Post your all mountain bike

Shadow Puppet

Likes Dirt
Damn, that's pretty light for a Reign with SLX and stock wheelset....
Started off at 14.1 on the scale with stock wheels and tubes etc.

Removed the whole front mech, bash guard.

The wheel set is of my Scott Genius Syncros TR2.0 and tubeless with the HD and 180mm rotor instead of 200m and is no shite, 1kg less than the Giant P-AM2 wheelset
Aha! So the wheels aren't stock.

Giant lists the reign advanced 1 carbon at 13.9kg stock (without pedals). where did you lose the 1.2kg? curious because I want to put my reign on a weight loss plan too.
Where do Giant list weights for their bikes?
 

romy

Likes Dirt
Aha! So the wheels aren't stock.



Where do Giant list weights for their bikes?
Giant are all about NOT listing weights for their bikes.
In saying that if you look at reviews online they are all bout 13.7kgs for advanced 1 and 12.5kgs for advanced 0.
Mine weighed in at 14.1kgs with pedals (Xpedo Spry 260 grams)
So i can confirm its about right at 13.7 for the advanced 1 give or take 40 grams.
 

geoz

Likes Bikes
Sounds like a reasonable weight for an all mountain rig. My Nomad C is about the same but I have been focusing more on durability than minimum weight.
 

herbman

Likes Dirt
My reign as it currently rolls

I have replaced the deore stuff with a mix of SLX (cranks) XT (brakes and cluster) and zee.
Gone 1x10 with revolution components 30t NW front ring and 40t range extender
Replaced the giant dropper and seat with a KS LEV integra and my old gobi.

Somewhere around 13kg which I'm rather happy with for a bike like this.

Will try the new 11speed xt on it when I can get my hands on some. And maybe look at some new wheels and rear shock.
 

Attachments

MrZ32

Likes Dirt
yeah yeah, and ride report.
First of all... Rod, if you are ever in QLD, you are more than welcome to try it out (if im actually in QLD at the time... however the plan is to ship it down the VIC with me (my other house).

The balfa is running the following:
Original Equipment
-2003 Balfa BB7 frame( i think its a medium)
-balfa seat (hence why i havent put a modern one on)
-azonic cranks (not sure of model but they seem to be pretty light)
-Blackspire chain device (although i have removed an idler off it after going to a NW chain ring)
-token head stem of some sort with weird non tapered bearings (might have to change to a chris king or cane creek just because)
-optional balfa floating rear caliper mount

New Equipment
-very custom hand-built (by NS dynamics) 170mm Marzocchi 55 CR Ti's which were made from new parts (as in never sold as a fork) with the lockout ability, converted to air, nickel coat stanchions, low friction seals and bushes and ata travel adjust. (it makes my pikes with the 500 dollar NOVI parts upgrade feel a bit lame now... and that upgrade made the standard pikes feel lame)
-CCDB with 450lb race steel spring (so much lighter than the standard one) and a thrust bearing to boot (going to try and get a CS piece added to it, it will remain a coil shock)
-Easton Havoc 750 or 760 bars
-Thomson 60mm stem
-2012 Codes (with 200mm rotors)
-oury grips
-straightline defacto pedals
-32t wolftooth NW chain ring
-saint 10spd shifter
-XT shadow plus rear derailleur
-xt 11-36 cassette with an e13 42t rear cog and 16t cog added
-Thomson 27.2mm, 125mm dropper post
-Flow EX Rims on hope pro2 hubs running tubeless minion on the front and ikon on the rear to help pedaling (plus rear shock allows for heaps of grip anyway)

Total weight 15.2kg (down from 20.5 when it was in DH guise), losing the old formula hubs, MTX rims (still perfectly true), maxxis DH tubes and Minion DHR dropped 3.5kg alone.

Ride report
- since doing the mods, I have completed over 75km and 1500m+ vertical of single track riding in 3 days.

