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Should I Own a Mountain Bike?

Old 11-09-22, 07:19 AM
  #26  
ClydeClydeson
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Originally Posted by sjanzeir
On my Dahon folder - which is my daily rider and my most ridden bike - I've been running a Chinese, no-brand, Hollowtech II knockoff crankset for a while now.
The primary difference between Shimano cranks and lower cost cranks is the quality of the chainrings and the shifting between the rings. If you have a single chainring setup then I doubt most people would be able to tell the difference. The bearings in the BB will probably not last as long as Shimano, but otherwise cheap cranks are fine.
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Old 11-09-22, 08:30 AM
  #27  
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Originally Posted by ClydeClydeson
otherwise cheap cranks are fine.
And, unlike the genuine Shimano (see other thread,) it was a breeze to install!
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Old 11-09-22, 03:54 PM
  #28  
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Originally Posted by sjanzeir
Okay, now that Walter is just having his coffee, hear me out! On my Dahon folder - which is my daily rider and my most ridden bike - I've been running a Chinese, no-brand, Hollowtech II knockoff crankset for a while now. I originally intended for this to be a test run before I splash out on a real, actual Shimano deal (which I had already done just recently with one of my 7.6s, and it wasn't exactly plain sailing.) Problem is, this thing has been so smooth and reliable that I'm not in too much if a hurry to replace it with a real Shimano! The same bike came with a rebranded (with the Dahon logo) L-twoo A7 RD and shifter, and the, too worked with nary a hitch for the year and a half that they were on the bike, and when I upgraded to 11-speed I went with an L-twoo A9 and it's been a total workhorse so far.

Mind you, those are the only "Chineeze" components in that upgrade! The chainring is a Wolf Tooth; the cassette is a Sunrace ; and the chain is either a KMC or a Wippermann - I forget which one it is. Everything else on the Dahon is a brand-name item.

So, yeah, I will eventually replace that crankset and bottom bracket with the real deal - it's just that I'm not in a hurry to do it. Politics aside, would I be willing to go for a Chinese component in a pinch? I have little reason not to!
Being Chinese is not the problem, being a fake and knockoff is the problem. Having working parts is always good but just don't buy fakes and knockoffs and don't support that side of the market. Plenty of stuff that is legitimate product that someone in China or elsewhere designed for that manufacturer or under proper license.

Also have not really ever had any issues installing Shimano cranks and have installed quite a few on both my own bikes and others.
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Old 11-09-22, 05:57 PM
  #29  
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Originally Posted by veganbikes
Being Chinese is not the problem, being a fake and knockoff is the problem. Having working parts is always good but just don't buy fakes and knockoffs and don't support that side of the market. Plenty of stuff that is legitimate product that someone in China or elsewhere designed for that manufacturer or under proper license.

Also have not really ever had any issues installing Shimano cranks and have installed quite a few on both my own bikes and others.
I'll tell you who's side of the market I support: mine. If it works and solves a problem for me for less, I'm voting with my [digital] wallet! The money I saved on that knockoff Hollowtech II crankset made it that much easier to spend the savings on the Wolf Tooth chainring, the KMC (or is it Wippermann? I really gotta check!) chain, and Sunrace cassette.) Brand name or not, I've got a working bike that's more reliable, more versatile, and just works better overall. If and when the time comes and the fake Hollowtech II bottom bracket fails (and it will,) I'll slap on a real Shimano crankset and a real BB. Meanwhile, in the grand scheme of things, all the damage that the fake crankset and BB are doing is make us have this conversation instead of talking more about why I should get into mountain biking. 🙂

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Old 11-12-22, 09:11 AM
  #30  
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Originally Posted by sjanzeir
No, seriously. A couple of nice MTBs popped up in the local classifieds recently and I was tempted. I've always been extremely curious about this whole mountain biking thing, and my brother-in-law, an avid mountain biker, tried - and then stopped trying - to get me into the fold, but I kept balking for various reasons - cost, logistics, my lack of fitness (or is it poor mental fortitude? )

So the question I'm really as is, would actually physically owning a mountain bike encourage me to at least try out the sport, or would I just be throwing away good money after bad?

