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Post your 2014 rides!

demo 9

Turbo Monkey
Jan 31, 2007
5,910
46
north jersey
Hey demo 9,
What axle are you running on your i9's with the horizontal drops? I just built up my new hardtail and that 10mm hadley axle I have for my i9's is not working right with the horizontal drops. I may just need a regular axle nut.
I dont rember what axle i got since its been so long but i got an "empty" 10-135 axle kit-and then purchased a normal axle.
(Kind of like how most dh bikes work)
 

kickstand

Turbo Monkey
Sep 18, 2009
3,441
392
Fenton, MI
Wasn't exactly the bike I was after, but it was local, and the price was right, and it was unridden by the previous owner, so I ended up with a "new" bike for the price of used. I have a few upgrades in mind, but for now it remains as pictured.

 
bikes 2014.jpg

the BIG beasht is an Ancillotti Thomaso DHP 2010 large
Fox 40 Fit kashima's
Formula Ovals
Mavic EX721(the old grey version) on hope Bulb hubs
Shimano Zee/slx drive

small bike is a Nukeproof Mega AM 26" medium frame
Fox 36 Van RC2 Fit forks
Formula Mega brakes
SHimano Zee 1x10 drive 11-36 rear 34 narrow wide front with top chain device
 

norbar

KESSLER PROBLEM. Just cause
Jun 7, 2007
11,346
1,587
Warsaw :/
View attachment 115129

the BIG beasht is an Ancillotti Thomaso DHP 2010 large
Fox 40 Fit kashima's
Formula Ovals
Mavic EX721(the old grey version) on hope Bulb hubs
Shimano Zee/slx drive

small bike is a Nukeproof Mega AM 26" medium frame
Fox 36 Van RC2 Fit forks
Formula Mega brakes
SHimano Zee 1x10 drive 11-36 rear 34 narrow wide front with top chain device
I always liked the look of Ancilottis but how's the service on those shocks?
 

slimshady

¡Mira, una ardilla!
Not a DH bike by any means, but I'm really pleased with the outcome. This frame cracked in the seat tube/BB weld. Every part of its restoration was done in house, with exception of the welding, which took place at one of my friend's house, in his custom-made frame jig. Paint stripping, primer, painting decals and clear-coating, all done by myself. Got lucky enough to find a closing bike shop in Surrey (England) which had all the pivot hardware and bearings on sale. Put it all together with 99% spare parts I had lying in my "man's cave"...

Brough her back from the grave because I love the way it pedals, and will end up being my fat burning machine.

IMG_1902.JPG
 
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Sandro

Terrified of Cucumbers
Nov 12, 2006
3,224
2,537
The old world
2014 Giant Trance SX. All stock except for the bars, but I'd also like to swap out the stem for a 50mm one, which will mean dealing with the Overdrive 2 headache since the 34 up front, contrary to the current gospel, doesn't suck and will not be swapped for a Pike like i intended.






I thought i'd never get over my coil sprung ReignX, but this thing effing rips and has a spot-on geometry, as do many current bikes. It sure is a great time to be riding mountain bikes up and down hills, regardless of what that's called this week.
 
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ctrailfreak

Monkey
Apr 19, 2004
546
0
Independence,Mo
More my all around do everything bike. Got it as a brand new frame last year and built it up for this year.
2011 Kona Stinky TL
2011 Rock Shox Lyrik with dh damper
2014 Fox DHX RC4


 

Freeridin'

Monkey
Oct 23, 2006
316
2
Colorado
What! Where did that DGR color scheme come from?

I'd love to get a new carbon one but their pricing keeps going up and up!
 
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cjm102

Chimp
Dec 27, 2009
26
0
Aus
image.jpg

After riding a 2010 Demo for 4 years things were getting stale, couldn't be happier with the new Podium. It even glows in the dark!
 

blindboxx2334

Turbo Monkey
Mar 19, 2013
1,340
101
Wets Coast
black giant
please excuse the dumb question, but what giant is that? and how do you like it? im seeing some decent good deals on reigns and other giant frames.. i want to start a trail bike build in a couple of months and was seriously considering a giant frame to start the 'do-it-all' bike.
 

