I don’t think I’d be doing that on the mega tower – hasn’t your top fuel got better specced forks / groupset etc already and had a much shorter life in terms of riding so far?

You could just stick the Top Fuel on eBay with a buy it now / best offer next time they have a discounted selling fee offer on. Probably the best way of getting good money for it.

LOL i was mostly kidding with that matey 🙂

Forks are the same, but the wheels on mine are carbon. However they’re not crazy light carbon according to reviews, more carbon in name than anything.

On the shock side of things i’ll likely just wait a little while and try the 150 forks first, get used to them and then see.

I’d be curious to have a little go on your Fuel Ex to see what it’s like – especially back to back with my Sentinel. I did wonder about a Fuel Ex when I was looking but couldn’t find a frame only in alloy – the carbon was too expensive frame only.

I didn’t think your G170 was that plush suspension wise – but then that’s probably due to being setup for you not me. I’d imagine you’d find the sentinel suspension too soft now with the 450lb coil on it. I’m still debating going up to 500lb but going to have a session playing with hsc first to see if I can work out if it’s bottoming out on drops or hitting a harsh spike of too much hsc dialled on.

Of course. Sadly this weekend is now off. The boy still hasn’t gotten out of bed since Monday afternoon apart from going to hospital last night. So even if he’s ready mentally, I ain’t letting him race at the weekend.
Which in truth means I’m not racing either, I’m not going to drive to FoD in the rain to race a course and come last on my own lol. It’s father’s Day too, which meant me and him we’re out together, so I won’t be leaving him at home and going playing.

Weekend after though if you’re still doing Staunton/wherever has potential. I may be in Peaks on the Sat on wife’s ebike, but Sunday that weekend I’m still free.

Well it’s unlikely anyone could tell but the 150 shaft is in there

[url=https://flic.kr/p/2nsqwtc]2022-06-16_05-21-45[/url] by Steve Weeks, on Flickr

Out for an early one to ‘beat the heat’.

[url=https://flic.kr/p/2nsydVM]2022-06-17_06-49-43[/url] by Steve Weeks, on Flickr

Out for an early one to ‘beat the heat’. Forks work really well, but in honesty i’m not convinced someone of my level can tell the difference between 140-150mm. Either way, i had an excellent little test.

[url=https://flic.kr/p/2nswYDK]2022-06-17_06-49-31[/url] by Steve Weeks, on Flickr

Should be able to soften them a bit more, so just whipped 10psi out, see how that feels next. I do like my forks softer than most would

Only disappointment was with Strava.. not because i care about where i am in the world, but i did want to compare my own ride against my own ride. But sadly it doesn’t think i rode the same segment on ANY of the 3 runs, despite the fact it’s a single trail that you really can’t do any other way.
“Why it Did Not Match
Your Activity seems to have deviated from the Segment at 41%. We could not complete the match.”

Ummmm if it had, i’d be lying in a tree by now

What device are you using to record your activity? You need a dedicated device that records data points per second.

Yeah my Garmin 520 broke not long ago, smashed the screen to bits and then it completely died, so i’m just using the phone.

At the end of the day i only Strava about 10% of my rides, and these were specifically for testing the difference between the Trek and the Status, so i’m not too worried about replacing the Garmin in honesty. Overall, i guess the results don’t matter and they both really are pretty unexpected, the Status feels more plush than the Trek and the Trek in many ways feels faster.

I do really like both bikes, but overall i like the Trek more, it’s possibly not quite as good in the tough stuff, but every other aspect of riding, it’s better. It’s also a chunk lighter, which at my weight, adding a bit more mass to the bike on hills really does have an effect, so i’d like to keep away from that 🙂

Interestingly this morning i also noticed i prefer lower pressures than i thought. I’ve been running 25-27psi in my tyres for a while now since reading how many pros in Enduro don’t run 20ish… but today i dropped it after the first run to ‘something’ which after checking was 18.9 and i much preferred the lower pressure.
Sadly, the weather isn’t going to play ball any more this weekend and with the lad being out of action, i don’t think i’ll be riding much for a few days.

