Cannock....it's awesome...oh, wait...

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Cubist

Still wavin'
Location
Ovver 'thill
Went down to look after my Mum who has been in hospital recently, and took the Mojo with me with a view to a quick blast of the Chase. Started off alright, ...this was my second ride with the new clutch XT mech, and was really pinning it. It started to go a bit wrong in "Twist and Shout" where I hit one tree on the left, pinged into another on the right and ended up shoulder slamming a third tree.

Oh well, serves me right for putting new 777 mm bars on I suppose. Next, my nemesis, the boardwalk after the rock garden. I rode straight off it the first time I did it and sprung a rib and my garmin because I was in the wrong gear and not carrying enough speed. Next time I rode it fine, but this time hit it a bit too fast and it was so slimy my front tyre washed out and I simply stacked into the tree on the left as you start it as the bike went sideways from under me.

So, with peat and bog water up to my kneepads I rode on and got to the start of "High Voltage". As I started to pedal I changed to the big ring to hear an almighty crunch and stopped dead. The new rear mech was wrapped round the cassette, sheared across the X part of the XT logo, with the jockey cage tangled in the spokes. I had to split the chain to disentangle it and took a load of links out to try and singelspeed my way home. So, that's sixty quid down the tubes. (Chain Reaction have an offer of 10% off components, I had a £5 voucher for a £50 spend and a Paypal spend 40 get a tenner back offer, so allthat was used up to get a new mech and chain for less than £40 !) It was a beautiful day too. I'd even survived "The Cobbles of Death" and was absolutely dialled.
 

PaulSecteur

No longer a Specialized fanboy
I had a ride just like that... off on twist and shout, lost my sense of direction on the boardwalk and went off piste to the left.

I didnt loose my rear mech, but found someone with a busted rear mech that i helped them singlespeed.

I blame the werewolf.
 

Jody

Stubborn git
I changed to the big ring to hear an almighty crunch and stopped dead. The new rear mech was wrapped round the cassette, sheared across the X part of the XT logo, with the jockey cage tangled in the spokes.

Sounds like one of those days but at least you weren't hurt.

Could I ask what you felt caused the mech failure? I have just bought an XT clutch mech I was intending on running with a triple for now.
 

Hugh Manatee

Veteran
Try it with no suspension and cantilevers! I was once worthy of a, "Wow, radical dude" from one young lad after clearing one of the rock section on my old Saracen. I just tried to look cool and didn't say that I had tried to stop, get off and walk but the crappy brakes had only started to slow me down once I was through (in a state of high terror) the section.

Sounds like you had one of those rides! I have found Swinnertons useful for ride saving running repairs before now! Do you get up to the Chase often?
 
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Cubist

Cubist

Still wavin'
Location
Ovver 'thill
I had a ride just like that... off on twist and shout, lost my sense of direction on the boardwalk and went off piste to the left.

I didnt loose my rear mech, but found someone with a busted rear mech that i helped them singlespeed.

I blame the werewolf.
Was that on Friday morning?
 
OP
OP
Cubist

Cubist

Still wavin'
Location
Ovver 'thill
Sounds like one of those days but at least you weren't hurt.

Could I ask what you felt caused the mech failure? I have just bought an XT clutch mech I was intending on running with a triple for now.
I'd love to know so I can prevent it in the future. Could have been a chain that was too short, or a wrong moment in the suspension travel. I've broken a chain in similar circumstances a while ago, but nothing this catastrophic.
 
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OP
Cubist

Cubist

Still wavin'
Location
Ovver 'thill
Try it with no suspension and cantilevers! I was once worthy of a, "Wow, radical dude" from one young lad after clearing one of the rock section on my old Saracen. I just tried to look cool and didn't say that I had tried to stop, get off and walk but the crappy brakes had only started to slow me down once I was through (in a state of high terror) the section.

Sounds like you had one of those rides! I have found Swinnertons useful for ride saving running repairs before now! Do you get up to the Chase often?
I don't get there very often as I live in West Yorks, but if I'm visiting Mum I try to fake the bike. Friday was my third visit since the summer.
 

Motozulu

Über Member
Location
Rugeley, Staffs
Unlucky mate - I could have told you that those bars would be too big!

a good way to judge it is the little ramp right at the start of twist and shout. When I got the Chief it came with 780's on, I tried to ride through the 2 trees on the ramp, clipped both bars and cut em down to 750mm, which is fine for Cannock. There are a couple of even tighter squeezes on the Monkey but you can do it.
I mangled a XT+ mech on the cliffs (was lucky it was a flat bit) but that was due to the bloody maxle coming loose on the rear wheel.
 
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Cubist

Cubist

Still wavin'
Location
Ovver 'thill
Sounds like one of those days but at least you weren't hurt.

Could I ask what you felt caused the mech failure? I have just bought an XT clutch mech I was intending on running with a triple for now.

I made a bit of a schoolboy error by the looks of things. I forgot the front was a 38 26, and based capacity calculation on a 36 big ring. I had fitted a GS mech, max capacity 35, and my setup with an 11-36 is actually 37. It only takes one shifting error to trash it apparently.

So, I've ordered a new SGS mech and chain, only to discover whe I fitted it that it rides horribly over the third biggest cog in the cassette. You only notice it's knackered when you try and run a chain over it. So, new cassette ordered as well. Total Bill £68 :sad:
 
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Cubist

Cubist

Still wavin'
Location
Ovver 'thill
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