Stuff the bike (sorry) - look at the owl chicks!!!!!
John, updates on the chicks please if you ride that trail regularly.
@ogri
I ride around there at lest once every coupe of weeks, so I'll pop back and see how they are 🙂
@johnw1984...how heavy are you? Does what you are experiencing with sag tie up with what the Bird site says? How much sag are you aiming for?
Ian
I'm about 16 stone + gear. I don't carry loads of gear though (2 x 500ml bottles and a multitool, spare tube etc).
I'd say the spreadsheet is pretty spot on. I'm at the maximum of the 500lb spring though. It's rideable and plush (I don't notice any harsh bottom out on 4ft drops or small jumps), but I'm going to go up a bit and get another spring to try out.
For anyone who wanted to have a look at the Nukeproof Reactor chain stay protector (excuse the dirt).
It's a very good fit! I'd say about 95% without trimming it a bit in places.
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I'm on a 500lb spring on my CB IL shock too, sag is around 30% which is a little more than I'd like - but I'm very much a wheels on the ground rider and happy to take the extra plushness for the odd bottom out on bigger landings. I will say I've never felt it bottom out, the bottom out rubber is pretty firm so the last 20mm travel should ramp up very quickly.
that weld for the shock mount is a bit agricultural is it not? I'd hate to look down at that on a ride.
what's the rubber thing over the seat clamp for?
Thanks for the picture. Looks great in place.
The shock mount is not noticeable when your on the bike. It is even less obvious on the raw finish.
Yeah, I try not to look down when I'm using it for it's intended purpose 🙂
To be fair though, it looks fine in the metal. I think pics make is stand out more.
The rubber thing is a Bike Yoke Willy! It's to stop grit getting in the seat tube. I've found on a lot of aluminium frames I've had, most of the creaks have been grit getting between the seat post and tube.
Forgot to update this...
Went back to see if the Owls were still there. The nest has gone and there's no trace of them anymore. It was actually hard to figure out where I'd seen them 🙁
Bit of a crap update this though. The Aether 9 is a very good bike, much better than I was expecting.
But! It's already showing signs that feel very similar to my old Aeris Mk 1.5. On the Aeris, the shock bushes didn't last more that a few months and this seems no different... There's a knock/rattle on the back of the bike and you can only feel it properly when pushing or putting slight weight on it.
It feels like the shock bushings are already worn, not costly to replace but this is how my last Bird frame started. Next the main bottom pivot bearings died prematurely (Bird sent me some FOC at the time).
Last of all, the crap X Fusion O2 shock decided to collapse riding home from work as it was due it's first service (coming up to 12 months old). Bird deemed that it was overdue and out of warranty because of that.
So, back to the Aether 9A. I hope it's just the bushings and everything else will be fine because for once, I was planning on keeping this bike as it's surpassed my expectations.
Boring I know, but I see why people like hardtails so much!
On the shock bushings are they a Bird part or Rockshox? I’ve got an Aether 7 and had to replace the lower one of those after about a year. Bought some from offset bushings (but standard fit - not actually offset) and so far so good. Think they’re pretty cheap to replace. On my last Bird with a higher spec shock it had a bearing mount and that was still going strong after 3 years.
I’ve had the Aether about 16-18 months now (built from frame only) and changed all the frame bearings in the last week. I’d say the main pivot ones were quite ropey but most of the others were still spinning but not like new - so just changed the lot. I’ve ridden it through some awful slop over the winter so fairly happy with how long they’ve lasted. They would have gone on a bit further I reckon but I’ve got a big ish North Wales long weekend coming up and I’m just overhauling everything on the bike pretty much. New bottom bracket / new brake pads / new bearings / new cables / rear mech service etc.
I'm not sure to be honest, the shock is a Cane Creek coil. I've built it up from frame only and to be honest, I've hardly ridden it.
I did the same thing on my last Bird frame (bought replacements from offset) and they were fine till the other issues.
With the lock downs etc, I've barely had it out in any nasty weather yet. I'll order some replacements this week and see how I get on. Not jumping to conclusions just yet. Hopefully the bushes will be the last of it for a while 🙂