(PS or I could just spend the money to get my motorcycle license and get me my first motorcycle, which I've been wanting to do for, like, ever!)
I tink that you must see them in person and check the one that might be the more suitable to your way or style of riding. Go on easy trails and practice
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Old 11-17-22, 12:52 PM
  #31  
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Well, here's an update: I just talked to my brother-in-law and told him that of they don't have any plans for his son's X-caliber 9 beyond leaving it under the stairs gathering dust, I might as well give it some TLC and ride it myself! He said by all means, I didn't even need to ask! So I picked it up from underneath the stairs, took it upstairs to our place (we live in the same building) and started going through it:



The first thing I found was that he had overtightened the headset, to the point where it was turning in clicks! So I took it apart, cleaned and repacked the bearings, checked the races for damage - and luckily found none - put it back together and adjusted it properly. Tomorrow it's going into the bathtub!
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Old 11-17-22, 12:56 PM
  #32  
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It looks pretty clean already. I don't know if "into the bathtub" is supposed to be literal, but if it is, don't. I don't see anything on there that wouldn't clean up with a damp rag and maybe a little isopropanol.
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Old 11-17-22, 01:06 PM
  #33  
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Oh, I'm not going to let it soak or anything - just a good spray with the Karcher all-purpose stuff from a repurposed Mr. Muscle container and a quick rinse! I hook the picture after I had wiped it down a little, but there is some stubborn caked mud around the bottom bracket that needs some more effort:




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Old 11-18-22, 01:37 PM
  #34  
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Originally Posted by sjanzeir
Well, here's an update: I just talked to my brother-in-law and told him that of they don't have any plans for his son's X-caliber 9 beyond leaving it under the stairs gathering dust, I might as well give it some TLC and ride it myself! He said by all means, I didn't even need to ask! So I picked it up from underneath the stairs, took it upstairs to our place (we live in the same building) and started going through it:
The first thing I found was that he had overtightened the headset, to the point where it was turning in clicks! So I took it apart, cleaned and repacked the bearings, checked the races for damage - and luckily found none - put it back together and adjusted it properly. Tomorrow it's going into the bathtub!
sweet! those shock stanchions look pristine
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Old 11-18-22, 01:38 PM
  #35  
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Originally Posted by sjanzeir
Oh, I'm not going to let it soak or anything - just a good spray with the Karcher all-purpose stuff from a repurposed Mr. Muscle container and a quick rinse! I hook the picture after I had wiped it down a little, but there is some stubborn caked mud around the bottom bracket that needs some more effort:
that's where the "TLC" comes in, eh?
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Old 11-18-22, 04:09 PM
  #36  
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Seatposts are designed for clamping, other parts of the bike not so much. Fine to lightly rest a top tube in a stand but not for clamping. I know people have anecdotes to share of it working fine but please just use your seatpost for clamping or use something like this: https://silca.cc/products/hirobel-clamp.
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Old 11-19-22, 07:58 AM
  #37  
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Originally Posted by rumrunn6
sweet! those shock stanchions look pristine
I wish that that were the case! I saw this and my heart sank:







Now, I know that they could be reconditioned fairly easily, but I'm just too terrified to tackle this on my own when I've never done it before
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Old 11-19-22, 08:33 PM
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Originally Posted by sjanzeir
I wish that that were the case! I saw this and my heart sank:
Now, I know that they could be reconditioned fairly easily, but I'm just too terrified to tackle this on my own when I've never done it before
is the pitting more at the top? take it for a ride with a zip tie at the bottom of the stanchion & see how far up it gets pushed. it may not even reach the pitted part. how do the wipers look? I've been using a q-tips to apply stanchion grease on the wipers of my new fork. you can look that stuff up incl. how to apply etc. I think I've read rust & pitting basically won't affect performance. I think it's not ideal tho & could wear the wipers prematurely. wutz involved in re-conditioning them?
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Old 11-27-22, 04:21 PM
  #39  
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Originally Posted by rumrunn6
is the pitting more at the top? wutz involved in re-conditioning them?
Well, the first inch and a half or so above the wipers is fairly clean. I'd be too terrified to recondition them myself - I've never done that sort of thing before 😬

In any case, I'm going to have to put this project - and my whole quest for mountain biking superstardom - on hold for a while; I need to clear out a couple of other works in progress first, including getting my car repaired and preparing for the possibility of leaving the country for the spring and summer. Just too much on my plate right now and not enough cash flow to support multiple projects.
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