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I’ve been running my hightower with 27,5 2.8 magic Mary, Hans damf and I’m not getting along with the pedal strikes, com8n* to the realisation that the BB might just be too low. Even with climb switched on the topaz shock which is great for limiting pedal bob, riding any natural rutted type trails can be frustrating with Regular pedal strikes. With the suspension in trail I get pedal strikes just pedalling whilst cornering and leaning in slightly if the ground is remotely uneven.
I’m thinking of reverting to 29er but do like the traction and bull dozer effect of the plus sized set up. One option is to replace the crankset which came as 175 on medium upwards with 170mm but would this make a notable difference.
I could try a mullet setup utisling the plus sized back wheel which would raise the Bb slightly but slacken the already slack seat angle.
I am running the chip in high setting.
As anybody had the same issues and what did you do? Thoughts on 29 v 27.5.
If I go back to 29 does anybody want to swap a boost hunt enduro wise front wheel with a None boost? As I I’ll run the boost 27.5 wheel set on my vendetta boost frame however I have none boost lyrics.
Or If anybody has the opposite issue do you Nat to trade race face Turbine 175 for a 170 or similar.
How much sag are you running front and back? What length fork?
I bought my Hightower in 27.5+ and before I bought my 29er wheels, I ran it for a bit. Did get the occasional pedal strike on a rock if we was being clumsy, but not as severe as you are describing.
In all honesty, my 2016 stumpy was far worse for it, so it sounds like something isn't right there.
Mine came with a 150mm Pike in 27.5+ (29er Pike). Are you 100% the chip is in the high position?
I have 170mm cranks on my Tallboy and 27x2.8 tyres... No pedal clearance issues at all...
How long have you had it for? Lower BB takes a bit if getting used to, shifting your weight, timing pedal strokes etc, but has real.asbantages in carrying speed through corners, especially with those big grippy tyres.
Go 165mm.
I assume when you changed to 27.5 you flipped the link? I thought that was meant to keep geometry and BB height the same?
I had a Hightower with + wheels in.
Didn't find the bb particularly low and I was running the flip chip in the low position.
Bang some 165 cranks on it if it bothers you.
Edit.
The Geo chart shows the BB drop to be 27 mm with the flip chip in the high position.
That really isn't very low at all for a bike with + wheels.
Thanks guys, in reply to some questions. The fork is 150mm and is set pretty firm. I have a DVO topaz shock and it’s pretty firm in climb, I have it around 195 psi and I am topping the bladder up To 200psi before every ride as it does bleed around 20psi over a week or two. Normal apparently. So should ride pretty high in climb mode.
I will recheck the flip switch, pretty sure it’s in high though due to the following,
One thing I forgot to mention is that I am running one offset bushing and I long shocked the topaz, not to the full 157 stroke, I left 2mm on the stopper bung, with the 29 2.6 maxXis dhr tyres it was pretty close to fouling the Seat tube so I switched the chip from low to high for a bit of breathing space.
I think 165 or at least 170 cranks and removing the offset bushing maybe the way to go.
I didn’t get quite so many pedal strikes in 29 with the stock fox float shock on.
I think you just identified the problem. Can you test with standard bushing and length of shock?
pedals are going to strike even with 165mm cranks. 10mm isn't going to make much of a difference. You need to adjust your pedalling.
I’d take out the offset bushing and lengthen the fork to 160mm. Personally I prefer 165mm cranks to 175, still not sure if I like 170 the most but am happy having 165 on my full-sus and 170 on my hardtail - and I’ve got long legs, about 34”.
“pedals are going to strike even with 165mm cranks. 10mm isn’t going to make much of a difference. You need to adjust your pedalling.”
Although a lot of it is pedal technique, when I had a bike that let me adjust the BB height by 6 or 12mm, the difference in pedal clearance when coming out of a corner or up a lumpy climb was very obvious. And I noticed a similar benefit when I swapped from 175 to 165mm cranks on my hardtail.
Took me ages to get my hightower(v1) dialled in, found I was running the rear shock far too soft despite setting sag correctly. My fox shock is at 250psi, I do weigh 14st tho!
pedals are going to strike even with 165mm cranks. 10mm isn’t going to make much of a difference. You need to adjust your pedalling
Nonsense.
I'd also say it's more about moving your weight around on the bike than pedalling per se.
If you just sit and bash away, pedal strikes are guaranteed.
The standard Monarch was probably the worst shock I've had on a bike. I upgraded mine to CC DB IL and it made the world of difference.
Should a shock be losing 20 psi between rides? I'm not familiar with DVO stuff (not got around to trying any).
Like some have said, I had no trouble with pedal strikes, especially just from cornering. That sounds like the shock has collapsed. My Bird Aeris did that on the road on the way home from work!