2023 Mountain Biking

[nay]

@Tom K.a downcountry bike is what I need for sure. I should get a Spur because it will cross over best to when I am rowdier in places like Hartman and I don’t get locked into trying to use a short travel trail bike for everything else that really is more enduro class.

 

[firebanex]

@cantunamunch Steel cable with poly coating. Sucker just snapped when I put my foot down to do a sweet skid running my border collie to the cul-de-sac a after a ride. I still haven't replaced the BOA, just been using the viole strap for the last couple weeks. Works better now actually.

My 45nrth Wolvhammer boots are rated down to 0f, With a pair of midweight ski socks I can get down to about -10f before I need to add toe warmers and that will get me down to -38f (so far). I did add a 4mm thick ski boot liner insole under the boot insole as the boots have a massive amount of volume in them and that extra insole took up the extra space.

Now that it is March my internal countdown till the end of ski season (5weeks) and fat biking season (7ish weeks) has started.. and the only ride I managed to sneak in this week absolutely sucked. It's been snowing enough every day that nothing was packed in and solid. I ended up pushing my bike through a fair amount of the trail part of my ride. Even low pressures didn't let me ride this stuff, talk about depressing as I consider myself to be rather decent at riding on snow at this point in my life.

I miss coasting. Pedaling down hills is getting old.

 

[nay]

@Tom K.a downcountry bike is what I need for sure. I should get a Spur because it will cross over best to when I am rowdier in places like Hartman and I don’t get locked into trying to use a short travel trail bike for everything else that really is more enduro class.

Oooooooohhhhhh….I have just had an idea. Which is dangerous.

The Stumpy evo frame is pretty light. The newest version dropped about 150g over my 2020…but people are also having problems with the main tube cracking through the protection when bigger rocks are kicked up into it so there’s that in favor of a little bit of weight. The reported weight on a L is 2,750g with shock, hardware, and seat post collar.

A Spur frame with no shock or other hardware in my size is ~2,200g. My frame would be about 2,450g taking out the weight of shock so something in the range of a half lb heavier, but it is also the sized perfectly and I’m between sizes on a Spur (XL 528mm reach is a little bit ridiculous if you aren’t at least 6’4”). That’s only about a half lb difference and my shock travel is 210x55 so I should have lots of trail shock options. The Epic Evo has one major flaw (outside of cost), which is seat tube length gets too high on bigger sizes and reach is too short if you don’t size up, so you are going to get marauded by your seat post if you go ripping that thing with preferred reach. 150mm dropper is not enough.

I’ve been wanting to mullet the Stumpy, but maybe I do that only when I want it as more of XC trail bike. Lighter wheels and tires, something like a Sid Ultimate 120 up front (or a lyric 130) with the 29’er wheel (I’m 27.5) and an XC shock as well. I keep the SWAT tube that I consider non-negotiable at this point, maybe a headset flip to steepen up the front end for regular trail riding like the new Stumpy has (if possible). Even the shorter fork will help get more reasonable.

I bet I could get it to around 28 lbs with lighter fork, shock, rims, and tires where a Spur is 27, and then I enduro it back up for big days where I’d probably want to stick with 27.5 anyway for terrain I ride. It would be a downupcountry bike.

 

[firebanex]

It would be a downupcountry bike.

Ohhhh, you might have just created the 125mm travel category! Fills the gap between the 120 Downcountry bike and the jack of all trades 130 Trail bike.

 

[nay]

’Mid Country’. Doing some more research, a 130mm Fox 34 is probably the way to go if I do it. They are light. Kinda realized I already have a Spur frame with a more trail oriented rear suspension so why not work from there. All kinds of Spurs have be up travelled to 130mm and I’ve done the work to size myself to my frame. The 29” wheel will offset the fork axle to crown length reduction, the bike came with 150mm on 27.5 wheels so that’s a wash as I’ll gain 18mm in wheel radius.

Not much to do about the 150mm rear travel, but you can never have too much rear travel on a trail bike yoke suspension, the problem on the whole is blowing through it. That’s why Transition is still willing to eat linkage weight on the Spur.

Watch, I’ll just end up running this full time . These lighter forks have gotten a lot stiffer…that whole down country bit.

 

[nay]

I’m too late. Canyon already did it. Spectral 125.

https://blisterreview.com/gear-reviews/canyon-spectral-125

 

[PeteH]

I got rid of my fat bike because the we haven't had much snow here in CT in a few years. It means we can ride just about year round on dry trails with any bike which is nice, but I do miss the snow!

 

[Tom K.]

These lighter forks have gotten a lot stiffer…that whole down country bit.

Truth. A new Fox 34 is nearly as stiff as the original 36.....but that Stumpy will never be a snappy pedalling platform. Go Grip1 on the 34, not Fit4. Trust me.

