Shimano "Yumeya"

Lesser known as: "Shimano smoked some crack, came up with a crazy website and some shiny stuff.

WARNING: CLICKING THIS LINK MAY LEAD TO EMPTY BANK ACCOUNTS. PUT ALL BANK/CREDIT CARDS AWAY FIRST.

I know most of us are on the old Sram but thought you might be interested anyhoo.

Single Run Rear Gear Cable

There have been times when the gears on my 5-Spot have worked flawlessly, but mostly they have been unreliable.

I remember when I first bought the frame reading about people who drilled out the cable guides and fitted a single run of cable to the rear mech. This did seem drastic but after our Scottish trip and more problems :-( David suggested I try this solution by using disc hose guides.

The problem was that these were far too big for gear cable, but I decided that cable end caps with the ends cut off could be used to tighten up the fit.

So, the conversion was done, not the neatest looking run of cable, but it would do for now.

Just in time for the midweek trip to Cannock, a 20 mile trip with varied terrain and no doubt some mud after the recent rain.

Despite the fact that there had not been time for it all to settle in, for the first time ever I experienced clean and accurate changes, I could not believe the difference :-)

It would be wrong to say all was perfect as the cable guides were still not a good fit and with suspension movement the cable would sometimes pop out of its location. So perhaps a little tinkering to tighten things up, or maybe I will pluck up the courage to go the whole hog an drill the frame guides out. Certainly a worthwhile mod on a full suspension bike.

Bling Jockey Wheels

Within one of this months bike mags, I spotted some pimp looking alloy jockey wheels which shouldn't dissolve into ninja stars are quickly as our plastic OEM items.

They're made by KCNC and one of their UK outlets even claims these upgrades are cheaper than comparable high end kit, checkout Clee Cycles (who supplied the pic's). These pretty annodised replacements would appear to offer longevity and they even have optional ceramic bearings which should further improve their service life :thumbsu

They sure are pretty and I know of at least one rider that'd benefit from 'em, checkout our rigs at the next Knobblies bash... :p

External Bearing BB's Dissected

If anyone is running either a Shimano Hollowtech or RaceFace X-Type bottom bracket then an article, which has just been brought to my attention, is well worth a read.

It compares the construction of the two systems, talks a great deal of sense and is a fine follow up to an earlier post re: alternative replacement outboard bearings.

Drivetrain Overhaul

With around 6wks left to our big Afan wkend, I figured it was time to get down to some serious spannerin' and fettle/overhaul my ride. As the chain was also getting past it's best, now seemed like a logical time to replace my entire drivetrain. Changing the gear now should also mean that I'll have some time to iron out any glitches and bed-in all the new bits.

So my ride time last wkend wasn't spent steamin' out on the trails :( but skimmin' flesh off me'knuckles within the cool garage.

Drivetrain replacement's; were 100% like for like, but not thru the lack of trying ;)

• Chainrings (XT) - to overcome my dreaded Cannock induced, wet weather, granny ring climb chain suck. Although it's only a matter of time before it occur elsehwere and in all weathers.
• Cassette (XT) - I did try and order a SRAM X0 (PG_990) cassette which unfortuntely wasn't in stock and I didn't like the number of loose rings on the X9 (PG-980) I received. With their tendancy to chew up alloy freehub carriers.
  
• Chain (PG-971) - cleaned and then lubed with Chad's recommendation; T9 Boeshield. Hopefully it's better than Finish Line XC which washes off far too easily for my liking.
  
• Rear Mech (X9) - after checking that the hanger was straight.
• Shifters (X9) - I'd hoped that Chad might have some early 2007 units available, but alas no :rolleyes
• Cables - Jagwire sealed jobbies replaced with a dose Teflon lube added for good measure.

Service items;

• RP3 - I typically clean and regrease the air can every 6 months and this was the first time that I've ever had a grubby'un.
  
• Freewheel (Chris King) - now using lighter/approved Teflon lube (Tri-Flow), which'll hopefully prevent drag experienced whilst back pedalling with subsequent cassette/chain de-railment.

A test ride had the drive train quieten down after a few miles with the shifters feeling slightly faster and defo lighter with new Teflon lined cables. I'm defo getting the hang of setting up this SRAM gear too, 'cos the cable tension didn't even need a tweak. A quick post ride check highlighted that the rear hub needed a little more pre-load, which was easily nipped up.

