itsajoke
Likes Dirt
Stolen 31st of May 2013 from Hermit Park, Townsville. Keep your eyes peeled please ladies and gents.
And here she is!
Every time I ride her I think "I need to tell everyone how good she is!" So with some time on our hands we took some photos together and thought we'd share with everyone. The highlights for me are in the detail. I have done a few upgrades along the way so she is a mix of original and improvements. Tyres are an Ardent 2.4 3C front and an Ardent 2.25 UST rear, all sealed up with Stan's. I have burped the bead off a couple of times, once in a non-funny messy way, the other time in a slow leak way. Back on with a floor pump and some effort though.
On the front the sticker says "TALAS" but I had Aaron at N.S.Dynamics convert it to Float for me. I never got close to full travel with TALAS and didn't see the advantages with it. Whenever I dropped the travel the saddle nose pointed down and made the whole ride feel awkward. To be honest I used the travel adjust six times and never thought is was worth the extra coin. Since the conversion the fork feels a lot better but still not in the coil spring area that I am wanting.
A standard RP23 but I put needle roller bearings in the rear mount in place of the bush. The difference is substantial. I had to keep checking to make sure I had air in the rear tyre. If you don't like super sensitive suspension keep away from this upgrade. Personally I like to try to get what I pay for so I want that thing working! The o-ring shows the extent of the travel I tend to get with anywhere between 25-33% sag set. To get the full amount you'd have to really smash into something. My plans for the Mistress involve something coil on the back too: weight is not a factor for me so I'll try a few options. Fox RC4, CCDB, CCDBA, Vivid Air are on the short list.
Shadow Plus must be nearly mandatory by now. I threw the chain a couple of times pre-Shadow+ but since then it is not an issue. When you engage the clutch there is a noticeable amount of resistance when shifting down (easier gear). Not crippling but noticeable. It is not silent however. I am running 3x10 and still got noise from chain movement but traced it to the front derailleur cage. A couple of zip ties on the lower contact plate did nothing and putting them on the side plates would most likely affect shifting so the best way around the problem is to go 1x10. E13 LG on the way!
If there were commissions for talking-up products then the dropper post inventor would be paying me handsomely by now. If you have ever been in COO-EE of me on this bike you'd know what this is about. The Reverb is the second type I have tried and it is magnificent. The button position is the only thing I don't like: if they could get the omni-directional action the Joplin uses it'd be top shelf. On return from a ride last year it started an uncommanded drop but a bleed sorted that out and it has performed flawlessly since. By adding iSpec shifters to the brake levers I have found the best-solution position for the button but the 1x10 conversion will allow me to put it upside-down on the left so that may end up being the ultimate. Grips are ODI Rouges and are great until I get sweaty, then it's glove on time.
These brakes need no introduction. Too much power but still offering plenty of modulation. I will probably move down to a 160mm rotor because it is embarrassing to skid everywhere, even when you don't want to.
Word 'round the campfire was that the lines were leaking at the banjo and I lost a bit of power and developed some nasty noises from the rotors. I put some Goodridge lines on and a fresh set of pads. Back to noise free, but a small difference in the feel that I attribute to the lines. They just feel "better" is what I think. That is an old school brake mount on the fork, but I could not get the new two-bolt, direct style to centre for me. In theory it was easy, in practice not so.
These pedals are new to the caper but are what you want from most products on your bike: you don't notice them. They are the standard Shimano performance that I have come to expect and worth the money for sure.
This is the latest change to the Mistress. I tried to install a spare chain guide I had under the house and found out why it was cheap. Needless to say it does not fit. So I left the big ring off and left the bash ring on. Soon it'll all go in place of the LG1 but I am happy to leave it on because it's black!
So how does she ride? you ask. I like it. A lot. Under a different operator she may win an XC race, or a DH race. But with me we just hack around and have a ball doing it. The relaxed angle at the front does wander if you aren't paying attention on a long climb. If I use granny gear there is a noticeable amount of pull on the chain so she can be a bit independent on technical climbs and moving weight back and forward is crucial.
The descent is where this girl shines. We blast down hills with as much speed as I can handle but there is WAY more available to the right person. Carbon seems to still have it's nay-sayers but I've never doubted this bike for a second. Combining speed with poor line selection makes the bike work harder than it was intended to and this baby feels stiff. And yet at the same time that magic dampening property comes out in her and there is little noise other than the crunch of gravel under the tyres. Jumping is not my thing but on the three times I've done it the Mistress has made me feel comfortable. And competent.
The downsides? Standard price whinge I guess. Standard weight whinge too. But if you don't like those factors there are other bikes out there. And lighter parts. If I start thinking about weight being an issue I just have a sh1t. Maybe if I was pressed, the paint is a bit flimsy but that has nothing to do with the performance. She just ticks all the boxes for me.
