Boss Man RL is going for the big 2-9 today… or was that the 3-9… awwww fuhgedboutit.
Boss Man RL is turning a year older today. Not only does he have the best mountain biking blog known to mankind, RL is also a great family man and friend. We can all attest that we are better for having known RL.
Thanks for the blog, thanks for the mountain biking and most importantly thanks for the friendship. Happy Birthday, RL!!
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Just the other day my buddy Juan Diaz of Specialized Bicycles called me and said that he had a Carve Pro 29er for MtnBikeRiders.com to review. He made arrangements for me to pick it up at one of the local shops. Please forgive the quality of the photos since it was taken with my Andriod phone. An official photo shoot will take place in the near future.
If you haven’t already seen it, check out this well done video by Specialized featuring the Carve Pro 29.
Specs:
FRAME Specialized M4SL fully manipulated alloy frame, 29″ XC geometry, fully butted w/ smooth welding, tapered head/seat tube, forged post mount 160mm dropouts w/ replaceable derailleur hanger, disc only
FORK RockShox Recon Gold 29 SL, magnesium lower, 32mm alloy stanchions, 1-1/8″ to 1.5″ tapered alloy steerer, Solo Air spring, TurnKey damping w/ Pop-Loc remote LO, external rebound adj., 80mm travel
HEADSET Integrated 1-1/8″ upper and 1-1/2″ lower threadless, Campy-style, full cartridge bearings
STEM Specialized 3D forged 6061 alloy, 4 bolt clamp, 7º rise, 31.8mm
HANDLEBARS XC flat bar, double butted alloy, 10º backsweep, 4º upsweep, 31.8mm
GRIPS Specialized Body Geometry XCT Men’s lock-on, dual compound, Kraton rubber, closed end, 131.5mm
FRONT BRAKE Shimano Deore Servo Wave hydraulic disc brake, metallic pad, post mount, 180mm 6-bolt rotor
REAR BRAKE Shimano Deore Servo Wave hydraulic disc brake, metallic pad, post mount, 160mm 6-bolt rotor
BRAKE LEVERS Shimano BR-M596, hydraulic lever
FRONT DERAILLEUR Shimano Deore, 10-speed, 34.9mm clamp, bottom-swing, dual-pull
REAR DERAILLEUR Shimano XT Shadow, 10-speed, SGS cage
SHIFT LEVERS Shimano SLX, 10-speed Rapidfire plus, SL type w/ optical display
CASSETTE Shimano 10-speed, 11-36t
CHAIN KMC X-10L, 10-speed, hollow outer links, reusable Missing Link
CRANKSET Shimano Deore, 2pc., 10-speed, outboard bearing style
CHAINRINGS 42/32/24, replaceable
BOTTOM BRACKET Shimano, outboard cartridge bearing, 73mm, included w/ crankset
PEDALS Alloy 1pc. body and cage, reflector kit, 9/16″
RIMS Carve Disc 29″, alloy double-wall, sleeve joint, 32h
FRONT HUB Formula disc hub, alloy 7075 axle, high-low flange, double-sealed cartidge bearings, machined disc mount and flange, QR, 32h
REAR HUB Formula rear disc hub, cassette, high-low flange, double-sealed cartidge bearings, machined disc mount and flange, 19mm contact, QR, 32h
SPOKES Stainless, 2.0mm (14g)
FRONT TIRE Specialized The Captain Control, 60 TPI, 2Bliss Ready, aramid bead, dual compound, 29×2.0″
REAR TIRE Specialized The Captain Control, 60 TPI, 2Bliss Ready, aramid bead, dual compound, 29×2.0″
INNER TUBES Presta valve
SADDLE Specialized Body Geometry Carve SL, hollow Cr-Mo rails, 143mm width
SEATPOST Forged 6061 alloy, 2 bolt head, 27.2mm, 12.5mm offset, micro adjust
SEAT BINDER 31.8mm, forged alloy, extruded QR lever
Stick around because in a few short weeks we’ll have a full review for you.
Popularity: 1% [?]
Have you been on the fence about going from your standard triple crankset, to a double? I was. I read the articles, saw all the ads, seen them at the races. Well, I finally made the switch earlier this year on my XC bike. Why go double? Most of us spend a lot of time in the middle ring, dropping down for the steep climbs, and shifting up to the big ring for the long downs. So a double that has a one ring a bit smaller than a normal 32 middle, and one a bit larger sounded good to me. You could go
all out and buy a crank, shifters, derailleurs, cassatte, and chain to go full 2X10. I went the cheaper route. I went with a Sram XX crankset, and ran my existing components.
The XX crank is not the cheapest double out there, but it is one of the lightest. I’ve also used the FSA Comet double. And it can be found for just over $100.
Using a 2 X 10 crank with my 9 speed components worked out fine. I did have to spend sometime dialing in my front derailleur. And dont forget to shorten your chain.
The biggest thing I noticed by going from a standard 22-32-44 triple to a 26-39 double is, I can push a bigger gear than I thought. I was scared the 26 tooth ring paired with the 34 cog in the rear, and 29” wheels whould be to tough on some of the steep climbs. But it wasn’t that bad. And it didn’t take long to get used to. The double also seemed to up shift quicker.
So far I’m happy with the switch I made. With all the options out there, 2X10, 3X9, 2X9, 3X10, even 1X9 or 1X10 it can be a tough choice. So what are you currently running? And if you have tried a double setup, how did you like it?
Popularity: 1% [?]
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Redline Bicycles 2012 offerings at Interbike included the following:
D610
D620
The classy Monocog in a new color.
One thing I may add, Redline’s CX bikes are purdy! Check out this CX team edition with hydraulic brakes!
Conquest
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