Ask Pinkbike: Bike Upgrades, Air Spring Choices, and Clipless Pedal Advice
Here at Pinkbike we get inundated with all kinds of questions, ranging from the basic "Can I have stickers" to more in-depth, soul searching types of queries like if you should pop the question or what to name your first child. Ask Pinkbike is an occasional column where we'll be hand picking and answering questions that have been keeping readers up at night, although we'll likely steer clear of those last two and keep it more tech oriented.
What to Upgrade?
Question: Pinkbike user ceddie6 asked this question in the all-mountain, enduro, and cross-country forum: I could use a little help here. I received a lovely gift card to Chain Reaction Cycles of $300 CAD for Christmas. What do you think is the best way to spend it on my '16 stock Kona Process 153?
 | While the 2016 Process 153 doesn't exactly have the most exciting spec around, Kona did well to sort the heavy-hitting bike out with parts that suit its intentions. This includes a set of wide rims with proper tires on them, a suitable SRAM GX drivetrain, and mid-level suspension that works decently well. But without knowing where and how you ride, it's kinda hard to recommend what to change on your bike... let's do it anyway, though. If your bike is completely stock, the first thing you should spend that money on is some tire sealant and tubeless rim tape. And speaking of tires, the 153's Maxxis Minion DHF tires shouldn't ever leave you wanting for traction, but that also doesn't mean that they're the best tires for you. If your terrain and trails are less demanding, or if you prefer to put in big days using your own steam, it might make sense to go for something lighter and faster rolling. Or not - it completely depends on what you value, but there's no point in lugging around that big meat if you don't actually need it. $300 is a lot of money, but it is, unfortunately, not quite enough to pay for the one big change that I'd like to make to your 153 (if it were my bike): swapping out the decent but limited RockShox Monarch RT shock for something that's more tuneable. Chain Reaction Cycles doesn't have a massive selection of shocks but, depending on when you look, you can find everything from Cane Creek's DBinline to Fox's X2 for sale. You'll need at least another $250 CAD, but it's an upgrade that you'll appreciate, just so long as you're able to find the correct size for your bike. - Mike Levy |
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Should I Get a Fox 36 TALAS or FLOAT?
Question: Pinkbike user @PhilMe asked this question in the All Mountain, Enduro & Cross-Country forum: Currently looking for a new fork on my enduro bike. Was looking for a Fox 36 2017. Should I choose the TALAS or the FLOAT model? I'm mostly riding singletracks with jumps and drops. My goal is not to be the first a the top of the hill. Any comments?
| Fox offers the 36 in a wide array of configurations, which can make it a little tricky to decide what features you really want. When it comes to choosing between the TALAS or FLOAT model, though, my vote is for the FLOAT option. With the FLOAT air spring you have the ability to adjust the fork's compression ratio by adding or subtracting volume spacers. More spacers increases the amount of end stroke ramp up, and fewer spacers creates a more linear feel. It's a handy feature that makes it easy to tune the fork to match your riding style, and one that I find much more useful than being able to reduce the fork's travel with the flick of a lever. I know there are some riders who swear by their travel-adjust forks, citing the improved climbing ability that results from dropping the front end 30mm lower, but I'm not one of them. I've tried it on multiple occasions over the years, but in every instance I go back to climbing and descending in the full travel mode. Plus, having only one travel setting means there's no chance you'll space out and find yourself dropping into a gnarly trail with your fork in short-travel mode. - Mike Kazimer |
A turn of the blue dial lowers the Fox 36 TALAS' travel from 160mm to 130mm.
Flats to Clipless Pedals
Question: bikehard11 asks in the All Mountain, Enduro & Cross-Country forum: Any advice on getting used to clipless? I have, for the most part, ridden flats, but I decided to try riding on my Mallets again this past weekend. I know the reflex to unclip has to be developed over time, but on technical climbs under pressure, I fell over a couple times. Are there ways of making unclipping more natural? My cleats are farther under my foot to imitate my flats, and I wonder if putting the cleat closer to my toes would allow better leverage for unclipping. Most of my riding buddies are on clips and have no problem unclipping super fast in tight situations, and I would like to be able to do the same.
