More bikes and a project
- Thread starter Mitch243
- Start date
It's supposed to be spring - weather says no! And the choice for Calgary has basically turned it from a gap year to a temp relocation. I'm chasing career work here rather than holiday type jobs.
And that's the plan. I think I'm just gonna post all sorts of bike related shit in this thread. I've gotta make Udi jealous.
I suck at photography. The mountains in the background of this pic look indistinguishable compared to the foreground, but they are ~1500m base to peak (peaks at ~2600m-3000m above sea level) and looked massive when I took it.
Hopefully it still all looks this white and pristine for tomorrows commute (that's snow on that frozen lake. The foreground of the pic is lying - it's freezing here!
Oh, as far as the bike goes: stuck my ol' faithful Time pedals on it. Much safer, much happier. Life expectancy only reduced by 25% rather than the 50% now. Woohoo!
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udi
swiss cheese
I was until you went up to Calgary. Still, this thread makes me happy.
arty:
J
JaRedy
Guest
Dat Thomson seatpost. Did you take that bike over or did you snap it up from a local?
Make a pumptrack out of that ice bro.
Make a pumptrack out of that ice bro.
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Eh, the more I come to understand what's going on here I'm OK with being here. Particularly if I can find some oilfield work here. Within a few hours there's a dozen snow/bike parks (I gather from the locals). Should make for awesome trips compared to Qld regardless. Plus 30 mins from me there is a 700m descent 'AM' track, the gradient/terrain of which outshines any DH track I've seen in Australia, within that vicinity there's a heap more shorter DH/FR/AM trails and some ballsy XC. I have a big XC network right on my doorstep (literally across the road) and 4 more within 20 minutes riding. There's also a small scale (200m vert hill maybe? Could be less) lifted park with a heap of FR/flow/huck trails across the river (1km away) so it may not be Whistler, but I'm pretty happy.I was until you went up to Calgary. Still, this thread makes me happy.
Thomson seatpost? How about the ano pink CK headset? The Bontrager, whilst not regarded as bling, is really nice too. Cranks are chromed and the saddle is ti. This is as close as I can get a picture to show the actual colour:
Snapped it up locally. Initially I wanted a less outlandish bike that wasn't gonna be a thief magnet. I was actually gonna give it a ratty sandpaper, rattle can and cover it with shitty stickers to make it ugly but I've now decided against that for two reasons:
a) Traffic/road conditions here are pretty hairy at the best of times while icey. I like the extra visibility (works great with that stupid Bell helmet of mine).
b) Actually kind of cool having all sorts of people come up to you and compliment your bike. I had girls screaming after me today "Oh my god, I LOVE your bike!" and similar comments, which was shortly followed by "YOU HAVE AN ACCENT??!?!?!" I guess it doesn't take Greased Lighting to make the girls cream!
I've also had a bunch of people come up to me while locking/unlocking my bike in town/shopping etc asking me about how I got it and telling me how much they like it, which is kind of amusing to me because I just bought it as a 'shitter' fixie commuter.
Don't know about pump track, but, I'm torn between getting a DJ next or an XC rig. Cause there's so much mint XC here, but there's also a really awesome DJ scene here:
http://www.pinkbike.com/news/Chestermere-Bike-Park-Opening-Spring-2014.html
That's about 20 mins away and is now twice the size.
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Yeah life is tough. I shouldn't have sold the Polygon. I really wish I had that bike here.
Or the Charge, maybe I can have it shipped.
http://www.rotorburn.com/forums/showthread.php?278149-My-new-neck-of-the-woods&p=2806211#post2806211
Got a new bike.
Intense Tracer in Flo Yellow
Float Evo CTD & 34 Float Evo CTD
Cockpit is a mix of Easton Haven and Easton Havoc
XT drivetrain ft Raceface NW (top guide + Wolftooth 40t cog en route)
DT 350, i23 + Maxxis HR2 Evo tubeless
Hope Tech Evo X2 brakes
Selle SLS Manganese gooch chute
It's a proper pig at 13.9kg (note super light build and lack of dropper)
To do list; sand brake pads and swap the brake mounts from Shimano ones to either hope or Avid ones (get better pad alignment).
Find a less obtuse chainstay protector. One day I will find 3M 2228 here....
Find a better solution to solve Intense's shit linkage design (more below).
Figure out cockpit height and swap the 70mm Haven stem for a 55mm one.
Bleed brakes (going on 2/3 years or something unbled).
Straighten hanger (bent from factory).
