KMC X9SL X10SL REVIEW

I have been the using KMC SL series of chains for many years now, they are very lightweight, have a plethora of technical features, with good shifting capabilities, and even look good (especially in gold).

I tend to ride with a slow cadence on technical terrain in very small gears, so I cause an enormous amount of torque on the drivetrain system, and especially on the main conduit, the chain. This can wreak havoc fairly quickly on a chain, so I tend to go through them pretty quickly, no matter what brand they are.

I found that with the KMC SL chains, I tended to get premature wear in comparison to other chains. When they finally lengthen beyond their specified limits, they tended to mis-shift, and on occasion I would catastrophically snap a link.

Chains do not stretch, they lengthen (elongate), and they do so because their hinge pins and sleeve hole wear, literally making the chain sloppy and loose.

You can check chain elongation with a chain checker tool (Park CC-2) or measure with a ruler, but both methods can be slightly error prone.

At the 2008 Interbike, I spoke with the KMC staff about the wear issues I was encountering, and they told me they had an upgraded version of the SL series coming out soon that should alleviate that issue.

In November, I started to test out the latest X9SL and X10SL chains on my 9 speed drivetrains, which included an XTR and Sram X.0 system. Although, some people report issues (front shifting?) with using a 10 speed chain on a 9 speed drivetrain, I had never had any shifting issues with that combination, nor have many others on the MTBR.com weight weenie forum. The main reason to go with a 10 speed is to save weight. The KMC SL chains are available in either silver or gold colors, in both a 9 and 10 speed, and are compatible with Shimano, Sram and Campagnolo.



KMC History
KMC Chains was established in Tainan County , Taiwan in 1977 by Charles Wu. The company makes bicycle chains as their core business, and they also make motorcycle, automotive, garage door opener and industrial chains. In the mid 80's they partnered with Shimano to supply them with a whole series of their chains. They make over 500 million feet of a chain a year, which is a heck of a lot of chains!

Installation
I shortened the X9SL (or X10SL) chain to the proper length for my Ibis Mojo drivetrain, with my handy Park CT-3 chain tool. I always suggest you get a good shop strength chain tool, they make chain work extremely easy, and they don't break. The pin removal was very smooth and easy, and the attachment of the chain on the bike was a breeze using their 'MissingLink'.

Test bikes: Ibis Mojo and Moots Mooto-XZ 29er
Drivetrain:
Mojo -> XTR 11/34 & Sram 11/32 cassette, XTR & Race Face Next 22/32/44 cranks
Mooto-XZ -> 11/34 cassette, XTR cranks 22/32/44


The MissingLink is KMC's proprietary connection system, much like SRAMS's Powerlink system, which are both vastly easier to use than the Shimano replacement pins. Not sure who actually makes the system (suspect KMC), since they both look suspiciously close to each other? No tools are required to attach the chain together.

I have found the missing link between the higher ape and civilized man: It is we.


MissingLink Installation
Simply insert one half of the link in opposite holes, keep the chain un-tensioned.

1) Insert both halves of the MissingLink into the chain ends.
2) Press both halves of the MissingLink connector together.
3) Lock in place by pulling the chain apart.
4) Opening: press both plates together while sliding the chain ends towards each other.

KMC suggests that you always use a new MissingLink during installation, but I usually reuse them, unless the chain has gotten an inordinate amount of abuse or spent a long time on the drivetrain.

Impressions
I started out testing the chain in the wintertime, so between the snow, the wet trails, the mud and the wet sandy dirt, the drivetrain usually got trashed pretty quickly. The chain just kept shifting with few issues, except for an occasional small ghost shift, which wasn't bad considering the treatment and conditions it was dealing with.

Danger, Will Robinson

I was very impressed with the chain, and the initial riding impressions were very nice. The chain shifted smoothly and no matter how difficult and tortuous I was during hard technical pedaling, it shifted like a trooper. After a few rides, I pretty much forgot what I was riding, they just blended into my shifting patterns, rolling up and down the cogs and chainrings as they should. Although the chain has a small amount of lateral flex, it did just fine on the severe cross chain gearing angles (between the cogset and chainrings).

The gold chain looks very sweet with the hollow pins and small slots on the links, and you can really see the engineering that went into the SL chains. The gold is a titanium nitride coating. Its surface is supposed to be harder and smoother and less susceptible to dirt for a longer and more functional life than the regular chains. I will take their word on it, since it would be an extremely difficult test to correlate, for me, I liked the bling factor. However, it did seem to shift better than the normal silver (non titanium nitride coating), maybe I had too many Red Bulls?

Trivia: The precursor to Red Bull was the Thai drink called Krating Daeng (translation: "red water buffalo").

Measured Specs (116 links):
X10Sl 247.7 grams
X9SL 264.6 grams


The package states it weighs 240 grams for the X10SL and 255 grams for the X10SL, so they seem to be a bit off in their specs. There have been lots of complaints on the weight weenie forum for misrepresenting their weight. Fanaticism!


