Comments on: News And Rumors

By: Guitar Ted

Guitar Ted — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 14:16:36 +0000

Jcolflesh: I’m hearing that it will become available sometime later in ‘09. We should know more by the time Sea Otter happens.

By: Jcolflesh

Jcolflesh — Fri, 05 Dec 2008 22:58:20 +0000

Any word on if/when the Niner carbon fork will be available?

By: Upsidedownbiker

Upsidedownbiker — Fri, 05 Dec 2008 21:52:02 +0000

Isn’t going back to the bent top tube look like following the trend. Seriously. Haro had the trademark look of a bent top tube an everyone hated it. Suddenly you see every manufacture make a bike with a bent top tube of some sort whether it be hardtail, FS, or 29′er. Now all of a sudden they are back to the future with their old look. I find it sort of amusing because now the bike will blend in with all the others.

By: JeroenK

JeroenK — Fri, 05 Dec 2008 10:55:26 +0000

@Cloxxki,

It will probably be introduced, but I doubt I will use one ever. I do not use 12-34T cassettes either and those have been on the market for some time.

There are good reasons for a smaller cassette too:

* Smaller gaps between gears. Ideally, I would like to ride a 11-21 cassette, if it were not for the reduced gear range.
* Shifting accuracy of the rear derailer (you do not have to adjust it to be a bit further away from the cogs).
* You do not need a longer chain. If you mount a smaller front ring to correct this, this ring will wear faster than a bigger ring. If you would have a longer chain, you would have to watch out for cog-chainwheel combinations that result in too much chain slack. You know what too much slack leads to… chain slapping on the chainstays, jumping off the chainwheels, touching itself at the rear derailer cage.

As for your arguments:
* Crank selection? There are developments and lots of options in that area.
* Reduced chain suck? A tiny bit less when you are actually riding the 36, because there is a bit more tension on the chain, but there are so much more variables that contribute to chainsuck… One of the biggest factors in the “Chainsuck triangle” (I love the article that describes it, search!) is chainwheel deformation because of pressure combined with soft material. Yes, bigger front rings would have less pressure per tooth, but that’s just evading the problem and introducing a lot of others.
* Wear rate? Are you kidding? How much time would you spend on your smallest gear, if you would have a triple crankset?
* Drivetrain efficiëncy… I am not going to theoretically discuss small differences in percentages of a small percentage of total efficiëncy anymore. Sorry!

I could imagine a cassette with a 36T cog would aid those who like to ride with one chainwheel, wanting to expand their gear range. Sure, but anyone who wants a respectable gear range AND small steps between gears has no choice to use a cassette with less spread and choose chainring numbers and sizes according to the required range.

Therefore, apart from a niche, it is no substitute for smaller chainrings.

By: martini

martini — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 22:09:41 +0000

Ti fork = neato! And itsNOT a Sibex/spicer/chiTi – those are known for breaking. These upcoming ones stand a fair better chance.

By: Cloxxki

Cloxxki — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 23:02:56 +0000

@Jeroen:
I’ve been pushing larger cassettes as opposed to smaller chainrings for 29″ for many years.
So you KNOW
1 – it’s eventually going to happen
2- You’re going to hate the idea
3- Eventually, you’ll succomb and ride it, with a wide grin.

Why would you want to add those one or 2 ounces of weight in chain, rings, and cassette?
1 – drivetrain efficiency works on 100% of your power output, and larger cogs help for that.
2 – slower wear rate
3 – reduced chain suck
4 – crank selection

By: Guitar Ted

Guitar Ted — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 21:55:49 +0000

rkappius: The upcoming Niner W.F.O.9 has a 1 1/8th to 1.5″ headset. It is the first of what I suspect will be several 29″ers to have the headset standard in 2010.

By: rkappius

rkappius — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 21:27:02 +0000

Any news on an E2 headset? It seems silly to me that the road crew got the 1.5″ lower race first. The noodley nature of a 29er front end is one of the universal complaints. Why not stiffen things up with technology that abounds on new road bikes and is finding its way onto 26″ wheel mtbs. Goes hand-in-hand with the Maxle Lite hub hitting the market IMHO.

By: Dust

Dust — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 18:25:42 +0000

Thanks, Guitar Ted! I need rumors like this to get me through the tough days of winter while I’m waiting for the trails to freeze over enough to ride!

Also: Haro is cool and so is Jill Hamilton – way to go!

By: Desert9r

Desert9r — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 18:24:22 +0000

12-36 Cassette- Sweet! I could get a 1:1 on my 22/36 LX double crank! I wonder why only a 12T gear though? Speaking of crank, how about just buying a triple that will fit what ever gears you want?

a Ti fork- can you say Sibex, already in mass production. The Sport Series frame just might be worth looking into.