Which front end for a downhill full suspension fatty?

Made this thread about a month ago, doing it again! I’m sure you’ve all seen the Santa Cruz V10 Fatty, was wondering whether to get one of those, and try and get a rear end built up, or a different frame? My worry is clearing the bottom bracket, and they’ve used some kind of spacer setup at Phil Wood… Would love to hear everyone’s input! Hopefully not so much sarcasm this time. I’m sure the reason why is quite obvious too! (:

Just because you can, doesn’t mean you should…

The forks will probably need to be different.
Those must have the 29er kit installed, which means only 4″ of travel.
I don’t see how that can match the rear.
Bluto manages 120mm, but I don’t know if there are other options – the new DVO upsidedown fork? Modified old Shivers?

Looks great though – bet it’s hilarious to ride!

@TomHoward, sod off with the fatbike hate, it’s what I want, and it would be damn awesome

@Alex Simon, what do you mean, need to be differnt. Would the forks in question not be functional? I was going to go with the Snozocchi Method, with some old high travel DC bombers! Yeah, must be a blast!

i bet the front tyre is very close to the stanchions, BFL’s are very wide though, might need to run something smaller unless you just ride in dry conditions

TomHoward, sod off with the fatbike hate, it’s what I want, and it would be damn awesome

😆
No fat bike hate from me, mine is currently my most ridden bike. No Santa Cruz hate either, I’ve got 2. Just wondering why you’d ruin all the good work the suspension does by plonking gert great fat wheels on. Personally I’d just go for a bearclaw, something loosely designed to work with fat tyres.

Your money though.

Probably is, I wouldn’t really want to run 5″ though, most probably 4″. And well, I currently have top end Cove STD with Totems, Fox DHX 5, the lot but the thing is, even with the Maxxis Minion 2.5″s, it really struggles off the trail. I mean the slightest branch will send you flying, its got no real foot in the ground. But whereas with my fatbikes I don’t need a trail, it just rolls over pretty much anything. Hence me wanting that crazy grip and footprint, on a freeride bike so I can thrash it beyond the trails 😉

That’s a “show bike”. As far as I know it’s never been ridden – certainly not in anger.

Sorry, but I think you are settling yourself up for a fall with this one.

How tall are you?

@Alex Simon, what do you mean, need to be differnt. Would the forks in question not be functional? I was going to go with the Snozocchi Method, with some old high travel DC bombers! Yeah, must be a blast!

I just meant that the DUCs in the picture look the part, but unless you’re happy with 4″ front and rear travel, they aren’t going to provide a ‘downhill’ bike any more than an off-the-shelf full sus Salsa/Turner/9zero7 (those are the production Fat FS bikes I know of).

@Scotroutes, fair enough, but it’s something I really want and I think I can make it work. I mean I think I could make the Snowzocchi forks no prob, I know someone who can help machine me all the bits, maybe even a 135mm 20mm front hub! And then, build a rear end from scratch as opposed to rewelding an old one for max strength, though I’m not sure who to ask about that, some reccomendations would be very helpful! My worry is which front end to use and whether it’ll be able to clear the tyre. I mean, the rear end would(could) even be built to 190mm, but I’m not sure if that’d be worse.

@AlexSimon, that is a brilliant point! I mean unless I can get the extra travel, it’s not really worth it is it? And I was under the impression that those were modified Dorados, no way would a DUC32 be able to fit big fat larries!

They reason I’m asking how tall you are is to make sure you are taking into consideration the tyre diameter, plus the suspension travel you want. I reckon you’re going to need to be 6’2″ or thereabouts? Also remember that the swing arm will need to be very, very long for the same reason.

Oh my bad, I forgot to mention, I’m 5″5 but still growing haha 🙂 oh and if it’s reinforced it should be fine?

Got a photo somewhere of your current bike setup with the ECR? Have you worked out how much space you have between the bottom of your saddle and the current rear tyre, then worked out the diameter of a 26×5″ tyre and added on the amount of suspension travel you are after? Or, alternatively, worked out how high the BB will need to be to accommodate that amount of travel?

Risse Racing do a fatbike Trixxxy fork, travel is down to 3.8″ though. Apparently Dorado’s work without modification but not 100% sure!

Got a photo somewhere of your current bike setup with the ECR? Have you worked out how much space you have between the bottom of your saddle and the current rear tyre, then worked out the diameter of a 26×5″ tyre and added on the amount of suspension travel you are after? Or, alternatively, worked out how high the BB will need to be to accommodate that amount of travel?

No I haven’t worked any of that out! I was under the assumption that upon getting a frame, I could simply contract a framebuilder to build a back end based on the old one, just slighly longer and much wider? Here’s a pic if it helps! I included one of my freeride bike which is probably a better reference point, espcially seeing that the ECR is a medium!

Risse Racing do a fatbike Trixxxy fork, travel is down to 3.8″ though. Apparently Dorado’s work without modification but not 100% sure!

The Trixxy looks pretty cool! And I honestly do not believe that lol

I award this “most STW thread ever”

Loving the rack on that STD! Full marks!

Loving the rack on that STD! Full marks!

Somewhere to store the sandwiches for after you’ve smashed out a lap at crankworx. Semenuk’s getting on board I hear.

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This chap came across my radar give him a follow he could make absolutely awesome fatbike forks check the design out

A post shared by mmc engineer (@mmc_engineer) on Nov 12, 2014 at 1:11am PST

the lot but the thing is, even with the Maxxis Minion 2.5″s, it really struggles off the trail. I mean the slightest branch will send you flying, its got no real foot in the ground.

Sorry but I’m calling Troll or at least serious operator error here 🙂
If the Surly is outperforming the Cove then the world is broken.