Tyres; Pleased with the results thus far, I was spurred on to change my summer-esque Racing Ralphs boots for my all mountain Bonty ACX's. But with a twist..:huh...this time I was going to ditch the tubes and go tubeless for the 1st time. So I set about;

• removing the RRalphs - easy, 'cos they're not tubeless
• stripping off the old rim tape

Cracking open a DT conversion kit then required the fitting of;

• double sided tape - fiddly and time consuming
• rim strip - a right wrestin' match with the elastic and rim parting company many times !
• Bonty ACX - down right painful ! - these are absolute buggers to get onto my DT 4.1 rims and not a job I'd been looking forward to.
  

Seating the bead and pumping up the tyre with a track pump revealed a flaw in my approach...I should have used a new tyre ! This used boot appeared to have it's fair share of cuts and holes that now needed patching. So off the blighter came so that I could apply some tubeless patches. However, once into the Hutchinson repair kit it became clear that only 1-4mm holes needed patches and that some adhesive would suffice on my "bleeders" ! :x So, wrestle the tyre back on I did...eventually and with aching knuckles !

Adding 60ml of Bonty Super Juice was a simple task thru the clever removeable presta valve - which has gotta be easier than leaving a section of the tyre unhooked, as per many DIY kits. Adding 40psi revealed that the adhesive had silenced many of the leaks (phew) and the juice seemed to be taking care of the rest. A few slow turns of the wheel, at different angles, meant checking it again in the morning...where it had lost lots of air ! According to the instructions, this isn't unusual and I'll report back with an update shortly.

Oh gawd, I've still got the rear wheel to convert ! :o I'm not sure that my pinky's can take much more and my tyre levers are also looking "tired" ;-)

Santa Arrives Early

With a long wkend of climbing looming, at Afan, I'm keen to ensure that my drivetrain doesn't suffer from chainsuck again - as it has at a wet and gritty Cannock, twice! :x I already have a spare set of chainrings but my rear mech has seen better days and no longer shifts cleanly in the lower range, in part due to it's now wobbly mount. Also after a years worth of hard riding, finding the limit and often exceeding it, my shifters have managed to survive many an "off" but the levers are now somewhat bent. Albeit still functional, testomony to the SRAM design.

So after a some surfing and emails to our good buddy in Montana I was ready to place an order. I also asked the posse if anyone else was short of any gear so that we might share the shipping costs. Rob fancied some mega bling in the way of some CrankBros Candy 4Ti's and a silver Thomson stem.

For those of you that haven't imported before, here's the scoop; Chad typically sends his parcels via USPS Global Express which is about a 25% the cost of Fedex and typically gives a fast delivery - in around 4 days. I then get to track the parcel travelling across the US and over the pond to blighty before it sits in customs for a few hours. Unfortunately, I've not had one parcel slip through without Duty and Vat charges :( The dastardly charges are explained here. This particular shipment was also perched in customs for 21hrs which is most unusual - perhaps they were catching up after the wkends bbq's ?

Once clear of the calculators, ParcelFarce then charge a disproportionate amount to push the shipment the relatively short distance from the airport to our local depot. Where I then have to trundle along and cough up the dosh that'll top up Gordon Brown's kitty before they'll release our goodies.

Needless to say, the discount was well worth a little effort and it was a treat to see Rob's face light up when presented with his mega bling 4Ti's. Here's a selection of some of the bits;

I'd like to give big thanx to Chaybo and his "team" for such favourable prices, putting up with us ;) and the odd feeby gave me a nice warm glow :)

Sunrace Bling Cassette

Sunrace JuJu 9 Speed Pro Level Competition Series Cassette

Specs

• Titanium Nitride Coating or Satin Finish
• Shimano Compatible
• Aluminum Spider
• All Steel Rings
• Patented Super Fluid Drive> Shifting Ramps
• Weight - 11-34 285 grams 11-32 275 grams

MZ 9-speed cassette cost US$110. It costs more than XT and not even as light! Check out the review on Bike mag "solid shifting" I'm impressed "after six months of torture, the MZ emerged as flashy as it began”

SRAM Jockey Wheels

I've just been given the run around whilst trying to replace my tired SRAM x9 jockey wheels and thought I'd pass on what I've learnt.

