What have you done to your bike today?

Last weekend while out riding, my Rockshox Reverb Stealth sh!t the bed or more accurately pissed the inside of the seat tube. It was more a pogo stick than a seatpost during the ride. At first I was just going to send it out and have it rebuilt, but based on the availability of the rebuild kit and the online video instructions, I decided to give it a go. I stripped it down, swapped out all the O-rings and replaceable wear parts.
IMG_2557.JPG

There was a level gauge used to set the proper amount of hydraulic fluid in the post that doesn’t seems to be sold anywhere so I hacked one together.
IMG_2560.JPG

After reassembling the post and reinstalling it, everything seems to be operational. Got it out on the trail today and all seems good.
IMG_2563.JPG

Overall it was not a terribly difficult item to rebuild. Just a lot of small parts to be replaced. I probably spent more that I should have as a result of buying some of the tools needed.

One other note – I had replaced the hydraulic lever with a Wolftooth Remote Sustain mechanical lever some months ago. This made it much easier to remove and reinstall the seatpost. Operationally, the lever is more ergonomic and works well with the seatpost.
IMG_2562.JPG
 
Mr.Moto said:
Last weekend while out riding, my Rockshox Reverb Stealth sh!t the bed or more accurately pissed the inside of the seat tube. It was more a pogo stick than a seatpost during the ride. At first I was just going to send it out and have it rebuilt, but based on the availability of the rebuild kit and the online video instructions, I decided to give it a go. I stripped it down, swapped out all the O-rings and replaceable wear parts.
View attachment 62727
There was a level gauge used to set the proper amount of hydraulic fluid in the post that doesn’t seems to be sold anywhere so I hacked one together.
View attachment 62728
After reassembling the post and reinstalling it, everything seems to be operational. Got it out on the trail today and all seems good.
View attachment 62730
Overall it was not a terribly difficult item to rebuild. Just a lot of small parts to be replaced. I probably spent more that I should have as a result of buying some of the tools needed.

One other note – I had replaced the hydraulic lever with a Wolftooth Remote Sustain mechanical lever some months ago. This made it much easier to remove and reinstall the seatpost. Operationally, the lever is more ergonomic and works well with the seatpost.
View attachment 62731
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i feel a rebuild in my near future, and love the idea of the lever, vs the button -
Do you have any bookmarks on the vids/instructions/tools to save some research time?
 
fidodie said:
i feel a rebuild in my near future, and love the idea of the lever, vs the button -
Do you have any bookmarks on the vids/instructions/tools to save some research time?
Click to expand...

I used the Rockshox video for the seatpost rebuild and the Wolftooth video for the Sustain lever. Both show all the tools needed. Rockshox has a few different videos base on what model you have. The full service kits for the various versions are available in lots of places online.


https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B010TSTNRS/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o05_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

The one concern I had was removing and reinstalling the poppet valve housing and cover. When I did the Wolftooth install they noted to be careful because the valve house material was soft. Of course I rounded the wrenching area because of how much force I had to use to remove the poppet head cover. So this time I used the larger wrench flat area that is on the poppet housing and all went well. Incidentally, I have searched the interweb for a replacement valve housing and it seems like that is one of the only parts they don't make available for some reason.

Let me know if you want to borrow any tools. I have the ifp height tool, brass vice blocks and a couple of large metric wrenches.
 
fidodie said:
that works - how are you holding down the rear of the trays?
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They seem pretty stable just attached to a piece of 2x4 for balance and sitting on the bed for now if I have a problem with that I'll get another tension bar to put at the back
 
yea the 6.5 ft bed was a requirement when i bought it for just this reason. I dont think an 8ft bed would fit in the driveway too easily. . . at least not with 4 doors.

fortunately i didnt have to make that decision as noone offers a 1/2 ton with 4 door and a 8ft bed anymore
 
shrpshtr325 said:
yea the 6.5 ft bed was a requirement when i bought it for just this reason. I dont think an 8ft bed would fit in the driveway too easily. . . at least not with 4 doors.

fortunately i didnt have to make that decision as noone offers a 1/2 ton with 4 door and a 8ft bed anymore
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At first I didn't like the 6.5' bed, mainly due to how it looks. Now I wouldn't buy a truck without it.
 
