Answers to all your tech queries

– Should I fit volume spacers in my shock? What mini pump? Which Whyte T-130 to go for? Plus, how to repair a broken chain and stash kit on your bike

Ramping up

I’m riding a Giant Anthem fitted with a RockShox Monarch RL shock. I recently replaced the stock air sleeve with the DebonAir equivalent. While it’s now much plusher, it blows through its travel too easily, even when set up with just 20 per cent sag. Is it worth adding some Bottomless Rings, or will I get the same effect by swapping back to the standard air sleeve? Dave Allen, via email Before you switch back to the old air sleeve, it’s certainly worth having a play about with some volume-reducing bands. Adding them to your shock will alter how it ramps up towards the end of its travel and prevent it bottoming out too easily. Bottomless Rings only really make a difference to the final third of the stroke, so you should still get that supple initial touch that comes courtesy of the extra-volume DebonAir sleeve.

You may need to run a good few psi more than you did with the standard air sleeve, so don’t be surprised if your original settings don’t work any more. Experiment by riding over the same section of trail each time you add or remove a ring until you feel things are just about right. If, after all this, you still can’t get the bike to feel right, it’s worth having a chat to a suspension specialist such as TF Tuned or Sprung Suspension. Alternatively, you can put the original air sleeve back on, but it won’t feel quite as supple at the start of the stroke.

Pumped!

I’m fairly new to mountain biking, but since being bitten by the bug I’ve been packing in as many trail miles as possible. What mini pump do you recommend for long days in the hills? Kelvin Stevens, via email Mini pumps are often disappointing, because their small size means it can take an

incredible number of strokes to inflate a tyre. But there are some that genuinely work. Rob recommends the Topeak Mountain Morph, which has lived in his pack for the past seven years. The fold-out foot support, folding handle and generous volume make it a painless process to get your tyre up to pressure. While the hose could be a touch longer, the pump’s bombproof construction means it’s well worth the £32 price tag.

The right FIT

I’m trying to decide whether to buy a Whyte T-130 S or RS, and don’t know which to go for. I’ve just read the review of the 2018 T-130 S in MBUK 346 and it seems like an awesome bike. But when it comes to the T-130 RS, I can only find an online video review of the 2017 bike, which says the ‘Performance’ series Fox fork and shock aren’t quite up to scratch. For 2018, Whyte have upgraded to a ‘Performance Elite’ fork. Will this help? Cameron Williams, via email While we’ve not tested the 2018 T-130 RS, it uses the same great frame as the S and the shift to a Performance Elite fork should help its overall performance. That said, the T-130 S costs a cool £400 less and has some seriously great kit bolted to it. We’ve used SRAM’s GX Eagle 1x12 transmission on a string of bikes this year and have really got on with it, while the new RockShox Revelation’s stout 35mm upper tubes should make for a properly stiff, pinpointaccurate fork when it counts. Unless you’re desperate for Fox dampers and a Shimano transmission, we’d probably opt for the cheaper model.