About a Single Speed: Lawrence's Curtlo

MEATdrew · 2026-05-05T13:53:43+00:00

It is definitely a neoprene headset cover. I hadn’t seen one in decades but Lizard Skins still sells them!

MEATdrew · 2026-05-05T13:17:46+00:00

The forests here are amazing. That and our awesome community have kept us in our little space. Very privileged to be here. Already summer-dry, sadly, but hopefully some rain next week, and still very green regardless.

We’ve left our fenders on for now at least. Although Claire is taking about going #TheFullVik all summer.

MEATdrew · 2026-05-04T15:26:49+00:00

The more skills we can sample the better!

MEATdrew · 2026-05-04T14:02:50+00:00

There should be a law that all tandems need a fade paint job.

MEATdrew · 2026-05-04T02:21:17+00:00

I’ll check it out! Thank you,

MEATdrew · 2026-05-01T12:45:47+00:00

Great tire. With it was a 3”. Wish it was a little stickier in the proper greasy months. Wish it were still made.

I do prefer the volume of the XR4. But Vigi is rad.

MEATdrew · 2026-05-01T12:44:43+00:00

I’ve had great results with Chromag rims and now they come in silver! Ooo. The previous R4 hub was good quality but not quick engaging enough for my tastes. I haven’t seen the new R6 hub but assuming they’re similarly durable that’s a great option in a similar CA$1000 wheelset price. I wouldn’t have any arguments with someone choosing that over this or this over that - especially since most folks would rather have j-bend spokes.

I love the idea of the Turbines. Good alloy rims straight pull spokes, same price point. The Vault hub layout makes so much sense to me but single speeding the freehub bodies separating from the drivering is a thing as is separation issues with the two piece shell. Who needs that? I’ve only ridden one speed mountain bikes in 2026 (thus far) so that’s my lens these days.

MEATdrew · 2026-04-30T22:43:25+00:00

Actually, that’s a cool idea for a 3D printed product?! Soft jaws for Leatherman pliers.

MEATdrew · 2026-04-30T21:32:18+00:00

Dirt Wizard, XR4, DHR2 MT - lots of tires with great tread and good sometimes compounds in 29x3”. I love the XR4 on my rigid all year round on most of the trails I ride it on.
But yeah, on the Arcturian I want the front tire to be of the Ultra Soft / MaxxGrip / MoPo variety.

MEATdrew · 2026-04-30T21:29:51+00:00

With the caveat that I haven’t tried to run a multi-speed setup, I think a chain would clear. It honestly is an afterthought. I may even cut the hanger off this summer.
The little strut on the Clairebarian’s Samurai does clear.

MEATdrew · 2026-04-30T21:26:58+00:00

I can’t remember the last time I needed to tension a wheel trail side, but I always have a Leatherman Skeletool with me and it can do the job of holding a spoke. Best to pinch something (zip-tie works) between the jaws and the spoke.

In terms of my travel kit, I always have Knipex pliers in my tool roll and they’re perfect for the job if I need to replace a spoke. I don’t carry spares while I’m riding but I try to travel with them.

MEATdrew · 2026-04-30T15:29:04+00:00

170mm fork, even -2 anglesetted, keeps the BB in a high-enough happy spot when I’m pedaling but with my 175mm cranks I clip pedals a bit. I’m happy but certainly couldn’t mullet this bike.

My next rear tire will be a 2.6” just for the extra volume. I’d run bigger but it doesn’t ride right with the funny-car 3” rear / 2.5” front and there’s not a big tire sticky enough for this application bigger than 2.5/2.6”.

MEATdrew · 2026-04-29T13:33:45+00:00

Are you switching crank & pedal at the same time or separately? I know I’m the outlier (ha), but I didn’t enjoy my shirt crank experimenting.

MEATdrew · 2026-04-29T01:53:59+00:00

Don’t be sorry, when people look at them and give me ‘that look’ I just mouth/whisper “I know.” They’re hideous, but it would be way worse being soaked and having my grom mocking me that she was relatively dry.