Technical Features
Careful examination of the chain itself shows some of the technical highlights that the SL chain is engineered with. To save weight, they cut small slots into the plates, and use hollow pins. For shifting performance, they use X-Bridge, in which the outer plate has been configured with specific angles for faster, quieter and smoother gear shifting.They also have StretchProof Treatment (misnomer) for the pins and plates to decrease the invasion of contaminants into the bearings, and therefore increasing durability in harsh environments. High alloy steel is used for the pins and plates, which aids in the reduction of chain elongation for increased chain life. And my favorite is the gold colored Ti-N (titanium nitride) coating, which gives rise to less friction, and lower maintenance, and more bling.


KMC SL Series Technical Specs
-Lightweight
-Hollow Pin
-Plate slots
-StretchProof Treatment: exceptional durability
-Outer Plate Chamfering: accurate steering
-Inner Plate Chamfering: expeditious articulating (say what!)
-Mushroomed Riveting: high pin power, inserted with 350 ksi
-Double X Bridge Shape Outer Plate: excellent gear shifting
-Noiseless Function: noise reduction
-Bushingless Construction: smooth transmission
-Ti-N Gold versions: less friction, low maintenance


Bottom Line
After many months of use, and many miles of abuse, the X10SL has been worn faster than the X9SL, but both have lasted significantly longer than their predecessors. KMC has improved the SL series' technology to increase the life of the chain, which is an excellent accomplishment when dealing with a lightweight chain in such a demanding and inhospitable environment.

The KMC SL chains are lightweight, shift well and have a usefulness duration that is better or comparable to other lightweight chains on the market. I still would get an occasional ghost shift, but it was nothing that created undue functionality. The technology and innovation that KMC has used for the SL series chain will keep them at the forefront of the chain world.

KMC continues to tweak and massage their chains using their expertise, so they are always upgrading the XSL series so that they can bring the best and highest performing chain to the marketplace.


And of course the gold version is bling, and really seems to shift better!

Strengths
-Lightweight
-Shifting
-MissingLink connector

Weaknesses
-Durability
-Ghost shifts

Value Rating: 3.5 Flamin’ Chili Peppers
Overall Rating: 4 Flamin’ Chili Peppers


KMC SL Series Specs
Colors - gold or silver
Speeds - 9 or 10 speed
MSRP:
9 speed silver - $70
9 speed gold - $75
10 speed silver - $80
10 speed gold - $85

KMC US url: http://www.kmcchain.us/
KMC url: http://www.kmcchain.com/index.php?ln=en

Hayes Stroker Gram Review - Impessions

I have been out cranking on a pair of Hayes Stroker Gram disc brakes for a couple of months now on my Ibis Mojo. Although they are not the lightest pair of brakes I have used in the ever expanding weight weenie disc brake worlds, they are quite powerful, and they don't seem to fade like some of their competitions.

I was lazy and decided to not bother cutting the lines for now, so I have a sort of silly bunch of brake line sticking out on the bike. It really hasn't been too bad except for the rear line, which likes to pop out of the top tube inserts at the most inopportune moments. I will get around to do a cutting and bleed of the system in the future.

My long term brakes have been the Magura Marta SL's. I have a set of the 2007 Marta SL's and recently got a brand new set of the Marta SL Mags, which use the larger Louise brake pads and much improved caliper system. The Marta SL's will be my main brain comparison and cross referencing brake.

The Stroker Grams is the lightest of the Hayes Stroker series, and comes with carbon levers, alloy backed pads and a full titanium bolt kit. Hayes removed as much of the already minimal lever body as possible, and on the master cylinder, they used finite element analysis, removing as much non-structural material as possible.

Measured Specs
Rear (line, caliper and lever) - 57 inch line: 247.4 grams
Front(line, caliper and lever) - 34 inch line: 231.1 grams
180 Hayes rotor - 151.7 grams
160 Hayes rotor - 114.7 grams

180 Hayes adapter - 10.1 grams
180 Hayes adapter bolts - 15.8 grams
Rotor bolts (titanium) - 7.2 grams

Impressions
The Stroker Grams are very easy to install since they use a split clamping system, and have a symmetrical flip flop design. The flip flop design means you can put the brake levers on either side of the handlebars, which is great if you like to have your front brake in the motorcycle mode (on the right). One pain with the Marta SL's is they lack the split clamp system, so to swap out brakes I have to remove the grips and shifters, which is a royal pain in the wazoo.

The levers have a small adjuster knob that allows you to easily alter the reach, although it was a bit difficult to adjust them on the fly. The brakes performed admirably, and they were very fade resistant, even on extremely long downhills.


I did find that the levers were just a bit flexy, and it took a long stroke before the lever actually engaged, which made them feel a bit spongy until you really pried hard on the lever. Their modulation was moderate, and the brakes were not grabby, but as I said you sometimes really needed to grab a good handful of brakes to get the power coming from the system. And they are powerful when you need them. One thing that they seem to lack is an ability to lightly feather the brakes, something that is nice to have in some technical terrain.

The brake pads are easy to take out, even with the wheels still on the bike. However, during re-installation I sometimes had some issues getting the little spring to pop back in properly on the piston. If it doesn't pop back in just right, then things won't line up, and you'll get rubbing on the rotors. So the re-installation is currently a hit and miss for me, which is a bummer, since I regularly like to clean the pads. I might just need some more practice or the proper technique?

