So, About That 10 Speed Mountain Bike Stuff...

Several long time readers will recall how I have in the past bemoaned the onset of the 10 speed cassette for mountain biking. Well, regardless of whether or not you and I want it or not, it is here. I have ridden it a fair amount now, and I suppose it is time to give an assessment of this "advancement" in technology. Especially so now that we see Shimano has pretty much dedicated all of its serious, dirt capable groups to 10 speed with the announcement of 10 speed Deore the other day. This matches up with SRAM as well, who have 10 speed all the way down to the X-7 level.

<===XT DynaSys 10spd. The group I have the most time on.

That is the world as we know it now, and for off roaders, it is now a 10 speed world. If you were waiting on that high end, Shimano or SRAM made 11-36T cassette, well, that ship has sailed, my friend. Not gonna happen. 9 speed off road stuff will be supported in the aftermarket, for awhile, but don't expect any innovations. Do expect less choices until that fateful day when "poof"! It's no longer available. Just ask six and seven speed stuff.

Now, moving forward, we have this to deal with and as most things go, it isn't all that bad. However; there are some things that I see as glaring mistakes. In no particular order, here is what I have noted...

1. Gearing: Add a cog and take away the lowest possible gear? seems counter-intuitive to a lot of riders. That said, I still think 22 X 36 is ridiculously low, and really unusable for my riding. It does work for some, seemingly, and it would have been easy to just leave that 22T alone in the DynaSys system. SRAM seems to have it, so I guess you can always go that way, except for that....
2. Two By Ten Set Up: Here we have the component giants miss stepping again with their offerings for gear combinations. Hopefully these "gaps" get filled in later, but in the meantime, there isn't an XX triple, and there should be. Minor gripe, but there it is. 
3. Grip Shift Is No More: While most riders will probably never miss it, others that swear by Grip Shift were left out in the cold by the switch to 10 speed. Will SRAM ever offer it in 10's? Maybe, but until then, the small, garage guys are filling that niche. 
4. Price Of Ownership: As with 10 speed road stuff, 10 speed mountain bike stuff at the higher end is ridiculously expensive. SRAM is particularly conspicuous here with their XX level cassette. I just checked on-line and prices still are well over $200.00 for a steel cassette. (Yes- it is made from a single block of steel, but still...) Even an XTR cassette with titanium, aluminum, and steel construction was less money, (somewhere either side of $200.00), when it was the pinnacle of the mountain bike world. The SRAM offering for X-0 was even less than that. Chains? Not as bad as you might think, but still significantly higher priced for 10 speed. 

On The Plus Side: With regards to wear, I haven't experienced the big fail I was expecting to experience. 10 speed mountain bike components seem to be holding their own, due to materials technology and efficiency enhancements. 2X10 stresses the drive train less, due to a more optimal chain line, and by pretty much eliminating all the issues with shifting across the entire cassette in either front ring. On the triple set up, the addition of the 36T ring in the rear has enabled me to stay out of the granny ring more often than not. This also helps with wear issues.

Other than some ergonomic complaints, I really have been impressed by the DynaSys group's wear and the performance is at least as good as 9spd, but not improved upon it. In the case of SRAM, the XX group is nothing short of amazing in terms of front shifting especially. The rest of the performance there is also at a crisper, more refined level than X-0, as it should be.

In the end, it isn't as bad as I thought it would be, but it isn't as necessary as they, (the component giants) would have you think. We could have made a better 9spd, and lived going forward with no real issues. However; I don't think 10 speed is the end of the line either. In a prophetic statement, or early leak, (you choose which), KMC, a chain manufacturer who happens to make most of Shimano's chains, handed out literature recently on their "X11SL" chains. It states that it is a chain compatible with "Shimano, Campagnolo, and SRAM 11 speed drive train system".

So, enjoy the 10 speed while you can!

So, About That 10 Speed Mountain Bike Stuff...

Several long time readers will recall how I have in the past bemoaned the onset of the 10 speed cassette for mountain biking. Well, regardless of whether or not you and I want it or not, it is here. I have ridden it a fair amount now, and I suppose it is time to give an assessment of this "advancement" in technology. Especially so now that we see Shimano has pretty much dedicated all of its serious, dirt capable groups to 10 speed with the announcement of 10 speed Deore the other day. This matches up with SRAM as well, who have 10 speed all the way down to the X-7 level.

<===XT DynaSys 10spd. The group I have the most time on.

