ZRACE XTR/XT/SLX/DEORE Brake Integrated SRAM Shifter Adapter, SRAM Matchmaker Shifter Mounting to Shimano I-Spec EV Brake
https://a.aliexpress.com/_mLc8iO6

This is a super simple part, but it solved my issue perfectly.  I needed to attach my SRAM AXS trigger pod to my Shimano XT lever but couldn't find something that worked well and that moved the trigger pod left of the lever.  A 'left' version of this adapter was exactly what I needed. Not much else to say. A bit on the expensive side, but other name brand solutions were double the price.

I could use some help finding a replacement rim for a wheelset I bought in 2014 from Peter @ XMIPLAY, which is not defunct.

It was called the 'HR930C' and it was a 29" rim, 30mm outer width, 25mm inner width, 23.5mm deep, and hookless.

I finally trashed one today after 8 years and 16k+ miles.  I would like to replace it with one with the same ERD so I'm not on the hook for $75+ in spokes.

I checked XM Carbon Speed, but I don't know if that's a zombie site or not anymore and it seems they don't carry this rim anymore anyway.

Thanks in advance for any help/links.

Around 3.5 years ago, I was one of the first to receive the new 256SL frameset.  At the time, my coworkers and I actually build 3 identically spec'd 256SL's.  For 3.5 years and many, many thousands of miles, it has been my go-to MTB and the best, most reliable bike I've ever owned.  Unfortunately, through a mistake/accident on my part, I managed to crack the frame about a month ago.  You can see pictures and ready the details here:
http://chinertown.com/index.php/topic,150.msg15890.html#msg15890

After drying my eyes, I emailed Peter at CarbonSpeed to see what my options were to order a replacement (not a warranty replacement as this was totally my fault and I got 3.5 years of good use out of it!).  I had the following:

1) Order another 256SL.
2) Order a CS-041.
3) Order a CS-218SL.

Concerning option 1: The 256SL is now out of production, however, Peter did have one left in stock.  I could order it, paint it up exactly as my original frame and be on my way...

Concerning option 2: The CS-041 is now out of production.  But even if i could get one, I would need to buy a new crankset to replace my BB30 unit along with a new seatpost.  I was also worried about the fairly wide seat stay to top tub junction that many have complained hits their knees/legs while riding.

Concerning option 3:  The CS-218SL is very new and basically untested by the community.  It is very similar to the CS-256SL in the front triangle, BB, and chain stay design.  It has nearly identical geometry to the 256SL.  It comes in BB30 so I could reuse my crank.  It requires a new seatpost.  The design of the seat stay to seat tube junction appears much better than the 256SL, which has been shown to be the weakpoint of the frame.  It is basically the same weight as the 256SL (ie really, really light).

All options considered, I ordered a CS-218SL from Peter.  As expected, Peter was very quick and professional in his responses.  He worked with me to get the paint scheme I wanted and rushed the order to make it out before Chinese New Year.  The shipping was very quick at about 8 days from Xiamen to Arizona.

The frame arrived (with a couple of seat posts) packaged perfectly, very secure in the box.  The paint work is exactly what I wanted and is as well done as my first frame (which has proved to be very durable).  The UD finish is A LOT more visible which is neat.

I elected to go with similar colors as a throwback to the "old" bike, but with a new design that I think looks "faster".  I do not have a photo of the exact weight, but it was right around 1100g.  which is on par with the 256SL which I think was about 1070g.

I'll be moving all the parts from the 256SL over to this frame in the next two weeks and will then update the group with my thoughts on this frameset.

Some pictures to hold you over:

The box didn't fit in the car.  It was either drive home with the trunk open or leave the kid at the post office and use the rear seat... begrudgingly used the trunk.

I know this should probably go in the Ride Containment thread, but I think Leadville is perhaps a bit different than normal rides.

I rode the Leadville LT100 this past weekend and I finished.

It was very hard; easily the most mentally and physically draining thing I've ever had to endure on a bike, but I felt good and never fell into a bad atitude.  I train at ~1800 ft, sometime as high as 8000 ft.  I've done 100 mile rides with >12,000 ft of elevation gain.  This race made all of that look like child's play.  This race occurs between 10,200 to 12,600 ft, with something like 11,000 ft of elevation gain. 

