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V10 vs. Shockwave 9.5

JRogers

talks too much
Mar 19, 2002
3,785
1
Claremont, CA
Anyone who says that the MC 9.5 is crap just doesn't know what they are talking about. Not saying it's not possible, but I have never seen a broken one and I've never met an owner who did not like their frame.

I have only ridden a V10 a few times, so I cannot comment much on them other than they are great frames.

I own a 9.5, though. Simply, it's an awesome frame. Mine has taken a bunch of abuse and not complained. It jumps, pedals and takes hits well. It's a good all-around DH ride. I've had good results on it and I don't think it holds me back. I swapped out the 5th for a Push tuned Fox RC and it rides better. Also, the shock I'm running is an 8.75x2.75, so the bike is considerably lower and slacker (~14" BB and mid-low 60s HA). Gotta watch the pedals and rings a bit more, but it's quite a bit more stable. I mostly switched the shock out because I didn't like the damping on the 5th and I had a spare Fox in that size.

My only complaints about the bike: it's hard to reach shock adjustments because of the suspensio design. I had to take bolts out to get to the pressure valve on the 5th. Also, the suspension has a lot of bearings, which can get expensive. Never had a problem with durability, though.
 

Bearmntpicnic

Monkey
Oct 23, 2005
838
0
charlottesville
I have a 9.5 with a dhx 5.0 that I would be willing to part with for around 900 pm me if you interested. its a size med. throw in a thomsom elite seatpost aswell..... SPAM
 
I have a 9.5 with a dhx 5.0 that I would be willing to part with for around 900 pm me if you interested. its a size med. throw in a thomsom elite seatpost aswell..... SPAM
i have my eye on yours and the guys from pinkbike,
F.C.DH was the first one to get me interested in a 9.5, and i really like them.
BB height, never a problem for me, i think i can handle it being around 16 inches because mine right now is at 18...:shocked: :twitch: :eek:

i just need to start up a job again and hope for lots of christmas money:biggrin: (yes, i'm 15 and am on and off work making 30 an hour handsanding surfboards... not to brag, just to ensure that i dont sound like a broke freeloader:busted: )
 
Sep 17, 2006
226
0
I was going through avalanche's website earlier and noticed that they have the v10's eye to eye/stroke lengths listed as 8.75x2.75. Are these measurements correct or does the stock v10 come with a 9.5x3.0?
 
Its still hands down one ofthe most fun bikes i have ever ridden, and I would take another in a second. I have also heard of dropping in a 9x3 shock to slacken it out, and drop the BB to race geo.
:cheers:

You need to run 9x2.75, yielding 8.7" of travel and dropping the BB a hair more than an inch. In this config you also need to have a suitably low A-C fork (read: not a 888), however, or else it'll slacken the HA far too much and kill the handling.

(BTW, a 9x3 shock will cause the tire to smack the seat/post at full travel; not a good idea.)

This is mine, running an '04 Junior with SuperT internals (single HSCV in the right leg, ported pushrod with air assist in the left) with the lower crown adjusted all the way down, and a Romic 9x2.75 shock. After almost two seasons on a 5th I found that the Progressive shock does the bike a terrible disservice, making it feel - as oftentimes reported - "dead". The Romic transformed the feel of the rear end, even ignoring the geo modifications.

With the light trail tires you see in the picture the bike weighs 41lbs. Add ~2lbs-ish with real DH treads installed.

As for the ride and observed reliability of the bike: awesome. Period. I've trail ridden the bike on moderately steep climbs (34T ring setup) and passed guys on XC bikes. It's certainly no dedicated AM machine, but for relatively short (10 miles or less), not-too-stupid-steep rides it pedals very well, especially with a telescopic post installed.

I was up at the U of Utah today with the bike noodling around, and 4-6ft drops to flat are nothing for the bike. On-trail, I've gone the biggest my 40 year-old body and self-preservation instinct allows for - about 11-12 feet to nice transition - and it's smooth as butter on the 9.5. With a floater, brake jack is a non-issue.

All in all I couldn't be happier with the bike. Ditch the stock 5th - replacing with either another spec 9.5x3 or a 9x2.75 for lower BB - and the bike is a lively, fun, very reliable DH/FR machine. IMHO it's a little long and slack for "hard core" North Shore stuff, but at someplace like Whistler, it shines in spades.

YMMV. Good luck. :biggrin:
 

dhkid

Turbo Monkey
Mar 10, 2005
3,358
0
Malaysia
of all vpp bikes, i would have to say the vpfree goes through bearings the fastest, then maybe the blurs. and the v10 last. and like others have said, the 9.5 will take the abuse fine. the suggestion of a smaller bike with maybe a dual chain ring set up might be better for you.
 

Demomonkey

Monkey
Apr 27, 2005
857
0
Auckland New Zealand
Both Bikes are Tanks. 9.5 is simpler and with a floating brake will handle pretty neutrally. Older V10's can have a lot of slop in the bearings. VPP is a good system, but not 'the bees knees' that some would have you believe. For riding between trails I think you want something lighter than either. Considered a 223 or 224? A VPFree would be better than a V10 for your riding. But the geo is not that great for DH. Decisions, decisions...
 

Demomonkey

Monkey
Apr 27, 2005
857
0
Auckland New Zealand
of all vpp bikes, i would have to say the vpfree goes through bearings the fastest, then maybe the blurs. and the v10 last. and like others have said, the 9.5 will take the abuse fine. the suggestion of a smaller bike with maybe a dual chain ring set up might be better for you.
I had a VPFree for 18 months. Rode it twice week. DH, jumps. Bearings were as tight the day I sold it as the day I got it. But hey, maybe i got lucky, or I ride like fluff ball. A mates V10 was slopped out withing 6 months. But maybe he got unlucky and he does ride like a bulldozer.
 
