What did I learn today...?

MtB related, of course...

I rode my bike, but with a borrowed rear wheel/tire/cassette combo. Enve 60 w/ a fresh Minion DHf 2.30 exo TR, and a well-worn 10-42 SRAM cassette.

I learned that:

Minion DH-f works well as a rear tire for trail riding. I knew they were good on the rear of a DH bike, but I wasn't sure they would have good braking performance or climbing on dusty rock. I only did a short ride, but the tire was great.

Carbon rims on the rear just might offer more power after all. I rode this wheel before - last time I had to send my own wheel back to Stan's for warranty replacement. But back then, it was shod with a big bouncy Magic Mary, which was heavy, slow and lethargic. Thus, I concluded that my Flow Ex rims performed every bit as well as the Enves. But today, with the fresh Minion DH-f back there, I could really feel the difference in straight ahead power at the pedals. Bump compliance was fine. The power could be because of the increased width, but I finally felt what others have claimed. The other carbon wheels I've ridden (I-9s and Ibis 741) were very stiff, non compliant and "deflecty," especially on the front.

A new(ish) chain and a well-worn cassette CAN play nice together. No shifting or transmission problems at all. No noises. All good.

If you think your brakes need to be bled, check your rotor. I was convinced my brakes needed to be bled. The lever kept going to the bar, and I needed to pump the lever and adjust the contact outward. I had new pads, so that wasn't the issue. Before taking it in for a bleed, I really looked at my 1 1/2 year old rotor. I could feel a ramp up to the "spoke" part of the rotor, and a lip on the outer most edge. I decided to replace it. I put the new rotor on the borrowed wheel. Brakes were superb today.

Thanks again to @StrandLeper for loaning me the wheel. Your poor Bronson has probably been a little neglected since the completion of the Foes!

 

So, the Magic Mary is slower rolling than the DHF Minion and with its larger volume the difference in stiffness between carbon and aluminum is moot.

Btw, what is your usual rear tire?

 

Minion DHF all the things. I run DHF DH casings on all my bikes.

 

The Magic Mary 2.40 is a BEAST compared to my usual rear tire, the Minion DH-R II - 2.30, TR, Exo, Dual compound. The Enve with Magic Mary setup was noticeably slower than my standard setup last time I borrowed it.