That is the world as we know it now, and for off roaders, it is now a 10 speed world. If you were waiting on that high end, Shimano or SRAM made 11-36T cassette, well, that ship has sailed, my friend. Not gonna happen. 9 speed off road stuff will be supported in the aftermarket, for awhile, but don't expect any innovations. Do expect less choices until that fateful day when "poof"! It's no longer available. Just ask six and seven speed stuff.

Now, moving forward, we have this to deal with and as most things go, it isn't all that bad. However; there are some things that I see as glaring mistakes. In no particular order, here is what I have noted...

1. Gearing: Add a cog and take away the lowest possible gear? seems counter-intuitive to a lot of riders. That said, I still think 22 X 36 is ridiculously low, and really unusable for my riding. It does work for some, seemingly, and it would have been easy to just leave that 22T alone in the DynaSys system. SRAM seems to have it, so I guess you can always go that way, except for that....
2. Two By Ten Set Up: Here we have the component giants miss stepping again with their offerings for gear combinations. Hopefully these "gaps" get filled in later, but in the meantime, there isn't an XX triple, and there should be. Minor gripe, but there it is. 
3. Grip Shift Is No More: While most riders will probably never miss it, others that swear by Grip Shift were left out in the cold by the switch to 10 speed. Will SRAM ever offer it in 10's? Maybe, but until then, the small, garage guys are filling that niche. 
4. Price Of Ownership: As with 10 speed road stuff, 10 speed mountain bike stuff at the higher end is ridiculously expensive. SRAM is particularly conspicuous here with their XX level cassette. I just checked on-line and prices still are well over $200.00 for a steel cassette. (Yes- it is made from a single block of steel, but still...) Even an XTR cassette with titanium, aluminum, and steel construction was less money, (somewhere either side of $200.00), when it was the pinnacle of the mountain bike world. The SRAM offering for X-0 was even less than that. Chains? Not as bad as you might think, but still significantly higher priced for 10 speed. 

On The Plus Side: With regards to wear, I haven't experienced the big fail I was expecting to experience. 10 speed mountain bike components seem to be holding their own, due to materials technology and efficiency enhancements. 2X10 stresses the drive train less, due to a more optimal chain line, and by pretty much eliminating all the issues with shifting across the entire cassette in either front ring. On the triple set up, the addition of the 36T ring in the rear has enabled me to stay out of the granny ring more often than not. This also helps with wear issues.

Other than some ergonomic complaints, I really have been impressed by the DynaSys group's wear and the performance is at least as good as 9spd, but not improved upon it. In the case of SRAM, the XX group is nothing short of amazing in terms of front shifting especially. The rest of the performance there is also at a crisper, more refined level than X-0, as it should be.

In the end, it isn't as bad as I thought it would be, but it isn't as necessary as they, (the component giants) would have you think. We could have made a better 9spd, and lived going forward with no real issues. However; I don't think 10 speed is the end of the line either. In a prophetic statement, or early leak, (you choose which), KMC, a chain manufacturer who happens to make most of Shimano's chains, handed out literature recently on their "X11SL" chains. It states that it is a chain compatible with "Shimano, Campagnolo, and SRAM 11 speed drive train system".

So, enjoy the 10 speed while you can!

Friday News And Views

Guitar Ted Death Ride Invitational Saturday: Looks like we'll have a small crew this go around. maybe five guys, but that's okay. I haven't heard from anybody else, so I won't be bringing any more than a few maps with me. Shout out early today if you want to come, 'cause I'm leavin' town early this afternoon. A report with pics will be up here on Monday, hopefully. If I live through this!

Shimano Comes Through: You might not like Shimano, but they were great to deal with recently in regards to the 10 speed front derailleur swap I needed. I mistakenly spec'ed a low mount instead of a high mount front changer, and the customer service women I dealt with was right on top of things. Very good service, and I thought it was worthy of mentioning. Ya know, 'cause we hear all too many times when someone "effs up", so I thought it would be nice to point out that things often do work out well in business transactions and customer service issues.

I Try To Look The Other Way, But.... When the subject of head butting and road racing are spoken of in the same sentence, well......I had to look into this!  Actually, I just read a short description, didn't even look at the video, but that was just downright goofy, or brilliant, depending upon your point of view. I mean, yes- it wasn't "fair play" or "good sportsmanship", I suppose. However; would any of us be talking about the Tour otherwise? I mean, another ho-hum stage finish turns into a spectacle worthy of being compared to roller girl action.  (Well, actually, the roller girls are tougher!) Look at it this way, the guys are doping, the sport is under investigation.....again......by the U.S. Gubbmint!, and this whole thing could be solved by adding in a few new features. I figure they ought to consider the following.......

