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What frames use a 150mm spacing?

jimmydean

jimmydean

The Official Meat of Ridemonkey
Sep 10, 2001
41,150
13,321
Portland, OR
Turns out my GT DHi is WAY overkill for anything but race runs. Besides the frame and fork, the rest of the build was new. So rather than scrap everything and start over, I figured a new frame/fork would work.

So I'm looking for a 6-7" travel frame that runs a 150mmx12mm rear. Something I can still hit the Sport DH course on, but something I can take on trails would be nice.

I know the Iron Horse 6point/7point frames do, also the Intense Uzzi, and Santa Cruz VP Free, but what else?
 
hucked2bend

hucked2bend

Monkey
May 24, 2005
159
0
Bend, Oregon
Turner Highline & Cove STD are a couple more that are 83mm BB & 150 rear. Used & new VP free's are going pretty cheap on e-bay & elsewhere & are decent.
 
jimmydean

jimmydean

The Official Meat of Ridemonkey
Sep 10, 2001
41,150
13,321
Portland, OR
VooDooHoo said:
Rotec RL9
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While the Rotec is a sick frame, it puts me right back where I am with the DHi. Devinci's are also nice, but are non-existent in Oregon, or at least around here.

I have seen a few used VP Free's, and I love that frame.
 
buildyourown

buildyourown

Turbo Monkey
Feb 9, 2004
4,832
0
South Seattle
Turner Highline, though it is still a big bike. The angles would be better on trails though.
I think Chainwhip still have his for sale. It's still brand new too.
 
cheetaprowlerDH

cheetaprowlerDH

Turbo Monkey
May 24, 2006
1,001
0
surviving the hell of the living deceased... VIST
jimmydean said:
While the Rotec is a sick frame, it puts me right back where I am with the DHi.
Click to expand...
i've never ridden the DHi, but i do know that the Rotec realy handles any ride... i ride mine literally everywhere, street, skateparks, flatland DJ's, you name it. not just because its my only bike, but because even as soft as mine is set up, it pedals great and really does feel like a smaller trail bike when i am not pinning it... its nimble and accelarates insanely fast out of anythig really...


its definitley not a bike that discourages me from riding mellow trails!

but if you want something sub 40#, well yeah, look somewhere else:busted:

.02
hope you find a sick bike!
 
- seb

- seb

Turbo Monkey
Apr 10, 2002
2,924
1
UK
Do you mean you want something you can put a dual-ring on? I can't see any other reason why a DHi can't be a capable trail bike. Pedals great, frame is reasonable weight, geometry is good. Sounds like a lot of effort just to get a frame with 2" less travel?
 
ska todd

ska todd

Turbo Monkey
Oct 10, 2001
1,776
0
Hey, hey...stop with all of the good information and peer pressure. He WANTS my 6POINT frame... ;)

...because I want an iPhone 3G :weee:

-ska todd
 
DirtEveryDay

DirtEveryDay

Turbo Monkey
Nov 24, 2003
2,692
4
Pacific North Wet
I agree with what -Seb says. But you may also want to consider a Mongoose Black Diamond. It's pretty similar to your GT I assume, and BOTH pedal phenom. I had a black Diamond and am now on the bigger, badder ECD. The ONLY thing I don't really like about if for things non-racing are that it's supa slack headangle make it a pain in the ass on techy, slow XC trails. It's like driving a limo through back alleys. The other thing is the weight, 42 pounds. I'm assuming your DHi is prob lighter than that.
This is kinda like my brothers situation. He rides hardtails and wants a fully, but the kid wants a Transition Double that has 3" of travel. Why get TWO bikes that are basically the same or barely noticeable in difference?
Get a complete hardtail or a cheap small travel fully frame. Then you have two bikes for two different types of riding. Hell, you can pick up a complete hardtail for as much as a fully frame-only...
 
jimmydean

jimmydean

The Official Meat of Ridemonkey
Sep 10, 2001
41,150
13,321
Portland, OR
- seb said:
Do you mean you want something you can put a dual-ring on? I can't see any other reason why a DHi can't be a capable trail bike. Pedals great, frame is reasonable weight, geometry is good. Sounds like a lot of effort just to get a frame with 2" less travel?
Click to expand...
Maybe it's just the fork, but the geometry is far from what I would like to climb with.



I could go with a little less fork and a few lighter parts, but this thing is sitting at 47 pounds right now. I would like to move to a single crown (Marzocchi 66), MAYBE a dual ring, and hope to be around 40#. A fork with lockout would help a lot, too.
 
Zark

Zark

Hey little girl, do you want some candy?
Oct 18, 2001
6,254
7
Reno 911
You can take something like 6 or so pounds off that with just a fork swap to a 66 ATA
 
jimmydean

jimmydean

The Official Meat of Ridemonkey
Sep 10, 2001
41,150
13,321
Portland, OR
Zark said:
You can take something like 6 or so pounds off that with just a fork swap to a 66 ATA
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I might have to look into that.

The frame does pedal very well. Not sure what the head angle will end up at, but it's certainly worth a shot.
 
OGRipper

OGRipper

back alley ripper
Feb 3, 2004
10,650
1,121
NORCAL is the hizzle
jimmydean said:
I do like the looks of the new Bullit. I miss my old one for sure. The Highline is also an option.
Click to expand...
Love mine. Simple, fun, very capable, and low maintenance. Although a full-on DH bike is better for places like Northstar, it does just fine up there and is way more versatile everywhere else.



 
jimmydean

jimmydean

The Official Meat of Ridemonkey
Sep 10, 2001
41,150
13,321
Portland, OR
OGRipper said:
Love mine. Simple, fun, very capable, and low maintenance. Although a full-on DH bike is better for places like Northstar, it does just fine up there and is way more versatile everywhere else.
Click to expand...
That's what I'm thinking. Ski Bowl isn't that rough, but for the price I can get a used VP Free. Tough call, for sure.
 
