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Shimano doesn't really have this issue, they stuck with the slant parallelogram geometry that Suntour implemented 60 years ago... Is it better? Not entirely, especially on rough terrain, but it is much more versatile.
Yes that is a good point I should have made during the video. I have found even with the parallelogram, they still struggle to clear the larger cogs without an offset pulley when you install a large range cassette.
Thanks @Kactusdog !! This past year was a rough one. My wife and I decided to to go for baby #4 and shoot for the boy. We got HIM! But he also kicked our butts! Coming out of the fog of a year of no sleep. Then started a bike brand during that same time so finally getting some time to focus on the channel. Hope to have videos out much more regularly now.
@@BlackWaterCyclist Awesome stuff. Love to hear it. We are expecting our 2nd girl this Nov. I'll all in on the dropbar HT gravel bike experiment these days, it's been very educational. We'll have to chat some time!
Be sure to visit my website at www.blackwaterbicycles.com Subscribe: tinyurl.com/yyd6vb6k Follow me on: Instagram: instagram.com/blackwater.bicycles Facebook: facebook.com/Blackwaterbicycles1 Strava: www.strava.com/athletes/179615
A lot of good points here, especially the relationship between the front center and rear center as a balance. Bike industry marketing tends to isolate 1 measurement and ascribe characteristics to it when its really how the whole set works together. Stability has a lot more factors like fork rake, head angle and stem/handlebar setup. I made a long wheelbase gravel bike from a modern XC MTB hardtail, and swapped out the stock 29" fork for a 27.5" one that was 30mm shorter. I think ive achieved a similar weight balance to your 3-notch, even though its still got 430mm chainstays, with the longer front center. And i have a nice long 91mm trail thanks to the 69⁰ head angle for good stability offroad.
For reference, my gravel bike is a BMC 2Stroke AL, with a 27.5" Rock shox Sid WC in 100mm travel. Geometry with that fork is 69⁰ HA, 42mm fork offset, 750mm FC, 430mm CS, and the BB drop is 70-75mm depending on sag. Wheelbase is 1150mm I got that frame because the chainstays fit a road crank (with a +5mm axle) and 44t chainring.
@@galenkehler You are exactly on the right path with your build. I love that you can fit your road crank with a slightly wider axle on the MTB frame. What crank are you using to do that? I have done it with the previous SRAM Carbon cranks in the past. I used a Giant XTC 27.5 for a few years as my gravel and road bike until a car hit me and destroyed the bike.
@@BlackWaterCyclist I used the Rotor Aldhu crankset, it's wonderfully modular. The combination with the Road Aldhu arms is +5mm axle (just to fit the 73mm bb shell) and a 104bcd MTB spider from Power2Max. The non-power spider wouldn't work as it has too much material and fouled on the chainstay, but a direct mount chainring would probably fit. We just didn't have one to try, and its all out of spec, tight tolerance fitment so just went with what could work on hand 😆
@@BlackWaterCyclist I have seen that video but that crank and arm has an bolt. I mean the newer press fit. I have an XX1 and a GX crankset but want to take the arms out and swap them. Is that possible ?
FYI, an alternative to the 90deg tool is sticking a spoke in from the front, through the brake cable holder in the top of the lever. I was able to push the pin out that way.
And that is what Kona did with the sutra: that hunk of steel is super long, 445cs, high reach, high trail. So that thing is slow and heavy but boy it is also put on tracks and eats holes for diner
Usually the weight difference for added MIPS is 25-40 grams. Still not a lot honestly. The biggest negative to MIPS in the past was airflow restriction. In Florida it was bad. The latest MIPS have addressed that so now there really is no negative to a MIPS helmet. When they were just retrofitted to helmets not designed for MIPS, there were a few negatives.
Sorry they did not have DUB wide when I made this video or at least it was very new. Dub Wide for road is a total of 5mm wider spindle. Everything else is the same. SO you have a 5mm wider Q factor and it moves the Front Derailleur wider by 2.5mm to give more room for larger tires. Wide for MTB does the same, just makes the spindle wider for more tire/chainstay/chainring clearance.
Potentially, srams dub bb uses a 6806 bearing which has a 30mm id without the top hat which reduces it to 29mm. So if you were to use the correct width dust covers or spacers for the bearings instead of the top hats you could do it but I’m not sure why you wouldn’t just get a proper BBright bb.
