I was at Ray’s on Saturday. It was cool seeing all of the pros ride and the free food and PBRs made it even better! That place is so rad. Nice video too, that DH place looks decent.
Current score: 0
Cookie
Posted November 16, 2009 at 10:29 PM
Hey man read ur review on the Fury I’m thinking of getting 1 for use on with my MTB (love the design and the price2)
Would u recommend this bash hat? only asking as you mentioned that it might not be 2great for a Mountain biker.
You may have been confused with my wording in the review. I mentioned that we had a bunch of snow on the ground when I received the helmet, the snow is great if you’re a skier but not a mountain biker. I was just making a little joke. The Fury helmet is a great value and I would highly recommend it to anyone looking for a helmet in this price range. It’s comfortable, great looking and can take a serious beating. Thanks for the visiting the site and making it better with your questions!
Yep, I’m really liking this setup and that was a great day of riding. The Elka really wrings the last drop of performance out of the already awesome Cove STD. We’ve got to get you on something more to your liking next season! For those of you who don’t know “Mr. Lahey” he’s the one that follows me through the little rock garden in the video, he’s wearing the black Misfits shirt. That rock garden is gnarlier that what it appears to be in the video, still fast and fun though.
So what do you think? That was a killer camping setup they had at the first ride spot, a nice tour of the Transition facility and as always pinner riding footage.
I’ll start things off. This is a more Freeride oriented product but in my opinion the Truvativ Hammerschmidt planetary geared internal front transmission crankset is the most significant product to hit the market in awhile. Having the ability to switch to a climbing gear without having to run two rings and a front derailleur is huge. I don’t own one (yet) but I’ve ridden it enough times to know that it’s stellar. Shift instantly anytime, anywhere and never lose your chain, that’s wicked.
Current score: 0
chicken sandwich
Posted November 25, 2009 at 1:13 PM
Im still using products from 3 years ago so count me out of this convo
its more xc right now but I see the cannondale electronic controlled suspension working its way into downhill soon. I can’t wait. no more adjusting suspension every ride. that would be great.
I wonder if I could shift my Hammerschmidt and adjust my SIMON equipped Cannondale simultaneously while in the air after launching a road gap…maybe throw in a superman while I’m at it eh? That SIMON system is pretty damn impressive.
Current score: 0
Chicken Sandwich
Posted November 26, 2009 at 3:12 PM
They’ll put a micro chip in anything these days.
Current score: 0
nr2productions
Posted November 27, 2009 at 7:01 PM
I have to agree with Sean, the Hammerschmidt was the most significant new product of the year (damn Sean you took my idea). Anyway another product that caught my eye was sixsixone’s new EVO series of pads and armor that use d3o padding. They are flexible and soft till something strikes it with any real force then it instantly becomes hard.
Current score: 0
nr2productions
Posted November 29, 2009 at 2:49 AM
I can’t wait to see all the great pics that everybody have. This is a great idea, keep it up!
Current score: 0
freeriderbrett
Posted December 1, 2009 at 6:40 PM
this is going to be really cool in a couple of years when it really hits the industry. hydroformed cro-mo tubes for dj bikes. http://www.pinkbike.com/photo/4240908/
Those tubes look so nice on the new Fireeyes. I’m diggin the green SPITFIRE XVI and the SHORTFUSE 360 24″er. The SHORTFUSE 360 would be a sick Ray’s bike.
I’ll kick this off. I want to go bigger. Plain and simple, I want to hit the jumps/drops I’ve been hitting bigger than ever before and I want to suck-it-up and hit the bigger jumps/drops that I’ve yet to hit.
Current score: 0
Chicken Sandwich
Posted December 3, 2009 at 1:43 PM
Cornering and trusting the rubber.
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ROOK
Posted December 6, 2009 at 3:07 PM
I have to agree with Sandwich on this one. Races are won and lost in the corners.
Yep, looks like it’s shaping up to be a serious place to ride. I’ll be taking some trips out this spring for sure. Great job on the article Blanton!
Current score: 0
DHer44
Posted December 4, 2009 at 11:03 AM
I just want to be faster and be more comfortable while going really fast. Great site by the way, just found it today.
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Mr Lahey
Posted December 4, 2009 at 12:09 PM
We are looking at another nice day for trail building tomorrow (going to be a cold one). Looking to have a completed top to bottom Super-D with a few features done by the time we leave. This trail should have the longest continuous descent in Ohio with about a 3 minute lap time. The Bobcat is having some mechanical issues so all of the slopesyle work will be done by hand for the time being.
Current score: 0
Chicken Sandwich
Posted December 6, 2009 at 8:02 PM
Good pic. What equipment did you use?
Current score: 0
bsmith87
Posted December 8, 2009 at 1:51 AM
I’m gonna go with all of the above. I want to be faster and I have some stuff in mind I wasn’t considering at the beginning of this year but it is looking more doable.
Current score: 0
freeriderbrett
Posted December 8, 2009 at 6:49 PM
I’ve been working on my DJ skills with the recent purchase of my P and Ray’s being the best it has ever been. I just want to be able to jump smooth and get some good rhythm down so I can take it to the trail and be even faster and smoother.
I’m going with my ol’buddy John Cowan. He’s getting up there in age just like me and he’s still shredding stronger than ever. When I met and talked with him at Snowshoe this summer he was very approachable and fun to hang out with. Definitely a positive image for our sport.
It is a nice video that you have made. I would like to see the optional aspects that the camera offer. Are you to make more video in the soon future? I wish to get this camera or the GoPro HD.
Thank you for the complement! I do plan on doing more videos soon using the different aspect ratios. I had the original GoPro Wide camera and really liked the mounting options that it offered. I do feel that the Contour HD 1080p is easier to use while riding though.
It would be a toss up between Richie Schley and Robbie Bourdon for me. Schley is an old school freeride and downhiller who still does it all and still demands respect, but Bourdon simple hucks off anything. The road gap he does in NWD7 is unbelievably big.
I’m going with Goldstein Productions’ “On the Line”. I’ve been watching this more and more lately and it really gets me stoked. Great riding, cool interviews, great cinematography and awesome scenery. Check it out at Goldstein Productions
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Chicken Sandwich
Posted December 16, 2009 at 12:06 PM
Tread!! And any Clay Porter film
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nr2productions
Posted December 16, 2009 at 10:31 PM
Any one from the Collective series. Superb riding, great cinematography, awesome locations and lots of fluff.
I agree with Sandwich, Roam was my least favorite but still fun to watch. The Collective (original) was just awesome. I loved the later scenes shot in the forests of B.C. Those tall trees and loamy soil looked so nice.
I’m excited about the TR450. It seems like Transition has taken what they’ve learned over the past few years of designing frames with dialed geometry and coupled that knowledge with state-of-the-art manufacturing processes. They’ve refined every last detail of the bike and it shows. I am hoping that it rides as good as it would appear to…I have the feeling that it will.
Current score: 0
miragebass
Posted December 17, 2009 at 1:40 PM
I sure hope it rides as well as they’re hyping it up. If not, people will be really dissapointed. I only wish I had $2400 to spend on a frame, but for now I’ll have to stay with my Blindside.
Well if you have to be stuck with a frame the Blindside is a pretty good one to be stuck with. $2400 is steep for TBC but in line with other mfgs. DH race frame pricing. I also hope it lives up to the hype.
Current score: 0
miragebass
Posted December 17, 2009 at 2:33 PM
New World Disorder 5 is my favorite freeride video. Not sure about DH videos, maybe f1rst?
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miragebass
Posted December 18, 2009 at 5:52 PM
I can’t believe how light that thing is dude. The front end will be so light you’ll probably back flip accidentally the first time you come off a lip and pull up, haha!
The front end will definitely be lighter. It should feel nice and snappy. I’ll take an accidental back flip any day as long as I land it LOL.
Current score: 0
miragebass
Posted December 18, 2009 at 5:59 PM
I’m not as focused on going big, but in the words of Ricky Bobby “I wanna go fast.” Basically like what Sandwich said I wanna learn to trust the bike and proper brake usage will definitely help. A big part of it will be losing weight and getting in shape so I’m not tired 2 minutes into my race runs. I’ve been home on my winter break in Cleveland for 6 days and I’ve ridden Ray’s everyday (except one) and spent a decent amount of time on the XC loop. I have to say I already feel a lot better and loose and am getting a lot less winded on that one “climb” in there.
Current score: 0
nr2productions
Posted December 21, 2009 at 11:36 AM
I thought this was a cool picture. Congrats to the Fish.
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NCBrapp
Posted December 21, 2009 at 5:01 PM
I used the upper body protector last season and really liked it. It wasn’t as cool as I thought it would be but not any worse than well ventilated “regular” armor. It is alot more comfortable than any other armor I’ve worn though.
The helmet is in! It’s beautiful in person, the pics can’t do it justice. Much lower profile than the DOT helmets I’ve been wearing the past few years and much lighter. The good news is that the strap is long enough to leave in the d-rings while putting on and taking off the helmet so it’s actually easier than a clip setup.
Current score: 0
miragebass
Posted December 31, 2009 at 12:35 PM
I would have to go with Quality Bicycle Products (parts distributor). I contacted them looking for a part that they were out of stock in and the guy I spoke with actually went through other distributors inventory to see who had the part I needed, then recommended a website to order from that distributor.
Elka, they are kinda new to the MTB world and have taken it by storm IMO. Finally we have someone to compete with Fox, hopefully with all this competition we(riders) can see some price cuts.
This industry definitely has some great people and companies dedicated to making it a positive experience for the consumers. It gives you a good feeling about the MTB community when you talk to many of these guys.
