Frames, we all obsess about this one and that one…..

+1 What LoCo said…

Every single component will make a difference, whether you’ll feel it or not is another matter.

The feel of a bike is a combination of the parts spec, geometry, tyre choice/pressure, wheel size ( 😉 ), suspension set-up, riding style, trail conditions etc. Frame choice is only one part of this combination of factors, but it’s a pretty major one in my opinion.

If it makes you happy and you enjoy riding your chosen frame, then thats all good as far as i’m concerned. And a change is sometimes good for motivation and variety so no problem with the serial frame swappers, they keep the industry alive.

Je-bus muddyman, you’re one rude member,
And only re-gis-tered since last November.

Hoorah for the OP! See people on here endlessly examining which component to fit with the same intensity as Ron Dennis on a work day.

Some here may be real racers, the other 99.9% (which I’m in) buy toy bikes to rattle round the hills and act like a 12 yr old. The way some people worry about tyres, travel, geometry, you’d think they’re prepping for world championship extreme enduro – and the MONEY being spent.

If those who do, didn’t keep bunging out multiple thousands for the marketing guff and snake oil of your silly toys we wouldn’t all be risking getting held up at knifepoint for something that MAY be worth the risk!

Ahhhhhh… So much better. 😆

Ah klumpy, we depend on folks buying high-end guff to benefit from technology trickle-down to our level!

You’re just full of yourself because your bargain new wheels turned out nice 😉

See people on here endlessly examining which component to fit with the same intensity as Ron Dennis on a work day.

wish I could have his workshop 😀

You’re just full of yourself because your bargain new wheels turned out nice

Now Buzz has an interesting approach. He browses CRC all day every day, and buys anything that’s a bargain. Every six months or so it turns out he has a whole bike.

(Plus 30 six speed chains, 12 eight speed cassettes, 3 fixie wheels, 4 180mm rotors, 5 v-brake ready rigid forks, 2 shock pumps…) 😆

muddyman seems nice.

He browses CRC all day every day

Not true! I spend half my time on here 😛

It’s true I have two shock pumps. They came with after-market forks. [shoots self in foot – ow!]

Every single component will make a difference, whether you’ll feel it or not is another matter.

If something is slightly out of line, loose or needs greasing I’ll feel it, that’s before we get onto the suspension and relative merits of frame and linkage design, not willy waving but I’m just finiky/sensitive (insert lolcat looking sad)

Really,Or perhaps you just ride very stiff legged with locked/tensed arms so feel every jolt through the bike,try riding rigid for a few months & get some suppleness to your joints………. 8)

😆 yep clenched deathgrip all the time, wouldn’t be much good at my job if didn’t have a bit of ‘feel’ 😉

The difference in geometry from my old frame to my current one equate to the same thing as a few tweaks of the saddle and a change in stem. i.e. practically nothing. It is lighter and feels a bit stiffer / more responsive maybe but I bet if you blind tested the two frames very few could pick the difference.

The cost difference if bought new: the old one was available at £550 full bike the current was £750 frame only (I bought it s/h full bike for £700).

Full sus would be very different though I would imagine.

loddrik – Member

But at the end of the day there really isn’t that much difference to the way they ride, handle, climb etc. the differences are all subtle though we all go on like they are huge differences.

Just don’t agree in the slightest, tbh. For one thing, the difference between 2 frames can be pretty substantial, even between 2 that are ostensibly in the same ballpark. If you compare, say, a Mojo HD with my Hemlock, one climbs like a monkey, jumps well, but is a much less stable. The other climbs OK, jumps OK, but descends like a little DH bike (actually is slacker and lower than my old DH bike). Geometry and suspension type do make a massive difference, it’s not subtle at all.

Even changing a frame significantly- for instance, slacking off a frame with a headset- isn’t a subtle difference, and that’s with every other component remaining exactly the same.

Whether you care about the difference is another thing, and it’s fine to not care tbh.

vorlich – Member
muddyman seems nice.

😆

Was just thinking he seems like a thoroughly pleasant all round chap myself.

I love my Intense 5.5. I hated my Tracer (same components swapped from the 5.5) and couldn’t deal with its odd handling.

All I can say is the testing that singled out the ASR5 from the 8 others I tested has nothing to do with technology, I just preferred it/the ride/feel.

I reckon I’m faster on it too, but that could be a lot to do with confidence on the bike… .. or perhaps my tire pressures are higher…

Edit: I’d love to do another Jedi session soon. Last time was on the Tracer I’d be interested on Jedi’s feeback with the Yeti underneath.

The ASR5 is a great bike amongst it’s peers, i’d also agree with that.

vorlich – Member
muddyman seems nice.

Was just thinking he seems like a thoroughly pleasant all round chap myself.

He’s off my Christmas card list now. That’ll teach him 😉

Paceman – Member
The ASR5 is a great bike amongst it’s peers, i’d also agree with that.

There was a comment on a thread the other day whereby a poster said he’d never ride it beciase it was basically single pivot.

I don’t understand that type of blinkers myself.

I’m not quite sure how this would work, but it would be fun to see the results. STW Towers?

STW sort of already did this – Ti Charge Duster vs steel Duster.

I think the conclusion was that the lighter Ti bike felt a little better, but maybe not enough to justify the price difference. Though if you were to keep said bike for a long time because you liked it, then perhaps the benefit is worth the extra initial outlay.

Hats off to Charge for having the balls to offer the bikes up though (I assume they were involved…) as I doubt many advertisers would be racing to the start line for a blind taste test.

You can have the best componentry/frame and forks in the world but if it isnt set up right ,you may as well ride a 99 quid special ….and it does happen

While I agree that most bikes are good, I definitely find a very different character between bikes.

This. In full sus Ive had URT, Horst link 4-bar, ‘faux bar’, I-drive, VPP and standard single pivot. All have ridden completely differently with the URT and VPP (Mk 1 Nomad) being the worst. The Nomad was the biggest disappointment; I had coveted them since first seeing one in Les Gets, and when I finally got one it climbed like a dog with a broken back in the granny ring. Which oddly no reviewer had ever commented on. Sold it in short order to be replaced by an archaic single pivot built out of recycled filing cabinets which is a far better bike.

Even amongst hardtails, geometry makes a noticeable difference (head angle, top tube length and chain stay length all having a big impact on how a frame reacts and performs).

buzz-lightyear – Member
Je-bus muddyman, you’re one rude member,
And only re-gis-tered since last November.

A rhyming reply, I like that idea
Perhaps the best one, could win some free beer!