| Your rear-mounted cleat position is correct for Crankbrothers Mallet pedals, so don't mess with that. Two pieces of advice I offer to riders who struggle to clip-in and unclip from their pedals that seem most helpful are: First, is not to worry about getting the cleat engaged in the pedal mechanism. Instead, just put your foot on the pedal, start turning the cranks, and allow your cleat to find its own way to lock in. Mallet pedals lend themselves well to this approach. Once you learn that your foot will find its way into the pedal, you won't be concerned about taking a foot out to stabilize the bike or apex a loose corner. The second bit covers learning to exit - the "excuse me, I am falling over now" part. My suggestion is to unclip from both pedals every time you stop your bike. The more often you commit to the action, the faster your body will memorize the move. That may sound overly simplistic, but it is the quickest method. Concentrating on proper technique while riding won't help - Here's why: The reason that most first-time and low-time clippers so often flounder and fall when they tackle technical sections is that their minds are concerned about the pedals and the ramifications of being trapped in them, rather than being focused on the trail ahead. You may be staring ahead, but as that technical climb or descent arrives, your attention shifts from what's going on in front of you, to what's happening below the bike. Even if you were riding flat pedals, that shift in attention is a classic rookie move and would probably result in a messy foot dab or an awkward roll-over anyway. So, my final tip is to focus ahead and pretend that nothing will go wrong (more easily said than done) and to trust that your feet actually will unclip when that inevitable crash arrives (they always do). - RC |
Crankbrothers Mallet E pedal. The Mallet semi-platform design is preferred by gravity riders because the mechanism will release to the right and left, and also because the dual-spring design can be engaged from either the front or the back side of the cleat.
Have some unresolved tech questions? Jump in the Pinkbike Forum and we'll look to answer it for next time.
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This must be why 90% of people visit Pinkbike!
Buy some maintenance and cleaning tools and liquids. Thats well within your budget. Beeing able to swap wear and tear parts of bike, do basic fluid change on suspension and bleed your brakes might save you money in a long run and might even bring new level of enjoyment to your biking.
Brakes, suspension and drive train is a selling point for me so unlikely to be wanting to replace it.
@ceddie6
Also right in your $300 wheelhouse, and arguably a better investment than just putting money into the bike itself, is a real light for night riding, or a good pair of winter riding shoes. If you don't have either of these items, good lights and warm dry feet will go a looooong ways in getting more hours on the bike with a big fat smile on your face.
That said, i am currenly re-learning to ride flats to keep things interesting and kill bad habits.
@scvkurt03: I go back and forth (mainly ride clipless, switch to flats for a couple of months each year) but lately I was letting my flat pedal skills slip away. I'm gonna stick with them for a while, even got a new pair of superstar nano-x's and I like them. Tech climbs felt awful at first, but I'm getting used to them now.
Hardtail + flats + semi-slick rear = fun times, but you're not allowed to f*ck up.
You can make it so that it hardly takes any effort at all to clip out... then once you get the hang of it start increasing the tension again to your desired ultimate tension, which will give you some confidence that you can pull and push on the pedals without clipping out, but you can still twist easily to clip out if needed.
I never fell over at all when I started riding clipless, largely because I had already set my pedals tension so that it would hardly hold my shoe in, as soon as you start to pull out, your foot comes out easily.
Maybe try riding smoother?
Tell his male university friends.
The combo of short top tube, slack seat angle and shorter stem [bikes from a few years ago] makes it harder to keep the front end down, as your weight is farther back on the bike. Dropping the front end makes a big difference in those cases. You can only scoot so far forward on the saddle, and the Violator position just doesn't work for everyone.
The most recent TALAS [v5?] version in the 36 is hydraulic, and has far fewer seals than the previous versions. It's surprisingly smooth.
Sit on a table and let your feet relax. Take note of how your feet point in relation to being parallel to the bike. They may point out or in set the cleat up so the feet can sit where they want but the cleat is parallel to the bike. This reduces the range of motion for the cleat to engage the pedal and allow you to exit easier. It may even reduce knee pain. Angling the toe in or out too far can lead to knee pain and will cause poorer ability to exit the pedal
www.tredz.co.uk/.RSP-Chain-Director-Chain-Guide_76633.htm?sku=243457&utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=google_shopping&gclid=Cj0KEQiAk5zEBRD9lfno2dek0tsBEiQAWVKyuL3wwEXfWK6cAF2M_Gp7do0wlcrGjoWmG5TOj5T9AXsaAiMX8P8HAQ
www.chainreactioncycles.com/mobile/hope-chain-guide/rp-prod90476?gs=1&gclid=Cj0KEQiAk5zEBRD9lfno2dek0tsBEiQAWVKyuP-04apXqzI53uHVvQXWXv91wvtsFhlA7j5aygEt9vwaAhSD8P8HAQ&gclsrc=aw.ds
I have a sunrace wide ratio cassette. Its solid.
You either are for em or against em. We all know the list of things to not discuss at a party but maybe it's time to add "pedal preference"