Back on the wagon...

beeb

Dr. Beebenson, PhD HA, ST, Offset (hons)
Hi Folks,

Have recently gotten back into riding (after around 15 years!) after a mate auggested we hire some bikes and do a "one off" trip to Falls Creek.

I convinced him we should hire some bikes well before went and started riding down unknown trails fast downhill on a shuttle day, and things snowballed and now we ride pretty much every weekend.

We hired some Fuel EX's, but discovered we were both woefully unfit (surprise... :rolleyes:) and went and bought hardtails at that time, lol.

I ended buying/building an Octane Prone 29er (Size L) and set it up with a 120mm Fox Rhythm 34, Hope hubs, Spank rims, and XT groupset.


It's been a great bike, and while it's awesome fun to ride on fast flowy trails, the fact it's a hardtail and the occasional jarring jolts and hits that comes along with that on the rougher trails have seen it lose its lustre for me.

So, along came bike number 2. :)

This time round I decided to go dual susp and give 27.5 a go at the same time, so bought a Santaz Cruz 5010 Carbon CC frameset, another Fox 34 and built it up with XT drivetrain, Hope Brakes, same rim and hub combo, etc...



Ripper little bike - and I love how it climbs and does techy stuff - but I'll be the first to put my hand up and say I bought a size (or two) too small. I bought a size L hoping to make the turning circle feel a little tighter/responsive in the more technical stuff, but A) didn't account for the 40mm lower stack height and shorter reach leaving my knees feeling like they had nowhere to go when turning, and B) with me at roughly 6'3" I very rapidly found myself missing the slacker head angle and longer wheelbase (and associated front-end confidence) of the Prone on fast descents - this one will be disassembled and the frame and fork will be sold off to help fund a (hopefully!) "best of both worlds" Hightower or Hightower LT frameset and Fox 36.

Anyway - Thanks for reading my essay, lol! Look forward to looking around and gleaning (and hopefully eventually giving) some good advice. :)
 
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beeb

Dr. Beebenson, PhD HA, ST, Offset (hons)
Hello.

Ripper bike combination.
Ta mate, looking forward to round 3 though to appease the OCD. :D (Just not looking forward to the ever-deepening hole in my wallet! :eek::p)

I should mention given my comments on bikes above, I am not and will probably never be a full-on downhiller/enduro rider, I mostly enjoy what I think of as "aggresive trails" such as Flowtown at Falls or or similar Blue/Black trails with a little more chop/difficultly but without the huge jumps. My technique is still poor (I know... "All the gear and no idea!") given the relatively short time back on the bike, so I'm staying away from anything too deadly for now!
 
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Ultra Lord

Hurts. Requires Money. And is nerdy.
I see you also subscribe to the red goes faster theory. It’s the only thing slowing me down now, too emo for colours on my bike and I feel it on the climbs.

For longevities sake aggressive trail riding is where its at, nobody likes being injured. Not to mention short travel bikes are stoopid fun.

Should bike #3 be an xl 5010? In red of course
 

beeb

Dr. Beebenson, PhD HA, ST, Offset (hons)
I see you also subscribe to the red goes faster theory. It’s the only thing slowing me down now, too emo for colours on my bike and I feel it on the climbs.

For longevities sake aggressive trail riding is where its at, nobody likes being injured. Not to mention short travel bikes are stoopid fun.

Should bike #3 be an xl 5010? In red of course
Haha, out of the choice (on both frames) of red or a dark blue I preferred the reds. Definitely doesn't make me any faster though!

I though about the 5010 in an XL but more than the current Size L one feeling too short, I can't shake the feeling that it feels to low (in terms of stack height) and I just struggle to weight it, get grip and steer it consistently in the faster sections. Wasn't sure if more spacers under them stem would counter any of that feeling - effectively faking a higher stack height, or if it'd just feel a little wrong!
 

pink poodle

気が狂っている男
Switch out your head set top cup (if possible) for one with a but of rise in it rather than loading up the spacers. Throw on some bars with a little rise as well.

Then it is time to talk bike 3...it looks like you'll be after something in the 160-200mm range. It isn't likely to be your primary ride so you may not be feeling a full carbon high end super bike, maybe a Banshee dark side? Pretty sure they come in red.





And if you didn't ride either of your current bikes in their other colours, how can you be so certain the red isn't making you faster?
 

hifiandmtb

Sphincter beanie
Haha, out of the choice (on both frames) of red or a dark blue I preferred the reds. Definitely doesn't make me any faster though!

I though about the 5010 in an XL but more than the current Size L one feeling too short, I can't shake the feeling that it feels to low (in terms of stack height) and I just struggle to weight it, get grip and steer it consistently in the faster sections. Wasn't sure if more spacers under them stem would counter any of that feeling - effectively faking a higher stack height, or if it'd just feel a little wrong!
Lower stack height should increase front grip though...


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

beeb

Dr. Beebenson, PhD HA, ST, Offset (hons)
Then it is time to talk bike 3...it looks like you'll be after something in the 160-200mm range. It isn't likely to be your primary ride so you may not be feeling a full carbon high end super bike, maybe a Banshee dark side? Pretty sure they come in red.
Sorry, think I've been unclear here - Bike 3 will be a replacement for the 5010 which I find much too small. I'm definitely not after huge travel, something 130-150mm will be fine for my needs. Aggressive trail rather than gnarly downhill is my preferred riding.

Switch out your head set top cup (if possible) for one with a but of rise in it rather than loading up the spacers. Throw on some bars with a little rise as well.
I have tried this (spacers and riser bars), but it still feels quite awkward.

Lower stack height should increase front grip though...
True, but the stack is so low (relative to my lanky legs) that I often can't turn as much as I'd like/need as it is without risking bumping the shifter or dropper levers with my knees.

I've ridden shorter (wheelbase) frames in the past and loved it, so I gambled on buying/riding one size too small to shorten the wheelbase, but I obviously didn't consider the drop in stack bringing the bars in line with the upper arc of my knees while pedalling. Lesson learnt, and time to get a replacement. A longer 5010 may work, but I'm still tempted by other models with a little more stack.

And if you didn't ride either of your current bikes in their other colours, how can you be so certain the red isn't making you faster?
Got me there - I must be really slow in other colours! :oops::D
 
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