u/IMGangsta1

Looking for some advice about riding friends who are more skilled and take more risks than me.

Since injuring myself with these same buddies a while back, I am trying to be more cautious while I recover. However, there is always an subtle undercurrent of competitiveness between us, and though I'm probably the least competitive of the group, I still feel pushed to try features I might walk if I was riding alone.

I genuinely enjoy riding with these homies. They are good people, and we have a good time, but my question is this:

How should I think about pushing my limits when I'm out riding with friends who are better than me? I want to get better and progress on the bike, but I feel like I'm at much greater risk of injury because I don't have the same level of skill – these friends have more skill due to prior experience, either on MTB or through another form of cycling that transfers well to MTB.

I'm getting close to 40, I have some balance issues due to an inner ear disease, and I also tore my ACL in the past while participating in a winter sport, so I'm well aware of my mortality. My riding friends definitely have a higher level of risk tolerance than me.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!

I have a GX AXS rear derailleur that has developed significant play in the pivot joints to the point where it no longer shifts cleanly.

Recently, I saw a bike or two on Pinkbike (https://www.pinkbike.com/buysell/4161573/) where the rear derailleur presumably had the same issue, and the owners rebuilt the pivot joints with Madrone Jab rebuild parts. I was intrigued because the Madrone website explicitly states that the pivot rebuild kit is incompatible with SRAM or Shimano Derailleurs.

Has anyone rebuilt their SRAM AXS Eagle with replacement parts for the Madrone Jab?

Would i need to purchase a Madrone Jab derailleur cage in addition to the pivot kit to make it work?

Thanks so much for your help folks! I really appreciate it.