First Impressions: WolfTooth NarrowWide Chainring

Just fitted: WolfTooth NW chainring

I've never been a fan of chainguides: they rub, cause friction, can be noisy and are a bugger to set up so when an alternative to using one came to market I was excited to try it out! With the idea being pioneered by the revolutionary SRAM XX1 groupset and quickly reproduced by multiple manafactures it wasn't long before the "narrow wide" chain ring concept was popular and relatively widely used. With various brand producing different offerings I chose the WolfTooth NarrowWide chainring to test using a standard 104BCD and 34 teeth (what I've found to be the best set up for local riding) and promptly went out for a test ride!

On the bike: full view

The chainring was a doddle to fit and after removing the existing guide/ring combo and mounting the WolfTooth all that was left to do was remove a link from the chain and go for a blast! Initially I was impressed as the first climb gave me an opportunity to compare friction and shifting in comparison to the previous set up. The ring was noiseless when pedalling and shifted beautifully and without friction - no drawbacks there then but how would it fare on an actual trail? The ring was given a baptism of fire to say the least as I dropped into a brand new trail I'd never before seen which turned out to be fast, steep, fairly rough and choppy. As such my riding was not exactly smooth and there was a fair few moments that I'd have expected to drop a chain however I reached the bottom with chain in place and grinning ear to ear. On continuing my ride I found that I completely forgot about the lack of chain guide, something that only shows the security of the NarrowWide ring and I rounded the day off with no drops whatsoever despite actively attempting to make the chain drop on some trails by riding purposely messily. Overall initial impressions are very good and although nothing can yet be said for long term durability, the first ride out brought nothing but positives to the table: who needs a guide?!

The top of Pitch Hill, halfway through and no drops!

Cheers Vectiox for hooking me up with a NW ring to test!

http://www.vectiox.com/

Spy shots: Shimanos answer to XX1?

Most recently in the wide drivetrain news was the fact that SRAM had released X01, a trickle down group from their top tier elevel speed drive train. What was puzzling about this new groupset was the fact that it weighed just 40-60g more than XX1 and retained both similar features and the blindingly high pricetag! SRAMs argument was at the original equipment level X01 worked out far cheaper meaning complete bikes would be both eleven speed and fairly affordable. Where however does that leave the riders who, like me, buy a frame and either build it up with a custom specification or alternatively use many parts from their old bike to keep the cost down. The rumours are still circulating about XX9 and how soon we will see it being released however on Jared Graves' winning Yeti from the EWS at Crankworx Whistler something exciting was being tested. Although Graves appears to be using a standard 10 speed XTR mech (likely long cage) it's coupled up to what appears to be a 11-40/42 cassette (standard freehub compatible), providing similar ratios to XX1 but without having to replace the rest of the drivetrain! Even if cassette prices were similar to the prices SRAM are charging merely by making the system compatible with the existing shifting gear brings the price down massively. RRP for the existing XTR cassette is £209.99 (cheapest XX1 ~ £245 (Bike-discount.de) so even if it went up by another £50 it would still be undercutting SRAM massively! Some healthy competition can only be a good thing for the wide range cassette market although it'll be some time yet before we can purchase the Shimano offering. Although the lower 7 cogs appear to be of the standard XTR variety the upper 3 seem a very rough prototype - no doubt Shimano will wish to refine these further prior to releasing more information.

Graves' custom set up - credit GeeBeeBee Media

Tech news: Fox Suspension 2014

Rumours have recently been flying about as to the new products Fox will be releasing for 2014, with concrete news hitting the internet just hours ago! With a new damper for their Talas forks and a brand new shock the suspension competition is set to be better than ever after the release of the Rock Shox Pike and charger damper!

The new 2014 34 Talas fork - photo credit Vital MTB

First up is the news that the Talas system has been redesigned to give a feel more akin to their fixed travel Float forks. The damper is designed to give better bump eating ability whilst still having the hydraulically adjustable Talas capability, so the bike's geometry can be steepened to aid climbing. This new system is going to be available on all 2014 Talas forks. As well as this the  CTD (climb, trail, descend) damper has been updated for their Talas 34 160 fork. The idea of the damper is to simplify suspension adjustment, having just 3 modes, one for ascension, one for rolling, flat single track trail and the final for descending. Previously being criticized for diving in the descend setting and not offering enough support the Fox technicians have changed the tune of the damper, aiming to provide more efficiency and support in each setting.

Specification:

- New Talas adjustment system
-160mm/130mm travel (full/dropped)
-CTD damping
-Trail Adjust
-15QR thru-axle
-1964g (4.33lbs) for the 26" option
-Available in both 26" and 650B
-Rebound adjustable

The new 2014 Float X CTD shock - photo credit Vital MTB

The perhaps more exciting news for Fox fans is the release of their Float X CTD shock, a beefier design than the original with a piggy-back reservoir to improve performance. Hidden inside the shock is increased oil volume and a dual piston design which allows the shock to stay composed over rough terrain without overheating or becoming inconsistent. This is great news for the all mountain market, who've had to look to other brands for a heavy duty air shock, with the DHX air being known for a lack of support and underwhelming performance. With the ability to change between the climb, trail and descend settings the Float X is set to be a staple on many enduro bikes, growing ever closer to the performance of a coil shock without the large weight penalty! With the capability of all mountain steeds increasing by the day this is going to be high on many riders wish list!

Specification:

-CTD damping
-Brand new piggy-back reservoir platform
-Trail Adjust
-Remote option available
-Rebound adjustable
-Low friction hardware
-365g (0.8lbs) for the 8.5x2.5 option with no hardware