teK--
Eats Squid
Yeah you did. I was only window shopping
[AM] 2016 Giant Reign Advanced 1
- Thread starter teK--
- Start date
Nautonier
Eats Squid
That's what I've been running for a while and they are awesome.Yeah you did. I was only window shopping
I went from SPANK SPIKE RACE28 DH EVO RIMS with NOVATEC HUBS to these mk3
I like the wider rim , i cant get over the weight of the things
I like the wider rim , i cant get over the weight of the things
teK--
Eats Squid
The Stans Flow MK3 taped up real easy and tyres fitted by hand no trouble without needing levers. Aired up perfect with a floor pump.
Total build weight for the wheels 1935g with brass nips, DT comp spokes, and Hope Pro 4 hubs.
At about 200g heavier than the old carbon wheels it is noticeable on the trail but I'm sure will get used to it quickly. Can't really tell any difference in tyre profile even those these rims are 1mm narrower. Haven't noticed any reduction in wheel stiffness or tracking. The Pro 4 even with 44T engagement sounds about the same as the old 40T, and haven't noticed much improvement in pickup speed.
All up for $650 very happy and saved blowing almost 3 times that amount on a Zelvy build. Just not sure if my OCD likes how the decals are at 90degrees from the valve hole... :decision:
Also whilst diagnosing a clicking sound from the front end, found the bottom headset bearing was leaking brown rusty gravy. Shit design from FSA.
Swapped it for a Hope headset and most of the sound is gone except when flexing the fork legs only. Have treated the stanchion/crown with Loctite 290 which has worked in the past for other forks.
Cups were scored to hell
Borrowed this tool but none of the dies fit the new cups so made up these timber blocks which worked a treat
Pressed cups in with Loctite 609 retaining compound for extra creak protection
New race heaps better it actually has a rubber seal unlike the FSA. What were they thinking? Plus it is split too so super easy to install and remove.
Can't say pressing cups into a carbon frame was a stress free experience
Total build weight for the wheels 1935g with brass nips, DT comp spokes, and Hope Pro 4 hubs.
At about 200g heavier than the old carbon wheels it is noticeable on the trail but I'm sure will get used to it quickly. Can't really tell any difference in tyre profile even those these rims are 1mm narrower. Haven't noticed any reduction in wheel stiffness or tracking. The Pro 4 even with 44T engagement sounds about the same as the old 40T, and haven't noticed much improvement in pickup speed.
All up for $650 very happy and saved blowing almost 3 times that amount on a Zelvy build. Just not sure if my OCD likes how the decals are at 90degrees from the valve hole... :decision:
Also whilst diagnosing a clicking sound from the front end, found the bottom headset bearing was leaking brown rusty gravy. Shit design from FSA.
Swapped it for a Hope headset and most of the sound is gone except when flexing the fork legs only. Have treated the stanchion/crown with Loctite 290 which has worked in the past for other forks.
Cups were scored to hell
Borrowed this tool but none of the dies fit the new cups so made up these timber blocks which worked a treat
Pressed cups in with Loctite 609 retaining compound for extra creak protection
New race heaps better it actually has a rubber seal unlike the FSA. What were they thinking? Plus it is split too so super easy to install and remove.
Can't say pressing cups into a carbon frame was a stress free experience
haydenw
Likes Bikes and Dirt
Looks pretty slick! Might have to follow suit on my reign, the stock carbon wheels and I aren't getting along too well
teK--
Eats Squid
teK--
Eats Squid
Sharing some pics from our recent 3 day/85km bike trek on the Old Ghost Road in NZ.
Day 0: Due to Cyclone Cook passing over the North Island and East Coast, flights were in disarray and we almost got bumped off our flight. Landed in torrential rain which continued through the next day and until the hour that our shuttle transfer arrived at the house we were staying at.
Day 1: Starting from Lyell there was a fairly sustained but a nice 17Kms climb to Lyell Hut which was our first night's stop. Few drizzles of rain but trail was in great nick considering they'd had 20-30mm of rain most days prior, with the crushed rock base giving the trails excellent drainage. The friendly Robin birds will gather at your feet every time you stop in the hope of sharing your snacks. Lots of streams with clean running water gave many opportunities to refresh and refill.
Day 2: Another 12 Kms or so of steady climbing took us through some of the most insane ridge lines with 360 panoramic views of massive mountains. Finally we arrive at the picturesque Ghost Valley Hut for a quick lunch stop. From there it was an amazing descent through steep switchbacks all made up of hand cut trails, rock gardens, berms, rollers, and small drops. It felt like riding through a mystical jungle in the covered areas.
