mR NOBEERINTHEFRIDGE he has a son who is quick on a downhill bike
Chris, That has taken me by surprise!. Not who I was thinking of!.
How much difference does 10mm of fork travel make? I've always assumed 10mm per degree rule. Is that true?
I think its closer to an inch per degree. In my experience 10mm doesn't make any difference whatsoever.
I love single pivots & had quite a few (orange & Cannondale), but having owned a number of four bars (a couple of Nicolai Helius & a Titus Supermoto) & quad link Marins (wolf ridge & Quake), I've got to say they were all very good bikes with excellent suspension designs that truly work. In my opinion there is so much guff written by certain magazines about the merits or faults of each design that you'd think the world depended on it.
I've test ridden a Heckler only. I back to backed it with a five and bought the Five. The heckler had a slightly slacker set tube and a steeper head angle, and felt a little short in the top tube compared to the Orange. I also felt a little perched. I was a bit saddened because overall it looked nicer, but it just didn't do it for me like the Orange.
Just a word on the new santa cruz's - I had a very good look around the Nickel and Butcher, and the new Heckler, and they were ok, but the finish wasn't as good as they used to be; the paint around the pivot points and around the head tube and seat tube was thin and scabby loking in all cases. I'd recommend having a very good look at the finish of any prospective purchase.
Sorry for the life story.
