Anyone built up an Alpine 160 with Totems? How did you get one with it?
Yes, I know it will void the warranty, rake it out and feel heavier than with 36s or Lyrics on. However the frame is strong enough (Orange reckon the extra 20mm is not going to break it but they still won't warranty it as "they have to draw the line somewhere"), the geometry is good (64ish head, 72ish seat, 45.5"ish w/b) and so it really comes down to balance and intended purpose in my book. My purpose is typically mucking about on DH tracks in Wales, England and Scotland but also riding up the hill and around loops at a fair lick too. Essentially that "mini-224" concept which the Patriot became.
My last frame was a Patriot, which I broke. Twice. I had Totems on that and it was mint – coped perfectly well with forest loops and very well with the DH tracks I ride. I've got the Alpine as a "crash" replacement frame deal (it wasn't crashes that did it in) and it's got my coil shock on and a pair of Van 36 RC2s. I'm happy with this as the Alpine is much stronger around the main area that I kept having problems (rear shock mount). However, despite being nice a light and probably a better fore-aft balance for the frame, I keep bottoming out the Van 36s in the face of jumps and landings. This happened when I had them on the Patriot too. If I sort that out with damping adjustments or even a heavier spring, the trail performance suffers. The angles I can probably live with, but they are nicer for me with the Totems. I think the final straw may be the rebuilding of the lower section of the Cwm Carn DH track – the extra speed and air make me want the Totems on the front again!
Soooooo, just wondered if anyone else had put Totems on their Alpine 160, and if so what it did for them.
Cheers!