Sep 17, 2006
226
0
Once again I have no intent on going to a smaller bike and I prefer having the ability to haul ass down a trail and be able to hit even the sketchiest of drops even though I may sacrifice some of pedaling ability and jumping characteristics. Either bike will be lighter than my current setup (50 lbs) especially after I sell the monsters which are on it and use 888's on the new bike. I might start riding a little more DH and start hucking more just to suit the new bike. If there are any other similar bikes out there that you would like to recommend, then feel free to share. I'm still toying with the idea of a demo 8/9 or maybe even a giant DH team... there's just so many choices out there...
 

Inclag

Turbo Monkey
Sep 9, 2001
2,750
439
MA
Once again I have no intent on going to a smaller bike and I prefer having the ability to haul ass down a trail and be able to hit even the sketchiest of drops even though I may sacrifice some of pedaling ability and jumping characteristics. Either bike will be lighter than my current setup (50 lbs) especially after I sell the monsters which are on it and use 888's on the new bike. I might start riding a little more DH and start hucking more just to suit the new bike. If there are any other similar bikes out there that you would like to recommend, then feel free to share. I'm still toying with the idea of a demo 8/9 or maybe even a giant DH team... there's just so many choices out there...
How about the new Specialized BigHit? 26" wheel compatible, geometry that is a little more FR friendly than a race rig, a little shorter and steeper, and the frames MSRP is $1200 w/ a DHX 4.0.
 
Sep 17, 2006
226
0
Wow, I think I suddenly might have turned towards buying a turner dhr now. I've seen a bunch of them going pretty cheap for just the frame and I read some pretty good things about them. $600 sounds pretty tempting. Supposedly they're quite a bit more nimble handling than the v10 and jump better... anyone want to back this up?
 

ianjenn

Turbo Monkey
Sep 12, 2006
2,998
702
SLO
I do almost all of my pedaling standing up and cut most of the seat tubes I get to shortest possible length, so that wont be a problem. I prefer to have a low stand over height at the seat, especially through the really nasty technical stuff. I've also become accustomed to having the bars feel high when sitting down and like the feeling that my weight is shifted back even when sitting.
I have an M3 and the seat has to be 9" or more above the rear tire, don't get a V10! The rear shock on my bike is not a platform varitey and the bike pedals not so good BTW. I have a frame I am selling it is a small thogh. Check it HERE if you want.
 

SteezyWeezy

Turbo Monkey
Apr 4, 2006
2,436
1
portland, oregon
Once again I have no intent on going to a smaller bike and I prefer having the ability to haul ass down a trail and be able to hit even the sketchiest of drops even though I may sacrifice some of pedaling ability and jumping characteristics. Either bike will be lighter than my current setup (50 lbs) especially after I sell the monsters which are on it and use 888's on the new bike. I might start riding a little more DH and start hucking more just to suit the new bike. If there are any other similar bikes out there that you would like to recommend, then feel free to share. I'm still toying with the idea of a demo 8/9 or maybe even a giant DH team... there's just so many choices out there...
sounds like you dont really like the idea of the 9.5. it is a very dh worthy bike, plus freeride, it jumps amazingly, you should really check them out
 

TWISTED

Turbo Monkey
Apr 2, 2004
1,102
0
Hillsboro


I only know of three 9.5s EVER cracking. Two of the guys were huge, well over 250lbs. I didn't hear about who owned the third one that broke. All these guys had new replacement frames within a week at no charge. I've had my frame since mid 2002 and it keeps going. When it starts to look rough, I just polish it again.

My bike is just under 38lbs and uses a 9 X 2.75 Revox shock that gives 8.7" travel and drops the BB height to just under 14".

Not all ShockWaves ride alike. I've tried to ride some that were set up really weird. Every person who has ridden my bike has said it's the best DH bike they have ridden. That might just be because it's so light though.

If anyone has any Mountain Cycle questions, contact me at tech@mountaincycle.com

Tim
 

TWISTED

Turbo Monkey
Apr 2, 2004
1,102
0
Hillsboro
Yeah yeah shiny bike whatever......:D

How's post canyon these days? Too wet?
u no like shiny?
Lots of snow at PC, real cold too. Falls City isn't too bad, but it has been raining a lot and doesn't look like it's going stop soon.
Indoor arencross on the varoom cycle is where it's at for the winter.
 

kidwoo

Artisanal Tweet Curator
u no like shiny?
Lots of snow at PC, real cold too. Falls City isn't too bad, but it has been raining a lot and doesn't look like it's going stop soon.
Indoor arencross on the varoom cycle is where it's at for the winter.
That's kind of what I figured.......

We're getting snowed on right now but our coverage still sucks so I'm jonsing for some bike trips.

I've never been to falls city but the pics make the features look rather petit next to post

and shiny is good;)
 

SteezyWeezy

Turbo Monkey
Apr 4, 2006
2,436
1
portland, oregon
yea, falls is a little smaller, but a lot of fun. hey tim, since you dropped the rear end with the shorter shock, would putting the dorado on the front equal it out, does if feel different than originally?
 
J

J5ive

Guest
Hey Tim.

I have a lad here in australia with a 9.5, there is a very faint sign of a crack in the swingarm.

What should we do?
 
J

J5ive

Guest
They rehired you? Sketchy Taiwan.

- thats your full post. Haha.