Coasting

A break in the baseball schedule allowed us to make a trip to the coast. We arrived first and then Roger joined us later. A great time was had by all.

I'll let the pictures tell the story.

Later.

RIP Nine Speed

Jennifer had the last bike in the house with a nine-speed drivetrain. She also had the last bike with a front derailleur. It was only fair that she now has the first 12-speed drivetrain in the house.

The parts are Sram Eagle GX except for the cassette, which is NX due to the compatibility with her Shimano hub.

I went with Sram over Shimano because she needs the extra low-end Eagle provides over Deore XT 11-speed—it's very hilly around here. To use the new XTR 12-speed I would have to build a new rear wheel. I would also need to sell a kidney to afford it.

I found the setup to be pretty routine and not much different than Shimano, unlike with the road components. Shifting is pretty damn good right out of the box. I found that Deore XT shifters need a little break-in before they feel good, but these Eagle shifters are smooth already.

One benefit to going with a one-by-twelve system is losing the clunky fat bike front derailleur clamp. It was so thick that it required a bunch of washers under the water bottle cage. This pushed the cage out so far it overlapped the frame. If you tried to put a bottle in the cage it bottomed out on the frame. Consequently, this bike has never had a second cage until now.

Jenn will get plenty of time to test it out during our upcoming trip to Monterey. I am curious what she will think about the new setup.

Later.

The Eagle Has Landed

The size of this cassette just doesn't come across in pictures like it does in person. It is massive.

More later.