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Reviving my 26"


Letum911

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It's an Alu frame and the colour is known as Radar Green.

 

Was a very comfortable bike to ride.

 

Is that cinder cone the steel frame and came in orange?

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My suggestion:

Ride the 26er. Convert to 1x, 1x 10 is fine with a 34 chainring. Even 1x9 if you get wide range cassettes in 9 speed. I don't know. Tyres: I'm running a Minion DHF/Crossmark combo. Whould have like something more grippy than the Crossmark, but on the back its fine.

 

Here's a pic of my Inbred. (since then it got a Tmars dropper (thanks Eddy Gordo), 780mm bars, flat pedals and I bumped the fork travel to 120mm).

post-33762-0-46256900-1579594232_thumb.jpg

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Upgrade the Merida and send pics please. A 1x11 or 10 conversion wont cost the earth. Tyres can be found - Evo have a range of Conti's and Schwalbe I think, and there is nothing wrong with a Maxxis Ardent or X Mark, both of which are also available.

 

On a race like the Sani, which is not known for its rough terrain (compared to say, the events in the Western Cape) you aren't at a major disadvantage. I did a 3h25 Argus on my ancient 26er HT with slicks a few years back. 

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Upgrade the Merida and send pics please. A 1x11 or 10 conversion wont cost the earth. Tyres can be found - Evo have a range of Conti's and Schwalbe I think, and there is nothing wrong with a Maxxis Ardent or X Mark, both of which are also available.

 

On a race like the Sani, which is not known for its rough terrain (compared to say, the events in the Western Cape) you aren't at a major disadvantage. I did a 3h25 Argus on my ancient 26er HT with slicks a few years back. 

3h25 .... did you stop for breakfast along the way!  :ph34r:

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3h25 .... did you stop for breakfast along the way!  :ph34r:

I did the Argus on my HT, 4h20.  Had breakfast, took a nap and watched all three Lord of the Rings movies. :thumbup:

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This might have been asked before so apologies in advance if it has.

 

What all do I need to get in order to proceed with swapping out a 3 x 9 system to a 2 x 10 or equivalent set-up?

How do I know what all will work in terms of BB, crank, chain, shifters, cassette and RD?

 

If I get it all together I don't mind doing a step by step update once I have all the pieces.

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Interesting thread. 

 

Last year I raced my 4th Sani on a 26er HT

 

2011 Giant XTC Alu. 3x9 XT/XTR combo.  Reba Fork.  Maxxis Ardent in the front, Crossmark at the back.

 

Was close to a top 10 in our age group. 

 

A bit of a rough ride on those washboard single tracks on day one.  The rest was fine.

 

Methinks I'll take the 26er Giant Anthem this year, same spec.  I'm getting old, so will be a bit more comfy...

 

So my vote goes to the Merida.  Ride it like it is, just take a 9 spd RD as a spare, they don't sell them in the race village anymore if you have a mechanical.

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To go from a 3x9 down to a 2x10 in these easy steps: 

 

  1. Remove the 9 speed cassette
  2. Remove the rear derailleur 
  3. Remove the 3 speed crank (or if on a budget just remove the chain rings)
  4. Remove the shifters and cables (note that some front shifters have a 2 or 3x switch at the bottom of the shifter - again if you're on a budget you'll be able to re-use the 3x shifter)
  5. You will also be able to re-use the front derailleur
  6. Install rear derailleur, cassette, shifter / s & chain rings or crank, set the gears and BOOM, sorted. 

Did I miss something  :huh:

 

This might have been asked before so apologies in advance if it has.

 

What all do I need to get in order to proceed with swapping out a 3 x 9 system to a 2 x 10 or equivalent set-up?

How do I know what all will work in terms of BB, crank, chain, shifters, cassette and RD?

 

If I get it all together I don't mind doing a step by step update once I have all the pieces.

Edited by RobertWhitehead
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This might have been asked before so apologies in advance if it has.

 

What all do I need to get in order to proceed with swapping out a 3 x 9 system to a 2 x 10 or equivalent set-up?

How do I know what all will work in terms of BB, crank, chain, shifters, cassette and RD?

 

If I get it all together I don't mind doing a step by step update once I have all the pieces.

 

https://community.bikehub.co.za/topic/181779-mongoose-rebuild-project/?hl=mongoose

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Interesting thread.

 

Last year I raced my 4th Sani on a 26er HT

 

2011 Giant XTC Alu. 3x9 XT/XTR combo. Reba Fork. Maxxis Ardent in the front, Crossmark at the back.

 

Was close to a top 10 in our age group.

.

Last Sani I did...2014 I think...I had a stream of 30 odd 29ers streamlining myself and my partner through the final day flat fast sugarcane fields.... Little wheels leading the big wheels [emoji23]

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