I have taken a few good diggers, and twisted handlebars in some strange contortions, and the levers have survived without a scratch. I think the flexy levers might help protect themselves, since they can subtly move, which prevent them from breaking or getting damaged.


Final Thoughts
The Stroker Grams are a moderately light brake in comparison to their weight weenie competition, and they are powerful, and seem to not fade on long downhills. The levers are a touch flexy, and along with a long throw, they have a spongy feel, but a robust handful makes the brakes work just fine.

Updates to follow!


Hayes spec
Titanium hardware
Carbon Lever Blade with tool free adjust
Radial, Symmetrical; Aluminum Master Cylinder
Two-piece aluminum caliper, Caliper positioning window, titanium bridge bolts
Semi-metallic pads with aluminum backing
Kevlar wrap hose
Hayes high temp DOT4 hydraulic fluid
535 sq mm pad size
6-bolt T-25 rotor bolt pattern
Rotor sizes 140 (rear), 160, 180, 203
Published Weight: 355 g(160mm rotor), 339 g(140mm rotor)

Hayes url: www.hayesdiscbrake.com

Rocky Mountain Bike Show

I had my kids (5 and7) in tow with me to the Rocky Mountain Bike Show, and I wasn't really sure what to expect since I regularly attend the overwhelming Interbike show. I was pleasantly surprised, as it was a low key affair with some really good vendors. The RMBS team did an excellent job on the small show, and I especially appreciate that they could make it entertaining for kids! My only gripe was that people had to pay to park, I think with this small of a show that it needs to be free, and it was a major complaint from the web forums.

This is the second year of the RMBS, and this year it was moved to the Denver National Western Complex. There were around 35 bike makers, 23 related accessories and services, and a good number of local microbrewed beers.

It was nice to not only see some great local builders and quite a few from Portland, but to see the non profit bike related groups there. They had a great area in the back for kids, they could do art stuff, or ride bikes around in a small obstacle course. Very cool indeed!

Award winners:

Best Brew: Raspberry Wheat by Twisted Pine
Honorable Mention: Avery IPA
Sponsored by Zinn & Feedback Sports: Prize included: Custom Zinn cranks & a Feedback Sports bike stand

Best Paint or Finish: Renovo Hardwood Bicycles
Honorable Mention: Moots
Sponsored by Rudy Project: Prize included: Sunglasses, extra lenses, back pack, helmet

Best Accessory or Component: Hüdz
Honorable Mention: Sampson
Sponsored by Civilian Bicycle Company with paint by Class Act Powder: included: A custom Civilian frame with single paint

Builder’s Choice: Courage
Honorable Mention: Rebelledo
Sponsored by D2 Shoe and Sampson: Prize included: A pair of custom shoes & orthodics, and a Sampson TT bar

Best in Show: Renovo Hardwood Bicycles
Honorable Mention: Yipsan
Sponsored by Alpha Q: Prize included: Fork, bar, stem, seatpost, and tube set

Builder of the Year: Sponsored by Edge Composites: Kent Eriksen Bicylces
Honorable Mention: Black Sheep Bikes
Prize included: Edge rims, stem, handlebar and their brand new seatpost

I will add some in depth information shortly, here are some photos with captions.

Eriksen Sweetpost Review

I have been testing the Eriksen Sweetpost on and off for almost a year now, and it has one of the most innovative clamp adjustment systems I have ever used. It is not only simple, but it makes adjusts and saddles swapping a 10-30 second ordeal. In addition, it is made of the most wonderful material for bicycles, titanium. Ahh, the exquisite silky smooth titanium, drool!

I visited Kent Eriksen's funky shop last summer, and had a nice long conversation with him about everything under the sun, mostly a titanium sun of course. When Kent gets going, he likes to talk, and his enthusiasm is contagious. Kent's knowledge and expertise with titanium are unfathomable, and I learned a lot in our brief time together. His wife and hard core mountain bike racer Katie Lindquist wandered in during my shop tour, and she helped set up the review of the Sweetpost, thanks Katie.

He walked me through his small but well appointed shop, and showed me a much tricked out tandem bike with couplers that he was working on. The bottom tube was huge, and the tube was squished at the bottom brackets ends, very trick indeed. Everything that his shop works on is impeccability welded, bar none.

Here is where the Sweetposts are assembled. They had a wide array of colors for the clamps, and some stock sizes, and quite a few custom sizes ready to go out to customers.


Here are the basic parts of the Sweetpost: a titanium tube with a welded on top tube with notches, aluminum inside plate set with notches and a slot for saddle rails, aluminum outside plate set with a slot for rail, and a bolt. The plates (aka caps) notches mesh into the top tube notches', giving rise to a micro adjustment system. If you play with the system a lot the soft aluminum parts can wear a bit against the harder titanium, so you may need to replace the caps at some point in time?


