PCE Bites Back!

rossage

rossage

iMTB Hooligan
So there I was, surfing the 'net and watching a late season Palm Cyn run form and go before my eyes. The Bomb squad was lining up the B-17s to do a strategic, daylight, precision bombing run over Schweinfurt...I mean Palm Springs. My day was planned to be driving to LAX to pick up some friends from China-who was gonna have more fun?
Well, my commitment was relieved and I was free to join the squad on a perilous run through the needle-studded pylons of Palm Cyn.
After the prerequisite early morning driving and shuttling, a group of 5 was formed and the ride was on. @Tom the Bomb, @DangerDirtyD, Lenny, @mike, and myself. After clearing some smoke from the cockpit, we dropped in from the upper spot on Palm Dr.(?). Cool temps, slight winds, and rolling cloud cover to keep us undercover, while the rain was being held back by San Jacinto and his friends.
The trail was moist, tacky and fast, and TTB pilotted the Squad through the cholla like the Zen master he is.
Then it happened. Boom! Direct flak hit on B-17 #3, just as we crossed the German border-I mean when it was getting real good. @mike had taken damage to his chainring and was out of the game. No fixing this one, as @mike bailed behind enemy lines and made his way to safety with the help of the French Resistance, Xavier. Still don't know why he had to hide in a brothel, but the stop in Amsterdam was necessary.
We carried on in the face of mounting resistance and darkening clouds. Wounded warriors from other squadrons littered the trailside. The long run down to the Wash kept us on our toes and wondering about our fallen comrade. The Wash was as good as it gets for a 3 mile sand slog with 1000ft of elevation gain.
The singletrack climb up to Hahns was the undoing of another in our airwing. @DangerDirtyD took small arms fire on a low strafing run and B-17 #5 was shot down with a failed freehub. The chainless warrior limped down the Dunn road back to England, and was picked up by SAR near Carl's Jr.-on the coast near Dover.
Our bombs found their target and Nazi ball bearings were scattered across the countryside. Our 3 remaining pilots made a run for home across the desert and down Wild Horse and the Goat trails without further incident.
Despite the casualties, the mission was a complete success and the Bomb Squad lives to ride another day.
 
Here's some pics

@mike
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The damage
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TTB
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L9 Nazi in the bushes
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Uh oh - how did that RaceFace break like that? Was there an impact to the bottom of the chainring, causing the break? Do you think a traditional 4 or 5 bolt spider would have prevented such a break?

Creative storytelling @rossage Very entertaining. Sorry to hear of the casualties, but glad it was only equipment.
 
herzalot said:
Uh oh - how did that RaceFace break like that? Was there an impact to the bottom of the chainring, causing the break? Do you think a traditional 4 or 5 bolt spider would have prevented such a break?

Creative storytelling @rossage Very entertaining. Sorry to hear of the casualties, but glad it was only equipment.
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@mike said there was no impact. I'm sure he will provide details later.
 
Haha, killer report! Great reportage, Ross.

Thanks to admiral Tom for leadership and bravery in action, and nice work everybody for solid mission execution and not getting taken behind the lines. :cool: Nice day for a hike, eh D?! Glad you limped out okay.

Have yet to confirm, but I'm pretty certain pilot error brought me down. Crank arms not tightened down = small gap next to chainring = room to flex = failure of featherweight part.

@herzalot Definitely the XX1 spider is way more burly than a RF direct mount ring. Sheesh, even the SRAM rings look to be about twice as burly. Assuming my cursory diagnosis is correct, I don't blame the part – I blame the dolt in charge of my bike maintenance.

@Faust29 I just couldn't saddle this team/outing with my SS experiment. They always go fast and I went with the tried and true. Look what that netted me!


The hike out was enjoyable. I took the Pinyon trail rather than the PC trail which we entered on, as Pinyon is more direct to where I was eventually going. I nearly missed the unmarked PT turnoff and thank a gracious couple I met just past it for clueing me in. I took guilty pleasure in "riding" the DH portions of the trail I encountered; some technical stuff that I've never rolled and probably never will again. The flowers were in bloom and I enjoyed gawking while moving on the trail.

I took a right on Palm Canyon drive rather than heading for the CG, thinking I could flag a ride sooner. This was a total bust, as there is no place for an auto to pull over until near the CG. Hell, there's not even room to push your bike.

Once near PFCG, the traffic was not very consistent and mostly sedans. I had pedaled up from Palm Desert once, and remembered how there was essentially no break in the climbing for many miles. The thought of that and of moving effortlessly got the best of me, so I started scooter-kicking my bike toward what looked like a DH grade. Bingo...16 miles of no braking later, I coasted to a stop at the 74 and 111, still 10 miles from my car. Xavier the shuttle driver graciously plucked my sorry ass out of retail hell and back to the end point. Not knowing where the rest of the squadron was or how waylaid they might be for whatever reason, I packed up and drove home.

It's been said that a true adventure begins when something goes wrong. With that in mind, I had some damn good fun yesterday and was super stoked to share a lot of it with some of the best guys I know. :thumbsup:
 
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I am confused. If that's @mike in the first photo, then why is he nearly identical to @rossage 's avatar?