I’m going to have to go with good ‘ole Snowshoe Mountain Bike Park. It’s got every type of terrain and trail you’d want to ride and the people there are so friendly and hospitable. Gotta show some love for the Raging Bull trail…
Hell yeah! He shreds and I can’t wait to see him shredding on Cove Bikes. That Foreplay build is SICK!
Current score: 0
brooklyn
Posted January 29, 2010 at 12:06 PM
Diablo is my favorite hands down. I’ve been to most of the parks in the East and Diablo just stands out. Highland is pretty sick too though. NO pics, sorry.
Current score: 0
brooklyn
Posted January 29, 2010 at 12:08 PM
I’ve wanted one of the GoPros for a while. Thanks for putting this up now I know who to buy it from.
Current score: 0
Rodrigo
Posted January 30, 2010 at 2:47 PM
“It has a linear feel right up to the last 15%-20% of the stroke where it ramps up nicely to give that deep feel while eliminating harsh bottoming.”
IIRC, the Rune has a leverage curve that starts linear and then becomes regressive (the leverage ratio increases at the end of travel) so that doesn’t make sense with the above statement. A friend of mine has a Rune and he has this particular complain with the frame (blows the last part of the travel easily).
That’s interesting. With the DHX 5.0 Air shock that I used on the Rune I never felt that the rear was easily bottomed out. The ratio may very well be regressive but the back end of the review bike never exhibited anything less than excellent control with a nice deep feel. I was commenting on the feel rather than quantitative information.
What shock was your friend using if I might ask?
Thank you for commenting by the way. Comments and personal experiences make these reviews more informative to our readers.
No question that Windrock is my favorite place to ride. The trails would be a toss up between the Windmill trail and Southern Rocks. Both are unbelievably fun! I don’t have any pics from there but I found this great one posted on Ridemonkey from the gap/drop on the windmill trail.
I’d have to go with Boyne since it feels like my “home” trail. Always have the hill to ourselves, Rich is the man and always makes us feel more than welcome, and we have the coolest camp area all to ourselves in the back woods(and people don’t come yell at us at midnight like other camp spots;).) Boyne is the bees knees fo sho.
Current score: 0
Keith
Posted January 31, 2010 at 12:34 PM
The Rune is progressive for first 40% of travel then regressive for last 60%. The lowest leverage ratio at 40% travel is designed to give a subtle pedal platform which when combined with anti-squat curve will mean you get efficient pedaling without need for pro pedal or equivalent from the shock.
The overall regressive nature of the suspension is to match the progressive nature of an air shock. If the shock is tuned correctly then the Rune will never bottom out, but depending on the shock it may require bottom out resistance from the shock.
If your friend is blowing through the last part of the travel too easily, then I would suggest that he increases the bottom out resistance on the shock, or switch to a shock that is more progressive if using a linear shock without adjustibility.
Thanks Keith! Straight from the designer’s mouth. So, Rodrigo you were correct in stating that the leverage curve is regressive and my observation of the suspension exhibiting a bottomless feel that resists bottom out when being used with a DHX Air is also accurate. I guess the bottom line is that if the Rune were to have been designed with a flat or even progressive leverage curve it would ramp up too much and too early when used with an air shock not allowing the rider to effectively tune their shock to achieve full travel while still providing mid stroke support and efficient pedaling characteristics. *deep breath* In other words it would wallow and feel dead.
Me after an unexpected dismount from the teeter on the “Man City” at the skills park in Stony Creek Metro Park. 6 foot fall onto my helmet and face. 100 stitches later and my lip was re-attached.
Current score: 0
Rodrigo
Posted February 3, 2010 at 1:26 AM
Yeah, but then the suspension linkage design isn’t preventing bottom out. So you are commenting on feel based on shock selection, not on frame performance.
My friend has used a Manitou Evolve ISX6 and a Marzocchi Roco btw.
“The Rune is progressive for first 40% of travel then regressive for last 60%. The lowest leverage ratio at 40% travel is designed to give a subtle pedal platform which when combined with anti-squat curve will mean you get efficient pedaling without need for pro pedal or equivalent from the shock.”
What is the anti squat (a2) at 40 percent of travel. I thought Banshee recommended 15-20% sag. What is the anti squat at 20%?
“The overall regressive nature of the suspension is to match the progressive nature of an air shock. If the shock is tuned correctly then the Rune will never bottom out, but depending on the shock it may require bottom out resistance from the shock.”
The problem, especially with DHX air, is that the suspension travel, lets say, from sag to 60-70% has a linear leverage relationship with progressive nature, nevertheless the DHX air lacks mid stroke support and even though the degrease in leverage ratio should help midstroke support, the DHX lacks it completely.
Of course if a shock is tuned properly it will never bottom out, modern shocks with IFP and bottomout circuits will likely experience mild to non-existant bottom out. What i’m trying to state is why does Banshee utilize such a regressive curve at the end, if you should only want some mild repressiveness to allow full travel acquisition. I can’t believe it’s just to compile with the air shock.
“If your friend is blowing through the last part of the travel too easily, then I would suggest that he increases the bottom out resistance on the shock, or switch to a shock that is more progressive if using a linear shock without adjustibility. ”
Well yeah, that goes against what the article says. The nature of the Banshee (with a neutral shock with no bottom out resistance lets say) is to increase bottom out because of the increasing leverage at the end. Of course proper selection of the shock will try to patch or make up for this.
This is in no way any bashing or strong criticism. I am in the process of learning about suspension linkages deeply and I am just pointing some stuff out for clarification.
So your friend doesn’t have a DHX air and he nor you have any experience riding the Rune with a DHX air? The ISX6 is an interesting shock. I had one on a Morewood Izimu and found that unless I went with 15%-20% more air pressure than was recommended I would bottom it out continuously and it would wallow deep in the travel. With the air pressure set at what felt right the bike was only at about 20% sag, not exactly desirable on a DH bike. I’m not saying it’s a bad shock, just that it wasn’t ideal on the Izimu.
The DHX Air lacks midstroke support on bikes with progressive midstroke leverage curves in my experience.
In my reviews I speak of the performance of the frame as a part of a complete package that includes all of the components in the build. If the frame and components work in synergy and make for a stellar ride I report that. If they don’t I’ll try to figure out why and either fix it or report my experiences. While I have the experience andintelligence to be more of a “numbers” guy I do not feel that the quantitative data can tell the whole story. One of my other hobbies is home audio which has taught me that a speaker that has the most desirable frequency response does not always have the best sound. It is also very important that the speakers compliment the upstream components and vice-verse to form a synergistic system that produces music in the way that I enjoy to hear it. There are two camps in the high-end audio world, listeners and techies. Listeners judge a component by the sound it produces while techies judge on the numbers. I see the same thing happening in the MTB community. The bike that I’m riding right now has a 14.3″ BB height. Some people on the internet tell me that it can’t corner well and feels twitchy at high speeds with a BB that high. What I’m experiencing is quite the contrary…
Congratulations to jtilma for being the Stoke Of the Month Picture Contest winner. His name was drawn from a hat that contained the top ten entries’ names.
Nice pic jtilma!
Current score: 0
Rodrigo
Posted February 3, 2010 at 7:34 PM
Well I’m sorry but one can’t deny or ignore the laws of physics. A lower BB height bike probably has a lower center of gravity, and if the setup is identical (same shock, rider, tires etc) then a lower COG bike will corner better.
Actually the DHX air lacks midstroke especially on regressive leverage curves (XC bikes) as leverage is increased and it reduces air volume of the spring in lets say 30-70% of travel dramatically.
I get what you say, but when you ride and feel your bike AS WELL as knowing the technical aspects of the bike, some things just can’t be ignored.
“So your friend doesn’t have a DHX air and he nor you have any experience riding the Rune with a DHX air? The ISX6 is an interesting shock. I had one on a Morewood Izimu and found that unless I went with 15%-20% more air pressure than was recommended I would bottom it out continuously and it would wallow deep in the travel. With the air pressure set at what felt right the bike was only at about 20% sag, not exactly desirable on a DH bike. I’m not saying it’s a bad shock, just that it wasn’t ideal on the Izimu.
I hope you are talking only about your Morewood because the Rune isn’t a downhill bike, nor it has the suspension characteristics of one, and knowing that the ISX6 came with the frame from Banshee speaks for itself.
I absolutely agree on the laws of physics. There is a fine line between too high and too low on a BB though. This is especially evident when riding a hardtail. Last year, over the winter while riding at Ray’s I was on a DMR sidekick with a rigid fork and I couldn’t for the life of me figure out why it had no pop off the lips or pump through the berms. I threw my Argyle (lowered to 80mm) on there and the bike came to life. I accredit this to the higher BB. Spend some time in a MTB Trials forum and you will see that BB height is a highly debated topic. Even .125″ makes a difference to those guys. Would I enjoy riding a bike with 16″ high BB? Most likely not but at the same time would I enjoy a 12″ high BB on a full suspension bike? I would expect it to feel sluggish but only riding it would give me the answer I suppose.
My mistake on the DHX Air/midstroke/progressive comment. I misspoke and meant to say regressive.
Yes, I was also speaking only of the ISX6 on the Izimu. Different would be an understatement when comparing the Izimu to the Rune. The reason for the Rune coming with the ISX6 may have something to do with Banshee’s distributor also being a Manitou distributor. I do not have any experience with the Rune/ISX6 combination so I cannot debate the fact that the Rune may or may not blow through the travel with that shock.
I do encourage your friend to try his Rune with a DHX 5.0 Air. I stand by my statements of the feel and performance of the Rune/DHX 5.0 Air combination. When pedaling forcefully the back of the bike stayed active while still efficiently translating my energy into propulsion. On large hits, drops and big jumps like the ones that I rode at Snowshoe I never felt as if I was blowing through the travel and/or experiencing harsh bottom out.
