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I always associated the rocketmax - particularly the newer ones - with winch and plummet enduro racing. As such not sure it’s ever going to feel great for marathon days out as it’s not really what it’s designed for? If cotic are your thing a jeht or flaremax as an all rounder may give you some more zip? Personally sounds like if you were starting again a 130mm rear / 140/50 front all rounder would be a good bet. Something like the nukeproof reactor or shorter travel canyon strive
I'd maybe try sticking something like a Rock Razor on the back for long rides. You'll lose a bit of grip for sure, but also shed a massive chunk of rolling resistance and you may not lose as much grip as you think, particularly if your longer rides aren't as full on technically as your shorter outings.
A mate of mine rides a Geometron with mahoosive, heavy casing tyres on and keeps complaining that he's lost fitness - I suspect he's simply dealing with a huge amount of rolling resistance. Or you can simply work at becoming astonishingly strong and fit. The tyre option is probably cheaper and easier.
I expect a lot of it is simply that pushing on the pedals has a less immediate reaction the more travel you have.
23psi F/25psi R
Disclaimer - I'm out of touch with how hard you can hit things on a bike like that and my local riding isn't as rocky as yours -
Is that a fair bit of air in tyres of that size for someone your weight? Bike could roll better overall with tyres that can conform more rather than ping?
I know little to nothing about enduro bikes, having been out of mountain biking for 10 years and just coming back with a little xc bike, but it seems odd that anyone would look at a 160/170mm steel enduro bike and wonder why it isn't sharp and snappy out of the corners and is hard work over a long day of climbing.
everything in mountain biking is a compromise and it seems that the complaint is that it's not very good at the things it's not intended to be good at.
It's a main battle tank, not a rally car.
Hmm. Something about the type of bike/wheels/tyres inevitably will make it feel like you describe. My steel FS 29er (with 2.6/2.5 DHF/HRII) is 'harder going' and less sprightly than my steel SS HT (with 2.3 HRII/Forecaster), which in turn is harder going than my Ti gravel bike with 700x40c WTB Nano's)
The other, possibly contributing factor, maybe your increasing age and amount of exercise. I'm 55. Throughout my 40s, I was commuting 4 days a week, plus often a weekday night ride, a big ride on my day off, and another ride at the weekend. Increasingly, over the last 3-4 years, I've found that volume of riding just a bit more fatiguing, I could ride it, but would sometimes feel tired, or lacking in that 'zip' or top end you feel when you are really 'on it'. If you're riding 4-6 days a week, plus gym/weight sessions, you might not be giving enough attention to what recovery and rest looks like, or how important it is for overall fitness.
I've recently bought the 'fast at 50' book, and read some threads on here about exercise/fitness as we get older. Not read it yet or actively done anything differently, but am conscious that a more sophisticated and focused approach is probably increasingly relevant rather than just the 'ride as much/often as you can' to maintain fitness.
I’m not a Peaks ‘specialist’ but have done a few rides to get a feel for it & the reality is, I wouldn’t want to ride a bigger travel 29er for what I have ridden & seen there, for all of the reasons you have stated.
My little bike (Spur) is built light, but with an angleset & its geometry is almost identical to my bigger bigger bike (Madonna) & 90% of the time is the better, faster bike.
I tend to swap out to heavier wheels & bigger tyres for those days that warrant it (steep, S. Wales valley riding) or I run a very light set of wheels with a EXO Dissector/Rekon combo around home (FoD) usually, which can be fruity on the steep stuff, but on everything else, the bike is scary fast.
There is a reason why I ride it most of the time. The Madonna feels like a pig in comparison unless I’m wringing its neck, or racing. But then thats exactly what it’s for, not general riding around (unless I’m feeling sadistic).
I'm very much in the same thoughts as @HobNob
I have a Ripmo AF coil and its a bit of a heffer to ride my usual trails, when I compare it to my Spur. And that sticks in my mind come choosing a bike to ride. The Spur just feels so zippy and so much less effort to ride. But, it has its limits and that is when you need you bigger bike.
To me, the biggest difference is tyres. +1kg tyre and soft compound on the Ripmo makes a huge difference. When I put light XC tyres on my HT a few years ago for a long epic ride, it was so noticeable, so much easier.
The Rekon EXO on my spur is excellent. light, fast, tough and fairly grippy. I would try something like that on the rear first. I use this and an Assegai exo up front for my grippy, winch and plummet riding on my Spur. Rekon/Rekon when its a long day out.