One reason I am so interested in the chainring break is because I am having a Race Face Turbine crankset with the same splined RF 30 t chainring installed as we speak. I had the parts from when I thought I would be building my next bike from the frame up. My Intense came with SRAM X1, which seems perfectly fine, but I have the RF, and they look cool, and I have time so...

Maybe I shouldn't mess with something that is currently quiet and perfectly functional (my SRAM crankset - BB - chainring).
 
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LOL rossage...



Some of the delightful sights I saw during my hike...

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You have to love overcast days. Colors become unbelievably vibrant, and even photos don't convey how positively electric they appear with diffuse lighting and no glare.


Confirming pilot error as cause of part failure. Crank not loose, but space next to ring was my error. In my quest for a straighter chainline with the big cogs on back, I omitted the drive-line BB spacer, but didn't notice the gap. I rode this setup for months – without problem, obviously. Apparently, pushing the pedals as though I'm on my SS is a good test for drive components. Testing in the middle of the desert not recommended! Yea, and actually looking at your bike once in awhile might not be a bad idea. Still living; still learning...again.
 
Herz the sram chain ring is much burlier than the race face. I think you aught to rethink that one. I would not do it. It looks like one of the spokes on the RF broke then muscle Mike put the pedal to the metal and it pulled out of the mounting screws. He was right in front of me when it happened, Major bummer 5 miles into a 28 mile ride! Plus having to push out!
I cannot remember when we had 2 catastrophic failures on the same ride. I was so looking forward to Rockin the Casbah with these guys. Dennis actually broke his rear axle . You could grab the cassette and rock it back and forth 1/2 in on each side then it locked up! Bummmmmmer!
Oh well Hans and goat trails were great. Loved watching Ross dance his hard tail through the mine fields. Lenny is rockin that new lime yellow green trek!
Check these pics out. Ross spotted the Rattler half way across the trail, spooked him and he back tracked and coiled up ready to protect his bunker. See if you can see him in the pic with my mug. Most camouflaged snake I have ever seen!

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Tom, etc. I didn't introduce myself by name, but met you guys out there sat, I was with the group of 7 with Ken, Evan. Thanks for the heads up on Art Johnson trail, that was a lot of fun. Primo conditions out there! (I was the one that asked where you are from)
palm canyon.jpg
 
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dft said:
Tom, etc. I didn't introduce myself by name, but met you guys out there sat, I was with the group of 7 with Ken, Evan. Thanks for the heads up on Art Johnson trail, that was a lot of fun. Primo conditions out there! (I was the one that asked where you are from)View attachment 15661[/QU
Hi DFT,
I believe your name is Denny but I have never met you. Have heard lotsa good things from Mike Bridgemam, Woody and Ken about you.
So how would you compare Art Johnson to the traditional Hans and out to the goat trails and down to the water towers and Vons? Did you like it better than that or Cindy's? I just found out about it from Paul. We were already committed to the ride we were on so we did not go out that way.
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@Tom the Bomb ,

My name is actually Tom also:) Denny is a good friend though. I've only done palm canyon once before so I don't remember the details to compare. I am the one that has done catcus-to-clouds 6 times though, so if you need details on that, give me a holler, lol. (its a 9 hour HAB:)
 
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dft said:
@Tom the Bomb ,

My name is actually Tom also:) Denny is a good friend though. I've only done palm canyon once before so I don't remember the details to compare. I am the one that has done catcus-to-clouds 6 times though, so if you need details on that, give me a holler, lol. (its a 9 hour HAB:)
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Got it Tom I remember reading about that crazy ride.
 
Tom the Bomb said:
Herz the sram chain ring is much burlier than the race face. I think you aught to rethink that one. I would not do it. It looks like one of the spokes on the RF broke then muscle Mike put the pedal to the metal and it pulled out of the mounting screws. He was right in front of me when it happened, Major bummer 5 miles into a 28 mile ride! Plus having to push out.
Click to expand...

Thanks. Advice heeded. I cancelled the swap, and I'll return the RF stuff. Don't fix what works, and not all upgrades are upgrades. RF is way cooler than SRAM though. SRAM is the cause of so much un-standardization and upheaval - some good, some just deliberate marketing snake oil. (1 x11, 148 Boost, now the Eagle 12 speed cassette and some sort of metric blah blah).

Do you think @mike 's chainring problem would have occurred if he had the RF cranks and BB too? Could the mis-matched parts be part of the cause? Messerschmitts don't play well with Lockheeds...
 
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herzalot said:
Do you think @mike 's chainring problem would have occurred if he had the RF cranks and BB too? Could the mis-matched parts be part of the cause? Messerschmitts don't play well with Lockheeds...
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I think the "cinch" system would have eliminated the gap altogether. FWIW, with the stock spider on my XX1, I can't even see into the area where the gap previously was. There is so much alloy there that I really can't imagine breaking the spider, even if a gap existed in that area.

Not using a drive-side spacer and not noticing the resultant gap was the cause of the problem. 100% pilot error. Using a RF ring with SRAM crank is totally OK, as long as it's installed correctly. I would say that RF GX rings are not as strong as other options, but still not my problem.
 
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