I really do appreciate your comments and the debate. Thanks for taking the time to write. Are you planning on designing frames in the future? It appears that you’ve got a handle on the minute details.
well since the only complete bike i have at the moment is my transition double i would have to say
Kenda Small Block 8’s. Crazy fast rolling, good traction on hardpack to slightly loose, and can corner great. Plus they are really light.
My current favorite DH/FR tires are an Intense 909 2.35 in the front and an Intense Edge 2.35 in the back. Very predictable. I’ve heard complaints of these tires rolling off the rim, pinch flatting, and not working well tubeless. I haven’t experienced them rolling off the rim but I have experienced the pinch flatting when running lower pressures. I weigh about 210# suited up and when running 20psi front and 24psi rear I did pinch flat often. I bumped up to 28psi front and 36psi rear and the pinch flats stopped. I can’t comment on tubeless as I’ve never tried them that way.
For DJ/Street/Park/BMX track my standout favorite tire is the Intense Micro Knobby MKII. They roll insanely fast, are light and have prodigious grip in the corners.
Current score: 0
freeriderbrett
Posted February 4, 2010 at 3:09 PM
if its rubber, I’ll ride it…no jokes on this one sandwich:)
Current score: 0
Rodrigo
Posted February 4, 2010 at 11:24 PM
“I absolutely agree on the laws of physics. There is a fine line between too high and too low on a BB though. This is especially evident when riding a hardtail. Last year, over the winter while riding at Ray’s I was on a DMR sidekick with a rigid fork and I couldn’t for the life of me figure out why it had no pop off the lips or pump through the berms. I threw my Argyle (lowered to 80mm) on there and the bike came to life. I accredit this to the higher BB. Spend some time in a MTB Trials forum and you will see that BB height is a highly debated topic. Even .125? makes a difference to those guys. Would I enjoy riding a bike with 16? high BB? Most likely not but at the same time would I enjoy a 12? high BB on a full suspension bike? I would expect it to feel sluggish but only riding it would give me the answer I suppose.”
Yeah, too high or too low is a problem, of course you can always run a low BB and get some ultra thin pedals to avoid bashing into rocks.
“I do encourage your friend to try his Rune with a DHX 5.0 Air. I stand by my statements of the feel and performance of the Rune/DHX 5.0 Air combination. When pedaling forcefully the back of the bike stayed active while still efficiently translating my energy into propulsion. On large hits, drops and big jumps like the ones that I rode at Snowshoe I never felt as if I was blowing through the travel and/or experiencing harsh bottom out.”
He’s happier with the Roco but he is getting an Elka! Much better IMHO!
“I really do appreciate your comments and the debate. Thanks for taking the time to write. Are you planning on designing frames in the future? It appears that you’ve got a handle on the minute details.”
Thank you for hosting this great website and allowing me to comment and debate, after all one learns a lot my these means.
About designing frames, I am glad you mention it, right now I am designing a 6.7 inch travel frame for an European bike company (won’t reveal any more details as it is too soon). Prototype should be welded in April/May. If you or Keith have any more information or suggestions let me know, as I have almost all resources availabe to build a sick Enduro frame.
Keep us updated on the development of the frame you’re designing. I thrive on new technology and design. I can’t wait to see the final product.
The Elka will serve your friend well. They have done an amazing job with the frame specific valving. They really do bring out the best in a frame.
I’d like to ask if you would sign up for the forums here and participate in the discussions there as well. The forums are brand new and much like any new forum they are slow to get moving with content. The more quality content we can get over there the faster we will grow.
I spent the last season going through tons of combos of different tires from numerous companies and i’ve finally settled on a favorite setup. Up front is a Kenda Nevegal 2.5 and out back is a Maxxis High Roller 60-durometer (both dual ply). The High Roller is what makes the setup though, because I burned through 3 rear tires in 1.5 seasons before finally realizing I need a higher durometer tire as I can’t afford to replace a rear tire every 3 or so months. The High Roller still sticks to the slick stuff, but it also drains mud extremely well. The nevegal is a great front tire for just about everything but sloppy mud. The Maxxis Swampthing handles the muddy stuff pretty well, though it wears fast.
Manitou Revox. I have hard great things about them and I probably did have a bad one but just dealing with manitou was a night mare. It felt like the shock would hang up on something mid travel so i called manitou. They said they wouldn’t work on it because it didn’t fall under warranty. The suggested another place who said they fixed it and when i got it back it was sitting in its own oil in the box. sent it there again and it came back feeling exactly the same. called manitou back and said their shock was crap and they agreed to fix it. When i got it back i sold it. So over $150 in shipping/repair fees, 3 months of being gone, and 3 times fixing it. I will never buy from manitou/hayes again….
awww dang, I can’t bash on manufacturers customer service? oh well, I’ve been pretty happy with all of my stuff except when I got a brand new pair of 50/50 and on the second ride I lost a plate. that didn’t exactly make me happy so I called up crank brothers and they told me, “uhh, yeah, they do that”. Once they sent me some screws and I loc-tited them in they are the best pedals I’ve ridden. We just got a new set in the shop and they have since changed the screws and they are loc-tited. Dealing with some companies customer service though, thats another story. I’m so glad I don’t have to deal with that crap anymore…NR2 can deal with that. ha ha.
Nice review climbingbubba! Thanks for joining the MTBGearTech.com team of reviewers. I look forward to reading all of your reviews during the upcoming season.
One product that has disappointed me pretty a lot was my 2008 Rock Shox Pike 454 AIR u-turn. I think the key behind all the problems I had with that fork was the “air” part of it. The cartridge leaked and the u-turn would come undone sometimes while riding, that was scary. Rock shox had a great customer service rep but the work they did on the fork was a joke. Literally they took it apart, put new seals in it and put it back together and called it “fixed.” I like Rock shox’s forks (I have a domain and a pike 409 coil now) but it will probably be a while before I buy another one of their air forks. Just too much headache to deal with.
sorry for the terrible grammar in that first sentence. I think I meant to say “pretty much all the time” or “a lot” and that got mashed into “pretty a lot”
Well, I have the SoloAir Lyrik on the STD right now. We’ll see how it holds up this season. So far the couple times I’ve had it at Ray’s I’ve been extremely impressed with it. Was yours a two-step or regular u-turn? My Lyrik is a straight SoloAir with no travel adjust so I’m hoping the simplicity of that over the two-step and u-turn models will improve reliability.
Current score: 0
miragebass
Posted February 18, 2010 at 1:04 AM
It was an air U-turn, not a 2 step though. I mean the boxxer world cups have been around for years and have had minimal complaints, perhaps the durable rep the pike gets doesn’t really apply to it’s air companion.
The product that I’ve been most disappointed in so far would have to be the Continental Digga 2.5 UST tires. The construction and UST reliability are actually quite good. They were some of the easiest tires to set up tubeless and they never burped, rollod off the bead or pinch flatted. It was the traction that was disappointing. Unpredictable in turns, poor braking traction and they didn’t track well in off camber situations.
I am reading that Conti’s new tires have excellent traction. I’d love to give them a go especially since the overall quality of the Digga was so good.
well I will have my say on this
last year put a set of Conti diesels on my Kona Stinky ..and its the worst tire choice Ive made ever ..
look good .run well on dry pack ..but show them anything else and its a world of hurt ..not impressed at all …
“It was the traction that was disappointing. Unpredictable in turns, poor braking traction and they didn’t track well in off camber situations.” exacttly my thoughts
1. Company’s customer satisfaction rating (obtained through personal research)
2. Geometry or more importantly test ride Impressions
3. Suspension feel and “dialability” for the frame’s intended purpose
4. Durability
5. Cost:Performance ratio, otherwise known as “value”
Honestly weight, durability and ease/amount of required maintenance could all be interchanged in the number 4 spot depending on what kind of frame I’m looking at. Durability and ease/amount of maintenance would trump weight on a hardcore freeride frame that’s going to see a ton of abuse. Weight would be more important on a thoroughbred DH race, XC, 4x race and maybe even DJ frame.
Don’t forget to tell your friends to come on and vote for you. The winner will be calculated using a calculation of overall score AND total number of votes.
Hi!
Heres a pic of me at Laggan Wolftrax in Scotland on my Custom Cove STD
about to drop off a bit thats called Airs Rock ..
Photographer is my Girlfreind .
Current score: 0
Nick
Posted February 25, 2010 at 2:56 PM
Nice one Lig !!! Looking good M8
Current score: 0
Crash
Posted February 18, 2010 at 7:51 PM
1. Value or Cost/Performance
2. Suspension Design
3. Durability
4. Does it pedal well – prob the same as #2
5. Can I swith my current parts over to the new frame. MTN BIKING NEEDS STANDARDS!
Looks like Lig knows how this contest works. Y’all better get your friends on here voting or it looks like I’ll be shipping some sick gear to Scotland. No purchase or haggis neccessary, void where prohibited
Man, what a great little tool. I had the same one a while back and left it on the trail. I used it way more than I thought I would and it held up really well. Durable little buggers.
perfect for a pocket
not too heavy
good quality tools
mines has rocky mountain branding on side .. got it from my bike shop owner for being such a good customer.:)
Current score: 0
stuart
Posted February 24, 2010 at 2:07 PM
My brother is getting married in Ireland in April.
I was born in Scotland, Glasgow and lived in the Trossachs for many years.
Yes lots of biking, kicking my friends lazy butts into gear.
Frame: Cove Shocker. I’m 6′3″ and run a medium size as I have always liked my bikes a little smaller. Custom “Starburst Black” paintjob, custom neon green decals.
Shock: Fox RC2 with 450 pound Obtainium Ti Spring
Fork: Boxxer Race. I loved my older Boxxer Team, and the 2010 Boxxer Race is basically the same thing in a stiffer and lighter package. Dead simple fork, feels great.
