AM And the winner is..Nomad 4cc

[Flow-Rider]

I've run those RWC bearings in a shock for a while and they seem to last, only downfall is the price. I run them on an xc bike and you can certainly feel the difference with the shock in open mode, the shock seems to work smoother over small corrugations at high speed.

 

[B Rabbit]

So, a few updates.

DHX2 is on. I had a 375x2.75 SLS spring left over from my N3. I put that on as I waited for a heavier spring. It gave me about 38% sag. I took it for a spin in at Kinross forrest in Orange and even though it was sitting way to low I prefer this shock 1000x over the deluxe coil. I'm not sure what it was, maybe the 450 spring was to heavy, or it was just the tune of the Deluxe shock, but it felt dead and harsh. No one else seems to have my opinion of this shock so maybe with time I could of got it better. Anyway, I rolled the $200 dice and ordered a 425 sls spring, turns out its about spot on, giving roughly 32% sag with no preload. Should get it out for a spin this weekend

Also got some new grips, ergon GA2 Fats, seem real meaty, be interesting to see if they suit my hands! New drink bottle cage, Lezyne as it fits the SWAT tool well.

Next on the list is stick on cable guides for the rear brake as it comes past the drink bottle and new pedals.
Will report on the DHx2 (and Ribbon coil) after a couple of rides.

 

[Zaf]

You bought that spring to match your sticker didn't you?

Sent from my Agora 4G Pro using Tapatalk

 

[mint355]

At which point it begs the questions, what's smoother, a well maintained bushing or a shot bearing?
But makes a bit of sense now at least, rotation on the point in relation to the linkage.

Report results!

Id say a well maintained bearing..... I've been running the rwc needle bearings in my tallboy and hightower.

Sent from my SM-G950F using Tapatalk

 

[B Rabbit]

You bought that spring to match your sticker didn't you?

Ahh, the old matchy matchy.
Match a $200 spring to $2 sticker. Seems like something I'd do......

Also, my valve caps are orange.......

 

[Ultra Lord]

And it looks fuckin mint

 

[B Rabbit]

So been attempting to do some tuning (not my strong suit) on the DHX2. I've got a 425SLS spring giving about 33% sag. I started out with foxes recommended 8-11 clicks for my spring weight.
The bike felt rough and like it was getting held up on high speed roots so I took out all the LSC & HSC, I was expecting it to be bottoming out everywhere, but so far (admittedly on fairly tame trails) it seems to be working well. I did add 4-5 clicks of LSC in as the bike felt like it was sinking down in berms and pumping along the track.The bike feels very smooth now in the high speed chatter.
Is it weird to be running no HSC? I've read the N4 has a progressiveness of 37%.
I've also been watching some of Vorsprungs tuning videos, some pretty interesting stuff.

 

[Ultra Lord]

the ol’ pogo aye! I run pretty low hsc on my forks and rely on tokens to stop me blowing through travel, I can imagine how that would feel on the rear (monarch rt3 on mine, no HsC adjust). If you like it why not.

 

[B Rabbit]

So, thread update, spent 2 full days riding derby on the weekend.

Nomad- Blew my mind, its so so good, DHX2 is amazing on the back, so controlled, big or small bumps it just sucks it up. The small bumps are amazing, it's like being on a cloud. I had it in the low setting, probably should of put it in high for the amount of pedaling we did. Got drenched on day 2, will post some pics up in a bit.

MRP Ribbon Coil- Awesome, smooth and controlled, never felt harsh or overwhelmed, but it has a nice firm feeling on the mid size stuff, definitely doesn't blow through the travel, heaps of support. The fork can seem a bit stictiony when just pushing down on the bars, but on the trail its smooth and supple. On my Pike with general trail riding descents I'd probably use 85% of the travel, with the Ribbon (light spring and i'm 77kgs) on the same trail it would use 60% of the travel. At derby even down the nuts EWS stages ( and I had a few full on nose dives) I had probably 20mm left. I'm still tempted to give the X-light spring a go and see if it gets even better small bump, then I can use preload and ramp control to stop it bottoming out.

Derby- Pretty good, was a bit more pedaling then I expected. Very pretty tracks and rain forest, some awesome flowy bits. Would be nice if they had a few more descending only tracks there but, got a bit over the pedaling in the end. I did hear there are some in the pipeline. Some of the EWS stages are extremely hectic, heaps of rocks and super steep. However I doubt I'd re visit Derby........but Maydena on the other hand, that sounds more my style....or lack of...

pics to follow

 

[Hellyeah]

What a pussy................................................................................................................................................................................................cat

 

[B Rabbit]

Not much to update, Ergon fat grips are gone, I have no idea what it was, but after two shuttle runs my hands had major sharp pains in them, my mate had a go and had the same thing. I switched them out and boom, no pain, I think my puny hands weren't up to the girth (cue jokes).
Might give these a go next, can't find an aussie distributor but.
https://www.pinkbike.com/news/revolution-suspension-grips-review-2016.html

KS 150 seat post isn't returning to full travel and has sag, not sure what to do, a service to fix it is probably $250, but I'm keen for a longer travel post. I see one up have a very good value dropper coming out, but the inner weight winnie is hoping to keep things as light as possible (mind you I need to do some research on the actual weight of the one up). A KS carbon dropper sounds perfect, but $650+? No thanks.

