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The "I need to brag about a gear purchase" thread--Cycling version

Tom K.

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Yeh, have exactly zero need for the SAE sizes except maybe on my sink disposal motor...

Every couple of years, a need pops up, but my SAE one will certainly never wear out.

After years of banging around on a hardtail I bought, well reserved for October delivery, my first full squish. It will be much easier on my back and probably encourage me to hit some stuff I shouldn't be encouraged to hit. That it is made by a company about an hour's drive from my house is the cherry on top.
View attachment 178903

Congrats! Hard to find a bad word written about that bike.
 

cantunamunch

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Winter cycling and skating are all massive headwind battles. And so I decided to go full NTA and full visor for the helmet.

IMG_20220930_093122.jpg
 

cantunamunch

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Some more details on this? Does it come in other colours? I use helmet covers in the winter but this is worth considering.

I believe so, yes.

1664822293423.png



The NTA 8776 part is the critical part tho - it is rated for pedelec falls. Which makes the foam 2x as thick as your average ~200g helmet, but also makes it *much* better for inline skating, since skaters fall in more directions than cyclists, esp. backwards. The other upside - the helmet is a lot quieter in wind than my current Lazer.

With the visor, the weight is up to half a kilo in size L. I won't be using it in high summer or for serious climbing days.
 

chris_the_wrench

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After years of banging around on a hardtail I bought, well reserved for October delivery, my first full squish. It will be much easier on my back and probably encourage me to hit some stuff I shouldn't be encouraged to hit. That it is made by a company about an hour's drive from my house is the cherry on top.
View attachment 178903

Did you score one from a lbs or transition? I thought they were pretty sold out.
Complete or frameset? How ya building it up? This bike has been on my radar abit, I’m currious how itd ride with a pike 130 fork.
 
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robertc3

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I found one available at an LBS down in Oregon. Nothing available from Transition. They had a few of the Deore in September, but they already had deposits on them. This is a GX build. I am not planning any significant changes right away. The Pike change seems to get positive reviews from those who have tried it. I wonder if that just pushes the bike closer to something like a Tallboy while not being quite as robust as a Tallboy?
 
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TS
Andy Mink

Andy Mink

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New brake pads. Not because I needed them before bleeding the brakes, but because I needed them AFTER bleeding the brakes. Yes, I contaminated the pads with oil. Not sure how as I removed the wheels and pads, cleaned the calipers and rotors with iso alcohol, and reassembled. I got great lever feel with maybe 20% stopping power that was extremely gronky. Took it apart, cleaned everything with brake cleaner and had the same results. New pads, grabbed a handful of brake and stopped VERY suddenly. Lesson learned.
 

Rudi Riet

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^^^^

Makes me happy that my discs are mechanical, even though they don't have the same silky feel as hydro.
 

Rudi Riet

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Now if only my mechanical ones didn't screech like banshees, but only when wet...

That entirely depends on your pad and rotor setup. Resin pads properly bedded on high quality rotors are typically quiet, even when soaked. Mix any kind of metal into the pad and they will be louder by design.

Also it probably depends on the kind of mechanical disc calipers you have as well. I use TRP Sypre-C calipers which actuate from both sides. The older Avid BB series are definitely louder as they only actuate from one side which causes some resonant frequencies.
 

Tom K.

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That entirely depends on your pad and rotor setup. Resin pads properly bedded on high quality rotors are typically quiet, even when soaked. Mix any kind of metal into the pad and they will be louder by design.

Also it probably depends on the kind of mechanical disc calipers you have as well. I use TRP Sypre-C calipers which actuate from both sides. The older Avid BB series are definitely louder as they only actuate from one side which causes some resonant frequencies.

QFT especially the bold part.
 

Tony Storaro

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Now if only my mechanical ones didn't screech like banshees, but only when wet...

I was thinking of applying some of that magic cleaner (forgot the name) as my brakes screech like crazy in the wet, but strange enough just the other day they suddenly stopped doing that after a couple of very hard brakes, as in real hard. Dunno if that cleaned the pads/rotors but it stopped the screeching.
 

cantunamunch

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QFT especially the bold part.

Yes, and I switched away from resin last winter, on purpose. Too many days with half-frozen glaze instead of ...like...ability to stop.

after a couple of very hard brakes, as in real hard. Dunno if that cleaned the pads/rotors but it stopped the screeching.

Yep, know that trick. Squeee - stop still panics the kidneys in whoever I happen to be riding behind.
 

Tony Storaro

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Yep, know that trick. Squeee - stop still panics the kidneys in whoever I happen to be riding behind.

:roflmao: One of the best parts in cycling in the rain is to freak out pedestrians. The hubs on the Hyper 50s are REAL loud so the effect is double, first they hear the hubs and then SQUEEEEEEEEEE. They go nuts.
 

chris_the_wrench

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For those of you that also monkey around a fair bit with their rear suspension, you know that changing volume reducers is pretty quick and easy, BUT pumping the shock back up takes forever.

This has twice the volume of a Rockshox digital pump.......and costs less.

Solstice present to myself! :ogbiggrin:

Is that thing pretty accurate in the low 90 psi range?
 

Tom K.

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Is that thing pretty accurate in the low 90 psi range?

Yes. It reads a few psi higher than my RS digital pump.

Most importantly, it's precise, within 1 or 2 psi repeatability.

It doesn't feel quite as substantial as the RS unit, but they've lasted for years and years back when I was still twisting throttles! :ogbiggrin:
 

chris_the_wrench

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Yes. It reads a few psi higher than my RS digital pump.

Most importantly, it's precise, within 1 or 2 psi repeatability
Got me convinced to add one to my list. Ive been struggling with getting my stepcast 34 to my liking, seems like when I get the psi within a small window im happier with it. So I’ll give it a try
 

cantunamunch

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OK, I feel I should post a PSA about these - and related stem-cap-mount whatevers.

First, yes, you're going to notice every single fraction of a degree misalignment because you can't not notice a large-enough-to read square-ish object in your FOV being on a tilt.

And then, after you've chased, detensioned and retensioned every single bolt, scrutinised and counted every single washer, tweaked the alignment of every single slip surface from the computer to the fork steerer, it will hit you.

So, you can learn from my frustration: check the tray / tray holder first. And now that I know about it, I can see it even in ^that pic, the tray is ever so slightly counterclockwise from straight ahead.
 

Tom K.

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First, yes, you're going to notice every single fraction of a degree misalignment because you can't not notice a large-enough-to read square-ish object in your FOV being on a tilt.

Embrace the imperfection, randomness, entropy and the 2nd Law!!!
 

cantunamunch

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Embrace the imperfection, randomness, entropy and the 2nd Law!!!

Pffft. I'm taking the mini files to the tray holder tomorrow and re-clocking the keyways.

Fortunately there are only two keyways, one at 5:50 and one at 8:50 and the metal at 3 and 12 is completely uncut. No change to the tray other than rotating it 17something degrees.
 

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