I finished in 11:01 (actual ride time of ~10:38).  Fortunately, no crashes, mechanicals, or poor weather.  I nailed my nutrition and actually finished stronger than I started.  I dominated a couple of the climbs compared to other riders with me (but nothing compared to the Pros there that day!)  I was not prepared for the amount of traffic there was on the course which caused a lot of slowing on the start and at the summit of Columbine. 

The crowds, fans, and support crews were the best I've ever encountered and the whole event was the best experience I've ever had on a bike and probably ever in general.  I rode with a friend (though we ended up separated) and we were supported at the aid stations by our SOs that did an amazing job of following us and attending to our needs.

The whole event was surreal.  Both painful and rewarding.  The sense of accomplishment I felt crossing that finish line is completely unrivaled.  I finished off the night with beer and pizza in a hot tub.  Good times.

I would recommend that everyone try this race at some point in their life.

A shot from the pre-race meeting. There were some neat speakers and various causes that were there to raise money or achieve goals.  The Leadville race series brings a lot of money to the town of Leadville and actually provided scholarships for higher education to every high school senior that graduates.  In a town that was decimated by the big mines closing, this is a big deal.  Ken, the founder of the race, spoke and it was neat.  He's a very neat character who wants nothing but your best and lets you know that.


The city of Leadville; its a great time of year to be in CO:


The downtown area is filled with vendors and sponsors for the weekend:


SRAM was out with all their cool new tech.  They were giving free cleanings and tune-ups to anyone with a SRAM drivetrain.  You didn't hear it from me, but a 10 to 44T XX1/X01 cassette is in the works...


At the starting line at ~6:25 waiting for the gun to go off.  It started clear and brisk at ~45 degrees.  We ride down into some fog as we left Leadville.  The start is chaos with something like 2000 riders:


Me at the 50 mile mark at the top of Columbine (~12,600 ft).  This is the halfway/turn-around point with an aid station.  The views were incredible.


Aid bags at the top of Columbine. Dat view...:


Other riders.  This was at about 6:00:00 into the race:


Us (mere mortal riders) coming in and going.  The Pros had come and gone hours ago.


Some race pictures:


Almost everyone walks at some point; traffic, elevation, fatigue dictate it.  No shame.:


At the finish line, I sprinted home:


The bike weighed at least 60 lbs in this picture... or so it felt:


My buddy and I.  He finished 27 minutes ahead of me (10:38).  This is is second finish and shaved an hour off his previous time.  He crashed 3 times though and busted his finger up badly.




The trusty chinese bike that brought me there.  No real mechanical issues except for some sloppy shifting towards the end of the course.  The chinese saddle is finally, after a year and thousands of miles, starting to get some stress cracks in the plastic.  Not bad for $9.  No flats.  My air fork and tires were super stiff and the rocky sections beat me up badly.  I think this may be due to the elevation screwing with my pressures?  At least that's what I was told.  Also my rear brakes were the slightest bit soft probably due to an air bubble in the line.  Again, elevation may have played a roll.  Without changing a thing, the bike already feels different back here at ~1200 ft in Phoenix.


Us with all of our swag.

I know this is probably common sense for most of you, but neglecting to check my tire sealant bit me in the ass today.  The weather was perfect and I escaped from work early to hit the trails. Everything was going great until my tire went flat 5 miles into the trail.  I tired to air it back up and in the process found a hole right in the center of the tire tread. I pointed the hole down, bit nothing happened. Air leaked from the hole as fast as ever.  I spun the wheel around a bit, but nothing. No sealant. 

I ended up throwing a tube in and in the process confirmed that there was no more sealant in the tire.  It must have all been used up on previous punctures (I find sealant on the frame and tire pretty often). And to add insult to injury, a mile down the trail the tube got a hole from a goat head (there is a lot of thorns and the like out here in AZ).  I ended up using my last cartridge and a borrowed one from a coworker to limp back.  Now I'm at there car waiting while they're out there enjoying the heck out of this great weather.

Check your sealant early and often! I'm just glad this didn't happen on a race!

I’m about to post a novel here, but I’m super excited and wanted to share for those who like story time.  I accomplished a major milestone this past weekend by completing the Barn Burner 104 endurance XC race in Flagstaff, Arizona, my first MTB century ride! 