Headset: King
Stem: Straightline 50mm direct mount
Bar: Chromag OSX cut down 1/4″ each side
Grips: Half bagged out ODI Ruffians. Perfect.
Shifter: Sram XO Red w/matchmaker
Brakes: Avid Elixer CR, 7″ rotors, Ti hardware.
Post: Thomson
Saddle: WTB Devo Ti
Seat Clamp: Straightline
Cranks: Truvativ OCT 165
Guide: E-13 SRS
Ring: E-13 35 tooth red
Derailleur: Sram XO short cage red
Cassette: Sram PG 970 12-26
Chain: Sram PC991
Maxle: Maxle Lite red
Rear Wheel: DT Swiss 340 rear hub on Mavic 721
Front Wheel: Mavic Deetrack
Tires: Maxxis Minion 2.5, Maxxis Welterweight Tubes
Pedals: Straightline
Total Weight: Just over 39 pounds
Just some background, I’ve been a mechainc for over 12 years. I’m the mechanic for the Cove Team as well as the Canadian National DH Team. Plus I teach mechanics courses with ‘Endless Biking’ a Coaching and Guiding company here on the Shore. The last thing I want to do is mess with my own bike, even though I enjoy it. My bike has to get through serious amounts of Shore riding, Whistler laps and a full season of my racing. My bike could be lighter and have way more funky parts but at the end of the day I just want my bike to handle it’s buisness day in day out with minimal worries.
Solid build with a respectable weight and it looks so rad. I think some of us, including myself, could learn from Adam’s view on weight savings vs. reliability. I’d rather be riding than taking the long walk down to the lift because that awesome new whiz-bang, weight-weeny part that I was so proud to show off on the internet failed miserably under my hack like abuse.
Thanks for the specs and background Adam! Another great dude helping to make this industry a great thing to be involved in and passionate about.
I roll on the big earls and I love ‘em. I’ve got 6 of them hangin’ in the garage. I hope you like them as much as I do. They are really grippy in the corners and accelerate like a bat outta hell. The wear is pretty good for how light they are. The only time they wear fast is if you do a lot of wood ladders. The wood seems to tear the lugs on the side. But thats after a few weeks of Boyne riding. So if most of your riding is done in the dirt you’ll like the tire. I can’t wait to hear what you have to say about them…mainly because if you’re testing them that means it’s warm outside!
The Big Earls that I got look different from the picture. I believe those are the wet compound which I think is what you run. The dry compound has slightly fatter lugs and no “x” cuts on them. We’ll see how they do, they look pretty good so far.
Me out in the Black Hills of South Dakota on a G-Spot.
Current score: 0
miragebass
Posted February 27, 2010 at 4:55 PM
I’ve ridden the wet and dry earls, the wets have proven to be much better. The drys got destroyed in about 2 months of occasional riding. That being said, their performance was pretty decent. I donno I go back and forth between loving them and hating them sometimes. I got a set through my old shop for $18 each at cost though, so I can’t really complain.
That surprises me since they are a dual compound, 62a center knobs and 52a side knobs. Were your drys the “gum-bi” compound? That’s what I have here. We’ll see how they do, I love trying new tires (as long as they are bad and nearly kill me LOL).
Current score: 0
miragebass
Posted February 27, 2010 at 9:30 PM
oops, I said that backwards. I meant to say the wets sucked but the gum-bi’s were much better.
By the way does that FR4 really weigh the claimed 875 grams? If so I think I found my new rear tire for my 160mm bike.
Of the 4 FR4s that I have on hand three weigh 899g and the other 897g so they’re a bit more than 875g but not much. I hope the grip is great because I’m diggin everything else about this tire.
Current score: 0
miragebass
Posted February 27, 2010 at 9:34 PM
Gotta be honest, central Ohio’s gravity scene is pretty freaking awesome. No local huge hills but Horn’s is 45 minutes away with tons of fun freeride features, and Mohican is 90 minutes away with some absolutely sick downhill. Plus Wisp & 7 Springs are 4 hours, Snowshoe is 5.5 hours, and Windrock is 6 hours. Really it’s tough to argue for much better riding. The scene down here seems to just keep growing!
I agree. We’ve got to take what we have as far as elevation goes and make the most of it. Vulture’s is going to be nice this summer, Mohican will hopefully see some of the improvements that we’ve discussed and Horn’s Hill just keeps getting better and better. Now we’ve just got to get some of the LBSs to get on boar and start carrying gravity oriented gear. I’d also like to see some stuff happen in SE ohio, there’s tons of great terrain there for building, but no one there to build it…
Salt lake City Utah has some pretty killer stuff. Not a whole lot in terms of ladders or stunts like that but definately lots of jumps and DH trails. We have Deer Valley and sundance resorts within 30 min drive. Tons of shuttle runs with lots of elevation. We have a MTB specific jump area with easily over 100 jumps spread out all over the mountain side that is literally 5 minutes from downtown SLC. We also have one of the sweetest trails ever called bobsled. Also we have Moab within 3.5 hours. Virgin (red bull rampage) and grafton within 4 hours. St george within 4. Bootleg canyon about 6 hours away. Jackson hole wyoming about 5 hours away and colorado, california, and whistler (long day) within a days drive. Pretty sweet stuff. Also an incredible amount of XC around park city area.
The biggest reason is shimano’s stupid indicators that prevent you from running your brakes on the inside of your shifters. I know the saint and maybe the new xt’s have changed it but now im used to sram. Besides that it really doesn’t matter. If it works ill ride it.
I am loving my Saint stuff right now with one exception, the crank’s thicker chainring tabs that prevent the use of an aftermarket bashring style chainguide. You have to use the Saint bashring to prevent the chain from getting caught in between the chainring and bashring.
The rear derailleur is great as are the shifters. The chain has been solid and the SLX cassette has been providing consistent, crisp shifting.
I’ve used SRAM X.9 and X.0 mechs and shifters and they also have no mechanical faults in my opinion. I do prefer the Saint rear mech’s much lower profile over the standard profile of the SRAM though.
biking with mates = fun
biking on my own = relax
biking with my brother = family
biking with girfriendand her kid = laughs
biking to work = making a living ..lol
biking is everything
Current score: 1
freeriderbrett
Posted March 10, 2010 at 7:36 PM
I just like being out in the woods away from the city huckin’ drops with my buds. I’ve always ridden bikes and now its all about how far from society we can get. So I guess I ride for that bushwacker feeling.
Biking is mainly about adrenaline for me. Finding that next big line or drop. Hitting a road gap for your first time definately gives you the stoke to ride for a few months.
Its also about social/family. Some of the best times I have are after the ride when we all go out to eat or go session the pumptrack at our friends house while he makes home made pizza. My Dad and 3 other brothers bike so its always fun to get out with them. Especially cause im the youngest and i get to waste my older brothers down the mountain
FYI, the indicators come right off the shimano shifters, only one bolt required…
I’ve always ridden shimano, I hate the mechanical feeling of sram, plus sram isn’t as user friendly as shimano for changing shift cables, routing cables, etc. In the 3 years I spent as a mechanic, I can’t tell you how many more sram bikes came in for derailleur service than shimano!
Mingle
I was at Ray’s on Saturday. It was cool seeing all of the pros ride and the free food and PBRs made it even better! That place is so rad. Nice video too, that DH place looks decent.
Hey man read ur review on the Fury I’m thinking of getting 1 for use on with my MTB (love the design and the price2)
Would u recommend this bash hat? only asking as you mentioned that it might not be 2great for a Mountain biker.
You may have been confused with my wording in the review. I mentioned that we had a bunch of snow on the ground when I received the helmet, the snow is great if you’re a skier but not a mountain biker. I was just making a little joke. The Fury helmet is a great value and I would highly recommend it to anyone looking for a helmet in this price range. It’s comfortable, great looking and can take a serious beating. Thanks for the visiting the site and making it better with your questions!
Agreed. Jealous of that setup of yours Sean!
Yep, I’m really liking this setup and that was a great day of riding. The Elka really wrings the last drop of performance out of the already awesome Cove STD. We’ve got to get you on something more to your liking next season! For those of you who don’t know “Mr. Lahey” he’s the one that follows me through the little rock garden in the video, he’s wearing the black Misfits shirt. That rock garden is gnarlier that what it appears to be in the video, still fast and fun though.
So what do you think? That was a killer camping setup they had at the first ride spot, a nice tour of the Transition facility and as always pinner riding footage.
Sweet vid.
I’ll start things off. This is a more Freeride oriented product but in my opinion the Truvativ Hammerschmidt planetary geared internal front transmission crankset is the most significant product to hit the market in awhile. Having the ability to switch to a climbing gear without having to run two rings and a front derailleur is huge. I don’t own one (yet) but I’ve ridden it enough times to know that it’s stellar. Shift instantly anytime, anywhere and never lose your chain, that’s wicked.
Im still using products from 3 years ago so count me out of this convo
MTBGEARTECH!!!!
LOL, well I wasn’t going to be the one to say it…
its more xc right now but I see the cannondale electronic controlled suspension working its way into downhill soon. I can’t wait. no more adjusting suspension every ride. that would be great.
SIMON! and it has a DH mode! http://www.singletracks.com/blog/mtb-gear/cannondale-simon-electronic-suspension-control-system/
I wonder if I could shift my Hammerschmidt and adjust my SIMON equipped Cannondale simultaneously while in the air after launching a road gap…maybe throw in a superman while I’m at it eh? That SIMON system is pretty damn impressive.
They’ll put a micro chip in anything these days.
I have to agree with Sean, the Hammerschmidt was the most significant new product of the year (damn Sean you took my idea). Anyway another product that caught my eye was sixsixone’s new EVO series of pads and armor that use d3o padding. They are flexible and soft till something strikes it with any real force then it instantly becomes hard.
