The disk-mount crank system has to be on the right side, because the rotor has to be to the right of the calliper. The only way to put a crank-mount system on the left side would be to flip the frame around so that the calliper was on the forward side of the frame. Personally if I was doing a lot of trials on my KH24, or if I regularly sent my unicycling tumbling down the hill through rocky terrain, I’d probably stick with Magura rim brakes. But for trail riding, so far I’ve never damaged the rotor and have no reluctance using it. Plus if it is damaged it is not really an expensive replacement and is available at any bike shop.
The hubs are the same as before, in terms of everything you see on the outside. On the Moment hubs, the flanges are pressed onto splines on the axle in a similar way that the spindle presses onto the right crank on high-end mountain bike cranks. It’s a very strong system but it is critical that the press-fit is tight. I’ve made some internal changes to the spline interface, and visited the factory in Taichung last November to check on how it was being pressed on, to make sure that the fit is tight and reliable. All of this applies to the hubs already available now, in the shops (e.g. it is not new for June). So for June, yes - no change.
Attached are photos with the Starfighter installed on a Magura Marta brake.
Frames are unchanged except for"
IS disk mount on the right fork blade
20 mm bearing housings - 2 mm width reduction on the outside face
Personally I’ve used the 2010 Magura Marta, 2010 Bengal Helix, 2011 Shimano BR-M575, and an older Shimano BR-M765 hydraulic disk brake. All work OK; I don’t really have a favourite yet.
Plasmatic pads are good but can be squeeky; personally I like the red pads for my Magura setup. Braking power is better if the pads and rim are cleaned and de-greased (e.g. Simple Green or Dawn dish detergent).
Oh no, you’re right and I can’t believe I didn’t notice that. I had someone take those photos in Taiwan, in advance, and it looks like they put the wheel backwards in the frame. Classic mistake =(. Will fix that as soon as I can get new photos taken.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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 :p, I am not a fan of the fabric cover on my Free ride and prefer the synthetic cover on the older Street saddle.
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.
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.
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.
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…
