i had multiple attempts to get my revs to not suck down after fitting debonair spring. In the end I put some pressure into them before building them back up and then inflated them gradually cycling them a bit as I went. But we’re talking 20mm down there, not half-way. I’d try a full service kit with new seals first.

I know you weren’t looking for opinions, but seeing as you got a load :D ..

Shimano sintered in rear (where it gets more crap), organic in front (where you want better modulation).
Or race matrix both ends (quiet, wear quick but are cheap).

In Deore m6000’s with 180mm rotors both ends, 2.5″ 29er tyres. They stop my 14 stone frame adequately. I tried the finned ones, made zero difference.

Wow. I didn’t know that. Neither did my (oft mentioned on here) LBS, who gave me a new 32mm aircap for my 35mm forks as a solution! And I “fixed” it with a new valve core 😆

The limiting factor in this is how is the bike going to be used. I bought a voodoo bizango for 600 when they first came out. @3 rides a week in peak district slop the headset, bb, pedal bearings and hub were goosed in less than 6 months. Drivetrain followed suit before the year end. Love it as a 2nd bike still, but I’ve spent way more than it’s initial cost on maintenance and upgrades.

That calibre looks great value. But the reviews on the site tell you the same story. If it’s ridden regularly off-road in all conditions, it’s going to break. And if you’re not doing your own spannering that’s going to be expensive relative to the cost of the bike.

If it gets pulled out once a week for a blast round a trail centre or ridden along toe paths to work, then that’s a different story.

I was hoping the Sonder would have been like a RZ 2 years down the line. But it’s not. If it were 15mm longer reach, 10mm shorter chainstays, a degree off the HA, a degree on the seat angle, came with a dropper on the rev/deluxe build (and wasn’t so goppingly ugly) – I’d have probably bought one!

Guess I’ll have to keep saving for that smuggler :)

My marin rift zone is smirking.

I find running twice a week does help with cycling. I run up a hill for about 250m and then down the other side with a bit of flat at the top – <7k in total. It absolutely does build strength in the legs. After starting this I feel I have much more in me when out of saddle descending and climbing. I also do more sessions overall as running is so easy for a quick lunchtime and as a result dropped a stone in 6 weeks.

Moco isn’t a bad damper, I feel it gets binned a bit too quickly just because there is an easy upgrade path available. It’s not as good as a charger, but you can make it totally acceptable with a bit of effort.

The window of “good” is narrower than a charger. You can throw a charger in and have all your compression settings out and it stil feels o.k. The Moco needs proper setup to get close, so you need to make the effort. It could be just 2 clicks of rebound from crap to decent. Start with rockshox trailhead and work from there making minor adjustments during a ride.

It does go off if you don’t service it to schedule. And it’s best not to assume oil levels are bang on from the factory. You can put lighter oil in to make it more sensitive, but beware if you are a big lad/lass as it might just blow through.

You won’t fix issues of travel with a new damper. It’s on the spring side and for me, adding a few psi of air while rebuilding and then inflating gradually seems to sort out the negative air issues. Beyond that you just need to get the setup right and then look at your riding position – most people seem to hang off the back on descents and then wonder why the fork isn’t working!

When it’s working, it does an acceptable job. It tracks well, takes the big hits well and should hold you up while braking if setup properly. It won’t feel ultraplush and turn the trail into a pool table for you. It won’t be performing quite as well at the bottom of a long rocky decscent as it was at the top. Depending on where you ride regualarly that might not matter.

I ride a Californinan branded mid-travel 29er here now. I did the local brand thing, I wasn’t faster. I did the local shop thing, negligable benefit. I don’t think there is a Peaks bike. It’s just the one you feel most comfortable on. And forget about Peaks tyres too, as it’s mud/rock/gloop/dust, sometimes in the same day.

I love my Rift zone 3. I can confirm it works really well @140mm.
Mine is scratched and chipped to bits after 12 months hard use. Lots of bits changed as worn or for preference, but it’s a keeper.

I had a titanium screw in mine on the NHS 6 years ago. I don’t know it’s in there. I broke 5 bones there in total but I’m completely pain free and ride a lot.

@strike Campsite descent Hayfield looking over Kinder direction.

In 29er size I found 2.3 HR2’s too square in profile on 29mm and thus dragged more with pressures around 20psi. They also didn’t feel like a HR2 to ride (roll well on centre, take a good lean to get on the knobs, do the slip ‘n grip thing). I use them on the hardtail on a 23mm rim and they’re great on that. I replaced with DHF WT’s and they are much better in profile. I would have got H2R’s in WT but they weren’t available when I swapped.

1250 for a Rift Zone 1 online. Although we are coming into winter and I’d budget for some better tyres. Chunkey Monkey / Smorg are only £15 at the min and I got through winter on those last year. Frame will take big tyres, I’m on 2.5 wide trail minion DHF’s F&R now.

I’d 2nd a Rift zone having bought a 3. Definitely a frame worth upgrading as funds allow. I’ve upped the forks to 140mm with the new debonair shafts and it rides even better now. A few people on instagram (marin staff and sponsored riders) have gone further with mods to these as they definitely are worth it. But it’s a Marin, so no cool points on here :)