The plastic teeth were a little worn but worse still was the contaminated and corroded lower tension bearing which was running fairly ok after being regreased but occassionally it'd still skip 'n' snag. After browsing the web I couldn't decide which replacements I needed and some recommended Tacx wheels were out of stock. While I was in town and passing, I decided to pop into my lbs *gasp* to place an order. I asked for x9 and a couple of days later Fisher had sent them some x9/9sl's which looked like they'd do the trick. Trying to fit 'em highlighted that they're not 100% compatible, although at first glance you'd be hard pressed to tell 'em apart.

I needed the x9 2005 onwards jockeys which are on the left below, part#GP615, but they sent me some x9/9sl from 2002/3, part#GP713, those on the right. The problem is that the earlier gears have sealed bearings top and bottom with narrow mounting holes on the top and larger on the lower cog. Querky eh.

What I did manage to do was use the original sandwich plates from the lower/tension jockey wheel (with the busted bearing) and wrap them around either of the new, older spec pulley's. Unfortunately, I've not been able to do anything with the upper/alignment jockey wheel as non of the components were transferrable.

Here's a slightly more details pic to show the differences, although you're now looking at the top flight x0 on the left and my 2005 spec x9 on the right.

I've subsequently found that the distributors website has a handy reference outlining the different part numbers, which'd been mighty useful had I known about it a few days before !

Replacement X-Type BB Bearings

EnduroForksSeals.com have long been producing alternative seal kits for forks and this morning I clocked their new product. A superior bearing and seal kit for external bearing bottom brackets. Some riders report that the standard kit doesn't last long (although no way near as bad as ISIS bb's) and these puppies should provide a longer, smoother runtime.

Here's the linky thingy; Bearing kit for X-Type Bottom Brackets

Winterised Cables

Avid Flak Jackets.

The posted delivered a parcel yesterday that'll hopefully contain a solution to my regular cable lubing that now seems to be needed almost every couple of rides. If it doesn't then uphilla with his "recommendation", is in a whole heap'o'trouble !

It's not that I mind a little maintenance, it's just that since the wetter weather arrived my rear der has been snickin' "ghost shifts" on most rides, typically when you need it least.

I guess the main contibutor is that I'm now riding through much gloopier terrain that I used to and all that extra mud and sh!te seems to find it's way into the cable, mainly the final rear der section.

Could it be that perhaps the 5Spot is more susceptible to this problem ? Or its the more direct, rear der cable run on my SRAM ? Which I doubt (tho it may contribute) as I my earlier Shimano rear cable "loop" used to clog up a little on my olMarin.

Oh and I'm also using a slightly larger diameter outer which seems to be allowing more cr@p in to glog the system. During a recent strip down, I found it hard to rethread the inner and after mucho pushing it started to going through the outer. A couple more shoves and it appeared at the other end but after a couple of inches had cleared it then flopped to the side ! It wasn't the inner cable at all, rather grit and mud that had compacted itself inside. Why am I using the larger diameter outer ? Hmmm, I read (somewhere) that it reduces friction as the inner will be free-er, which in turn should lessen ghost shifts. However, Rob came up with a good argument against it; in that the inner isn't as well supported and will cut thru the lining quicker, which'll then increase the friction. Aargh.

You can see from the pic that the Flak Jacket cable outers are fully sealed so any moisture or gloop is now gonna find it very tough to bury itself deep inside. One of the main features over my basic setup are those cable end caps which slim down sugly over the inners. Such a system is employed by top flight Shimano cables and used to good effect by the likes of Rob. The Flak Jackets take this a step further tho by then sliding an outer sheath over the normally exposed cable inners. Thus completing their sealed cable system.

I hope to be fitting these beauty's soon, over the wkend if possible, and I'll provide an update after a week or two's worth of muddy riding. Then we'll see if the theory works !

SRAM vs Shimano

After recently making the transition from the "mainstream" Shimano gear shifts to SRAM I thought that I'd "spread the word" and give you the benefit of my experience.

I'm sure that almost everybody will be familiar with the Shimano amd it's MTB groupset with it's various levels of "competence" from the functional yet basic Deore, LX, XT up to the flag ship XTR. But how many of you know about SRAM ?

