb-tyre/

ProBikeKit currently have some of the 27.5 versions on offer, links are in the table in my blog post.

Yeah, was a bit disappointing with all the build up, was just a bit disjointed the way the world had worked out, the plan and so on, it felt like a few movies thrown together, there was some bits that reminded me of lord of the rings, and other bits that reminded me of game of thrones, i guess they boxed themselves into a corner a bit, the other bit i struggled with was how some of the characters appeared to be way more powerful, or weaker than in previous films.

Glad someone else agrees, my brother was even more disappointed with it than me. I think your reference to Lord of the Rings makes sense and perhaps they were trying to appeal to a younger/broader audience.

SPOILER…SPOILER….SPOILER

Am I the only one on the planet that was really disappointed with this film?. I’ve watched all the Marvel films avidly and was expecting it to be at least as good as Infinity War. But it just didn’t do it for me.
There was no Hulk v Thanos rematch (which I’m sure most people were expecting), infact yet again Hulk wasn’t in it enough. The most powerful Avenger, Captain Marvel was also only in it for very brief periods. I felt the first 1-2hrs was too slow and wasted too much time reassembling the characters. The Thor and Iron Man v Thanos battle near the end was good, but after that the rest of the battle sequence felt disjointed.

Sorry Disney/Marvel, but this was the worst Avengers film and really feel quite let down by it.

Very funny, but I did spell it correctly. Any other more useful feedback appreciated.

Just an update on my progress. I was able to source a new replacement bottom bearing MR019 and was also able to clean, grease and re-assemble the top bearing.

After re-assembling steering feels extremely light and very sensitive. I’m sure I’ve put enough preload on the top cap as their is no play in the headset. So do I assume the difference in feel is just the new and serviced bearings?.

Also, I noticed however much preload I apply there is a 1-1.5mm gap between the top cap and top cup. Will this be ok?

Also, I’m still not sure the original bearing that was put in is the correct one. The bottom bearing MR019 according to the service manual here is for the NO.57E-1 which is a straight steerer https://shop.fullspeedahead.com/en/files/index/download/id/5dea8e4ef75ea284b90068e4d45d46a825/

Mine is a tapered steerer so according to Chain Reaction Cycles should actually be the NO.57E which uses the MR127. Now the bottom bearing I took out of the bike is definitely marked TH MR01*, unfortunately the rest of the number is corroded off but it would certainly suggest it’s a MR019 (which is what I’ve bought). Now the ONLY difference between these bearings is that the MR127 is 0.5mm taller than the MR019 and as I’ve not had any steering problems for the last 3 years with the original bearing in would suggest this should be ok.

So I can only assume someone fitted the wrong bearing/headset when the bike was originally built up. Unfortunately the outside of the top bearing is corroded so I can’t see what exact bearing this one is. Another thing I’ve noticed is in the service manual for both the No.57E and No.57E-1, the bottom cup appears to be internal but on my bike it’s external. Please see below images for comparison:

Any thoughts would be appreciated.

If you get all the parts out and they clean up, they can all be put back in with lashings of grease. While you have the cartridge open, you could replace the retainer ring with loose balls if you can find the right size in a local bike shop. It will last a bit longer that way.

Thanks – the top bearing has come out easily!. Now I can compare it with the bottom bearing I can see just how bad the bottom bearing is!. All the ball bearings are brown with corrosion and I can hardly spin the ring they sit in inside the cage. The top bearing does spin freely but everything other than the bearings themselves is covered with corrosion. So I would think it’s time to replace them anyway? Plus the fact I can’t seem to get that retainer ring back on properly as there is a thin black rubber seal which the ring needs to seat with.

I’ve attached a photo of the bearings:

https://prnt.sc/kp2lph

There’s a number of different cartridge bearings that you might find in a headset. Those are my least favourite.

Normally, a sealed cartridge bearing will have a rubber seal top and bottom. Some however, and FSA are a bigger for it, use a different spec of bearing which has one seal top (or bottom depending which way up you have the bearing) and an open gap on the inside face which allows water and crap inside.

