Zerode Taniwha needs a diet!

discofrank

Likes Dirt
thats stupid heavy for a zerode
i literally just had mine weighed at 16kg on the dot,
my old one that was nicked was 15.7 but that was an air shock not a coil plus a spare tube, otherwise identical

i wonder if it has cush cores or other rim protection in there.. as that would bring the weight up, and DH casing is stupid heavy
i really hope you did not get mine that was nicked last year ..
the 2 others i speak to in wa that have zerodes are around 17kgs each, but again thats with DH casing and inserts! maybe get a better scale?
 

Cyclomaniac

Likes Dirt
thats stupid heavy for a zerode
i literally just had mine weighed at 16kg on the dot,
my old one that was nicked was 15.7 but that was an air shock not a coil plus a spare tube, otherwise identical

i wonder if it has cush cores or other rim protection in there.. as that would bring the weight up, and DH casing is stupid heavy
i really hope you did not get mine that was nicked last year ..
the 2 others i speak to in wa that have zerodes are around 17kgs each, but again thats with DH casing and inserts! maybe get a better scale?
That sucks that yours got nicked. I am 100% sure mine was sold on here last year https://www.rotorburn.com/forums/index.php?threads/zerode-taniwha-large-2017.315509/

So I have changed the gearbox oil, pumped up the dropper (still slow) and also put the Pike and front wheel from my other bike on while the Diamond is out of action. Down to 17.2kgs. Off for a ride now.
 

gillyske

Likes Dirt
Looks like the previous owner already tried to prioritize unsprung weight. Aside from changing the tires I doubt you'll notice anything else.
 

wkkie

It's Not Easy Being Green
Photos, good. But now where's the ride report??!

Your first gearbox purchase?
 

Cyclomaniac

Likes Dirt
Photos, good. But now where's the ride report??!

Your first gearbox purchase?
Yep, first gearbox. So far I am really liking it. After the oil change it is smooth and quiet. I don't feel any drag but the backlash feels like I am running a cheap hub. It has that clunk when you start pedaling, maybe a belt drive might quieten that. The grip shift is tolerable and I still haven't gotten used to it. Changing gears goes from a thumb movement to a whole wrist arm movement. Hard to keep a good attack position. You have to be careful because you can't brake at the same time. I took it down a bit of tight single track this afternoon and ended up smacking my head on a branch and bending a pedal on a rock just from being distracted by changing gears. I'll get used to it but a trigger shifter would be a big improvement. I also like how light the rear wheel feels. My ENRs back wheel never wants to leave the ground but the Taniwhas rear end follows you up despite it's weight.

The local trails around here are mostly old washed out fire trails that have suffered decades of abuse from motos and 4x4s. A mixture of sand mud and fist sized rocks. Whenever there is rain the water pools on the trails and can take weeks to dry out. I have been given permission by NPWS to cut drainage channels on some of them but then some motard comes along and destroys it all. So the biggest motivation for the gearbox is not having to worry about mud and sand destroying the drivetrain. I can just ride.

The rest of the bike I haven't gelled with at all. A few mods will help. It feels heavy and the pedal bob that all the reviews said was ok is aweful. I wound in the comp dials all the way and it still looks like robots having sex down there. I understand anti-squat vs a lively rear end etc. A shock with lockout is in order. Maybe I am spoiled because the ENR climbs and rolls so well, but I find myself wondering what it would take to weld a geabox bracket into the ENR. :rolleyes:
 

discofrank

Likes Dirt
thats is so not what i feel on my zerode.
my rear literally tracks the ground, like it is sucked to ground, i dont notice any pedal bob at all! , sure i dont climb fast but i have no dramas climbing without the shock lockout, that was with the current coil ( 140 mm travel and previous 160 air shock )
as for the grip shift, took me 3 rides... this 3 to 6 months is bullshit! seriously
you dont want trigger shifters YUK, only clinq do them i think and you need 2!
 

Cyclomaniac

Likes Dirt
So I have changed to exo casings, a valt spring, new seat and pedals. It's down to 16.7 kgs now on a new scale I bought. The fork had the mother of all csu creak in it, I was too scared to ride it so I serviced it and put loctite around the csu joints and put it on my other bike. Much quieter now but I will leave the Pike on the Taniwha for now.
It feels much better and I am getting used to the geabox now. The range it great and with the lighter tyres it gives it that magic carpet ride that I hear people talk about. Places where it's chattery and normally I am trying to just keep my feet on the pedals I can now smoothly pedal through. The only gripe I have is the grip shifter gets slippery with a bit of sweat and makes quick shifting very tricky.
I am finding it hard to like the rest of the bike at the moment. The rear shock seems to be working and I don't think it is very old but it needs a lockout. I am thinking a shorter shock might suit me too. It has a high bb and seated position and low stack which I don't find comfortable. I took my Craftworks ENR out today on my normal ride and it felt so good. So much more zippy and responsive to pedal input. I am really interested it getting a custom front triangle made up to fit the pinion but probably not worth the $$$.
 