Background : Until a recently they were a small company building on it's slightly different take to the Shimano "standard" gear changes with different shifters, cassettes, chains. However, they're recently undergone few years of rapid expansion and are "the" company on a roll and are surely out to rival the bigS. They're moving towards being able to supply their own groupset after acquiring the likes of Avid (brakes) and Truvativ (cranks/stems/bars/seatposts/etc). More recently, they also bought out RockShox (forks, shox's) which is fairly big coo and give's them an edge to Shimano as they don't manufacture forks.

The SRAM gear sets range from X7, X9 to the major bling X0.

A number of basic differences separate SRAM from Shimano in the operation of gear changes.

1. SRAM operate on a 1:1 ratio between the shifters and the mechs, whereas Shimano use 2:1 on the rear and 1:1 on the front. This means that a SRAM system is likely to operate for longer without the need for small adjustments and to be less prone to ghost shifts on full suspension steeds.
   
2. SRAM shifter paddles are operated by the thumb only whereas Shimano require both the thumb and forefinger. This was a major selling point for me as having 4 fingers permenantly wrapped around the bars gives a more secure ride over those large boulders. It's also much less strain on the grey cells as only the thumb is in motion.
   
3. The rear mech cable routing on SRAM is direct from the chainstay whereas Shimano need a long loop of cable to enter in the rear. The most obvious advantage of a direct cable run is less drag but an additional benefit is that shrubbery is less likely to get hooked along for a ride !
   
4. SRAM rear mechs use a much firmer spring mechanism over Shimano. Which greatly reduces chain slap (chain hitting the chainstay), chain derailment when jumping and the mech hitting the chainstay. I can also be a pain to then get the back wheel out ! Update: checkout this thread for a video (approx 28Mb) that helps to highlight the differences.
   

SRAM also produce a Shimano range of compatible shifters called (rather uninspiringly) "2:1 shifters" ! Fortunately, they're more commonly referred to as Rocket or Attack.

Having previously used Shimano Deore and the midrange LX I can confirm that it's all good kit and works very well, with noticable improvements higher up the range. Converting to the SRAM midrange X9 shifters didn't cause any worries and in operation the changes are slightly less slick but feel more positive. Which I find a bonus when you've a set of full fingers gloves on as I always mis-shifted Shimano gears during the winter as their operation is quite light to the touch. Do they change any differently ? Probably but I'll be damned if I can tell. You'd need a dedicated test rig to figure that out and personally I'd prefer just to get out and ride...

Appart from the shifter ratio's all other components are interchangeable between the manufacturer's and my current rig has SRAM X9 shifters, rear mech and chain with a Shimano cassette and front mech. I've found that SRAM chain's tend to last longer but that probably means that the rest of drivetrain wears a little more rapdily.

The general understanding is that the SRAM front mech isn't as slick as Shimano, all Shimano cranks/bb's set the industry standard for light/stiff, that the top flight SRAM X0 rear mech is the bees-knees, that the SRAM X0 shifters are leagues ahead and that the rest of the kit functions on a par.

You chose which you'd like...

Chain Cleaner Gizmo

Over the wkend, Brumster was praising his chain cleaner and how easy it makes the whole process of cleaning the most moving parts on your steed, especially after a grubby ride. Although I've used one for years I'd kinda lost sight of just how useful and efficient they are.

We both use an early incarnation of FinishLine's kit which snugs shut around the chain and rear der allowing you to back pedal the chain through three scrubbing brushes and a set of cleaning pads. Prior to clamping the chain you need to put in a few mills of degreaser, citrus based is more eco friendly. After just a few cranks the degreaser starts to dis-colour and the chain to gleam again. It only takes a dozen revolutions or so - but a few more won't hurt :p Incidentally, the manufacturer's website has some snazzy video's that explain the whole process much better than I can.

But why bother ? First and foremost a clean chain means crisp, clean shifting which gives a much more pleasant ride. Secondly, a clean drivetrain will last longer and not need costly replacement if you regularly clean it down. A chain is so cheap but if it's left dirty then it'll take no time at all down grind down the more expensive cassette, chainrings and der's.

Over the years my cleaner has proved itself and is still going strong which is probably down to how simple the construction is. It's very easy to take out the brushes out for the occassional clean as they just rest inside a couple of grooves. I dread to think how much degreaser I've used but atleast it's mostly been environmentally friendly stuff.