After a very steep technical rock climb, this connects into several Kms of fast sweeping descents finally into the Stern Valley Hut right next to the river for our second night of sleep. This day also saw the appearance of much larger wildlife, "Kea" Eagle-like birds and "Wicker" chicken/bird hybrids which also love to come up and say hi. Unfortunately running water also means the sandflies start appearing. Total day 25Kms.
Day 3: The next 43Kms or so was mostly undulations, pinch climbs, bridge crossings over rivers, and a lot of ridge lines with steep dropoffs straight into the river. After an initial climb there is a great descent through narrow rock chutes. Fatigue was starting to set in and we had a few close misses but all good. We were mostly punching out Kms by this point and our average speed was much higher than the other days. The thought of the finish being around the corner was quickly smashed by a sign saying 'steep 400m' climb ahead, followed by the descent after which there was another sign "1Km to go" Fuck!. The beer was worth it in the end though.
Overall, the trails are very well built and regularly maintained. The huts have great facilities; drop dunny, and separate cabins which can be hired out, gas cooktops, drinkable rain water, bucket shower, a bike stand with basic tools, and indoor communal living areas. Basically carry your sleeping bag, food, and other essentials for the trip and you are all good if you can ride with 8-10kg on your back. For those so inclined you can get your supplies helilifted into each of the huts you are staying at for a small fortune.
Definitely rate this journey as a must-do, the scenery and being off the grid for vast majority of the trail feels totally surreal and you meet some great friendly people along the way. We'll never forget this experience. Thanks to the OGR team!
(Not our chopper ha ha)
Day 0: Due to Cyclone Cook passing over the North Island and East Coast, flights were in disarray and we almost got bumped off our flight. Landed in torrential rain which continued through the next day and until the hour that our shuttle transfer arrived at the house we were staying at.
Day 1: Starting from Lyell there was a fairly sustained but a nice 17Kms climb to Lyell Hut which was our first night's stop. Few drizzles of rain but trail was in great nick considering they'd had 20-30mm of rain most days prior, with the crushed rock base giving the trails excellent drainage. The friendly Robin birds will gather at your feet every time you stop in the hope of sharing your snacks. Lots of streams with clean running water gave many opportunities to refresh and refill.
Day 2: Another 12 Kms or so of steady climbing took us through some of the most insane ridge lines with 360 panoramic views of massive mountains. Finally we arrive at the picturesque Ghost Valley Hut for a quick lunch stop. From there it was an amazing descent through steep switchbacks all made up of hand cut trails, rock gardens, berms, rollers, and small drops. It felt like riding through a mystical jungle in the covered areas.
After a very steep technical rock climb, this connects into several Kms of fast sweeping descents finally into the Stern Valley Hut right next to the river for our second night of sleep. This day also saw the appearance of much larger wildlife, "Kea" Eagle-like birds and "Wicker" chicken/bird hybrids which also love to come up and say hi. Unfortunately running water also means the sandflies start appearing. Total day 25Kms.
Day 3: The next 43Kms or so was mostly undulations, pinch climbs, bridge crossings over rivers, and a lot of ridge lines with steep dropoffs straight into the river. After an initial climb there is a great descent through narrow rock chutes. Fatigue was starting to set in and we had a few close misses but all good. We were mostly punching out Kms by this point and our average speed was much higher than the other days. The thought of the finish being around the corner was quickly smashed by a sign saying 'steep 400m' climb ahead, followed by the descent after which there was another sign "1Km to go" Fuck!. The beer was worth it in the end though.
Overall, the trails are very well built and regularly maintained. The huts have great facilities; drop dunny, and separate cabins which can be hired out, gas cooktops, drinkable rain water, bucket shower, a bike stand with basic tools, and indoor communal living areas. Basically carry your sleeping bag, food, and other essentials for the trip and you are all good if you can ride with 8-10kg on your back. For those so inclined you can get your supplies helilifted into each of the huts you are staying at for a small fortune.
Definitely rate this journey as a must-do, the scenery and being off the grid for vast majority of the trail feels totally surreal and you meet some great friendly people along the way. We'll never forget this experience. Thanks to the OGR team!
(Not our chopper ha ha)
teK--
Eats Squid
Thanks all;
It was rather sobering to return back to civilization, but a hot meal of wholefood was welcomed.
This is a totally different style of riding to what I would normally do but it has opened up a desire to seek out more back country adventures.