- Protective gear for sprinters teams: Check it out- High speed action with high risk and riders wearing full DH gear to protect themselves in the ensuing melee's. Headbutting? Totally  legal! Arm checks, bouncing around. Think of the possibilities. Who wouldn't want to watch that carnage?

- Tour Derby Action: Who wouldn't be down for watching a derby at the finish of a mountain top stage? You make it to the top first, you then have to be the last man riding. Great test of endurance, skill, and toughness of bikes and parts. We all win!

-Tour de Cross: Yeah, yeah, yeah......high speed chasing and posturing on baby-butt smooth roads. Blah! Let's get dirty folks! I'm talking about barriers, mud bogs, and grassy hills mid-stage. Water carriers? Ha! We're talking beer hand ups that must be chugged by each rider before continuing. We're talking about throwing some off road into the on road action. Heck, its gotta be a great idea. Who doesn't remember Lance's off road excursion in Le Tour? Let's have more of it!

-The Doping Lottery: Look, they are not going to stop the doping as long as the stakes are so high for the riders, teams, and sponsors, so if you can't beat them, run the show! The Tour should have a "doping lottery" at the beginning of each Tour. Riders all sign in, grab the needle and inject. Is it "the real thing", or a placebo? Nobody knows! It's all a lottery chance that you'll get the dope advantage. It could be televised live. Look! He cried when he stuck it in! Oooo! He took it like a man! Then later on, maybe someone pulls an incredible stage out of the blue, they test him, and he wins the Dopers Jersey. Cool!

Sound absurd? Maybe, but the Tour couldn't be closer to absurd than it is now anyway, so why not? Doping, head butting, he said-she said finger pointing, I mean, c'mon!

Have A Great Weekend! Lots of big rides, races, and cycling fun is going on, (and I'm not talking about that nutty event in France either), so I hope you are finding something to do on two wheels and having fun!

Friday News And Views

Guitar Ted Death Ride Invitational Saturday: Looks like we'll have a small crew this go around. maybe five guys, but that's okay. I haven't heard from anybody else, so I won't be bringing any more than a few maps with me. Shout out early today if you want to come, 'cause I'm leavin' town early this afternoon. A report with pics will be up here on Monday, hopefully. If I live through this!

Shimano Comes Through: You might not like Shimano, but they were great to deal with recently in regards to the 10 speed front derailleur swap I needed. I mistakenly spec'ed a low mount instead of a high mount front changer, and the customer service women I dealt with was right on top of things. Very good service, and I thought it was worthy of mentioning. Ya know, 'cause we hear all too many times when someone "effs up", so I thought it would be nice to point out that things often do work out well in business transactions and customer service issues.

I Try To Look The Other Way, But.... When the subject of head butting and road racing are spoken of in the same sentence, well......I had to look into this!  Actually, I just read a short description, didn't even look at the video, but that was just downright goofy, or brilliant, depending upon your point of view. I mean, yes- it wasn't "fair play" or "good sportsmanship", I suppose. However; would any of us be talking about the Tour otherwise? I mean, another ho-hum stage finish turns into a spectacle worthy of being compared to roller girl action.  (Well, actually, the roller girls are tougher!) Look at it this way, the guys are doping, the sport is under investigation.....again......by the U.S. Gubbmint!, and this whole thing could be solved by adding in a few new features. I figure they ought to consider the following.......

- Protective gear for sprinters teams: Check it out- High speed action with high risk and riders wearing full DH gear to protect themselves in the ensuing melee's. Headbutting? Totally  legal! Arm checks, bouncing around. Think of the possibilities. Who wouldn't want to watch that carnage?

- Tour Derby Action: Who wouldn't be down for watching a derby at the finish of a mountain top stage? You make it to the top first, you then have to be the last man riding. Great test of endurance, skill, and toughness of bikes and parts. We all win!

-Tour de Cross: Yeah, yeah, yeah......high speed chasing and posturing on baby-butt smooth roads. Blah! Let's get dirty folks! I'm talking about barriers, mud bogs, and grassy hills mid-stage. Water carriers? Ha! We're talking beer hand ups that must be chugged by each rider before continuing. We're talking about throwing some off road into the on road action. Heck, its gotta be a great idea. Who doesn't remember Lance's off road excursion in Le Tour? Let's have more of it!

