Salsa Horsethief

[kaiser]

The 1X10 was fine though I'll probably go down to a 30t ring. I reckon 32 would be fine for 26 but just a teeny bit tall for 29.

How did the bike handle the Enduo at the weekend?

I'm really really happy with how it rode. I spent a fair bit of time on the Friday 'dialling' in the suspension and I think it paid off. Soaked up everything without any drama, the 4th stage was quite technical and I never felt the bike held me back at all. The position on the bike inspired a fair bit of confidence and I tackled things I might have thought twice about before. I'm definitely looking forward to taking on some more gnarrly stuff and finding out what it can do. Again I never felt the bike was too big or too long which is what I was fearing, if anything slow speed drop offs kind of leave you hanging soa bit of commitment is needed.

My only problem was I shipped the chain 3 times and all in timed sections :x I blame myself, I should have popped for a chain device but hoped the non ramped ring and clutch mech would hold it, alas it was not to be and I'll need to get a fix in. The problem being I don't want to sheel out for a chain device whilst I'm waiting for the XX1 chainset, I could run both as belt and braces but they all look fugly. I'll maybe try one of the Pauls BB mounted ones which are rather neat and I can run this with the XX1 anyway.

 

[zigzag]

I'm waiting on the 32t Works Components 'XX1' inspired chainring for my Haro Mary. Interesting to read your comments re: going to 30t. Hopefully it will work well enough in conjunction with the clutch mech to do away with the need for a guide.

 

[kaiser]

I'm waiting on the 32t Works Components 'XX1' inspired chainring for my Haro Mary. Interesting to read your comments re: going to 30t. Hopefully it will work well enough in conjunction with the clutch mech to do away with the need for a guide.

You'll be fine with the 32 I reckon, are you using 36 out back? At the enduro there was one section that was a very long climb that kept getting steeper and steeper, I reckon we'd have been all off walking beforehand anyway, I'm looking at the 30 because where I've been riding recently (as you know) its a big drag up the hill the 30 should make it that wee bit easier. What I will say is that I never found myself cursing the 1X10 set up, as I say when I got off to walk if I'd had a granny it would only have been a few hundred feet further and I'd have been off, with the 1X10 it was nice that it was a simple case of shifting up for easier and down for faster.

Got some nice news in a mail yesterday that the XX1 chainset I ordered should be with me anytime The site I'd ordered it from changed the status from 6-8 day delivery to possible June, fortunately I got one that had been stocked.


Pics from the Dunkeld Enduro.

 

[gmac123]

quality wood

 

[kaiser]

Bit of an update on the Horsethief, done quiite a bit of riding now including a week in Molini in Italy. It was quite a test of bike and rider and I'm glad to say the bike handled it with aplomb, I was a wee bit underbiked on some of the stuff but the terrain was the hardest and steepest stuff I've ridden. Still only a ding to the rear wheel and rotor after a weeks hard biking. Before the trip I had been waiting for a SRAM XX1 chainset, after a load of BS from a shop it never materialised so I lumped for a Zee chainset and Race Face ring (32T), I'd been having a few pedal strikes with the Salsa and the Zee allowed me to try a 165mm set of crank arms and they have been great. Theres a wee bit of info floating around the net about using shorter arms and I can say they are working, spinning them faster and more consistently than I would a longer set (the 175's I had fitted before for instance). You do loose a bit of leverage when the going goes up but the 1X10 is as much a limiter in this as the arm length.

What I have found though is that the bike whilst very very fast I'm still not too confident getting airborne. Something I'll need to work on.

 

[jimplops]

What length cage rear mech are you running, thinking of going back to gears on the chameleon, with 1x9/10.

 

[kaiser]

I've fitted the short cage Zee mech with an XT shifter and its been perfect, no complaints. THIS review convinced me to go for the Zee over the XT.

 

[jimplops]

Cheers, will have a read of the link.