You mentioned the Canyon Spectral. There's also the Norco Optic. I'd buy this one. You know, with your money...

Optic C AXS | Norco

The Optic C AXS is a fast short-travel carbon fiber trail bike with the agility and confidence you need to look further up the trail.

www.norco.com

But honestly, my 120 mm Top Fuel with 130 fork is turning out to be one of my all-time favorite mtbs.

EDIT: Blister a bit lackluster on the Spectral: https://blisterreview.com/gear-reviews/mountain-bike-reviews/bikes-frames/canyon-spectral-125

 

[cantunamunch]

Hey any of you lot built up a geared DJ/urban assault? The ^Norco Rampage won't do it but a Santa Cruz jackal will.

 

[nay]

Truth. A new Fox 34 is nearly as stiff as the original 36.....but that Stumpy will never be a snappy pedalling platform. Go Grip1 on the 34, not Fit4. Trust me.

You mentioned the Canyon Spectral. There's also the Norco Optic. I'd buy this one. You know, with your money...

Optic C AXS | Norco

The Optic C AXS is a fast short-travel carbon fiber trail bike with the agility and confidence you need to look further up the trail.

www.norco.com

But honestly, my 120 mm Top Fuel with 130 fork is turning out to be one of my all-time favorite mtbs.

EDIT: Blister a bit lackluster on the Spectral: https://blisterreview.com/gear-reviews/mountain-bike-reviews/bikes-frames/canyon-spectral-125

That’s what I’ve heard that Grip1 is great on the 34. Thanks for the nudge, I I’ve been talking myself Into the Fit4.

And it’s true that the slacked out Evo will never be a snappy pedaler, but that’s ok. I’m more thinking one setup for flow tech where I still do a lot of big rolls but there isn’t chunk, with lots of traversing, running a tire like the Ground Control in a 2.3 and the other for the tight techy steep stuff where I’d rather be on a long travel 27.5 setup anyway and definitely on 2.6 burlier tires.

I run the X2 for the big hit stuff where the Evo eats shocks and a lighter shock with the lighter setup.

At some point that question of can you do it all on a 130/130 is the right question. I had that on my S-Works Stumpy ST and I groaned at the abuse that bike was taking. But that geo was not quite right and that was 2019. I’d like to still have that bike for something like the Growler, it was a great pedaler and around 28 lbs, but I should have been on a XL. 460 reach...no….

 

[Tytlynz64]

Truth. A new Fox 34 is nearly as stiff as the original 36.....but that Stumpy will never be a snappy pedalling platform. Go Grip1 on the 34, not Fit4. Trust me.

You mentioned the Canyon Spectral. There's also the Norco Optic. I'd buy this one. You know, with your money...

Optic C AXS | Norco

The Optic C AXS is a fast short-travel carbon fiber trail bike with the agility and confidence you need to look further up the trail.

www.norco.com

But honestly, my 120 mm Top Fuel with 130 fork is turning out to be one of my all-time favorite mtbs.

EDIT: Blister a bit lackluster on the Spectral: https://blisterreview.com/gear-reviews/mountain-bike-reviews/bikes-frames/canyon-spectral-125

I really like my top fuel. Was thinking about swapping to a 130 fox34. How do you like the change?

 

[chris_the_wrench]

That’s what I’ve heard that Grip1 is great on the 34. Thanks for the nudge, I I’ve been talking myself Into the Fit4.

Ive got a stepcast 34 with fit 4, Im NOT a fan. Its either small bump complacent and then blows through all the travel(120) on big bumps or complete opposite. None of the third party fit cartridge upgrades work with the stepcast, that Ive seen. If a new bike is in my future it’ll be a 120-125 rear, 29er with a 130 Pike. That spur keeps calling my name. I was excited about that canyon when I saw it(i love horst link bikes, owned alot of them over the last 20+ years), but I rode the spectral briefly and was not excited. It climbed like a 150 travel bike, is how I experienced it.

 

[Tom K.]

I I’ve been talking myself Into the Fit4.

No no no no (or should I say "nay"?).

Pure race fork only, though I don't see the use. Grip1 is better at everything, except maybe having a slightly less firm lockout.

I really like my top fuel. Was thinking about swapping to a 130 fox34. How do you like the change?

I love the 130, and that is what Trek is now speccing, but I built it that way from the get go. Never rode it with a 120.

Ive got a stepcast 34 with fit 4, Im NOT a fan. Its either small bump complacent and then blows through all the travel(120) on big bumps or complete opposite.

Yup. Fox keeps getting the Fit4 better, but it still isn't truly good. I got my Fit4 Stepcast 120 to work pretty well on my Supercaliber, but it took lower than recommended pressure and a couple of volume reducers.

Even then, the new Grip1 works so much better for me anyway.