Dropper post and Angleset too. 67.5/68deg head angle in the slack setting is NOT slack enough for Canada. Especially not with 160mm to helm.
Likewise, burly trails here are freaking burly. I'll have to grab some helmet cams of the local DH track next time I'm out there. It's more crazy than what I rode on Mt 7 the other day (http://www.pinkbike.com/video/365004/).
Anyway, bike is bloody yellow like you wouldn't believe. Pretty fun to ride, but somewhat unstable with that head angle. I think I'm going to either get an angleset or mess around with fork/linkage travel change and make it a little more stable. Probably Angleset, the one in the v10 has been fine.
What I immediately found on my first ride is that the linkage is so poorly thought out. If they want to leave it as is they should bloody well make it have a mud guard from stock, else change it so there's enough space for rocks/gravel/grit/shit to slip through the linkage members and not jam it up. When the linkage compresses a space opens up in the bottom link, which the rear wheel constantly directs a heap of pebbles/rocks/mud at, this fills the void and the linkage can't extend. On it's maiden voyage my linkage actually got stuck down in it's travel. I had to let all teh air out of my shock, flip bike upside down, smack the linakge/clean with a stick then give it a camelback shower to get it all out.
As a result I now have a ghetto'd pair of mudguards protecting the rear link. Todays riding was in relatively good conditions, bike is only going to get hammered from here on out.
Intense Tracer in Flo Yellow
Float Evo CTD & 34 Float Evo CTD
Cockpit is a mix of Easton Haven and Easton Havoc
XT drivetrain ft Raceface NW (top guide + Wolftooth 40t cog en route)
DT 350, i23 + Maxxis HR2 Evo tubeless
Hope Tech Evo X2 brakes
Selle SLS Manganese gooch chute
It's a proper pig at 13.9kg (note super light build and lack of dropper)
To do list; sand brake pads and swap the brake mounts from Shimano ones to either hope or Avid ones (get better pad alignment).
Find a less obtuse chainstay protector. One day I will find 3M 2228 here....
Find a better solution to solve Intense's shit linkage design (more below).
Figure out cockpit height and swap the 70mm Haven stem for a 55mm one.
Bleed brakes (going on 2/3 years or something unbled).
Straighten hanger (bent from factory).
Dropper post and Angleset too. 67.5/68deg head angle in the slack setting is NOT slack enough for Canada. Especially not with 160mm to helm.
Likewise, burly trails here are freaking burly. I'll have to grab some helmet cams of the local DH track next time I'm out there. It's more crazy than what I rode on Mt 7 the other day (http://www.pinkbike.com/video/365004/).
Anyway, bike is bloody yellow like you wouldn't believe. Pretty fun to ride, but somewhat unstable with that head angle. I think I'm going to either get an angleset or mess around with fork/linkage travel change and make it a little more stable. Probably Angleset, the one in the v10 has been fine.
What I immediately found on my first ride is that the linkage is so poorly thought out. If they want to leave it as is they should bloody well make it have a mud guard from stock, else change it so there's enough space for rocks/gravel/grit/shit to slip through the linkage members and not jam it up. When the linkage compresses a space opens up in the bottom link, which the rear wheel constantly directs a heap of pebbles/rocks/mud at, this fills the void and the linkage can't extend. On it's maiden voyage my linkage actually got stuck down in it's travel. I had to let all teh air out of my shock, flip bike upside down, smack the linakge/clean with a stick then give it a camelback shower to get it all out.
As a result I now have a ghetto'd pair of mudguards protecting the rear link. Todays riding was in relatively good conditions, bike is only going to get hammered from here on out.
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willsy01
Eats Squid
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That's the stuff I used on my Commencal. Not as good as 2228 IMO.
Also can't source that here in Canada.
Failing that I hope to find some foamy double sided tape and get some tough-ish tape over the top. Quite effective and very quiet. Light as well.
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pink poodle
Our man isn't in the West
Might I suggest the grip tape that goes on tennis racket handles? Spodgy, light, variety of colours....
rtd
Likes Dirt
Yeah, I've called mine the 'rock crusher' for precisely that reason - the linkage mechanism literally crushes rocks on most rides. Not the most well thought out bikes in my opinion. Some other design flaws include stress riser areas on the frame and a LOT of rear end flex. I like to think of the flex as 'trail compliance'. I've got an early Tracer, I thought on the later ones they would have figured out the head angle.. and the rock crusher for that matter. Mine has a k9 -2* installed and that fixed the geometry. As shit as it is, it is actually a lot of fun to ride.