Zark

Zark

Hey little girl, do you want some candy?
Oct 18, 2001
6,254
7
Reno 911
jimmydean said:
That's what I'm thinking. Ski Bowl isn't that rough, but for the price I can get a used VP Free. Tough call, for sure.
Click to expand...
I'd pass on the VPFree, its not very DH geometry, really high BB and kinda steep HA. The new Bullit has the numbers that'll make it a ripper, VPP or no. I think many here will agree with me on that.
 
jimmydean

jimmydean

The Official Meat of Ridemonkey
Sep 10, 2001
41,150
13,321
Portland, OR
Zark said:
I'd pass on the VPFree, its not very DH geometry, really high BB and kinda steep HA. The new Bullit has the numbers that'll make it a ripper, VPP or no. I think many here will agree with me on that.
Click to expand...
OG's bike does look damn good, too.

I know a lot of people gave me grief (until they rode it) but the Stratos LR-1 fork on my Bullit made it a bad ass machine. With the lockout I was able to climb all the way to the top at Falls City and the complete build was only about 38 pounds IIRC.

Well, for now I will go look at forks. See what the axle-to-crown difference will make on the DHi, then start saving my pennies for a Bullit.

Thanks for all the help.
 
Zark

Zark

Hey little girl, do you want some candy?
Oct 18, 2001
6,254
7
Reno 911
Too bad my Rootbeer Buillit isn't a large, I'd throw in a 135mm wheel for ya! ;)

The Stratos LR1 was a pretty popular fork in my area for a while, just a bit porky.
 
OGRipper

OGRipper

back alley ripper
Feb 3, 2004
10,650
1,121
NORCAL is the hizzle
Zark said:
I'd pass on the VPFree, its not very DH geometry, really high BB and kinda steep HA. The new Bullit has the numbers that'll make it a ripper, VPP or no. I think many here will agree with me on that.
Click to expand...
Having owned a free and now the Bullit I agree the Bullit would be better for what Jimmdean is looking for, in part because the free is an overbuilt beast and tough to build up fairly light. The free is a super fun bike in the right conditions but if you think a DHi is overkill, you'll probably feel the same about the free. And if you're thinking about a free with a shorter shock, well, it works ok but it's still going to be heavier.
 
jimmydean

jimmydean

The Official Meat of Ridemonkey
Sep 10, 2001
41,150
13,321
Portland, OR
Zark said:
Too bad my Rootbeer Buillit isn't a large, I'd throw in a 135mm wheel for ya! ;)

The Stratos LR1 was a pretty popular fork in my area for a while, just a bit porky.
Click to expand...
Root Beer is the fastest OE color, but most people have seen the pictures of my old Bullit re-shot in orange metal flake. That think was pimptastic!

I wonder if I can get SC to send me a raw Bullit? I still have some of that awesome orange powder in the shop :brows:

<edit> I know the pictures never could capture the metal flake worth a damn, but in person it was disgusting.

 
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1soulrider

1soulrider

Monkey
Apr 16, 2002
436
10
nor cal
I'd go for a Turner Highline. Pedals great, descends like a champ, it's just a whole lot of fun to ride anywhere.
The 08s are on sale for 1599 at competitive cyclist as well.
 
Monkeybidnezz

Monkeybidnezz

Turbo Monkey
Dec 16, 2003
1,212
0
Pac NW
Another vote for the Highline. I'm going to sell my Demo 7 to get a Highline even though I love my Demo...Rails really well and is very versatile. You can build them fairly lightish for a burly bike too.
 
jimmydean

jimmydean

The Official Meat of Ridemonkey
Sep 10, 2001
41,150
13,321
Portland, OR
I'm 90% sold on the new Bullit, I'm just waiting for a response from Santa Cruz on getting one raw. It's not that their colors suck overall, but they are a far cry from mine :D

<edit> I just got a new Marzocchi 66VF for $250 off ebay and I will put that on the DHi with some lighter tires/tubes. The axle to crown measures 22" vs. 23" on the Monster, so that should lighten up and lower the front a bit as well. Not perfect, but I figured the price was right.
 
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jimmydean

jimmydean

The Official Meat of Ridemonkey
Sep 10, 2001
41,150
13,321
Portland, OR
.Pit Steelers. said:
So you got a fork for the GTI which you planed on swaping everything off of so you could put it on your new frame.
Click to expand...
I got a fork that I will put on the DHi to see if it makes it more trail-friendly (as it does pedal very well). If it doesn't do as well as I would like, then I will swap the frame for the new Bullit since it can use everything off the DHi build (everything minus the frame and fork on the DHi are new this year).
 
jimmydean

jimmydean

The Official Meat of Ridemonkey
Sep 10, 2001
41,150
13,321
Portland, OR
So I installed my new Marzocchi 66VF last night and it made a huge difference.

One thing I noticed was even though it has 5mm less travel than the Monster, the axle-to-crown is the same. But I am running 12psi and it doesn't feel as raked out. The bars are also mounted lower now, so that helped a little as well.

I will get some trail time in this weekend and post up some pics of the revised rig. Santa Cruz won't sell a bare frame, so I'm still trying to figure out what to do about the Bullit.
 
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