Has someone redirected me from Fatbikeworld.com ?

Northwind
It totally offends mine eyes that my favourite bike needs a bloody cable tie halfway has a stinking cable for a seatpost along the top tube.

Fixed.

Sure you don’t need to be fit for dh. Sure doing dh doesn’t make you fit. Etc etc….ah…..lolz.

Sorry, ignore that. Anyway, I recall reading an interview with Remy Absalon, he mentioned his enduro dh training involved long punishing climbs and technical dh course descending – basically he would pedal to the top of a dh run and pin it down. Repeat until exhaustion, and then his training really starts.

What he was apparently aiming for was to get used to riding dh trails whilst extremely tired, something logic would tell you not to do. And obviously the climbing bit will do your cardio no harm.

Orange should make a “Mini DH” 224 variant. 180mm travel, single crown fork, can be pedalled a bit. Something not unlike the Transition TR250 or Morewood Kalula. And in apple green.

And while they’re at it they could make a Five Carbon, which would sell pretty well I’d imagine.

If you can’t afford an uppy downy seatpost then a qr seat clamp will make an adequate substitute. Dropping your saddle will negate the need for a lot of this arse over the rear hub posture which is popular in the xc fraternity.

10x world DH Champ, and currently spanking all comers at various enduro Dh events. Nico!

Jesus c’mon. The Kili Flyer cromo frameset is obviously going to be a limited run, showpiece frame that’s intended to create/recreate an association with high end bikes and the Saracen brand. Given the content of this thread it seems to be working to some extent. There are 2 other budget cromo kili flyers out there for anyone wanting an affordable counterpart.

It’s easy to drink 1L of water an hour, you piss a lot but it’s probably healthier than being dehydrated. If I’m going out for a quick spin I’ll take as little as possible – a phone and keys maybe. I still wonder what part of my body I’d most prefer to have my keys stuck should I crash into and usually settle for arse.

On longer rides I’ll take a pack containing a bladder, tube, pump, tyre levers, multi tools, a snack and maybe another layer. Crap that I’ll need if something brakes. On building days an even bigger pack might include a hatchet, saw, more layers and a few beers.

Having stuff rattling around the bike is just nasty. Bottles fall out on all but the smoothest trails, the cages get mangled and mess the frame when you crash……things become the norm, or ‘orthodoxy’ when things are found to work better than other things.

Are we all sheep for running hydraulic disk brakes or suspension forks? (wierdos and mincers excluded of course).

That’s horrific, and terrifying. Hope they catch the driver and do him for attempted murder. But, not to justify or make light of what he did, but I’ve always felt that Critical mass was quite antagonistic and not really in cyclists best interests. Something like this was probably on the cards.

Well, that bit was good.

LittleTones – Member

Arrrrrrrrggggh…. top gear is NOT a car show. It’s a middle aged blokey comedy show

5thElefant

But Top Gear isn’t a car show. It’s a comedy show for the middle-aged.

It hasn’t always been that way, and I’m not referring to the original show that spawned this format. When the new format was launched there were many more car focused features and much less “acting”. Wacthing the older series’ on dave it’s like watching a different show. They actually tested cars, all be it in hyperbolic ways occasionally, but the emphasis was on the vehicles.
Even the style and content of the car tests themselves was slightly more objective, and not sensationalist knee jerk nonsense like saying a car is completely rubbish because if it’s sat nav or some other twaddle.

Harry_the_Spider
My TV has an off button for stuff I don’t like.

rOcKeTdOg – Member
*yawn @ these threads*
don’t like it, don’t watch it, stop bleating about it

I watch it for the cars. Strongly dislike the rest of it. And I’m hardly going to stop bleating about it as per your suggestions – this is an internet forum after all.

dabs.com too

EDIT. Oh yeah, and going MTBing to the Alps isn’t just going on holiday with your bikes and riding up some bigger mountains anymore. You now buy a complete new bike (only to be ridden for one week), catch chairlifts up and ride down, having spent weeks beforehand pontificating on forums as to how hardcore you new alps bike needs to be.

Only if your name is Neville, your a 39 year IT consultant, and you usually ride a rigid 29er single speed round some fire roads.