I started putting together a new bike this weekend. Is going to be a bikepacking/touring bike. Got off a several hiccups but I made some progress.

The frame is a Stache knock-off:

file.jpeg


I'm going to try a carbon split seat-tube seatpost to try and get a little suspension to help the 29+ rear tire eat the road chatter.
file1.jpeg
 
Pampa said:
I started putting together a new bike this weekend. Is going to be a bikepacking/touring bike. Got off a several hiccups but I made some progress.

The frame is a Stache knock-off:

View attachment 62792

I'm going to try a carbon split seat-tube seatpost to try and get a little suspension to help the 29+ rear tire eat the road chatter.
View attachment 62793
Click to expand...
been eyeing a knockoff frame just like that for a while on ebay/pinkbike. where did you get yours from and what is you opinion on the quality?
 
Mr.Moto said:
I used the Rockshox video for the seatpost rebuild and the Wolftooth video for the Sustain lever. Both show all the tools needed. Rockshox has a few different videos base on what model you have. The full service kits for the various versions are available in lots of places online.


https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B010TSTNRS/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o05_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

The one concern I had was removing and reinstalling the poppet valve housing and cover. When I did the Wolftooth install they noted to be careful because the valve house material was soft. Of course I rounded the wrenching area because of how much force I had to use to remove the poppet head cover. So this time I used the larger wrench flat area that is on the poppet housing and all went well. Incidentally, I have searched the interweb for a replacement valve housing and it seems like that is one of the only parts they don't make available for some reason.

Let me know if you want to borrow any tools. I have the ifp height tool, brass vice blocks and a couple of large metric wrenches.
Click to expand...

I've got 3 reverbs ready for rebuilds. Sounds like I'll be visiting you in the coming weeks. Just got to get that wheel built first....
 
02camaro said:
been eyeing a knockoff frame just like that for a while on ebay/pinkbike. where did you get yours from and what is you opinion on the quality?
Click to expand...

I got this one on Pinkbike, from a guy in Georgia that "distributes" these an other frames and carbon parts for some Chinese company. The quality seems OK, a little below what I expected. The finish/details seem to be of less quality relative to good Chinese rims (Nextie, Light Bicycle, Carbonfan). For example, when I went to put in the bearing on the lower part of the headtube, I pushed it lightly by hand and got stuck half way through. When I tried to pull it out, just with my fingers, I ended up with the inner part of the bearing in my hand and the race and bearings still stuck inside. The headset came with the frame and it doesn't look as "nice" as the Cane Creeks I've installed in Niner frames. Anyway, after I pulled that, I used a sand cloth to smooth the surface out, I was re-assembled the bearing and it's OK now.

Another detail, I installed the BB & crankset with the recommended spacers by Race Face and it's too tight. Again, it must be b/c of the tolerances. So now I'll take it out and replace a 1.5mm spacer with a 1 or 0.5mm spacer and that should do it.

One of the main reasons why I bought frame instead of a used Stache is the geometry. Obviously, it's very similar to the Stache's but it has some differences in the direction I was looking for. I tried Staches in 17.5 and 19.5 and didn't feel good on either size (I also tried and 18.5 Alu and still not good).

All in all, for $475 (incl. seat collar, rear axle, headset and RD hanger) it's fine. Still, it's a bit of a gamble and will see once I ride it.
 
Pampa said:
I got this one on Pinkbike, from a guy in Georgia that "distributes" these an other frames and carbon parts for some Chinese company. The quality seems OK, a little below what I expected. The finish/details seem to be of less quality relative to good Chinese rims (Nextie, Light Bicycle, Carbonfan). For example, when I went to put in the bearing on the lower part of the headtube, I pushed it lightly by hand and got stuck half way through. When I tried to pull it out, just with my fingers, I ended up with the inner part of the bearing in my hand and the race and bearings still stuck inside. The headset came with the frame and it doesn't look as "nice" as the Cane Creeks I've installed in Niner frames. Anyway, after I pulled that, I used a sand cloth to smooth the surface out, I was re-assembled the bearing and it's OK now.

Another detail, I installed the BB & crankset with the recommended spacers by Race Face and it's too tight. Again, it must be b/c of the tolerances. So now I'll take it out and replace a 1.5mm spacer with a 1 or 0.5mm spacer and that should do it.