A bit of background: The Barn Burner 104 is one of six qualifier races for the Leadville 100 in Leadville, Colorado.  It is the longest of the qualifying races.  It consists of 4 laps at 26 miles each or 104 miles total distance with 8760 ft of total elevation.  It is mostly doubletrack and fire roads with a couple of decent climbs and very rock descents.   Basically if you’re going downhill on this course it’s going to be rough.

I attempted this race last year (June, 2013) as my first MTB race.  For a variety of reasons (all tied to mental or physical shortcomings on my part), I only completed two laps before throwing in the towel.  At the time, it seemed like an impossible task to complete this event.  I didn’t train enough.  I didn’t know my gear. I didn’t have a strategy. I didn’t understand nutrition or eating.  My mind wasn’t right to deal with the stresses during the ride.

I sat around all year thinking about the race and this past February, I started training again for the event this year, which was moved to September.  Thinking back on last year’s performance I was embarrassed.  I used this as motivation to train and step up my game.  I have been doing spin class at least once a week, long rides on weekends and at least one night a week, short hard efforts at least once a week.  All totaled, probably 6 to 10 hours on the bike a week as work and home life allowed.  I’m certain I can (and will) do more, but that is a huge improvement from basically zero consistent training schedule going into BB 2013.  I even built a new bike for the race, which many of you have seen.

Fast forward to this past weekend:  Myself, three riding buddies, and our SO’s headed up to Flagstaff.  All week, the weather forecast was predicting rain.  Lots of it.  We drove up Friday afternoon to set up camp and pick up packets and all.  The drive up from the Phoenix valley was beautiful as the temps dropped from ~105° to ~75°.

Here is the trusty Subaru Forester (204K miles!) ready to go.  The bike in the back is my new carbon hardtail.  The bike in the front was my buddy’s seasoned Pivot Les carbon hardtail.



We stopped at a reststop between the valley and Flagstaff.  It was beautiful, but clouds were rolling in and it was obvious a storm was coming.



Just as we rolled into Flagstaff, it started to rain hard.  I found out my windshield wipers were shot (we don’t use them much in the valley) and I stopped at Autozone to buy new ones.  The race was down a 10 mile dirt road and I new the bikes would be covered in mud unless I protected them somehow.  My wife and I spent a few minutes coving the bikes in trash bags which the Autozone customers looked at us like we were nuts.



On the way to the trailhead, the storm blew past and it was nice again.


When we arrived at the race area, there were already a lot of people there.  The place was SOAKED and all of the roads were rutted and barely passable.  Many non-AWD/4WD vehicles were stuck everywhere.  We set up camp and got soaked in the process (wet trees, grass, ground).  It was dark just as we finished and went to pick up the race packets.  There were some instructional and motivational speeches that night, but we were all so nervous and tired that we made dinner at camp and went to bed.  I crawled into bed at 9:00, but didn’t fall asleep until 10:30 or so.  Mostly due to nerves and stragglers coming into the camp area late.

I got up the next morning at 5:00 to start eating and preparing.  Line-up was at 6:30 and start was at 7:00.  Even at 5:00, there was a steady stream of participants coming in.  Due to rain in the night, the roads were WAY worse than the day before and cars/RVs were stuck everywhere.  Some started the race late as a result.  You can see the string of headlights in the distance below.  It was brisk, but not cold and the sky looked relatively clear.  Maybe we would get lucky with the weather!  As nervous as I was, it was so peaceful out there.





After breakfast and kitting out, I took my pre-race bathroom break.  Everything was going good until I realized the Port-o-potty I was in was out of paper…  I ended up using a folded up paper in my jersey pocket because it was the only thing I had.  This would be the theme for the day.

Traditionally, this race is a LeMans style start, but due to all the mud it was canceled and replaced with a standard roll-out.  Shotgun start.  Tons of riders.



The first lap felt great.  One of my buddies was gone immediately as he is fast.  Me and the other guy set into a good pace (we train together weekly) and got to work.  Things were going great until about 13 miles in he punctured his tire so bad the sealant wouldn’t hold.  So we stopped and threw in a tube.  This set us back about 10-15 minutes, but no big deal since we had hours and hours ahead of us.  This was our only mechanical for the whole day.  We polished off the first lap with ease.  I felt strong on the climbs, steady on the straights, and went SLOW on the rock garden downhill sections.  The mud at the start and end was crazy.

