Not entirely tech related, but some good questions that deserve answering. Racing is what you make of it - it can be a ton of fun, or it can be a stressful weekend filled with jitters - but it's something that everyone should try at least a few times, and it's always great to see a young rider expressing interest in going against the clock. Lets start with your last question, which is the most important one in my mind: how much commitment does racing take? The bottom line is that the more you commit, the better you'll do in the long run. I'm talking about specific on and off the bike training, identifying your strengths and weaknesses, and proper bike setup. The other, even more bottom line is that, as you may find out, the more effort you put into your preparation, the more stressed out you might find yourself come race day. Some racers thrive on this, but many find that it takes all the fun out of it. Given that you're only fifteen, I'd recommend actually putting aside the notion of training and just go out and do a few races to find out if it's for you. Love it? Want to get faster? Consult some coaches to see if they can take you on, and I'm not just talking about fitness gurus, but also a skills coach who can fine tune your technique. This last point is one that's often thought of as unnecessary once you have some decent handling skills, but that isn't the case in a lot of major sports: most of the world's best Supercross racers, best golfers, and best drivers all keep their skills sharp by employing coaches who tell them what they're doing wrong despite the fact that they are making millions and millions of dollars or even dominating their discipline. Now, what races to do and what bike to ride? Start local, start small, and bring some friends along to keep it light. You can race on whatever mountain bike you already own, so long as it's safe to ride, because you're only there to find out if you're a fan of staying between the tape. Many races even have a hardtail category that you can compete in if you don't have a full-suspension bike. If you're dead set on a new long-travel machine, Specialized's Status series or Airborne's reasonably priced lineup are two good places to start. - Mike Levy |
Your skipping could be caused by the mismatched Shimano brake and Avid rotor, but I doubt it, because the only time your rear wheel chatters is when the wheel is locked and the rotor isn't moving. Your chatter is caused by a flexible wheel, brake rotor, or frame component that winds up as the rear tire grips under braking and then springs back into place when the tire' traction is exceeded, and it momentarily skids and then grips again. Where there is adequate traction, the two opposing forces begin to oscillate and create the chatter that you are complaining about. This was once a common occurrence among lightweight XC bikes when disc brakes first appeared. Inadequate spoke tension or foolishly lightweight wheel builds are the number one causes of wheel chatter under braking, but if you have a 203-millimeter brake rotor that is installed in the reversed direction, it is remotely possible that braking forces will create the same wind-up effect in rotor's wimpy spokes. The third culprit would be a flexible frame member, but the fact that the Faith's triangulated swingarm is quite rigid rules that out. - RC |
Giant's Faith is a dedicated freeriding bike with a sturdy triangulated swingarm, so we suspect that the rear-wheel chatter that boss808 is experiencing under braking is caused by insufficient spoke tension.
Shimano's Zee group of components has a price vs. performance ratio that can make it difficult to justify forking over the dough required for Saint level components, so it's reasonable that you might find yourself second guessing spending that extra $100. If I was in your shoes, I would have gone with the Saint shifter and saved some money by choosing a Zee derailleur to go with it. The Saint shifter has a better lever feel than the the Zee, and the multi-release function lets you downshift two gears at a time, a feature that I wish all shifters had; I'd say that alone makes it worth the extra money. In a blind test it would be hard to tell the difference between the two derailleurs, and by not going with the top of the line option you'll be a little less likely to cry if it gets bashed into a rock or ripped off by a tree branch. - Mike Kazimer |
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zee= DH slx
Do you mean actual chainsaws instead of feet
or
Stevie Smith's feet
or
Two miniaturised Stevie Smiths as feet?
My .02 cents
But I run a Deore derailleur with an Alivio shifter on my hardtail and while the shifting is less crisp than on my XTR/XT setup, it's pretty darn good and not something I ever think about on the trail.
Certain bike brands' specific models just seem to generate a resonance when used with a particular brake system - have seen this on Devinici Wilson, Trek Session, Specialized Enduro Evo and others.
The explanation I have received is related to the brake system setting up a harmonic frequency which interacts with the frame structure or wheel in an unusual way, and is often experienced once bikes are released to the public where different brakes / wheels are used
The solution we received from SRAM for people using Avid brakes was a special undrilled rotor (effectively solid in the brake track) which seemed to cure the issue. Other riders tried using organic pads with good luck, as the sintered pads seemed to generate the resonance.
On some of my Specialized Enduro customers, we actually replaced the aluminium alloy swingarm with a carbon fibre piece from Specialized as nothing else could cure the issue (we tried different systems, rotors sizes, pads, etc.)
You running a 185mm SRAM clean sweep rotor by chance?
.....with a Shimano adapter that is made for 180mm rotor?
Can cause weird noises/chatter as the pads are contacting the rotor lower than where they should be.
SRAM did not make a 180mm rotor until now (2014/2015).
Looks like the bike came stock w/ 180mm rotor in the rear.
Goes back to an old axiom that we used to follow: shifters do the lion's share of work in a shifting system when it comes to things you can feel: ergonomics, positive gear changes, etc. most people can't tell the difference between any derailleur in a blind test, just buy the cheapest that you can, only spend more money if it gets you more durability(not really a big difference between derailleurs these days on that score, though.)
Only exception, is these days, spring for something with a clutch.
For something that's going to get banged on, I'd argue steel is a better choice, since if it gets really bent, you can take it apart and bend it back, contrasted with a forged aluminum part that's going to snap. weight vs durability. The steel part is probably stamped because they can get the same level of stiffness out of steel without the more complicated process. I'd also argue that paying half or less the price to replace it with a brand new one is a big advantage for something that's regularly abused.
the advice of using a cheaper rear mech and higher end shifter is solid advice
for years we did this for SRAM and Shimano on all our customers' custom builds
something like X-0 shifter pods and X-7 rear mech or X-9 at the most - its gonna get trashed!
I've seen grown men cry on the trail when they have smashed their week old X-0 rear mech on a rock
I tried several $30 to $60 saddles and returned each one (in perfect condition, each ridden only 1 or 2 times). Only 1 online store gave me a hassle, making me spend the return at their store, after I was honest that it had been ridden. So, you CAN return saddles.
2 yrs ago I bought a dropper, CB Joplin 4, and it has a matching saddle; CB Iodine 11. It cost $125 at the time, looks great, super light, replaceable rails, but was tricky to adjust. I thought I made a mistake, but kept adjusting, and now I love this thing. Other people try it, hate it, adjust it and then love it. It is perfect for climbing, for me.
There is a website in Montana that recently had them for $69.
wtb "v" and "rocket v" also has good value/comfort/features. a lot of shops have a wtb demo saddle for just what you asked about
www.chargebikes.com/parts-collection/scoop
Most saddle manufacturers ask to check the seating bones width to select saddle width., but in general matter, the larger the width is, the more comfy the saddle is.
Currently I have a wtb rocket V, and before an old selle italia flite, both are narrow (130mm), but the rocket V is much more comfy and MTB friendly (kevlar reinforcement). But some may hate it as the shape is more square on the edge. It is also shorter which allows better movement on the bike.
Apart from that, I believe there'll be no noticeable difference between Zee and Saint RD.
Now Zee feels great so far never misses gears never couse any problems but consider the prise of it and if you crash badly feels like just few more tears to cry about, i cant imagine the Saint broken as i saw few of them going away on my friends bikes and a lot of tears after that......
Is there any inside difference between SLX (M675) and Zee lever? Cause I combined Zee caliper and SLX lever and i am missing the "power-stiff-lever" feeling as on my old Saint (M810) i have on the other bike.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=OlXmoiCEpew