Review: MBK T100, Yess tensioner, Try-All freewheel and Viz! hub | 56k beware?

[Ebon Dragon]

So! this is long overdue, but better late than never eh? Hope it isn’t a pain to read (it was a pain to write!)



The MBK T1000 Frame:

First things first, full shots of the bike:

Right out of the box:




Current Setup:



This frame has got some nice features, but it is also lacking some that I feel are essential to a good frame these days. The improvement this frame needs the MOST is a new BB yoke area. Some days the flex in this part of the frame gets unbearable to the point where I will want to just head back inside the house, or I end up spending the rest of the day just screwing around with manuals (One thing I still have yet to perfect, and expect to learn pretty soon judging by how often the flex bothers me).

The MBK's BB Yoke: recipe for a bb area that feels like a wet noodle




So, onto the next problem I have with the frame (this time not so serious). It is the fact that the frame doesn't have some sort of reinforced magura mount, which to me = more unecessary flex. Apparently some people don't care about this (and say that the bolts of the brake will still flex etc…), but personally I can't stand having a sloppy feeling brake, and don't mind the extra few grams something like a built in brake booster will add. This is something that might seem ironic since the last gripe I have with this frame is the weight!

Picture of the brake mount area:




According to Tarty, the frame weighs in at a monster 4.51 pounds (2.05kg), but it doesn't seem like a monster does it? This is virtually the same weight as a Czar 07 or a Control 07, only the frame is without the extra beef. The only thing I can think that contributes to this extra weight is the tubes. But other then the downtube, nothing else seems to be particularly bombproof.

For example, I have no idea how I got this :




More pics:


Robot that has nothing to do with the T1000 from terminator:





The MBK's solid "B" shaped downtube:



Sexual headtube area of the frame:



Disc mount if anyone is interested:




In Summary:

Pros:

-Looks Great
-Solid front end
-Geometry!! (1092wb, 38bb, 385cs)
-Looks Great
-Unique downtube that shrugs off knocks
-Decent spec when you buy it complete (but you get what you pay for there…)
-New one seems to fix everything except weight.

Cons:

-Cost. For the price (basically the price of a koxx), there should be more goodies on the frame
-Flexy BB area (AND I MEAN FLEX)
-No built in booster
-Some people don’t like internal headsets but I feel it looks cleaner and there aren’t any downsides other then availability
-Weight

Visit www.trialsin.com for more info!

[Ebon Dragon]

Next up, the Yess Tensioner:




So I've been through a shitload of different tensioning setups, from using locked derailleurs to setups as ghetto as this:




On the MBK, the Yess tensioner is probably the most reliable I've ever had. The reason I like it so much is that with the 385cs/18:15 gearing on my MBK, my chain is just short of being able to remove another link which means theres a shitload of slack that needs to be picked up, making a tensioner with 2 pulleys imperative if I want to have adequate chainwrap.

The Yess tensioner is sprung, so you always have consistent tension. Theres also a variety of ways to have the tensioner setup. The spring it uses is a standard left hand cantilever brake spring that pushes up. It can be easily replaced at most local bike shops and if you want to run the tensioner in a push down position, it should be just as easy to get your hands on a right hand spring from said lbs. For my setup, I needed to purchase the "suspension kit" (which is actually just the extra roller you see in the middle of the tensioner and an extra long bolt) in order to pick up the extra slack mentioned earlier and run it basically derailleur style.



What sets it apart from a derailleur however, is the mounting system and the fact that it is much more compact and tucked underneath your chainstay. Of course you could always run a hanger banger with your derailleur but that doesn’t negate the fact that 1. The derailleur sticks out a bunch and you will catch it on an edge in cases where the Yess wouldn’t even hit. 2. Locked out derailleur looks ugly/weighs more (the Yess is only 125g) 3. Hanger Bangers don’t work with bolt on hubs (although I’m positive king fun bolts are too big for this tensioner too).