Climbing
-climbing is a lot better than you would expect for a 12yr old DH bike, in fact it is much better than a majority of AM bikes up until the era of the SB66 (when long travel, proper am bikes started to be able to climb). Yes I have had to dial up the low speed compression a bit but it is no where near the limit of what the CCDB can achieve.
-It however is a lot harder to climb up a big slope compared to the jekyll (especially when set in the 90mm travel climb mode), it will never be the fastest to the top but it will get you there (and up things that other bikes struggle with)
-Where it does come into its own on climbs is on technical climbs (the rooty, ledgy rocky climbs that upsets suspension and has you spinning the rear wheel), this thing can climb and clear sections that i have never been able to clear before as there is zero pedal kick back, zero chain growth (due to the idler), and relies on the high pivot point gove good efficiency rather than locking up the rear suspension (basically the suspension stays active, yet efficient). The 9" of vertical and 2" of rearward travel in the rear really allows you to just pop up and over sections without any loss of traction, even with something light like the ikon.
-Body english is required on the really steep stuff to keep the nose on the deck
-She does like to wander a bit at anything slower than a quick jogging pace.

BUT I NEVER BUILT IT FOR ITS CLIMBING PROWESS, it only ever needed to make it to the top of the hill and to be able to ride all of the trails at the you yangs flat out (on the downs)

Riding (where it counts)
-it is the the best AM bike i have ever ridden on a twisty, rough, descending trail (those that know the bikes that i have ridden and what suspension/geometry work that i have had completed on the jekyll will know that, that is a big call)
-Once the trail flattens and lots of pedaling is required, i'd rather be on the jekyll but i do DH tracks on the Jekyll too (although i do have a V10C for the proper stuff)
-i have never been on a bike that is so fluid when you change directions, so easy. It just tips in, grips, extends out the wheelbase and gets super stable, then shoots you out the other side.
-even on flatter trails that require a lot of pedaling, as long as there are a lot of corners, the thing is fast. I truly am astounded by the lines that this things can hold and just how much i can lean on the front end of the old girl.
-even though the bottom bracket is fairly high, the weight is so low and she just feels so stable and just wants to tip into the corners (you truly have to try it to understand what i mean)
-i have never been so confident in my life to hit big doubles (i hit them on the jekyll no worries but new trails that i dont know), super stable in the air and as i found out, if you case it, that massive travel makes it all dissapear.
-another plus with all that travel, when you hit the rally rough stuff, you can just lean back and let that massively rearward axle path do its thing, again with zero pedal kickback.

Overview
-obviously not the lightest or most efficient bike available but it will get you to the top no problems, even up technical sections that you didnt realise was possible before. Where this bike shines is its cornering prowess, you really do feel like one with the bike (in no time at all), it tips in fast but is ridiculously stable unless you want it to be playful; it also has the added bonus of being able to destroy doubles and even gnarly rock gardens at serious pace.

10/10 would ride... unless you only like to climb hills on your xc hard tail...

any questions?
 

romy

Likes Dirt
My reign as it currently rolls

I have replaced the deore stuff with a mix of SLX (cranks) XT (brakes and cluster) and zee.
Gone 1x10 with revolution components 30t NW front ring and 40t range extender
Replaced the giant dropper and seat with a KS LEV integra and my old gobi.

Somewhere around 13kg which I'm rather happy with for a bike like this.

Will try the new 11speed xt on it when I can get my hands on some. And maybe look at some new wheels and rear shock.
TIDY! Such a versatile bike!!
 

NUTTTR

Likes Dirt
HA! You're relying on Microsoft? I thought people would have learned after Vista.....

Nice bars, any chance of seeing the rest of the bike?
My free Dropbox 30+GB expired and now I can't upload :(

But I will get some proper photos when I get it out. Seems to be a hard bike to photograph!
 

No Skid Marks

Blue Mountain Bikes Brooklyn/Lahar/Kowa/PO1NT Raci
First of all... Rod, if you are ever in QLD, you are more than welcome to try it out (if im actually in QLD at the time... however the plan is to ship it down the VIC with me (my other house). Cheers man, thanks for the offer. I had about three of them I think. I don't think I ever had one with the floating brake. and saw your forks are 170mm travel, I was guessing less. My mate still has a couple of BB7s, I'll show him yours. He also has a hardtail and Belair, oh and 2 step.

