Ask the experts

[garyfromterrace]

I know there's an e-bike thread but it's many many pages and search function was not my friend.

Here is my question for the experts -
Wife wants an e-townie. We'd like to spend about $2,500 cdn ($2,000 usd). Any hints for us in our quest?

[XXX-er]

get something from a real bike mfger like Giant not something made out of chinesium

If your E-bike goes fubar you really want to be close to a good LBS IME

[fool]

Need new insoles for my road bike shoes: any tips? Superfeet? Does it matter? I don't want to overcomplicate it but also don't want to buy something that won't last or that has a chance of injuring me.

[plugboots]

Need new insoles for my road bike shoes: any tips? Superfeet? Does it matter? I don't want to overcomplicate it but also don't want to buy something that won't last or that has a chance of injuring me.

Bring your shoes into a shop that has a lot of different ones to try because they’ve gotta fit, the thickness matters, etc. and there are bike specific ones with the button. Look upthread for more suggestions/info.

[Thaleia]

Would anyone happen to know, have the resources to check, or could guide to to where I could find out the size specs of the Fox Float RP2 shock that came standard on a 2014 Giant Trance 26 X1?

[forty]

Would anyone happen to know, have the resources to check, or could guide to to where I could find out the size specs of the Fox Float RP2 shock that came standard on a 2014 Giant Trance 26 X1?

not seeing a 2014 in 26, but the 2013 uses a 184x44 with ccrd tune

[skaredshtles]

not seeing a 2014 in 26, but the 2013 uses a 184x44 with ccrd tune

I don't think that Giant made a 26" wheeled mt bike in 2014 at all.

[Falcon3]

Shimano Deore 4-piston brakes:

I rode these things hard to two years. Never cleaned the pistons or calipers, never bled them. (yeah I know). They worked flawlessly until lately.

Front and rear both started rubbing on my rotors recently. I exercised the pistons and scrubbed the gunk off and moved them in and out multiple times, also bled front and rear with full top-to-bottom bleed (like you would a car: squeeze lever , open caliper nut, close caliper nut, reset lever) and it seems to have worked well. The front is 100% fixed.

The back is not. I still have annoying rubbing when I'm halfway down the hill. And when I center the caliper and reset the nuts, when i let off, the pads look crooked compared to the rotor. The rotor is 100% true.

Is my caliper borked from too little maintenance? Like maybe worn on one or two pistons and they won't extend and retract properly anymore?

[snowaddict91]

Sounds like you still have a sticky piston. I dealt with this on a fairly new bike for a while until it finally started leaking around the piston. With that being said, I was able to warranty mine and I have a replacement rear caliper NIB in my shop that I'd probably let go for cheap.

[funkendrenchman]

Recommendation for an X2 rebuild? Have used Dirt Labs in the past.

[toast2266]

Recommendation for an X2 rebuild? Have used Dirt Labs in the past.

Regular rebuild? Or the x2 has sucked air into the oil like all the x2's do?

If it's the latter and you're the original owner, send it to fox and you can probably get a whole new 2024 x2.

[Lvovsky]

I know there's an e-bike thread but it's many many pages and search function was not my friend.

Here is my question for the experts -
Wife wants an e-townie. We'd like to spend about $2,500 cdn ($2,000 usd). Any hints for us in our quest?

Something like this?

https://www.bikesonline.com/2020-pat...through-size-s

It’s ex demo and from online direct sales company that has its huge factory in asia somewhere (they make bikes for many other brands).

Me think $2k US is a tight budget for anything else.

[funkendrenchman]

Regular rebuild? Or the x2 has sucked air into the oil like all the x2's do?

If it's the latter and you're the original owner, send it to fox and you can probably get a whole new 2024 x2.

Symptoms of each? Pressure down 30% is my main issue. It makes a squishing noise for the first dozen compressions in the garage but isn’t noisy on the trail. The shock is 2 years old with no other service (1500 miles).

[toast2266]

Symptoms of each? Pressure down 30% is my main issue. It makes a squishing noise for the first dozen compressions in the garage but isn’t noisy on the trail. The shock is 2 years old with no other service (1500 miles).

Sounds like you might be alright with just an air can rebuild.

The x2's that go bad have some gas bypass issues in the piggyback that leads to fairly obvious deterioration of damping.

[Gunder]

Sounds like you might be alright with just an air can rebuild.

The x2's that go bad have some gas bypass issues in the piggyback that leads to fairly obvious deterioration of damping.

You can’t just do an air cam service on an x2 due to the negative air chamber.


It’s not the piggy back ifp seal that goes bad. It’s the main shaft seal. You then have cavitation in the oil and it ends up in the resivor aka ifp chamber.

