- Active Topics
- Forums
- Create Topic
-
Hope I can get some advice. I'm looking at buying a new dual sus mtb. I fall exactly on the 18/19" split, m/l.
I'm 1'77 and my inside leg is 84
What do you guys recommend, is it better to have a big slightly bigger or slightly smaller. Which is better.
Thanks
Get a proper bike fit in this case
you should be a medium just on the face of it, I'm 186cm with a saddle height of 77.2cm and riding a Pivot medium although I was on a large Anthem 29er
but best get a proper independent fit, a smaller frame could mean raising your saddle to much and making more drop on the bars which could be uncomfortable
I like to keep the steerer tube as short as possible to avoid flex
if you get a proper fit its the best spent money nothing worse than dropping 20K + and finding you're not comfy
the same if a bikes to big it can be unwieldy
Jeez, I think the point has been made your buddy went to Bridge and got bad service and possibly thinks they were quite underhand ... its all possible but those guys have been going for years with a loyal following they must be doing something right
You not gonna change the guys that are loyal to Bridge myself included
There's a guy who posted about a shop in Hout Bay about what he thinks is bad practice .. thats his choice but knowing the guys there a few things dont add up, be that as it may I'm not gonna get all cut up about it
Its interesting that your mate didnt post about this but chose you to slag a bike shop off .. If he was that pissed maybe he should have sent them something in writing... as they say pen is mightier than the sword
You probably need to rebuild your wheels or get some custom ones made up, there so many factors give the hubbers more info, type of spokes, rims, hub type
A guy your size is definitely gonna need a custom set of wheels, done by a reputable wheel builder, unfortunately thats gonna cost more than your bike
Try a S-works Fast trak ( 530G) on the back and Maxxis Ikon / Spez Control/ Ralph
I have used a Geax Saguaro upfront and they are great but very Heavy
Another thing to look at is this water catcher thingy ( made of material) have seen it in the UK quite a bit just above the front tyre attached to the fork in a vertical position stops the water and mud shooting up in your face
The good thing about Stans is you can also convert the rear to thru-axle should you upgrade a frame and the freebody sounds lekker
I have just put a set of Formulas on was using Elixir Cr's which were great for me and I rate them over the 770 Xt's
but the Formul's are in a class of their own they really do feel powerful and to put in context was on 185 upfront with Elixir and now on 160 upfront with the R1's only because had so little time to find a bigger rotor
Anyway point is the R1's are more than capable as they are so save a few bucks upgrading .. and they are superlight so an added bonus and picked them up for a great price from a certain poster on this topic.. the likes that even CRC dont compare
I have a Anthem 29er and have upgraded to a Pivot, the only issue I have with the Anthem was that it didnt have a rear thru-axle
To put things in Context the Pivot frame is heavier but my final build is at 11,7 KG complete with grips, bottle cages, mounts and pedals
I have quite a heavy but comfy saddle this bike cost me 40K but has everything I want,
My main point is that frame stiffness and suspension balance arent factored in by most rookies, everybody is so concerned about weight, with my current build I could get my Giant down to Scotts weight but its nowhere near the performance package of the Pivot
I'm not Pushing the Pivot brand, I like the uniqueness of it but there are so many thing that bikes like Scott and Giant dont cater for especially in the handling dept, things like front wheel washout, rear end stiffness, active suspension etc ( I really still rate the Anthem suspension right up there, but the steep angle of the front fork make it twitchy causing washout)
get on to You-tube if you can and review all the bikes, I cant stress the importance of research, in my case I was given the Pivot for a week to try out and hit my local trails
By the way do you have a 29er in the Zaskar
The other thing to look at is what are the top riders using, if you are doing 15 hrs a week then you will look to performance and maybe even a hardtail in which case Scott is right up there
At 35 K price point a spez will be much lower spec than Scott and I reckon the the Giant will be 3-4 grand cheaper than the Scott.
Scott and Spez not easy to come by once the seasons stock is sold out seems like most impoteres only bring in once a year so think about that ... thats where the boutique brands are great
The Giant pips the Scott, when you mentioned trail ride, the most you could race is 4 times a month so most time would involve trail/XC terrain
the Giant suspension is far more active and the rear shock is more reliable, back-up service on the Giant is great
Try get hold of a demo and hit the trails, that will always be the best selling point, any shop that cant supply or get a demo for you isnt worth it in my books
Dont always worry about weight any Duel Suss bike at the 12 KG mark for a size Large is good enough
Doesnt sound like you ride much, I may be wrong, so be carefull entering the Carbon frame market
The Scott is one of the lightest frames around if I'm not mistaken. Even Giant who are leaders in Carbon arent willing to go that light, so it must come down to a compromise
Having said all that negative comment about the Scott its still a good bike in the right hands
try the Mamba for flowing bumpy trails when get to the road cycle up and start again, you should use full travel on a XC bike
Its about 2 mins of ride time, you'll be carrying good speed too
Arch EX with stans hubs are just as light as Crest with Hope hubs, most guys look at rim weight and then go put heavy tyres on.
