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[Closed] Skills compensator.... What to think of and buy.... 160-170mm, trail bike

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I get the feeling you're just desperately grasping for some solution the imminent and inevitable situation of your son absolutely smoking you on a bike. Just face it. He's young and progressive and he's going to accelerate away from you in both fitness and technical ability. You're old and stiff and on the defensive. There's no coming back!

Edit-

Oh god, i better not show my lad this video or we’ll be going from Morzine to Chatel !!!!

It's an easy trip from Morzine and worth the effort.


 
Posted : 17/12/2019 12:25 pm
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Had a Scott Genius LT, didn't like it, too wallowy slack and heavy, felt like it should have had a 250 2 stroke in it. switched to a T130s, and have taken that all round the alps and expected to be held back by it, definitely not the case Now fancy a S120.

Easiest way to get faster is train more. Plenty of rowing, hill reps and sprints.


 
Posted : 17/12/2019 12:40 pm
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Easiest way to get faster is train more. Plenty of rowing, hill reps and sprints.

Fitness isn't my issue. On any given trail of length i'll kick his ass all day.... It's just certain aspects of the riding he's getting better at... But i'm a big strong boy and he's a weedy 11 year old, so power and lungs, i'm fine 🙂


 
Posted : 17/12/2019 12:45 pm
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On the basis of reccomend what you've got I've just added an Airdrop Edit V3 to my bike collection, 160mm travel, pedals up hill perfectly well and was a complete hoot at Antur Stiniog. Probably pyscological as much as anything but I was just riding stuff I'd have been bypassing or thinking very hard about on my 120mm travel Tallboy. Even gives you an excuse to ride in the Peak district after grabbing a demo bike from the Airdrop guys at Sheffield.


 
Posted : 17/12/2019 1:10 pm
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On any given trail of length i’ll kick his ass all day…. It’s just certain aspects of the riding he’s getting better at… But i’m a big strong boy and he’s a weedy 11 year old, so power and lungs, i’m fine 🙂

Speed isn't always about how hard you can pedal, upper body strength is a good shout for helping to keep your shape and hence speed out of corners.


 
Posted : 17/12/2019 1:37 pm
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upper body strength is a good shout for helping to keep your shape and hence speed out of corners.

Of course, i'm terribly weak in that context, core strength, arm strength, etc etc... Rubbish.


 
Posted : 17/12/2019 1:38 pm
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I get the feeling you’re just desperately grasping for some solution the imminent and inevitable situation of your son absolutely smoking you on a bike.

So true.


 
Posted : 17/12/2019 2:05 pm
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Knowing where you ride locally weeksy,then i deffinately agree you need a bike with a high BB and short cranks for normal XC type stuff! Those £*(%£^&%"ing tractor ruts are horrible!

Unfortunately, a bike with a high BB is not ideal for non pedalling rough stuff, so realistically, it's a two bike shed. Given that second hand downhill bikes depreciate like they've just gone out the start hut at champery, perhaps look out for a cheap s/h, older DH bike? Get a "xtra large" of a 5 year old one and it'll still be long enough even by modern standards!


 
Posted : 17/12/2019 5:35 pm
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I had the shorter linkage and 160mm fork and the bike rides better with the longer linkage on it (more poppy) and higher front end.

Agreed, put the 160 linkage on my 145 with the view to swap it back for tamer stuff but never have. It still pedals well enough to ride from Reading to Swinley, enjoy being over biked and ride back.


 
Posted : 18/12/2019 9:59 pm
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Unfortunately, a bike with a high BB is not ideal for non pedalling rough stuff, so realistically, it’s a two bike shed. Given that second hand downhill bikes depreciate like they’ve just gone out the start hut at champery, perhaps look out for a cheap s/h, older DH bike? Get a “xtra large” of a 5 year old one and it’ll still be long enough even by modern standards!

Whilst that's a great idea, it's already a 4 bike garage and that's not counting the KTM 690 or the zx6 in there. I need space to work on them and to Zwift too. Unless there's a magic way of creating space, then it's not likely to happen.


 
Posted : 18/12/2019 10:05 pm
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edit… i lie…
Fox Suspension 34 Float Performance Elite 27.5 130MM 27.5 BLACK/BLUE DECALS ¬

Upping the travel to 140 / 150cm wouldn't be too expensive ? I have done it on my Pikes, not familiar with Fox though.


 
Posted : 19/12/2019 8:40 pm
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it gets fitted and used.

Am I reading that as you remove your dropper for local riding ?


 
Posted : 19/12/2019 9:01 pm
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Am I reading that as you remove your dropper for local riding

That's correct. No cables on a Vyron, uses ant+ so is removed for local riding. I live just off the Ridgeway, finding a root on a local ride is tough, let alone a gap jump.

Of course in any 5 mile radius these days someone has built a jump in a wood, but it rare we'd hit them as they're usually like jumping a house!


 
Posted : 19/12/2019 11:03 pm
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Upping the travel to 140 / 150cm wouldn’t be too expensive

The actual she shaft seems to be £40. So no, far from impossible. Whether that or the slack headset would actually help my riding, well that of course is open to debate. But I digress, currently I've got a trip to bpw and the new Swinley areas, so no major changes right now


 
Posted : 19/12/2019 11:05 pm
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