During Covid production they changed to a ⅜ main shaft from the 8mm they where using prior. They didn’t update the seals at that time so they had a ton of them that leaked. The new seal kit has the correct seals in it.

Do to the design you have to bleed the damper when changing the seals for the air shaft. Easy to do with a syringe and adapter. At that point you should just replace all of the dynamic seals. It’s not that difficult but you do have to have the correct shaft clamp for the air can. A park BB tool or a cassette tool (depending on the year) will take it apart.

[toast2266]

It’s not the piggy back ifp seal that goes bad. It’s the main shaft seal. You then have cavitation in the oil and it ends up in the resivor aka ifp chamber.

During Covid production they changed to a ⅜ main shaft from the 8mm they where using prior. They didn’t update the seals at that time so they had a ton of them that leaked. The new seal kit has the correct seals in it.

Do to the design you have to bleed the damper when changing the seals for the air shaft. Easy to do with a syringe and adapter. At that point you should just replace all of the dynamic seals. It’s not that difficult but you do have to have the correct shaft clamp for the air can. A park BB tool or a cassette tool (depending on the year) will take it apart.

I dunno, I'm just going off what the local shop tech told me. They said it was something about the ifp rotating in the reservoir and blowing out there. They said they've fixed a bunch of them with the new seal kit, but they blow again in a few months (which is why fox is just replacing them without much fuss now). But [shrug], I dunno.

It'd make sense that it was a mid-covid change though. My older one (current generation of x2, but pre covid) hasn't had any issues.

[Gunder]

I dunno, I'm just going off what the local shop tech told me. They said it was something about the ifp rotating in the reservoir and blowing out there. They said they've fixed a bunch of them with the new seal kit, but they blow again in a few months (which is why fox is just replacing them without much fuss now). But [shrug], I dunno.

It'd make sense that it was a mid-covid change though. My older one (current generation of x2, but pre covid) hasn't had any issues.

I’ve personally rebuilt a bunch of them. I’ve never seen the ifp seal go bad. It’s always the air shaft and main bearing seals.

Once those leak you get a lot of cavitation and air forcing on the wrong side of the ifp. Thus the illusion that the ifp seal is the issue.

You can depressurize both the air chamber and ifp chamber (ifp chamber is supposed to be 100 psi. Remove the back cover. Then use a 2mm hex and crack open the bleed screw in the center of the ifp. You will get foaming there from air that leaked past the main bearing seals.

There is something like 22 seals / backup rings that get replaced on an x2 rebuild. It’s always the same two that are bad.

[Sandbox]

All of those seals give me chest pain….


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[bagtagley]

All of those seals give me chest pain….


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It’s the one leftover when you’re done that really gets you.

[XXX-er]

Gunder gives good seal

[Shredhead]

Recommendation for an X2 rebuild? Have used Dirt Labs in the past.

4 Mountain sent the X2 off my Spire to Fox 2 weeks ago.
Hopefully I get a new one.

[east or bust]

My X2 is starting to get wonky again after a rebuild at the beginning of last season

Do I just buy a new shock while the current one is being fixed/replaced, or limp it to the end of the season? IDK, seems like a lot of riding left to be on a shitty performing shock.

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[Eluder]

My X2 is starting to get wonky again after a rebuild at the beginning of last season

Do I just buy a new shock while the current one is being fixed/replaced, or limp it to the end of the season? IDK, seems like a lot of riding left to be on a shitty performing shock.

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If you have the funds, replace the shock, they are a flawed design.

[Spencer123]

Clicking under load solved thanks to all of the advice. Ended up being fixed with a little grease on the derauiler hanger/frame interface (I had already retorqued the bolt previously, but did not remove clean and grease).

Somebody had reccommended checking the bushings in the linkage (Ibis Ripmo). Although it was not the source of the click, I had one that was so tight that it required two hands with max strengh to rotate the pivot axle within it even a few mm. Replaced that it and it feels way way better. Thanks for the tips!

[Lvovsky]

What’s the right way to take the fork out if the top bearing is not sliding out and, more importantly, how to correctly to put it back in?

Wanted to clean the headset on the road bike. Too much dust etc. Light taps with towel wrapped palm got the bearing moving but I wasn’t brave enough to completely remove it from the steerer for the fear of not being able to put it back on. Cleaned up as much as I could, put new grease, top and bottom. Moved the bearings back into position with the cap, screw, and spacers.

Internet says to use some oil to make the bearing side out. Couldn’t find anything definitive that it will slide back on and what to do if it doesn’t.

Headset: Acros AiX-Low R3 Tapered 1 1/8"- 1 1/4", upper bearing 41.8 / 28.6, lower bearing 47 / 33