-The Doping Lottery: Look, they are not going to stop the doping as long as the stakes are so high for the riders, teams, and sponsors, so if you can't beat them, run the show! The Tour should have a "doping lottery" at the beginning of each Tour. Riders all sign in, grab the needle and inject. Is it "the real thing", or a placebo? Nobody knows! It's all a lottery chance that you'll get the dope advantage. It could be televised live. Look! He cried when he stuck it in! Oooo! He took it like a man! Then later on, maybe someone pulls an incredible stage out of the blue, they test him, and he wins the Dopers Jersey. Cool!

Sound absurd? Maybe, but the Tour couldn't be closer to absurd than it is now anyway, so why not? Doping, head butting, he said-she said finger pointing, I mean, c'mon!

Have A Great Weekend! Lots of big rides, races, and cycling fun is going on, (and I'm not talking about that nutty event in France either), so I hope you are finding something to do on two wheels and having fun!

Spinning Out Of Control

Unless you've been pulling a "Rip Van Winkle" lately you've probably noticed all the goofy, cold, ice, and snow this winter, the strange weather in other parts of the world, earth quakes, political battling, and the rumor of 10 speed mountain bike gruppos from Shimano and SRAM.

I tell ya, it is a sign of the Apocalypse.

Well, really...........we all knew it was coming. We just wanted not to believe it. I mean afterall, SRAM came out with XX and did we really think that would be it? No, we didn't, and you know it. But we were all in denial, that's for sure. Even when Shimano brought out that 12-36T cassette at a Deore level, we were all thinking that someday there would be an XT level 9 speed version, and that all this goofy SRAM XX nonsense would just blow away.

Ha! In reality, Shimano was tipping its hand in that by offering that cassette at that level, they were really telling us everything above that would be 10 speed.


And guess what? It is! XTR, XT, and SLX will all be offered in 10 speed versions for 2011. Much of this will be 2X10 gearing too, just like SRAM's XX offering. Looks like that pesky granny gear will be a thing of the past!

(Speaking of which, here is my buddy Grannygear's take on this. )


<==pics from Hagoromo blog.

But this new Shimano stuff will also be available in a 3X10, making it the first 30 speed mtb group. Crazy! I guess that's good news for those wanting that low gear. (Reportedly 24 X 36T)

The 10 speed thing I was never really a big fan of, and to be honest, I wanted it to fail, but SRAM's XX stuff really works well. If Shimano's stuff works anywhere near as well, I think most folks will be fine with it. At least from a performance standpoint.

Costs to buy in and to maintain this stuff is yet to be determined, but I think the more important question is how often will it need to be replaced? Logically the components will by necessity be thinner, (chain rings, chains) and the force applied to those smaller surface areas will not be decreasing. Road 10 speed is not as durable as its 9 speed predecessors, so I can not see that this will be any different with 10 speed mountain bike componentry. Time will tell, but I have a feeling it won't be a positive outcome. Well.......unless you are a component manufacturer, that is.

Then there is the proprietary/new chain ring BCD's which will be another wrench in the works. No one wants this that I know. We are not asking for it, and it isn't "better". It is another way to "lock you in" and take away choices. Really, what was so bad about five arm 94/58 BCD cranks, or for that matter, why can't we have the old 110/74 BCD back? They use it like crazy on road stuff now. You'd think the component folks would catch on to the idea of making things more compatible/efficient not just for us, but for their bottom line.

Oh well. What can you do? Not much, it seems. They keep on rolling out the new "bling" and riders keep opening their checkbooks and using their credit cards. I suppose it will work "okay", but it could be so much better than "okay" and cheaper too.

Finally, I know a lot of riders are not using a big ring anymore anyway, and 2X10 may be seen as a huge step forward to them. If the gearing choices get low enough for those folks, and the stuff lasts a decent amount of time, with great performance, it will be a hit.

And 9speed will become the realm of Altus hybrid bikes!

Spinning Out Of Control

Unless you've been pulling a "Rip Van Winkle" lately you've probably noticed all the goofy, cold, ice, and snow this winter, the strange weather in other parts of the world, earth quakes, political battling, and the rumor of 10 speed mountain bike gruppos from Shimano and SRAM.

I tell ya, it is a sign of the Apocalypse.