The Heaphy Track a bit further North on the same island is also meant to be a great 2 day bike trek about same distance. Has anyone done that one?
It was rather sobering to return back to civilization, but a hot meal of wholefood was welcomed.
This is a totally different style of riding to what I would normally do but it has opened up a desire to seek out more back country adventures.
The Heaphy Track a bit further North on the same island is also meant to be a great 2 day bike trek about same distance. Has anyone done that one?
teK--
Eats Squid
The Monarch Plus pedalling platform is great but I wish it was more plush and sensitive. Thought I'd dip my toes into the world of coil shocks now that CC have brought out something which isn't too heavy.
Anyone who wants to learn more about coil shocks and suspension in general I can recommend AndrexTR he has a great series of videos on his Youtube channel:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCAicBI2QJNNrE2j_RkbzjYQ
Monarch Plus weighed 370g and the Coil with steel spring is 660g; so a total of 290g weight increase. Valt spring is reportedly 80g lighter in this size so I'll consider that as a future upgrade.
I found the CC online spring calculator is pretty much spot on, since I am using a slightly progressive frame (23% progression) which gives some bottom out protection on jumps and drops. If running a linear frame then you would probably probably need to +50lb to what it calculates, if you need the same protection.
The sensitivity off the top is ridiculous, yet I don't feel like I need to use the climb switch on the climbs. The weight increase over air shock is not noticeable.
After a couple of tuning sessions I settled on the following settings:
450Lb Spring
RTR weight: 69kg
1 turn pre-load
27% sag
LSC: 16/20
LSR: 13/20
HSC: 1.75/4.5
HSR: 1.5/4.5
I loved the adjustability of the DB Inline Air which I had on the Trance, so it is great to have the ability to tune high speed dampening again.
Anyone who wants to learn more about coil shocks and suspension in general I can recommend AndrexTR he has a great series of videos on his Youtube channel:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCAicBI2QJNNrE2j_RkbzjYQ
Monarch Plus weighed 370g and the Coil with steel spring is 660g; so a total of 290g weight increase. Valt spring is reportedly 80g lighter in this size so I'll consider that as a future upgrade.
I found the CC online spring calculator is pretty much spot on, since I am using a slightly progressive frame (23% progression) which gives some bottom out protection on jumps and drops. If running a linear frame then you would probably probably need to +50lb to what it calculates, if you need the same protection.
The sensitivity off the top is ridiculous, yet I don't feel like I need to use the climb switch on the climbs. The weight increase over air shock is not noticeable.
After a couple of tuning sessions I settled on the following settings:
450Lb Spring
RTR weight: 69kg
1 turn pre-load
27% sag
LSC: 16/20
LSR: 13/20
HSC: 1.75/4.5
HSR: 1.5/4.5
I loved the adjustability of the DB Inline Air which I had on the Trance, so it is great to have the ability to tune high speed dampening again.
teK--
Eats Squid
Yeah I'm loving it.
Took a few rides to get the settings sorted as I had initially set it up with too much LSC. I've also reduced HSC and HSR a little bit as well and it gives good pop off jumps but still well controlled.
Surprisingly the bottom out never feels harsh (or I have never bottomed it out; I just do not know as I have no way of measuring travel used).
Sensitivity is great yet it doesn't bob around excessively uphill even with the climb switch on wide open.
Don't notice the extra 290g at all.
teK--
Eats Squid
Couple minor tweaks (I mean really there is not much left of the original bike lol)
Wolftooth dropper remote.
The knurled paddle is nice and grippy in wet weather, and it appears to have the highest leverage ratio of all the remotes out there. The only one that looks like it maybe close is the Cane Creek Dropt. Big improvement over the Fox remote.
Rockguardz carbon protector.
Fit is good it goes right over the stock rubber guard, and with some fine tuning using a heatgun which works much better than their suggestion of soaking in hot water before fitting. A small strip of double sided tape on the front and back edges and it sits rock solid.
Ended up boring a little hole with a Dremel to line up with the drain hole in the BB. Not sure why they thought it was OK to leave it obstructed by the protector.
Wolftooth dropper remote.
The knurled paddle is nice and grippy in wet weather, and it appears to have the highest leverage ratio of all the remotes out there. The only one that looks like it maybe close is the Cane Creek Dropt. Big improvement over the Fox remote.
Rockguardz carbon protector.
Fit is good it goes right over the stock rubber guard, and with some fine tuning using a heatgun which works much better than their suggestion of soaking in hot water before fitting. A small strip of double sided tape on the front and back edges and it sits rock solid.