I can’t wait to see all the great pics that everybody have. This is a great idea, keep it up!
this is going to be really cool in a couple of years when it really hits the industry. hydroformed cro-mo tubes for dj bikes. http://www.pinkbike.com/photo/4240908/
Those tubes look so nice on the new Fireeyes. I’m diggin the green SPITFIRE XVI and the SHORTFUSE 360 24″er. The SHORTFUSE 360 would be a sick Ray’s bike.
I’ll kick this off. I want to go bigger. Plain and simple, I want to hit the jumps/drops I’ve been hitting bigger than ever before and I want to suck-it-up and hit the bigger jumps/drops that I’ve yet to hit.
Cornering and trusting the rubber.
I have to agree with Sandwich on this one. Races are won and lost in the corners.
Rays in the winter. Knob in the summer
Yep, looks like it’s shaping up to be a serious place to ride. I’ll be taking some trips out this spring for sure. Great job on the article Blanton!
I just want to be faster and be more comfortable while going really fast. Great site by the way, just found it today.
We are looking at another nice day for trail building tomorrow (going to be a cold one). Looking to have a completed top to bottom Super-D with a few features done by the time we leave. This trail should have the longest continuous descent in Ohio with about a 3 minute lap time. The Bobcat is having some mechanical issues so all of the slopesyle work will be done by hand for the time being.
Good pic. What equipment did you use?
I’m gonna go with all of the above. I want to be faster and I have some stuff in mind I wasn’t considering at the beginning of this year but it is looking more doable.
I’ve been working on my DJ skills with the recent purchase of my P and Ray’s being the best it has ever been. I just want to be able to jump smooth and get some good rhythm down so I can take it to the trail and be even faster and smoother.
I’m going with my ol’buddy John Cowan. He’s getting up there in age just like me and he’s still shredding stronger than ever. When I met and talked with him at Snowshoe this summer he was very approachable and fun to hang out with. Definitely a positive image for our sport.
Matt Hunter….just seems so chill, but he rips, I would love to spend a day riding with him!
Cam, no explanation needed.
Have to say Steve Peat. He is a Legend!
Richie Schley, He was the first freerider (one of them anyway). Hes getting old (like me) but still rips.
Steve Peat. The cat is crazy fast, he’s 35 years old and won the worlds, super family man, and still knows how to throw down. My hero.
Jared Graves. Seems like a fun guy. Good on camera atleast. All round biker too. Downhill,4X,and BMX.
Brandon Seminuk hands down. Dude just rips. Big mountain, slopestyle, DJs he just kills them all.
It is a nice video that you have made. I would like to see the optional aspects that the camera offer. Are you to make more video in the soon future? I wish to get this camera or the GoPro HD.
Thank you for the complement! I do plan on doing more videos soon using the different aspect ratios. I had the original GoPro Wide camera and really liked the mounting options that it offered. I do feel that the Contour HD 1080p is easier to use while riding though.
I saw a potato.
Hilarious… :/
I thought it was funny
It would be a toss up between Richie Schley and Robbie Bourdon for me. Schley is an old school freeride and downhiller who still does it all and still demands respect, but Bourdon simple hucks off anything. The road gap he does in NWD7 is unbelievably big.
I’m going with Goldstein Productions’ “On the Line”. I’ve been watching this more and more lately and it really gets me stoked. Great riding, cool interviews, great cinematography and awesome scenery. Check it out at Goldstein Productions
Tread!! And any Clay Porter film
Any one from the Collective series. Superb riding, great cinematography, awesome locations and lots of fluff.
I agree with Sandwich, Roam was my least favorite but still fun to watch. The Collective (original) was just awesome. I loved the later scenes shot in the forests of B.C. Those tall trees and loamy soil looked so nice.
I didn’t like roam that much.
I’m excited about the TR450. It seems like Transition has taken what they’ve learned over the past few years of designing frames with dialed geometry and coupled that knowledge with state-of-the-art manufacturing processes. They’ve refined every last detail of the bike and it shows. I am hoping that it rides as good as it would appear to…I have the feeling that it will.
I sure hope it rides as well as they’re hyping it up. If not, people will be really dissapointed. I only wish I had $2400 to spend on a frame, but for now I’ll have to stay with my Blindside.
Well if you have to be stuck with a frame the Blindside is a pretty good one to be stuck with. $2400 is steep for TBC but in line with other mfgs. DH race frame pricing. I also hope it lives up to the hype.
New World Disorder 5 is my favorite freeride video. Not sure about DH videos, maybe f1rst?
I can’t believe how light that thing is dude. The front end will be so light you’ll probably back flip accidentally the first time you come off a lip and pull up, haha!
The front end will definitely be lighter. It should feel nice and snappy. I’ll take an accidental back flip any day as long as I land it LOL.
I’m not as focused on going big, but in the words of Ricky Bobby “I wanna go fast.” Basically like what Sandwich said I wanna learn to trust the bike and proper brake usage will definitely help. A big part of it will be losing weight and getting in shape so I’m not tired 2 minutes into my race runs. I’ve been home on my winter break in Cleveland for 6 days and I’ve ridden Ray’s everyday (except one) and spent a decent amount of time on the XC loop. I have to say I already feel a lot better and loose and am getting a lot less winded on that one “climb” in there.
I thought this was a cool picture. Congrats to the Fish.
I used the upper body protector last season and really liked it. It wasn’t as cool as I thought it would be but not any worse than well ventilated “regular” armor. It is alot more comfortable than any other armor I’ve worn though.
I’m hoping these will be exactly what I’ve been looking for. A little protection from the inevitable crash but not restrictive and overly bulky.
Dearest Santa,
I’d really like a set of Elixir brakes for my bicycle. Otherwise, I’ma bust a cap in ‘yo ass. Please prevent this catastrophe from occurring.
Thanks in advance!
I guess you really want them eh?
DW equipped Turner DHR.
I hope Santa has some Taiwanese elf’s cuz I want a Giant Glory!
What happened to the Faith 0?
Still jumping back and forth on that one. Any hoo there both Taiwanese.
Niki Gudex, Darcy Turrenne, lokilani Mcmichael
Good answer! Too bad you already chose the DHR…
It’s not Christmas yet. I can change my gift.
I want a decked out RV that takes me to all of the best ride spots free of charge throughout the upcoming season.
You can make that happen with only two words:
Sugar Cougar
looks Beastin’. Not sure id like the D-ring tho.
Yeah, snap closures are quicker. As long as the d-rings aren’t cumbersome they aren’t much of a hassle.
You can buy an aftermarket clip to replace the D-ring. There a pain in the butt to install but once your done just clip and go.
For the purposes of the review I’ll be sticking with the d-rings.
I just want a fully functional foot.
Still busted up eh? Rest it up for the season, I have a feeling it’s going to be a good one.
Just in time for me to move to Portland!!! I will miss this place a lot forward to coming back this summer and riding here!
As long as we can come out to Portland and ride Blackrock with you it’s all good.
I have a least favorite if you want to hear about it.
That will probably be a question in the future…
Every time I have to send a light back to Nite Rider they are very friendly and quick.
Fox Racing Shox, they have been great not just in the product but also in support.
Thanks for commenting! Fox Racing Shox has always been great to me as well.
The helmet is in! It’s beautiful in person, the pics can’t do it justice. Much lower profile than the DOT helmets I’ve been wearing the past few years and much lighter. The good news is that the strap is long enough to leave in the d-rings while putting on and taking off the helmet so it’s actually easier than a clip setup.
I would have to go with Quality Bicycle Products (parts distributor). I contacted them looking for a part that they were out of stock in and the guy I spoke with actually went through other distributors inventory to see who had the part I needed, then recommended a website to order from that distributor.
I order from Quality as well and have to agree with you, very friendly and helpful people.
Cold just thinking about it!
Who’s up for windrock Jan 16th-17th? Yeah, that’s still happening (weather pending).
Elka, they are kinda new to the MTB world and have taken it by storm IMO. Finally we have someone to compete with Fox, hopefully with all this competition we(riders) can see some price cuts.
Agreed, Elka rocks. It awesome to call up and talk directly to the head of the MTB department about how to tune your shock.
I wanted all the parts to finish my Demo. Wish and crap, guess which one I got.
Seems to me that Clay Porter has a “thing” for Sam Hill. I don’t. My fav of all time, Days of Dirt.
Beastin’!
I’m stoked on this contest!
Me too, THE has done a great thing here. Cove will also be sending some swag for the upcoming months too. Very cool.
Nice. Gotta love all this Industry support.
This industry definitely has some great people and companies dedicated to making it a positive experience for the consumers. It gives you a good feeling about the MTB community when you talk to many of these guys.
I could really use a new piss pot.
This is a cool contest. That's a sick helmet and it's cool that THE is helping out. Cool site BTW.
Thanks! Yeah, THE came through in a big way on this one.
can’t get my picture on there…damn it!!! guess I don’t get in.
We’ll have to go back to entering pics on the forum. THat plugin was unstable and basically blew up the site…
If you have any questions on the Rune please post them up here. I’ll answer them a quickly as possible.
Definitely in park city Utah. There a tons of good XC trails and a few epic FR/DH trails.
Here is a very poor quality pic of my first time a road gap up there (secret location)
That’s a hefty sized road gap my friend, nice riding. Go back this summer with your new camera and get some crisp shots of that action!
I’m going to have to go with good ‘ole Snowshoe Mountain Bike Park. It’s got every type of terrain and trail you’d want to ride and the people there are so friendly and hospitable. Gotta show some love for the Raging Bull trail…
Great to have Ben aboard!
Hell yeah! He shreds and I can’t wait to see him shredding on Cove Bikes. That Foreplay build is SICK!
Diablo is my favorite hands down. I’ve been to most of the parks in the East and Diablo just stands out. Highland is pretty sick too though. NO pics, sorry.