I'd also look at more range on your gears. Its the cumulative effort of 3hrs riding that zaps you. Might be ok for 2hrs, but once you start getting beyond, it'll drain you quick.
Pro's can get away with the big tyres front and back. They are much younger and stronger!
Yep - surprised to see this pop up again. (there seems to be a spate of ancient threads being revived!)
@Ben_Haworth - 5'10", medium (2020 frame, so pre C... sizing)
@mboy - like **** have I. 🤣 Still have absolutely no interest in them!
Between the last post in '23 and today, its had a slightly lower cassette fitted (which just means I hunt out steeper climbs) been ridden round Stoneking Rally club week last year - lots of steep fire road winching, lots of portage, not that much tech climbing and a week in the Queyras with Endless Trails (highly recommended) - more technical climbing, but it was 2 weeks after riding TNR on the gravel bike so legs and lungs were firing well, even if my uphill big-bike handling skills were a bit rusty.
(Needless to say both trips - it was friggin' amazing on the downs. Didn't miss a beat on SKR; one pinch flat in the Queyras while trying to keep up with former world masters DH champ Emily Horridge on a 190mm eeb)
@JonEdwards 5'10" on a Medium sounds like frame would be a bit on the small side (467mm reach), and would result in loads of exposed seatpost I imagine which, combined with the rather slack (actual) seat angle, would result in a not-very-efficient climber. IME FWIW.
Really?? Its the longest reach and steepest seatangle bike I've ever ridden. I really notice the steep seatangle if I've not ridden the Rocket in a while as it murders my glutes. I've been on medium Cotics since day 1 (bar a small BFe back when rinky-dink hardcore hardtails were a thing). My "daily drive" medium gen5 Soul is a hair shorter reach and a chunk slacker SA, and that (IMO) is a perfect fit for me
I'm running a 180 dropper as far into the frame as it will go (limited by the pivot on the S/T) so hardly "loads of exposed seatpost".
Should have checked the date before reading the whole OP. I did get to WTB Judge and think 'well that might be your issue' because your experience mirrored mine when picking up a new bike with that rear fitted.
@JonEdwards fair dos 🙂 what rear shock is it? and how is it set up damping-wise?
I’d look at the gearing and how you actually ride uphills.
I ride a Transition Sentinel carbon with lyriks / vivid ultimate coil shock and Conti enduro casing tyres on XM481 / EX511 rims. I think it’s ballpark 35-36lbs. I rarely ride all day due to life - but 3 hours at a time reasonably regularly.
I have a 30t chainring and a 10-51 SLX cassette. It’s not a rocket ship uphill, but as long as you keep spinning the pedals over it’s not that bad vs the weight. If you gurn your way through a much higher gear (e.g 28/42) you’re physically tiring out out your leg muscles and burning through fuel. If you spin faster you put more of the strain on your cardio system and tire your legs less.
I (when not injured / recovering from 2 operations) tend to commute to work on my road bike twice a week and fit in at least one Zwift race too. Then 1 mtb ride on a weekend plus weight training. The turbo and road bike have really helped get my spin speed up and seem to have improved efficiency.
When I ride 650b I tended to accelerate harder out of corners and speed up / down more. With a 29er you have to out in a bit more work to accelerate, but once there the speed stays easier - so you’re best off working to keep momentum. When I’m not going downhill or over really up / down terrain I stay seated a lot on the sentinel and just keep my spin going.
On a hardtail you tend to have to stand up more to not get bashed around - so you often pedal more standing up and as you’ve got no rear suspension / shorter travel fork you don’t get punished with suspension bob. So even if weights are similar you just need to ride differently between a hardtail and a big full sus bike.
I’m just building up a middle ground of Trek Top Fuel with 120mm travel each end and lighter / faster rolling tyres - I’m interested to see how I end up riding that style wise.
weight isn't your issue - whilst a lighter bike may feel faster, on all but the biggest of climbs it makes no material difference, even for a flyweight like you.
I always laugh at these kind of comments. Of course weight makes a difference. It's basic physics.
Gearing is tall for a 29er. I can see a 145lb stringbean blowing up their legs due to insufficient strength.
Suspension kinematic just might not be what you need. I has a Bird Aether like than. Descended fine, rode and traverses like it had 2 stick DH tyres on it.
You're getting older and you do alot. I noticed impacts on my recovery coming it at about 48. Subtle at first and was difficult to spot.
Maybe its just too much bike on too great a proportion of your rides.