I have Arch EX with Spez S- Works tyres and they are about 150 grams lighter than Crest with Maxxis Crossmark non UST ( quite a light tyre)
The Arch EX are bullet proof .. The Crest may stay true but they do Flex,even with strong riders in the 70-75 kg range.. I have personally witness cracking at the nipple area on a lightweight XC riders wheels
Seems a bit pointless to put a bullet proof hub on a Rim known to be fragile ...if you google reviews you wont find many good reviews on the Crest except for light build weight .. but spoke tension loss plenty .. flex plenty
Its lekker to have light wheels but you want confidence
I went the cheaper route and I regret every moment of it. Not only did they cause more damage then good but I feel as if my car has been butchered and its not the nicest looking towbar... Take the Agents one....trust me.... 6k is harsh but much worth it... I tried to save 1k ended up costing me more than the Bosal from Supaquick...
well said same happened to me .. dont go cheap will make you cabbie bad
be carefull that if you dont use agents sometimes the towbar can hang and effect clearance try get one where the hook detaches
In this case I would suck it up and pay the 6 grand .. dont look at the 6 grand look at the diffs between the the 2 thats the amount you gotta hangle in your mind with..
I think this is what most cycle shops want/trying to do, I cant believe for one moment that they open a shop with the intention to give k@k service. But its not always possible to make everybody happy.
Let me start by giving you good advice, good prices that can compete with online stores, well trained honest mechanics, good customer skills. If you have those three you will make it.
Every Bike shop that I have frequented in the Cape Town Southern Suburbs has its good and bad
but the common problems are generally the smaller shops that give better service usually cant compete and have higher prices on parts .. every single shop that I have been to no matter what the reputation of the mechanic makes a balls up now and again
These are mechanics with all the course certificates on the wall
But the thing I have found is that if you really gel with the Mechanic then its great to have a chat explaining everything you need
When he makes a balls up its a lot less stressed when it comes to confronting the situation
My observations are .. I usually spend at least 2 hrs in the shop .. coffee *** praat etc .. is that most people even the okes with the top bikes know very little about what happens in front of and below the saddle
Coming to service I see these guys come in and you can see a buyer and a stalker a mile away ... thats why I'm always gonna get better service than the stalker
Also what I've seen is that good mechanics are like hens teeth
Its a bit of a dream of mine to have shop but what I've seen is that its a bloody tough industry, this doesnt take anything away from what happened to the guy .. and I probably would klap someone if that happened to me ..
I used a Fizik but then started having trouble with numbness.Got a Spez Indi XC 155mm saddle and it work Super problem is it weighs like 388g so if I go back to my Fizik 143mm I can save a lot of grams but the spez works beter
Have you tried the Alliante its for the less supple guys and with Techno gel the only spez saddle i would look at is the Henge, it has a better shape
In Both Cases you can get a test saddle both brands have that option
Gotta love these one word answers. "Spark", "Epic".
How about engaging your brain and providing the OP with some insight into why you chose a particular brand?
Its Marketing see it, believe it, buy it..
Another Thing Dodger, I have started doing lap riding sort of XC style and the Pivot is great for it,
its an excellent climber and very supple down the tracks the rear shock has quite a long stroke and the interesting thing is that the rear shock is set quite low only about 130 psi compared to 210 psi on my anthem but just about no bob
Thats where the linkage is sorted, the Designer Dave Weagle I think... is a master linkage man and the DW link is patented to the Pivot but he works on many other brand linkages and if I'm not mistaken he helped Mr Morewood on the new Pyga ..
Just read you post again
you can do it on that budget and compared to the carbon comp no comparison
I think if you are looking at linkages you should take the Scott out of the equation, the rear has been problematic and the actual linkage is nothing to write home about
The Epic comp having tested it is good but the problem with Epic is you have to basically buy off the floor any upgrades start making the price astronomical and you cant add just any parts because they run a few systems unique to the brand
the up side of the Epic is if you want to flog it they usually are quite in demand
I bought the Pivot frame and built it up, there were Spez epics in the shop and the Comp is naaaice but its quite a heavy Carbon bike and thats why I dont see the point
to me you buy carbon to be lighter, with suspension theres no way you can feel responsiveness etc, for me only an S-works makes a carbon bike worth it due to weight but then the price is crazy
believe me when you fall on a carbon you will always get up and look for a crack ... no way with an Alu frame
Hey Dodger
Try something different Pivot Mach 429 They have a carbon coming out this year try Complete cyclist in Joberg somewhere
having met you,I would still go Alu frame The Pivot should offer you everything and more and the nice thing is you can spec build it way cheaper than the Epic or Spark .. If you went to town you could get it down to sub 11 KG ..mine is at 11.8 kg on an XT build and Arch wheels
The best part of the bike is the Linkage it is truely a climbing bike and awesome down the track
Google the reviews
if you want some pics I can fwd or check in Rant forum and search Mach 429 have put up my review and some pics
Need a racing saddle Less than 200g but and here is the catch it must be 155mm wide and have a cut out or dented in the middle MTB or road will use it on my MTB.What options do I have?