Well, really...........we all knew it was coming. We just wanted not to believe it. I mean afterall, SRAM came out with XX and did we really think that would be it? No, we didn't, and you know it. But we were all in denial, that's for sure. Even when Shimano brought out that 12-36T cassette at a Deore level, we were all thinking that someday there would be an XT level 9 speed version, and that all this goofy SRAM XX nonsense would just blow away.

Ha! In reality, Shimano was tipping its hand in that by offering that cassette at that level, they were really telling us everything above that would be 10 speed.


And guess what? It is! XTR, XT, and SLX will all be offered in 10 speed versions for 2011. Much of this will be 2X10 gearing too, just like SRAM's XX offering. Looks like that pesky granny gear will be a thing of the past!

(Speaking of which, here is my buddy Grannygear's take on this. )


<==pics from Hagoromo blog.

But this new Shimano stuff will also be available in a 3X10, making it the first 30 speed mtb group. Crazy! I guess that's good news for those wanting that low gear. (Reportedly 24 X 36T)

The 10 speed thing I was never really a big fan of, and to be honest, I wanted it to fail, but SRAM's XX stuff really works well. If Shimano's stuff works anywhere near as well, I think most folks will be fine with it. At least from a performance standpoint.

Costs to buy in and to maintain this stuff is yet to be determined, but I think the more important question is how often will it need to be replaced? Logically the components will by necessity be thinner, (chain rings, chains) and the force applied to those smaller surface areas will not be decreasing. Road 10 speed is not as durable as its 9 speed predecessors, so I can not see that this will be any different with 10 speed mountain bike componentry. Time will tell, but I have a feeling it won't be a positive outcome. Well.......unless you are a component manufacturer, that is.

Then there is the proprietary/new chain ring BCD's which will be another wrench in the works. No one wants this that I know. We are not asking for it, and it isn't "better". It is another way to "lock you in" and take away choices. Really, what was so bad about five arm 94/58 BCD cranks, or for that matter, why can't we have the old 110/74 BCD back? They use it like crazy on road stuff now. You'd think the component folks would catch on to the idea of making things more compatible/efficient not just for us, but for their bottom line.

Oh well. What can you do? Not much, it seems. They keep on rolling out the new "bling" and riders keep opening their checkbooks and using their credit cards. I suppose it will work "okay", but it could be so much better than "okay" and cheaper too.

Finally, I know a lot of riders are not using a big ring anymore anyway, and 2X10 may be seen as a huge step forward to them. If the gearing choices get low enough for those folks, and the stuff lasts a decent amount of time, with great performance, it will be a hit.

And 9speed will become the realm of Altus hybrid bikes!

Friday News And Views

Trans Iowa: We have another sponsor to announce. The WEMs races in Wisconsin have supplied T.I.V5 with 9 entries to a WEMs race of your choice. All you have to do to get one ofthe nine freebies is beat Allen Brunner at T.I.V5! Allen is in the event and arranged the sponsorship. See the site for the details.

Also, Trans Iowa V4 has been added to the Historical Archives. Check it out along with all the other T.I. historical stuff. Future improvements will include a listing of results, a page including all the past participants, and more. Remember, the site is arranged in "pages", so look for the links to each in the right margin on the site.

Singular Cycles: If you haven't seen Singular Cycles stuff, you should check it out. Classy looking frame sets from the U.K. there. And that was the problem- they were U.K./Europe only, until now! The Prairie Pedaler in nearby Prairie DuChein, Wisconsin has signed on to be the sole U.S. distributor of these fine looking frames. For more on the story see this.

Giant 29"ers?: Yep! That's the word. It sounds as if Giant is finally throwing their hat into the ring for 2010. I am hearing that they will have a hard tail and perhaps a FS rig based on the Maestro platform with a tapered steer tube Marzocchi fork on the front end. No "official" word will be presented by Giant until their 2010 product introductions in August, but I wouldn't be surprised to see a few leaks before that time.

Tire Goodness: I have a Hutchinson Toro Tubeless Ready 29"er tire on hand here for testing for Twenty Nine Inches. Right now I will say that it seems undersized for the intentions that Hutchinson has for it. The Toro's casing is a paltry 50.1mm wide, while the Python is 51.2mm wide. (Toro mounted tubeless at 40psi for 24 hours- Python tubeless, 35psi, mounted and ridden some previously) The Toro is listed as a "marathon/XC tire and isn't even as wide in the casing as an XC race oriented tire? Huh? Kind of weird really, and when you look at the weight, which is just south of 700 grams it seems way off base. However; this is one of the few 29"er tires with an actual sidewall strengthening construction. Called "Hardskin" by Hutchinson, it's supposed to resist tearing and gashing. Good qualities to have, but that comes at a price. One tire expert told me that if their tires were to feature a sidewall treatment like Hardskin, the 2.4 incher they make would weigh just shy of 1000 grams, and that they thought 29"er freaks wouldn't go for that.