Banshee Rider

Turbo Monkey
Jul 31, 2003
1,452
10
please excuse the dumb question, but what giant is that? and how do you like it? im seeing some decent good deals on reigns and other giant frames.. i want to start a trail bike build in a couple of months and was seriously considering a giant frame to start the 'do-it-all' bike.
Its the Giant Trance Advanced frameset. They sell an alloy version, as well. I built mine as a frameset to get the build I wanted. Weighs in at 25.9lbs, for the nerds who're curious. :clue: (Wheels are tubeless carbon, tires are snakeskin casing)
 
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blindboxx2334

Turbo Monkey
Mar 19, 2013
1,340
101
Wets Coast
Cool cool, looks like a very awesome rig. Any gripes about it yet? Im poor so ill stick with alloy for now, one day ill upgrade to plastic.
 

Banshee Rider

Turbo Monkey
Jul 31, 2003
1,452
10
Cool cool, looks like a very awesome rig. Any gripes about it yet? Im poor so ill stick with alloy for now, one day ill upgrade to plastic.
I've worked closely with this bike since last spring and have very few gripes with its design, which is quite impressive since every part of the frame was changed from the previous year. There are so many places to fail when redesigning linkages, pivot hardware, dropouts, etc., and hiccups are pretty common. If I had to nit pick, I'd say the small hardware used on the derailleur hanger is more prone to loosen over time, but a dab of low retention loc-tite after the fact prevents that. Otherwise, its been a very sturdy chasis. The revised linkages have remained forgiving on the pivots (though the suspension design has never been "hard" on pivots to begin with), and the new reverse-locking hardware makes it that much easier to access and check them - unlike the previous design that required a sawed off 5mm to get in behind the cranks. The internal routing is also much slicker than previous models, as the openings are larger (I've fished 3 lines through 1 hole without much struggle), and the plugs actually stay put and keep the housing quiet.

As for the ride, it's definitely a home run, and I'd encourage you to find a way to test one and decide for yourself. I spent a month on the alloy version last summer before getting my own in carbon, and had a good mix of chairlifts + pedaling during that time. The geometry is very contemporary for a previously conservative company like Giant, and I know a lot of people are like me saying "fvcking, finally!" My large set up with a 150mm Pike is confirmed at 66.5*, with a 46.8" WB, 17.3" CS, and 13.6" BB. The majority of the bikes length is in the front-center, and the roomier top tube really encourages the use of a short stem to achieve your "normal" reach, while keeping you centered in the bikes sweet spot without exaggerated movements.

At risk of getting into some stupid scientific debate over wheelsize, I will say that I didn't share the "ok at everything, best at none" findings that some editors have written about early on (and the speculators have perpetuated), and I think that's largely attributed to this frame's geometry paired with the wheelsize. Coming from a 130/140mm maestro 29" as my previous primary bike, I've grown accustomed to the reduced trail feedback of big wheels, and gotten damn good as exploiting those gains, while minimizing the (obvious) losses on chicanes and awkward punchy climbs. When hoping between that bike and this bike during that month, I didn't notice a profound difference on straight-line trail feedback, not the one I was anticipating at least, but I definitely noticed one when it came time to shift, turn, and punch it out. While it would be incredibly easy to round these sensations down, and base the validity of wheel sizes on them, I really don't think its accurate, or for reasons that would blow your mind; Despite radically different geometry between the two bikes, both in attempt to achieve "proper" handling given constraints, the measured distance between outer contact patches is identical. I think this share measurement, and the Trance's means of obtaining it with a longer front center and slacker head angle, are the primary reason this bike clicks so well with me. It's not a slightly different last years frame with 27.5" wheels that early adopters made and editors yawned over, and it's not a weird clown bike that the industry has needed to fvck 7 different ways over the years finally make ride acceptable in the last 2 - it's a goddamn weapon derived from what downhill racing has known for years, and it happens to have a different wheelsize. I think people are like me and get that, and that's why you're seeing a **** ton of them showing up on the trail. I wouldn't equate it to the Pike because it's not as obvious, but this frame is right up there for me. Try to find one to test!