AM RMAltitude Vorsprunged | L-Bicycled | DVO | Shimongrel'd

iUDEX_nCr

Likes Dirt
So I've still been getting some wrist pain with these bars... so decided I'd give some other bars a go.
I was hoping to get a set of Deity DC31's in green or blue, but seems like there's not Aust supplier... I figure I should put back into the bike community here, so ended up ordering a set a Renthal FatbarLite Carbons.

A little concerned by how the grub screw from my Straitline bar ends dig in slightly into the carbon... should be ok yeah?
 

wkkie

It's Not Easy Being Green
At the far end of the bars wouldn't think there'd be too many issues, just cosmetic ones.
 

iUDEX_nCr

Likes Dirt
I rounded out one of the adjuster needles on my TLA cartridge. Spoke to Steve from Vorsprung to arrange a replacement part, and will hopefully have a new one installed once Tekin's workshop's back in full swing!

During the correspondence with Steve, it was pointed out that there have been claims that the Corset doesn't clear the linkage on the Altitude.

I stripped the bike down and rebuilt it after a muddy ride... and did some experimenting. I simply inflated/deflated the shock in a few of the ride 9 settings... I didn't do them all, kinda need 4 hands the first couple times. There are so many parts.

https://flic.kr/p/wHvggM

When the shock was fully deflated. Position, 2, and 3 posed no clearance issues when fully compressed. But in positions 1, 7, 8, 9, the sleeve will NOT clear the linkage when compressed. I didn't test the other settings.
Although there isn't enough clearance, it is only the very last ~2-4mm that doesn't clear. I don't even know if the shock will compress that much with 150psi+.

I was running on setting 9, but now on setting 2.
This works out anyway, since I was running setting 9 so I could run higher pressures. Now I won't need that since the Corset allows me to run about 30psi more, heaps more support, without losing plushness (as plush as this linkage offers anyway).
So overall pretty happy :)

EDIT: Position 9 is towards front of bike.
 

iUDEX_nCr

Likes Dirt
Been busy!

My brother caught the bug so I donated my wheels (rotos and tyres too), and brakes to his build... his build is super clean! will have to get some photos of it when I get a chance next, and he's free.
So new wheels and brakes!

I was overseas in Malaysia for a job, and managed to pick up some M9000 levers super cheap! I'm a little weird, I prefer the non-servo wave levers. I like the "softer" bite... as if my brakes are consistently not working properly.

I like pictures... so here we go...

So a bell is always handy, and my mate raved on about the Spurcycles Bell. Long story short we both ended up with them. I managed to get it to fit snuggly next to my brake lever.
Gets people's attention! I use my bike for work... like today was Ride to Work day, and I had a shoot in the CBD, so it proved handy in possibly dooring situations. :love:



I matched my levers to Saint Calipers. I figure I'd have to shorten hose/bleed brakes, I may as well have some fun wrenching. Plus, I'm still in the delusion that I'll get back into some DH... I also bought hoses when I was in Malaysia, and after sourcing the calipers (one of which came with TWO right brake pads) it worked out to be cheaper than buying a set of M9000's. I felt bad buying so much stuff overseas so got some rotors, brake pads, adapter mounts (yes, I have a box of them... but as it goes, only found them after I had bought new ones) from Borsari Cycles. They used to stock so much high end MTBs, but times are changing and it's really tough for retail here... such a shame. But like other LBS's, they're finding it difficult when online prices are about the same if not cheaper than wholesale here... not helped by lack of stock availability. My rotors cost about twice as much as CRC/Wiggle, even after a discount. Urgh... ranting... if you get the chance he's got some retro/collectors GT's out the back!



I also did a bit of work shortening the Reverb hose, and cleaned up the cockpit.... as much as I could with so many cables. I'm very tempted to just lose the CTD remote.



After lots of reading, mostly here on RB, I decided to give Light Bicycle rims a go. I went with 650b, 30mm internal/35mm external width, 3k matte finish, with LB decal in black (you can hardly see it).
- my first point of contact is a sales person, she (apparently) will create some urgency to get you to order, it's all false... apparently at the time 32h hubs were in stock, but would be a long wait for 28h etc etc. The rising USD pushed me over the line.
- once you've placed your order they take a while, as in 2 months... perhaps it's because I asked for the decals so they couldn't just grab one off the shelf, or maybe my hub choice. Regardless, it wasn't until I emailed them explaining that the sales team were under some urgency in ordering my hub, then all of a sudden it is at customs and would arrive tomorrow. Wheel arrived 5 days later. They offered to give me 3 spare spokes and nipples for the trouble... LOL.
- they asked me if I had any specific requests... so I asked for the 240s/Dt Swiss logo to be lined up with the valve hole... didn't happen LOL. Next time I think I'd just order all the parts and build the wheel myself or by someone here I think. Not too fussed to be honest
- arrived well packaged, I was pretty excited to receive them.