One last difference this tensioner has from other things like the Rennen or Gusset tensioners is the “derailleur” bolt. You can tell some R&D has actually gone into this tensioner by the fact that it comes with a m4 bolt and nylon nut instead of your standard m8 (I think) derailleur sized bolt. The reason I say this is because in order for those types of tensioners to retain any tension whatsoever you have to have the m8 bolt mega torqued down which ALWAYS leads to a stripped out derailleur hanger (I’ve ruined 1 steel frame and 3 replaceable hangers with the Rennen). Unfortunately, these tensioners will still move every 2-3 rides. The Yess addresses this issue not only with the smaller bolt but also since it is sprung, virtually no stress is applied to that area when pedaling.

In summary:

Pros:
-Sprung
-Can run with 2 pulleys or 1
-Adjustability (spring and chainline)
-m4 bolt, washer and nut
-Weight!

Cons:
-Pulleys aren’t anything fancy, but I’m guessing that’s in order to cut back on production costs since the unit is made in Canada
-Doesn’t work with fun bolts

See www.yesspro.com for more info.

[Ebon Dragon]

Tryall Freewheel:

Apparently these are made in the same factory as the Montys and are exactly the same except with more pawls thrown in.



So I’ve had this freewheel around 4 months now and I’ve experienced 2 skips with it, both of which happened in the first 2 weeks in instances where I was really torquing down on my drivetrain (these skips weren’t really out of the blue, I knew I was putting an unusual amount of stress on the freewheel in the two instances). Lately, I’ve been putting the same amount of stress on the freewheel and it doesn’t skip anymore for some reason, but the engagements have grown really sloppy. There are 3 sets of 3 pawls in the freewheel that engage in 36 notches, hence the 108 engagement points. Originally, out of the box, every single set of pawls would engage at the exact same time but if I spin my cranks slowly now, I can hear the occasional pawl engage a millimeter after the other 2 engage, sometimes even all 3 would engage at different times. The extra engagement is definitely noticeable over my old ENO trials, but it isn’t anything spectacular. The freewheel is really tight, and by that I mean that if you were to spin it with your hand, and try to let it spin by itself, it won’t do so and will stop immediately. Of course this isn’t going to slow you down when you’re on the bike but it also takes away the feeling of a drivetrain that runs smooth.

Summary: It is almost as if this freewheel needed time to break in, but unfortunately, when it is broken in, the freewheel is sloppy. This freewheel doesn’t skip at all on me anymore, but it does seem like the internals aren’t made very precisely which in turn will mean a shorter life span to the point where one of these days I’m almost expecting it to explode on me mid-gap. The quality isn’t up to the usual Try-All standard and even if it does never explode, the engagement will probably only get more and more sloppy as time goes by. That being said, I do enjoy having the extra engagement + the loud whirr the freewheel makes when I’m riding, and I might consider getting another one when I decide this one’s time is up.

[Ebon Dragon]

Viz! Hub:




What can I say about this hub? It kicks ass. It has a solid steel axle, good quality construction, smooth Japanese bearings, adjustable chainline, a “good price” (compared to the try-all), and is lightweight. The only thing that it is missing is a steel driveshell which some people swear by. Personally I don’t think it is worth the extra weight and a wide base cog will get you by just fine. Get one if you’re looking for a quality hub at a great price.

One serious warning however, DO NOT USE THE BOLTS THAT COME WITH THE HUB. They are really fucking weak, I broke one of them by tightening alone and removed the other side’s to see that it was stretched out from its original M5 size to around 2.5mm in diameter. DO NOT USE THE BOLTS.

www.uniquetrials.com is the place to get VIZ in North America









Edit: Holy shit am I fucked up, that review took me 1.5 hours of staring at this screen and listening to the same pinback song for that amount of time.

[jda]

Thanks for the very detailed review mate, can you make some comment on how it rides?

[aki]

Great review

[Ross W.]

Yeah dude, thanks for taking the time.