 

[nay]

Ive got a stepcast 34 with fit 4, Im NOT a fan. Its either small bump complacent and then blows through all the travel(120) on big bumps or complete opposite. None of the third party fit cartridge upgrades work with the stepcast, that Ive seen. If a new bike is in my future it’ll be a 120-125 rear, 29er with a 130 Pike. That spur keeps calling my name. I was excited about that canyon when I saw it(i love horst link bikes, owned alot of them over the last 20+ years), but I rode the spectral briefly and was not excited. It climbed like a 150 travel bike, is how I experienced it.

That new Spectral 125 is the 150 frame with less suspension, I think your experience was exactly what Blister said.

All if this stuff is just like powder skis, they either are or they aren’t you are just picking your compromises.

 

[nay]

No no no no (or should I say "nay"?).

Pure race fork only, though I don't see the use. Grip1 is better at everything, except maybe having a slightly less firm lockout.

I love the 130, and that is what Trek is now speccing, but I built it that way from the get go. Never rode it with a 120.

Yup. Fox keeps getting the Fit4 better, but it still isn't truly good. I got my Fit4 Stepcast 120 to work pretty well on my Supercaliber, but it took lower than recommended pressure and a couple of volume reducers.

Even then, the new Grip1 works so much better for me anyway.

Yea or Nay works (I always win?)

I mostly hated on the grip2 on the Fox 36 that came on my STEVO, but I largely don’t like fiddly stuff because you just end up fiddlying the fiddly stuff.

Also, the 34 is not the 36, and at least in my limited experience, Fox has seemed to be able to better dial in the shorter travel 34. There are a lot of lightly used 34s that are takeoffs as people go bigger travel and those are mostly Factory Grip2.

I could just do a different bike, but my problem is that I spend a decent amount of time on long gnarly descents off the front range in particular and some stuff in Crested Butte that is less gnarly and more endless brake bumps on really fast terrain that also has a lot of what I like to think of as ‘weird tech’ because erosion is the primary actor on those trails often as they get steeper.

That’s why e-bikes will probably reign for that kind of usage over time, because you either have to pedal up the big bike, in which case a relatively light Stumpy Evo hits a lot of marks, or you have to deal with the inability of the bike to sort out the terrain when you are going faster than you probably should be. Anyway…

My final math in going 140 on the 34 (besides it’s probably dumb to go any less):

Current: 170mm 27.5 Mezzer axle to crown: 574mm

Fox 34 140mm axle to crown: 547mm
27.5 to 29” rim: +18mm (axle to ground radius increase)
Total: 565mm

There’s some effect of increasing the slack of the front end up to 64.5 as well, so it should be pretty neutral outside of maybe a 5mm handlebar spacer moved from under to over.

Is it the bike or is it the travel? This is a a good science project and I’ll buy the fork second hand so I’m not dumping any additional depreciation if all I’m doing is ‘the 150 and 125 Spectral are the same bike except one sacrifices travel for no particular reason’ project.

 

[firebanex]

What's this you say? a picture where you can see something other than my bike and a bit of trail? The light is actually returning! Stopped by the creepy penguin house again and for the first time in many months, I could see things besides what was in front of me on the trail. You have no idea just how weird it is to see things off the trail after 5 months of riding in the dark exclusively.

 

[nay]

What's this you say? a picture where you can see something other than my bike and a bit of trail? The light is actually returning! Stopped by the creepy penguin house again and for the first time in many months, I could see things besides what was in front of me on the trail. You have no idea just how weird it is to see things off the trail after 5 months of riding in the dark exclusively.

View attachment 195817

I think this is why the Gunnison Valley in CO has so many AK transplants. You get the snow climate with high altitude southern sun.

I think I would struggle with that much dark, I see your posts and it’s like “oh he’s riding at night every time”. Of course not.

 

[cantunamunch]

You have no idea just how weird it is to see things off the trail after 5 months of riding in the dark exclusively.

Summer!

I see your posts and it’s like “oh he’s riding at night every time”. Of course not.

Well, he is.

 

[nay]

I’m in the mildly bored it’s time to be healed part of my journey. Back to fat bikes in the Gunnison Valley.

 

[firebanex]

@nay oh for sure, I would love to go to Gunnison to visit and do things. One of the college kids from the LBS goes to school there and is always posting something on Strava there, I'm only a little jealous of it.

I do wish I had a schedule that let me ride in the daylight in winter, but when the sun sets before I get off work at 6pm for 5 months and I ski on weekends.. Riding in the dark is my only choice. March is a special month because March 6th is the first day that the sun is still up when I start my ride! 6:26pm this time, got all of like 2 minutes of the sun above the horizon before it it dipped. Don't worry everyone! soon I can ride at midnight and show pictures of the sun up in the sky like it's 10am for the rest of you. Except that the sun is in the north of the sky. Not the south. Sunburn at Midnight!