1.  Bling Ring Fit

I’ve had a couple of questions about the MRP Bling Ring installed on the Superfish.  This is a 34T bling ring.

As installed, there is about 3mm of clearance between the ring and the frame, at the tightest point of travel.  (Note: this is a 3mm allen key).

Another angle:

The Bling Ring is installed on X0 Cranks.  The cranks were provided to me by a third party.  Of note: when I went to install the cranks, they were too wide…with the stock axle, the cranks were close to a CM too wide.  They were PF30 cranks, so I’m guessing that they were the wrong Q factor.  Beggars can’t be choosers, so what I did was disassemble the stock X9 cranks, pull the axle off of them, and bolt the X0 carbon crank arms to it.  Set up like that, it fits perfectly, and tightened to tension perfectly with the stock PF30 bb.  

I am not presently running any chain retention other than the X0 type 2 derailleur.  Time will tell if that is a successful gambit.  If it doesn’t work, I plan on trying a clamp mount MRP chain retention device, like this one on MTBR, shown on a Spearfish.  Time will tell.

2.  XO Rear Derailleur, X0 Cassette Fitment:

I had one comment asking “do these work together.”  Yes.  All modern SRAM 10 speed  X series stuff works together–all of it with direct actuation.  I’m currently running an X9 trigger shifter on matchmaker clamps with Elixir 7 brakes.

That’s running an X0 Type 2 rear derailleur.

That’s spinning a chain over the XX 11-36 cassette.

Full weights are on the 1×10 conversion page.

I do anticipate going to a gripshifter, notwithstanding my normal proclivity towards trigger shifters.  With the 2×10, I would commonly find a cassette gear I was happy with, and shift the front around–little ring for climbing, big ring for flat and descents.  Sure, I’d skip around in the rear when necessary to adjust cadence, but I’d shift the front more than the rear.  Illinois tends to be flat, and not flat.  Big ring = flat, little ring = not flat.

With 1×10, I’m doing more rear shifting.  Being able to dump the cassette down into the biggest gears for climbs looks attractive to me.  Gripshift would permit that.  I’m working on a swap for an XX gripshifter right now.  If it goes on, I’ll update.