Firstly apologies for all the ‘I want a bigger bike’ whinging posts of late 😉 . I’d love a longer travel frame but it’s gonna be pretty hard to part with my Tazer (which I’d have to do to fund the new one) which has got me thinking – maybe a new rear shock and adjustable travel up front would do the trick.

Current rear shock is a Manitou Swinger SPV. I run just over the minimum recommended pressure in the platform (60psi) as the Tazer doesn’t really need it but find that even with 20psi over my body weight in the shock it still bottoms out hard on drops. I have the pressure set so it feels pretty good mincing through rooty sections but on anything bigger with a bit more speed it seems to blow straight through the travel, though adding more travel I’d lose the small bump compliance. – I thought air shocks were meant to be more progressive. Now I can understand the Swinger being perfect for what the Tazer was designed for (4X) . . . decent pedalling platform and able to open up on big hits, but I’m wondering if a simple air shock without platform (basic Fox Float) would be better for me.

Any help would be much appreciated . . . the indecision is doing my head in and my wishlist has every 6/7″ travel frame ever made in it at the mo’ 😉

dear lord! The swinger is a horrible thing. Get a fox in there straight away!

Must admit I had heard bad thngs about the Swinger too – I was more than happy with it initially though coming from a Fox RP3 and 23 – seemed a lot simpler without the lockout. That said, I never had a problem with bottom out with either of the Fox shocks (similar amount of travel and psi iirc).

What about a coil shock? Can you get them to fit?

I reckon if you got your rear sus set up properly then it may change your mind about needing a longer travel bike

Swingers are an awsome shock!

What kind is on the tazer, 3 Way im assuming,

How about whacking on a Swinger 4 Way shock?! All the features of the 3 Way but with a volume adjuster so you can control the progressiveness of it?!

that was going to be my suggestion, 4-way, or coil.

I used to lust after a 6-way, and still do 🙂

Yeah, it’s a 3 way. 4 Way certainly sounds as though it’s worth a look though if that’s what it does. Cheers.

What’s she up to now? More tiny bike madness? 😯

It’s not normal, it’s really not….

Seena few older Tazers (FSR/horst) with coil shocks

I have a quite similar frame to the older Tazer, built as a mini DH bike with a Fox Vanilla coil, the rear end never performed well in stock form (due to the high leverage ratio and non-existent compression circuit on said shock it blew through the travel all too quickly and never recovered on rougher consecutive hits) one quick trip to TF for a push re-valve and it’s quite honestly an unbelievable transformation for only 4.5″ travel it will plow compressions in DH tracks, but still pedals very well, has a nice pop out of pumpy terrain, jumps sooo predictably and small bump sensitivity is as good as any bike I’ve ever ridden.
dunno where you normally ride that you’re hankering after a 6/7″ travel bike, but my wee 4.5″ bike is noticably faster on my local DH tracks (tight n twisty inners) than my 8″ Sunday DH. wouldn’t choose it over the Sunday for Dunkeld, Ft Bill or Glencoe etc. tho.

Cheers GW – I had been watching a couple of Vanilla shocks on ebay recently – they are pretty few and far between in 165mm eye 2 eye.

dunno where you normally ride that you’re hankering after a 6/7″ travel bike

Cwmcarn mainly and Wentwood forest. The Wentwood track is pretty sculpted (it’s only off piste that I struggle with the Tazer) and to say that it feels out of its depth at Cwmcarn would be to do it an injustice . . . more to do with its rider needing skill compensation I reckon 😉

Ah well, plenty of food for thought and fingers crossed I shall pull the trigger on a new shock set up or frame in the next week or so. Watch this space . . .

In my defence RudeBoy, I’ve only had four new bikes/frames in the last year – see 😉