Roger Palmer
12-26-2006, 12:17 PM
I bought an Ibex X-ray Sport, knowing I would build it out for rough back road and dirt road riding, and set it up with On One Midge bars, with double gel wrap to keep my old shoulders alive. Went to WTB Interwolf 38 mm tires, which by the way, measure a tad under 35mm with a calliper knob to knob. Taller than most 38's for more air volume, legal for racing? Well, I think they hedged their bets on that by making the tire taller and I find it faster rolling on pavement than the stock Ritchey cross max 32 and run them at 42 pounds for the trail. The MZ 14's are too narrow for a wider tire.
Chain issues and the three front rings drove me crazy on trail.
Lost the chain too much with the three ring rig up front, so I got a 42 tooth Salsa front single speed ring, a new eight speed chain, and a mountain rear cassette, 11-30 and tightened the chain as much as I could. The mid cage Tiagra rear, will take a cassette to 30, but 32 or 34 in a mega range will put the jog wheels into the cassette. The Tiagra is a nice tool, with an eight speed MTB cassette, Florida is flat, but the sand will make up for it on any grade at all and the rain exposed roots can jog a chain off a ring every ride.
Its easy if you use an eight speed chain, and MTB cassette, using the narrower stock chain and the middle ring in a direct conversion with new bolts, you will need a chain guard and keeper to have it work at all, I used a cheap SRAM rear, 20 bucks, to get a 26 and 30 cog to make the 42 front ring more of a road-trail compromise.
I have not dropped a chain in a month of brutal test rides. Cleaner, quieter and lighter, and runs like a single speed in the middle cogs of the cassette. Slightly noisy in the 11 and 30 ring, but not horribly, and being used to one speeds the extra rear cogs are a gift from the sneaky God's when the sand gets too deep. I hate road bikes, but this is a close as I have come to affection for a back road beater, that is pretty bullet proof in its current form.
Ride on Ibex users, if it does not fit, bodge it until it does.
Chain issues and the three front rings drove me crazy on trail.
Lost the chain too much with the three ring rig up front, so I got a 42 tooth Salsa front single speed ring, a new eight speed chain, and a mountain rear cassette, 11-30 and tightened the chain as much as I could. The mid cage Tiagra rear, will take a cassette to 30, but 32 or 34 in a mega range will put the jog wheels into the cassette. The Tiagra is a nice tool, with an eight speed MTB cassette, Florida is flat, but the sand will make up for it on any grade at all and the rain exposed roots can jog a chain off a ring every ride.
Its easy if you use an eight speed chain, and MTB cassette, using the narrower stock chain and the middle ring in a direct conversion with new bolts, you will need a chain guard and keeper to have it work at all, I used a cheap SRAM rear, 20 bucks, to get a 26 and 30 cog to make the 42 front ring more of a road-trail compromise.
I have not dropped a chain in a month of brutal test rides. Cleaner, quieter and lighter, and runs like a single speed in the middle cogs of the cassette. Slightly noisy in the 11 and 30 ring, but not horribly, and being used to one speeds the extra rear cogs are a gift from the sneaky God's when the sand gets too deep. I hate road bikes, but this is a close as I have come to affection for a back road beater, that is pretty bullet proof in its current form.
Ride on Ibex users, if it does not fit, bodge it until it does.