Continental is said to be shipping Race King 29"ers any day now and that a Rubber Queen 29"er tire is on the drawing boards. Also, Hutchinson is said to be readying a 29"er version of their Cobra, which is a hard pack, go-fast tire that may be a great racing/endurance tire. Finally, Geax is going to be hitting the lightweight button for 29"ers with the (anyday now) Barro Race. (Scroll down the page to find the Barro Race) The Barro Race is said to weigh oly 450 grams in the folding bead version! We're also told that a Geax Gato 2.35"er will be coming in a 29"er size. Keep in mind that when Geax says they are doing one new model, it's actually three tires. A tubeless ready, or TNT version, a folding bead version, and a UST version. Oh yeah.......and I saw a picture of a Saguaro tubular 29"er tire too!

Ten Speed MTB: It is confirmed now that SRAM will be introducing a 2 X 10 drive train, (most likely at Sea Otter) aimed at the XC racing crowd. Right now their are no firm details as to what that will entail for technology, but one has to wonder if the road and mountain stuff will be cross compatible at that point. It would be hard to imagine that it wouldn't be. I have also heard a pretty solid rumor that SRAM is working on a hydraulic drop bar/road brake/shifter mechanism. If all of this is true and comes to be, then a truly race worthy drop bar 29"er would be a viable option.

Anodized Baby!: Ano is coming back in a big way. I saw more anodized stuff at Interbike than you could shake a stick at. Now Race Face is telling us that they will be offering cranks in various models in gold, blue, red, purple, and orange hues besides the basic silver and black offerings. Yahoo! (See the italics for which color I'm pumped about)

Okay, enough talking about it, go ride!

Friday News And Views

Trans Iowa: We have another sponsor to announce. The WEMs races in Wisconsin have supplied T.I.V5 with 9 entries to a WEMs race of your choice. All you have to do to get one ofthe nine freebies is beat Allen Brunner at T.I.V5! Allen is in the event and arranged the sponsorship. See the site for the details.

Also, Trans Iowa V4 has been added to the Historical Archives. Check it out along with all the other T.I. historical stuff. Future improvements will include a listing of results, a page including all the past participants, and more. Remember, the site is arranged in "pages", so look for the links to each in the right margin on the site.

Singular Cycles: If you haven't seen Singular Cycles stuff, you should check it out. Classy looking frame sets from the U.K. there. And that was the problem- they were U.K./Europe only, until now! The Prairie Pedaler in nearby Prairie DuChein, Wisconsin has signed on to be the sole U.S. distributor of these fine looking frames. For more on the story see this.

Giant 29"ers?: Yep! That's the word. It sounds as if Giant is finally throwing their hat into the ring for 2010. I am hearing that they will have a hard tail and perhaps a FS rig based on the Maestro platform with a tapered steer tube Marzocchi fork on the front end. No "official" word will be presented by Giant until their 2010 product introductions in August, but I wouldn't be surprised to see a few leaks before that time.

Tire Goodness: I have a Hutchinson Toro Tubeless Ready 29"er tire on hand here for testing for Twenty Nine Inches. Right now I will say that it seems undersized for the intentions that Hutchinson has for it. The Toro's casing is a paltry 50.1mm wide, while the Python is 51.2mm wide. (Toro mounted tubeless at 40psi for 24 hours- Python tubeless, 35psi, mounted and ridden some previously) The Toro is listed as a "marathon/XC tire and isn't even as wide in the casing as an XC race oriented tire? Huh? Kind of weird really, and when you look at the weight, which is just south of 700 grams it seems way off base. However; this is one of the few 29"er tires with an actual sidewall strengthening construction. Called "Hardskin" by Hutchinson, it's supposed to resist tearing and gashing. Good qualities to have, but that comes at a price. One tire expert told me that if their tires were to feature a sidewall treatment like Hardskin, the 2.4 incher they make would weigh just shy of 1000 grams, and that they thought 29"er freaks wouldn't go for that.

