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X9 2x10 does not work on Mojo HD?

2K views 10 replies 5 participants last post by  circlesuponcircles 
#1 ·
So, i've had my HD for about a year now. Came from an Ibis dealer with standard X9 groupo. The X9 front shifting was NEVER satisfactory. I've already posted most of the specifics on the "X9 2X10 Doesn't work. Period." thread in the drivetrain forum and the "The Saga Continues" thread in this forum. But for the purposes of this thread all you need to know is that the shifting didn't work properly.

I do 99% of the maintenance on my own bikes, but this one was beyond me. I brought the bike to five shops (including three Ibis dealers) and no one was able to fix the problem. In the process, I bought one new chain, two new 39 tooth chain rings, two new X9 front derailleurs and one new X9 shifter. I also paid for service at every shop. Hundreds of dollars later, the drivetrain still didn't work properly. :madman:

So, I finally bit the bullet. Yesterday, I installed a brand new XT crankset and front derailleur. The result: flawless shifting and chain retention! :thumbsup: It was simple to install and I tuned and adjusted the derailleur, myself.

So what happened!? From what I understand from talking to several Ibis dealers, the X9 system tends not to work well with the HD. Does that mean that Ibis is specing their bikes with a groupo that is destined to fail? Are the tolerances for the direct mount on the HD to big or just plain wrong? Or perhaps Sram is to blame? Maybe their tolerances are too big for the 2x10 crankset and front derailleur combo?

I know many of you out there are thinking, "Crappy mechanics are to blame. I could have made it work." But I just know that you couldn't have. I've had every mechanic in five bike shops standing around my bike scratching their heads. The scene is always the same. I tell the story to a service guy at the shop. He smugly explains that the other shop I went to must be full of idiots and that a front derailleur tune is easy for anyone with half of a brain and that it should only take 10 minutes and cost me $15. Fifteen minutes later he tells me to leave the bike over night. The next day he tells me that the only way to truly figure this out is to start from scratch with new parts. I buy the parts (a new big chain ring, perhaps. Maybe a new derailleur.) The mechanic still can't make any discernible improvements. They send me on my way with a drivetrain that they swear is slightly better off than when I came in, but still works like ****.

So what the hell happened? And who should reimburse me? I'm one of those ibis owners who makes less than 20,000 a year. Far less, in fact. That's right. After three years of single speeding on an early 90s hard tail, I spent more than 25% of my annual income on the bike of my dreams only to sink hundreds of dollars into something as simple as a front derailleur adjust. That sucks.
 
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#3 ·
I hope you do to!! I would suggest making absolutely certain that the drivetrain is working properly before you you leave the shop. Make sure that the chain can not shift off the outside of the big ring up front. Make sure that, in the 39/11 front/rear combo, the outside of the front derailleur cage is in a position that will keep the chain on through the rough stuff. Finally, make sure that the chain shifts smoothly from the 26 tooth ring to the 39 tooth ring-- especially while in the bigger rings in the back. If your bike does all of that, than hopefully you are not afflicted. Of course, you won't really know until you take it out on the trails. If you are having problems, DON'T SPEND ANY MONEY to fix it! Bring it back to the dealer and tell them you want XT up front! :)

Hopefully it all works out. From what I've gathered by polling bike shops and forums, it's kind of hit and miss. It's also possible that the X9 drivetrain will work well at first but rapidly go south. The crazy thing about all this is that, of the many mechanics that have worked on the issue, no one can say for sure what is ACTUALLY GOING WRONG with the sram x9 front derailleur, ibis direct mount and X9 crankset. All we know is that XT fixes the problem.

Between the two Ibis dealers here in the Vail Valley in Colorado, AT LEAST FOUR DIFFERENT HD OWNERS HAVE COMPLETELY SWITCHED THEIR DRIVETRAINS FROM SRAM X9 TO SHIMANO. From talking to other shops on the phone, it seems that there is a pattern.

On a completely different note, you're going to LOVE riding that bike. My mini down hill bike never ceases to amaze me in it's ability to climb as fast as my hardtail then descend shockingly close to as well as my DH bike! Of the bikes in my stable it sees the most use by far......:thumbsup:
 
#6 ·
My HD with X9 works great for me. I have the one with a direct front derailer mount. Never dropped a chain in the 3 weeks I rode it without chain device. Front shifting works well and it only needed a bit of adjustment to account for cable stretch.

I also have X9 on my SL and no problems except occasional chain suck when the chain gets wet/muddy.
 
#9 ·
Update

I finally got fed up and switched to XT front derailleur and crankset. The install was easy and I had the derailleur adjusted perfectly almost immediately. Front shifting is now flawless. I don't know what else to say except that shimano fixed the problem that countless bike shops and I could not fix.

With new setup, which includes a MRP2X guide, it is still possible to loose the chain but only rarely. (5+ foot drops, extremely rough terrain or poorly ridden smaller drops to flat where bottom out occurs). Here's what happens. The X9 rear derailleur cage fails to keep tension on the chain. The chain sags slightly on BOTH sides of the MRP 2X pulleys. That means that the chain sags off the bottom right hand "corner" of the big ring up front (looking at bike from drivetrain side). When tension abruptly returns to the chain, the chain can pull off the outside of the big ring and, at times, bend the flimsy, plastic 2x guide and fall off, altogether. It's really amazing to look down at your drivetrain and see the chain completely off with the guide still intact. It looks like it would've been impossible for the chain to get out of there, but the proof is right below you. After that it's a real hassle to get the chain back on because it involves moving the pulley wheels of the chain guide back before reinstallation is possible. I believe that a clutch derailleur will solve the problem. XT shadow + with XTR shifter is on order.
 
#10 ·
Been running X.0 Gripshift with 24-38-Bash and 11-36, and never had one issue with shifting? I have noticed most people need to shorten their chains a bit more to keep the tension proper? I have also never dropped a chain, and I ride vicious terrain. I'll be testing with a new X.0 Type 2 rear next to see how that works with the system.
 
#11 ·
I'd imagine that your bash is making it impossible for the chain to fall off the outside. If i could go back I would've replaced my crankset with some sort of 2X/Bash combo. Sram makes one, as does blackspire. I'm aware that other folks are running the exact same set up that I was without a problem. I really think that the actual issue will always remain a mystery to me. All I know is that a shimano crankset/derailleur problem fixed it.
 
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