- This topic has 16 replies, 14 voices, and was last updated 12 years ago by dingabell.
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140 – 150mm fs bikes
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s4rpfFree MemberPosted 12 years ago
Hi all looking at the cube stereo but wanted to know how they ride I’ve always ridden short travel hardtails. I normally ride in the fod on the blue, red, and enduro trail but would like to be able to go on the downhills a bit more. Question is really I do about 30 – 40k normally on a ride would something like the stereo be to much suspension and make most of my ride unenjoyable just to gain a couple more options at the end??
s4rpfFree MemberPosted 12 years agoI know it’s a bit of a open question but cant find one to demo, and wondered how people find bigger fs bikes when doing longer rides or if I should just go 120 fs
ljs1977Free MemberPosted 12 years agoWell…
I love my stereo as a jack of all trades bike. It is me which is the limiting factor of this bike.
It is a longer travel trail bike which can do a bit if DH and XC.
I regularly use it for trail centres and a 30 mile round trip to the local trails. It’s a big bike for pure XC but perfectly capable if you have the legs – a 100mm carbon xc bike it aint. But a 40lb DH bike it also aint!
Try one you might like it. Check out the vid’s the 1250 lads at frodsham do.
Don’t pay any attention to the reviews on the mickey mouse mags – dirt 100 for the past few years – nuff said
Lee
BadlyWiredDogFull MemberPosted 12 years agoWell, it’s about the quality of the suspension as much as the travel. The overall weight of the bike. How well it pedals / bobs / doesn’t bob. How fast your tyres are etc.My Pace RC405 weighs a genuine 32lb with Pushed, Black-Boxed Pikes, Flows and big tyres and a Reverb and it’s fine for big rides, like 50 miles in the Peak, but it pedals deceptively well and I’m quite stupid, so it’s acceptable, but it wouldn’t be my number one choice for a timed enduro if I cared about the time. Proven in the Dales a couple of years back – that’s 140 at the front and 130 at the back, but equally you could build a bike with the same-ish travel that weighed 25lb or so and would feel a lot more spritely.
It’s not like 130-140mm is ‘long travel’ in contemporary terms anyway. Can’t you just pop along to one of those demo day events and try some different bikes? Riding stuff in isolation is always weird ime. Anyway…
jambalayaFree MemberPosted 12 years agoThe longer travel bikes (eg 160) tend to be heavier as they are built for jumping/heavier downhill type trails – however many of them pedal well and you can easily ride 40k. I drag my heavy 160mm Reign around such rides complete with heavy tyres etc, its not ideal but it’s very do-able.
For what you want a 140m FS bike will be fine riding wise. There are lots of choices (Cube’s are well priced), eg LaPierre Zesty, Giant Trance, Specialised Enduro, plus all the more niche brands eg Transition … My mate loves his Santa Cruz Superlight 100m rear, 120m front but for me I’d say that’s too limiting wrt downhill bits but it is a great long distance FS.
JeffusFree MemberPosted 12 years agoIf it trail riding and not a race then no problems with 140-150 , they usuallly build up around 30-32lb depending on your pocket depth, I really enjoyed my Orange 5 for the last 2 years but recently changed to a SC Butcher and was amazed how much better it climbs and the suspension seems to be more refined, weighs 30.5lb with Float 36’s , Reverb , Flows , XT 1×10 and Hope Tech 4’s etc probably with a Float 32 and more bling you could get below 30lb.
[Well, it’s about the quality of the suspension as much as the travel. The overall weight of the bike.]
As Badlywireddog said this makes a difference, not ridden the Cube so would see what Stereo owners say and if possible try and ride one, although I didn’t on my Butcher just went with what I read and what people told me on forums , lots of faith in people. 😀maxtorqueFull MemberPosted 12 years agoI doubt you’d find any of the “modern” 140mm FS bikes a “chore” to ride XC. Sure, ultimately (i.e. racing) a 100mm 20Lb hardtail would be faster, but not really by a lot. My Zesty 714 pretty much nails the XC/medium DH nail on the head, and there are lots of similar bikes that do the same these days. As ever however, the more you spend on any given style of bike the better it will be 😉
MugbooFull MemberPosted 12 years agoMy bro in law, BANana has one, his frame might be up for sale.
Maybe in answer to question, he has decided that for the way he rides, his carbon 456 is more than good enough and a whole lot lighter.
I seem to remember it got good reviews.
jonbaFree MemberPosted 12 years agoFirst year I did the Kielder 100 I did it on a stock Stumpy FSR (140F and 120 R) I also had flat pedals but still got round in 11 hours. You can ride a long way on any bike it’s just harder if it is heavier and wallowy.
I still race on it and can hold my own against most people, I just put some racier tyres on,
It’s ace when I put the big tyres back on for fun rides in the lakes and trail centres etc.
So you’ll be fine on a 140mm FS. It might open your eyes to other riding in the area too as you become happier on stuff that was previously “unrideable”.
You could always buy one in addition to your current bike to keep your options open and ride whatever takes your fancy. I mix it up with cross bikes, single speeds and a full suss depending on what I fancy.
muddydwarfFree MemberPosted 12 years agoI’ve got a Marin Wolf Ridge ’09 model that’s a 140mm set up. Yes, it is heavy at at 32.5lb but it really doesn’t feel like it when you ride it (although lifting it over a stile is a pig!)
The suspension is fantastic with very little bob and the RP23 shock is great for climbing when you flick the lever. Add that to the U-turn Pikes and climbing is only a little slower than on my much lighter Mount Vision.
It’s now my fave bike and i use it in the Peak/Pennines/Dales/Lakes etc for 30 mile rides without any problems.TBH they are all pretty good now so it’s more a case of finding one you get one with i reckon. The ’09 Wolf Ridge is still available i think if you google it, got mine for £1000 off list price!
B.A.NanaFree MemberPosted 12 years agoAs mugboo says, I’ve got a Cube Stereo, really like it, but I don’t use it very much. For whatever reason, I’ve kind of gone off big travel bikes. I think it’s a combo of not riding enough generally and when I do get out, preferring not to lug a big bike around. I’m finding that my lightweight longish travel hardtail is more enjoyable at the mo (on one carbon 456 in my case). I am thinking about getting rid of the Stereo frame, but it’s no reflection on it as a frame, it’s just not getting used as I’m preferring something else for my riding.
Things I like about the Stereo, increased confidence on slow steep techy ground and good confident fast descender generally, all this due to the low BB I think.
Dislikes, the suspension sometimes feels a bit over active on moderate ground, it works well climbing without much bob, but seems to be over active beyond that. Someone else on here (so it’s not just me) described it as blowing thru the centre of it travel, I’m not sure about technical descriptions, but certainly it does feel a bit too bouncy for my liking, sometimes.
My build isn’t stock, I have 160mm Fox 36 on the front, which was all I had to build on, I think the stock bikes come with 150mm forks.muffsthemonkeyhangerFree MemberPosted 12 years agoI have a yeti 575 with fox 32 talas kashima and fox rp23 rear, full xo and xtr, and light but strong st Swiss wheels, climbs great and amazing down. Had a ragley Ti prior to this and although a bit quicker up hill, if riding longer than 30km was very tiring. The yeti is super plush and very comfortable. I’d never get rid of the yeti now. Never ridden a cube though
theredchiliFree MemberPosted 12 years agoLeisure Lakes in cheltenham stock cubes as does climb on bikes in Hereford
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