Might get a new seat too......

 

[Ultra Lord]

Take a look at bike yoke mate, pretty happy woth mine. 185mm odd drop, been pretty good for about 4 months now.

 

[russthedog]

Not much to update, Ergon fat grips are gone, I have no idea what it was, but after two shuttle runs my hands had major sharp pains in them, my mate had a go and had the same thing. I switched them out and boom, no pain, I think my puny hands weren't up to the girth (cue jokes).
Might give these a go next, can't find an aussie distributor but.
https://www.pinkbike.com/news/revolution-suspension-grips-review-2016.html

KS 150 seat post isn't returning to full travel and has sag, not sure what to do, a service to fix it is probably $250, but I'm keen for a longer travel post. I see one up have a very good value dropper coming out, but the inner weight winnie is hoping to keep things as light as possible (mind you I need to do some research on the actual weight of the one up). A KS carbon dropper sounds perfect, but $650+? No thanks.

Might get a new seat too......

service on the post is cheap as dude, contact Link sports.

 

[B Rabbit]

service on the post is cheap as dude, contact Link sports.

Cool thanks, just contacted them, probably needs a new cartridge (and service), $170. I'd really like a longer travel post....time to do some maffs....

 

[B Rabbit]

So, updates.
Just did the Rocky Trail enduro at Ourimbah on the weekend. Good fun, a bit more pedaling then I thought ideal. Landed mid field which is my happy place. No crashes, some good laughs and Nomad just ate it up.

MRP Coil fork is going well, switched to a extra soft spring as I wasnt get full travel, but think I might go back to soft as the XS blows through the travel a bit on the more DH/rough sorta tracks. Fork can feel extremely stictiony when just standing static on the bike, but it feels plush and sensitive on the trail.

Switched to 2.6 tires all round, DHF front and Slaughter semi slick rear.2.6 FTW

DHX2 is going great, havent done much mucking around, but it feels perfect.

Got a new seat post, KS 175 Carbon. Wanted to drop some weight and waste some money. Love the longer drop. A Ti bolt fell out sometime during the morning before the Enduro race, had to cable tie it on for the event. It does however have the habit of getting stuck down, I'm going to put some more air in it to see if that over comes it, otherwise it could be a warranty job.

Also got a new seat, its charbon from fleebay, again, wanted to drop some weight. Feels good actually!
https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/GUB-Light-Carbon-Fiber-Cycling-Bicycle-MTB-Road-Bike-Saddle-Seat-Cushion-Mat/253627973391?hash=item3b0d67bf0f:g:UyAAAOSwWxNYylj6
It hasnt shot carbon charbs up my ass yet, so thats a win.

Overall Nomad is amazing, I just chug along on the XC rides, fits a full size water bottle in and just ploughs the DH stuff, exactly what I wanted. New Bronson does look pretty cool through....and its blue! Nah, pretty sure I'll be sticking with the Nomad, its just too good.

 

[Zaf]

My KS Lev on the Honzo does the same with getting stuck down.
Great shots, the lighting in that section is stunning!

A mate just got a Nomad out here and he's loving it, he mentioned how well it pedals. The new Bronson rumours are looking spot on as well taking design cues like the low link from the Nomad etc. Looks like the Nomad V4 is going to be a fairly big line in the sand from a design perspective for Santa Cruz. Does it feel like riding Genesis?

 

[B Rabbit]

I think for their gravity orientated bikes this layout is a no brainer, from what I’ve read it gives them a better leverage ratio, and it gives us lower weight/COG and an easier water bottle mount. Sounds like an no brainer. But I think the 5010 and more xc bikes will be keeping the old design (from what I’ve read).

The only thing I’d change would the the colour, aside from that, it’s perfect.
Edit: it’s not perfect, it’s needs a storage solution like specialized SWAT. If it had that, and was blue and pink then, then it would be perfect.

I take it Mint is loving his?

 

[Zaf]

I take it Mint is loving his?

He should do a PYR for it, he got custom decals, colour matched and everything, properly tarted up.
But yeah, he's loving it! Seems to be a common theme with people who own them.

 

[Tubbsy]

If anyone spots a good deal on a Nomad 4 frame in XL, I'd be rather keen on one of these I think.

 

[hifiandmtb]

He should do a PYR for it, he got custom decals, colour matched and everything, properly tarted up.
But yeah, he's loving it! Seems to be a common theme with people who own them.

Why's he not visiting RB any more?