What have you done to your bike today?

[Juggernaut]

Spent the morning tearing down the Binary to chase a recurring creak. Found a little play in the non drive side spd pedal so I pulled the spindle and snuggled up and clean / re-greased everything (yes, I did the same to the drive side too). Cleaned and re-greased the cranks, bottom bracket/shell, new anti-seize (cuz Ti) and while I was at it, swapped in a fresh cable on the dropper… I noticed a little fraying by the lever so might as well get that done too.

*Went for a short ride at SixMile to check everything. Of course there’s still a tiny bit of creaking under hard load. 🙄. It’s 90% better though so I’ll take it… for now.

 

[The Worst]

Oooooh, I'm jealous!! Yea, I'm looking to replace a MM as well on the front of a Stumpy Evo. Romy went on the back of the Epic Evo, but I'm going to move it to the front (it's a Soft compound) and pick up a Romy in Mid compound for the back.

EDIT- How long was shipping from Schwalbe? NVM, I ordered one from them direct. 🤞



It's HAPPENING!!!! You getting excited???

Got out for a quick ride at Weldon Brook WMA/Blue Heron (I live 5 min away). The Tacky Chan is definitely not as raw grippy as the MM, feels a little less stable. The Romy was interesting, also less grippy than the Albert but didn’t feel much faster either. It felt like the soft compound was harder on the Romy than the Albert. Feels like both need a little less pressure and another try. Good news is there’s no rubbing on the linkage.

 

[Bikeworks]

Got out for a quick ride at Weldon Brook WMA/Blue Heron (I live 5 min away). The Tacky Chan is definitely not as raw grippy as the MM, feels a little less stable. The Romy was interesting, also less grippy than the Albert but didn’t feel much faster either. It felt like the soft compound was harder on the Romy than the Albert. Feels like both need a little less pressure and another try. Good news is there’s no rubbing on the linkage.

I read that the new Tacky Chan isn't as vague on the lean/transition as the old.

I have double Alberts on the Epic Evo and I definitely am not as comfortable with the front one as I am with the MM on the Stumpy. If the TC is vague there, I'll try it on the Epic. I'm thinking the Romy is going to be a perfect combo for the Epic though.

 

[The Worst]

I read that the new Tacky Chan isn't as vague on the lean/transition as the old.

I have double Alberts on the Epic Evo and I definitely am not as comfortable with the front one as I am with the MM on the Stumpy. If the TC is vague there, I'll try it on the Epic. I'm thinking the Romy is going to be a perfect combo for the Epic though.

The TC wasn’t really vague on leaning, but the tighter tread pattern compared to the MM meant it didn’t dig into the loose stuff as well and skipped across the top a little more. The Romy was pretty good.

I rode them at the same pressure I’ve been using for the MM/Albert (26F/27R), but it think that was too firm for these tires and conditions. Probably going to try 24F/26R next time.

 

[Rocksrgood4u]

Built up a stout wheel with this narrow 25mm inner width rim and upgraded the freehub. Now it's a four pawl E-Sync lol. DS spoke tension 100-105N. No truing needed after ten miles today. My first wheel!

 

[iman29]

Changed the stem on the Checkpoint to raise the bar a bit and changed the saddle back to my fav Specialized Avatar. 😀

Getting ready for the cross-country trip starting in May.

View attachment 280259View attachment 280260

What’s the route plan.?

You should blog it somewhere here so we can follow along.

 

[Steve Vai]

I can take a week off and come for the first 1,000 miles.

 

[Karate Monkey]

Working to fix one of life's biggest annoyances (in the sense that nothing bad whatsoever will happen to you if you don't, but there's got to be a better way):

The chewed up ESI. After looking around for someone who has made a grip-protecting bar plug, and coming up empty, except for boat anchor BMX stuff, or frou-frou roadie crap, I set out to make my own.

Step one, not shown, make plastic ends. I used acetyl copolymer, because that's what I had on hand. After I'm satisfied with my proof-of-concept, I'll get some black UHMPE

Step two: manufacture some lightweight t-nuts* capable of squishing material to hold it in place:

Don't mind the second from the right, the torch got a bit frisky. I had wanted to use a #3 tip instead of #4, but it was clogged (couldn't light without auto-extinguishing), and I forgot I had spares. 4 was definitely too big, and honestly, 3 probably was too, but my #2 was completely missing. #1 would've been fun, other than it being ridiculously small/underpowered for this (and I don't like open flame lighting, anyway).

