# Why El Jefe



## HEMIjer (Jul 17, 2008)

Not a ton out there on this bike minus the Single Speed Forum so figured start one. Took advantage of amazing deal Why Cycles had going to pick up my first Ti bike.

Some initial thoughts based on some suburban riding and my backyard trail.

Bike geo: As expected very neutral but still very capable.
Ride quality: Hoping no t placebo need to get pressures dialed and g ride a trail with consecutive "hits" but I can tell oi is more Supple than say my Canfield Yelli
Weight: As Spec'd below just over 26 pounds. 26.02 actually with pedals no bottle cages.
Buying Experience: Great Comms from Why/Revel team, bike packed very well, shipped relatively quickly, Built up very well, I changes some stuff out but everything seemed to be to torque and installed correctly.

Specs:
Medium Frame
Fox 34 SC - 2nd of these I have owned this one feels much better than the previous
Wheels: RW30 with I9 101, little heavy but hoping they ride really well. Initial thought was definitely not overly stiff so expect they will, need a 4 plus hour trail ride to really test them out..
Tires: Dissector Front / Rekon Rear one of my favorite all rounder combos same as I use on Ripley and this came stock so very nice. Also think a XR3/XR4 combo would pair well with this bike.
Brakes: G2 RSC have had G2s before they do the job prefer Shimano and Magura but no reason to change. Came stock with 160mm rotors, will need to go 180mm upfront soon.
Drive train. X01/XX1 mix. I Had XX1 Cassette and Crank new in box hadn't used so swapped out from stock. Even in the mountains I like the 34T chainring on a HT.
Seatpost: RF Turbine, so far so good remote has a nice feel.
Cockpit: RF Next bar cut to 760 with Turbine Stem have used both before they do the job well and is not harshly stiff even at 35mm. Had some PNW grips ready but the Lizard Skin chargers feel good so will try them.
Other items: King Cages, Bontrager Saddle. Cane Creek headset all awesome std stuff for me that just works and lasts.


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## BadgerOne (Jul 17, 2015)

That is a beautiful hardtail! Enjoy


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## fitnessgeek (Feb 8, 2006)

I have the same stock XO build coming in soon. I'm looking forward to getting it built up and out on the trails.


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## HEMIjer (Jul 17, 2008)

fitnessgeek said:


> I have the same stock XO build coming in soon. I'm looking forward to getting it built up and out on the trails.


Definitely were a cant pass up deal it had been looking at the bike anyway. 

My only issue so far is the seatpost, didn't torque clamp tight enough and it slipped only slightly throwing tension off and the dropper wouldn't stay up. Right now clamping at 6.5NM and seems to be doing the trick. Didnt want to overdue it since these are basically a Fox Transfer and they are known to have return issues in the cold if over tightened. Almost just went to PNW and will if have another issue.


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## fitnessgeek (Feb 8, 2006)

HEMIjer said:


> Definitely were a cant pass up deal it had been looking at the bike anyway.
> 
> My only issue so far is the seatpost, didn't torque clamp tight enough and it slipped only slightly throwing tension off and the dropper wouldn't stay up. Right now clamping at 6.5NM and seems to be doing the trick. Didnt want to overdue it since these are basically a Fox Transfer and they are known to have return issues in the cold if over tightened. Almost just went to PNW and will if have another issue.


Thanks for the heads up on the seatpost. I'll start at 6.5NM right off the bat. Did you also use carbon paste? Any other build notes I should check before the first ride?


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## HEMIjer (Jul 17, 2008)

Yes I use carbon paste on all seat posts (sometime grease) due to bad experience with steel frame and aluminum post (dropper). Not sure be issue with Ti, but little precaution wont hurt.


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## jct (Mar 26, 2004)

are those frames made by them in house or are they contracted out?


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## HEMIjer (Jul 17, 2008)

jct said:


> are those frames made by them in house or are they contracted out?


They are designed by them in US than made in China in small factory they partner with some info on their web page, Instagram, and fb. I had to debate if this is route I was willing to go but in the end came down to was still supporting a quality US business with reputation for customer service and rider based, rider supporting company. Also some of the parts are US designed and made (The RW30 wheels with i9 1/1 hubs).


