Yesterday I decided to do a test run on the North West part of Fullerton Loop (where all the fun hills and jumps are
). It started raining on me about a 1/4 way in, but I was able to get through it before it got muddy.
The 30mm snap ring is holding great on the jackshaft freewheel adapter, and the ACS Crossfire 13T is super smooth. I guess the one downside is that the racheting clicks are spaced closer together. It's not louder, but the clicks/ticking sound from the 13T freewheel is more rapid if you get the idea.
Since the left side of my bottom bracket spindle was bent, it would cause the crank bolt to loosen and the crank arm would wobble loose (I could remove the crank by hand without using a crank puller). I decided to put some red/permanent thread locker on it on Monday, and it held up well jumping off railroad ties and small jumps on the trail. I pedal a lot, but I can live with this at the moment. Switching back and forth on my new Giant Roam (Picked up on Monday), I can tell that the left crank on the Stink-E is a bit off, but only very slightly.
I feel that I have a couple of options regarding dealing with the bent bottom bracket spindle:
1. Wait for an ISIS solution for ISIS crank arms. That means more money spent on crank arms and a new bottom bracket.
2. Get rid of the crank freewheel and run "pedal assist" style (no coasting) with the ISIS BB and Cranks I pulled off the bike. Not too bad of an option since I'm always pedaling when engaging the throttle.
3. Swap in my spare GNG BB. Problem with that is it'll more than likely bend in the same fashion after a few trail rides.
Another issue that I'm running into is my chain falling off going down flights of stairs, rough terrain, and/or hitting hard dips/bumps. Having a DH bike with a lot of rear suspension travel, it was almost a necessity to have my Blackspire chain tensioner and idler. My chain would still fall off from time to time, but not EVERY ride (more than once on longer rides). Due to the way the GNG is mounted, I had to do away with the tensioner and idler. I was thinking about making my own PVC chain guide, but decided to pick up one of these instead (looks way cooler than anything I'd be able to rig :lol: ).
Hopefully this will remedy the chain from jumping off.
As for a potential crank solution, I may go with #2 and do away with the crank arm freewheel... not to mention, I can use my Blackspire chain tensioner and idler again.
I'll keep y'all updated.