I was going to go with Hope Pro 2 EVOs (I had the old old Pro 2's on my Bottlerocket which I loved), but decided they're a bit too loud.. plus the utilitarian 240s would outlive a few rims and are so easy to service. Not that I'm planning to break these.
They arrived with the 18T ratchet, which to be honest I am still riding despite having the 36T upgrade sitting on my desk (bought them on eBay sale + cash rewards offer). I'm pretty happy with them, engagement is super solid. Servicing is a breeze!
When they arrived they were almost silent, which was a little scary... so I wiped off a little grease just so I could tell my hub was working haha.



Ride-wise, the new wheelset is overall almost 400g lighter. The front wheel is easier to manual, but the most noticeable was turning either directions had a much lighter feel. Quicker to accelerate, but probably just my (lack of) skill level that I've noticed I'm not as stable through rough sections. In particular through longer sections, of rough stuff, I'm finding I really need to pick a more "efficient" line to carry through without losing a lot of speed... or go quicker. The Stans Flow seem to just bulldoze through. Something I need to adjust to.

I've gone back to Maxxis tyres. My favourite setup back ages ago were Minion DHF ST front, and High Roller ST/Ardents rear.
I've been running Shorty 2.3 front, and HR II 2.3 rear, until recently when it has really dried up. I thought I ordered a set of DHF 2.3's but ended up with DHR II's lol. So running them up front now... been on one ride, seems fine but definitely less sketchy than the Shortys in the dry.
One thing to note is the HR II 2.3's run with a really FLAT profile on the 30mm internal width, which I'd imagine would create more rolling resistance. In hindsight, maybe I should have gone for a 30-32mm internal width rear rim for the HR II's... maybe when I do some DH runs with 2.5 HD casing tyres I'll love the wider rims?
The Minion DHR II's run a rounder profile at the front, which I'm pretty happy with, sorry forgot to take a picture that would give an indication of the front tyre roundness. P.S. the Shorty up front was amazing in wet/loose.



I used 48mm Sun Ringle rim tape, cut down to 36mm to seal the rims. Not 100% happy with the quality of the tape, but they're holding with a single layer with about 60mm overlap. Although the Maxxis tyres were so tight I lost some skin getting them on, they held air without sealant. Seating the tyres was pretty easy with a track pump at 40psi.
I ordered the Milkit sealant kit with valves (because they were black), ages ago off a crowd funding platform and they arrived two days before my wheelset! Sure I could make my own kit, but their kit is super neat and means changing tubeless tyres are actually quicker than changing tubes. For me anyway, because I spend some time ensuring the inner tube isn't twisted and seated perfectly. Also means I can just syringe out any sealant to check or reuse.

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I've discovered some deformation on the edge where the stem meets the carbon bars. Still on the grippy textured part... seems like just the surface but still has me concerned. I've installed my stem by first ensuring there is no gap in the top two bolts (as per Straitline's instructions), and the bar can freely turn at this stage, and torqued the bottom two bolts alternating to 3.8Nm.
Is this normal? I can get photos I guess. But you can sort of see the point of concern in this image:



Build is pretty much complete... just some minor things to do. New axle on it's way. The QR cam on my current axle feels either too tight, or when it's smooth enough I'd need to rotate the lever to effectively tighten it down.
There's also a creak on each of my non-drive side downstrokes...




Have held off on other cosmetic changes... just want to get out and ride more :)
 
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teK--

Eats Squid
Nice read! The stem bolts look unevenly tightened top vs bottom. Also with all stems especially with carbon bars in give all contacting corners a light rub with eMery paper to remove burrs and harsh edges.
 

iUDEX_nCr

Likes Dirt
Great update to a great thread
Banging bike mate!!!
Cheers guys! just need to relearn how to ride!

Nice read! The stem bolts look unevenly tightened top vs bottom. Also with all stems especially with carbon bars in give all contacting corners a light rub with eMery paper to remove burrs and harsh edges.
Yeah they are, I followed the instructions provided by Straitline - no gap top side. Thomson instructions are the opposite, no gap bottom side. I figured the stems would be designed with that in mind? But yeah, other stems I tighten all bolts to the same torque alternating. What do you reckon? Can't find anything on the net about this...
I think I'll take to the edges with some emery paper as you suggest, was just being precious and not wanting to damage the anodised blue LOL.
 
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iUDEX_nCr

Likes Dirt
That is a seriously good looking steed.
Cheers... but... the lack of fitness.

I decided to head out to Plenty Gorge for a couple of hours of solo riding to get a few km's in th elegs... ended up getting a little confused as where the trail entry points were. Trying to use Strava/Plenty Gorge MTB Club website.
But there wasn't any obvious maps... so I ended up parking Yellow Gum Park carpark. Rode around confused for a while on the fireroads. Then decided I'd give google a try, and found a resource from PGMTB Club of an opencycles map. No idea how it evaded me!

