[robdamanii]

Ok so here is the next obvious question, which brand / model should I get if I want to keep with the "Spare no expense" build of this bike?

And also which shoe?

only rule is that it can't be made in China

Crankbros Candy 4ti would be my vote.

 

[Ti22]

Finally found a good pic of the XTR960 with the Boone chainrings online.. This one doesn't have the granny gear in it for some reason, but these definitely look great, and will last 3-4 times as long.

 

[MtnbikeMike]

Finally found a good pic of the XTR960 with the Boone chainrings online.. This one doesn't have the granny gear in it for some reason, but these definitely look great, and will last 3-4 times as long.

But if it's longevity you're worried about, then why not wait until the XTR rings wear?

BTW, as for pedals....something from Crank Bros...like the Eggbeater 4ti or Candy 4ti. And some really expensive SIDI shoes.

 

[Ti22]

But if it's longevity you're worried about, then why not wait until the XTR rings wear?

longevity is the least of my "worries" of which I really don't have worries per say.. I can replace those chain rings monthly if need be.. I just made the point to show the difference in the quality of the two metals... That said, I'm liable to keep the Shimano on for a good few months anyway before installing the new ones.

BTW, as for pedals....something from Crank Bros...like the Eggbeater 4ti or Candy 4ti. And some really expensive SIDI shoes.

second vote for those..

 

[mud'n'sweat]

I will get a set of clipless and try them, but after at 36 years old, Its going to be hard to get adjusted to a totally new thing like that.. The only bonus is if I can get up the hills that much easier, like some of you claim.. it makes sense as you can pull up on the one leg and push down on the other... but what do you do if you want to step off your bike for a break or something? Do you crunch your clip on the bottom of your shoe??

It's no big deal at all, just start with them set really loose. You will be surprised at how easy you pop right out of them. The pedaling effenciency is increased for uphill, flat and downhill by a huge margin. All of the light weight components you are tricking this bike out with go toward creating better efficiency. Definitely all the more reason to go all the way!

 

[SkaredShtles]

Clipless is second nature after a short bit Ti22. I don't even think about it.

 

[mud'n'sweat]

This bike is really done up nicely so far. One suggestion I would make is to swap the brake lever clamp and shifter clamp positions to bring your levers in a bit closer to the stem/headset direction. This is to position the lever sweeps perfectly in front of your index and middle finger to reduce fatigue and increase control. With a bike this nice, you should be able to bike all the way to Virginia and let me test ride this sucka'!

 

[Ti22]

This bike is really done up nicely so far. One suggestion I would make is to swap the brake lever clamp and shifter clamp positions to bring your levers in a bit closer to the stem/headset direction. This is to position the lever sweeps perfectly in front of your index and middle finger to reduce fatigue and increase control. With a bike this nice, you should be able to bike all the way to Virginia and let me test ride this sucka'!

Good call man.. I'm impressed with your preception.. I am going to do this tonight actually.. as after I got back from my ride (1 hour ago or so) It occurred to me that this is what I need to do.

This thing rides like my old BMX Redline MX3 did, it's so freaking light, and yet comfortable on the rocks and bolders.. I was riding on a train where it recently rained and there must have been quite a few 3-4" sized rocks imbedded into the dirt making it a very bumpy ride.. with the middle chainrings selected on the front and back, it was effortless!

I am pricing the Ti Candy's, not cheap... Any good shoes to recommend?

 

[mud'n'sweat]

Nice, that will definitely make a bit of difference. Also, not that it's a performance upgrade, but I'd probably wrap up the rear chain stay on the drive side to keep the chain from marking up that beautiful frame.

Damnit, I'm jealous!:love:

 

[Ti22]

Nice, that will definitely make a bit of difference.

Well, it's done, and I test drove it, and it's better for sure... I'm still a bit ambivalent as to how I'm going to put the XO shifters, but for now I have them up close to the handles and tucked under the Brake levers... I tested it out on a few curb jumps here in my neighborhood and it seems to flow well... I accidentally tripped a downshift once, but that was more due to sloppy grip on the bar, than position..

Also, not that it's a performance upgrade, but I'd probably wrap up the rear chain stay on the drive side to keep the chain from marking up that beautiful frame.

Already done! Red lizard skin.. with a lot of grease marks on it already! Just had it off for the photo op!