This is the elevation profile of a single lap:


The second lap was OK, but I really over did it on the second climb trying to pace my buddy.  I had to let him go and met up with him back at the pit stop a bit later.  Coming in from the second lap, I was pretty beat up.  I started to think about last year and was worried I was no stronger than before.  This was the start of me getting up in my head, which is probably my biggest weakness.  My buddy and my wife ultimately pushed me out of the pit.

The third lap was painful for the first half.  Again, I tried to pace my buddy, but was struggling.  While he won’t admit to it, I know he was sandbagging to keep me in sight.  He was super encouraging and kept telling me to light the last match.  The clouds turned grey at the end and I got dumped on which made me cold and wet.  Third lap was over before I knew it.

Once in the pits before the final lap, I was super excited, but also SUPER tired.  To make matters worse, my gut was acting up and I could feel trouble brewing.  The longer I stood there, the worse it got.  I tried to use the bathroom to no avail.  My buddy told me he wasn’t going to leave the pit unless I was with him.  I convinced him I would be going out, but that he should leave, so finally he did.  After about 5-10 minutes of screwing around feeling like I was going to throw up or **** myself, I decided to just hop on the bike and go for it.  I still had 3.5 hours to make the cutoff.

Immediately out on the fourth lap, the adrenaline hit me as I realized that I was going to finish this beast.  And that as long as I didn’t die, I would even make the time cutoff!  I banged out the first 10 miles like it was my job.  But then my guts went south.  I rolled into the only aid station out there and flew into the port-o-potty.  I literally threw the bike down and was stripping off my jacket and jersey to get to my bibs as I waddled to the toilet.  I made it and all was well.  No sooner did I get out of the john (with strange stares from the aid station workers) and got all dressed, it hit me again.  I stripped back down for round two.  Before I left, I grabbed a huge wad of paper as I knew this wasn’t over and there were no other toilets on the course for the next 16 miles.

The next 4 miles went smoothly.  Then the gut struck again and I ended up ****ting my brains out 10 yards off the trail behind a rock.  I left my bike, jacket, jersey, helmet, and headphones by the side of the trail and ran off, which must have been strange for anyone who passed.  That toilet paper I used came in handy.  Once again, I got dressed and no sooner did I swing my leg over the bike, I felt it coming again.  I ran back off towards the rock as fast as I could manage without letting everything go.  I made it just in time, only to realize I had zero to wipe with.  Damn.  I briefly considered the leaves on this velvet looking weed, but was worried about a rash.  I then thought about just sticking it out and getting dressed.  The thought of that meme with the poor marathon runner crossing the finish line with **** running down his legs came to mind and I decided that wasn’t how I wanted to remember my finish.  I then realized I had an Uncrustable PB&J sandwich in my pocket.  Actually I had two of them.  I realized the plastic wrapper was useless, but the sandwich would work great.  And it did.  Feeling pretty smart, I got dressed and went on my way.  I finished the forth lap with time to spare.  And a funny story to boot.

Rolling into the finish area was an incredible feeling.  I didn’t think I was capable of this.  And as painful as it was, all I can think about is doing it again.  How do I get stronger and faster?
I ended up very solidly at the bottom of the pack.  Out of all the solo riders, 168 finished.  I placed 157.  But there were a heck of a lot of DNFs and I wasn’t one of them! With rest stops and all included I was 10 hours, 17 minutes.  104.96 miles.  8760 ft of climbing.

Myself (middle) and my teammates.  Super stoked!  The guy on the left was the buddy who pushed me the whole way.  He did a 9:46 (he’s done this race successfully once before).  The guy in on the right killed it with a 9:09 (he’s done this race and Leadville successfully once as well).  We all go the belt buckle awards. 

 

The rain cleared up for the end of the forth lap and it was beautiful out:


My buddy coming in for the finish:


My support crew and my bike:

Recently, I've been plagued with sweat in my eyes during rides; it's very hot out here this time of year (100°++) and I sweat a lot.  I have a Giro Atmos helmet and the pad selection/placement is very minimal.  It seems that the sweat builds in the pads and drips out in bumpy sections as the helmet moves a bit.  Then it builds in my prolific eyebrows and eventually dumps into my eyes or inside of my sunglasses.  This results in temporary blindness and burning.  Which I can't have when piloting a mountain bike at 20 mph down singletrack.

I'm thinking of a headband/sweatband of some variety.  Do you guys have any suggestions or experience with this issue?