Build Your MTB

I answered a question on Quora a couple of weeks ago, fresh from (re)building the XTC to be used by my neighbour for an upcoming short local ride.

For me, part of the joy in mountain biking is building the bike itself. From getting the parts right through to the actual assembly. I savour every moment. Except the hand cleaning at the end of each session.

Much of my knowledge about MTB assembly is from a good friend, BC Kelolo. I reached out to him before setting off on my first of many, many adventures and he unreservedly gave me good advices and tips. Over the years, I accumulated some more through my own readings, research, discussion with fellow riders and numerous trips to LBSes.

MTB evolves at a dizzying rate. I personally can't keep up with most of the tech (innovative or equally useless). Unfortunately due to this, there is a very steep learning curve if you're to dip your toe in building/assembling your MTB. So I only keep track with the ones that are particularly suited for my riding, $ and whatever I can easily source locally. There are one or two things that caught my attention, usually those which are practical and interesting to be tried out. And if my wallet could agree with them.

Many good riders I know are also good bike mechanics. The reverse may not be true, though. Anyways, knowing at least the basics about your machine would be good for you as a rider. Trust me on this.

Related links:
My answer on Quora - How do I build a mountain bike, from just the frame all the way to the trail?
Modern MTB - Spoilt for Choice
BC Kelolo's Anatomi Sebuah Basikal Gunung
My first adventure

Gear Calculator: Compare your next possible drivetrain

I've found a gem!

Okay, here it is.
Go to http://www.ritzelrechner.de/ and have fun.

I have been collecting data and putting them onto an excel spreadsheet and hoping that one fine day I could publish it here for your convenience. It shall be a comprehensive tool in aiding us finding the best possible drivetrain by way of comparing the gear ratio spread which would suit our riding style.

While reading this post over at Bike Rumor, I found the link above posted by bikeshop.nl in their simple comment.

*it goes without saying that it pays to read everything and explore the links to get useful information.

That 2014 post by Tyler Benedict in Bike Rumor actually came from a forum discussion at MTBR, which originally posted by Daryl Smith; a gearing table for selecting chainring for XX1 drivetrain way back in 2013.

The handy Gear Calculator is copyrighted by Dirk Feeken.

What I like most about it is the Compare two Setups bit. In the image above, I compared my current 3x9 versus 1x10 with OneUp (40T). Click here to play around with the setup.

3x9: 22/32/44T with 11-13-15-17-20-23-26-30-34T
1x10: 34T with 11-13-16-19-21-24-28-32-36-40T

You can visually assess the gear steps and also other parameters such as the speed at a given gear ratio and cadence (90 in the above example), tire development for a single crank turn for the gear ratio and wheel/tire size, and many more display options.

What blew me away is how updated the calculator is. In its Sprockets drop down list, SRAM's new 12 speed Eagle is there as well. Listed cassettes are from 9 speed up to 12 speed. If you wanted to see how a custom sprocket setup would fare, no sweat; just drag away the unwanted cassette sprockets from the graphical display and move it out of the line-up. Pretty versatile.

Internal gears are also listed. Have a look at the 'Gearing' list. Rohloff, Pinion, Shimano Alfine, Sturmey Archer and Brompton are a few among them. There's also Singlespeed as well.

For me, this convenience is blessedly an answered prayer.
Thank you Dirk.

Get the Rear Edge - Alternative Cassettes

Below is the lowdown on the alternative cassettes to give you the range for gear ratio on your MTB drivetrain, be it currently by Shimano or SRAM. Assuming that other things remain constant (chain, front chainring ratio, tire size, crank size, etc.), let's look at the possible range that you may employ for your rig.

Praxisworks - 10sp Wide Range Cassette

range: 11-40T

toothcount: 11-13-15-17-19-21-24-28-34-40

material: steel (11 through 28), hard anodized 7075-T6 aluminium (34 & 40)

weight: 322g average

price: USD130

Advantages:

1. low gear 40T without having to resort to 10s cassette modification (One-Up at USD80, Hope, etc.)

2. smooth transition between gear range

3. could achieve lower overall weight

However:

1. highest gear is with 11T

e*thirteen - TRS+

range: 9-42T (10 speed), 9-44T (11 speed)

toothcount:

10 speed: 9-10-12-14-17-20-24-28-35-42

11 speed: 9-10-12-14-17-20-24-28-32-38-44

weight: 300g (10 speed), 320g (11 speed)

price: USD279 (10 speed), USD309 (11 speed)

Advantages:

1. 9T high gear instead of SRAM's 10T

2a. low gear 42T (for 10 speed) without having to resort to 10s cassette modification (One-Up at USD80, Wolftooth at USD79.95, etc.)

2b. low gear 44T (for 11 speed) without having to resort to 11s cassette modification (One-Up at USD80, Wolftooth at USD79.95, etc.)

3. comparatively lighter weight (excluding the XD Driver) compared to Praxisworks' 'equivalent'.

However:

1. requires SRAM's XD Driver

2. price for 10s is more than double of Praxisworks' (however, it is not exactly apple-to-apple comparison as you won't get the advantage of 9T high gear).

So?

Well, it is up to you to decide which one is best for your gearing needs. Bear in mind that it all depends on the gear ratio to be made available for you on your bike. Your riding style and strength are the factors dictating your gear ratio choice.

True, the free-market economy brings about choices for the consumers to get the best to suit their needs, but it is good only for those who know what they need. The above are represented for you to make that informed choice, and I hope that this would somehow help you to get what you need.

You may want to consider the combination of:

1. available gear ratio

2. overall drivetrain weight

3. overall price

Happy hunting!

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*respective prices are as at the date of this post

**images taken from Praxisworks and e*thirteen websites

Tips: Reusable Cable Ties

the humble reusable cable tie

Rider number plates in local events are usually secured onto the handlebar using a pair of cable ties. Simply thread one each through the punched holes on the plate and zip them tight. 

It is however a hassle to look for (or bring along) a pair of scissors or other sharp objects to clip them off. Most of the time, I resorted to yanking off the plate and this resulted in two unavoidable things:

1. The cable ties are still there on the handlebar to be dealt with later at home (or not).

2. The number plate is damaged at the holes.

Okay, some may say that the scar at the holes adds to the aesthetics alongside with the mud splats especially for mtb events. I leave that to your preference.

What if there is a better way? And a little bit environmentally friendly too, I might add. May I suggest to employ the service of reusable and releasable cable zip tie. It is comparatively expensive, but it helps a lot.

Look for them in your local hardware store. I got mine at Ace Hardware. Price is about RM1.00 per piece (in average), sold in a pack consisting a number of them. The normal punch hole diameter on the event number plate is around 6 mm. I suggest to use the ones with a width range of 3 to 5 mm. Minimum length shall be 130 mm, this shall give a nice wrap around the handlebar with 3 cm to spare.

The 'normal' cable ties in your event goodie bags can be used as emergency trailside fix instead.

Happy trails!