Installation
Installing the Sweetpost is incredibly easy, and can be done in a very short period of time. Start to perfect finish in perhaps 30 seconds, give or take. Rotating and sliding the saddle is done with a simple 5mm hex key on one side of the seatpost clamp, and small angle adjustments can be done due to the ingenious micro notch system.

Just attach the inside plates' with the notches inward, meshing with the seatpost notches, and align the plate's slots, with the slots on the top. Slide the saddle rails into the slots starting from the rear of the saddle, and push the saddle backward to a rough desired location.


Roughly center the saddle in the slots, both in rail and angle positions. Attach the outside plates with the slots inwards onto the rails, aligning them together.


Insert the bolt into the proper outside plate hole, and slightly tighten with a 5mm hex key. Slide the rail into position (fore or aft), and rotate the saddle to the desired angle, and then tighten the bolt to 12-15 NM of torque. Done! If any minor adjustments are required, just loosen the bolt and move the saddle as needed, the micro notches keep things stable so that the saddle won't flop around while adjusting or tightening.


Impressions
As I have already stated this is an amazingly easy seatpost to adjust or swap a saddle with, and you can pop out a 5mm hex key, and adjust the saddle on the trail. I tested the layback version of the Sweetpost, since I like that position on my bike, and it also gives a tad more give or flex than a straight version. I hate to call the micro suspension and silky feel that titanium gives as flex, since that always has a bad connotation. Titanium has this unique property that is simply a silky feeling to itself, so even though you can hammer on it, when needed it gives you this silky feedback that is a wonder to behold or is that beheld? It is strong and resilient!

The Sweetpost is abundant in silkiness, and was really nice on bumpy trails and when climbing rough terrain; it just took the edge off the jarring feedback from the trail. When pushed hard for a pedal to the metal session, the Sweetpost was more than stiff enough.


If you have odd size rails on your saddle, such as carbon ones, you may not be able to fit them into the tight tolerances of the slots on the clamp. It expects the standard 7mm thickness for rails. Eriksen can accommodate larger rails as a custom option. The clamp plates/cap also has a large surface area in which they hold onto the rails, giving rise to better clamp force and less wear and tear on the rails.

Measured Specs
------------------
Size - 27.2 x 350mm
Version - 20mm layback
Weight - 217.5 grams

Bottom Line
The Eriksen Sweetpost is a very innovative yet simple seatpost, that allows adjustments and swap outs to be easily be made for saddles. It is made with the usual beautiful Eriksen welds, which are works of art. The titanium gives the seatpost a wonderful silky feel, that removes the edge from rough terrain, but it still retains stiffness when required. The clamp's slots will not fit every saddle rail out there, but Eriksen can accommodate as a custom option. The softer aluminum cap system notches may wear prematurely if adjustments are made frequently.

Thanks to Kent and Katie!

Strengths
-Ease of saddle adjustments
-Eriksen welds and reputation
-Titanium

Weaknesses
-Premature wearing of notches on aluminum caps
-Slot of clamp will not except all sized rails
-Pricey

Value Rating: 3.5 Flamin’ Chili Peppers
Overall Rating: 4.5 Flamin’ Chili Peppers

Eriksen Sweetpost Specs
Widths: 27.2 , 30.9
Lengths: 225, 250, 275, 300, 360 and 400 mm.
Versions: straight or 20mm layback
Clamp colors: Red, blue, green, pewter/ti, black, orange, gold, brown, yellow and pink.
MSRP:
Length Straight 20mm Layback
225-250 mm $195.00 $200.00
275-300 mm $200.00 $210.00
360 mm $210.00 $218.00
400 mm $218.00 $225.00

Eriksen Sweetpost url: http://www.kenteriksen.com/comp_seatpost.html

Ashima AiRotor Review

I have been extremely lucky to have had an exceptionally long term test period with the Ashima AiRotor. They are one of my favorite products I have used, not only because they work excellently, but they are a credible weight weenie disc brake rotor.

During my first foray to Interbike in 2007, as I wandered around in a daze, I came upon the KCNC booth, which Wayne of Ashima was sharing with Jacky of KCNC. I was having a great conversation with Wayne, and then I became extremely intrigued when he pulled out the beta version of the AiRotor. They looked wickedly cool, and then he did what any self respecting weight weenie would do, he put them on a scale for me. I immediately knew I had to have some for testing!


Ashima AiRotors
The AiRotors come in 140mm, 160mm, 180mm and 203mm sizes (soon a 185) in the ubiquitous 6 hole IS interface. They are made from 410 stainless steel that have a special high grade improvement, and they are heat treated to HRC 42. HRC is the Rockwall Hardness Scale, which is a hardness scale based on the indentation hardness of a material. An indentation hardness correlates linearly with tensile strength of metals. HRC 42 correlates to a tensile strength of approximately 194 ksi. The rotors are also double ground for superior flatness.

The AiRotors are now available in the colors, Red, Black, Blue, Yellow, and White!


Ashima History
Ashima was a West Semitic goddess of fate related to the Akkadian goddess Shimti ("fate"). The name Ashima could be translated as "the name, portion, or lot" depending on context. Wayne likes to call it "without limits". In the Hebrew Bible, Ashima is one of the several deities protecting the individual cities of Samaria.