Thanks for stopping by and having a look at our blossoming relationship. We hope to see you on the trails.
And here she is!
Every time I ride her I think "I need to tell everyone how good she is!" So with some time on our hands we took some photos together and thought we'd share with everyone. The highlights for me are in the detail. I have done a few upgrades along the way so she is a mix of original and improvements. Tyres are an Ardent 2.4 3C front and an Ardent 2.25 UST rear, all sealed up with Stan's. I have burped the bead off a couple of times, once in a non-funny messy way, the other time in a slow leak way. Back on with a floor pump and some effort though.
On the front the sticker says "TALAS" but I had Aaron at N.S.Dynamics convert it to Float for me. I never got close to full travel with TALAS and didn't see the advantages with it. Whenever I dropped the travel the saddle nose pointed down and made the whole ride feel awkward. To be honest I used the travel adjust six times and never thought is was worth the extra coin. Since the conversion the fork feels a lot better but still not in the coil spring area that I am wanting.
A standard RP23 but I put needle roller bearings in the rear mount in place of the bush. The difference is substantial. I had to keep checking to make sure I had air in the rear tyre. If you don't like super sensitive suspension keep away from this upgrade. Personally I like to try to get what I pay for so I want that thing working! The o-ring shows the extent of the travel I tend to get with anywhere between 25-33% sag set. To get the full amount you'd have to really smash into something. My plans for the Mistress involve something coil on the back too: weight is not a factor for me so I'll try a few options. Fox RC4, CCDB, CCDBA, Vivid Air are on the short list.
Shadow Plus must be nearly mandatory by now. I threw the chain a couple of times pre-Shadow+ but since then it is not an issue. When you engage the clutch there is a noticeable amount of resistance when shifting down (easier gear). Not crippling but noticeable. It is not silent however. I am running 3x10 and still got noise from chain movement but traced it to the front derailleur cage. A couple of zip ties on the lower contact plate did nothing and putting them on the side plates would most likely affect shifting so the best way around the problem is to go 1x10. E13 LG on the way!
If there were commissions for talking-up products then the dropper post inventor would be paying me handsomely by now. If you have ever been in COO-EE of me on this bike you'd know what this is about. The Reverb is the second type I have tried and it is magnificent. The button position is the only thing I don't like: if they could get the omni-directional action the Joplin uses it'd be top shelf. On return from a ride last year it started an uncommanded drop but a bleed sorted that out and it has performed flawlessly since. By adding iSpec shifters to the brake levers I have found the best-solution position for the button but the 1x10 conversion will allow me to put it upside-down on the left so that may end up being the ultimate. Grips are ODI Rouges and are great until I get sweaty, then it's glove on time.
These brakes need no introduction. Too much power but still offering plenty of modulation. I will probably move down to a 160mm rotor because it is embarrassing to skid everywhere, even when you don't want to.
Word 'round the campfire was that the lines were leaking at the banjo and I lost a bit of power and developed some nasty noises from the rotors. I put some Goodridge lines on and a fresh set of pads. Back to noise free, but a small difference in the feel that I attribute to the lines. They just feel "better" is what I think. That is an old school brake mount on the fork, but I could not get the new two-bolt, direct style to centre for me. In theory it was easy, in practice not so.
These pedals are new to the caper but are what you want from most products on your bike: you don't notice them. They are the standard Shimano performance that I have come to expect and worth the money for sure.
This is the latest change to the Mistress. I tried to install a spare chain guide I had under the house and found out why it was cheap. Needless to say it does not fit. So I left the big ring off and left the bash ring on. Soon it'll all go in place of the LG1 but I am happy to leave it on because it's black!
So how does she ride? you ask. I like it. A lot. Under a different operator she may win an XC race, or a DH race. But with me we just hack around and have a ball doing it. The relaxed angle at the front does wander if you aren't paying attention on a long climb. If I use granny gear there is a noticeable amount of pull on the chain so she can be a bit independent on technical climbs and moving weight back and forward is crucial.
The descent is where this girl shines. We blast down hills with as much speed as I can handle but there is WAY more available to the right person. Carbon seems to still have it's nay-sayers but I've never doubted this bike for a second. Combining speed with poor line selection makes the bike work harder than it was intended to and this baby feels stiff. And yet at the same time that magic dampening property comes out in her and there is little noise other than the crunch of gravel under the tyres. Jumping is not my thing but on the three times I've done it the Mistress has made me feel comfortable. And competent.
The downsides? Standard price whinge I guess. Standard weight whinge too. But if you don't like those factors there are other bikes out there. And lighter parts. If I start thinking about weight being an issue I just have a sh1t. Maybe if I was pressed, the paint is a bit flimsy but that has nothing to do with the performance. She just ticks all the boxes for me.
Thanks for stopping by and having a look at our blossoming relationship. We hope to see you on the trails.
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