The balfa is running the following:
Original Equipment
-2003 Balfa BB7 frame( i think its a medium)The last light one. Have you considered making new side plates to lower, slacken it, shorten it or anything else?
-balfa seat (hence why i havent put a modern one on)put it on the shelf. Not in case a 70ft gap kinda way. Get something light on there.
-azonic cranks (not sure of model but they seem to be pretty light)
-Blackspire chain device (although i have removed an idler off it after going to a NW chain ring)You're running the bottom idler though, right?
-token head stem of some sort with weird non tapered bearings (might have to change to a chris king or cane creek just because)
-optional balfa floating rear caliper mount

New Equipment
-very custom hand-built (by NS dynamics) 170mm Marzocchi 55 CR Ti's which were made from new parts (as in never sold as a fork) with the lockout ability, converted to air, nickel coat stanchions, low friction seals and bushes and ata travel adjust. (it makes my pikes with the 500 dollar NOVI parts upgrade feel a bit lame now... and that upgrade made the standard pikes feel lame)Sound awesome, I'd like to try them. Although, ignorance is bliss. Want an angle set to slacken it 1 degree? Guessing not?
-CCDB with 450lb race steel spring (so much lighter than the standard one) and a thrust bearing to boot (going to try and get a CS piece added to it, it will remain a coil shock)
-Easton Havoc 750 or 760 bars
-Thomson 60mm stem
-2012 Codes (with 200mm rotors)Porky.
-oury grips
-straightline defacto pedals
-32t wolftooth NW chain ring
-saint 10spd shifter
-XT shadow plus rear derailleur
-xt 11-36 cassette with an e13 42t rear cog and 16t cog added
-Thomson 27.2mm, 125mm dropper post
-Flow EX Rims on hope pro2 hubs running tubeless minion on the front and ikon on the rear to help pedaling (plus rear shock allows for heaps of grip anyway)

Total weight 15.2kg (down from 20.5 when it was in DH guise), losing the old formula hubs, MTX rims (still perfectly true), maxxis DH tubes and Minion DHR dropped 3.5kg alone.That's light as.

Ride report
- since doing the mods, I have completed over 75km and 1500m+ vertical of single track riding in 3 days. Nice.

Climbing
-climbing is a lot better than you would expect for a 12yr old DH bike High pivots naturally counteract bobbing., in fact it is much better than a majority of AM bikes up until the era of the SB66 (when long travel, proper am bikes started to be able to climb). Yes I have had to dial up the low speed compression a bit but it is no where near the limit of what the CCDB can achieve.
-It however is a lot harder to climb up a big slope compared to the jekyll (especially when set in the 90mm travel climb mode), it will never be the fastest to the top but it will get you there (and up things that other bikes struggle with)
-Where it does come into its own on climbs is on technical climbs (the rooty, ledgy rocky climbs that upsets suspension and has you spinning the rear wheel), this thing can climb and clear sections that i have never been able to clear before as there is zero pedal kick back, zero chain growth (due to the idler), and relies on the high pivot point gove good efficiency rather than locking up the rear suspension (basically the suspension stays active, yet efficient). The 9" of vertical and 2" of rearward travel in the rear really allows you to just pop up and over sections without any loss of traction, even with something light like the ikon.
-Body english is required on the really steep stuff to keep the nose on the deck
-She does like to wander a bit at anything slower than a quick jogging pace.

BUT I NEVER BUILT IT FOR ITS CLIMBING PROWESS, it only ever needed to make it to the top of the hill and to be able to ride all of the trails at the you yangs flat out (on the downs)

Riding (where it counts)
-it is the the best AM bike i have ever ridden on a twisty, rough, descending trail (those that know the bikes that i have ridden and what suspension/geometry work that i have had completed on the jekyll will know that, that is a big call)
-Once the trail flattens and lots of pedaling is required, i'd rather be on the jekyll but i do DH tracks on the Jekyll too (although i do have a V10C for the proper stuff)
-i have never been on a bike that is so fluid when you change directions, so easy. It just tips in, grips, extends out the wheelbase and gets super stable, then shoots you out the other side.
-even on flatter trails that require a lot of pedaling, as long as there are a lot of corners, the thing is fast. I truly am astounded by the lines that this things can hold and just how much i can lean on the front end of the old girl.
-even though the bottom bracket is fairly high, the weight is so low and she just feels so stable and just wants to tip into the corners (you truly have to try it to understand what i mean)
-i have never been so confident in my life to hit big doubles (i hit them on the jekyll no worries but new trails that i dont know), super stable in the air and as i found out, if you case it, that massive travel makes it all dissapear. and the rearward wheel travel not hooking up.
-another plus with all that travel, when you hit the rally rough stuff, you can just lean back and let that massively rearward axle path do its thing, again with zero pedal kickback.