The expatriate Brit Wayne Moore is the main man at Ashima. Wayne himself was a designer/project manager with the US based parts supplier Teleflex Automotive, and 4 years ago he was on his way over to China to start a new job with Ford. He stopped in Taiwan to visit his wife's family and ended up staying to help out with Ashima, which was the family business. Ashima itself was set up by his wife's siblings who already had over twenty years experience making rubber braking products. Wayne had some disc brake technology experience while working for Teleflex, and he brought that expertise into the Ashima business.

The company has had exceptional growth over the last couple of years. They have the capacity to manufacture 1 million brake pads/month (rim or disk), and since 2008, they have sold over 70,000 AiRotor discs, wow! They have a couple of very innovative and exciting hydraulic disc brakes coming to market shortly, the PCB (PanCake Brake) which is piston-less and the 4 pot APV (Ashima Power Valve System). The PCB just became a Design Award Winner at the upcoming EuroBike Show, congrats to Ashima.

Now he just needs to practice up on his Mandarin!


Impressions
Installation is straight forward, but the rotors get installed backwards of what you normally consider the proper direction for disc brake rotor rotation. Instead of the struts rolling against the direction of rotation they go with it. UPDATE: Ashima now states that their rotors should be run the normal direction! I will leave the original information in the article since it is at least interesting fodder.


The reason is that the AiRotors lightweight struts perform significantly better under tension, since under compression, they are subject to bending forces.




Before I start giving my impressions of the AiRotors, there are some caveats that I need to state up front.

Caveat #1, these babies require sintered pads, don't even think about using organic pads, the shape of the cutouts and their sharpness will eat organics for lunch.
Caveat #2, expect fast wearing of pads, per caveat #1.
Caveat #3, use of any after market rotor may invalidate your brake warranty.

Measured Specs
----------------------
Ashima AiRotor $40:
140mm 67.5 grams
160mm 80.9 grams
180mm 109.5 grams
203mm 142.4 grams

Hayes Stroker's $45:
160mm 114.7 grams
180mm 151.7 grams

Scrub's $145:
160mm 57.5 grams
180mm 65.2 grams

Marta SL's $24:
160mm 102.8 grams
180mm 126.4 grams

Alligator Serrated $50:
160mm 92 grams
180mm 113 grams

I tested the AiRotors on an Ibis Mojo and an Moots Mooto-XZ 29er, and I used 2007 Magura Marta SL's, Magura Marta SL Mag's and Hayes Stroker Gram's for my braking stable. I cross compared the rotors to the Scrub Component, Alligator Serrated, Hayes Stroker and Marta SL rotors. The pads varied from organic, semi-metallic and sintered, mostly sintered. The terrain consisted of smooth and rocky singletrack (more rocky), and lots of rock gardens and extremely technical trails. The terrain is mostly local, and ridden frequently, so it was easily repeatable for good quantitative comparison. They got the brunt of any weather conditions that can be expected in Colorado, including snow, rain, hail, dry, etc.

Human sacrifice, dogs and cats living together... mass hysteria!


On normal terrain, they really work like any stock rotor, and you really hardly notice any difference, except for a slight ticking whirl noise they make, which I believe is due to the cutouts and their interactions with pads. It is fairly subdued noise, so it never becomes bothersome or annoying.

When the terrain becomes technical or steep, and you grab a big chunk of the brake at slower speeds, they can be a bit grabby. However, if you feather them a bit less than they work really well. In fact, the feathering touch that you can get with these rotors is exceptional, and it is really nice in rock gardens and other technical spots where it is nice to check your speed.

Where these rotors come into their own though is on long steep downhills, or anywhere you start to build up some heat on the rotors and calipers. These babies just don't seem to fade, they just keep ticking along (that noise again) without the slightest inkling of heat buildup. It is a bit freaky sometimes switching back to stock rotors, and doing the same exact long steep section and feel brake loss due to fading issues. The AiRotors just have an unflappable resiliency to fading, call them the heat dissipation Mack Daddy.

Dawg! Did you see that pimpalicious Mack Daddy ova therr?


The rotors are tested to extremes by Ashima to insure that they will withstand the rigors of mountain biking with ease. Check out this video showing what an AiRotor can withstand, talk about red hot!



When in comparison to stock rotors, they are slightly less powerful. However, as soon as you get into fading situations (which is easy to do) they will more than make up for that by still working at the same power level, while the stock rotors have cascaded down in strength.

The cutouts, their shape and how they are positioned all work in synchronicity to aid in air circulation and heat dissipation. Except for the subtle ticking noise, they are a fairly quiet rotor, and when they get wet they dry quickly. In general they have good wet performance, although mud isn't a player much in Colorado, they seemed to do fine with grit and grime from a good rainstorm.

There were some reported distortion issues with the 203mm size AiRotors, and sales were temporally suspended while they resolve the issue. I am testing a newer more beefy version of the 203mm, so they should be out soon. UPDATE: It turns out that the reason for the warping was running the rotors wrong direction, so they have returned to the original style and specify to run them in the normal rotor direction.