Is it just fashion or has design progressed

Design has progressed. Diversified and progressed. It’s been almost twenty years after all.

No disrespect to the Claw, but I’ve done bigger hike-a-bikes. Does look great fun.

Apple Green all the way.

I like a small bike, I’m 5’9 and ride a medium 07 sx trail. It’s pretty long on the top tube, and feels like it could benefit from more standover when static, but on the trail feels perfect. When I looked at the small, it seemed pretty microscopic. If you can, seek out an 07 or 08 sx trail. Prior to this they were just enduro’s with a coil shock, and revised mount. From 07 on they had different tubing, shorter stays, additional gusseting etc.

The SX trail is a stunningly good bike but how you build it up will make the difference between it being a heavy hitting all rounder and just a heavy lump.

I’ve ridden that model fluid, a great bike. Okay for “xc” rides as it weighed in under 30lbs, pedaled brilliantly, climbed brilliantly but it’s no xc bike. It’s just a hair off a dh bike, it was incredible when the trail pointed downward.

hooja – Member
I would rather sacrifice climbability than playability.

I think i need to spend some time on a coupe of these bikes and decide if whether to go down this route or stick with a ht.

If I was looking for a hardtail substitute, for nothing more than razzing about on I’d be looking at the transition double, or perhaps a Foes 4x if money was no object. No I wouldn’t I’d get a spesh sx.

With regards to the bolt, its not really a consideration, im just interested in what its like, looks different and coming from a ht background it makes you stop and take notice.

I hate to dump on bikes I’ve not ridden but seriously, it looks like an accident. What’ll it weigh? 9lbs? I think I’ll have a specialized SX instead please. In fact, I think I’d take one over the two I’ve just mentioned as well.

Oh yes.

You probably won’t regret getting a full suspension bike. You might regret getting the wrong full suspension bike though. I might come across like a complete arse here, but it’s not intentional.

I think you need to take a much closer look at the geometries of the bikes you listed, and consider how they will translate to real world riding. The fact that you’re also considering the DMR sets off alarm bells for me. Unless you intend to do most of your riding on local berms and dirt jumps, and other man made type features I think you’re barking up the wrong tree ever so slightly.

You may well end up with something that is very very heavy, and fun in an extremely limited context. You can pedal any bike all day, it’s just a question of strength and willingness. I think most of those would quickly become a chore, and ultimately be frustrating. In the real world, I think most riders would get a lot more out of an enduro or a five or similar. If I was you I’d get an enduro, or from your list the mega, and build myself up a dmr trailstar or similar for mucking about.

EDIT: FWIW I have ridden a few bottlerockets, and a battery.

Loving this

I was gonna make a remark on the price, then I remembered the new Xar is over a ton, and probably not as good, quality wise as the POC.

Euro

It’s without a doubt the hardest trail i’ve ever ridden. It’s in this vid (starts 1.24) but the camera really doesn’t show how gawd darn steep, narrow and rocky it is. Makes me feel like a wee boy every time I ride it.

My current favourite trail, by a country mile. Absolutely love it. And yeah, it’s a bit steeper than it looks in the vid alright :)

flamejob

@jimjam – out of interest what do you weigh?

About 12 and a half stone on a good day.

Dango

You say you want more versatility, what kind of riding? (The SX IMO is only any good for FR and light DH) are you looking to use it for XC/AM? might be too heavy even with lighter wheels/tubes for that kind of thing unless you’re super fit

Well, it’s my only bike, and probably will be for the near future. I use it for everything. The bulk of it is fire road climbs and technical descents. Current build is 36lbs (on shop scales) with 2x 2ply tires and the totems. In it’s previous build it was just over 33lbs.
At the minute I’m thinking I should lighten it, ride it more, and just accept that it’s not a downhill bike.

Jambo, how did you reduce the travel of the totem coil?

Euro

Haven’t tried Lyrics but i’ve no issues with the stiffness of 36s on the trails you ride.

I’m not worried that either fork will be so flexy as to to be unusable, I just know from experience that there would be discernible flex were I to downsize from the totem.

Awesome visual representation of my dilema btw Marty.

earl_brutus

marz 66rc (the originals) replaced my fox 36s and i aint looked back

Yar, but then it would still be just as slack and as heavy as it is now.

mrbump

ive got 36’s and they are no flex issues at all and i use them for full on downhill.