I see that most of the latest FinishLine kits don't have a der hook and rely on you holding the unit whilst cranking, which is fine if you have a stand to hold the bike.

Update, Mar'06 : As one of the brushes within my original kit is now reluctant to stay put (the sides have splayed out) I figured that it was time to acquire a replacement kit. After some surfing it appears that the "old" design has been replaced with this "new" unit.
Although it now no longer seats on the rear der the new unit is sweet to use and the magnet in the base helps to retain any metal shards, the angled operation and extra tension, sealed exit and new brushes mean that the chain comes out much cleaner - definite proof that it needed replacing. So it seems that they've improved a product that was already a winner.

Park Chain Checker

There's a generally accepted theory that a chain will bed in and wear out much quicker than other drivetrain components. If you leave a worn chain on it'll rapidly wear out the chain rings, cassette and jockey wheels which isn't logical as they cost much more than a consumable and relatively cheap chain.

So how do you know when a chain is past it's best ? You can measure the length of 12 links (rivet to rivet) which should be less that 12 1/16", anymore and you'd best start looking to replace it. Another technique is to use a "chain checker", which is a little gizmo that tells you the wear without needing a tape measure. I use a Parktool Chain Checker (cc-2) which shows stretch as a %age.

A positive benefit of using a chain that's in good working order is that you'll have slicker shifting, with a drivetrain that doesn't skip, suffer from chain suck and last longer saving you money for more UGI (upgrade-itis).

Links; Sheldon Brown has some useful info on all things chains, including "stretch".

Hollowtech II Cranks

To build up my Turner I needed a complete set of components and investigating the crankset's it appeared that the Shimano Hollowtech II system was getting good reviews. The externally mounted bearings were reported to be stiff and much longer lived that the rival ISIS range. As I'd had no problems with the earlier Octalink system which also used hollow arms, I thought I'd give it a try.

When I opened Chaybo's parcel I was surprised to see how the system works. It doesn't have a traditional / separate bottom bracket, as the hollow spindle is fixed to the crank rings. The bearings are individual cups which snug up to the bb shell on the frame, needing a special tool (Park BBT-9 - which was much cheaper to source from the US of A). Once the bearings are in place you pass the spindle through, mount the splined, non drive side arm, snug up finger tight with the center spinner and finally clamp it all tight with two opposing 5mm allen bolts. To account for different width bb shells the system comes with three plastic shims which I initially left in the toolbox.

Update: In use the system appears to be plenty stiff enough for my paltry legs and after some 9 months and 1,200 miles+ the bearings are stiff smooth and tight. After a few months running, Rob had a look and added a spacer to the driveside which has helped the front mech (which was bent!) acquire a much cleaner up shift.

If you do have any issues with the bearings, Enduro Fork Seals have recently introduced a placement bearings kit for X-type / outboard BB cranksets which looks like it should be more durable.

Reviews

As many a Blog has been created that review all thangs MTB, I thought it'd be handy to have a central area where they can all be found, incl'g a handy link on the sidebar. So Blog away Posse and review kit to your hearts content...

Bikes :

• Cannondale Gemini
• Cannondale Jekyll
  
• Canyon Nerve XC 6.0 '07, Nerve XC 3.0 '07
  
• On One Inbred 456 '06
  
• Marin Rock Springs '02
• Merlin Dual - hardtail
• Santa Cruz Chameleon '03
  
• Specialized Enduro Expert '05
• Specialized S-Works FSRxc '02
  
• Specialized M5 S-Works - hardtail
• Titus MotoLite '06
  
• Trek Fuel 80
  
• Trek FuelEX9 WSD '05
  
• Trek Liquid 55 '05
  
• Turner 5Spot '05
  
• Turner Flux '05
  

Components :

Bars :

• FSA XC190 - riser, alloy
  
• Maxm MX-1 - flat, carbon
  
• Maxm MX-5 - riser, carbon
  

Brakes :

• Formula Oro
  
• Hope C2 - 2 pot, closed
  
• Hope Mini
  
• Hope Mono M4 - 4 pot, open
  
• Magura Louise BAT's, VentiRotors '07
  
• Shimano Dual Control '05
  
• Shimano Saint
  

Cables :