Hit up the northern entrance (everything on their instructions, makes sense now I've been LOL) singletracks and bombed blind down a few tracks. Only managed about 30minutes, before I had to start heading back.

I should have taken the advice on FLOW to go with a local. The singletracks snaked in and out, and across each other. Plenty of speed to be had! heaps dusty, but managed to stay on the bike. But my fitness really meant the climbs sapped me of the energy to continue hammering away.

Definitely going back out there again.
 

iUDEX_nCr

Likes Dirt
my Fox 34's are up for sale if anyone is interested :)

Want to give the DVO Diamond a try. The OTT sounds really interesting, especially for lighter riders like myself... ordered, just waiting for it to arrive.
 

teK--

Eats Squid
my Fox 34's are up for sale if anyone is interested :)

Want to give the DVO Diamond a try. The OTT sounds really interesting, especially for lighter riders like myself... ordered, just waiting for it to arrive.
Let us know how you go with the Diamond.

I couldn't be happier since I got rid of the Fox 34 for a Pike. They were useless for anyone outside of around the 75-85kg range.
 
Z

Zaf

Guest
Let us know how you go with the Diamond.

I couldn't be happier since I got rid of the Fox 34 for a Pike. They were useless for anyone outside of around the 75-85kg range.
Where they the new fit4 damper on them? What was bad about them? Flexing or damper control issues?

Don't get me wrong, I love Pikes and other than a single pair of Marzocchi forks (currently not mounted to anything but in a spares box) Pikes are all I have in my quiver, but the Fox 34's I thought tested really similarly to them but came at premiums that made them less appealing.
 

teK--

Eats Squid
Where they the new fit4 damper on them? What was bad about them? Flexing or damper control issues?

Don't get me wrong, I love Pikes and other than a single pair of Marzocchi forks (currently not mounted to anything but in a spares box) Pikes are all I have in my quiver, but the Fox 34's I thought tested really similarly to them but came at premiums that made them less appealing.
Nah my comment is not in relation to the damper (the FIT are reasonably good but I ran an Avalanche anyway). The problem is with the air spring and the coil negative spring. No good for riders outside of the target weight range. They "fixed" this in the 2016 by reverting to air negative spring. Fox seem to change and then "fix" shit every second year.
 

Rhys_

Likes Bikes and Dirt
A coil neg is technically superior and by adding a preload adjustment dvo have helped remedy the rider weight problem such setups usually encounter.

Also very interested to hear your thoughts on the dvo. Have been somewhat tempted myself, but hearing about the rattle they apparently suffer from has put me off a little.
 

iUDEX_nCr

Likes Dirt
Let us know how you go with the Diamond.

I couldn't be happier since I got rid of the Fox 34 for a Pike. They were useless for anyone outside of around the 75-85kg range.
The TLA upgrade made a huge difference, with a custom valving meant I could run about 5psi more. Being only 65kg kitted up, it meant the fork was rideable for me plenty of support... but I think you're pretty much right about the weight range. For me the issue was balance... I just couldn't feel the suspension working in a "balanced" manner front and rear.

Forks are sitting at the LBS. Just need some time to drop in to pick them up, then hopefully time to install them and ride them.

Where they the new fit4 damper on them? What was bad about them? Flexing or damper control issues?

Don't get me wrong, I love Pikes and other than a single pair of Marzocchi forks (currently not mounted to anything but in a spares box) Pikes are all I have in my quiver, but the Fox 34's I thought tested really similarly to them but came at premiums that made them less appealing.
No issues with flex or binding. I've never used the new (current) Pikes and I like the idea that they ride high in their travel, but I can't find enough reviews of lighter riders. Also, I'm finding it difficult to understand for the same price as other high end forks, why they don't have independent High and Low speed compression settings. I'm just assuming all the guys who race get theirs tuned internally? isn't the RCT3 effectively the same as a CTD with open, multiple trail modes, and closed Low Speed Compression options?
Which leads me to fear the Pike's would also have been designed to have a "sweet spot" with regard to air pressures.

A coil neg is technically superior and by adding a preload adjustment dvo have helped remedy the rider weight problem such setups usually encounter.

Also very interested to hear your thoughts on the dvo. Have been somewhat tempted myself, but hearing about the rattle they apparently suffer from has put me off a little.
Honestly, I'd love a coil fork. Looked long and hard at the Marzocchi 350 Ti's... but from experience with Marzocchi's, and seems common in user reviews, it is a bit of a lucky draw as to whether you get one that's free of issues out of the box.
Also, I'd imagine I'd need a lighter weight spring... Ti Coil's aren't so cheap and probably not so easy to come by.

Without actually riding one, on paper and in theory the DVO Diamonds just makes the most sense. The other fork were the BOS Devilles, but product support/parts availability concerned me a little. Plus, apparently DVO have great customer support...there aren't many user reviews available, but the ones that are seem all positive. I haven't heard about this rattle though.
 
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