I’d not be using Strava for any sort of accurate measuring. I’ve tested different devices on the same ride with often large variances. I’ve also done plenty of road rides with mates (so riding together), again with time variances.  At best it’s a guide, but it’s not good for accurate performance data over a 30s – 1min DH run.

yeah absolutely, i was going to use my lad and our phones and shout GO at the top and get him to time me… but it was 5.30am and he wasn’t even remotely going to get out of bed at 5.30am 😀

I’ve started behind a mate on a long DH section, overtaken him and finished a good bit ahead – Strava had him beat me

I’ve started behind a mate on a long DH section, overtaken him and finished a good bit ahead – Strava had him beat me

Yeah i think we’ve all had that previously with Strava…. i didn’t think it was going to be fully scientific 🙂

Anyway, the Trek is getting a decent jaunt tomorrow now as i’ve just entered the uptonogood ride, 35 miles… mostly trails i ride fairly regularly off the Ridgeway, round Ilsleys, Harwell, etc etc… Will give it and me a decent workout.

Have you got any sort of go pro/action camera?

watch the footage back and look at the time stamps passing a consistent start and stop point to get a fairly accurate time.

Decent idea mate yeah, but essentially this was only to decide which bike to race Sunday on. As the race is now off theres little point worrying.

As a side note and bike to bike discussions, I have an option on this at £180
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/165530606088?_trkparms=amclksrc%3DITM%26aid%3D111001%26algo%3DREC.SEED%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D20160908105057%26meid%3Da0fddbdf4f094640a13f62b273c835a3%26pid%3D100675%26rk%3D1%26rkt%3D15%26sd%3D165530606088%26itm%3D165530606088%26pmt%3D0%26noa%3D1%26pg%3D2380057%26brand%3DMarzocchi&_trksid=p2380057.c100675.m4236&_trkparms=pageci%3A547fc67a-ee35-11ec-8721-d267c9468cc9%7Cparentrq%3A718ae0f91810a0f2c7fa1ba0fffede36%7Ciid%3A1

The fitting kits top and bottom end are £96. I technically need 4 kits, 2 sets of spacers and top and bottom bolts.

That still only take the price to £280 which isn’t bad in all fairness.

It’s certainly a consideration but looking at pics here it’s a very very close fit!
https://www.vitalmtb.com/community/coregrind,26162/setup,42792

Add to that there’s discussion on whether the progression curve suits a coil. So I’m currently a maybe.

But it’s Friday afternoon which means it must be beer o’clock, which may be good or bad.

I had a Google and couldn’t decide if the fuel Ex was coil compatible or not. That Cane Creek shock in the link has a progressive coil spring on it by the looks of it. Cane creek are 36mm diameter coils so smaller than the likes of Rockshox – although Fox are usually 35mm so assuming marz are the same it should be ok.

The only other thing is will the bomber piggyback clear the downtube? The bomber cr has pretty much the longest piggyback going and on my Sentinel it wouldn’t have cleared the downtube at full compression.

The Dvo Jade X has pretty much the shortest piggyback when I was looking. The CC Kitsuma has big blocky dials but the piggyback doesn’t extend down much so that fits pretty easily for me. DHX2 Fox also ok.

It’s questions i don’t know the answer to yet. My boss who bought my G170 still has the bomber, so even though it’s a longer shock i can use it for some testing, but hes’ away this weekend.
Surely ‘d just run the piggyback at the top ?

It’s very much a first world problem this one and i’m not actually giving it that much thought but it’s just a Mmmmm maybe it’ll work and be lovely.

Marz do indeed run Fox springs.

Surely ‘d just run the piggyback at the top ?

Still a problem on my sentinel despite a kink in the downtube too. The standard piggyback float x (running with piggy at the top) had about 5mm clearance at best when at full compression. Tighter than I expected!

good info/thinking…. Thanks 🙂

It might not be an issue on yours but it’s got a similar vertical shock / top rocker. Sentinel medium and small frames have this clearance issue – large and above have a bit more room apparently. Guessing your Trek is a large as you’re a bit taller than me.

Ah right, mine mounts way higher and more vertical I’d say

Maybe mine is a bit less vertical / has a bit less clearance to the downtube. This is uncompressed

It’s an interesting one for sure matey.

