Viewing 19 posts - 1 through 19 (of 19 total)
  • tips on FS riding….
  • alpin
    Free Member

    ok… so i’ve been using a Cannondale RZ140 for the past week and am already on my second rear-wheel. to be fair the old wheel had seen better days and as soon as the mechanic began to loosen the spokes they snapped.

    but, i’ve already damaged to new (second hand) wheel.

    i’ve always been a HT rider. my Alpine is built up to take abuse and have only ever destroyed one rear wheel in over 10 years of riding (4 years abusive riding). i find that i reach that “limit” much quicker on the HT and can hold it for longer. to get the same feeling on the FS i’m already riding much harder than i should be for the bike.

    i like that feeling of being on the edge, knowing that if i had given it 5% more i would have been off. but the FS allows me to get away with so much more before i reach the point of grinning like a loon.

    so, what i’m asking is: how can i grin without destroying the bike? i don’t ride stupid lines just because i’m on a FS. i rider stupider (is that a word) lines on my HT, but it is built a little burlier. the bike i’m riding is a Cannondale RZ140 with RS Revs (140mm), RS Monarch and Mavic 317 rims.

    if i keep destroying equipment my boss will be really pissed off (myself and a colleague “lost” him his quad-bike mechanic on the weekend after the guy fell on a technical trail and broke his wrist).

    any tips (and abuse) will be gratefully recieved….

    fanks…

    wors
    Full Member

    Can’t help on the riding tips but what do you think of the rz 140?

    alpin
    Free Member

    wow… so many replies….

    fortunately i have time to answer just one.

    it rides “nice” but i’ve a rather limited experience of FS. i’ve ridden a few Bionicons, a Scott something-or-other and a friends Giant AC2. all of these bikes were built up on the burly side.

    i can say that the RZ climbs well without the forks wound down or locked out. but i’m still getting used to the idea of staying seated when climbing.

    HTH…

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    Wookster
    Full Member

    what rear wheel do you have on it mate???

    poppa
    Free Member

    Get tougher wheels, bigger tyres or, er, MTFD?!

    clubber
    Free Member

    to get the same feeling on the FS i’m already riding much harder than i should be for the bike.

    Just sounds like you need a tougher/stronger rear wheel because you’re riding faster on the FS…

    soobalias
    Free Member

    suggest if you are riding too hard for your rear wheel, you might consider beefing up the rear wheel.

    mboy
    Free Member

    317’s are skinny XC rims

    Try some tougher, beefier rims!

    Wookster
    Full Member

    ah soz 317’s mate you need to look ay something heavier if your keeping with mavic a 729 maybe but I’d be looking at a tougher rim for sure. the Flows on my HT have taken a right kicking at stayed true might be worth a look.

    _tom_
    Free Member

    I hate the “being on the edge” feeling, I get it all the time on my HT and it’s one of the reasons I’m saving for a FS.

    I guess the only thing to suggest is get stuff that will cope with the fact that you’re going faster and bigger? My 721 rim seems pretty tough but they’re heavy so unless you’re prepared to mtfu and ride a heavier bike then not the best choice 😛 I’m about 16.5 stone and the front one has taken a LOT of abuse from badly landed jumps and such. Actually so has the rear XC717.

    mattp
    Free Member

    717s on standard [not db] spokes works for me on FS and I weigh 14 stone…

    xiphon
    Free Member

    Get stronger wheels & learn to be a smoother rider.

    Don’t think because you’re on a FS, changing over from a HT, you can just slam into everything.

    I *attempt* to ride the same lines on a HT, as I do on an 8inch FS, just the latter can carry much more speed.

    Learn to use the bounce to ‘pop’ you off various things on the trail, to skim over the top of stuff.

    jedi
    Full Member

    Are you dragging the back brake

    JonEdwards
    Free Member

    317s are pretty fragile rims. Try 719 discs for a much tougher, but not much heavier effort. Flows seem nice, but are quite expensive.

    As others have said – you still have to work to ride an FS bike fast – you can’t just batter on through.

    What tyres are you using?

    walleater
    Full Member

    I just ride one in the same way as my HT most of the time. Still gotta bend yer legs!

    And yeah, 317s are a bit shit.

    dirtbiker100
    Free Member

    317? up to 719 at least

    Shandy
    Free Member

    321s and Flows on my full sussers, never had any problems with them, you just need a stronger wheel.

    alpin
    Free Member

    thanks for replies…

    a new wheel is more or less out of the question. i’m here on an atlantic island a delivery takes ages and the boss isn’t keen on supplying me with new parts.

    no, i’m not dragging the brake. i ride the same line i would on my Alpine, just maybe that bit faster. but then i have 28 or 30mm rims on the Alpine, not some cheesey 22mm or whatever they are. i stuck a pair of 317s on the GF’s bike and she has managed to dent the rear in a few places.

    bending my legs, just as i would on the HT, just the bending doesn’t come into effect as much as it does on the HT due to the suspension.

    i like the feeling of being on the edge. otherwise i feel i’m just riding along….

    tyres are 2.4 Rubber Queens which are “ok” but shit when cornering hard. myself and the other guide washed out in syncro the other day. the only other option is Mountain Kings which aren’t anything to wqite home about – especially when cornering – or Kaisers which weigh 1.3kg each; i don’t fancy lugging another 1kg of rotating mass uphill each day….

    maybe i’ve just got to stop jumping everywhere and use the brakes more often and accept that it’s a job and not my free (biking) time…..

    thanks for replies…

    buzz-lightyear
    Free Member

    It seems you wheels are quite under specced for your new high speed riding style. When i got my fs I would pinch puncture all the time from blundering into stuff at higher speeds. But things improved.

Viewing 19 posts - 1 through 19 (of 19 total)

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