One of the main reasons why I bought frame instead of a used Stache is the geometry. Obviously, it's very similar to the Stache's but it has some differences in the direction I was looking for. I tried Staches in 17.5 and 19.5 and didn't feel good on either size (I also tried and 18.5 Alu and still not good).

All in all, for $475 (incl. seat collar, rear axle, headset and RD hanger) it's fine. Still, it's a bit of a gamble and will see once I ride it.
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thanks for the info, i was looking at the same guy on pinkbike
 
02camaro said:
thanks for the info, i was looking at the same guy on pinkbike
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I was going to add that I would not recommend to buy from him at all. Horrible experience. He was worse than zero value added over buying directly from a Chinese company/dealer. On paper/ online, the description of the value he adds sounded very good but the reality is that he just sends the order and then you're on your own. On top of that he is very sly. I can share with you my long, multi-month "conversation" via text (the only time he answered the phone, which he says is one of the advantages of buying from him over the Chinese, was to make the sale). He takes advantage that Pinkbike doesn't have a rating system like ebuy, or that the buy/sell is not an open forum. He wouldn't last a week on any platform where can be held accountable in public.
 
A little progress today with La Mula (the mule :)).

I re-installed the crankset. I had to remove all spacers on the non-drive side. The clearance is minimal and I think if I were to stand up on a hill with a loaded bike (high torque situation) the cranks will rub the chainstays. The other thing is that I don't think I'll be able to put the Garmin cadence sensor, which is a bummer because especially in this bike I wanted to control that I stay at high cadence to help me with endurance rides.

file (1).jpeg
file1 (1).jpeg


I also cut the steering tube (first cut anyway). I'm going to have a long piece of steering tube between the head tube and the stem. I knew this though. Part is because of the for I'm using (less crown to axle distance that the recommended fork for the frame), and part because I want a relatively high handlebar to have a more comfortable position for long rides (a bit more upright position, less weight/stress on hands & arms).

When I tried to install the shifter I realized they put the cable guide for it through the wrong whole on the frame (on the drive side), so I'll have to see if I can thread that guide right. I've hated this part on other frames so not looking forward to this. I also realized that the rear brake hose is supposed to run internal to the frame. Is this common now? This threw another monkey wrench for me. I've shortened brake hoses one time before and was able to do it w/o bleeding the brakes, just holding it up while I cut and re-assembled the brake lever. If I have to thread the hose, I'm guessing I'll have to bleed the brake hose dry.

Today (before cutting steering tube). I can't wait to try the big wheels and tires!

file2.jpeg
 
Pampa said:
A little progress today with La Mula (the mule :)).

I re-installed the crankset. I had to remove all spacers on the non-drive side. The clearance is minimal and I think if I were to stand up on a hill with a loaded bike (high torque situation) the cranks will rub the chainstays. The other thing is that I don't think I'll be able to put the Garmin cadence sensor, which is a bummer because especially in this bike I wanted to control that I stay at high cadence to help me with endurance rides.

View attachment 62845View attachment 62846

I also cut the steering tube (first cut anyway). I'm going to have a long piece of steering tube between the head tube and the stem. I knew this though. Part is because of the for I'm using (less crown to axle distance that the recommended fork for the frame), and part because I want a relatively high handlebar to have a more comfortable position for long rides (a bit more upright position, less weight/stress on hands & arms).

When I tried to install the shifter I realized they put the cable guide for it through the wrong whole on the frame (on the drive side), so I'll have to see if I can thread that guide right. I've hated this part on other frames so not looking forward to this. I also realized that the rear brake hose is supposed to run internal to the frame. Is this common now? This threw another monkey wrench for me. I've shortened brake hoses one time before and was able to do it w/o bleeding the brakes, just holding it up while I cut and re-assembled the brake lever. If I have to thread the hose, I'm guessing I'll have to bleed the brake hose dry.

Today (before cutting steering tube). I can't wait to try the big wheels and tires!

View attachment 62847
Click to expand...

love the stealth theme.

perhaps use the old style cadence/wheel sensor that hooks above/below the chainstay - then use one of the high power magnets that attaches to the back of the pedal spindle - shouldn't be more than the width of a lightweight zip tie when done.

https://www.ebay.com/i/200846611856?chn=ps
 
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