Digital Hippie

MTB Maintenance

1X10 Drivetrain Overhaul

The Mojo HD’s 1×10 drivetrain is due for some love including a new chainring, chain and cassette… which inevitably leads to wondering what if any changes to make.

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MRP Mini-G2 Mod

I’ve been super keen to try out an XTR Shadow Plus derailleur – for improved shifting performance and significantly reduced noise (via the derailleur’s beefy chain management system).

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XTR Trail Pedals

Another dream upgrade to the hippie mobile are Shimano XTR Trail pedals. They sure are mighty purdy, beautifully made, the click-in and release action is sweet, as is the extra support. Now the only thing to do is… plough them into a rock or two!

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Dreamin Upgrades

I guess not riding much lately can only lead to one thing… spending too much time online watching bike videos and reading about bike stuff, which leads to obsessing about upgrades!

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KMC Chain, Missing Link & e*thirteen Chain Ring

Thought I better do something productive while getting over the flu, almost there thankfully. I guess getting around in the wee hours of Winter mornings, out in the rain and wind, might tend to slow the process down some.

The 1×10 drivetrain was definitely overdue for some love so I replaced the worn front chain ring with a new e*thirteen one. Kept to 33 tooth as that seems to work well around here for me.   Also replaced the stretched and worn Shimano chain with a KMC X Series chain. It comes with the reusable missing link which is pretty handy. The guys at The Bike Vault swapped the original missing link out for a black one so it’s quick and easy to find, good idea! I’d cracked the G2’s lower guide a while back so replaced that too.

KMC X Series Chain, Missing Link and e*thirteen Chainring

KMC X Series Chain, Missing Link and e*thirteen Chainring

It’s all looking disturbingly clean and shiney, even the cassette (thanks Mike!)… won’t take long to fix that. Looking forward to seeing how the KMC chain performs, hopefully as hassle free as the old Shimano chain.

KMC X Series Chain & Missing Link

KMC X Series Chain & Missing Link

Heading into Spring and Summer and generally drier conditions (in theory anyway) I’m swapping back to using Squirt lube. It worked great last Summer, especially its automagic clean drivetrain capabilities.