Continental is said to be shipping Race King 29"ers any day now and that a Rubber Queen 29"er tire is on the drawing boards. Also, Hutchinson is said to be readying a 29"er version of their Cobra, which is a hard pack, go-fast tire that may be a great racing/endurance tire. Finally, Geax is going to be hitting the lightweight button for 29"ers with the (anyday now) Barro Race. (Scroll down the page to find the Barro Race) The Barro Race is said to weigh oly 450 grams in the folding bead version! We're also told that a Geax Gato 2.35"er will be coming in a 29"er size. Keep in mind that when Geax says they are doing one new model, it's actually three tires. A tubeless ready, or TNT version, a folding bead version, and a UST version. Oh yeah.......and I saw a picture of a Saguaro tubular 29"er tire too!

Ten Speed MTB: It is confirmed now that SRAM will be introducing a 2 X 10 drive train, (most likely at Sea Otter) aimed at the XC racing crowd. Right now their are no firm details as to what that will entail for technology, but one has to wonder if the road and mountain stuff will be cross compatible at that point. It would be hard to imagine that it wouldn't be. I have also heard a pretty solid rumor that SRAM is working on a hydraulic drop bar/road brake/shifter mechanism. If all of this is true and comes to be, then a truly race worthy drop bar 29"er would be a viable option.

Anodized Baby!: Ano is coming back in a big way. I saw more anodized stuff at Interbike than you could shake a stick at. Now Race Face is telling us that they will be offering cranks in various models in gold, blue, red, purple, and orange hues besides the basic silver and black offerings. Yahoo! (See the italics for which color I'm pumped about)

Okay, enough talking about it, go ride!

SRAM To Do A 2 X 10 MTB Gruppo?

Well, it looks as though another component maker is jumping into the 10 speed mtb group rumor wars. (Although this rumor appears to be a pretty solid one) You have read my takes on the 10 speed mtb stuff here and on The Bike Lab before. Check out what James Huang from cyclingnews.com speculates on here.

I've been saying for two years or more that a 10 speed mtb group was going to be coming. It is inevitable. Once road gruppos went 10 speed, I figured it would be a matter of time, then when 11 speed road gruppos came out, I knew it was a certainty. Look for a ten speed mtb group from SRAM or FSA next spring. Shimano won't be far behind. The next XTR will most assuredly be 10 speed.

What does this all mean for the "average" mountain biker? Most of this 10 speed off road gear madness will be directed at racers. It will be heinously expensive. And......it won't be durable enough for everyday use! So, will 10 speed trickle down to lower groups? Will 9 speed someday be on Tourney equipped "mart-bikes"? Will my stuff be outdated in 2011?

The answers are not clear, but my feelings are as follows: Yes, yes, and no. Let me explain. First of all, there is no doubt that eventually 10 speed mtb stuff will be on XT equipped rigs and probably down to what we know as LX now. (But will be re-named most likely) SLX stuff will stay 9 speed, and parts makers will offer 9 speed as All Mountain/Free ride/ Down Hill stuff in the future. It will be a no brainer to go this route since they will still be catering to the racing crowd and not lose the "core" mtb'ers in the process. (Not to mention the fact that any AM/FR/DH'er worth his salt would destroy a 10 speed mtb group in one ride.)

I would change my opinion only if one thing happens with SRAM's new XX group and that is if they go to 140OD on axles. (Really, the smart move is to go to 150mm, but I think they would split the difference there) Why would this make a difference? Because instead of making everything thinner to stuff one more cog in there, as they have been doing for the last 20 years, the cog thicknesses could remain the same, and durability would not be affected. This obviously would be a revolutionary move that would make all your bikes obsolete in one fell swoop. Not a move to be taken lightly, so I wouldn't expect that to happen.

Nine speed "mart-bikes"? Yep! Look for ten speed mtb hardware to push 9 speed down spec to entry level parts. "Big Box" retailers would love this, because in consumers eyes they would be getting a "bike shop" level drive train at "mart-bike" prices. Not only that, but the inevitable increases in goods could be offset somewhat by adding this "benefit" to department store bicycles. I think it is a done deal once 10 speed hits the upper levels.

Will your stuff be outdated in 2011? I don't see that happening. But what will happen is that seven speed stuff will be gone, (It almost is now) and 8 speed stuff will be phased out over a period of time. So, if you are into upper level 8 speed, you'd better start hording now. The jig is up for your preferred parts. Nine speed stuff should be produced for the foreseeable future. I don't see that going away anytime soon.

