Maelstrom 

In the fall I intend to replace many of my existing parts to prepare for next year. I have a question about some key areas.

1 - Should I switch to sram for a drive train. I need to replace my rear der, cassette and probably my chainring. Is Sram better. Any experiences would be helpful.

2 - what do the numbers mean when discussing cassetts and chain rings. I am not sure which ones to get and would like to be a bit more educated before I buy. I assume the numbers refer to the number of teeth / size of ring. But how does this relate to cycling. I assume a white paper exists that might explain this.

3 - If I should stick with shimano (or if not) what chains work with which drive trains. I want a good chain to say the least.

All this said about drive train. I torque HARD on my bike and have a lot of power in my legs. I also live in an area where pedal kicking and power strokes are required to stay on the bike. Does this make a difference?

4 - Recommendation for seat posts and handlebars. Currently I am looking at Titec Hellbent DH handlebars and Titec Hellbent seatpost. These are expensive. I will pay for them but if any other recommendations exist I would love to hear them.

5 - for pure comfort now. A saddle. I do xc, technical and freeriding. Just curious to what others say.

Keep in mind I am a Clydesdale rider. (I do love that term)

Ice-T

I don't think the SRAM components are better unless you also use SRAM shifters. Shimano parts are quite optimized as a group.
I use grip shift with an XTR front derailleur and an SRAM Quarz rear d. I changed the rear derailleur from Shimano to SRAM because the grip shift wasn't precise with a Shimano.

I recomend the Easton EC70 Monkeylite Composite XC Bar or if you really don't like carbon, the Answer Products Pro Taper Aluminum.

fubar5

I think the numbers you are talking about reffer to how many teeth are on a cog or chainring. The numbers are important for ratios.

SRAM is personall preference. However, if you use SRAM, get everythign SRAM. If you use Shimano use everything Shimano.

8-speed chains work with 7-speed, but 9 speed only works with 9 speed. I use SRAM Powerlink chains and will never use anything else. You can take these chains off with your hands, no chain tool neeeded.

Can't go wrong with Titec. Look at Race Face to.


Saddles are totally personal preference. I like small saddles that fit right between my sit bones, with as little padding as possible.

Cdude

There should be no other choice for a seatpost, other than a Thomson. Especially at your size and the stuff that you do.

dirtbikedude

Before I give my thoughts on this, which of the 2 types of riding do you do most (I put technichal with fr)? I think that would make a diff on how you set the bike up.
Slainte

Maelstrom 

The only way I can describe my riding is extreme xc. I suppose freeriding. At this point I don't do anything nutty but the reason for the upgrades is I am getting there.

Thanx guys.

dirtbikedude

1-SRAM are good components, but I prefer Shimano and feel that if you are running Shimano shifters stick with them all the way through. I would not recommend grip shift though, if you are heavy on the grips when riding technical sectionsthere will be a good possibility of half shifts or unwanted shifts.

2-Cassette- 11-32t means the largest cog has 32 teeth and the smallest has 11 teeth. Same with chainrings, the # indicates the amount of teeth. If you plan to run a single ring up front I would suggest an 11-34t cassette if the ring is 36t or larger. If you run a 34t ring or smaller you can run a 11-32t or get a Shimano road cassette, either 11-23t or 11-25t. The road cassettes will fit right on. If you run a smaller ring up front it will be easier to spin the cranks and a larger ring will require more power. Vice-versa on the rear.

3-Shimano 7700(Dura-Ace) It is the best Shimano makes.

I too am a Clydesdale and being an ex-powerlifter/football player, I rely alot on the power in my legs to clear certain obstacals and the parts mentioned hold up well for me.

4 -Titec makes good equipment as well as Easton, Answer, Interlock and there are a lot more. I personaly prefer Easton and use their EA70 seatpost and their Monkey dh riser bar.

5 - No matter what people will recomend, saddles are definitely personal preferance. The saddle I use is an Advocate Ti xc saddle that most would find very uncomfortable.

Hope this is not to much and that it helps out.
Slainte

Maelstrom 

You guys helped a lot thank you. I am glad there are other clydesdales. The equipment we need is slightly different and generally hits the dh quality stuff. A few more questions though

1 - dura-ace chain 7700. Isn't that xtr specific. According to the site I am getting my quotes from it is. Will this work on a deore or lx drive train.

2 - Just curious. What rear hub do you run dirtbikedude. As we have similar backgrounds I assume our torque may be similar. Just looking for a few ideas.

3 - for the front chain rings. Do you guys run steel or the lighter (and much more expensive) titanium and other materials?