I'm just running a thinner, less ugly tube wrap now on the chain stay and a few layers of duct tape on the inside of the seat stay. Next time I wrap a set of roadie bars I'm gonna pinch the old tape I think. Similar deal.
I remember that bike being stupid slack and actually having mint AU geometry. My stuff keeps finding its way through the community haha. When I sold that thing it was frame only with two shocks, so doesn't surprise me its changed a bit. Willsy01 is now the owner of my 2nd Commencal.
They beefed up the Tracer by adding 1kg of dead mass in the frame (my Tracer frame is almost a kg heavier than my v10 frame). Haven't fixed the geo. An angleset would fix that, but not sure I want to spend any more money on it. Maybe if I can sell the stock wheelset for a good price (came with Haven spec wheels).
Fixie is getting pretty 'duro. The Tracer that saw 7 dirt days is all but retired for the season, the DH bike got new brakes, saddle and a dialed 7spd X0 set-up that shifts mega nicely and give me a super good chain tension.
Back to Whistler tomorrow to catch the end of Crankworks!
Back to Whistler tomorrow to catch the end of Crankworks!
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Forgot piccies. Derailleur spring maxes out at bottom out in that gear. Shifts perfectly. Stoked. I have a gold Kona head badge in my toolbox that I'm gonna use to replace the SC badge on the front of the bike. Will match the Kona chainstay wrap. I also have a Kona saddle. Sick.
Took the Tracer and the V10 to Whis. Tracer had a maelstrom of issues. Frame is creaking something horrid - yet to diagnose because more importantly forks are farked. My Hope brakes popped a caliper seal too... I hit a tree pretty hard as a result. Ironic because I refused to run the Shimano XTs that came with the bike due to a similar experience. Bent the thru-axle on the V10. Good thing the 07-09 Glory thru-axles are the same thread pitch. $10 at Fanatiko, pretty stoked my runs continued!
Gotta hand it to Santa Cruz though, the bearings on the V10 are absolutely perfect, linkage is quiet and smooth. Zero creaks.
Even the angleset is quiet. 1/1000 (doesn't have Cane Creek bearings in it. Hmm.)
I did have some teething issues with the linkage on the V10 initially - no grease from factory seized the end-caps into the axles. I've seen this on a few other Santa Cruz bikes too. I fixed that and added some nice rubber o-rings between pivot points to reduce any pressure-washer damage and to keep grit out from rotating parts, keeping the linkage nice and quiet. The only noise on the bike during the last Whistler sesh was my rebound knobs on the Boxxer rattling. I've put some teftlon tape and a small o-ring I pulled from a Fox Float in there, totally silent killer bike now!
Took the Tracer and the V10 to Whis. Tracer had a maelstrom of issues. Frame is creaking something horrid - yet to diagnose because more importantly forks are farked. My Hope brakes popped a caliper seal too... I hit a tree pretty hard as a result. Ironic because I refused to run the Shimano XTs that came with the bike due to a similar experience. Bent the thru-axle on the V10. Good thing the 07-09 Glory thru-axles are the same thread pitch. $10 at Fanatiko, pretty stoked my runs continued!
Gotta hand it to Santa Cruz though, the bearings on the V10 are absolutely perfect, linkage is quiet and smooth. Zero creaks.
Even the angleset is quiet. 1/1000 (doesn't have Cane Creek bearings in it. Hmm.)
I did have some teething issues with the linkage on the V10 initially - no grease from factory seized the end-caps into the axles. I've seen this on a few other Santa Cruz bikes too. I fixed that and added some nice rubber o-rings between pivot points to reduce any pressure-washer damage and to keep grit out from rotating parts, keeping the linkage nice and quiet. The only noise on the bike during the last Whistler sesh was my rebound knobs on the Boxxer rattling. I've put some teftlon tape and a small o-ring I pulled from a Fox Float in there, totally silent killer bike now!
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Its a Prime item, so should ship to CA just happily.
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B001AO9IRG/
Also how was the Porrygong for weight and pedalling? Getting sick of carrying extra weight around on AM bikes.
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They aren't great on weight but you don't notice it in the ride. So much going on in the suspension that you get lost in the welding and alloy. They pedal well though, i find that my DH bike (Same suspension design) pedals better than some mates AM bikes.
Also, Mitch, try Lordco for 3M tape. When I did a season, i managed to source some really good stuff from Function up in Whistler. I'm sure there will be a Lordco closer to where you are based who can get you the stuff you need.