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Hi This is my first time on the forum, and would like some technical help. I am relatively new to riding offroad but already have amassed three bikes. Things started with an 853 Brian Rourke hardtail setup in cross country guise, then came an on one 29er singlespeed and finally a 98' Klein Mantra. I am coming up for 40 and have slightly retro tastes! Of all my bikes my mantra is the one that I love best, and gets attention everywhere it goes. I have tweaked it with 760mm wide bars, 130mm Recon 351 forks, Thomson 90mm Stem, Crank Brothers Flats, Maxis Tyres, Formula Oro Front Disc and 203mm Rotor. The effect of my changes is that the bike whilst never proporting to be a downhill bike it has a certain all-mountain feel to it. Forthcoming changes will be in the wheels and a rear disc set-up. I would like advice as to changing the Fox Alps 5 and running something a bit more up to date to give me a bit more travel at the back and jack the back up a bit to match the front.
Does anyone have any ideas?
Cheers
shropshirelad
Would 130mm forks be too much for the frame?
I've got a mantra which I got as a bargin from here.
It's great in the singlespeed guise I use it in but compared to a more modern full susser it's very basic in function.
I'll measure my shock later to check but it's a fox float r 200x50 iirc. The forks are set to 100mm
I have to say though that you're really barking up the wrong tree. It works as an xc full susser which let's you ride however you like (eg mash big gears) but it's just not a FR machine and fitting 130mm is too much as it slows the handling too much. As to extending the rear travel, it's already got something around 7" so there's little point plus more travel usually means more sag which is the worst thing you can do on a Mantra since it causes the bike to steepen and kick you in the backside when you brake or unweight the bike ( eg if you put a foot down). I run mine with almost zero sag.
A pic of mine btw pre repaint and with rigid fork which I was trying out ( since they were originally designed to be run that way )
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Wry hey the good old days! Seat angle slacker than the head angle! What a cracking bike.
The seat tube angle doesn't intersect the bb so it's not quite that straightforward.
Like I said, it's heavily compromised compared to modern fs designs but works well as a ss.
You think that is slack!! Mine is not as Gary Klein intended I know but I absolutely love it in its present guise. The Recons have travel adjusters so the front end can be lowered if required. The bike came of ebay with 100mm Pace forks, original stem, Michelin Tyres etc... I still have the forks plus some Pace rigid forks so I can play about with it. Once I am aboard, (dodgy lower back and general inflexibility) it is very comfortable and for me that is the main thing. I am not a freerider, but my ballast (16 stone) would no doubt propel me forward! I have pumped the shock up quite firm and have the rebound? (thumbwheel) out all the way.
I will put some pictures up when I have got some new batteries in my camera.
Cheers
shropshirelad
The thing is, it's not a good bike if you've got a bad back - at least not out of the saddle as it stiffens up.
Out of interest, have you ridden more modern full sussers? Even my 2003 Rocy Mountain Element (100mm very xc full susser) is like an armchair in comparison to the Klein.
Oh, nearly forgot - I measured my shock last night.
It's a Float R with propedal - 2007 ish version. It's 200 x 57 (total length x stroke)
Cheers For the measurement as i have bought the same shock of ebay in the same size. How does it ride?
shropshirelad
I used to have a '98 Mantra. I can't help feeling you're chucking money at something for negligible improvement. The whole thing about the Mantra is the suspension only works when you're sat down on the saddle. Anything that requires you to move your weight off the saddle (like a steep descent for instance) negates most of the suspension action. I just can't see the benefit of trying to add more travel.