Captain Fastbastard Mayhem

I didn't. It was on the triple crank I moved over from my hardtail when I built the bike up. So it's a stock standard 32 with the shifting ramps ground off (dremel FTW) which is why I've ordered the Raceface narrow/wide 34tooth.

Too late. Someone just bought my RD, my spare XT RD & Shifter and I'm without an RD. Oops...

oh btw - X0 type 2 is a minimum of R 1,950 for the RD alone.

Nope. 2k. RD is R 1k (everywhere) cassette is R 350 minimum (deore) chain is R 200 (min, also Deore) and shifter is min R 500.

Wolf http://www.nsmb.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/detail.jpg Raceface http://www.pricepoint.com/_productimages/350x350/080_racnw3_blk_1.jpg So it's the profile that's different - I think the wolf has the illusion of taller teeth thanks to the more box-like profile of the teeth themselves. So they look taller but they're not. Or so it seems. I dunno. Remains to be seen. Anyway... I've ordered my RF one, and waiting patiently for the thing to be delivered.

Hmmm. I'd say not dude. She'd be at the limit...

May be a while depending on when it arrives. Should be tomorrow / wednesday, but I'm off to Durbs this weekend so it could be after that. Hope not...

WYATT - STOP POSTING PORN, DAMMIT!!!

THIS!!!!!!

which medium?

Remains to be seen in my own testing, which I can assure you is far more rooty / technical than your testing, Jatho... Not jibing, just being realistic.

Indeed. The thinking is that with the elongated, profiled teeth, your chainring does the job of the chain device, and keeps hold of the chain at all times, by virtue of hugging the chain far more tightly, as well as doing away with the shifting ramps - themselves a reason for the chain shifting. The difference over SS chainrings is the profiling. The Narrow/wide profile, effectively. This fits the chain's profiles more closely, and allows mhc more contact with the chain, keeping it on track. The necessity of a chain device (chain guide) was due to 2 things - chain slap, and the profile of the teeth (narrow teeth all round, improper chain tension) With the profile of the teeth being sorted (they're longer, and fit the chain) there's the issue of chain slap. So - number one is to get the right chain length - which a LOT of people don't have, which exacerbates the problem of chain slap, and causes the chain to derail - and then your chain slap should reduce. Battle number 2 won. So - the final question remains - is a type 2 RD really necessary, or is the narrow/wide chainring & proper chain length enough to prevent derailments? The type 2 RD certainly helps prevent derailings on normal chainrings, so its inherent chain-keeping ability is definitely there. The question is whether it is needed in addition to the Narrow/Wide chainring in order to provide the totally foolproof solution to a forever-dropping chain, and is good enough to replace the chain guide in totality. For that experiment - I shall take to the hills with my non-clutch RD, my Raceface narrow/wide and no chain guide, and test accordingly on the DH runs, XC runs and rock gardens of Tokai. Which are mightily rocky & rooty & jumptastic. The conservative part of me says that the cllutch RD (shadow plus / type 2) would be a great redundancy measure, just in case the narrow/wide chainring just isn't *quite* enough to manage the chain without a chain guide as backup. But the experimenter in me says gun it what are you waiting for, it's an extra 2k to set up a clutch RD (would be going 10 speed, so RD, shifter & cassette would need to go on) so you have everything to gain by testing it without a clutch RD...

yeah. Mega good deal. And Marc hasn't been riding it - he broke his hand (was it his hand, OM?) and was training on the DH bike for Morzine for a solid month. May even have been 2 months, before he crashed - which was 3 weeks or so before Morzine. So it is literally an as new bike.

oh. And on the clutch RD thing - I have a 34t Raceface narrow / wide chainring (their equiv of XX1) in the post. I have a 9sp X0 non clutch RD. I ride rocky rooty tech stuff like a plonker, so if it's gonna cme off it'll be when I ride. I will report back once I've ridden it!

that's what I have at the moment. 32 and only a 32, with an 11-34 at the back. If I can make it up the climbs, to the mast in Tokai, on my Reign X (yes, I have done it a few times) in my state (overweight - 102kg and unfit) then you can, Jaco. To put it in perspective - I'm pedalling 125kg up the hill EVERY TIME I go out. 15kg bike. 102kg me. 8kg gear, water & camelbak, helmet shoes etc. If I can do that with a 32 tooth, 11-34 at the back, then it's more than sufficient. I have a 34 in the post. It's time to HTFU, mate.

OMFS...

Nope. Just someone who likes riding his bike.

The one place the Cobalts could do a good job, eh?

The other one has a Vespa...

Nah. Too small for him dude. If it's Marc's bike, he's an inch or 2 shorter than me, and this dude is 3" taller than me...

Muddy Mary is THE tyre to have. Wider application than Hans Dampf, and used all over teh DH circuit to boot. Fat Albert is older tech, and precedes the Hans Dampf & Muddy Mary. I just dunno about the Mavic, tbh. Of the 3 - Muddy Mary. No doubt.

front oke. WAAAAY more speed coming out of the corner

Tell us!

Yeah. Same with superstar.

Yep. As with everything, maintenance is key.