Tuning
They can make a squeaking noise if the pads aren't taken out on occasion and cleaned (scratch them on light sand paper), but I do that for all my brakes. I think the quick pad wearing has something to do with the need for a more often cleaning. I suggest cleaning the rotors with alcohol at the same time for good measure.


Bottom Line
The Ashima AiRotors are an exceptional brake rotor, they are lightweight, look cool, have a wonderful feathering ability, and they have just incredible resistance to fading. The innovative engineering that went into the AiRotor, really shows itself in the unique design and shape of the cutouts and struts, engineering that truly relates into functionality. They can have a grabby feel, and tend to wear pads quickly, and can only be used with sintered pads. They are distributed in the US by J&B Importers, so ask you LBS to hook you up with a pair!

My weight weenie heart and soul had been pleased by a useful, excellent and functional product. Without Limits!

Strengths
-Exceptional feathering abilities
-Lightweight
-Excellent heat dissipation

Weaknesses
-Quick pad wear
-Slightly grabby
-Sintered pads only

MSRP: $39.99

Value Rating: 5 Flamin’ Chili Peppers
Overall Rating: 4.5 Flamin’ Chili Peppers

AiRotors url: http://www.ashima.com.tw/products_01_01.html
Ashmia url: http://www.ashima.com.tw/

American Classic All Mountain Wheelset Review

I have been using the American Classic All Mountain wheelset for over 6 months now, and it is not only sweet looking, but it has proven to be bombproof, and has some innovative and interesting features.

American Classic All Mountain
The AC All Mountain are available in both a 26 inch and 29 inch size on a 28mm wide 32 hole rim, and only come in White with some simple but nice looking graphics. The wheels come outfitted with black 14/15 gauge aluminum spokes with silver aluminum nipples in a 3 cross pattern. The hubs come in a wide variety of options.

Front hub options:
Disc 130 100mm
15mm Thru Axle Disc 100mm
20mm Thru Axle Disc 110mm

Rear hub options:
Disc 225 135mm
All Mountain Disc 135 135mm (12mm axle)
Downhill Disc 150 150mm (12mm axle).

All the hubs use the ubiquitous 6 bolt IS interface. I tested the 15mm Thru Axle Disc 100mm front and Disc 225 135mm rear on my usual Ibis Mojo Steed.




American Classic History
American Class was founded over 27 years by Bill Shook, and they have become an industry leader in the wheel and component design arena since their inception. While road racing back in the 70's, Bill found that the American market was lacking in durable, lightweight and well made bicycle equipment (namely rims, wheels and tires). After a successful road racing career, Bill received a master’s degree in mechanical engineering from Ohio State University. With his new found engineering know how, and a head full of dreams and ideas he founded American Classic. Since then the company has created many products, including seatposts, rims, hubs and wheelsets for road and mountain biking, and everything in between. They continue to be at the forefront of innovation and engineering in the bicycle wheel world, and have many patents and new products as a barometer of that expertise.


Features

Rims
The 32 hole rims have a tall wedge shape to themselves, which greatly increases their strength. The rims are 28mm wide, and are 26mm tall and 12mm wide at their base. I really liked the white color of the rims, as they tended to blend with most forks, and showed dirt a lot less than the typical black rims.




Valve Identification
They have one white spoke (the rest is black) which points to the valve hole, so no more wondering where the valve is at when you need to check your tire pressure or fill your tires. I can't count how many times I have to do the old twirl the tire until I see the valve stem.


15mm Thru Axle Disc 100mm
The front is a 15mm specific hub, which is new to their product line. Like many other wheel and fork companies, they have joined onto the 15mm bandwagon. Although I wasn't able to weigh the hub by itself, when I examined the 15mm hub at Interbike last year it was very light and was supposed to weigh around 116 grams.


The hub uses 17mm axle and 17mm bearings with double seals, and is forged out of one piece of aluminum. I found the hub to be a very stout and durable, and they were always ready for rolling along the trail.

Rollin', rollin', rollin'
Though the streams are swollen
Keep them dogies rollin'
Rawhide!
Rain and wind and weather
Hell-bent for leather
Wishin' my gal was by my side.
All the things I'm missin',
Good vittles, love, and kissin',
Are waiting at the end of my ride


Disc 225 135mm
The rear hub uses a patented six pawl cam, and 24 ratchet teeth for engagement with the pawls. To be exact, the six pawl cam actuated engagement system consists of six double-tipped pawls, which engage in unison with 12 of the 24 ratchet teeth on the cassette. Whoa!


The Disc 225 has been in their product line for many years, and weighs in at 225 grams (not verified). The hub has a 17mm axle, and a one piece forged 7075 aluminum cassette body. One new feature on the rear hub is steel inserts/attachments on the aluminum cassette body to prevent galling and tearing of the cassette body. Aluminum cassette bodies are lightweight, but are soft, so they are prone to damage from a cassette's interaction during drivetrain use. Bill Shook came up with a brilliant idea to add a couple of steel inserts on the splines, so that the tougher steel can take the abuse, and you still get the lightweight of the mostly aluminum cassette body.