Don’t know.

But it’s beer time now anyway.

I’m feeling I’m done with work for the week but just finishing something off. Damaged something in my back on Sunday : Monday and back spasms causing me some pain from time to time so thinking it’s time for a nice cocktail of ibuprofen / co codamol / spiced rum and Coke and a soak in the hot tub in the sun 😝

Hot tub, damn. Need one here.

What are you actually hoping to achieve with all the constant chopping and changing bikes/components? Not having a dig, just genuinely curious as these are all pretty capable bikes in stock trim, capable of things way beyond what most of us can ever hope to achieve!

Or do you just like to tinker?

I just ride my bikes as they come, get the sag somewhere near, normally add a couple of tokens as I like my suspension firm (ex motocross background) and just ride.

Modern bikes are so capable these days, I have a fox 36 performance elite and fox dpx2 on one of my bikes and when I ride other bikes with lower spec components I’m just as fast. Which all comes down to commitment

The rider is the main limiting factor, I consider myself pretty quick, used to race downhill and motocross, will hit most stuff blind, which doesn’t always pay off!

As said above its all about commitment, the equipment is secondary to that.

There is no perfect suspension setup, its always a bit of a compromise.

This post could save you money and time 😀

I guess the simple answer is, I enjoy both the riding and the fiddling.

With the MTB I like my bikes to feel soft, compliant, squidgy. It’s not about speed, it’s about pleasure I guess.

I don’t have too much money, but I have plenty of time compared to most, so I like to play. Sometimes that’s outside, sometimes it’s with spanners.
Some may say “why don’t you ride instead”, well I rode at 5.30am. I’m riding tomorrow. I just enjoy playing

It may transpire that things I do don’t help, or make things worse, or costs me money, but that’s ok, my choice my mistakes. I’ll live with it.
I won’t win races, I won’t do 30′ gaps, but I’ll enjoy it.

Same, enjoy the arsing about, upgrading and plotting what to do with the spare bits in the shed, buying, selling, justifying upgrades.. keeps me busy and away from all the far worse stuff I’d be up to otherwise

Did a 50km jaunt around Berks on Sat, bit on the hilly side which really showed up my fitness, or lack of it. Well, more my overweight aspect rather than fitness.
Anyway, I bought the Bomber CR. Along with the pretty expensive mounting kits from tftuned. The shock is 210*52.5 so will keep the same geometry etc. It’s got a 700 spring which according to Marz website is correct for me.

Should have it fitted by weds assuming it all arrives and ready for testing later in the week. Then maybe a decent test Sat and Surrey hills on Sunday.

Shock is about 450gr heavier than standard, but recent rides have shown it’s me who needs work on weight rather than the very light Trek lol

Hopes are that it’ll feel a bit more plush for tricky stuff and Morzine

Out today and playing in the woods… it’s a bit of a schelp over, but i didn’t go nuts and it was quite nice.

[url=https://flic.kr/p/2ntsxFH]2022-06-21_03-38-17[/url] by Steve Weeks, on Flickr

One thing the ride did show me is that on Saturday i probably went in too deep. It wasn’t flat chat, but it was pretty hard intensity for a decent chunk of the ride, as i didn’t stop at the main feed station i think to an extent i had a small bonk, which affected me as much mentally as physically, but sort of just killed any fun. Today was about 75% of that effort and all round it just felt a lot lot… well, nicer.

I did notice 2 minor issues…
1. My saddle is shot… it’s creaky and horrible… it’s now off
2. My shock is a bit slurpy in the intial part of the travel.

Something i’m struggling with here in terms of knowledge.

So this is a standard Trek reactive/Thru-shaft shock in what’s a 210*52.5

When you compare the mounting to a ‘standard’ shock, it’s clearly quite different. Now i can get a mount kit from TFT which is an upper and lower spacer/shaft and a pair of mounting bolts etc. However, looking at the length/height of the lower shock mount on this, surely a standard 210*52.5 shock is going to sit a lot lower ? Even though the 210 is obviously eye-eye length, on the Trek that’s extended by the mounting kit ? So it would sit lower ? Or am i missing something glaringly obvious ?

