Re:
Its been a while and I have put over 2000 miles on the Travers now. F**king love this bike! It is the best bike that I have ridden. It has been through another winter of sloppy mud and daily riding from me. I have had to replace the following!
- Cassette
- Chain X2
- Chainrings X3 (original is still ok Absolute Black oval ring didn't last 400 miles! currently running a red Superstar)
- Jockey wheels
- Rear freehub bearings
- Headset bearings
- BB bearings X3! Dont rate the Praxis at all!
- Rear shifter and brake lever!
But it is a top ride...really agile despite the 29" wheels and 760mm bars! (when its dry!) The Hope wheels are flippin ace I have not had to true them since I bought them and the hubs were easy to service. The BB is shite...£60 and I have had to replace the bearings 3 times at £14 a pop. in under a year. As soon as it gets wet the seals (which are separate to the bearings) squeak, and corrode quickly. I am going to get an FSA press fit to threaded adapter and get a threaded XT or XTR in there as soon as funds allow! The Absolute Black oval chainring was a big disappointment...I was riding it in muddy UK winter but after under 400 miles it started to chain suck. changed chain even worse. Stuck the spec Shimano one back on (with around 600miles on it) and all was fine. Contacted Absolute Black and they came up with a bunch of reasons as to why the ring had worn so quickly including:
- Riding for too long in muddy conditions
- Using the upper or lower 2 rear sprockets for too long (chain line wears the ring prematurely!)
- Not using a brand new chain even though the chain fitted was less than 100miles old and showed no wear with a tool.
Absolute shite I would say!
On a positive note the best winter tyres ever? Specialized Storm Control! And the current tyre choice works a treat. Nobby Nic 2.25 on the rear and Hans Dampf 2.35 on the front...maybe if it gets drier I might change but the good old British summer has yet to arrive here!
Oh and the local ladies loved it last night!