Ended up boring a little hole with a Dremel to line up with the drain hole in the BB. Not sure why they thought it was OK to leave it obstructed by the protector.
teK--
Eats Squid
A few updates..
Once the new bike feeling wore off I started picking all these things about the Pike which pissed me off. The small bump compliance just wasn't there unless I ran ridiculously low pressures but that meant no mid-stroke support. Couldn't fit a Luftkappe since it was a dual position fork. Tried every combination of air pressure and bottomless tokens.
As it turns out the fuckers at Rockshox tuned the Pike RC with a shim stack that is significantly firmer than the RCT3. Apparently so the LSC adjustment dial gives a near-lockout setting when it's fully closed. Might be OK for the average rider but not so for the lighter folks.
It was a tossup between the new Cane Creek Helm fork or a DVO Diamond. The fork that was cheaper and had proven itself for a few years won:
Liking the murdered out artwork which is printed on the forks rather than decals.
There was a lot of chatter about tight clearance for tyres but these Minion DHF 2.5 WT on 29mm wide rims had more than the 6mm minimum required once the factory fender was removed. It was small and shitty anyway.
A very slight tweak to the recommended settings for my weight and the fork is pretty close to its sweet spot. The design allows running more air/less sag than usual; I was on about 25% sag with the Pike and now run 15%. This gives really good mid stroke support, keeps the front riding high and with good ramp up to bottom out, but the OTT feature keeps the fork very sensitive to small bumps. Best of all worlds.
The extra stiffness is immediately noticeable even when holding the front wheel and twisting the bars sideways. The sturdier chassis, lots of bath oil in the legs, and adjustable coil negative spring is worth the extra 200g over a Pike.
Going from a 46mm offset fork to a 44mm has improved stability a little bit on the fast open tracks.
My only criticism is the HSC dial is hard to turn but it's not something that needs to be played around with once you have it set up. Also they don't give you a star nut... seriously how tightarse is that??
Super happy with the Diamond and cannot recommend it enough.
Found this really cool stuff called Sugru which is a mouldable putty that sticks to anything and dries into a hard rubbery substance. Made this mount for the Lezyne computer to move it off the bars and out of harms way.
A few rad pics from annual Cressy Descent Race. Placed halfway through B-grade; I wasn't feeling that fit this year but still an awesome day as usual.
Once the new bike feeling wore off I started picking all these things about the Pike which pissed me off. The small bump compliance just wasn't there unless I ran ridiculously low pressures but that meant no mid-stroke support. Couldn't fit a Luftkappe since it was a dual position fork. Tried every combination of air pressure and bottomless tokens.
As it turns out the fuckers at Rockshox tuned the Pike RC with a shim stack that is significantly firmer than the RCT3. Apparently so the LSC adjustment dial gives a near-lockout setting when it's fully closed. Might be OK for the average rider but not so for the lighter folks.
It was a tossup between the new Cane Creek Helm fork or a DVO Diamond. The fork that was cheaper and had proven itself for a few years won:
Liking the murdered out artwork which is printed on the forks rather than decals.
There was a lot of chatter about tight clearance for tyres but these Minion DHF 2.5 WT on 29mm wide rims had more than the 6mm minimum required once the factory fender was removed. It was small and shitty anyway.
A very slight tweak to the recommended settings for my weight and the fork is pretty close to its sweet spot. The design allows running more air/less sag than usual; I was on about 25% sag with the Pike and now run 15%. This gives really good mid stroke support, keeps the front riding high and with good ramp up to bottom out, but the OTT feature keeps the fork very sensitive to small bumps. Best of all worlds.
The extra stiffness is immediately noticeable even when holding the front wheel and twisting the bars sideways. The sturdier chassis, lots of bath oil in the legs, and adjustable coil negative spring is worth the extra 200g over a Pike.
Going from a 46mm offset fork to a 44mm has improved stability a little bit on the fast open tracks.
My only criticism is the HSC dial is hard to turn but it's not something that needs to be played around with once you have it set up. Also they don't give you a star nut... seriously how tightarse is that??
Super happy with the Diamond and cannot recommend it enough.
Found this really cool stuff called Sugru which is a mouldable putty that sticks to anything and dries into a hard rubbery substance. Made this mount for the Lezyne computer to move it off the bars and out of harms way.
A few rad pics from annual Cressy Descent Race. Placed halfway through B-grade; I wasn't feeling that fit this year but still an awesome day as usual.