Doing these long 25 mile rides around Aberystwyth has really taken it's tole on my drivetrain. The chain had snapped as I rode to the meeting point for an AberMTB Llandegla trip and the jockey wheels had worn out from the countless times I had ridden Nant Yr Arian in gritty conditions.
Coming up to Christmas I had saved £400, mainly from not going on as many nights on the town as the average student. Initially, I was going to order new wheels while at Aberystwyth but I was then convinced to wait until I got home. I wasn't too sure about spending allot of money on a new pair of wheels and then having them delivered to student accommodation.
A few days before I left Aberystwyth I order a pair of Superstar Switch Stealth hubs laced to Stans Flow rims in black. Superstar have them on offer for £200 which left me £200 for the drivetrain. my initial thoughts of the wheels were amazing. The rear saved 225grams over my old Formula/Alexrim DP20 wheel! The engagement seems to be faster which will be great for getting the odd crank in after a berm on twisty trails.
Along with the wheels I ordered a Superstar Plasma ISCG Old chain device as my plan is to run a 36T single ring at the front with an 11-36T cassette out back. I wanted to order the chain device before any of the other gear because I knew how hard it would be to fit to the Reign. The suspension linkage layout makes it very awkward. I didn't want to take the plunge and buy everything in case I couldn't get it to fit.
After fiddling around with it for a long time I finally got it lined up in a way that I was happy with. Fitting this involved cutting down the bolts which hold the back plate onto the adapter, I also had to file down the adapter plate quite a bit to stop it contacting the bottom pivot. If anyone wants any close up pictures of the setup, please just ask.
When ordering the rest of the gearing I went for an SLX cassette in the 11-36 flavour to keep the weight down and to give me reasonable climbing abilities and a Zee freeride derailleur because I wanted one with a clutch mechanism. It was about the same price as an SLX Plus mech but I thought the Zee would be a little more durable. I bought a Hope 36T single ring and some Brand-X narrow chain ring bolts to mount to my existing cranks. I went for a cheap KMC X10-93 chain and an SLX shifter. I went for the SLX shifter over a Deore unit simply because I like to remove the shifter windows. The less clutter on the bars, the better. After skimping on outer cables in the past (and my gear system suffering as a result) I chose a two meter length of Goodridge outer gear cable. A friend at uni runs a full outer cable and he doesn't seem to have any problems and so I thought it would be perfect for the grim conditions back home.
Mounting all this to the bike was surprisingly quick and simple. My test ride would involve a quick six mile loop over Little Roseberry and round the side of Roseberry Topping. I chose this route as the descent down Little Roseberry is rocky and fast; the ideal test of the new Zee Plus derailleur and chain device combination.
Climbing up the rock garden on the way to Little Roseberry was only slightly more energy sapping than usual but this was to be expected. The descent down Little Roseberry steps was incredibly silent. All I could hear was the tyres bouncing over the rocks and the suspension sucking up the bigger hits. It was so confidence inspiring knowing that the chain wasn't going to come off or slip into the granny ring when I went to throw a crank in. The ride round around the side of Roseberry Topping was pretty calm. The adverse weather that has fallen here over the past couple of weeks hasn't seemed to have had much of an effect on the top section of the woods below the Topping.
When I got home it turned out I had stolen the KOM for 'Little Roseberry Steps' back from one of my friends who had taken if from me while I was away. I had not given the drive train an easy first ride then. I also noticed one of the spokes on my rear wheel was very loose, I knew about Superstar wheels being a bit iffy in the build department but after five minutes with a spoke key they are fine.
Here's some pictures and a video from the AberMTB Llandegla trip....
AberMTB Llandegla Trip from Jack Reeve on Vimeo.
Ride safe :)