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## Laupe (Jan 9, 2022)

How is the Fox 34 SC on this bike better than the other one you had? Asking because i have the same fork and i'm feeling it could be better...


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## HEMIjer (Jul 17, 2008)

Laupe said:


> How is the Fox 34 SC on this bike better than the other one you had? Asking because i have the same fork and i'm feeling it could be better...


My older one from 2019/2020 could never get supple enough off the top without lowering air pressure too much to impact mid stroke. It worked well just not excellent if that makes sense. Comparing to RS Pike Ultmatw or Grip2 Fox could just be I'm spoiled with adjustability. Will note did have to pull air spring on a Older Fox fork and wipe off some grease that was common problem for a bit where over greasing them from factory was causing "stiffness (compression)" issues. Worth trying if have the know how and tools.


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## BadgerOne (Jul 17, 2015)

HEMIjer said:


> Definitely were a cant pass up deal it had been looking at the bike anyway.
> 
> My only issue so far is the seatpost, didn't torque clamp tight enough and it slipped only slightly throwing tension off and the dropper wouldn't stay up. Right now clamping at 6.5NM and seems to be doing the trick. Didnt want to overdue it since these are basically a Fox Transfer and they are known to have return issues in the cold if over tightened. Almost just went to PNW and will if have another issue.


This is common with Chinese built Ti frames for some reason - I think the tubing supplier they all use is a few thousandths too generous with the inside diameter. Seen others deal with it using a soda-can shim, but that is a bad idea on Ti. I solved my issue by chucking the bargain-bin seat clamp and using a thick beefy one that wouldn't allow for clamp stretch around the diameter (I think mine is a Sunlite). 5nm and all is well with my fat arse trying its best to break the post loose.

I was close to buying a Wayward, a couple of times actually, but it is looking like 29+ isn't going to be supported in any meaningful way going forward, so for now I'm passing. The Jefe is a solid deal though.


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## HEMIjer (Jul 17, 2008)

BadgerOne said:


> This is common with Chinese built Ti frames for some reason - I think the tubing supplier they all use is a few thousandths too generous with the inside diameter. Seen others deal with it using a soda-can shim, but that is a bad idea on Ti. I solved my issue by chucking the bargain-bin seat clamp and using a thick beefy one that wouldn't allow for clamp stretch around the diameter (I think mine is a Sunlite). 5nm and all is well with my fat arse trying its best to break the post loose.


I don't think it is the the frame but might double check and try backing off torque a little.


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## natzoo (Jan 21, 2009)

Tolerances are based in probability: half of the seatposts will be undersized and half the seat tubes will be oversized. The way tolerances stack up, you inevitably end up with undersized seatposts paired with oversized seat tubes.

This two-bolt seat collar is designed for metal bikes: Engin Dual Bolt Seat Collar (33.1/34.9/36.4/38.6mm) — Engin Cycles
It more or less eliminates the slipping without having to crank down on a single bolt.

Also, in an effort to stomp out misinformation on the internet, soda can shims are a conspiracy. The difference between a loose and tight-fitting seatpost is on the order of .01mm. A soda can is .1mm thick, wrapped around it changes the diameter by .2mm. There is no way you are shoving .2mm into a seat tube unless you are using the wrong size to begin with.


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## HEMIjer (Jul 17, 2008)

I won't need another clamp backed off to 5.8Nm and holding fine. Understand completely about tolerances and shims nailed it.

Edit: Ended up going back to 6.5 NM slipped again eventually at 5.8


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## fitnessgeek (Feb 8, 2006)

I got my El Jefe built up last night and just did a neighborhood ride to bed in the brakes, dial in the shifting, and make sure the cockpit is ready for a real ride soon. I set the seatpost clamp to 6.5 Nm based on this thread and it's holding fine so far even though I'm 6'4" and 210 lbs. I swapped the saddle for a Specialized Mirror, and installed carbon cages, K-edge Boost Garmin mount, and Garmin Varia Radar. The stickers on one of the fork legs got scratched up in shipping so I may have to order some Stikrd stickers in a different color scheme...maybe Sram Gold. The build from Why was decent, but definitely needed some adjustments to make it all dialed. I'm looking forward to putting in some miles on this El Jefe.


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