[perkins]

Nice review. I have been riding the same frame for the past year and a half. It's still holding up really well. No cracks. The downtube has a ton of dents in it, but they were all from hard hits. I don't know how you could dent the top tube like that... you're right, the rear end is pretty flexy. You wouldn't really think so by looking at it. It has a lot of flex, even with a brake booster. The only real problem that I had with the frame was that the wheel wouldn't sit straight in the dropouts, so I had to file it down. Not something I thought I would have to do on an expensive frame. Overall, I have been happy with it. Not too sure about what I'll get next for a frame...
The Viz hub works great. I have also had that a year and a half. No problems at all. Actually, all of the Viz stuff (fork, MaxBar, and complete wheelset) that I have has held up really well. The rims don't hold a grind very well, though...
...and that's my two minute review.

[netto]

i made a try all free wheel skip many many times today

[Ebon Dragon]

Originally Posted by jda

Thanks for the very detailed review mate, can you make some comment on how it rides?

I would say that the geo is really the strongest selling point on this frame and as a result it rides really great if you can get over the fact that the bb area is damn flexy. Of course that's really not telling you much since geometry is all personal preference haha. One thing I keep hearing from other people is that the bike feels unusually short for its size, which must be true because I ride it pretty comfortably being only 5 10. However, this might be because of the flat bars I'm running as opposed to the riser bars everyone else here seems to love. One thing for sure is that the bb->headtube length is the exact same as my old simtra. Compared to that bike, the 385 stays make the bike a bit more controlled on the rear wheel (you loop out slower if you know what i mean) while the higher bb kind of adds to that while raising your riding position a noticeable amount. In the end I feel it lets me ride a bit more aggressively because it makes the bike become much more predictable and the extra clearance you get is awesome on pretty much everything.

To perkins:
About the wheel not sitting straight in the drops, I figured that maybe I just had one from a bad batch. Which dropout did you file? for me the problem was that the right side dropout was too big so the hub had some room to move around. I managed to fix the problem by "dishing" my wheel awkwardly but it resulted in my spoke tension on the non driveside not being so great. Truth be told I could never really be assed to fix it properly (filing, or filling in the right dropout) but yeah, this is definately not something we should have to deal with on a frame this expensive. Pics of your bike?

[literocola]

Originally Posted by netto

i made a try all free wheel skip many many times today

Sucks netto, I hate when I have expensive parts that give me issues. My WI likes to fall apart every now and again. Its eaten up 2 prawl springs and the lock ring likes to work its way loose even with a lot of locktight. I bought a spanner tool just so I can keep it tight.

Great review! I really like the look of these, but now question it a little bit.

[Ebon Dragon]

For the WI you're supposed to red loctite them shut.

[netto]

or not ride them

[Keith Courage]

Red loctite?
How the hell do you service it then?
I've owned 2 WIs. Never loctited one and never had a problem yet.
The one I'm on now hasn't been serviced in over a year.
These things are bombproof. I'll never ride a king.
FFW for life.

[stefan]

i would like to see you ride

a vid anywhere ?

[aki]

Originally Posted by Ebon Dragon

For the WI you're supposed to red loctite them shut.

Noooooo please don't do this. WI does not mention anything about putting any loctite on the threads.

[perkins]

Not the best picture... the bike is pretty spent at this point, but it still works. I think a four bolt booster would help, but I know there would still be a lot of flex. Your wheel looks like it's a lot better than mine... I had to play with mine a lot to get it right. I'm not even sure what side I filed down first... I ended up having to do both sides, I just don't remember what side I had to file more. I'm glad I'm not the only one who got screwed up dropouts... it would be nice if neither of us had to deal with them, though. I had issues with tensioners before... maybe because the wheel wasn't lined up right, so I just use a locked out short cage XTR. Works well. I have a WI freewheel on the new style of Tensile cranks... no problems with either one. The Viz fork is still stiff and holding up well. The Viz wheels came complete... and are still true and holding up well. I got bored and made my front wheel look like crap, though. Thomson road stem is nice... Hayes MX2 front brake... probably the cheapest brake/lever combo you can get, but it works great. I'm so picky when it comes to a front brake, and this has been my favorite set up yet... yeah, that's about it.

[eturt9]

lol at T1000 transformer