Announcing the new KH gear for June 2012

[MuniAddict]

Originally Posted by danger_uni

Currently 150's. If I lived in a place with smoother trails I might switch to 137's but right now the 150's are working for me.

Yeah that's what I use as well. The trails I ride with my G26er range from XC to more technical, and I like the leverage and added control of the 150's in 1:1, and can still hit pretty good speeds in high. But I am curious to try 137's.

[danger_uni]

Originally Posted by toracyclist

how much are the new pads?

I see you live "somewhere cold" - best would be to check the price at the KH dealer wherever that is...

Kris

[MuniSano]

Dang! Even more reasons to upgrade from my 2007 KH24! Someday perhaps. I've been plenty happy with my KH/Schlumpf MUni Hub equipped KH24 with Magura RIM brakes; really see no reason convert to disc brakes at all... In my experience with mountain biking and brakes I've tried disc brakes and have inevitably always gone back to rim brakes as they're less fussy and easier to maintain. But to each their own.

Do like the looks of the new, lighter cranks and the percussion armor; may have to make room in my budget for some of that stuff in the future.

[danger_uni]

One of the reasons I went with the crank-mount setup is that personally I'm not exactly unhappy with my Magura setup - I wanted the disk brake option to add functionality without taking anything away for riders choosing to stick with the rim brakes.

[saskatchewanian]

Looks great Kris I will be getting a set of those 137/110s for my 36er. Just had a look at my dBrake with crank disk and it is at least 2mm in from the outside of the frame so should work with your cranks without modification.

[DavidHood]

Originally Posted by danger_uni

The KH26 is coming with the Maxxis High Roller 26x2.5" tire. I really like this tire for All Mountain riding - even the single wall is well supported on the wide rim, the tread pattern is really good for Muni, and it has a good balance of volume and weight (under 1000 grams).

Shortly after taking shipment of my 26" Nimbus (internal disc brake) Oracle MUni, I switched the 26x3" Duro that comes standard with a 26x2.5" Maxxis HighRoller based on this advice and I could not be happier with it! The 26x3" Duro rolled over rocks and roots like a tank at really low (12-15psi) pressure and the 26x2.5" Maxxis HighRoller does require a little more (18-20psi) pressure but the weight savings (also switched to a lighter tube) is substantial.

[OutdoorJunkie]

Originally Posted by danger_uni

The KH26 is coming with the Maxxis High Roller 26x2.5" tire. I really like this tire for All Mountain riding - even the single wall is well supported on the wide rim, the tread pattern is really good for Muni, and it has a good balance of volume and weight (under 1000 grams).

K.

I have the double ply 2.7 High roller Super Tacky and it is a fast rolling tyre, must be very quick in the single ply 2.5, very light too! The highrollers have great grip and a good tread.

Have you tried the new High roller 2 Kris?

[danger_uni]

I haven't tried the High Roller 2, which I understand is slightly smaller, but recently (few weeks ago) I got a sample of the High Roller 2.7. It's a really good tire as well. Whether you go for the 2.5 or the 2.7 is a toss-up, just depending on your balance of priorities.

[Feisty]

Do all the seats get the leather top panel change as I am just about to buy a KH Slim?

Thanks

[MuniAddict]

Originally Posted by Feisty

Do all the seats get the leather top panel change as I am just about to buy a KH Slim?

Thanks

It's actually vinyl, or other synthetic material(s) simulating leather, like older FFR. But that's what you probably meant. It probably is a lot more durable than actual leather, since it gets wet and is exposed to the elements.

[Feisty]

Originally Posted by MuniAddict

It's actually vinyl, or other synthetic material(s) simulating leather, like older FFR. But that's what you probably meant. It probably is a lot more durable than actual leather, since it gets wet and is exposed to the elements.

I did mean synthetic leather but was just too lazy to type it , I am not a fan of the fabric cover on my Free ride and prefer the synthetic cover on the older Street saddle.

[danger_uni]

Yes. Moving forward the Street and Freeride will have the smooth vinyl top. The Slim has a limited production run of the smooth top, but in fact it will move back to the stretch top for Fall. Which is better depends on your balance of priorities. Most riders using the Slim are flatland/street/trials riders, and the stretch top really is nicer to grab with sweaty hands. There are some good aspects to it on the thicker saddles as well (breathability, stretch into the cutaway), but also some negatives (saddle gets soaked easier, and can get stinkier). In balance enough riders prefer the smooth top for muni/distance that it makes sense to stick with the smoother top for the Freeride & Street models.

[MuniAddict]

Would love to see a saddle cover that stays in the center channel somehow, making it more effective for its intended purpose. I made a couple test mods back in 2008, where I used my own nylon mesh material for the cover, and to keep it in the channel I used velcro, which seemed to work reasonably well. The alternative would have been to glue it in place, but I wanted to be able to still remove the cover.

[danger_uni]

True enough. I too want the saddle cover removable though, and the thickness of foam compared to a bike saddle would mean that any cover simply glued into the channel would eventually just come apart.

Also, in visiting the factory and watching assembly workers glue saddle covers in place, it's a fairly stinky process - they're not fumes I'd personally like to be breathing all day. If I could avoid workers having to do that on my saddles, I'd prefer that.

Kris

[danger_uni]

Here are photos of a Shimano SLX brake with 180 mm rotor, installed on Spirit Cranks. You can see what I mean about it being challenging to get the design right in the tolerances (spacing) to fit the rotor and clear the crank, frame and spokes. Photo is courtesy of Roland at municycle.com...