Cyclocross 1 x 11 Shimano XTR/Sram Rival 22 Project

Norco VFR 3 frameset. Why? Because it's Canadian folks! No really bec it's got my preferred off road geometry: Fisher Genesis style!

71/73

22.75" effective top tube
16.5" chainstays
11.5" BB
And a nice slope to the top tube which happens to be flat at seatube for carrying.
Also disc ready with beefy dropouts too.

SO, onto the goodstuff: The 1x11 drivetrain.

Sram Rival 22 11 speed shifters + Sram X7 Type 2/2.1 = COMPATIBLE

+ Shimano XTR M9000 11-40 cassette? Currently without a barrel adjuster, all's well except it does not shift into the lowest 40t cog. The R.D. can go there but for some reason the whole system wont shift there BUT no barrel adjuster to increase tension to do so, so that may solve it.

Sram new Rival/Force 1 RDs w long cage obvsly better choice here now but I got the X7 for $50 so there, ha! In yo face Sram! 

STAY TUNED...

Wolf Tooth Drop Stop chainring on 130 bcd 5bolt crankset.

11 speed Ultegra chain

And oh yeah thats the new XTR M9000 11-40 Dyna Sys cassette with a carbon spider and titanium cogs sucka - fitting OK on any old 8-10 speed freehub! Shimano sooo rocks over Sram. This is one of the many reasons why.

Chain wrap looks sufficient

V-brakes + Road levers? Keep the normal V-brakes dont get shorter "road" V-brakes bec theyre less power, less clearance and more mush and get a Travel Agent! Worth the $35 retail. Now incl. barrel adjuster! Availble on ebay and Live to Play Sports/Norco.

UPDATE May 2015: Even with a barrel adjuster at tightest tension THIS SETUP ONLY WORKS 10 of 11 GEARS!

That is Sram Rival 11 speed shifter + Sram X7 Type 2 derailleur + CS-M9000 11-40 11 speed cassette. 

Thankfully Sram has just announced the ir new 11 speed high capacity riad r. derailleurs: Force 1 and Rival 1!  These would work perfectly here.  

700c Wheel and Rim Actual Weights - Mavic, Shimano etc.

These figures are from actual weigh ins off of a digital scale from new stock from an authorised Mavic and Shimano dealers  (Chain Reaction and Duke's Cycle both in Toronto, Canada):
2014:
RS 21 rear rim weight alone: 506g ! Heavy! But strong, solid and asymmetrical w a generous brake track.

2013:
Dura Ace 9000 C24 (WH-9000?) f/r: 620/840g

Ultegra 6700 Alloy f/r: 740/971g

RS80/C50 f/r: 835/1060g

Older Mavic Aksium Race Rear Rim, silver 20h eyeleted and heavily USED/worn: 493g

2013 Shimano Dura Ace 9000 11 speed Ribbed Polymer Cables to 2012 Dura Ace 7900 10 speed Shifters

At last, we can make our 10 speed Dura Ace 7900 shifters work as good as it should...thanks to the newer Dura Ace 9000 polymer coated and ribbed cables, right??Theortetically, yes. But, what about the extra clamping force that Shimano says is needed for these cables because they are sooo slippery?

Well, let's find out....when I install em later this month....possibly tomorrow Tuesday 16th...

You know these cables are good when they're packed like this.

Be back in a bit...

We're back!

Yes, they worked as expected. Marked improvement over stock 7900 setup to the point where it's excellent. 

What I did:

Used new Dura Ace 9000 polymer, ribbed cables with my stock new average housings on 7900 shifter + 6700 r.d. + 11-32 XT cassette on Rocky Mountain Prestige carbon road bike (typical external cable routing).

 

Friggin awesome!  Of course, not as quick/shorter-throwing or light as the current 9000 shifters BUT, pretty darn close and way better than any stock 7900 setup due to the 9000 cables alone.  They do make that much of a difference just as Shimano claimed (20-27%? reduction in friction). So far no issues with the cable clamping but if so, I figure one could simply remove the coating by abrading it off.

Also, big money saved as I avoided approx. $800 to fully upgrade to 9000. While I got the biggest benefit of the 9000 group (super slick shifting via polymer cables) for about $20. But, I got em by getting the complete pair of 9000 shifters.  I still do not know if these cables are available for sale alone. I know they are not available through any of our suppliers. However, I have not checked Shimano Canada...