Damnit, I'm jealous!:love:

Don't be, cause I prolly can't ride 1/2 as good as you, and the bike is only 10% of the equation.. :mumble:

Plus, if you own an Ellsworth, you're not exactly scraping bottom yourself!

 

[UNHrider]

clipless pedals are all personal preference, I myself prefer times for their performance in sloppy conditions, but if youre in AZ that wont matter... you could go anyway you want pedal wise. the eggbeater ti's are the top of the line.

as for shoes, sidi's are also top of the line.

and like everyone else has said, after a few rides clipping in and out is second nature.

matt

 

[SkaredShtles]

<snip>
and the bike is only 10% of the equation..

It's actually much, much less than this.

 

[douglas]

my vote:

http://www.crankbrothers.com/candy_4ti.php#

 

[ito]

I can replace those chain rings monthly if need be

So um....you want to throw some change towards my current bike build?

Very nice looking bike. I agree with the clipless comments. I'm loving my Eggbeaters, but you would probably be better off with a set of Candy Ti's.

About as bling as you can get.

The Ito

 

[Changleen]

When you get a set of clipless to play with, you will probably need a few rides in them before you really appreciate their benefits. You also have to learn to pedal in a 'circular' motion rather than 'up and down'. You'll know when you get it, it is considerably easier to accelerate than using flats. If you can't feel much difference, you probably arn't doing it right yet. It takes a while for your brain and muscles to make the change too.

Oh and you'll be able to hop a lot easier, although your technique will be lame. Not bagging on you, but you'll see what I mean.

 

[Ti22]

Shopped some eggbeaters today for $120, the Stainless ones, I believe and a pair of Specialiazed shoes.. total package deal $200.. what do you think? or is there a better way? I really don't want to drop $500 into these pedals and a shoe, as I'm already touching $8K spent! :mumble: and my wife is threatening retaliatory spending!

 

[GumbaFish]

I searched around one time and found some for like 50 bucks...I didn't end up buying them so maybe they were like the cheapest model but I honestly can't remember. I know they make a couple of different ones that ascend in price.

 

[Ti22]

I searched around one time and found some for like 50 bucks...I didn't end up buying them so maybe they were like the cheapest model but I honestly can't remember. I know they make a couple of different ones that ascend in price.

there are ones for retail $50 or so, but they're like lead weights and have 0 bling factor, and crappy bearings.. they make a whole series of them from $50 to $400 .. I'm going to go 1/2 way.. I went top of the line on most of this bike, so I don't need to prove anything with pedals that are eventually going to get trashed anyway..

I'm also thinking about Shimano's clipless as they are more newbie friendly from what I can see.

 

[3D.]

Hey Ti22, don’t worry about the pedals too much right now. From what I understand, you are currently getting back into biking, which means, ride what you are used to.

You will eventually benefit from XC riding with clipless, but unless you are pounding out 15-30mi rides, don’t bother with them for now. I am a DH / 4cross racer who never races with any pedals other than flats. When I'm riding XC I will use Time pedals, I also come from a BMX background and love the loose feel of that brand of pedal.

Not to start any debate over which is better, they both serve their own purpose. You should realize that these days you’re going to come across a lot of mountain bikers who have never acquired skills with riding flats. When this type of biker sees someone riding and enjoying their flats, they can potentially have a problem with that. It's like "pedal envy" or something, I've never understood it. But, I’m fine with it, I like both types of pedaling for different kinds of riding, and you eventually will too.

For now, just get on that thing and ride. Trying to get in tune with a whole new style of pedaling will only disrupt what you are trying to do. Later on, when you are once again comfortable with riding, buy some clipless and mount them for long XC rides, getting the hang of popping in and out of them doesn’t take long.

If your riding has just been ripping around town mixed with some trail rides, flats are more fun anyway, you have to think much more about what your feet are doing for you rather than just simply being locked to your pedals.

When you do get a nice pair of clip-less, what ever you do, make sure you never lose your flat pedal skills, they're priceless!

 

[Ti22]

Hey Ti22, don&#8217;t worry about the pedals too much right now. From what I understand, you are currently getting back into biking, which means, ride what you are used to.

