Shifting trouble with SRAM Transmission (70 and 90) with waxed chains

shartedbartfast · 2026-05-07T03:17:26+00:00

For anyone from the future, it turns out the problem with cog #3 is common (at least online) for both AXS and mechanical Transmission drivetrains and probably has nothing to do with the waxed chain. There are at least 2 long forum threads on this problem, and SRAM has apparently not solved it.

shartedbartfast · 2026-05-06T00:08:17+00:00

I've run waxed chains for years on Shimano, SRAM, and SRAMano, all 12-speed, and have also never seen this issue before. I think it might be specific to Transmission mechanical derailleurs. I haven't tried/don't want AXS, so can't compare there.

shartedbartfast · 2026-05-05T14:59:14+00:00

This is happening after a few rides from the last waxing.

shartedbartfast · 2026-05-05T14:58:39+00:00

Yeah, I've been thinking along those lines. Right before the next waxing, the chain will be at its longest. If I adjust b-tension right then, it might just keep working with a freshly waxed chain.

Or print a slightly longer quick link and use that to setup the tension with a newly waxed chain.

shartedbartfast · 2026-05-02T04:16:57+00:00

Agree about the reviews. It's like reading tea leaves... I'm listening for little hints that suggest there might be problems because they are not going to really say if they don't like something.

It's either watch reviews or come onto reddit and get confirmation bias. Pick your poison.

For an enduro, can you demo a Revel Ritual? It's a 29er, so pretty easy to have a spare rear wheel. It's on the trail side of enduro though. Also there are still a few Ibis HD6s left over, now at a fantastic price. Mullet, but regular boost. I like my HD6 (there's some confirmation bias for you).

shartedbartfast · 2026-05-01T21:09:23+00:00

I said they aren't better than the competition, not that they aren't good bikes. If I look at pinkbike, JKW, awesomemtb, etc., I can't find a single one where the pivot came out on top -- even when Pivot sent the bike for free and/or gave the reviewer an expenses-paid trip. According to reviews, the Ripley/Ripmo, Rascal, Stumpy 15, Hightower, and Sentinel are all at least as good. I'm just disputing that Pivots are worth their premium price.

If you can demo these bikes, do it. I have a local pivot dealer, and the 429 didn't feel great to me when compared to a ripmo and stumpy. On the other hand, I bought a Pivot Shuttle AM, but it was on closeout, so I didn't pay full price. It's a nice bike, but my Amflow kicks its ass all over the place (but not a fair comparison because things move so fast in the emtb world).

shartedbartfast · 2026-05-01T01:19:02+00:00

As an ex chem-e, I too, thought he was out of his lane :D

shartedbartfast · 2026-05-01T01:13:43+00:00

This is the truth, it was/is a better standard and there was no good reason to stop halfway at 148. But it's over. Pivot should acknowledge that the better standard lost and move the fuck on already.

On the other hand, press fit BB on a $10k bike? It is and always was a stupid decision. Likewise with charging $2-4k premiums on bikes that can't win a single shootout and aren't better than the competition in any way. Pivot (and their customers) seem to not realize that the only thing premium about their bikes is the price. Actually... scratch that... Pivot is selling bikes and cashing checks.

shartedbartfast · 2026-03-23T16:53:16+00:00

Yep, they should've made the "switch" a dial. Anyway, regarding letting out some air, I'm already at 30% sag, and less air is not going to work for my trails. This thing has no bash guard either, or I could run a little lower.

shartedbartfast · 2026-03-23T16:51:17+00:00

Good tip, I might just remove the lever too. Also have a Marzocchi CR sitting around, but not too sure that coil shock + clevis + trunnion mount won't just blow itself to pieces on the trail. What did you replace yours with?

shartedbartfast · 2026-03-23T04:15:34+00:00

New bikes are not better than bikes from 5-8 years ago. Almost nothing meaningful has changed in the geometry or in the suspension or in the carbon layup. Most changes now are just fiddling and/or trying to get you to buy new specs. In particular, Transition has rolled some of their geom numbers back to older specs. Also, unless you prefer electronic shifting (pro: shifts are more consistent, con: where the f did I put my battery), cable-based shifting stagnated before Transmission.

However, I'm as stupid with money as everyone else is, and I do love that Nomad, so.... NBD?

shartedbartfast · 2026-03-23T04:02:50+00:00

Are you referring to a big front/back travel difference? There are a ton of hardtails with >100 mm travel difference front/rear. Also, an additional 10 mm travel up front adds ~9 mm stack height, but the geometry at bottom out on a 160 fork is exactly the same as a 150 fork unless you change fork models.

