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Upgrading to Shimano XT Brakes
I generally have a fear of things like hydraulics because I worry about failures from my shoddy work. I had relied on shops to handle brake bleeds and installs in the past, but after successfully bleeding my Shimano XTR brakes, when it came to upgrading my old Hope brakes to new Shimano XT brakes, I figured it was worth learning. Spoiler alert: it's really easy and anyone can do it.
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- Category: Repairs
Review - New Steadyrack MTB Wall Rack
My bike storage area has always been a real challenge. Part of my garage back room is the work area, and the other side of that is the bike storage, which is only 5' wide. With 3 mountain bikes that need to be stored off the floor, the original Steadyrack (reviewed here) allowed me to get 3 bikes on the wall and maximize storage space. Most importantly, because they swing, I was able to better access the door that opens into the bike storage area. Steadyrack recently updated its design to accommodate the larger width tires that are popular these days. This new design is burlier on the tray, enabling it to do a better job of handling plus sized wheels.
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- Category: Product Reviews
Boost Adapter for Non-Boost Wheelsets
The world is shifting to boost, but for many bikes, the non-boost wheelsets are an expensive item to replace, just to get another 10mm of axle width. This means chasing older forks and missing out on some of the newer technology. But, luckily, a rainy day gave me the opportunity to put a new boost fork, a RockShox Pike, onto my old full suspension bike with an old non-boost Chris King/Stans wheelset. The upgrade was cheap and easy, but the real challenge will be dealing with wheel issues in the field.
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- Category: Repairs
Review - PNW Components Cascade Dropper Post
I have been a fan of dropper posts for quite some time now, but I have always used the KS droppers (i950r i900r and Lev), but after having plenty of service issues, I opted to head down the path of a different vendor and picked up a PNW Components dropper. I needed to either service (~$100) or replace (~$300) the dropper on my full suspension bike because it no longer raised back up consistently. At only $199 on Amazon, I figured this option fits right between the two choices, and I am glad that I chose do head down this path.
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- Category: Product Reviews