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Hi All,
I have had a Klein Palomino for about 3 years now and still absolutely love it! Have test ridden an SC Blur LT and Orange 5 recently but neither climbed as well and weren't a big enough improvement over the Klein on the rougher stuff to justify the upgrade cost. 90% of my riding is XC based but I did spend a happy hour doing jumps in the gulley at Swinley on Sunday so perhaps a 5" bike makes more sense if I want to start doing more of that. Have seen a Maverick ML7.5 frame for good money and as it is essentially a 5" travel version of my current bike, I am confident I will like it, but as it will probably cost me £500 for the upgrade, do you think it would be worth it?
Has anyone done the same?
Thanks in advance
Chris
Have you got a maverick bearing monolink on the Palomino?
How often does the Palomino run out of momentum on rougher trails?
I'm still looking for the right Palomino/ maverick frame - (cost against performance) - In the interim I've been lent a 6" Marin/Whyte quad link frame- set to 5" travel it clears the rough stuff better than my old Palomino ever did - got me thinking about more travel too.
I haven't got the Monolink upgrade and now figure I would be better off putting the cost of that towards a new frame. To be honest, it doesn't run out of momentum that often, but you know what it's like when you fancy something new!
My mate has a Whyte 46 and it is horrible most of the time - only like it on the really big stuff which isn't the norm for me.
I figured maybe the 5" ML7/5 would be the perfect solution and my DUC32s would be right at home too!
Hughjayteen - "the Whyte is horrible most of the time"
I find Mavericks feel more 'hardtailey' than other suspension designs - I reckon a reign or 46 could possibly be faster downhill. Its just the Mav's [i]feel[/i] faster / more 'natural'. Its going to be a personal preference thing - 'Just wish it was easier to try them all out back to back.
If its a good price - you'll kick yourself later if you don't + Mavs have a good resale value.
I had a ML7.5 and it was great but can't compare it with a Palomino as I've not riden one, It is nicer than the 7.2 though which I have riden. Whether its worth spending money on though is something only you can quantify.
I know have a Maverick Durance which is better again although I don't ride it that often.
I did spend a happy hour doing jumps in the gulley at Swinley on Sunday so perhaps a 5" bike makes more sense if I want to start doing more of that.
The ideal bike for jumps is a hardtail with 3-4" travel forks so I wouldn't base that for getting more travel, specially for small smooth jumps like those in the gulley.
The durance would be ideal for me but they are too much money still so the 7.5 could be worth a try.
Any guesses as to what a 2004 Large Palomino frame would be worth with XT front mech, Thomason post and recent Cane Creen S8 headset?
Wasn't slagging off the 46 in case anyone who has one is reading this! It just felt very 'wallowy' after the Palomino, and didn't climb anywhere near as well.
Cheers
Chris
I have also thought to get a Mav7.5 as i love my Palomino too, but i would never lose the Palomino. I would rather expand towards a Heckler or Superlight i think and still keep the Palomino. Of course in ideal world i would have all of 'em and if a 7.5 frame came along cheap i would snap it up.
ps do you take the Palomino to Swinley much? maybe we should organise a 'Palomino Only' forum ride 🙂
HJT last three good condition Palomino's on ebay have gone for £170-260 (some with Thomson and Mav monolink)
BluePalomino - MemberI have also thought to get a Mav7.5 as i love my Palomino too, but i would never lose the Palomino. I would rather expand towards a Heckler or Superlight i think and still keep the Palomino. Of course in ideal world i would have all of 'em and if a 7.5 frame came along cheap i would snap it up.
ps do you take the Palomino to Swinley much? maybe we should organise a 'Palomino Only' forum ride
That was another option - keep the Palomino and try and get it sub 25lb and then get something like a Ransom which is better suited for tooling around on. What I love about the Palomino is the fact that I can do some fast XC laps at Swinley and have no excuses on the climbs, and then go and have some fun in the gulley, but as I was getting braver last weekend I started noticing the limits of the rear end on landing!
Having had 2 cars in the past, and never using the 'fun' one, I now have one car that pretty much does it all, so I think my bike probably needs to be the same.
Hmmm, decisions decisions!
Anyone got an ML7.5 I can test ride?!
I go to Swinley quite often - usually on a Thursday evening and then on a Sunday morning, family allowing. Will be there tomorrow.
The ideal bike for jumps is a hardtail with 3-4" travel forks so I wouldn't base that for getting more travel, specially for small smooth jumps like those in the gulley.
Not when you land like me!!! 🙂
Just to put this in context I like riding rocky xc in the Peaks & don't often get the wheels off the ground. I had a Palomino but found it quite twitchy and went over the handle bars a couple of times on stuff I normally wouldn't even notice. I managed to get an 7,5 (with 130 Pace forks) and its incredible - you finish a ride and realise you've not thought about the bike or noticed the sus working and thats always a good sign. Overall - a lot more stable and a lot plusher than a Klein
Only downside for me is my Thomson 30.9 seat post slips - don't know if its the frame or the pin - anyone else had this problem??