He’s talking about riding off trails, which i took as just hacking around wherever you want to go. THe Cove’ll suck at that like almost all other mountain bikes.

ah off off road, makes more sense, but a massive full sus dh fat bike will suck that too.

Pink leather chair???

@rocketdog not sure if you’re being sarky but I’ll take it as a compliment! The guys at the LBS wouldn’t stop going on about how ridiculous it was, I just wanted a way to carry some stuff, there’s no good places here so I have to cycle quite a bit and therefore carry quite a bit too!

@Northwind, thanks for explaining you’ve totally got it!

@Mikewsmith I think it would be very good actually, my mukluk is superb, I just want that kind of grip on a freeride bike, and be able to go seriously off the trails!

I don’t know if I didn’t word it properly, but in my question I meant the front end of the frame, not the bike. As in which frame would be ideal? I was going to get a rear end built for it, could even get the dropouts built at 190mm wide but I still don’t quite know how it’ll clear the tyre, with the frame being standard bb size?

OP I’m not sure if you noticed but something horrific happened to your cove.

Not read all ^^. Could you get some new crowns made for dual drown forks just a bit wider?

^ did read all point remains!

Did I miss what happened with the OP’s planned custom cargo fatty?

What happened Frosty? And @bigdean that was exactly what I was going to do! Similair to the Snowzocchi build posted on the interwebs a whileback, grab some Monster Ts, and widen the whole thing up by getting new crowns and steerer fabricated – it all bolts on as far as I can see 🙂 my concern is in the frame! Like I said even if I can get a new swingarm built, how would it clear the standard bb? And regarding the Cargo bike, I just got an ECR which I’m very happy with! (:

You’d have to extend the BB shell to accommodate a longer crank axle. Find your last thread on this subject and have a look at cynic-als homebuilt FS fatbike and have a very good look at it. Check how how much rear travel there is, how close the tyre is to the seat tube and the height of the BB. Then ask Al how tall he is….

No one mentioned Mendon Cycles Lefty Fork conversion yet ?

Does it even need a modified rear end, why not try just a fat front? You get the added grip/footprint/rollover/whatever it is you think you need in the place where it’ll make the most difference. Then you can consider whether the pros outweigh the cons enough for the rear.

Use your cove? That way you know it’s the tyres making the difference, rather than any changes in the geo. that and you’ll save a bit, which is good as from what youve said this is going to be very expensive, for what’s just an experiment.

Thats never fitting most of the uplift trucks I know about

So what is your definition of “Seriously Off the Trails” are we talking Rampage or boggy hillsides?

there’s not a DH bike in the land that wouldn’t benefit from an extra 3 inches of completely undamped travel.

there’s not a DH bike in the land that wouldn’t benefit from losing 3 inches of properly controlled travel in order to gain an extra 3 inches of completely undamped travel.

ftfy

You’d have to extend the BB shell to accommodate a longer crank axle. Find your last thread on this subject and have a look at cynic-als homebuilt FS fatbike and have a very good look at it. Check how how much rear travel there is, how close the tyre is to the seat tube and the height of the BB. Then ask Al how tall he is….

Don’t think it’s possible to extend the bb shell, it would run out of thread? I asked on mtbr and finally got an answer – you use a standard size bb and a long (say 100mm) crankset and use a ton of spacers! Don’t know how I didn’t see that! He actually offered it to me, and I was going to buy it, but I kind of wanted something a bit more…I’ll have another look at it though! In terms of the geo, I just figured I’d buy a full suspension frame, then just remake the back end based on the original – work with a frame builder?

Does it even need a modified rear end, why not try just a fat front? You get the added grip/footprint/rollover/whatever it is you think you need in the place where it’ll make the most difference. Then you can consider whether the pros outweigh the cons enough for the rear.

Use your cove? That way you know it’s the tyres making the difference, rather than any changes in the geo. that and you’ll save a bit, which is good as from what youve said this is going to be very expensive, for what’s just an experiment.

Well I want it to be a full fat. To get it to fit on the Cove the steerer tube of the monster Ts will have to be remade to 1.5″. That could actually be very interesting! I have to get it remade anyway, why not 1.5″? xD 150mm wide, 1.5″ Monster Ts on a Double Wall 80mm rim with a 5″ Surly Bud. I think I’m going to wet myself hahaha Oh and I’m not too worried about the money, as long as it comes out alright!

So what is your definition of “Seriously Off the Trails” are we talking Rampage or boggy hillsides?

Not quite sure what Rampage is but let’s go with that. I just want to be able to thrash it down off anything, unlike my Cove which is only decent on the actual Trails.

Does anyone have any reccomendations of a frame to use? It needs a 1.5″ headset, 83mm bb and at 6″ of rear travel.

To get it to fit on the Cove the steerer tube of the monster Ts will have to be remade to 1.5″

No it won’t. Use a reducer headset.

Well I want it to be a full fat.

Have a new rear end made for the cove, if you must.

as long as it comes out alright!

I think you may have to vastly expand your definition of ‘alright’

Not quite sure what Rampage is but let’s go with that. I just want to be able to thrash it down off anything, unlike my Cove which is only decent on the actual Trails.

troll senses tingling….

Does anyone have any reccomendations of a frame to use? It needs a 1.5″ headset, 83mm bb and at 6″ of rear travel.

Orange 223 DD (or non DD if you stick with a 1 1/8 HS), with 10mm of bb spcers, plus easy(er) to make a rear end. though with all that lot above attached, you may find a moto trials bike is lighter, and cheaper.

Why not go for the super monster t, what with money, sense and weight seemingly being no object?

All you need is a bit more space for 4″ tyres. One big huck and the rebound could put you in orbit : )