XL Gen3 RocketMax with 35mm stem – 6’3″ – fits perfectly

Happy RocketMAX XL owner here.

Re. the bottle cage position that Hob Nob mentioned – on an XL you can run a side loading cage on the down tube by using the lower cable guide for one mount and a Zefal Gizmo for the other.

Cracked at weld attaching the seat tube to the forging(?) round the shock. Failed after 3 years. I’m fairly high mileage, fairly hard riding and have broken most of the frames I’ve owned. It was in warranty and I got full value in CRC vouchers so essentially free frame for 3 years 🙂

Hi

Never noticed an issue with the hanger wobbling on mine – I ended up having an issue with the seat tube wobbling! That does mean I’ve got a spare hanger available though…

Matt

A dozen or so rides in on my XL RocketMAX and loving it. It’s my only bike but my local riding is fairly steep and/or tech. It’s fine on the bits that aren’t steep or tech as well – maybe not quite as ‘poppy’ on that stuff as the previous shorter\steeper\higher bike but that could well be down to the trail conditions changing recently 🙁 As Brake-neck mentions – keeping centred is key and I also took it on my slowest/tightest local trail during my demo where it just worked. 6’3″ tall BTW

6’3″ and skinny here – wish XL meant Extra Long and not Extra Fat!

Endura MTR jackets are a good fit for me.

At least with CRC you can return stuff free.

Couldn’t get hold of a tool. Ended up sending them back and getting a refund. Shame, great pedals otherwise

Been riding my Escarpe 290 for a year now. Bought frame and built up with my own kit. Looks like a well thought out design. It’s been fairly well abused but seems to be holding up well although did need to replace the top shock bush and mount after about 8 months. Actually had the shock out last night and the bearings still feel good. Fashioned a little mud flap from a piece of plastic for the shock using the direct mount front mech bolts to mount it.

Despite the big wheels it feels like the most playful bike I’ve owned – came from a broken On-One Codeine (first 29er) and before that 26″ Orange Alpine/Patriot. 6’3″ and on an XL.

Hope that helps?

Matt

Numbers on the Vitus site suggest TT length same across Escarpe/Escarpe 290/Sommet.

Matt

Currently really enjoying my Vitus Escarpe. It’s the 290 but I think the toptubes measure up the same as the 27.5 versions. I’m 6’3 and riding the XL. An MBUK review claimed it was short but it’s the longest reach I’ve ever owned.

Have a look at http://www.keela.co.uk – got some of their softshell trousers and they’re great – can pick waist and leg sizes

Bet they got a job lot of Marzocchi forks and shocks on the cheap like they did with the Cane Creek shocks on the 29er.

Interesting to see a symmetrical swingarm. Less unequal stresses = less cracked swingarms?

Keela Roadrunner[/url]

Orbea MX26 Team pretty good for our 9 year old apart from the wheels (heavy) – had a set of old Bontrager 26″ wheels that are about half the weight.

Nothing to do with what shock/fork etc but a cable/hose management tip:

Wrap some insulation tape or similar round the rear mech outer to stop it sliding forward through the p-clip when the shock compresses.

To stop the mech outer and brake hose splaying out when the shock compresses I use a piece of tube ~2″ long – I cut up an old pen – and 1 zip tie. Under the shock, put rear mech outer at 1 end of tube, rear brake hose at the other and feed the zip-tie round, through, round and back through.

Enjoy the Alpine

Never bothered with child seats – always used a Macpac papoose for my two kids – for the nursery run or singletrack fun. I’ve always thought it a safer option – only need to worry about where I am and the bike can be ditched if needs be.

Cheers for that LoCo. What do you reckon to the 2012 Sektor RL SoloAir? Would the dual flow rebound assembly be the best upgrade for it?

Any idea how much to upgrade to the Revelation dual flow rebound damper as I’d prefer the 20mm axle option of a 2012 Sektor?

I rode the proto for a couple of weeks – I’m the guy DeeW was trying to keep up with 😆

I rode all my usual trails and it was a load of fun. I sometimes wonder if I’m just plowing through stuff on the Alpine whereas I was popping off stuff all the time on Rocket.

There were a few sections I thought were overwhelming the Rocket but when I went back on the Alpine it felt pretty much the same.

Can’t see the need for a shorter travel version to be honest.

Matt

Latest Mondeo estates seem to have a squarer boot space than previous versions. With the seats up I couldn’t fit my bike with wheels out flat, whereas it goes in easy in my 04 plate. The wheel arches eat all the space – this one had massive tyres but I would assume that they’d keep the wheel arches the same on all specs?