• Avid Flak Jackets - sealed
• Dry Cables
• Shimano XT
• Sun Ringle - sealed
  

Cassettes :

• Shimano XT
• SRAM PG-990
• SunRace MZ
  

Cranksets :

• Shimano Hollowtech II '05
  
• EnduroForkSeals Replacement Bearings
  

Derailleurs :

• Shimano XTR (fd)
• SRAM X-Gen (fd)
  
• Shimano XTR (rd)
  
• SRAM X0 (rd)
  
• SRAM X9 (rd)
  
• SRAM x9 Jockey Wheels '05

Forks :

• Fox 32 140RLC Talas '07
  
• Fox 36 '05
  
• Manitou Nixon Super '05
• Marzocchi Z1 Freeride SL RC2 '06
• Pace RC41 '05
• Rockshox Pike '07
  
• Rockshox Reba '05
  
• Rockshox Revelation 426 U-Turn '05
  

Grips :

• Enduro Fork Seals Silicone
  
• Yeti Hardcore
  

Groupsets :

• SRAM vs Shimano

Pedals :

• Crank Bros Candy SL
  
• Shimano DX - flats
  
• Time ATAC Aliums '02
• Time Z '05 - flats
  

Saddles :

• Fizik Gobi '05
  
• Koobi
• Specialized BG2
• Specialized Jett - women's
  
• WTB Shadow
  

Seatclamps :

• Hope
• Salsa
  

Seatposts :

• Thomson Elite '05
  

Shifters :

• Shimano XT
• SRAM x0
• SRAM X9
  

Shoxs :

• 5th Element '05
  
• Fox DHX 5.0 (coil) '06
• Fox DHX-Air
• Fox RP23 '06
  
• Fox RP3 '05, PUSH'd
  
• Fox Float R '02, TFT & PUSH
• Rockshox MC3 '05
  

Skewers :

• Bontrager
• Hope

Stems :

• On-One Inbred '04
  
• Thomson 4x
  
• Thomson Elite '05
  

Tyres :

• Bontrager ACX '05 "Tubeless"
• Hutchinson Bulldog
• Hutchinson Spider UST
  
• Panaracer Cinder
• Panaracer XC Fire
• Schwalbe Nobby Nic's
  
• Schwalbe Racing Ralph '05

Wheelsets :

• Bontrager RaceLite UST
• Chris King & DT XR 4.1d '05
• Industry9 & DT 5.1 '07
  

Accessories :

Armour :

• Thor Quadrant

Helmets :

• Giro Animas
  
• Met 5th Element '05
  

Hydration Packs :

• Deuter Cross Air
  

Jackets :

• Endura eVENT
  

Lights :

• AyUp LED '07
  
• Cateye Stadium - HID
  
• Light & Motion ARC '05 / ARC '06 - HID, Li-Ion
• Light & Motion Solo Cub - Li-Ion '06
  
• Light & Motion Solo Logiv mv '06
  
• Lumicycle
  
• Topeak Whitelight DX '06 - LED

Locks :

• Kryptonite New York Chain '06
  

GPS :

• devices - Garmin Edge 305, eTrex
• software - MemoryMap, Tracklogs v3 '05

Mudguards :

• SKS Shockguard & X-Dry '05
  
• Topeak Defender '05

Pumps :

• Shock Pumps
  
• Topeak JoBlow Sport '02 - trackpump
  

Shoes :

• 5ten Low Impact - platforms
• Cannondale Roam '06 - women's
  
• Shimano W101 '04
• Specialized Sport Mountain '02 vs '07
  

Miscellaneous :

• Aldi Cycling Kit
• Bike Rack - Thule Ride On '05 - tow bar mount
• Books - Master MTB Skills (again), Zinn and the Art of MTB Maintenance
• "Helicopter" Protective Tape
  
• Importing from the USA
  
• Camcorder set-up & early tests
• High5 Protein Recovery drink
• Homemade Super Fruit Bars
  

Review Websites :

• BikeMagic - under the "Gear" tab
  
• Gear Review.com
• MTBR

I find that the Blogger Archive drop-down is useless unless you know "when" stuff was Blog'd. So with a little help, I'm sure that the links to any new reviews will mysteriously find there way into this handy reference blog. Eventually...