Ask Pinkbike - Wide Rims, Knee Pads for XC, and Code Brakes
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.
Should I Switch to Wider Rims?
Question:Tcmtnbikr asks in the All Mountain, Enduro & Cross-Country forum: I've been running ENVE AMs/M70s for three years now on a 160mm 27.5 bike. I'm not an EWS pro but probably an expert level AM/DH rider that likes to pin it on the steeps and gnar of SoCal but also needs wheels light enough to pedal back up. I'm current running a Magic Mary 2.35 up front at 14 psi. E13 TRS+ 2.35 Rear at 19 psi. I almost never pinch flat or puncture a tire but then it's not terribly rocky here. I feel like I get great traction and no tire roll. My AM front has a 24mm internal width. The M70 has a 25mm width. I've heard some folks rave about even wider rims. I'd value opinions on whether 30+mm widths are a worthy upgrade and if so for what reason? Even better traction and sidewall support? I'm afraid of squaring off the tire profiles too much and not really looking for even wider/heavier tires but I'm open to thoughts.
 | There are two schools of thought that apply to your question. Almost every 2.35-inch tire was designed for and tested using rims that measure 21 to 25mm internally. For this reason, you are enjoying the tread profile and block angles that the tire maker intended, so as long as you are not rolling your tires, or having tubeless issues, you can save your money and keep your slightly outdated Enve M70 wheels. DT Swiss techs say that they run narrower rims (than fashionable) for World Cup DH because they put the rim beneath the tread, which affords some rim protection Should you switch to wider tires, however, or if you intend to buy a new bike, I would strongly suggest upgrading to 30mm inner width rims. The extra support in the corners and stability at slightly lower pressures is noticeable, and 30-millimeter rims are much better in tubeless configuration. A wider tire benefits from a wider rim as well, and with 2.4-inch becoming the norm, 30mm IW rims will help future proof your new ride. Every rider I know who has upgraded to wider rims has never looked back. |
If you are a fan, Enve's latest M70 HV30 rims measure 30mm inside the flanges - perfect for the latest crop of AM/enduro tires.
Knee Pads for XC Riding?
Question: @killabeez66 asks in the Bikes, Parts, and Gear forum: Before people say you don't need pads for XC, I have had two major operations on my left knee and recently came back from a injury on the other knee.. And a shoulder operation! So, anyone have any recommendations?
| You didn't mention if those injuries were mountain biking related or not – if they are, you might want to look for something with more padding and protection than the minimalist options I'm going to recommend. That being said, my two favorites for XC riding are the Specialized Atlas pads and 661's Recon pads. Both are light and well ventilated enough to wear for an entire ride, even in warmer weather. The Atlas pads use a thin layer of foam to provide a bit of impact protection, but it's worth noting that they aren't CE certified, and are best suited for preventing scratches and abrasions. 661's Recon Pads are CE certified, thanks to the use of XRD foam that hardens upon impact to lessen the severity of a blow. That means they should offer up a little more protection than the Atlas pads in the event of a crash, but again, both of these option are on the lighter side of things and are meant to help out during smaller spills, not massive cartwheels down the hillside. All the same, your knees will be much happier if you have either of these on during a crash compared to hitting the ground with your bare skin. |
Specialized's Atlas pads...
...and the 661 Recon.
Braking the Code?
Question: Pinkbike user @loganskis asked this question in the Bikes, Parts, and Gear Forum: Has anyone else noticed all the pros still using the Avid Codes. I love my old set, but you can't find them anywhere. Does anyone have any insight to why all the pros are still using them but they aren't being produced for consumers? Doesn't make any sense, or am I missing something/out of the loop?
| The only sense I can make of this situation is that all the riders in question want more power. The Code is a bigger and chunkier brake than the Guide and should deliver more power and also consistency due to the larger volume of oil contained in the system. The only perceived downsides being more weight and a different lever feel (depending on what the rider likes), they may also want a heavier/stronger lever in the event of a crash for safety's sake. The Code brakes are still listed on the Avid website, but have likely come to the end of their life cycle, at least in their current form. Conveniently, SRAM recently launched a new e-bike specific brake, the Guide RE, which mixes a Guide lever and a rebadged Code caliper now with a SRAM logo. This is something that pro riders have been doing for years, taking a lighter lever with a different/preferred feel and using it with a more powerful caliper. Although SRAM have decided this is an e-bike specific brake, I'm of the opinion that any kind of mountain bike should be allowed to have more stopping power, and I'll be mounting them to a non-motorized bike in the near future. |
 |
 E-bike specific brakes? I just received a pair of Guide RE's and they are definitely going to be mounted on a conventional mountain bike. |
Have some unresolved tech questions? Jump in the Pinkbike Forum and we'll look to answer it for next time.
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I was pretty impressed/shocked I didn't burp coming down the rock garden. Running Maxxis tires/Stans Flows.
I was running 32f 35r on 25mm internals. Dhf/mss
Just got a set of 30.5 internals with dhf/dhr wts and was able to drop it to 20f 23r. Might bump 'em up a bit more because they're weeping from the beads but the sidewalls are dar from flexy.
I experimented with 19 psi in the rear once and I weigh 145lbs and what I learned is that if I'm riding faster than 15mph-17mph and hit roots I can FEEL the roots banging on my rims. Never again, that's the last thing I want is to dent my rim and walk back to my car.
He says he's aggressive? How aggressive, I wonder because he would either be burping the tires or cracking his Enve rims by now.
www.pinkbike.com/photo/14531423
Kid came to our FR spot an couldn't get through the jumps.
