Eric F 

I found the service manual for the fork - it's coil/MCU combo. Surprisingly, it still seems to work fairly well.

Kapusta

I've heard you can boil the MCUs to refresh them. Never tried it myself, though.

Eric F 

I'm just going to leave things alone until there is a clear need for action. "If it ain't broke, fix it until it is" has happened too many times on stuff like that.

Darth Lefty 

Cassette cogs are narrower so the inner plates of the chain have more room to move side to side and they have lower teeth to make it easier for the chain to fall off. In other words they fit the chain worse on purpose so they shift better. They get away with it by having the derailleur to guide them. You might be surprised how little slack it takes to come off; the timing chain on my tandem is an occasional bad actor and the extra timing chain to the kidback has been a constant headache.

If you have an aluminum freehub the Surly cog would dig in to the spline less.

I haven't seen NW single speed cogs for cassette or freewheels but I'm not sure why, seems like it would be an easy marketing win.

Eric F 

NW?

I have a Wolf Tooth cog on the way...plus a couple of other little parts.

Darth Lefty 

OK, that's not the Wolf Tooth cog I was thinking of. Wolf Tooth had 10 speed cogs for replacing a smaller cog in a cassette to use their big rings, back when their main thing was doing 1x conversions, until Shimano finally got theirs off the ground. Wolf Tooth really has taken that start and run with it.

It's not narrow wide, but I can see why they didn't. They are doing the same 9 speed spacing thing as Surly

Kapusta

You don’t need narrow-wide rings or cogs on a single speed. Assuming the chain is even remotely in the ballpark of proper tension, it is basically impossible to throw a chain.

Eric F 

Currently, I'm in the "slightly too much tension" zone. With a little stretch and a little wear, it should settle out nicely.

2old

I have a GT Zaskar, which had a "magic ratio" of 32/20 with a Boonen cog. I used to run it 32/19 with a Surly tensioner for the first couple of rides on a new chain, then switch to the "20" which worked perfectly until it was worn and the process started again. After 20 years of SS, decided it was time for gears. Nice job on your conversion.

osiris419

I have an Absolute Black NW cog on my Trek Rig. Only reason I have it is that is what was available at the time and having a shop discount

thehammerdog

sweet set up.
I keep struggling with plans for my old steed. i did enjoy the simple SS set up but finding the goldielocks gearing is difficult in my area.
enjoy it.

Eric F 

What I seem to be finding is that the 32x19 combo is letting me ride everything I would normally ride, it's just a different kind of effort.

Eric F 

Had her out for a ride last night in an area with some pretty steep pitches in the climbs. It was tough, but I muscled through it. There were a couple of sections of singletrack where I had to walk, but I would have with a geared bike, too. My quads are still feeling last night's ride.


New rear-end bling...Wolf Tooth 19T cog and Q2 carbon spacer kit.


I have come to significantly dislike the Bontrager Race Lite grips I'm currently using. I need a bit more padding and a slightly larger diameter.

DMC707

Looks nice! I may be weird but i wish Grab-On grips would make a comeback ! Until then, ive used the Oury's with the large waffle grip with great results

Eric F 

I remember the Grab-On MTB grips - I liked them a lot!. I've got a pair of PNW grips on the way. I liked the feel of them in my hand at the LBS, but they didn't have the color I want, so I ordered them direct from PNW.

SkinGriz

Maybe I’m wrong.

But it seems like a lot of stuff like bar rise, types of grips, pedals, wheel size, bar ends, etc. might just be far more personal preference than the magazines let on.

Might make more sense to just try a bunch of stuff. Or go riding with friends and switch between a bunch of bikes for a bit to get ideas.

I’m not making absolute statements. I’m thinking about rewarding myself with a higher end (for me) hard tail for completing my degree in 6 months. Just thinking out loud.

Eric F 

You're spot on - especially at the contact points. Saddle is probably the most important person-fit item, and what works for one person may be torture for another. For me, hands are also a big deal - position, width, lever position, tape/grip feel, etc. I'm less picky about pedals, but shoes need to fit my narrow feet properly, and I've had some that were an issue.

The thin Bontrager Race Lite grips on this bike have been replaced with PNW Loam grips, which are a tapered design and a bit larger diameter. Much better!! (for me, YMMV)

Eric F 

I had been getting some concerning clunking noises from the rear end. At first, I thought it was because the chain was a bit too tight, and figured it would ease up as things stretched and wore a bit, but it persisted after a few rides. I was a bit worried that the extra tension I had been running had damaged the rear hub or freehub bearings. While taking care of some maintenance issues yesterday, I noticed that the anodizing on the inside of the cog teeth was worn off, but not on the outside. Ah ha! Chain line issue. I added a very thin spacer, and things got much quieter and smoother.

The wear isn't really apparent in this pic, but was very evident at home after I cleaned things up a bit.


I'm still tinkering with my position a bit. I had initially set up my stem as -6, and flipped to +6 for the last couple of rides. I think I will go back to -6. My saddle also needs to come up and forward just a bit. The Bontrager grips I started with were too thin. These PNW grips are a big improvement for my paws. Despite the moments of abject suffering this thing inflicts (mostly due to the terrain in my area), it is a blast to ride.


On the road, I prefer to carry things like tools, snacks, and other accessories in my jersey pockets, rather than adding weight to my bike. For my last couple of MTB rides, I've used a hydration pack for water, tools, etc. I'm a bit on the fence about it. I might save it for when the weather is a bit cooler and I'm not desperate for maximum ventilation.

Eric F 

A little tweak - Rear derailleur hanger has been de-hangered for a cleaner rear end look...


I still have the original hanger just in case I want to go back to derailleurs, or go with a gearing that needs a tensioner. This is a replacement hanger that I chopped and trimmed.