I’ve wanted one of the GoPros for a while. Thanks for putting this up now I know who to buy it from.
“It has a linear feel right up to the last 15%-20% of the stroke where it ramps up nicely to give that deep feel while eliminating harsh bottoming.”
IIRC, the Rune has a leverage curve that starts linear and then becomes regressive (the leverage ratio increases at the end of travel) so that doesn’t make sense with the above statement. A friend of mine has a Rune and he has this particular complain with the frame (blows the last part of the travel easily).
That’s interesting. With the DHX 5.0 Air shock that I used on the Rune I never felt that the rear was easily bottomed out. The ratio may very well be regressive but the back end of the review bike never exhibited anything less than excellent control with a nice deep feel. I was commenting on the feel rather than quantitative information.
What shock was your friend using if I might ask?
Thank you for commenting by the way. Comments and personal experiences make these reviews more informative to our readers.
No question that Windrock is my favorite place to ride. The trails would be a toss up between the Windmill trail and Southern Rocks. Both are unbelievably fun! I don’t have any pics from there but I found this great one posted on Ridemonkey from the gap/drop on the windmill trail.
Tuff one. But i’d say Diablo
I’d have to go with Boyne since it feels like my “home” trail. Always have the hill to ourselves, Rich is the man and always makes us feel more than welcome, and we have the coolest camp area all to ourselves in the back woods(and people don’t come yell at us at midnight like other camp spots;).) Boyne is the bees knees fo sho.
The Rune is progressive for first 40% of travel then regressive for last 60%. The lowest leverage ratio at 40% travel is designed to give a subtle pedal platform which when combined with anti-squat curve will mean you get efficient pedaling without need for pro pedal or equivalent from the shock.
The overall regressive nature of the suspension is to match the progressive nature of an air shock. If the shock is tuned correctly then the Rune will never bottom out, but depending on the shock it may require bottom out resistance from the shock.
If your friend is blowing through the last part of the travel too easily, then I would suggest that he increases the bottom out resistance on the shock, or switch to a shock that is more progressive if using a linear shock without adjustibility.
Thanks Keith! Straight from the designer’s mouth. So, Rodrigo you were correct in stating that the leverage curve is regressive and my observation of the suspension exhibiting a bottomless feel that resists bottom out when being used with a DHX Air is also accurate. I guess the bottom line is that if the Rune were to have been designed with a flat or even progressive leverage curve it would ramp up too much and too early when used with an air shock not allowing the rider to effectively tune their shock to achieve full travel while still providing mid stroke support and efficient pedaling characteristics. *deep breath* In other words it would wallow and feel dead.
Huge thanks going out to Cove for sponsoring the contest. Return the favor and buy a Cove Bike!
Let’s see some pics!!
Nice soft goodies from Cove, you should check out their hard stuff too, especially the Stiffee
Rider: Brett Marchel
Photographer: Me
Location: Snowshoe WV
Me racing on 31JAN10, wishing I had those socks!
Me after an unexpected dismount from the teeter on the “Man City” at the skills park in Stony Creek Metro Park. 6 foot fall onto my helmet and face. 100 stitches later and my lip was re-attached.
Yeah, but then the suspension linkage design isn’t preventing bottom out. So you are commenting on feel based on shock selection, not on frame performance.
My friend has used a Manitou Evolve ISX6 and a Marzocchi Roco btw.
“The Rune is progressive for first 40% of travel then regressive for last 60%. The lowest leverage ratio at 40% travel is designed to give a subtle pedal platform which when combined with anti-squat curve will mean you get efficient pedaling without need for pro pedal or equivalent from the shock.”
What is the anti squat (a2) at 40 percent of travel. I thought Banshee recommended 15-20% sag. What is the anti squat at 20%?
“The overall regressive nature of the suspension is to match the progressive nature of an air shock. If the shock is tuned correctly then the Rune will never bottom out, but depending on the shock it may require bottom out resistance from the shock.”
The problem, especially with DHX air, is that the suspension travel, lets say, from sag to 60-70% has a linear leverage relationship with progressive nature, nevertheless the DHX air lacks mid stroke support and even though the degrease in leverage ratio should help midstroke support, the DHX lacks it completely.
Of course if a shock is tuned properly it will never bottom out, modern shocks with IFP and bottomout circuits will likely experience mild to non-existant bottom out. What i’m trying to state is why does Banshee utilize such a regressive curve at the end, if you should only want some mild repressiveness to allow full travel acquisition. I can’t believe it’s just to compile with the air shock.
“If your friend is blowing through the last part of the travel too easily, then I would suggest that he increases the bottom out resistance on the shock, or switch to a shock that is more progressive if using a linear shock without adjustibility. ”
Well yeah, that goes against what the article says. The nature of the Banshee (with a neutral shock with no bottom out resistance lets say) is to increase bottom out because of the increasing leverage at the end. Of course proper selection of the shock will try to patch or make up for this.
This is in no way any bashing or strong criticism. I am in the process of learning about suspension linkages deeply and I am just pointing some stuff out for clarification.
Rodrigo
So your friend doesn’t have a DHX air and he nor you have any experience riding the Rune with a DHX air? The ISX6 is an interesting shock. I had one on a Morewood Izimu and found that unless I went with 15%-20% more air pressure than was recommended I would bottom it out continuously and it would wallow deep in the travel. With the air pressure set at what felt right the bike was only at about 20% sag, not exactly desirable on a DH bike. I’m not saying it’s a bad shock, just that it wasn’t ideal on the Izimu.
The DHX Air lacks midstroke support on bikes with progressive midstroke leverage curves in my experience.
In my reviews I speak of the performance of the frame as a part of a complete package that includes all of the components in the build. If the frame and components work in synergy and make for a stellar ride I report that. If they don’t I’ll try to figure out why and either fix it or report my experiences. While I have the experience andintelligence to be more of a “numbers” guy I do not feel that the quantitative data can tell the whole story. One of my other hobbies is home audio which has taught me that a speaker that has the most desirable frequency response does not always have the best sound. It is also very important that the speakers compliment the upstream components and vice-verse to form a synergistic system that produces music in the way that I enjoy to hear it. There are two camps in the high-end audio world, listeners and techies. Listeners judge a component by the sound it produces while techies judge on the numbers. I see the same thing happening in the MTB community. The bike that I’m riding right now has a 14.3″ BB height. Some people on the internet tell me that it can’t corner well and feels twitchy at high speeds with a BB that high. What I’m experiencing is quite the contrary…
Congratulations to jtilma for being the Stoke Of the Month Picture Contest winner. His name was drawn from a hat that contained the top ten entries’ names.
Nice pic jtilma!
Well I’m sorry but one can’t deny or ignore the laws of physics. A lower BB height bike probably has a lower center of gravity, and if the setup is identical (same shock, rider, tires etc) then a lower COG bike will corner better.
Actually the DHX air lacks midstroke especially on regressive leverage curves (XC bikes) as leverage is increased and it reduces air volume of the spring in lets say 30-70% of travel dramatically.
I get what you say, but when you ride and feel your bike AS WELL as knowing the technical aspects of the bike, some things just can’t be ignored.
“So your friend doesn’t have a DHX air and he nor you have any experience riding the Rune with a DHX air? The ISX6 is an interesting shock. I had one on a Morewood Izimu and found that unless I went with 15%-20% more air pressure than was recommended I would bottom it out continuously and it would wallow deep in the travel. With the air pressure set at what felt right the bike was only at about 20% sag, not exactly desirable on a DH bike. I’m not saying it’s a bad shock, just that it wasn’t ideal on the Izimu.
I hope you are talking only about your Morewood because the Rune isn’t a downhill bike, nor it has the suspension characteristics of one, and knowing that the ISX6 came with the frame from Banshee speaks for itself.
I absolutely agree on the laws of physics. There is a fine line between too high and too low on a BB though. This is especially evident when riding a hardtail. Last year, over the winter while riding at Ray’s I was on a DMR sidekick with a rigid fork and I couldn’t for the life of me figure out why it had no pop off the lips or pump through the berms. I threw my Argyle (lowered to 80mm) on there and the bike came to life. I accredit this to the higher BB. Spend some time in a MTB Trials forum and you will see that BB height is a highly debated topic. Even .125″ makes a difference to those guys. Would I enjoy riding a bike with 16″ high BB? Most likely not but at the same time would I enjoy a 12″ high BB on a full suspension bike? I would expect it to feel sluggish but only riding it would give me the answer I suppose.
My mistake on the DHX Air/midstroke/progressive comment. I misspoke and meant to say regressive.
Yes, I was also speaking only of the ISX6 on the Izimu. Different would be an understatement when comparing the Izimu to the Rune. The reason for the Rune coming with the ISX6 may have something to do with Banshee’s distributor also being a Manitou distributor. I do not have any experience with the Rune/ISX6 combination so I cannot debate the fact that the Rune may or may not blow through the travel with that shock.
I do encourage your friend to try his Rune with a DHX 5.0 Air. I stand by my statements of the feel and performance of the Rune/DHX 5.0 Air combination. When pedaling forcefully the back of the bike stayed active while still efficiently translating my energy into propulsion. On large hits, drops and big jumps like the ones that I rode at Snowshoe I never felt as if I was blowing through the travel and/or experiencing harsh bottom out.
I really do appreciate your comments and the debate. Thanks for taking the time to write. Are you planning on designing frames in the future? It appears that you’ve got a handle on the minute details.
ok now its in the right place!
Ridaz: Chris(in the front), and Me(airing it out)
Photog: P-dizzle
Local: Diablo
good question!!!!
well since the only complete bike i have at the moment is my transition double i would have to say
Kenda Small Block 8’s. Crazy fast rolling, good traction on hardpack to slightly loose, and can corner great. Plus they are really light.