So after reading your responses on this review you determined in the end the Bontrager gave you hot spots and you preferred the pro stealth? Is that the final verdict?
I have had SRAM alloy spindles for years with no issues. The original PF30 spindles that were aluminum would have issues since they connect directly to the steel races of the bearings and would wear and cause clicking or creaking. The newer Dub are better because they use a plastic sleeve similar to shimano bearings so they do not have the wear like previous PF30 cranks. Shimano has had more crankarm issues than SRAM over the years. I would say SRAM have been more reliable than Shimano in the crankset arena though that is not the case in most parts with SRAM vs Shimano.
@@BlackWaterCyclist most of the spindles in the video already show some small amounts of wear. For people that ride a lot, it happens way too soon regardless of the amount of maintenance. Thats my experience and the same for many people I know that ride XC.
Since the ends of the spindles are the same between dub and pf30, am I right in understanding that you could change a pf30 spindle to a dub one and it would fit both crank arms? In the video you show that the spindle ends are the same and use a dub non drive side crank arm with a pf30 drive side crank. I have an old pf30 crank set and hoped to put it on my DH bike. For that I need the right spindle length (researching that now) and the dub width.
The issue with DUB is that the Nondriveside Arm is bonded permanently to the DUB spindle. If you can find a dub spindle somewhere that allows you to screw the Non drive side cranks on then yes you can swap to the DUB spindle. The only company I know that offered it was stages but their splines are clocked differently so you have to use their crank arm with the spindle and now they are out of business. I have purchased non drive side dub arms and spindles before for cheap and put a PF30 driveside crank arm on it for some cheaper builds.
I think it is better to drop the fork out (or at least turn it so that it points back into the frame) and remove the rear derailleur. The brifter lever being so close to the edge of the box is in a very vulnerable position and can be easily broken on an airline belt or in the plane as it is jostled around. The rotors can moreover be easily warped because they are right against the cardboard.
Call me crazy but i bought a 2018 TCX and after like 4000kms, it almost replaced everything i have. It' my new favourite all-around. Of course this always depends ond the expectatives of the user, in my case i do everything but nothing competitive and that's where this bike shines for me. I barely ride my mtb now and i sold my road bike (which was kinda planned when i bought the TCX). Very good video! very insightful :)
Do you notice people approaching you from the rear or do you have to intentionally look? I imagine it'd be easier to see vehicles as opposed to other cyclists?
I hot wax with common parrafin wax with a 1:10 ratio of 1.6micron PTFE powder + a liquid form used for topups inbetween hot waxing. The cost is minimal compared to the typically over-priced mass-produced products on offer. I spend about 2 hours on hot waxing my chain, doing other things to the bike in the meantime. Making my own hot wax and permanent liquid version takes about an hour total. A pot of hot wax, as long as the chain is thoroughtly cleaned before hand, will last 6 months or more. XC riding, I hot wax around every 200kms, more if I liquid wax topup every ride. Will never buy over-priced products again, especially since the home brew I make is the same as some company's offering, but without the flashy packaging, enticing name, and marked up profit costs. I think such product are for people who think spending this small amount of time and effort on DIY is too much of a commitment, so they gravitate towards others who do the work for them, but chage an arm a and a leg for their service\product...even though the product can be created by anyone.
I am sceptical about MIPS in this "first" (inside liner) version. I agree, for me, it also looks that you have to wear your helmet unrealisticaly tight for it to really work and make a difference. I tried on MIPS and non-MIPS helmets, and that's what I noticed. Otherwise both helmets slide on your hair similarily, but MIPS makes a helmet less comfortable and blocks some ventilation. I'd prefer this GIRO version, where the outer shell moves, Lazer Kineticore solution, or Bontrager Wavecel, those have more sense to me.
For this project I wasn't worried about it being perfect. If you have the time and want it to last then you will want to go through the whole process. Aluminum is tricky to paint raw due to the oxidation that takes place right after it is exposed to oxygen so I decided just to paint on top of the original paint and it has actually held up better than expected.
The one reason why I wouldn't buy any SRAM crankset (or any of the many Chinese knockoffs) is that I don't want to be forced to spend hundreds of dollars on a big-ass torque wrench for the spindle bolt.