Finally, I think ten speed mountain bike gear is ridiculous and will be problematic unless we go to a wider rear hub spacing. (James Huang hints at this, I think, when he reports on the nature of the cassette for the upcoming XX SRAM gruppo by saying, "......but modified for better performance in muddy conditions with a more open architecture." I mean, there isn't much "opening" one can do on a current 10 speed cassette. Especially in terms of fouling with mud or plant debris. (Did I mention that 10 speed stuff will be problematic?) A widening of the spacing is what would be effective, and widening the over lock dimension of axles would accommodate this. Either that or dish the wheels some more. (Gah! The thought of that makes me shudder! )

Well, all this will certainly pale in comparison once FSA launches their rumored 11 speed mtb stuff!

SRAM To Do A 2 X 10 MTB Gruppo?

Well, it looks as though another component maker is jumping into the 10 speed mtb group rumor wars. (Although this rumor appears to be a pretty solid one) You have read my takes on the 10 speed mtb stuff here and on The Bike Lab before. Check out what James Huang from cyclingnews.com speculates on here.

I've been saying for two years or more that a 10 speed mtb group was going to be coming. It is inevitable. Once road gruppos went 10 speed, I figured it would be a matter of time, then when 11 speed road gruppos came out, I knew it was a certainty. Look for a ten speed mtb group from SRAM or FSA next spring. Shimano won't be far behind. The next XTR will most assuredly be 10 speed.

What does this all mean for the "average" mountain biker? Most of this 10 speed off road gear madness will be directed at racers. It will be heinously expensive. And......it won't be durable enough for everyday use! So, will 10 speed trickle down to lower groups? Will 9 speed someday be on Tourney equipped "mart-bikes"? Will my stuff be outdated in 2011?

The answers are not clear, but my feelings are as follows: Yes, yes, and no. Let me explain. First of all, there is no doubt that eventually 10 speed mtb stuff will be on XT equipped rigs and probably down to what we know as LX now. (But will be re-named most likely) SLX stuff will stay 9 speed, and parts makers will offer 9 speed as All Mountain/Free ride/ Down Hill stuff in the future. It will be a no brainer to go this route since they will still be catering to the racing crowd and not lose the "core" mtb'ers in the process. (Not to mention the fact that any AM/FR/DH'er worth his salt would destroy a 10 speed mtb group in one ride.)

I would change my opinion only if one thing happens with SRAM's new XX group and that is if they go to 140OD on axles. (Really, the smart move is to go to 150mm, but I think they would split the difference there) Why would this make a difference? Because instead of making everything thinner to stuff one more cog in there, as they have been doing for the last 20 years, the cog thicknesses could remain the same, and durability would not be affected. This obviously would be a revolutionary move that would make all your bikes obsolete in one fell swoop. Not a move to be taken lightly, so I wouldn't expect that to happen.

Nine speed "mart-bikes"? Yep! Look for ten speed mtb hardware to push 9 speed down spec to entry level parts. "Big Box" retailers would love this, because in consumers eyes they would be getting a "bike shop" level drive train at "mart-bike" prices. Not only that, but the inevitable increases in goods could be offset somewhat by adding this "benefit" to department store bicycles. I think it is a done deal once 10 speed hits the upper levels.

Will your stuff be outdated in 2011? I don't see that happening. But what will happen is that seven speed stuff will be gone, (It almost is now) and 8 speed stuff will be phased out over a period of time. So, if you are into upper level 8 speed, you'd better start hording now. The jig is up for your preferred parts. Nine speed stuff should be produced for the foreseeable future. I don't see that going away anytime soon.

Finally, I think ten speed mountain bike gear is ridiculous and will be problematic unless we go to a wider rear hub spacing. (James Huang hints at this, I think, when he reports on the nature of the cassette for the upcoming XX SRAM gruppo by saying, "......but modified for better performance in muddy conditions with a more open architecture." I mean, there isn't much "opening" one can do on a current 10 speed cassette. Especially in terms of fouling with mud or plant debris. (Did I mention that 10 speed stuff will be problematic?) A widening of the spacing is what would be effective, and widening the over lock dimension of axles would accommodate this. Either that or dish the wheels some more. (Gah! The thought of that makes me shudder! )

Well, all this will certainly pale in comparison once FSA launches their rumored 11 speed mtb stuff!