Should I Own a Mountain Bike?
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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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#28
Clark W. Griswold
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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!
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!
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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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.
Also have not really ever had any issues installing Shimano cranks and have installed quite a few on both my own bikes and others.
Last edited by sjanzeir; 11-09-22 at 06:00 PM.
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#30
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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!)
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!)
#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!
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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#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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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:
#34
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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!
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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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:
#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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#38
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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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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.