You will eventually benefit from XC riding with clipless, but unless you are pounding out 15-30mi rides, don&#8217;t bother with them for now. I am a DH / 4cross racer who never races with any pedals other than flats. When I'm riding XC I will use Time pedals, I also come from a BMX background and love the loose feel of that brand of pedal.

Not to start any debate over which is better, they both serve their own purpose. You should realize that these days you&#8217;re going to come across a lot of mountain bikers who have never acquired skills with riding flats. When this type of biker sees someone riding and enjoying their flats, they can potentially have a problem with that. It's like "pedal envy" or something, I've never understood it. But, I&#8217;m fine with it, I like both types of pedaling for different kinds of riding, and you eventually will too.

For now, just get on that thing and ride. Trying to get in tune with a whole new style of pedaling will only disrupt what you are trying to do. Later on, when you are once again comfortable with riding, buy some clipless and mount them for long XC rides, getting the hang of popping in and out of them doesn&#8217;t take long.

If your riding has just been ripping around town mixed with some trail rides, flats are more fun anyway, you have to think much more about what your feet are doing for you rather than just simply being locked to your pedals.

When you do get a nice pair of clip-less, what ever you do, make sure you never lose your flat pedal skills, they're priceless!

dude, you've said a lot of what I've wanted to say, but didn't quite know how to say it..

I mean, I came across a thread the other day where a chick was asking how to do bunny hops and they kept going on and on about doing them with clipless, etc.. and I'm thinking to myself .. man! I was hopping my MX3 12" at age 14 with flat pedals! And now that I"m (so to speak) back in the saddle, I'm totally reverting to my BMX style of riding and am loving my freedom on the pedals...

but at the same time, I do have a STEEP hill to ride up every time I'm coming home, and it's kicking my ass, even after my condition has improved.. and I can totally see how pulling up with the other foot would help a lot.. but is it worth ditching a $120 set of good petals and spending a $300 on new ones and shoes.. maybe, but I'n not in a huge hurry frankly.. But I am getting sick of the shock and awe that some members are displaying at my lack of "clipless" pedals on "that bike".. if you know what I mean..

BTW.. I can still bunny hop that 28 lb bike about 3"... even after 20+ years away from serious riding! I mean when I was riding BMX, we had guys like Kevin Jones, that were doing stuff on flat pedals that made you think he was clipped in, but he wasn't .. after all who clipped in back then except the gay guys with the tights on the 10 speeds!

 

[GumbaFish]

You could get something like time z pedals or crank brothers mallet if you want to try clipless but still like having a platform for mashing the pedals if you come unclipped.

I used to ride clipless all the time and switched to flats a couple of months ago. It took a while to re learn how to bunny hop on flats and I still miss clipless when I have to climb. But even though there are some things I can just do better on clipless I feel more comfy on flats because I can position my feet around and take them on and off as I please, like when I am riding a skinny log or something.

 

[Ti22]

I like the hybrid idea... I'll have to research a good option for that..

How about these Atomlab DHR?

http://www.rubiconusa.com/store/products.asp?folderid=1248

 

[ito]

I like the hybrid idea... I'll have to research a good option for that..

How about these Atomlab DHR?

http://www.rubiconusa.com/store/products.asp?folderid=1248

Meh, don't bother. I ran them, got rid of them as I didn't like the feel of the pedals. Even more so than other "hybrid" pedals the DHR's have almost zero grip when you aren't clipped in. You can stand on it, but it is not a good feeling.

The Shimano pedals with the metal cage and the Time pedals with the cage seem to do the best job. Cook Bro. Mallets are also super nice and have a good feel to them.

In my experience though it is best to go all or none. I dislike the feel of hybrids. They are difficult to find the cleat when clipping in and they have almost no grip when off the pedal. With my Eggbeaters I have never missed a critical pedal connection. Really I'd suggest the Times or the Mallets if you want a hybrid pedal.

The Ito

 

[beestiboy]

I have a set of shimano hybrids and they are ok, I got them cuz im lazy and dont always want to put on my riding shoes just to go for a quick blast. That said it does take a while to get used to clipping in (i usually fall after an extended period away from the bike) but I still prefer it to the flats.

 

[Ti22]

To all of those interested in my grips... here is the link..

http://www.extremesteering.com/

also... new pics posted of my bike with red hope discs..