That would be relative.

CalD

Lyriks and 36 floats here, 36s stiffer, have you looked at totem airs? U can adjust them down to 100mm in 10mm increments with spacers I’m pretty sure.

Never considered them as I’ve never liked air damped anything and a friend had a pair blow up after one day. I suppose if I swapped the internals to air they could be lighter, shorter, but still be uber stiff.

Try a different doctor, or seek out some sort of specialist. I’ve noticed some of your symptoms when I ride on very cold nights – chest and head cold etc, coughing and feeling very bunged up the next morning (but only in the morning). Your other issues sound more circulatory, but I’d know more about a fish supper than the human body.

What do you want from the bike/shock that it doesn’t already do? An airshock will only be slightly lighter than sticking a ti spring on what you have.

In my experience I’ve not been able to get on with air shocks, I like plenty of sag, good grip, but not blowing through all of it’s travel. Something I’ve been unable to achieve with dhx air, but can with coil.

The ultimate compromise if you will, would be to tune tf tune it, and stick a ti spring on it. It’ll feel better tha the air, and not much heavier.

Full time flat rider here. In the five years or so that I’ve been wearing 5 10s, am 40s and now vans flat pedal specific shoes I can remember exactly two occaisions when my foot slipped off the pedal while wearing those shoes. I remember them clearly because I slapped my shins. Hard. I wear knee pads as opposed to shin and knee style.

When wearing ordinairy skate shoes it happened a bit more often.

I notice than most of my shin/pedal interactions happen either in a crash, a bail or some sort of “moment”. Or pushing the bike along and accidentally kicking it!

That’s what they cost. Crazy, but true. I’m sure they must cost pence to make. I wonder could they make them out of some sort of very strong nylon….y’know stiff enough to work but capable of bending? Meh.

What would I do? I’d probably call in some favours from my craziest mates…get them together and beat them savagely. Not kill, just unable to walk or eat solids for a month, something like that. Though that might not be strictly speaking legal.

What could you do? Spend a bit of serious wedge on ground anchors, shackle locks and chains etc…secure your stuff, lock grinders etc in house. Get security lights and so on.

or

get some good quality infra red cctv cameras in your garage, get some sort of tagging for your bike, let them steal a bike (not necessarily your pride and joy) take the footage to the cops along with the full bike spec. Basically do everything you can to ensure that at least one of them gets convicted.
You’ll probably have to be prepared to to go through that process repeatedly though, as it’s unlikely you’ll get more than one, and they probably won’t get put away.

750 Renthals.

One SX Trail. Would like several more, but the closest I’ll get will probably a second fork and wheelset for the sx, and maybe get my commuter built up.

Hmmmmm

For what though?

GW – Member

Steve Peat doesn’t ride “very light wheels” DH or low tyre pressures for that matter.

He clearly does sometimes, but his go in the bin after one run and he would probably sacrifice all out speed over any feeling of stability. Having said that if you look at what most pros run, many of them run wheels very to me, or in some cases heavier – obviously through choice.

Tyre pressure is obviously gonna be subjective, it’s clear to see many racers run low pressures.

Most places we ride mountain bikes are rough and we are constantly changing direction, cornering, adjusting our speed etc

A lighter bike will brake better, corner better and will allow for better damping..so in the real world, overall, a lighter bike is better.

However, I’ve personally found very light wheels to be unnerving and lacking in stability/tracking for DH. So your back to compromise. Doesnt seem to be a problem for Steve Peat mind.

xiphon – Member

Horses for courses really.

If I was doing many miles on an XC bike, I would want it to flex slightly underneath me, to make it as comfy as reasonably possible.

On the other hand a really stiff bike is great for power transfer – great for climbing, sprinting, and it tracks better through stuff, so good for racing. Maybe not ideal for all day touring though.

xiphon

OTOH, if I was thrashing the bike DH, the stiffness would be reassuring it wouldn’t snap in two.

For me it’s not so much the feeling of solidity, most dh bikes feel solid to an extent, rather how the bike corners, tracks through chunder, and performs under landing that’s apparent.