On the left is an aluminum cassette body and the gouging damage that occurs through normal usage, while on the right is the newer steel faced American Classic aluminum cassette body, notice the significantly less damage that has occurred:



The steel face design is very innovative, and will not only increase the longevity of the cassette body, but it will keep the tolerances tight with better drivetrain performance. The Disc 225 has been reliable (one minor tightening required), and stiff, although it would have been nice to have a bolt on 10mm instead of the wimpy QR's. The hub was extremely quiet, and I hardly ever noticed that they were buzzing along while riding.


Impressions
The wheelset spent a lot of time in very rocky areas, and they had some good up close and personal time with some rock gardens. I never really noticed any flex issues, they just seemed to plow through most anything without much of a whimper. Fast or slow, stop or go, they acted exactly the same. Dropping off ledges and small jumps was no problem, but I can't comment on anything that I would consider 'hucking' since I don't do that. During normal trail use, they had admirable rolling resistance, and I only noticed the extra weight on butt smooth trails, and that was really only in comparison to my weight weenie set.

They were light enough that they accelerated nicely, and without much effort. They still had a bit of resiliency to themselves and had a nice feel, and didn't have that dead feeling that some downhill wheelsets can have. They steered responsively and with good precision, with greatly aided with handling. When needed, they could be cranked over at any angle and railed to your heart's content.

Measured Specs
AC AM front 881.8 grams
AC AM rear 997.7 grams
Total 1879.5 grams

I tried quite a few tires with the wheelset, and during that time I converted the rims to tubeless mode using one of NoTubes rim strips. Most tires fit just fine, but on occasion some tires didn't seem to want to fully inflate and would stay under sized, especially in their width. UST tires seemed to be the most problematic.


Over the 6 months of heavy use, I have had to do some minor tightening twice on both hubs. The rims have stayed reasonably true, enough so, that I haven't bothered to adjust them as yet.


Bottomline
The American Classic All Mountain wheelset is a fine product that nicely cusps between the cross country and all mountain worlds. It is durable, moderately light, accelerates nicely, and still has enough resiliency to give it a lively feel. The steel facing on the aluminum cassette body is an innovative feature that will increase that life of the body and keep the drivetrain snug. Their new foray into the 15mm front hubs have been successful and lightweight, while their old workhorse rear hub is quiet as a mouse.

Strengths
-Steel face on cassette body
-White spoke pointing to valve
-Lightweight (for all mountain)
-Quiet rear hub

Weaknesses
-No option for 10mm bolt on
-Some tires have fitment issues

Value Rating: 4 Flamin’ Chili Peppers
Overall Rating: 4 Flamin’ Chili Peppers

AC Specifications
Discipline - MTB Cross Country, All Mountain
Rim sizes - 26 and 29 inch
Weight - Front 900/956 gr Rear 1010/1064 gr Pair 1910/2020 gr
Front Hub - 32 hole: Front Disc 130 100mm, 15mm/20mm Thru Axle Disc 100mm/110mm
Rear Hub - 32 hole: Disc 225 135mm, All Mountain Disc 135 135mm, Downhill Disc 150 150mm
Bearings - 6803C3 Stainless Steel
Spokes - AC 14/15 Gauge Spokes Black
Pattern - 3 Cross Front and Rear
Nipples - AC Aluminum Nipples Silver
Brake Interface - 6 Bolt International Standard
Look/Color - AC Crest White
MSRP - $789.95

AC All Mountain url: http://www.amclassic.com/products/mtbwheels/allmountaindisc.php

Fork Shootout - Magura Thor vs Manitou Minute Elite Absolute

I am deep in the depths of the 20mm fork shootout between the new Magura Thor and the Manitou Minute Elite Absolute 140mm forks. I have spent a couple of weeks on the Manitou and around a week on the Magura.

Here is my Mojo with the Magura Thor.



Here is some of the terrain I do the bashing and testing on. This is the Stupid trail on my home turf of the Mt. Herman trail system in Monument Colorado. A great flowing and technical singletrack goat trail. Been doing some Scrub Oak trimming lately since the trail was getting over grown.


Here is the Mojo with the Manitou Minute Elite Absolute.




I started out riding the riding and testing the Manitou first since it arrived in the mail before the Thor. It was an easy install putting the fork on and I didn't have any issues. Tim at Balanced Rock Bike and Ski helped install the fork, thanks buddy for the great assistance! I was a bit unsure of how tall to leave the stack height for the handlebars/stem since the fork site a bit taller then my Manitou MRD (130mm) or my Fox Float RL. I am still experimenting with that, I might even try a shorter stem for grins and see how that works.