I’ve never tried the Small Block 8’s. They look like they’d be great for DJing or trail riding on hardpack.
My current favorite DH/FR tires are an Intense 909 2.35 in the front and an Intense Edge 2.35 in the back. Very predictable. I’ve heard complaints of these tires rolling off the rim, pinch flatting, and not working well tubeless. I haven’t experienced them rolling off the rim but I have experienced the pinch flatting when running lower pressures. I weigh about 210# suited up and when running 20psi front and 24psi rear I did pinch flat often. I bumped up to 28psi front and 36psi rear and the pinch flats stopped. I can’t comment on tubeless as I’ve never tried them that way.
For DJ/Street/Park/BMX track my standout favorite tire is the Intense Micro Knobby MKII. They roll insanely fast, are light and have prodigious grip in the corners.
if its rubber, I’ll ride it…no jokes on this one sandwich:)
“I absolutely agree on the laws of physics. There is a fine line between too high and too low on a BB though. This is especially evident when riding a hardtail. Last year, over the winter while riding at Ray’s I was on a DMR sidekick with a rigid fork and I couldn’t for the life of me figure out why it had no pop off the lips or pump through the berms. I threw my Argyle (lowered to 80mm) on there and the bike came to life. I accredit this to the higher BB. Spend some time in a MTB Trials forum and you will see that BB height is a highly debated topic. Even .125? makes a difference to those guys. Would I enjoy riding a bike with 16? high BB? Most likely not but at the same time would I enjoy a 12? high BB on a full suspension bike? I would expect it to feel sluggish but only riding it would give me the answer I suppose.”
Yeah, too high or too low is a problem, of course you can always run a low BB and get some ultra thin pedals to avoid bashing into rocks.
“I do encourage your friend to try his Rune with a DHX 5.0 Air. I stand by my statements of the feel and performance of the Rune/DHX 5.0 Air combination. When pedaling forcefully the back of the bike stayed active while still efficiently translating my energy into propulsion. On large hits, drops and big jumps like the ones that I rode at Snowshoe I never felt as if I was blowing through the travel and/or experiencing harsh bottom out.”
He’s happier with the Roco but he is getting an Elka! Much better IMHO!
“I really do appreciate your comments and the debate. Thanks for taking the time to write. Are you planning on designing frames in the future? It appears that you’ve got a handle on the minute details.”
Thank you for hosting this great website and allowing me to comment and debate, after all one learns a lot my these means.
About designing frames, I am glad you mention it, right now I am designing a 6.7 inch travel frame for an European bike company (won’t reveal any more details as it is too soon). Prototype should be welded in April/May. If you or Keith have any more information or suggestions let me know, as I have almost all resources availabe to build a sick Enduro frame.
Keep us updated on the development of the frame you’re designing. I thrive on new technology and design. I can’t wait to see the final product.
The Elka will serve your friend well. They have done an amazing job with the frame specific valving. They really do bring out the best in a frame.
I’d like to ask if you would sign up for the forums here and participate in the discussions there as well. The forums are brand new and much like any new forum they are slow to get moving with content. The more quality content we can get over there the faster we will grow.
Thanks again!
I spent the last season going through tons of combos of different tires from numerous companies and i’ve finally settled on a favorite setup. Up front is a Kenda Nevegal 2.5 and out back is a Maxxis High Roller 60-durometer (both dual ply). The High Roller is what makes the setup though, because I burned through 3 rear tires in 1.5 seasons before finally realizing I need a higher durometer tire as I can’t afford to replace a rear tire every 3 or so months. The High Roller still sticks to the slick stuff, but it also drains mud extremely well. The nevegal is a great front tire for just about everything but sloppy mud. The Maxxis Swampthing handles the muddy stuff pretty well, though it wears fast.
Here’s one of me on my Cove Shocker at Showshoe.
Photo was taken by Hotshots-Photos!! out of Snowshoe Wva.
Cove Peeler at Horn’s Hill – Newark, Ohio
Manitou Revox. I have hard great things about them and I probably did have a bad one but just dealing with manitou was a night mare. It felt like the shock would hang up on something mid travel so i called manitou. They said they wouldn’t work on it because it didn’t fall under warranty. The suggested another place who said they fixed it and when i got it back it was sitting in its own oil in the box. sent it there again and it came back feeling exactly the same. called manitou back and said their shock was crap and they agreed to fix it. When i got it back i sold it. So over $150 in shipping/repair fees, 3 months of being gone, and 3 times fixing it. I will never buy from manitou/hayes again….
Yikes, that definitely is a bad experience.
awww dang, I can’t bash on manufacturers customer service? oh well, I’ve been pretty happy with all of my stuff except when I got a brand new pair of 50/50 and on the second ride I lost a plate. that didn’t exactly make me happy so I called up crank brothers and they told me, “uhh, yeah, they do that”. Once they sent me some screws and I loc-tited them in they are the best pedals I’ve ridden. We just got a new set in the shop and they have since changed the screws and they are loc-tited. Dealing with some companies customer service though, thats another story. I’m so glad I don’t have to deal with that crap anymore…NR2 can deal with that. ha ha.
Well if there’s something you need to get off your chest…
Nice review climbingbubba! Thanks for joining the MTBGearTech.com team of reviewers. I look forward to reading all of your reviews during the upcoming season.
I definitely want to pick up a set of Crampons.
Great review! Might be my next set of pedals.
One product that has disappointed me pretty a lot was my 2008 Rock Shox Pike 454 AIR u-turn. I think the key behind all the problems I had with that fork was the “air” part of it. The cartridge leaked and the u-turn would come undone sometimes while riding, that was scary. Rock shox had a great customer service rep but the work they did on the fork was a joke. Literally they took it apart, put new seals in it and put it back together and called it “fixed.” I like Rock shox’s forks (I have a domain and a pike 409 coil now) but it will probably be a while before I buy another one of their air forks. Just too much headache to deal with.
sorry for the terrible grammar in that first sentence. I think I meant to say “pretty much all the time” or “a lot” and that got mashed into “pretty a lot”
Well, I have the SoloAir Lyrik on the STD right now. We’ll see how it holds up this season. So far the couple times I’ve had it at Ray’s I’ve been extremely impressed with it. Was yours a two-step or regular u-turn? My Lyrik is a straight SoloAir with no travel adjust so I’m hoping the simplicity of that over the two-step and u-turn models will improve reliability.
It was an air U-turn, not a 2 step though. I mean the boxxer world cups have been around for years and have had minimal complaints, perhaps the durable rep the pike gets doesn’t really apply to it’s air companion.
The product that I’ve been most disappointed in so far would have to be the Continental Digga 2.5 UST tires. The construction and UST reliability are actually quite good. They were some of the easiest tires to set up tubeless and they never burped, rollod off the bead or pinch flatted. It was the traction that was disappointing. Unpredictable in turns, poor braking traction and they didn’t track well in off camber situations.
I am reading that Conti’s new tires have excellent traction. I’d love to give them a go especially since the overall quality of the Digga was so good.
yeah i really want to try the conti rubber queen ust’s. they look sick and at 1100 grams it seems perfect for FR.
well I will have my say on this
last year put a set of Conti diesels on my Kona Stinky ..and its the worst tire choice Ive made ever ..
look good .run well on dry pack ..but show them anything else and its a world of hurt ..not impressed at all …
“It was the traction that was disappointing. Unpredictable in turns, poor braking traction and they didn’t track well in off camber situations.” exacttly my thoughts
so its back to MAXXIS for me
1 size/fit
2 strength
3 weight
4 functionality/purpose
5 maintenance
1. Companies reputation and customer service
2. Geometry
3. Suspension
4. Weight
5. Adjustability (travel and geo)
1. Company’s customer satisfaction rating (obtained through personal research)
2. Geometry or more importantly test ride Impressions
3. Suspension feel and “dialability” for the frame’s intended purpose
4. Durability
5. Cost:Performance ratio, otherwise known as “value”
Honestly weight, durability and ease/amount of required maintenance could all be interchanged in the number 4 spot depending on what kind of frame I’m looking at. Durability and ease/amount of maintenance would trump weight on a hardcore freeride frame that’s going to see a ton of abuse. Weight would be more important on a thoroughbred DH race, XC, 4x race and maybe even DJ frame.
10 days left, and only 6 pictures? Come on now, lets get it going!
I’m as confused as you are AT…
1. whats on sale at the manufacuters’ I can get through the shop.
2. must have a single crown.
3. color…just kidding:)
I don’t get too techy with it since I believe its more the rider than the bike. if you put Cam McCaul on a huffy he would still shred!
1. Reputation of company
2. Strength/reliability
3. Geometry
4. Appearance
5. Warranty
Here’s some diversity from all the DH shots. This is me on my 2007 Sinister Ridge during one of our summer campus rides at OSU:
Photog: Brad Smith
Rider: Jake Hostetler (me)
Rider: Ryan Linde
Photog: Sheldon McQ
Location: Wentworth Ski Hill
Rider: ME
Photographer: Sean Hammett
Locatio: Friston DH UK
Don’t forget to tell your friends to come on and vote for you. The winner will be calculated using a calculation of overall score AND total number of votes.
Hi!
Heres a pic of me at Laggan Wolftrax in Scotland on my Custom Cove STD
about to drop off a bit thats called Airs Rock ..
Photographer is my Girlfreind .
Nice one Lig !!! Looking good M8
1. Value or Cost/Performance
2. Suspension Design
3. Durability
4. Does it pedal well – prob the same as #2
5. Can I swith my current parts over to the new frame. MTN BIKING NEEDS STANDARDS!
I like your number 5. It’s a pain when your parts won’t fit on a frame that you really want.
