And here I am, the only person in the world who actually prefers to climb with flat pedals Vs clipless…

I was on SS exclusively from about 2008 to 2010 or so. Back then the trend of the day was singlespeed steel rigid 29er, before fatbikes stole the scene.

I loved it and still miss it a lot sometimes. All my long distance rides (up to 180km in a day) were done with SS as were my biggest climbing days. It’s incredibly fun and efficient. I found that it was perfect for long distances:
– you can climb surprisingly steep stuff, but you are not tempted to grind yourself up. Just dismount, save yourself and enjoy the walk while the guys next to you are dying at bottom gear but still at the same pace as you
– you save a lot of energy by not having the temptation of pushing a long gear on the flats and downs
– I found my legs enjoyed the very diverse pedaling cadences and stayed fresh for longer

My biggest problem with SS is that in order to enjoy it you need to stay in shape. I was in shape during that time, never touching the 32/18 gear and doing everything with it. But once you fail to keep training the thing becomes a chore. Also, 1x drivetrains negate some of the SS charm.

But once in a while I feel tempted to get a try at it again

Shimano all the way for me:
– very durable
– very good prices
– very diverse range
– highly consistent sizing across the range. Once you figure out your size you can order whatever model you want and know it will fit
– even if they’re not the very best top pick at every range level, they rate generally very close to the top

I swapped to 1×11 some years ago right when XT M8000 came out. I was deep into bikepacking back then and was very hesitant to make the move. The general opinion in the “scene” was that 3×9 or 2/3×10 was still the way to go and 11 or 12spd transmissions were made of a cheese and glass alloy.

I’ve found that yes, you really need to be more careful with the initial setup of a 1×11/12 drivetrain, but once properly dialed it’s much more set and forget and durable in real world offroad conditions. The whole bike becomes more reliable, easy to use and predictable.

Regarding gearing range, don’t overthink it. You’ll notice some differences in the range extremes in the first couple of rides, but then you’ll get used to it quickly. We are much more adaptable than we think. I’ll trade a 17 gear inch bottom gear for a 1x drivetrain with a 20 inch gear everyday

Thanks for the help

So, after some investigation, I think my shock is OK.
For convenience, I’ll condense the methodology and the findings together:

1 – Connect shock pump, set pressure to 260psi
2 – Cycle the shock to equalize chambers
3 – Final set pressure to 260psi
4 – Remove shock pump
5 – Re-connect shock pump and read – There it was, 240psi, 20psi loss
6 – Cycle the shock to equalize chambers, without removing pump
7 – read pressure after equalization – 245psi, 5 psi were gained after chamber equalization
8 – Set shock pressure

I repeated the procedure 3 times, always with the same results. I think this explains what I was observing. It seems that, discount the pump effect, the shock lost little to no pressure on my previous weekly readings

Room temperatures were very close between both measurements

Good point, I’ll try to equilize the chambers once I connect the hose.

Also, I’ll try to set pressure, and right after re measure it. This should isolate if the 20psi drop is only (or mostly) from the pump connection

Not saying it’s impossible, just like it sounds like a lot

Between the 2 readings I had 4 rides

Regarding negative spring equalising, I did the standard procedure of setting desired pressure, cycling the shock some 5 times and resetting the desired pressure. Shouldn’t this be enough?

I’m yet to take off the air can

I use a regular shock pump.
I know the air that comes out of the shock and pressurises the pump/gauge will cause a pressure drop, but would expect it to be a handful of PSI, not 20PSI or 8% of the initial pressure

Ok, forget what I said about the pedals then

What pedals do you have?

Do you always get numb feet or only on long rides?

Some pedals have sharp-ish edges, which combined with a smaller platform can create pressure spots

Looking at someone’s routine to see if it’s over training or not is sometimes insufficient. Some people need little rest, others struggle with too many sessions. Different people need different volumes to achieve the same performance.

Besides MTB, I’m into CrossFit/strongman, which is a balancing act if you want to get any good at it. I’ll do CrossFit and strongman stuff about 5 times a week, MTB 2 or 3 times. You basically learn to listen to your body, overtraining will generally start to express itself as difficulty to recover, slow to no progress, successive appearance of small injuries and low energy levels.

Also common is to start saving yourself today for tomorrow’s training. Sometimes it’s better to go 3 to 4 times a week at 100% rather than 5 or 6 times at 70%. Quality always trumps quantity

The water bottle sharing story sounds as fishy as it gets.

Even if it is indeed true, I would avoid mentioning it as much as possible if it was me

I don’t think durability in the arse and groin will be as good as dedicated MTB gear, but then again, they are 20 quid

I wouldn’t spend a penny on an Enduro before trying out a Stumpjumper Evo, IMHO

MTB holidays tours rentals Madeira island

Not much needs to be said if you saw the last EWS round

Had the same doubt a couple of months ago when I was choosing my new bike. Lots of press coverage and very little actual user talk.
One could say that either sales are slow or that the ratio between publication review money and actual bike quality is disproportional… Ok I’ll put the tinfoil hat away

Ended up buying a Stumpy Evo (which seems to be developing a cult following)

Never tried the AM9 but have a pair of AM7s.
Out of the box they are a little on the stiff side which can cause a bit of heel lift. However, after a couple of rides they soften up quite a bit. Not at flat pedal shoe supple level, but at the perfect balance of pedaling stiffness and walkability.