Post brazing/de-fluxing. Two slits cut with a jewler's saw, then bent down to create teeth to grab the cork. I finally settled on oversized cork, tapered with a microplane (did you know? That's the original use for a microplane: wood working with soft woods).

Installed with a firm thump, then snugged with the screw. Testing up next. This should perform the primary function of protecting the grip end, but also keeping the grip from walking off the bar.

*despite using brass, total weight for two is 10g, a 4g penalty from ESI bar ends. I might be able to get another gram off with UHMPE and using steel for the t-nut. As it was, I had to make a thin reinforcing washer to go between the cork and the end to keep the screw from pulling through.

 

[qclabrat]

Full hipster ready for sale...

 

[a.s.]

Got out for a quick ride at Weldon Brook WMA/Blue Heron (I live 5 min away). The Tacky Chan is definitely not as raw grippy as the MM, feels a little less stable. The Romy was interesting, also less grippy than the Albert but didn’t feel much faster either. It felt like the soft compound was harder on the Romy than the Albert. Feels like both need a little less pressure and another try. Good news is there’s no rubbing on the linkage.

Chainring.

 

[a.s.]

Working to fix one of life's biggest annoyances (in the sense that nothing bad whatsoever will happen to you if you don't, but there's got to be a better way):

The chewed up ESI. After looking around for someone who has made a grip-protecting bar plug, and coming up empty, except for boat anchor BMX stuff, or frou-frou roadie crap, I set out to make my own.

Step one, not shown, make plastic ends. I used acetyl copolymer, because that's what I had on hand. After I'm satisfied with my proof-of-concept, I'll get some black UHMPE

Step two: manufacture some lightweight t-nuts* capable of squishing material to hold it in place:

View attachment 280611

Don't mind the second from the right, the torch got a bit frisky. I had wanted to use a #3 tip instead of #4, but it was clogged (couldn't light without auto-extinguishing), and I forgot I had spares. 4 was definitely too big, and honestly, 3 probably was too, but my #2 was completely missing. #1 would've been fun, other than it being ridiculously small/underpowered for this (and I don't like open flame lighting, anyway).

View attachment 280610

Post brazing/de-fluxing. Two slits cut with a jewler's saw, then bent down to create teeth to grab the cork. I finally settled on oversized cork, tapered with a microplane (did you know? That's the original use for a microplane: wood working with soft woods).

View attachment 280609

Installed with a firm thump, then snugged with the screw. Testing up next. This should perform the primary function of protecting the grip end, but also keeping the grip from walking off the bar.

*despite using brass, total weight for two is 10g, a 4g penalty from ESI bar ends. I might be able to get another gram off with UHMPE and using steel for the t-nut. As it was, I had to make a thin reinforcing washer to go between the cork and the end to keep the screw from pulling through.

Get some proper grips and throw the ESI away. We’ve all made that mistake. It’s okay.

 

[The Worst]

Chainring.

What

 

[serviceguy]

Working to fix one of life's biggest annoyances (in the sense that nothing bad whatsoever will happen to you if you don't, but there's got to be a better way):

The chewed up ESI. After looking around for someone who has made a grip-protecting bar plug, and coming up empty, except for boat anchor BMX stuff, or frou-frou roadie crap, I set out to make my own.

Step one, not shown, make plastic ends. I used acetyl copolymer, because that's what I had on hand. After I'm satisfied with my proof-of-concept, I'll get some black UHMPE

Step two: manufacture some lightweight t-nuts* capable of squishing material to hold it in place:

View attachment 280611

Don't mind the second from the right, the torch got a bit frisky. I had wanted to use a #3 tip instead of #4, but it was clogged (couldn't light without auto-extinguishing), and I forgot I had spares. 4 was definitely too big, and honestly, 3 probably was too, but my #2 was completely missing. #1 would've been fun, other than it being ridiculously small/underpowered for this (and I don't like open flame lighting, anyway).

View attachment 280610

Post brazing/de-fluxing. Two slits cut with a jewler's saw, then bent down to create teeth to grab the cork. I finally settled on oversized cork, tapered with a microplane (did you know? That's the original use for a microplane: wood working with soft woods).

View attachment 280609

Installed with a firm thump, then snugged with the screw. Testing up next. This should perform the primary function of protecting the grip end, but also keeping the grip from walking off the bar.