Looks like Lig knows how this contest works. Y’all better get your friends on here voting or it looks like I’ll be shipping some sick gear to Scotland. No purchase or haggis neccessary, void where prohibited
its HAGGIS m8
and tasty little buggers they are too ..
contest is hotting up now though ..
Haha, my bad. Haggis it is then. Changed the original post for posterity.
I hope so .. free cove stuff for me ..
I got a lot of biking friends and I post links to new places to them so hopefully u will get some more visitors..
1. Company
2. Looks
3. Components
4. Price
5. affordablity
I meant 5. Durability
I can take his Cove stuff to Scotland when I go there next month for you Sean
That would be pretty cool. Winning a contest sponsored by Cove then having one of Cove’s big dogs bring it to your country for delivery! So cool.
It looks like some others have started spreading the word on the contest and are getting some votes rolling in. It’s anyone’s game now…
that would be very nice of you Stuart …if I win
what are you coming over to Scotland for m8…biking or whisky … lol
It looks like Banshee has some of the new frames done up in the other colorways. Absolutely amazing, awesome work guys.
Man, what a great little tool. I had the same one a while back and left it on the trail. I used it way more than I thought I would and it held up really well. Durable little buggers.
I found one on the trail once. It is a great tool
Hmmm….
Ive had one of these for 3 years now ..
perfect for a pocket
not too heavy
good quality tools
mines has rocky mountain branding on side ..
got it from my bike shop owner for being such a good customer.:)
My brother is getting married in Ireland in April.
I was born in Scotland, Glasgow and lived in the Trossachs for many years.
Yes lots of biking, kicking my friends lazy butts into gear.
Nice one ..
I hope the weather is good for the wedding …and the biking
Here are the details:
Frame: Cove Shocker. I’m 6′3″ and run a medium size as I have always liked my bikes a little smaller. Custom “Starburst Black” paintjob, custom neon green decals.
Shock: Fox RC2 with 450 pound Obtainium Ti Spring
Fork: Boxxer Race. I loved my older Boxxer Team, and the 2010 Boxxer Race is basically the same thing in a stiffer and lighter package. Dead simple fork, feels great.
Headset: King
Stem: Straightline 50mm direct mount
Bar: Chromag OSX cut down 1/4″ each side
Grips: Half bagged out ODI Ruffians. Perfect.
Shifter: Sram XO Red w/matchmaker
Brakes: Avid Elixer CR, 7″ rotors, Ti hardware.
Post: Thomson
Saddle: WTB Devo Ti
Seat Clamp: Straightline
Cranks: Truvativ OCT 165
Guide: E-13 SRS
Ring: E-13 35 tooth red
Derailleur: Sram XO short cage red
Cassette: Sram PG 970 12-26
Chain: Sram PC991
Maxle: Maxle Lite red
Rear Wheel: DT Swiss 340 rear hub on Mavic 721
Front Wheel: Mavic Deetrack
Tires: Maxxis Minion 2.5, Maxxis Welterweight Tubes
Pedals: Straightline
Total Weight: Just over 39 pounds
Just some background, I’ve been a mechainc for over 12 years. I’m the mechanic for the Cove Team as well as the Canadian National DH Team. Plus I teach mechanics courses with ‘Endless Biking’ a Coaching and Guiding company here on the Shore. The last thing I want to do is mess with my own bike, even though I enjoy it. My bike has to get through serious amounts of Shore riding, Whistler laps and a full season of my racing. My bike could be lighter and have way more funky parts but at the end of the day I just want my bike to handle it’s buisness day in day out with minimal worries.
Solid build with a respectable weight and it looks so rad. I think some of us, including myself, could learn from Adam’s view on weight savings vs. reliability. I’d rather be riding than taking the long walk down to the lift because that awesome new whiz-bang, weight-weeny part that I was so proud to show off on the internet failed miserably under my hack like abuse.
Thanks for the specs and background Adam! Another great dude helping to make this industry a great thing to be involved in and passionate about.
I roll on the big earls and I love ‘em. I’ve got 6 of them hangin’ in the garage. I hope you like them as much as I do. They are really grippy in the corners and accelerate like a bat outta hell. The wear is pretty good for how light they are. The only time they wear fast is if you do a lot of wood ladders. The wood seems to tear the lugs on the side. But thats after a few weeks of Boyne riding. So if most of your riding is done in the dirt you’ll like the tire. I can’t wait to hear what you have to say about them…mainly because if you’re testing them that means it’s warm outside!
The Big Earls that I got look different from the picture. I believe those are the wet compound which I think is what you run. The dry compound has slightly fatter lugs and no “x” cuts on them. We’ll see how they do, they look pretty good so far.
Me out in the Black Hills of South Dakota on a G-Spot.
I’ve ridden the wet and dry earls, the wets have proven to be much better. The drys got destroyed in about 2 months of occasional riding. That being said, their performance was pretty decent. I donno I go back and forth between loving them and hating them sometimes. I got a set through my old shop for $18 each at cost though, so I can’t really complain.
That surprises me since they are a dual compound, 62a center knobs and 52a side knobs. Were your drys the “gum-bi” compound? That’s what I have here. We’ll see how they do, I love trying new tires (as long as they are bad and nearly kill me LOL).
oops, I said that backwards. I meant to say the wets sucked but the gum-bi’s were much better.
By the way does that FR4 really weigh the claimed 875 grams? If so I think I found my new rear tire for my 160mm bike.
Of the 4 FR4s that I have on hand three weigh 899g and the other 897g so they’re a bit more than 875g but not much. I hope the grip is great because I’m diggin everything else about this tire.
Gotta be honest, central Ohio’s gravity scene is pretty freaking awesome. No local huge hills but Horn’s is 45 minutes away with tons of fun freeride features, and Mohican is 90 minutes away with some absolutely sick downhill. Plus Wisp & 7 Springs are 4 hours, Snowshoe is 5.5 hours, and Windrock is 6 hours. Really it’s tough to argue for much better riding. The scene down here seems to just keep growing!
I agree. We’ve got to take what we have as far as elevation goes and make the most of it. Vulture’s is going to be nice this summer, Mohican will hopefully see some of the improvements that we’ve discussed and Horn’s Hill just keeps getting better and better. Now we’ve just got to get some of the LBSs to get on boar and start carrying gravity oriented gear. I’d also like to see some stuff happen in SE ohio, there’s tons of great terrain there for building, but no one there to build it…
The contest is closed to new entries. Voting will continue through 3/10 and the winner will be announced on or before 3/15.
Salt lake City Utah has some pretty killer stuff. Not a whole lot in terms of ladders or stunts like that but definately lots of jumps and DH trails. We have Deer Valley and sundance resorts within 30 min drive. Tons of shuttle runs with lots of elevation. We have a MTB specific jump area with easily over 100 jumps spread out all over the mountain side that is literally 5 minutes from downtown SLC. We also have one of the sweetest trails ever called bobsled. Also we have Moab within 3.5 hours. Virgin (red bull rampage) and grafton within 4 hours. St george within 4. Bootleg canyon about 6 hours away. Jackson hole wyoming about 5 hours away and colorado, california, and whistler (long day) within a days drive. Pretty sweet stuff. Also an incredible amount of XC around park city area.
Uh yeah, you’re smack dab in the middle of an MTB mecca there. We’re all jealous I imagine
well come visit. Im sure the wife won’t care if you crash on the couch and we can ride a ton.
Place: Mohican
Rider: Me
Photographer: i dunno.?.
my mate at Laggan Scotland
Rider : Dean Buchan
Ride : Scott Hi Octane
photographer : Alan Ligertwood
Rider: Dave Marshall
Location: Ward Mt.
Photog: Sheldon McQuillan
Some of both.
Shimano cranks and front der
Sram shifters, rear der, and chain
The biggest reason is shimano’s stupid indicators that prevent you from running your brakes on the inside of your shifters. I know the saint and maybe the new xt’s have changed it but now im used to sram. Besides that it really doesn’t matter. If it works ill ride it.
I am loving my Saint stuff right now with one exception, the crank’s thicker chainring tabs that prevent the use of an aftermarket bashring style chainguide. You have to use the Saint bashring to prevent the chain from getting caught in between the chainring and bashring.
The rear derailleur is great as are the shifters. The chain has been solid and the SLX cassette has been providing consistent, crisp shifting.
I’ve used SRAM X.9 and X.0 mechs and shifters and they also have no mechanical faults in my opinion. I do prefer the Saint rear mech’s much lower profile over the standard profile of the SRAM though.
Location: Ann Arbor dj’s
Rider: John Pezzin
Photographer: Me
I hope there is gonna be more pics this month !!
but if not ..how much is shipping to Scotland
set of Intense tyres will look good on my STD;)
When dont I ride …its a lifestyle for me
biking with mates = fun
biking on my own = relax
biking with my brother = family
biking with girfriendand her kid = laughs
biking to work = making a living ..lol
biking is everything
I just like being out in the woods away from the city huckin’ drops with my buds. I’ve always ridden bikes and now its all about how far from society we can get. So I guess I ride for that bushwacker feeling.
Couldn’t agree more, except I’m less of a hucker and more of a gnarly rock gard’n kinda rider.
Biking is mainly about adrenaline for me. Finding that next big line or drop. Hitting a road gap for your first time definately gives you the stoke to ride for a few months.
Its also about social/family. Some of the best times I have are after the ride when we all go out to eat or go session the pumptrack at our friends house while he makes home made pizza. My Dad and 3 other brothers bike so its always fun to get out with them. Especially cause im the youngest and i get to waste my older brothers down the mountain
FYI, the indicators come right off the shimano shifters, only one bolt required…
I’ve always ridden shimano, I hate the mechanical feeling of sram, plus sram isn’t as user friendly as shimano for changing shift cables, routing cables, etc. In the 3 years I spent as a mechanic, I can’t tell you how many more sram bikes came in for derailleur service than shimano!