Build my new bike!

[mtbakerskier]

Oh, and it's not made out of plastic.

Well thats the problem...... Seeing how I have a degree in plastics engineering, Im all for more plastic and less metal Especially in certian componets like a shifter some plastics just work way better than metal.

[Spats]

maybe, but exposed lower sanctions are just asking to get the shit beat out of them......... Ever heard of single track in a rock garden?

Every motocross bike has upside-down forks, and they seem to have no problems when getting pelted by blinding roost and fist-size rocks on tracks that would swallow a mountain bike without burping.

[Spats]

CS, why the hell not on the grip shift???

Because I don't like changing gears unintentionally every time my balance is thrown off?

Maybe you're a lot smoother than I am, but I don't like riding in constant fear that I'll hold the grips the wrong way and end up in a random gear, not to mention possibly jamming the chain.

[lph]

Because I don't like changing gears unintentionally every time my balance is thrown off?

Maybe you're a lot smoother than I am, but I don't like riding in constant fear that I'll hold the grips the wrong way and end up in a random gear, not to mention possibly jamming the chain.

really? that has happened to you?

bizarre, i can't even imagine the circumstances under which my hand would be able to turn the grip shift from having my balance thrown off.

BTW, grip shifts rule!!!! I am even taking the xt shifters off my other bike and getting shimano compatible sram grip shifters put on. That is how much i like them.

[Monique]

Does your bike need a sticker?

[Oarhead]

... and definitely go grip shift.

I'm gonna have to go ahead and disagree with this recommendation.

It sounds like he is going to be doing mostly PacNW coast style riding i.e. trails with some built up stuff, drops, steeps and skinnies. In my experience trying to do wheelie drops, bunny hops, manuals and throwing your body and bike around produces shifting with Gripshifters. I am sure there are people that can overcome it but the vast majority of people cannot. I know that Norco spec'ed a gripshift for the front shifter for most of their freeride bikes for the last couple of years but they are stopping because most of them were sent back and replaced with some sort of index shifter. They were pushing the gripshift since they were getting them 2 for half nothing and the economics dictated the situation.

If I lived in california and id a lot of fast single/double track that was not built up and did not require a lot of body/grip motion I would choose grip shift however the circumstances that he is going to be in do not call for it. coast/shore riding is a different beast.

As for the avalanche fork, why bother putting something that huge onto a frame that is not designed fortheat travel? You would probably rip off your head tube and in the meantime you would fuk up the geometry royally. The inverted design can be protected with some stanchion gaurds (I made a set out of PVC piping for my old fork - no scratches in 2 years of riding them).

[lph]

It sounds like he is going to be doing mostly PacNW coast style riding i.e. trails with some built up stuff, drops, steeps and skinnies. In my experience trying to do wheelie drops, bunny hops, manuals and throwing your body and bike around produces shifting with Gripshifters.

If I lived in california and id a lot of fast single/double track that was not built up and did not require a lot of body/grip motion I would choose grip shift however the circumstances that he is going to be in do not call for it. coast/shore riding is a different beast.

Well, then you weren't riding in Tahoe. Tahoe is almost all singletrack, with incredibly technical singletrack both on the way up and down. You are constantly required to manual on the way up or you are walking. You are constantly required to throw your bike around to ascend some of this crap, or you are walking and on the way down it is everything from stair steps, to rock gardens, to small hits, to clearing downed trees.

OK, this is my last post defending grip shifts. probably one of the less important pieces of the puzzle anyways.

get a zocchi fork, I like the suggestion of the 66rc. been hearing some good things about that bad boy.

[bagtagley]

I would look into a Marzocchi 66RC. And if you get ISIS cranks, stay away from Race Face bottom brackets at all costs.

The 66 is a great fork, but the A-C height is almost the same as a 7" 888 (and only 3/4 lb lighter. IMO, the fork is way too tall for a trail bike, and will definitely throw the geometry off. Supposedly Marzo is fixing this issue for next year (they've already made flat crowns a standard feature on the 2006 888). Until then (and even afterwards) the 66 is more-or-less a single crown alternative to a DC fork

I'm gonna continue to suggest the Pike to people until I see something else that can offer that level of performance at that price. The Fox 36RC might be better, but it's not 2x better.

[basom]

As for the avalanche fork, why bother putting something that huge onto a frame that is not designed fortheat travel?

basicly i wanted to post a picture of those forks. becasue its the sickest thing out there. not becasue it should go on an uzzi.

if i had the cash i would def put a avalance rear end on that uzzi though. motercycle companys making bike parts is just cool in my opinion.

[Art Vandelay]

Avy rear isn't the best for pedaling, but damn are they nice on the way down.

[basom]

yeah. but going up sucks anyways, who cares if it sucks just a little more?

[Darkside]

Well thats the problem...... Seeing how I have a degree in plastics engineering, Im all for more plastic and less metal Especially in certian componets like a shifter some plastics just work way better than metal.