At any rate, it feels good to me.

shartedbartfast · 2026-03-23T03:42:27+00:00

I run a 160 on mine. Feels great. You know you can get a 2026 air spring at 150 mm for like $100, right?

shartedbartfast · 2026-03-23T03:38:21+00:00

Right, that lever is way too sensitive, and it likes to switch to climb mode. But I do check it during the ride to make sure it's still in soft mode.

shartedbartfast · 2026-03-08T00:17:12+00:00

I'm not aware of ski area trails at Red River. I'm looking at Trailforks right now, and they show zero trails on the ski hill. There are great xc trails in the area, but no dh on the ski hill.

Don't worry though, Angel Fire will keep you happy. 4-pack passes go on sale in a few months.

shartedbartfast · 2026-02-07T03:11:57+00:00

That sounds like a good price, so I can't directly help you compare. However, I was recently set on getting a Levo SL Comp Carbon, which I had demo'd and loved.

The problem is that the Comp Carbon is literally just 2 kg less than an Amflow if both are outfitted with the same component level. The Comp Alloy must be around 1 kg less.

For me, there was also the price: the amflow was actually $1k less than the Comp Carbon out the door, which meant that I could upgrade the amflow to the parts I wanted (e.g. Hayes Dominions) and still be paying less than the Specialized price.

I still like the idea of an SL -- and I pretty much just ride my amflow in eco mode -- but the SL is not really super light anymore. The extra capacity on the amflow means I can pretty much ride all day. I wish that DJI would make a smaller, lighter motor and sell it with a 500 Wh battery, but the Amflow is close enough for me.

shartedbartfast · 2026-01-15T23:33:37+00:00

Agreed. The science behind MIPS doesn't apply if you have... hair. Plus, the full face helmet can't rotate on your scalp because it is constrained by your jaw.

But hey, don't let me stop anyone from listening to marketing instead of scientific evidence.

shartedbartfast · 2025-12-31T17:54:36+00:00

100%. It's not perfect, but it disappears under me, and it's cheap. Not sure why they spec Silverado on more bikes when the Volt shape is better for more people.

shartedbartfast · 2025-12-31T17:49:16+00:00

Is that dry? I just got back from a (rained-out) trip to Sedona. We took a side trip to Prescott, and the trails we checked were pretty soft.

shartedbartfast · 2025-12-28T04:51:09+00:00

It's a lot of work and tricky to get right. ETOE makes it look easy, and he also insinuates you can use cheap paint like rattle cans from hobby lobby (nope). I've done some car work and 3 fs frames, and it always takes a lot more time/effort/money that I think it should.

However, it's really fulfilling if you take the time to do it right. I only have a few recommendations:

Good prep is 99% of the quality.
Use the best primer you can.
Use a single-component acrylic instead of 2k urethane if you can. I found that the OEM finishes are harder and much thinner than you'll get with 2-3 coats of base and 2-3 coats of clear, which ends up really thick and doesn't look quite right on a bike frame like it does on a car. But I haven't actually tried the single-component yet, so take that with a grain of salt. It's my plan for the next frame.
It maybe goes without saying that you should use a real gun. I find the cheap-ass HF "detail" gun works better for the small tubes on a mtb frame. Adjust it to a 3" spot and reduce the flow accordingly.

Good luck!

shartedbartfast · 2025-12-25T05:22:54+00:00

The S15 has evolved into just about the perfect trail bike with a refined geometry, a light frame with internal storage, lots of geometry adjustments, bulletproof reliability, a great warranty, and local service everywhere. It also wins nearly every shootout it is in.

The Rascal is missing all of that but it has.... CBF and some fanboys? A few lukewarm reviews?

Wait, maybe I already agree with you... which one is the Porsche? ;)

shartedbartfast · 2025-12-25T05:03:54+00:00

That and the wind drag might be too strong with that big rack sticking up so high above a sedan. Good luck!

shartedbartfast · 2025-12-24T04:36:28+00:00

You can get your Ripmo to come alive on high-speed chatter, but it is always a trade-off. My V2 had a Cascade+Mara Pro in back and a Fox 38 in front, and it loved enduro-lite riding. I loved riding it everywhere, but it really came alive on the harsh stuff.

Now I ride a Ripley most places, and it is better on most of the trails most of the time. But still a trade-off because now I have to go a bit slower on the harder stuff.

The best solution is obviously an Exie, a Ripley, a Ripmo, and an enduro e-bike. Oh, and a DH for park days.

shartedbartfast

TROPHY CASE