Matt

Cheers for the responses chaps. Had another go at it and found the smallest of lips to work on. Once I’d got it out it turns out the hub shell has cracked round the bearing seat which explains why the bearing failed as it did. Arse.

Matt

I’ve currently got a 2010 59cm Cube X-Race frame with Easton carbon fork for sale, along with some other bits, if you’re interested? STW ad here.

I’m 6’3″ and the 59cm was on the point of being too small so reckon it’ll be spot on for 6’1″.

Matt

The squelch could be caused by the small hole between the main air sleeve and the high-volume sleeve rather than the damping circuit?

Not sure about the nitrogen charged bit but if it’s got a standard schraeder valve on the piggyback then you can service it yourself – plenty of info here:

http://www.ridemonkey.com/forums/showthread.php?t=201454

http://forums.mtbr.com/showthread.php?t=491668

Matt

Don’t know whether it will help but there’s a couple of things I’ve done with my cable routing on my Alpine and I don’t get ghost shifting:

Wrap insulating tape round the outer ‘behind’ the lower plastic p-clip on the downtube. This will stop the outer sliding up as the suspension compresses and causing problems when it doesn’t slide back as the suspension extends.

Small diameter plastic tube – I used an old pen – about 1.5″ long. Poistion under the shock with zip-tie through it and take zip-tie round rear mech outer, back through tube and then round brake hose. This will stop the rear mech outer (and brake hose) splaying out now that it can’t slide up so it just compress down smoothly.

Hope that helps

Matt

£10 off a £75 shop – yours for a fiver?

Matt

Gamut bash and Blackspire Stinger on my M970 cranks. Some bashrings can look a bit odd on the M970s due to the hollow spider arms.

You’ll need a 135mm 12mm conversion. Is it an old or an Evo Pro2? The 12mm axle is different for the 2 versions. If you’ve got an old Pro2 I’d go for the Evo version but that invloves a new freehub body as well. The old 12mm axles were a bit prone to snapping – particularly with the ‘butted’ Maxle Lite.

Matt

Hoogerland has attacked halfway up. Duque is chasing but Hoogerland’s teammate Westra is controlling the remainder of the break

how might one do this ??

Sitting in at the back of the break – if they drag him up to Hoogerland they know he’ll just attack them so reduces the incentive to chase.

When you rebuilt the hub did you fit the washer/spacer before fitting the freehub? That’s the most likely cause.

Plenty of ‘XC’ stuff at Wharncliffe without a marked trail – jsut go and explore.

Hope Pro2 12mm thru-axles snap with regular 12mm axles and ‘normal’ Maxles as well. They snap quicker with Maxle Lite’s. The ‘normal’ Maxles are easy to fit as they have a smaller diameter section that helps locate the thread.

’09 and onwards RC3s are fine. I wouldn’t bother with the TST cartridge forks, whatever the year, though they may have solved the problems in ’10 and ’11.

Matt

215mmm i2i x 63mm stroke (8.5″ x 2.5″) is the standard size and will give you 178mm (7″) of travel. You can run a 200mm i2i x 57mm stroke with the same shock shuttle to give ~160mm travel. From what I remember you could run the shock shuttle flush with the end of the shuttle mount with the shorter shock and it’s nicely slack and low. You can also run a 190mm i2i * 50mm stroke for ~140mm travel but you’l need the angled shock shuttle for that.

Hope that helps.

My non-drive-side bearings seem to die quicker as well. Maybe it’s because the drive-side are shielded by the chainrings. Realised I used to lean the bike to the non-drive-side when drying after hosing down and thought that could also be a cause so now remove seatpost and tip upside down to drain.

Any ideas what bearings are in those Blackspire BBs? 7mm 61805-2RS? Full compliment or caged?

Matt

flatfish – nice. What size is that tarp?

Matt

Buying a new OS stem might be an option but I currently have some 26mm bar top levers as well. I probably wouldn’t miss them too much apart from the fact that the rear one has a barrel adjuster for brake fine tuning.

I’ve got a similar requirement to ourmaninthenorth ‘cept I need non-OS as well. Anyone got any ideas?

Cheers

Matt

Great pics.

Did you follow the Glenderamackin up or go via Bowscale Fell?

I was eyeing up the tops whilst bimbling along the Threlkeld-Keswick railway line with a tag-a-long.

Matt

M970 is standard BCD. To run non-XTR inner rings you just need some spacers (possibly thinner spacers than the XTR rings use).

Think that my wifes 2005 Dawg has a 30.0mm seatpost.

Matt