Price difference Vs the AM9s can be minimal at some shops but I preferred the simpler look of the AM7 and the ruggedness of the conventional laces

Lack of back muscle mass/strength causes back pain, much more so than the lack of rear suspension.

I suffered back pain for years since my teen years, even with the normal conditioning of Karate, Muay Thai and JJ. Then 3 years ago I started training at a CrossFit gym, a very good one. 3 years later and I’m heavily into CrossFit and strongman stuff, back pains are long gone. MTB became much more enjoyable

Isn’t this going to a problem with pretty much any waterproof trousers?

ratherbeintobago, Endura Singletracks are not waterproof trousers, so they absorve a ton of water.
The Decathlon NH500 Fit I mentioned are a much lighter fabric that won’t suck nearly as much water and dry much quicker. Great mtb trousers, despite being designed for hiking

The moment I saw the thread title I thought it had something to do with a certain guy at Leogang this weekend…

Got a pair of the latest version of the Endura Singletracks last year. They are fine trousers, but could be a little slimmer in the lower leg. Also suck a ton of water and start sagging. They are more of a autumn/winter trouser.

Currently using these ones:
https://www.decathlon.co.uk/nh500-fit-mens-khaki-id_8502002.html

20 quid, perfect fit, even over knee pads, zero loss of mobility, reasonably tough and as fresh if not fresher than most shorts.

Might try the Endura Burner II in the future.

Becoming a big fan of trousers lately. Much better protection of overgrown, keeps legs and knee pads clean of mud or dirt, don’t necessarily have to be warmer. I’m converted

Let me rephrase: supposedly, they’ll show the 2020 range in August, not specifically a Super Sentinel

Supposedly they do so in August

I weigh a little over 95kg geared, and my Fabric Scoop also creaks, it’s the interface between the rails and the plastic base. Considering the tough life it has, including plenty of emergency landings from drops and jumps directly on the saddle, I think it’s ok

Very relevant questions raised regarding the wheel build, I would raise them myself had I not seen the actual damage. However, I don’t think wheel build to be the root cause of the problem, for 3 reasons:
– the wheel was laced by a very reputable specialist, but this is worth a grain of salt, everyone messes up sometimes;
– the damage was in an area between spokes
– there was minimal radial deformation. Most of the damage was the “hook” is the rim (vertical wall) flaring out a good deal

The insert was not the only variable in my experience:
– was using, like I said, Flow EXs rims, now DT E532
– different bike with slightly shorter reach (500 Vs 475mm) might influence a more rear biased weight distribution on landing
– track felt more rocky than the last time I rode it, mostly related to rainfall

My old MK1 Moxie could fit 2.4 Ardents on Flow EXs on the rearmost half/third of the slider dropouts. However, proper year-round clearance was only on the rearmost position

One can’t look at reach in isolation.
Front center is a very important, usually overlooked dimension.
Many of those WC DH bikes will have comparable front centers to a longer reach trail bike. Add a slightly longer stem to match the fork offset and things get really similar

Any more opinions on this topic?
Thanks

My personal experience:
I was used for years to the typical (and ineffective…) xc rider english bunny hop by simply pulling the bike with the SPDs.
Half an year of flat pedals on the enduro bike was enough to learn easily how to do a proper bunny hop.

For me, the trick to understand the proper movement was simply standing next to the bike and grabbing the handlebar. You then start by pulling up the handlebar, lifting the front of the bike.
Next, do the same, but, when you reach the top of the lift,push the handlebar forward. The rear wheel should go up and you’ll get the bike in the air for a moment.
Then do the same while riding, synchronizing a “jump” with that motion.

With flats, when everything is done properly, I don’t even have to do the “scrapping” thing on the pedals, you simply go together with the bike

I just did some measurements and in my current bike with a 470mm seat tube, I only have 18mm left of dropper post insertion. I guess the XL Sentinel is out of the window… Maybe a L with a +5mm reach headset would be a sweet spot?

Hob Nob, how to you like the Madonna?
How does it compares to the Sentinel?
Thanks

Hi Hob Nob,
What bike have you now?

My fear with the XL is that the front center would be too long Vs the chainstays and demand a ton of front wheel load to get grip.
Do you notice that?

I had the Nukeproof Horizon Sam Hill ones for half a year. Really liked the grip and feel. The only gripe about them is that I keep eating pins away and the threads on the alloy body start to die.

The grub pins on the sides sometimes are pulled away stripping the threads.
The through pins (nothing more than standard metric screws) get damaged and then hurt the threads when being unscrewed. PIA to have to cut them and then remove the remaining.

For this reason I might try plastic pedals in the future, the pins are generally held by standard replaceable nuts. New Burgtec Penthouse are tempting

Thanks mate.

Currently in Finale Ligure…

I tried a L from a friend which had a -5mm reach headset and 50mm stem, it felt on the short side.

My fear with the XL is that it ends being unbalanced with the 435mm chainstays

I can get a very, very good deal on a Sentinel frameset, but always get doubtful about sizing (I’m 184).
May I ask why have you chosen the XL?

OP, how tall are you?
Cheers