I can see your point about the shifters...but I was talking about derailleurs. Oh, wait I forgot, it's "reinforced carbon composite". That's a whole different story.

As for a fork, don't think about anything other than a Fox 36. Well, maybe a Maverick.

[funkendrenchman]

Well, maybe a Maverick.

NO!!!!!!!!!!

[SLCFreshies]

As for the CK hubs, I have a pair on a set of DT X4.1d rims. The front hub is great. The rear hub has a noticable amount of drag, probably from the tight seals. Even with the hub's preload as loose as it should be, there is still drag down hills. It's not horrible, but it is definately there. I've heard this complaint from a number of riders with CK hubs.

Once I get my hands on some Ring-Drive grease, I'm going to try and rebuild them to see if the dragging continues.

Oh yeah, I agree with lph--Mavic hubs blow. Mavic wheelsets with proprietary stuff, like their spokes, are a real PITA to find when they break.

[Art Vandelay]

How old is the rear hub? I've had mine for about 10 months and it took a long time to get rid of the drag.

[biggins]

And if you get ISIS cranks, stay away from Race Face bottom brackets at all costs.

pourquoi?

[funkendrenchman]

pourquoi?

Horrible bearings.

[Spats]

really? that has happened to you?

I've only ridden grip-shift mountain bikes twice. Each time I shifted unintentionally. Most people I've met have that problem on rough trail: I'm amazed you don't. Maybe you grip with your ring and little fingers?

[mtbakerskier]

How old is the rear hub? I've had mine for about 10 months and it took a long time to get rid of the drag.

Well, after having them, if you had to do it all over again, would you still get the CK hubs?

[phUnk]

I'm getting an X0 rear derailleur just to put up on the mantle. I played with a new one at the shop and those things are like sculptures. [/bike nerd]

[Art Vandelay]

Well, after having them, if you had to do it all over again, would you still get the CK hubs?

Most likely. One thing is the rear hub might drive the people you ride with crazy. It's pretty loud. I'd also like to try out a hadley which is supposedly similar in terms of quality and engagement. A lower cost alternative would be a set of hope hubs. I've been pretty brutal on the king with a good amount of trials and recently a lot of dh on it and it's still running like new, so I think it was almost worth the money. When I was riding trials I killed two hubs in a few months before switching to the king.

[Arty50]

Well, after having them, if you had to do it all over again, would you still get the CK hubs?

Yes. There definitely was a break in period, but it didn't last that long for me. Only a couple of months. You have to make sure you keep an eye on the preload. Basically, the hub will loosen up a little over the first month or so depending on how much you ride. So just keep an eye on it and make sure it doesn't get too loose. It really easy. With the tire on the bike, just jiggle the tire side to side. If there's a miniscule jiggle, you're ok for a ride or two. If there's a noticable jiggle, then tighten up the hub (which is really easy). And as with anything, don't overtighten them. I only had to tighten mine 3-4 times I think. It's been fine ever since.

It's definitely worth it. The nearly instant engagement is worth it's weight in gold. FWIW, I hear great things about Hadley Hubs also. Hadley's and King's have more engagement teeth than other hubs.

http://www.dhracers.com/HadleyRacing.htm

Edit: Art beat me to the Hadley suggestion. Also, call me crazy but I don't think the noise is too bad. Maybe I just don't notice it while I'm whiteknuckling it down the trail. Hadley's buzz also from what I've read.

I just found this. Supposedly Hadley has upgraded the hubs from 36 points of engagement to 108 (King's have 72). They used to sell both, but now just 108. So watch what you're getting if you go that route.

http://forums.farkin.net/showthread.php?t=33763

[Spats]

One thing is the rear hub might drive the people you ride with crazy. It's pretty loud.

I'm pretty sure that's on purpose. "Look at me at my AWESOME EXPENSIVE HUBS!" Yes, and it sounds like I'm riding with a swarm of angry wasps. Not cool: FS bikes are already really clanky and noisy, and if I didn't mind noise I'd just ride a motorcycle.

Maybe I'm just a cupcake, but I've ridden everything from XT to Deore to Novatec to Acera to no-name crap on a ten-year-old cross bike and never had a hub problem. My Shimano Acera hubs lasted nine years of commuting and five trips to Burning Man, all I ever did was drip some Tri-Flow in every once in a while, and they still worked fine when I sold the bike.

[Arty50]

The fact that CK (and Hadley) hubs are bombproof is really nice, but that's not the main reason I bought them. The instant engagement is awesome. If you're freewheeling and need to pedal off an obstacle, there's no slop to pedal through. The moment your pedals move forward, you're driving the wheel.

The price for that is the buzzing. More points of contact = more noise. Don't like it? Tough shit. It's my bike. And really, it's not that loud. I don't even notice it since I'm too busy concentrating on the trail ahead. You should be too; unless you like standing around on the side with your finger up your nose.

[m1e448]

motercycle companys making bike parts is just cool in my opinion.

Why do you think that Fox, Marzocchi, and White Brothers all started making bike forks? They were all motorcycle companies first.