9 Point 8 Slack-R

yep, have run one for about a year on my old chameleon. creaked. pretty confident i fitted it with appropriate amount of grip paste and threadlock.still have it and may one day fit it to the current gen chamleon or my old 5010. this time will 3d print some bits to help me fit it. it works, bars end up about the same height. does what it says on the tin basically. i think it's a viable solution. well made. if you have someone to help you fit it you'll probably be golden.

also hardtail party steve has a couple of features on it. old gen carbon chameleon and yeti arc.

Got one in my Yeti ARC, does what it says on the tin, the only tricky bit is lining up the centre line of the head tube, and you need 3 hands to do it all up and keep it straight/lined up.

Mine doesn't creak, but I've heard some do. Voided my warranty, but don't tell anyone.

creaked

hmm 🙁 Don’t like annoying creaks.

Otherwise sounds good I think cheers 👍

Nick probably made a better job of fitting his. 3 hands probably helped. I likely allowed it to wander off alignment. I wouldn't shy away from trying again but will employ other people/additional tools to help fit.

@Del let me know if you don't want to try it again and it happens to be the right one for me...

Or even if you just want it tested to make sure it doesn't creak 😀

Had one in my arc last couple of years, no issues and it doesn't creek. Mate of mine did the same in his arc but it kept coming undone, I'm not convinced it was fitted properly though.

Got one on my stumpy...

Agree...easy to fit with 3 hands!

Think I held something with my teeth/chin to prevent rotation.... Once tightened it'll hold fine!

No issues this far..

1.5 degrees slakrrrrrr

DrP

Phil, your generosity is noted 🙃

Not a 9 point 8 but Superstar do the Slackerizer for £50 which is very well built with good bearings and seals.

They do quite a few different sizes.

Had 1 in my Mk1 Bronson for a few years with no creaks. Took my time fitting and used plenty of grease.

I've got a review of one lined up - had one on my Yeti ARC for around six months. Didn't do it up tight enough at first, fixed that (once I'd worked out how to undo it after I put too much Loctite on the threads) and re-did it. It now does occasionally creak and probably needs more grease instead of loctite...

Not a 9 point 8 but Superstar do the Slackerizer for £50 which is very well built with good bearings and seals.

I agree but the 9 Point 8 Slack-R is the only option I am aware of for integrated headsets. If you can use push in cups the Superstar one is great but the two are not interchangeable.

I had considered one for my Rise but it’s not a bike that needs another potential creak so think I will enjoy it as it is

My Rise is (currently!!) creak and knock free. 🤞

I might get one ordered, it seems to be 50/50 whether it will creak and come loose or be absolutely fine.

I guess some green loctite where it sits in the cups would sort it but I’m not going down that road!

Arc slackers - how do you find it?

Well I’ve decided to give one a go, might be a while before I get a chance to fit it but will try and remember to report back here 🙂

Arc slackers – how do you find it?

Does what it says really with little fuss, noticed recently that it binds ever so slightly at the extremes of bar rotation, so that's something to pay attention to, I guess. Overall it makes for a better descender with it on, and stretches out the wheel base a bit, the question is really, why did Yeti put such a steep angle on it in the first place.

I have one for my tallboy 3. ran it for a short while with it in, didn't creak, slackened things off, did what it said on the tin.

it's sat in my spares bin as I prefer the steeper head angle.

What size wookie? If you were looking to sell

I was about to fit mine this morning when I discovered my frame has cracked. I therefore have no use for it. It’s the Mike Slack-R Kit 1.7° IS42. Let me know if it’s of use to anyone. Paid £107 shipped. Would take £70 posted

@bol might take you up on that! Will DM you

well it’s in. I did have to sand some material away from under the top bearing seat (don’t tell Orbea) which I didn’t enjoy but was easy enough with a dremel.

Fitting after that was relatively straight forward. I didn’t take any before / after measurements or photos but it does “look” nicely slackerised. I’ll see how it goes, fingers crossed it doesn’t spin or creak.

Cool, neat job 👍

So first ride today, worked exactly as expected and the bike was great

 But…

the bottom cup spun 😔

I’ve tightened it back up and will try again tomorrow, but if it spins again it’ll be coming out and getting sent back. Which would be a shame.

I've just ordered one tonight

When you say the bottom cup spun, you mean it became a bit misaligned during your ride, or fully loose?

the bottom cup spun

Oh, that's a PITA, you did use carbon-grip paste?

Yes mis-aligned by about 20 degrees, didn’t fully spin and then didn’t move again for the rest of the ride.

And yep I used grip paste.

I’m about to head out again and give it another go.

When I re-tightened it last night it did feel like it convincingly tightened so maybe it’ll stay in place this time. I haven’t used a torque wrench this time as I haven’t got it with me so there’s a chance it’s tighter than the first try.

Mines in the classifieds now, if anyone is looking for a cheaper one (and it fits)

https://singletrackmag.com/advert/9point8-slack-r-angle-adjuster-is/

Yeah, it's 'only' 30Nm, which considering that SRAM want a crankset done up to a million Nm* doesn't seem like much, but mine hasn't moved.

*50Nm

well the good news is it didn’t move again today 🙂

fingers crossed it stays put now🤞

So what’s the consensus on these in general? I fancy one for my Whyte T130, do they make a noticeable difference? Also can someone point me in the right direction for the one I would need please.
Did email 9point8 but they didn’t get back to me.

It’s the FSA No. 42 Integrated, Orbit ZS Plus, 1 1/8” - 1 1/2” Sealed Cartridge. Tia

How does the bike feel now that it's slacker? I was thinking about one of these at the weekend whilst feeling fairly precarious on some steep techy stuff.

Did you keep the mullet? Or go back to 29?

On a other note, did you go with the longer shock option when you fitted the 27.5? Or just stick the smaller wheel on?

Also can someone point me in the right direction for the one I would need please.

what's the headtube length, and are the bearings IS41 or IS42 upper?

Lovewookie head tube is 115 and the head set is a FSA no 42, integrated Orbit ZS plus 1 1/8 x 1 1/2. Sealed cartridge bearing. Not sure after that.

From memory there's a pretty decent guide on the 9.8 website. Windwave were the vendors in the UK iirc.

Yes - noticeable change in bike feel (@-2 degrees)

Also can someone point me in the right direction for the one I would need please

Go here, Start with headtube length and stick in the appropriate headset upper and lower cup details that it wants, and it'll spit out the kit you need.

Thanks chaps.

quick google of the T-130 suggests its a IS41 upper. however replacement ACB No.42 FSA bearings are 41.8mm (or IS42) so you may just need to look at any markings on the upper bearing, or measure it with a set of verniers.

if it is IS41, mine wil fit 😉

Lovewookie when I get a minute I shall have a look at the bearings. Away for a few days, but if it’s the same as yours and yours is still for sale I shall take it off your hands.