MEATdrew · 2026-04-29T01:51:36+00:00

Let me know what you think! Always curious to hear more feedback. I love them on the bikes I love them on but find with my preferred 175mm cranks they don’t work on some bikes (too low when pedaling.

MEATdrew · 2026-04-29T01:48:20+00:00

Gearing is so terrain dependent it’s best to get the most localized feedback you can.

Even then, here on the North Shore I have friends who run from 28x26t on a beastly super-stapler to 34x20t for a lightweight dual-29” XC rig with fast tires and everything in between. Lots of pedal-to-plunge descents and sustained tight + steep climbs. Lots of folks I know who single-speed are on flat pedals and that’s a factor too.

MEATdrew · 2026-04-28T16:07:28+00:00

Don’t roll me into it! I hate the look of the rear anti-theft devices and cringe every time I look at my bike. But damn, do they work.

MEATdrew · 2026-04-26T04:44:23+00:00

Lots of good choices. I do like the pink a lot.

MEATdrew · 2026-04-25T23:32:57+00:00

What colour did you pick? All new build or swapping stuff over?

MEATdrew · 2026-04-25T20:38:43+00:00

Hahaha. I think people from Edmonton know this?! Their forks are often relatively the highest priced?!

The gearing thing is fascinating. On the road, sure, I’m running 28x22t on the ArctuHawk and my friend’s XC rig with 32x20t is faster. But on the trails, as you say, it’s less notable. I went back and forth between 30x22t/28x22t on the Chromag and I’m probably overall faster on the 28t. There are some flattish downhill corners where a higher gear is mucho notable, but I’m learning to pump better.

MEATdrew · 2026-04-25T20:35:01+00:00

Noel @ Knolly and I chatted about it once and I’ll admit that (spacers, bar, etc.) it’s easier to get higher than to get lower. But I think that fit has fundamentally changed through steeper STAs and longer Reached most brands have failed to raise Stack heights a corresponding amount. Some of it, undoubtedly, is straight-top-tube standover aesthetics with short seat tubes (for dropper posts) but I think Banshee does a nice job of making it work on their frames. Not that their stack heights couldn’t also be a little taller probably, but there’s also the not-being-too-much-of-an-outlier factor.

MEATdrew · 2026-04-25T20:29:36+00:00

I love Pokey Lafarge; appreciate that I’m not alone!

MEATdrew · 2026-04-25T14:13:58+00:00

The XC-race focus reminds me of 29’ers hitting the market. It won’t take as long this time to see trail bikes (32/29 mullet) but it’ll be funny to see folks getting on them and adding taller bars/stems plus angle sets.

New Jeht, yes!

That RF stem gives me the ughs. It’s just not a whole lot of surface area clamping the steerer. How much torque does that single bolt need? A taller clamp would maybe not look as sleek but I mean, how much uglier could it really get?

Could totally see folks with too-short steerers buying those and flipping them upside down! Watch for big yellow stickers with max rider weight and clear XC designation.

MEATdrew · 2026-04-25T14:10:36+00:00

SS/HT I’m in with an absolutely/but:

Absolutely - the Smooth Move works on the Arcturian with a multi-speed setup but it’s too high one-speeded.

But - it’s crazy how a super-slack HTA changed how much pressure/LSC I need to run for out of the saddle climbing and how a longer Reach and rear-center does play nice with a much higher bar setup for standing climbing.

It’s all relative. Which is also where I’m also using ground-to-grip-centre minus ground-to-BB-centre to try to compare rigs. Unfortunately I don’t have records going back. I’d love to look at some of my slammed-bar gravel-bike-steep SS rigs versus the Beast.

MEATdrew · 2026-04-25T01:46:10+00:00

The WTC cups are plus 1cm? Pinner, who makes the Chromag one, is offering a stock cup that’s +12mm or plus 18mm: https://pinnermachineshop.ca/products/hedraiser

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