*despite using brass, total weight for two is 10g, a 4g penalty from ESI bar ends. I might be able to get another gram off with UHMPE and using steel for the t-nut. As it was, I had to make a thin reinforcing washer to go between the cork and the end to keep the screw from pulling through.

I have some brand new Ergons that I can give you for free if you also collect my round table also for free...also, slotted head screws belong to the 50s...

 

[kramonut]

Made some progress on this bike... Picked it up used several weeks ago, but was busy on other projects so it's just been sitting.

Swapped the 120 stem to a 100, swapped the setback post to straight (have to test & see which is better for fit), put on new Ultegra hoods (think this pic might before I set the shifter angle). Next up with this is swapping wheels...gonna throw these on the Crux, bartape & some fine-tuning.

Also got myself into quite a pickle with the rear shock on my XC bike... What should have been a simple lockout remote swap has turned into a complete rebuild of the shock & I have no one to blame but myself for not looking at the service manual first before taking things apart.

I think the spring from the rebound adjuster is stuck in the eyelet portion of the shock & it wont fall out. Now I find myself buying all kinds of tools to take this thing apart & doing a 200hr service on it... Oh well, at least it will be a learning experience.

 

[Glenn Rides After 4 PM CST]

Thoughts?

I like them. A little sketchy in loose pebble rocks. They roll fast with great grip on dirt. Lots of traction climbing

 

[Karate Monkey]

Get some proper grips and throw the ESI away. We’ve all made that mistake. It’s okay.

I have some brand new Ergons that I can give you for free if you also collect my round table also for free...also, slotted head screws belong to the 50s...

Tough crowd. I've got a pair (two, actually) of Ergons sitting on the shelf. As my arthritis has gotten worse, lock-ons have gone out of the question. It's neither squish, nor traction, but damping that is important, and I've found no grips that do a better job versus the mechanical simplicity. [that's a fancy way of saying: they're cheap, and they work]

Also, slotted screws are the lightest possible head. The more you know *ding*. And they were free, because I already had them. I would think everyone would be more scandalized by the 4-40 part, rather than the brass or slotted part.

Also, I'm going to call this a success, not because they particularly protected the grip (I haven't crashed), but because they give a more tactile sense of the end of the bar. Whether or not that matters to someone else, well, I don't really care. 🙂

 

[John the Plumber]

Tough crowd. I've got a pair (two, actually) of Ergons sitting on the shelf. As my arthritis has gotten worse, lock-ons have gone out of the question. It's neither squish, nor traction, but damping that is important, and I've found no grips that do a better job versus the mechanical simplicity. [that's a fancy way of saying: they're cheap, and they work]

Also, slotted screws are the lightest possible head. The more you know *ding*. And they were free, because I already had them. I would think everyone would be more scandalized by the 4-40 part, rather than the brass or slotted part.

Also, I'm going to call this a success, not because they particularly protected the grip (I haven't crashed), but because they give a more tactile sense of the end of the bar. Whether or not that matters to someone else, well, I don't really care. 🙂

I found out for my arthritis the ESI Chunky works well for me. I had two different Ergons did not work. Also, Phillips head screws should go away just like the dinosaurs.

 

[Jeremy]

Tough crowd. I've got a pair (two, actually) of Ergons sitting on the shelf

I used to only run ESI on my mtbs. Every other grip feels uncomfortable to me. I found the wolf tooth grips are a little more durable and just as comfortable.

 

[John the Plumber]

I used to only run ESI on my mtbs. Every other grip feels uncomfortable to me. I found the wolf tooth grips are a little more durable and just as comfortable.

I will check them,out.

 

[serviceguy]

Tough crowd. I've got a pair (two, actually) of Ergons sitting on the shelf. As my arthritis has gotten worse, lock-ons have gone out of the question. It's neither squish, nor traction, but damping that is important, and I've found no grips that do a better job versus the mechanical simplicity. [that's a fancy way of saying: they're cheap, and they work]

Also, slotted screws are the lightest possible head. The more you know *ding*. And they were free, because I already had them. I would think everyone would be more scandalized by the 4-40 part, rather than the brass or slotted part.

Also, I'm going to call this a success, not because they particularly protected the grip (I haven't crashed), but because they give a more tactile sense of the end of the bar. Whether or not that matters to someone else, well, I don't really care. 🙂

Eh, I was just teasing. BTW the table is still available and for free!

Phillips head screws should go away just like the dinosaurs.

I'm with you, hex and torx for the win!