Dave Taylor
Rex kwan Do
Ah, cool. Any chance you will be there thursday?
Full suspension shopping...XC...looking for 29er suggestions.
- Thread starter Dave Taylor
- Start date
Dave Taylor
Rex kwan Do
I'm on the fence with the Epic. It climbs like a startled gibbon but the brain setup feels a little funky at times. And PF30 can S.A.D.
Dave Taylor
Rex kwan Do
This is what I have heard. Good for any state besides nj
gtluke
The Moped
You'll find that you won't need a rear lockout as much as you think you would with a bike with a nice rear. Like a DW link or VPP
The epic has FSR, that thing needs a lockout or brain for sure. Otherwise it bobs.
Even my 150mm bike hardly bobs at all when I ride (seated) but since you are a SS guy, you might find yourself smashing on the pedals too much like me, and causing unnecessary rear end movement.
The epic has FSR, that thing needs a lockout or brain for sure. Otherwise it bobs.
Even my 150mm bike hardly bobs at all when I ride (seated) but since you are a SS guy, you might find yourself smashing on the pedals too much like me, and causing unnecessary rear end movement.
Dave Taylor
Rex kwan Do
I think I mentioned earlier but despite being keen on maintenance I do not like doing more than neccessary. So on that note, a low maintenance bike is key but I also want something that "locks" out well whether it's by pivot design or a button on the bars. I am ok with both. 29er, xc geometry and weight are next in line. Realistically I'd like to spend under $6000 on a sub 22lb bike. Thanks for all the input so far everyone. I may demo a scott asap too.
I had an older epic 29er, 2010....before they made them in carbon. I liked it....its major downfall was the older carbon reba fork which constantly gave me problems. But relevant to this conversation was the brain. While I think it worked fine, I dont think it worked any better than the plain old monarch rt3 that is on my scalpel...which has only pro pedal and open modes. Maybe it was a tad stiffer when climbing, but I always felt running it full firm hampered it downhill a bit. Good bike, but I wouldnt buy an Epic just bc of the brain.
Rear lockout to me is not important....front i will use every once in a while. Even when I had it on bikes, I rarely used it....The high end XC bikes...I cant think of one I hopped on and had it bob around on me. I can tell you that the single pivot, no lock out on my scalpel doesnt bob...at all. When I use it in cross races, I leave the suspension fully open. I think the dw link is great, but its just not important with an XC race bike...on top of the fact it has countless tiny bearings that get the crap beat out of them. here's my list of whats important with an xc race bike
1. pedals like road bike
2. goes uphill like road
3. turns like road bike
4. lighter than your road bike...actually this should be higher on the list because who cares about a light road bike?
5. good front suspension that can handle descending rough...but not DH park terrain
6. thanks for taking the edge off my back rear suspension
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174. good at track standing
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211. good at steep rollers
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367. good bike for riding the sourlands. (which I have done with my scalpel...it works, its not great)
My one issue with a dwlink link is all of the parts. XC bikes are stiff and they dont have a ton of suspension movement, you pedal across rough terrain at high speed and really beat on it..With the rear shocks usually set up to be stiff to pedal well, the rest of the suspension takes a beating and bearings will have to be replaced. I think its a great system, but I wouldnt factor it in too much for finding an XC race bike.
Rear lockout to me is not important....front i will use every once in a while. Even when I had it on bikes, I rarely used it....The high end XC bikes...I cant think of one I hopped on and had it bob around on me. I can tell you that the single pivot, no lock out on my scalpel doesnt bob...at all. When I use it in cross races, I leave the suspension fully open. I think the dw link is great, but its just not important with an XC race bike...on top of the fact it has countless tiny bearings that get the crap beat out of them. here's my list of whats important with an xc race bike
1. pedals like road bike
2. goes uphill like road
3. turns like road bike
4. lighter than your road bike...actually this should be higher on the list because who cares about a light road bike?
5. good front suspension that can handle descending rough...but not DH park terrain
6. thanks for taking the edge off my back rear suspension
..
.
..
174. good at track standing
..
...
211. good at steep rollers
..
.
367. good bike for riding the sourlands. (which I have done with my scalpel...it works, its not great)
My one issue with a dwlink link is all of the parts. XC bikes are stiff and they dont have a ton of suspension movement, you pedal across rough terrain at high speed and really beat on it..With the rear shocks usually set up to be stiff to pedal well, the rest of the suspension takes a beating and bearings will have to be replaced. I think its a great system, but I wouldnt factor it in too much for finding an XC race bike.
Dave Taylor
Rex kwan Do
Thanks for the info. Part of me wants to test ride a scalpel. Realistically this bike will be for xc endurance racing. Short course will be ss for the foreseeable future.
Pearl
THIS CHANGES EVERYTHING
You will love how the lefty locks out and feels like a rigid fork on the climbs. You should at least demo it before pushing it off to the side!
That is the one thing that would make me afraid to switch away from the bike with the lefty for one like the tallboy, that fork....
That is the one thing that would make me afraid to switch away from the bike with the lefty for one like the tallboy, that fork....
Chris Nordt
Active Member
I second the opinion that a good rear then you won't need a lock out. I ride an old (20 years old) Gary Fisher Joshua Y, which is famous for bobbing. I replaced the only Rockshox super delux with a RisseRacing Genesis damper shock and the bob is almost completely gone! I couldn't believe the difference, so don't discount a bike because the current setup bobs.. As for your choices I'de say Yeti, I actually just picked up an old Yeti ASR frame for my next build.. can't wait to unleash her!