Thanx for the time guys. I really want these upgrades to be worth it and am trying to get as many recommendations as possible. So far the only thing that I have had any real problems with was my rear rim (I hate sun) I bought a Mavic 321d and will never look back. These rims are solid. I am hoping to do similar upgrades in the fall so next spring I will come out screaming.

dirtbikedude

The 7700 is not XTR specific. I have ran it with LX and XT. I also had one on my wife's bike befor the upgrades and she had Deore. It is also not, so to speak 9 speed only, they make an 8 speed version also.

Hubs.... My wife laughed when she read that question. I tried Shimano, Grimeca and even Chris King and even a few others. Blew 'em all. Then I went to Hadley Hubs. They are more stout then the Kings but a bit heavier, they have not failed yet (9mo.). The only place I found that carried them is 123wheels.com
If you can not find them under the Hadley name then look for the Intense dh hubs. They are Hadleys with Intense's name on them. they are smooth and engage like King hubs. Lastly, The front is a 20mm through axel and the rear is a 12mm through axel. You might have probs with the rear if your bike is not set up for it. I had to drill out the drop-outs to get it to work(be careful, the holes must be straight).

For dh, stay away from Ti, gets expensive. I run Race Face or AC Components steel if I run a 36t or larger. I use aluminum if I run 34t or smaller.

I run the 321's and have no probs. My new ride will have Sun Single Tracks.

Maelstrom 

Thanx you have given me a lot to think about. When I upgrade my fork I am definately upgrading my front hub to a thicker axle. As for the rear it seems to be holding up well (probably because I don't do DH) when it blows I will be replacing it with either hadleys or king's (probably hadleys thanx to your recommendations) because I really want quicker engagement for pedals kicks.

Just because I like local companies RaceFace is the the main company I will be going with throughout the bike when possible.

Cheers again

ps Great site. Even with exchange I think they are cheaper than anything up here.

MichaelW

If you are looking for some more heardwearing chainrings than Shimano, give some serious consideration to Specialities-TA. They do most sizes, for most chainrings, in the best quality Al.

Bars are probably one area where strength is more importatnt than weight for big guys. You should also get a seriously good headset. Anything better than a Chris King ??

MikeOK

I am a fellow clydesdale and one thing I can tell you for sure is to stay away from the carbon fiber seat posts. Mine didn't last through the first ride and I am barely a clydesdale.

As for groupo's, I bought my first XTR this last time and I can honestly say that it is well worth the cashola. It is pricey, but worth it in crisper shifts and way less maintenance.

I have an Easton carbon handle bar and I love that thing, takes alot of the vibration out of your ride.

As for shifters, I have tried about all of them. I have the XTR lever speed shifter thingies now and they are okay, but it's hard to beat good old grip shifters in my opinion.

Maelstrom 

I will hae to keep that in mind. I heard XT is the same quality but only a light weight. (something I am not concerned with)

Thanx again guys

clancy98

Can you guys word out this "engagement" for me? I am a noob sort of, only my 2ns serious bike now, but how would I know if my hubs needed changing, just out of curiosity. What does a hub that engages badly feel like? I am just trying to learn more about how some of the less flashy components affect the ride.

Trying to get "metaphysically in-tune" with my bike, if ya know what I mean.

CL

clancy98

sorry guys I know this is bumped from a long time ago, but for research's sake....

a2psyklnut

The rear hub engagement actually refers to the Freehub body that is attached TO the hub.

This is the ratcheting mechanism that the cassette slides onto.

The construction of freehub bodies vary. There are "Pawls" that retract and engage in one direction only. Most commonly there are 3 of these pawls with 24 engagement points. Other hubs have more, Chris King has 72 engagement points and Hadley is available with 108.

The more "points" the quicker the hubs locks and starts to turn the wheel when you pedal. Cheaper hubs will have a couple degrees of rotation of the cranks before you "go". With a hub like a King or Hadley, it's INSTANT!

L8R

Maelstrom 

Wow...talk about an old thread. I have come a long way since then haha

clancy98

you know I was surprised, because when I found this thread I was like "maelstrom seems more advanced than this on the other threads I've read by him.."

Then I saw the date...

Raiyn

And you replied anyhow.

clancy98

don't you have anything better to do?

Raiyn

One could ask you the same thing. Let the thread die

MadMan2k

Why do people get all worked up about replying to old threads?

So, it's old, whoop de doo. Get over it and either A) Post, if you have something to say or B) Forget about it and reply to a thread that meets your requirements...