Just to report back that I finally changed the SID on my Zula to a Fox F120. Riding with a low rize bar. Chalk and cheese. The 120mm absolutely transforms the bike. With the SID the bike always felt jittery no matter how soft I tried to ride the fork. The 120mm is just so smooth in comparison. Takes away all the trail chatter. I now have a race and a trail bike all in one. Now the trouble is, that I'm riding the Zula as hard as my AM bike! But hey, it can take it. And for the weight weenies out there, the change from 100mm to 120mm added 1 gram to the weight.
Thx for the advice Crow. Yup, very true. I ride Majik almost every weekend and I know the section from the beacon down over the bridge and further on down over the log drop very well, so it's a lekker stretch to test changes to your bike set up. Will notice changes to the feel of the ride immediately. There's a lekker jump just past the log drop which I'm eyeing...hence me trying to get the bike set up right!
Yup. I wanna try and set up my bike for easier jumping, so I think I'm gonna change my stem from 70mm to 50mm, widen the bars from 685mm to 710mm, and then maybe go for a high rize (40mm). Actually a bit in 2 minds about the 40mm rize. The drop in stem length should theoretically already push your weight back a bit?
Just out of curiousity, what rize are most of you using for AM purposes? My gut feel is that it's mostly mid rize (+-20mm). Are 40mm rize bars therefor mostly for FR/DH? Or does it just depend on what feels comfy for each rider? Any advantages 20mm vs 40mm?
Quick question. I recently changed from a 150mm fork to a 160mm fork. I am riding with a 70mm stem and a 685mm bar. I was actually thinking about putting on the exact setup mentioned here (i.e. 710mm bar and 50mm stem). How will this change the feel of the bike? I am just getting into the whole jump thing, so will this set up give a bit more confidence on the jumping front i.e. a bit more compact and more weight over the back wheel?
Is it just me or has Kona (as a brand) gone a bit quite the last few years? O sorry, my fault, I discovered Morewood and hence no need be interested in any other brands.
Yup. Dropped from a 100mm stem to 70mm and that combined with my 685mm bar, at the moment works for me. Guess if I start going for bigger jumps a wider bar will follow.
Absolutely. Wish I had enough time to really become "one" with my bike. And so many times, you start get to know your bike and then you change something (i.e. frame, bars etc) and then you have to start the process all over again!
Ja, agree 100% with the steering being nervous with shorter bars. But some okes like it that way, especially in the very tight sections. A buddy of mine has a 580mm flat bar (!) on his Zula, which he loves. I guess you get used to a certain riding style, and like Martin H said, if you're good enough, you'll be quick with any bar!
I must say, I ride Jonkers a lot, and there are certain singletrack sections through the trees where it's almost impossible to ride without clipping the trees, if you're handlebars are too wide. Also there are many sharp 180 degree turns, where longer bars will probably not be as quick as shorter bars through the corners. Or am I talking k@k?
I ride with 685mm Easton's EA70's and that feels perfect. I have ridden on my friend's 730mm Boobar's and that feels too wide for me. I guess you'll know what feels right for you. Don't think there's a right answer here.
Agree 120%. Here's another Cyclelab story. A few years ago I wanted to buy a Trek EX9, so I went to Cyclelab here in Cape Town. They didn't have a large on the floor so I asked if they could order me one. The sales guy immediately said there was no stock available in SA and that they couldn't help me. I actually asked him whether he was sure, upon which he said he his "100%" sure. A bit disappointed I walked out and straight to Bowman Cycles. I told the story to Shan Wilson, upon which said he would make a quick call. Needless to say there were quite a few large frames still available and the next day I bought my Trek from Bowman's...so the fact that the salesman did not want to make a 2 minute call, cost them R35k that day. I will not do business with Cyclelab again.
I must say my first impression is that the 36 is not that much plusher than the Revelation, but I guess that's just because it's not broken in yet, and also all the settings aren't yet optimal. But where I immediately felt a diff, was in the solidity when you land a jump/drop with the 36. It's much more stable.
Thx Crow. It's a 2012 Fox Float RLC. Cool, I'm gonna drop it to say 60 psi, and set the rebound a bit slower. I kinda like to ride with quick rebound, because in rocky sections (i ride a lot in Jonkers) you often find that the fork packs down when rebound is too slow. Not sure about the compression setting. My revelation didn't have one, so that's a bit new to me. But it's only a low speed compression setting, so don't think it will impact a high speed/DH run that much?
Is anyone riding with a Fox 36 (either a FLoat or Talas)? I just got a Float 36 last week and I wanna know what air pressure and rebound settings you are riding with. I weigh 90kg, so the suggested air pressure per Fox website is 75 psi, but I rode with it over the weekend like that and it didn't feel as supple as I was expecting. Took a few small jumps/drops and it was miles away from bottoming out. I run the rebound quite quick (3 clicks from fastest setting). Shall I just drop it by 10 psi and try again?