Axle-to-crown measurement:

Manitou Minute Elite Absolute 515mm
Magura Thor 520mm

Weights:

Manitou Elite 20mm - 1849.4 grams
Magura Thor 20mm (with their 60 less bolt on axle) - 1855 grams

Thor 60 less axle with pinch bolt - 81.3 grams
Thor Maxle axle - 140.4 grams

Hope Pro II hub 20mm with a ZTR 355 rim - 735.1 grams

The Mojo setup:

Ibis Mojo Frame
DT Swiss XR Carbon Rear Shock
Easton Monkeylite SL Handlebar
KCNC SC Wing 110 stem
Magura Marta SL Brake -180/160
Stans 355/Hope 20mm hubs Front Wheelset
Stans 355/AC hubs Rear Wheelset
Schwalbe Alberts 2.25 Front and Rear
KCNC Skewer rear
Sram PG-980 11-32 Cassette
06 XTR Front Derailleur
XTR Shadow Rear Derailleur
Sram Attack Twist Shifter
06 XTR Crankset 22/32 Blackspire/Blackspire bashguard
KMC X10SL Gold Chain
KCNC Ti Pro Light Seatpost
Selle Italia TT Flite saddle
Shimano XTR Pedals
ESI Chunky Grips (cut)
Alligator derailluer cables
Alligator I-Links Housing




Installing the wheel - Manitou
Installing the wheel was pretty easy, just insert the 20mm axle which has two hexagon shaped bumps on it which mesh up into the fork and then thread on a 5mm button headed nut. Next you have four 5mm pinch bolts that you clamp the axle down with (I will post pictures of this operation). It's a quick and fast process. I did notice that the pinch bolts like to loosen up some so I am going to locktite them a bit.

Riding impresssions - Manitou
The Manitou has a bit of stiction and starts out a bit stiff on small bumps. For medium bumps it works just fine but where it really shines is the very linear feel from just above small bump to monster stuff and boy oh boy does it go deep and it remains very plush that entire way. At slow speeds it can get some fork dive but if you add a click or two from the Absolute adjuster and it goes away.

On my second or third ride I got a clunking noise. I spoke with the Manitou rep and he said that "The noise you describe is something we're aware of. It's unique to the Absolute damper in non-MRD forks. The sound occurs when the Absolute spring returns to its closed position. It occurs in all but the fully-open position. There is no detrimental effect to the fork's performance, but it's admittedly annoying.
We have developed a service kit, which should be available in a couple weeks. We've also incorporated the change into new forks."

So I have continued to ride the fork and it has been fine except for the noise. No adverse issues with the suspension. This is one very plush fork that makes diving down tough rock gardens a joy. It also works in synergy with my DT Swiss rear shock. It climbs fairly well but you need to watch the fork dive in rough terrain and like I said a touch of the Absolute adjuster helps a bunch. It also was pretty sweet in trial like technical moves. The plushness sometimes made it more difficult in loose rocky climbs.

Installing the wheel - Magura
Once the Thor arrived from Magura and I had some free time I installed the fork but ran into a glitch when I put the brake on. I had to get a new brake caliper because my Magura Marta SL brake was an IS with a 180mm PM adapter and it was way to tall (it only touched the very edge of the 180mm rotor) so I found out from Magura that you need a true 180mm PM caliper. In fact the Thor only works with 180mm and 203mm rotors, 160mm will not work with this fork. I ordered the new caliper and after the usual messy pain in the butt bleeding I got it installed. I first tested with the Magura 60 less 20mm axle instead of the Maxle. I inserted the 20mm axle and it thread onto the opposite side of the fork there are 4 holes on the axles end to use a hex key or a screwdriver to tighten the axle down a bit more . Then using a 5mm hex key I tightened down the one pinch bolt (I will post pictures showing this operation). The pinch bolt is actually a bit more complex then it seems, the bolt has a nut at one end and then another piece and together they cradle the axle and make a small U shaped holder that squeezes the axle to hold it in place, very ingenious. I will try and make a picture to make better sense of the idea. It takes no time at all to install the thing but it does require a 5mm hex.

Riding impresssions - Magura
The Thor seems to sit up higher in the saddle compared to the Manitou but it is a small bump wizard and acts very much like the Fox forks in that regard. It is very nice and smooth on the usual singletrack trails. One thing that I am still getting used to is that the Thor has a very strong rebound spring. If you push the shock down it rockets back up. When climbing up a lot of terrain that really helps a bunch and makes the fork stick like glue on the ground. I did have a couple of spots where that caused me issues, especially in this one section where I had to ride some close together tree roots, I rarely ever miss that section and it took me 3 tries to get it, with the Manitou I just rode right through it, with the Thor I had to watch the line. When I came to my tough test rock garden the Thor did just fine but it was a bit harsher then the Manitou. It is not as linear nor as plush as the Manitou but the double brace does stiffen it up and that's noticeable. This is one tough fork. It did seem to not blend as well with the DT Swiss rear shock so I am going to swap out to the RP23 and see how they work together, since that might not be the case.

Conclusions
So the Thor is a bit stiffer, has wonderful small bump compliance, mostly climbs better, turns on a dime and seems so far to be a bit tougher. The Thor's rebound spring takes some getting used to and large bumps are a bit harsher plus in occasional spots the fork gets a bit confused. The Manitou is plusher and shines on the big nasty terrain, it goes much deeper into it's travel and is more linear. The Manitou has a bit of fork dive and sometimes has issues on loose climbs and has a mechanical issue that is supposed to now be resolved by a kit.

Testing is continuing. I am getting the Maxle for the Thor so I will test it with that next.