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Ok so after riding a hardtail for quite a few years, last month i took the plunge and invested in a full sus. Naturally i spent a long time tyre kicking and deciding what my new steed should be! Been a yorkshireman and listening to all the good things said about orange bikes i went for a 5 pro.
Dont gt me wrong the bike is amazing andsuits me perfect. My problem lies with the shimano slx front mech. 6 rides on my new trail blaster and 6 times the front mech has clogged up with dirt within 10 minutes of riding and wouldnt shift up nor down correctly. My previous sram x7 front mech setup on my hardtail could be dipped in the gooiest crap for a week and never skipped a beat?
The 5 seems to naturally dump dirt from the back wheel into the top of the mech and clogges it up. Has anyone else heard of this problem or hopefully got a solution. I do like to keep atleast adual setup at the front so 1x10 isnt an option for me. All help much appreciated. Thanks in advance
The front sox mech I had on my 456 was rubbish tbh the xt which replaced it is miles better. I would say get an xt on there for 20 quid it's worth it
Thanks tony24. Will look at them. 🙂
As horrible as it sounds fit a mudguard. I hate the aesthetics of rear mudguards but this winter it's been really bad and I succumbed. I'll live the looks in the knowledge that the bike is easier to maintain.
Having said that the mud was so bad the other day the front and rear mechs (both XT) stopped working and I had to unclog them with a stick.
Keep mine totally clean after every ride and before hand spray loads of wd40 on it. Have done over the years some total mud, snow, crap condition rides and it's never let me down . Gets caked in shite but still works if it's used throughout ride and got enough oil on it, but it needs to be squeaky clean from start! If your not convinced tape a bit of foam from tube to cover .
Ive always run sram stuff on the genesis and itnever skipped a beat with some of the worst conditions this country has to offer, im not slating shimano as its smooth and less clunky than sram when clean/dry. But been a newbie to shimano running gear is this what i should expect. And any little tricks to avoid the clogging wluld be aporeciated. Please not a mud guard on my pretty new five... 🙂
Cheers a james. Just the kind of advise im looking for. Thanks again 🙂
bit of old innertube and a couple of zip ties,,,, im sure you can work the rest out.
Thanks oreetmon. So its ziptie the old tube through the back wheel to prevent it moving and throwing mud onto mech. Got it, cheers :).
Been running the innertube and ziptie mudflap on mine for years now, get the shape right and it'll protect the pivots from hell of a lot of wear and tear as well.
Also made one to protect the main frame pivot bearings from being shotblasted by the front wheel too. So many uses for them, and yet they still get left at the site of the puncture by the dirty, lazy, and stupid amongst us.
[url= http://www.sjscycles.co.uk/polisport-front-derailleur-guard-prod7184/ ]This might help[/url]
[url= http://www.evanscycles.com/products/lizard-skins/grunge-guard-for-front-mech-bottom-pull-ec005425 ]Or this might help?[/url]
Have had slx on mine for the last 18 months, and even though it does clog up quite a bit with crap in that area im suprised how little effect it has. I do give the bike a quick wash after every ride tho but mainly to keep the car clean.
Thanks guys. i didnt get anywhere with the LBS. So all this info is much appreciated. :). Has anyone used the lizard Skin.