Why must it be lighter than 200g ... I also thought I needed a 155mm because thats what the fit says yet after trying 3 Spez saddles my Fizik Alliante at 143 mm was way more comfortable ... I think Spez stuff is great but i'll tell you that with Fizik their business is Saddles
have a look at the the 2 brands of Saddles Phenom vs Alliante in the comp range Fizik about 30 grams lighter and about 10 times more comfortable
the Phenom is flatter and harder so requires a cutout where the Fizik is way more bowed and is softer so doesnt require a cutout, the Fizik only have Sloot .. in the Ladies saddle I think its the Vesta
Not saying one is better, because everyone is different, but dont be fooled that you need a cutout
to give an example an Alliante weighs about 280 grams, you could loose 80 grams somewhere else on the bike and still have the comfort .. any saddle of your choice.. but dont be fooled that a Spez saddle is like some sort of Lazy boy even the Henge which is very heavy and more cushioned still doesnt come close to the Alliante
mine are Formula R1 brakes .. great brakes and superlight and potent stoppers
my others are my Arch EX wheels with my Spes S- works Fast traks that combination is lighter and more bullet proof than ZTR crest and a run of the mill UST or similar tyre, I reckon a XO cassette would be a nice addition but hear they are quite fragile - weighed my current wheelset 29er sub 3.4 kg without skewers and a 36 XT cassette
those are my 2 light reliable components
what are yours .. lets build the lightest reliable bike cyberstyle
the exchange of info will be great, I might be able to save a few more grams and still get reliability
Back to the topic
of bike weight my pivot is 11.6 kg at its lightest with XT group, Arch wheels and Formula brakes
got an Alliante saddle, tried shaving weight trying the Spez saddles but Sadly those saddles turned out heavier and way more uncomfortable ...
Ultimately at a certain point bike weight will come down to how much pain you are willing to go through, light saddles, lightweight tyres, rigid forks, superlight grips ( that can kill the wrists)
Then there is the pain of forking out when some superlight component goes tits up..
Do the deed in a cup while on the scale & once you're done put the cup down & see f the scale is showing any difference.
I had a good laugh at that one ...I'm sure someone has tried that...
Why do you guys weight without tools and pumps? Do you ride with out it?
Weighed mine with all tools,spare tube,pump etc. ready to ride
I suppose some guys take loads of gear with ... so baseline riding weight is a bit more comparable .. but you're right riding weight is a whole new topic i just tried the go to the toilet theory where guys claim to save 500grams ... but it didnt show on the bathroom scale ha ha ha ...
What rotors will work with Shimano XT calipers?
What is the diffs in stopping power between 160mm and 180mm?
I hear that a 180 mm upfront increases braking by 15% although at the moment running 160mm Formula R1 upfront and no lack of braking power for me at 97KG
just be careful with lightweight rotors like Alligators certain types can be very ineffective especially the lightweight wind cutters and there you can feel how it pulses upfront ... really not worth it
for example with my avids the original Rotorb and 30 grams heavier rotor defo much better than after market Alligator wind cutters
On your way up there is a wooden shack where you get a ticket for 35 bucks carry on up the road and hang a left and follow the road for another 300 bumpy meters
follow the road up on your left is the fairy garden unmarked probably 300m past the boom
thats an up hill warm up after that follow the road up asthma hill about 1,5 km and keep heading up coming down you should see the single tracks although would be good to have a guide, if I was home would have shown you the way
During the week plenty ladies riding so just ask if you lost
you can also enter through the top gate probably 12km's of descent and some good stracks but then to slog back up
It can be tricky beause not highly visible from the road tracks
hope this helps although can be daunting but at least you can feel safe even if you see baboons just ignore and they wont even take note of you
Team 360Life Suspension: David George busted
in The Bike Room
Posted
That is the most ridiculous thing I''ve heard you obviously no nothing about being a pro rider do you honestly think thy hang out and train together all the time
Gimme a break they race together I 've seen DG often training in CT and Evans lives up the coast