I'm running RS7s on my 1×9 and had to stick spacers between the ring and spider. Ugly, but works.

Can someone please explain the whole BB length thing. Is it only applicable when you have 'excess' space between the inside of the crank and the BB housing?

Orderer Monday, arrived Thursday (including headset fitting). To Sweden! They had fitted the headset upside down though :evil: Apparently it's purely cosmetic, but looks pants.

I'm probably taking my life in my hands with this but I S-S and only ever with geared riders because (the few) other S-Sers I've ridden with/met have been fairly pompous idiots. Then again the geared riders are too, but I've known them longer and can't seem to get rid of them :wink:

I can't say that 5yrs of S-S has made me fitter than the 10yrs of geared riding I did before, but I have got fitter than I was. I just enjoyed singlespeed more and ended up cycling more. You can't always ride every hill at first, but for me that's like a red rag to a bull. Hills that I couldn't ride in the beginning I could ride a couple of months later, with much mashing and grunting, and then for the last year or so I've been able to do them seated. Much to my knee's dislike.

Genesis has it: arguing about gears vs. singlespeed is like XC vs. DH, road vs. MTB, steel vs. alu vs. ti vs. carbon, etc.

Thanks for the replies. I probably will get a longer fork later but the cost of the frame alone is my full budget just now. A 120mm Reba would definitely improve comfort :-)

Downhill twitchiness may not be a huge issue, the highest point in the Swedish county I live in just now is just 150m. I can't think of a hill that takes more than 2 minutes to get up, let alone down. Most of the trails here a slow, rocky, rooty, techy stuff in the swamps.

FSA it is.

Forgive my ignorance but: eh? I thought a headset came with one as standard or do on-one have a habit of forgetting bits?

Tried both before buying the XC's last spring. Fit was basically the same apart from the cuff. Can't get on with cuffless with my spade shaped hands. They did feel noticeably thinner, but the newer XC's haven't been a problem in 30-something degrees.

+1 for buffalos

I use the standard 'mountain shirt' version for winter riding, but admittedly it doesn't rain much in minus degrees. Even when the weather is slightly warmer, there's enough venting to make it ok. In other seasons I mainly stick with just a windproof over a jersey, it's enough to keep the chill off. I'm definitely more of a warm-sponge than boil-in-the-bag. IMO it's far better to be wet and comfortable than wet and overheated.

I do occasionally use waterproof lowers though, for comfort's sake.

There's one called "Brake Therapy". Supposed to be the best but it's reflected in the price I seem to remember. Has funny rules about what hubs it works with too.

Yep. Been doing it for 5yrs now… but… knees don't like it anymore so the bike's in bits right now waiting for a 1×9 setup. It was good while it lasted though. I'm gonna miss climbing like a rat up drainpipe while everyone else grinds it out in the grannyring :cry:

Not looking forward to gears again. Ridden a few mates bikes recently and just can't get the hang of keeping momentum up without my gear.

Taking the p**s maybe, but JEJames have 'em for £49.95. I just bought the 2008 one from CRC for £50, couldn't find any cheaper. Both offer free shipping. Sorry it doesn't help much but it seems like £50 is about the best price (it's still about a third off rrp).

I personally run a 36:16 off-road (it's very flat here). That hill in the foto looks like it would easily be doable with that ratio, but on the flats you'll spin out at about 20-25kph.

For comparing ratios, try Sheldon Brown[/url].

Ok, the XCX is the most ridiculously made chain-guide I've ever come across. There's absolutely no good way to modify it by simply adding washers. The whole thing is dependant on the rail thing, which means it's impossible to move the cage except for chainring size.

After much swearing and several rounded out chainring bolts, washers have now been placed between spider and chainring and I will forever be terrified of shearing them 50k from home. Stupid 1×9 :evil:

They used to have two seperate categories: "slot dropout 26er scandal" and "26er scandal".

It seems like all that is there now is the older vertical dropout model. That's a real shame if they've stopped doing the slot dropouts. I was gonna buy one in the next month or so.

The e.13 only uses spacers around the bottom bracket, which effectively limits adjustment to almost nothing for me.

I've never quite understood different BB lengths (just use whatever the manufacturer advises). The driveside arm is sitting almost flush up against the frame with a 113mm axle. Would a shorter axle really move this inboard somehow?

Looks like I'll probably just have to modify the guide to adjust like the MRP. The XCX normally runs on a kind of rail on the back edge of the plate and bolts at the front. Taking it off the rail and inserting a washer on the bolt would probably do it, assuming it didn't get too loose.

Only been lurking for a few weeks (since I got a subscription for crimbo). Most of the time I probably would have some thing to say but 200 people have already said it by the time I check. I was surprised how active the forum is compared to my more 'local' one and mtbr.

[pedant]wind chill won't make a difference to an inanimate object once it is down at the ambient temperature[/pedant]

(sorry, got an exam on weather and winds tomorrow…)

That's alright, it just shows you know what you're talking about, unlike my random guessing based on some poorly (un)remembered high-school physics from 15 years ago :-)

Good luck with the exam.

I'll have a go a winding back the rebound when I go out tomorrow.

Air contracts about 8% by volume from 20c to 0c, so your sag, if only dependant on air, would drop by 8%. I honestly don't think I would notice this.

That kinda makes sense then. Cycling at anywhere past -10 (plus wind-chill) would probably make at least 10-15% extra sag, and the fact that the damping is working cos of the rapid small-bump nature of snow (around me at least) makes the fork feel under-pressurised. I checked my forks after the ride mentioned above and they hadn't lost air like I thought, so this seems like the most likely answer.

I can't claim any scientific basis to this but I have observed that air forks tend to get a bit saggy in the cold. Yesterday a friend and I were out in about -15 and both our forks (Manitou minute and an 09 Reba) felt like they'd lost half their pressure after about 15mins. It's something I've always noticed in my Manitous during winter, and they are well taken care of and regularly serviced.

I'm convinced there must be something with the seals shrinking (I assume) and letting air out somewhere, but I'd be interested to hear a real explanation (I've never experienced anything like the mojo link).

Don't see anything wrong with the spec but doesn't Middleburn state 113mm BBs? Unless you want titanium ridiculousness (£) shimano are about the only square-taper BBs worth going for imo. Phil Woods get a lot of mentions though, if you've got the money (and you need a special tool for them I think).