Eldest_oab went from 130/150 Radon Slide to 170/170 Radon Swoop.
(That has threaded BB and is £1950 in sale new… Just don’t expect much warranty backup).

It’s an absolute monster truck. It took a few months for him to really work the thing out. Between the move to 29er and longer travel, he really noticed a lack of playfulness. I still would say that for half his riding it just flattens everything. You can just point and ignore surprisingly big lumps/bumps/roots/rocks and just go…

When he finally gets it on terrain that challenges, or speed that challenges, then it’s an impressive tool. Again it just allows line choices and speed that my brain struggles to comprehend. When it gets rough, he just accelerates away, still pedalling and aiming for some huge Huck… I could not make use of the travel fully, I’m too scaredy and lacking in skills. And I’m not that slow a rider down hill.

Watching him race at the enduro’s is interesting, as is seeing how at that speed he can wear out tyres quickly, and without both DH tyre, insert and 170mm of travel he can destroy a rear wheel. Not through poor line, just it’s a race tool.

If you have the skills and bottle, as big bike is amazing fun, but only where ultimate speed is your goal.

If you don’t have the skills and bottle, then I would get them over a big bike.

A T130 is a thing of fun – and fun is my goal.

Yeah i’m leaning towards keeping the T-130 as my day to day bike and accepting if and when the time comes for him to give me a kicking, then i’m afraid that’s how it’s going to be.
In some ways it would be nice to go for a 1-2deg headset difference, but if it doesn’t feel ‘nice’ on the local stuff i’d be likely swapping it back. (However i have emailed them to see which one i needed).
Having ridden it everywhere and having sat and thought about things, could i actually attack things on a G-160 that i can’t on a T-130… The answer is probably no… As someone famous once said “it’s not the bike”

It’s all fair anyway as he’s only on a 130mm bike too at the moment so any riding is fair game 🙂

Although i almost talked myself into buying him this

But that would be crazy talk unless we could keep his trail bike as well and that’s really not viable.

Na, get a big bike. 😊

I’ve had allsorts, and my Bronson with 160 up front pedals as well or better than any other bike I’ve had, including my 130 29er spectral. I planned on keeping that as my day to day bike until I got the Bronson – no need.

It wasn’t cheap mind, and mibbe that’s the difference in RnD etc coming through, it’s not hard work to pedal on flat stuff at all, accelerates brilliantly on climbs, even with the 2.6 soft Mary up front.

Well watching some reviews on the G-160 and G-170 this morning put me off a bit with the low BB height, it’s got to pedal and has to pedal in ruts due to where i live.

The S-150 really looks like it would be the logical purchase if i were to go ‘bigger’. But today, i’m leaning towards not.

IMO if you want to go faster/harder over rough technical stuff, the best modification you could make to your T130 is put a 35/40mm stem on it and use the dropper.

Fancy a ride around QE off piste over the Xmas break, you can try out my Geometron.

I do use the dropper, when i’m at places that need it. Even Swinley i use the dropper, but locally i certainly don’t use it. But FoD, Afa, BPW etc it gets fitted and used.

Stem is 50mm i think from looking at the spec sheets. Along with a 67deg head angle.

QE though sounds ace mate yes…. shout me either here or over on PB when you’re free, after Boxing day we’re about all the time with nothing to do 🙂

Will do.

I have an orange 4 and when I recently slackened the head angle by 2 degrees, it transformed the bike. It still climbs well as its short travel and light weight, but down hill it flies now.
I’ve had to fit rimpact and add a bit more pressure to the shocks as it was getting a bit lairy and I destroyed the back wheel. But if I pick my lines and pop over the nasty bits, rather than through them, it’s all the bike I’ll ever need.

accepting if and when the time comes for him to give me a kicking, then i’m afraid that’s how it’s going to be

Same here.

However, I’m not sure a big bike will take me from:
Dad riding

To

Son riding – and that’s on his old bike a year plus back. New bike = Nico Vink jump line at Chatel this summer.

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

I don’ consider riding like that no matter what bike i own 🙂

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.

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.

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 🙂

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.

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.

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.

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.

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!

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.

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.

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.

it gets fitted and used.

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

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!

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