Overview
-obviously not the lightest or most efficient bike available but it will get you to the top no problems, even up technical sections that you didnt realise was possible before. Where this bike shines is its cornering prowess, you really do feel like one with the bike (in no time at all), it tips in fast but is ridiculously stable unless you want it to be playful; it also has the added bonus of being able to destroy doubles and even gnarly rock gardens at serious pace.

10/10 would ride... unless you only like to climb hills on your xc hard tail...

any questions?
Have you put it on the UK Balfa forum? Got a spare idler ready as the lots of pedaling will eat it eventually. Very noce bike dude, would love to see you throw more coin at it getting it lighter.
I missed a BB7 frame/shock on facebook or ebayor something a month back, for$200 or less, Insane.
 
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MrZ32

Likes Dirt
I will answer all the questions the best i can.

OOOh... a 2 step.. always wanted to try one of those.. very jealous. Will have to keep an eye out for one.

As for the plates, it runs pretty slack with the current setup and external cup headset (on the verge of too slack, especially once you consider 20% sag in the rear when its 9" of travel). TBH it feels perfect as is, you dont seem to notice the taller bottom bracket but again, the sag may have something to do with this. I clip the pedals on the ground on it a bit (maybe because i was expecting more clearance).

As for the seat, I'll take it off and weigh it but it is fairly comfy as far as saddles go. It is also fairly thin at the back and easy to get behind. A more modern seat would look the goods though and maybe save me a hundred grams or so. Ill get back to you on that one.

Yeah.. to say im stoked with the forks would be an understatement. Yeah.. 170mm and super burly in the flesh... i think the matt black masks alot of it in the photos. I dont think i need it any slacker than it is at the moment (unless i was going to go back to DH). It is noticeably slacker than my jekyll which has longer forks and offset bushes to bring it back to an even 66 degree head angle. The other big advantage is the travel adjust, i can drop it down to 120mm travel too steepen up the head angle for the big climbs (if only it was as easy to use as the talas style adjustment rather than having to wind it up or down 15 times...)

The blackspire chain device ran to idlers, one between the idler & chainring and other between the chainring & derailleur. I now only run the one between the chainring and derailleur... looking at machining up my own custom idler bracket and idler made out of a delron or similar.

The codes arent that heavy, not that much more than guides... they work well, didnt see any reason to replace them during the conversion from DH rig to AM.The rear floater is great, the suspension remains fully active while under brakes.

I was surprised at how light it was... most of the weight of the bike was in the DH wheels, DH tyres and DH tubes, going to the tubless flows made the biggest difference out of everything.

yeah.. always been a big advertiser of high pivot bikes... great pedaling... still surprising for a DH rig.

No, not really on the balfa UK forum... probably should. I have a spare pivot axle, link plates, bolt kit and idler coming (i already have a replacement idler, one of the updated plastic ones as the old metal cog type one makes horrible noises). I still modified the updated idler, did a bit of machining to it to allow a better fitment and replaced the original bolt with a Gr10.9 bolt for extra strength (can be torqued up more too, less flex). The other added plus is that im using a thinner chain than what was originally intended so that it copes with the wide range cassette.

I have been looking into machining up my own main idler out of delron too and changing the width and pitch of it to better cope with the wide range cassette. have been looking into making a linkage plate with an integrated idler axle (stiffer and stronger as you can then leave more material in place rather than allowing for bolts).

For the record i have a lathe and mill at home, making that stuff a bit easier.

You have given me hope to find a 2 step on ebay.. hmm
 

No Skid Marks

Blue Mountain Bikes Brooklyn/Lahar/Kowa/PO1NT Raci
You have given me hope to find a 2 step on ebay.. hmm
You'll have to beat my Balfa hoarding mate. I'm after a BB7 and maybe a Belair, if ever you see one PM me asap ;-)
With new plates you could reduce travel to 180mm(or something) and throw a smaller air shock in there(with adjusted leverage curve maybe). Plates wouldn't be too hard to make with hacksaw and G-Clamps, easier still if you have a drill press.
Main pivot bearings and Bolt size is the only bummer about the BB7s.
 
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