"How much pressure you running?"
"15psi".............
Stuck 30 in,an cleared the line on his next run
I am ~210lbs geared up and ride 26-28 front and ~30-32 back on my Voltage (I use Spank Race 33 rims). Anything less and I'd destroy tire and rim alike! I can only assume that the guy asking the question has a faulty gauge or pump... or he rides in locations with less than earth's gravity.
I don't bottom out on my rims and tires feel great (2.35 DHR2 EXO casing), but I often see the X pattern in the sidewall of my rear tire. I weigh 190, running 26 PSI on my Hightower 29er
Hey, any coincidence that this song is in B Flat?
Caught in a landslide, no escape from reality
Open your eyes, look up to the skies and see
I'm just a poor boy, I need no sympathy
Because I'm easy come, easy go, little high, little low
Any way the wind blows doesn't really matter to me, to me
Mama, just killed a man
Put a gun against his head
Pulled my trigger, now he's dead
Mama, life had just begun
But now I've gone and thrown it all away
Mama, ooh, didn't mean to make you cry
If I'm not back again this time tomorrow
Carry on, carry on as if nothing really matters
Too late, my time has come
Sends shivers down my spine, body's aching all the time
Goodbye, everybody, I've got to go
Gotta leave you all behind and face the truth
Mama, ooh, I don't want to die
I sometimes wish I'd never been born at all
I see a little silhouetto of a man
Scaramouche, Scaramouche, will you do the Fandango
Thunderbolt and lightning, very, very fright'ning me
(Galileo) Galileo, (Galileo) Galileo, Galileo figaro magnifico
(I'm just a poor boy, nobody loves me)
He's just a poor boy from a poor family
Spare him his life from this monstrosity
Easy come, easy go, will you let me go?
Bismillah! No, we will not let you go
(Let him go) Bismillah! We will not let you go
(Let him go) Bismillah! We will not let you go
(Let me go) Will not let you go
(Let me go) Will not let you go
(Let me go) Ah, no, no, no, no, no, no, no
(Oh mamma mia, mamma mia) Mama mia, let me go
Beelzebub has a devil put aside for me, for me, for me
So you think you can stone me and spit in my eye?
So you think you can love me and leave me to die?
Oh, baby, can't do this to me, baby!
Just gotta get out, just gotta get right outta here!
Nothing really matters, anyone can see
Nothing really matters
Nothing really matters to me
Any way the wind blows
i have a topeak smartgauge d2
i always know the pressure, normaly 24/25 front 28/29 back , but last year had a race so sleek that i had 18 f and 21 r
Those Atlas pads look just like the Fox Enduro - if they are, I'd say they're worthless for anything other than avoiding abrasions. Not that avoiding abrasions is a bad thing - but for any sort of impact (the kind of thing to be worried about with pre-existing knee injuries), that's just not going to do. The 661 looks like a G-Form knockoff. Those (the G-forms - don't know about the 661) are remarkably protective - that funky gel/foam/pad stuff actually works. That said - I had G-forms that turned out being too small for me (alert - they run smaller than you'd think from the size chart).
For decent protection that's easy to pedal in, I then found the POC VPD 2.0 - and those were awesome. Bomber in a fall, light and remarkably non-sweaty/nasty/chafey. Just as comfortable as the G-forms. Alas - that didn't last. They got super stretched out after only a few months, and even washing didn't help. I replaced the elastic velcro straps with something beefier, but that wasn't enough to make up for the body of them having stretched out way too much. They fit perfectly before - so it's not a sizing issue (any smaller would have been crazy tight and uncomfortable).
And then I found the DaKine Slayers. I've been riding those for a year now - seen tons of use. Good protection for something so light, good fit, stay put. After about a dozen rides or so they get a little loose - so I stick them in the wash and in the dryer, and they fit like new. Got a few snags in the fabric from runins with pedal pins, brush, etc. - but so far that's only cosmetic. Reasonable price for how well they work, comfortable for all day rides even in warm conditions (I don't bother pushing them down even for dirt road climbs on warm days - yes, they're a little warm then, but not enough to really be an issue).
DaKine also have a beefier version (Hellion) - thicker pad, and more protection on the sides. Those are a bit heavy to pedal in, but more comfortable than the Fox Launch Pros (and provide similar levels of protection).
I emailed Specialized and sent pics, but they never got back to me at all (I sent 3 emails over 3 weeks), the Dealer I bought them from told me to contact Specialized as it was a warranty claim... I never managed to get a response, with the knee pads now sitting in a bag with my spare parts.
I can't recommend the knee pads as mine just disintegrated, I can't recommend Specialized either as I don't think they have a computer at this point.
I changed for some POC VPD2 pads... yes they are larger and bulky, but the difference in quality is staggering.
I've heard and read that "some" people don't like wide wheels and that they are for "beginners", but all I know is that I'm riding harder and faster and looser (in a good way) here in SoCal (where it's slippery loose over hardpack almost everywhere) than I did before I got them.
I say go for it!
FYI: the Maxxis Minion WT (wide trail) might be the best tire I've ever ridden. They changed the tread profile to accommodate wider rims and they are legit in loose, hairy conditions.
no seriously - did you change up tyres, pressures or anything about where/how you ride as a result? I'm curious...
For XC type kneepads I'm surprised G-Form weren't thrown in the mix. I've taken some pretty heavy falls in them and they stayed put and offered great protection.
Maxxis WTs are money