Six Pack mechanicals?

G

GratefulRider

Active Member
In an effort to gain some valuable information about the gear we race, what worked and what didn't?

I ran a new sram HP chain, new XT chainrings, and a fairly new sram cassette. 9speed. I did break a chain and suffered from chain suck throughout.

powerlink saved my day and I did manage 6 laps on the repair

Magura marta brakes performed flawlessly and pads show minimal wear.
 
GratefulRider said:
Magura marta brakes performed flawlessly
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Although I wasn't racing, I did bang out a few laps. First time riding muddy, wet conditions with Magura Martas. I was also pleasantly surprised at how well they performed compared to brakesets I have owned in the past.
 
743power said:
maxxis tires win.
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Were you running the Ikons yesterday? How were they in those conditions. Just picked up a set just haven't mounted them yet.


After the 1st lap my new Shimano 10 speed was ghost shifting. Disappointed to say the least. :mad: I pretty much stopped shifting after that as I didn't want to break anything. No 10 speed powerlink with me. I was suppose to be helping not needing help.
 
Kirt said:
Were you running the Ikons yesterday? How were they in those conditions. Just picked up a set just haven't mounted them yet.


After the 1st lap my new Shimano 10 speed was ghost shifting. Disappointed to say the least. :mad: I pretty much stopped shifting after that as I didn't want to break anything. No 10 speed powerlink with me. I was suppose to be helping not needing help.
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He had the beavers they were a nice looking tire with plenty of volume. 520g and dual compound to boot.

Was talking with monty on friday and said he would only run 9spd. No durability with 10spd. but he is a SSer so what does he know:D
 
My 9 speed deore shifter and slx rear derailler were flawless with a new chain and cassette. Wolverine in the front and Ignitor in the back were also very good. I had the bike set up 1x9 on the cheap specifically for this race and everything worked well.
 
hope brakes = win
Wolverine in the front/Ignitor in the back = win
single speed = win

that is all.
 
I had zero mechanical issues, so i will focus on what worked well:

-Tires: AKA TnT29er Rear and Sagauro 29er TnT Front. 28 psi in both. Super predictable and bomber. They make lighter tires but I know I will not flat these. In fact I rarely see anyone flat these.

-34t SS specific q ring. It works. No BS. Super pricey and worth it.

-SMP Glider saddle. No issue. No gimmick. Love it.

-Lefty X-lock. W/ Remote lever. I pushed this lever several hundred times per lap. Lock it and if feels like an extra gear. Open it and it is plush. Forget to unlock it and it blows through the lockout threshold. This looks weird and works like a charm.

-Seatpost: Flash carbon SAVE from C-dale: Softens the already smooth ride that my 7 has to offer.

-Brakes: Marta SL. Minimal pad wear, no noise and consistent, solid power.

-Feet: Covered them w/ body glide and wore wool sox

Eating..

-Whole avocado
-Salted Almonds
-Hummus and Turkey on Sourdough
-Nature's Path Organic Toaster Pastries
-Chomps
-Hammer Gel
-Accelgel
-Zym w/ Caffine
-Heed
-Perpetuem

-Forgot the Endurolytes, but I bet they would have been good.
 
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The xloc is an amazing thing. The beavers were great. More tread then I'm used to, but they worked like they should.
 
shadow xt rear shocked me that it never missed a shifter once. Elixir CR were flawless, never lost anything throughout even though the rear was having issues before the race and needs a bleed now.
 
I rode the Ikons and thought they were perfect. Cleared mud well, hooked up everywhere, etc...I crashed on the 1st lap and broke my rear brake and MRP (again)...The rear brake took the bulk of the fall so I understand that going, the MRP on the otherhand, I'm not so happy about.

-Jim.
 
Maybe a little OT (sorry) but I was wondering what chain lube worked under the wet and muddy conditions. We just came back from N Carolina and rode for 4 days under very similar conditions with a group of 15 tandems. There was an extraordinary amount of broken chains. ( all Sram 9 spd). Some may have been from bad shifts( not everyone was all that experienced) but most were. I used Dumonde MTB on our chains but it seemed to only last about half the day(usually 4-5 hrs total) and my chain was telling me it wanted more. I suppose a wet lube would have been a better choice. I really like the Dumonde under normal conditions that we ride under.
Looks like you guys had a fun, well organized and sucessful event. Congrats MTBNJ!!!!!!!!!!!!
Ed and Pat Gifford
the Snot Rocket tandem
 
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Go Parts:
Old-ish Hutchinson Toros: Lose
1 Speed (the concept not the rider): Win
1Speed (the rider not the concept): Not even close

Food:
Anything and everything: Win
Mud: Lose

Course:
Winding twisty fast singletrack: BIG win
Short Power Climbs with rocky step ups: win
Chamois-filtered, Muddy water calonics: Ummm ... win ... ? ... ehhh ... no judgments please ...
 
+1 on the Ikons, front and rear. They were very solid considering the low knobs. When they did slide, they were very predictable. Ran 28/30 psi and probably could have gone a little lower.

My Elixir Rs did great. Some noise during the race but were always there when needed. Pads look to be in good shape, too.

I use the heavy Dumonde (not the light version). My chain was fine all day but obviously needed a serious cleaning after everything crusted over on the way home.

A front fender would have been nice...I was constantly cleaning mud off my lenses.
 
This is all great stuff. We went 2 pages without bullshit. For those not keeping score, sounds like Ikons are great tires in Stewart mud and Magura's work well. Some other great points re: fuel, lube, and derailuers.

Jay with all that food, when did you have time to ride so fast? Also, for those of us who prefer gears, could you share your thoughts on various chain lubes, when to use each and why?

Thanks for the feedback.
 
I switched to dumonde after many recommendations. If you apply it correctly the first time (follow directions), it works great in dusty and wet conditions.

It's not cheap but it lasts a long time between applications.
 
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