whats the Ruckus all about?

trailhead

trailhead

JORBA: Wildcat/Splitrock
JORBA.ORG
Well, I finally got the GT Ruckus SS, 32/16, RS J3 with lockout, 2.3 tyres.
Feels good but I still need to do some tuning.
Probably should have gotten a smaller frame, but ended up with the medium.
No other sizes were available. The top tube is about 2" longer then my other bikes, but the cockpit does not feel too large. What I notice the most is that the front end is heavy and I can't lift it over logs real easy. I have the seat adjusted all the way forward. Thinking of replacing the 100mm stem with a 50mm to move me back a bit, more like my other bikes. I also cut 3/4" off each end of the bars (13.5") which should compensate for my shorter arms.
thoughts?
 
trailhead said:
Well, I finally got the GT Ruckus SS, 32/16, RS J3 with lockout, 2.3 tyres.
Feels good but I still need to do some tuning.
Probably should have gotten a smaller frame, but ended up with the medium.
No other sizes were available. The top tube is about 2" longer then my other bikes, but the cockpit does not feel too large. What I notice the most is that the front end is heavy and I can't lift it over logs real easy. I have the seat adjusted all the way forward. Thinking of replacing the 100mm stem with a 50mm to move me back a bit, more like my other bikes. I also cut 3/4" off each end of the bars (13.5") which should compensate for my shorter arms.
thoughts?
Click to expand...

the shorter stem will move CG back a bit and make it easier to lift the front end. if poss, try and find a shop that'll let you try a few stem sizes. 50mm may be just right but you won't know until you ride it. and note that there is a tradeoff to moving cg too far (you'll need to lean way forward when climbing in addition to sitting way up on the horn of the saddle).
 
how tall are you? the longer top tube will be a blessing on climbs. your lower back will thank you. the shorter the stem, the twitchier the stearing, and like mergs said, the farther back your center of gravity will be. if you're under 5'9", you should probably change it, over, and i would say leave it for a while and try to adjust to the new bike. whatever you do, don't swap the stem, buy or borrow one, that way you can always go back.
 
could just be the extra 2 pounds

think it might just be all the extra weight, J3 is 4.7lbs, big Kenda Karmas are 1.4lbs. this front end is at least 2lbs heavier than my other bikes.
 
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