If it was my bike, I’d replace the whole headset with something that uses a properly sealed bearing. I’d imagine, once you tap the forks out, the bottom race will be a real mess.

Have a look at images of a MR127 or TH073 headset bearing to see what I mean about the gap.

Thanks for this, that has confirmed my thoughts that these are actually cartridge bearings but not the usual kind which have a big rubber seal. These have a metal ring and then a very thin black rubber seal. Unfortunately I’ve pulled off this metal ring from both the bearings and it doesn’t look like it will go back on properly so I am probably going to have to replace both bearings anyway. Fortunately the bottom race doesn’t actually look too bad.

What you’ve got there is an internal headset. However that is still a cartridge bearing there, not loose.

The special tool is a screwdriver. You need to get that fork out of there, then you prise the cartridge out working side to side. You might be able to attack it from the under side with screwdriver and a hammer. It’s likely the cartridge has rusted in place a bit so may need some other attempts to unstick it.

Headset – https://shop.fullspeedahead.com/en/type/headset-spares/no-57e-3322
Service manual on that page – https://shop.fullspeedahead.com/en/files/index/download/id/5dea8e4ef75ea284b90068e4d45d46a825/

Top bearing – https://shop.fullspeedahead.com/en/bearing-th-873-dj-acb-36-x45-mr040-for-1-1-8-steerer

(oddly, can’t see the bottom bearing on their site. Should be an MR019)

Again thank you for confirming they are actually cartridge bearings. I will have a go at getting the top bearing out today. Thanks for clarifying what the part no. is for the top bearing, looks like that one will be quite cheap to replace. As I mentioned above unfortunately I’ve pulled off the metal ring (its the one on the far right in this picture https://prnt.sc/koqwf7) on both bearings and I dont think they can be put back on, can you confirm thats the case Onzadog?

Unfortunately I’ve not been able to find the exact replacement for the bottom bearing MR019. However, if I measure the Inner and Outer diameters accurately hopefully I should be able to find a suitable match.

I think this might be a possibility: http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/fsa-bearing-th-073e-acb-1-5/rp-prod134153

However, I will check with Chainreactioncycles first as it is one of their bikes after all so they should know.

Also I noticed there was hardly any grease left in the headeset in both upper or lower and parts of the bottom bearing look quite corroded so perhaps needs replacing anyway. Hopefully once I’ve regreased and/or replace bearings I MAY have actually got rid of the click.

Thanks again for all the advice, much appreciated

Thanks for this, I will have a go at getting the top ones out again or maybe I could just regrease them? – also I don’t think I’ll be able to get that metal cover back on the bearings without getting the bearing out anyway (I’ve tried).

Also, if I do get the top bearing out, will I be able to get it back in easily enough?

The forks would’nt tap out thats why I prized off the split washer. The bottom bearing just slides off the steerer. However, it appears the top bearing is all part of a cup that has been pressed into the frame which means I can’t get it out without some kind of special tool. However, I presume I could just spray some degreaser into the bearings and then re-apply some fresh grease?. The cover or seal I prized off the top bearings is metal so hasn’t been damaged as far as I can tell.

Thanks for all the kind words. I’m looking into having the ride stats (distance, ascent etc) included in the opening route overview section at some point.

Looks great, nice clean layout and has all the essentials for routes: gpx, map, stats inc. ascent, description and some nice pics including the trail surface. Well done.

Thank you, I’ve put a lot of work into it so glad you like it.

Looks good, will you be letting users upload there own routes?

I wasn’t planning to but may be it’s something I would consider in the future,

Any feedback appreciated.

I recently launched my blog which includes two natural routes in the Peak District. I would particularly recommend the ‘5 Dales’ route, it’s quite tough, but has cracking views and some excellent descents and climbs. There is a map and GPX files available to download.

https://outbiking.co.uk/category/mountainbiking/

Pont Scethin is a good ride. Various options of where to start. We were recommended to now do the loop anticlockwise in direction. Whilst I’ve not ridden it clockwise the way we did it looked more fun based on the reaction of people pushing the other way.

I just downloaded the Barmouth and Pont Scethin route and it already appears to go in the anti-clockwise direction.