As long as you’ve measured the Trek shock and know the eye to eye and the stroke, you should just need to match it and it should work.

Perhaps the Trek shock has a shorter air can to allow the stanchion part to sit higher up due to the extended lower mounting point.

Given the mix of shock lengths/strokes, there must be room in a lot of them to be shorter than they actually are.

Perhaps the Trek shock has a shorter air can to allow the stanchion part to sit higher up due to the extended lower mounting point.

That’s a very good point,…. never actually thought of that 😀

I’ve not actually taken it off yet as i’m still discussing plans and options in my head. But according to Treks blurb it’s a 210*52.5 (although a 210*55 will fit and increases the travel a bit to 138mm on the back).

My current options are
1. Leave it for now and get serviced in winter at Sprung.
2. See if Trek will warranty it (not sure how likely that is)
3. Go Bomber CR coil in 210*52.5
4. Get a cheap RS Deluxe for £50 and the fitting kit from TFT (£96)

Even though the 210 is obviously eye-eye length, on the Trek that’s extended by the mounting kit ?

Or am i missing something glaringly obvious ?

The eye to eye length on the funky Trek shock is still the distance between the two eyelets.. which sit at the ends of both shocks regardless of the mounting gubbins. The ‘normal’ shock will just have a longer overall body / piston.

You’re absolutely correct guys yes.

I measured it up and then made a spacer.

The standard shock is now on it’s way to Silverfish/Fox who’ll decide if it’s warranty or not. I’ll be happy if it is, but I’ll understand if they say it needs a service and to bugger off.

As a backup plan I’ve ordered a 210*52.5 RS deluxe RT3 from Brink which is a take-off from new bike and fitting kit from TFT. Both due to arrive tomorrow so I’ll still get out for weekend and play.

Well that was interesting…. I’ve been babysitting this

[url=https://flic.kr/p/2nvbonC]2022-06-29_08-00-29[/url] by Steve Weeks, on Flickr

Anyway…. I took it out to test it, needed to make sure everything works well etc… and it’s absolutely ace..

I’d even argue potentially the ML suits me better than my L. It’s a bit nicer in a jumping context too.

It’s prompted me to move my saddle slightly forward along with rotating my bars back a little bit too, i think they were too far forward.

I’m off to Rogate on Sat morning with the small ones, so will be good to see how mine feels and if there’s any change. But for sure it’s interesting that the ML felt just a little more nimble etc.

Maybe you just like a shorter bike 🤷‍♂️

When we quickly swapped over g170/Sentinel at FOD they didn’t feel a hugely different length and your handlebars felt narrow – yet you’re taller than me

joebristol
Full Member

Maybe you just like a shorter bike 🤷‍♂️

This was agreed back in the G160 days iirc

Maybe you just like a shorter bike

I didn’t think the Trek (EX9.8) was particularly long in honesty…

I’ll be interested to see what turning the bars back a bit makes on it…I think they were a little forwards.

Bar width on both bikes is the same, as is bar-rise. Stem/Spacers are configured the same.
Measuring from back of seatpost-clamp to the center bolt of stem on both bikes, the Alu M/L is 22mm shorter than mine. You wouldn’t think 22mm would feel much different would you… but arguably it does yes.

Don’t get me wrong here… it’s not like i don’t really really like the 9.8, because i really do, i’m enjoying it lots and lots… but today was quite interesting.

Bar width on both bikes is the same, as is bar-rise. Stem/Spacers are configured the same.

remember that the size m/l almost certainly (i havent looked at geo tables for this specific bike, but pretty much each frame size from every manufacturer has a different length headtube) has a shorter headtube than your size L frame, so if you have the same amounnt of spacers under the bar on both bikes, then the handlebars on the m/l version will be lower.

You wouldn’t think 22mm would feel much different would you… but arguably it does yes.

Its funny with feel when some things are changed but not with others. The moment I sat on my new bike I could immediately feel the 2 degree steeper seat tube angle, but the 20mm reach increase and 1.5 degree slacker h/a didn’t really register.