beeb

Dr. Beebenson, PhD HA, ST, Offset (hons)
So I have changed to exo casings, a valt spring, new seat and pedals. It's down to 16.7 kgs now on a new scale I bought. The fork had the mother of all csu creak in it, I was too scared to ride it so I serviced it and put loctite around the csu joints and put it on my other bike. Much quieter now but I will leave the Pike on the Taniwha for now.
It feels much better and I am getting used to the geabox now. The range it great and with the lighter tyres it gives it that magic carpet ride that I hear people talk about. Places where it's chattery and normally I am trying to just keep my feet on the pedals I can now smoothly pedal through. The only gripe I have is the grip shifter gets slippery with a bit of sweat and makes quick shifting very tricky.
I am finding it hard to like the rest of the bike at the moment. The rear shock seems to be working and I don't think it is very old but it needs a lockout. I am thinking a shorter shock might suit me too. It has a high bb and seated position and low stack which I don't find comfortable. I took my Craftworks ENR out today on my normal ride and it felt so good. So much more zippy and responsive to pedal input. I am really interested it getting a custom front triangle made up to fit the pinion but probably not worth the $$$.
From memory, the Pinion box wouldn't allow room for the ENR's lower link would it?

You might also find that the ENR wouldn't actually climb that well with a gearbox, because with only one gear ratio between the chainring and rear cog, you wouldn't access the high amounts of anti-squat available in the bigger plates on the cassette (the anti-squat varies a lot per gear on the ENR).

Not trting to be negative, just pragmatic. Love the concept!
 

Cyclomaniac

Likes Dirt
From memory, the Pinion box wouldn't allow room for the ENR's lower link would it?

You might also find that the ENR wouldn't actually climb that well with a gearbox, because with only one gear ratio between the chainring and rear cog, you wouldn't access the high amounts of anti-squat available in the bigger plates on the cassette (the anti-squat varies a lot per gear on the ENR).

Not trting to be negative, just pragmatic. Love the concept!
The bb centre would have to move forward 35mm to clear the link. Then move the seat and increase the reach to compensate, would end up being a very different bike. The kind of project I would love to try at home if getting decent welds were not so difficult.
Good point on the gear varying the anti-squat. I had not thought of that at all.
 

Oddjob

Merry fucking Xmas to you assholes
So I have changed to exo casings, a valt spring, new seat and pedals. It's down to 16.7 kgs now on a new scale I bought. The fork had the mother of all csu creak in it, I was too scared to ride it so I serviced it and put loctite around the csu joints and put it on my other bike. Much quieter now but I will leave the Pike on the Taniwha for now.
It feels much better and I am getting used to the geabox now. The range it great and with the lighter tyres it gives it that magic carpet ride that I hear people talk about. Places where it's chattery and normally I am trying to just keep my feet on the pedals I can now smoothly pedal through. The only gripe I have is the grip shifter gets slippery with a bit of sweat and makes quick shifting very tricky.
I am finding it hard to like the rest of the bike at the moment. The rear shock seems to be working and I don't think it is very old but it needs a lockout. I am thinking a shorter shock might suit me too. It has a high bb and seated position and low stack which I don't find comfortable. I took my Craftworks ENR out today on my normal ride and it felt so good. So much more zippy and responsive to pedal input. I am really interested it getting a custom front triangle made up to fit the pinion but probably not worth the $$$.
You've got a downhill shock on a linkage driven single pivot, with anti-squat staying at close to 100٪ in all gears. Perfect for winch and plummet riding but it's not going to surge under power like a dw-link for trail riding.

My preferred option would be to wind on a lot of lsc into the shock and rely on the low unsprung mass to quickly blow through the lsc circuit, to provide lots of support for pedalling and pumping but retain good traction in chunder. The Jade also has a good piston design, easily adjustable shim stack and no need to do a nitrogen charge.

I do the above on my Focus Sam with a Bos Void and get good results.

The other option is the aforementioned climb switch.

Sent from my SM-G970F using Tapatalk
 

Cyclomaniac

Likes Dirt
After a bit more time on it I can say that the gripshifter is no problem. I am used to it now and it doesn't bother me. It is the version 1 and it is getting worn so I need to wear gloves so that it doesn't get slippery with sweat. My biggest gripe would be that I rotated the grip so that I could see the indicator arrow to know what gear I am in and found that the cables rip up the paint on the top tube when you turn the bars past it. The version 2 would fix that.
As much as I like this bike I am finding I want to take the ENR out more. The geo suits me better and it is more of an all rounder. It is just more fun. I went riding with a mate on the weekend. We took both bikes. It was a good oportunity to switch over and the whole time I prefered the ENR. Fortunately he loved the Taniwha and wants to buy it. So when he gets his tax return and I have replaced the frame bearings and cranks (they are made of cheese, it wasn't a bent pedal I mentioned earlier, turns out to be a bent crank) it will be his. Funny how you can drool over a bike for so long only to find the grass is greener on this side.
 

discofrank

Likes Dirt
yeah, the coil is good, i have that on mine!
i dont even worry what gear i am in anymore ! ALOT of the shimano and sram shifters dotnt have gear indicators!
some bikes suit us, some dont,
all that matters is that we are out riding and having fun :) regardless of the bike ( ok ill still you shit for getting rid of the bike though, and going back to the *shudder " derailuer :p
 
Top