[Evel Monkey]

Thinking of getting a Bullit frame.
What would the head angle be w/ a 5" fork?
What travel fork was the Bullit designed for?

Thanks

 

[Zoso]

Yeah, I ran that setup for a while. Works great for epic XC/freeride. A bit steep for serious DH, but it climbs like a maniac with a steeper HA and all that rear travel glueing the tire. Try it out, its a lot of fun to not be completely tired after climbing on a Bullit.

 

[speedster]

I rode my friends with a Z1 at 5'' and it felt killer. I was able to just hop on it and it felt comfortable really quick and I started hitting dirt jumps right off the bat. If I had a bullit I would put a 5'' on for sure.

 

[DH Dad]

We're on our fourth fork with my wife's Bullit and her 5" DJ1 seems to be working the best. She had a couple of DC and although great for DH sucked for trail riding. Her first SC was a Fox Vanilla and it is much shorter than the 5" Zoke, bike was a bit scary with that fork on it. My vote is a Z1 or Z150

 

[jackalope]

Used to have a Fox Nilla 125 on my Bullit and didn't mind the geometry, especially for XC trail riding...With the Fox, I was able to keep the overall weight at a reasonable level (around 33 lbs) and it allowed me to start getting into some light freeriding type stuff...But it really made the bike pretty average on steep, technical downhills...Also tried a friend's Bullit with a Z-1 on it and liked the overall geometry a little better, but wasn't too thrilled with additional weight of the Zoch...Although it seemed like the Z-1 would also hold up a little better to moderate freeride stunts; as I eventually started to get into bigger stuff than the Fox was really meant for...Thus, I finally decided to slap a dualie on the front seeing as it's not that much heavier than a Z-1 (and about even with a Z-150) and provided superior performance on drops and jumps...The dualie also made the bike really come alive on the downhills, but obviously climbing really became a chore (thank heavens for quick release seat post clamps)...It's *possible* to ride a Bullit on XC type trails with a dualie up front, but it's not particularly fun and requires a fair amount of leg strength and lungs to keep up with the trailbike crowd...Another few possibilities if your wife doesn't plan on doing too many 6 foot drops to flat are the Manitou Minute or the Maverick dual crown...Both are fairly lightweight 5 inch forks that are prolly fine for lightweight people that mainly just trailride...All that being said, I still feel like the Bullit works best with at least 7 inches up front - not so much as to match the 7 inches in the rear, but in terms of geometry on nasty DH and hardcore freeride stunts...

 

[Dingus McGee]

I think the 7" Bullit is very poorly served by a 5" fork (don't bother
attacking me, I'm not about to change my mind) IMHO, the majority of people who do this should have bought a different frame. I have a couple of friends who insist that it works for them, and it does, to a degree, but the Bullit is essentially emasculated. I have spent a good deal of time on a borrowed Bullit with a Fox 5" and the main problem I noticed was the tendency to fold the front wheel over on highspeed rocky or off camber stuff where you just need to punch the front end into the trail to pull off your line. It's like the front end cant get out of the way of the rest of the bike and they are not working together as a system, but rather opposing the tendencies of one another. One friend does fine on a Bullit with an air shock and a Marzocchi 5" fork, but he is not pushing the bike to anywhere near its design capabilities. He got the Bullit for the image and the good reviews. The new Hecklers are more bike that 80% of trail riders use as it is and has a superior geometric balance with the shorter forks. Just my .02 cents. To each their own.

 

[Silver]

It works fine with my Z1FR. I am getting a Slider Plus for shuttle duties, but I like my Bullit just fine for trailriding.

Dingus McGee does have a point though. You might want to pm mtnbikej, I think his wife traded in her Bullit for a Heckler.

 

[Honeywell]

I've got a Cheeta Prowler with that setup. I have a 5" Jr. T on the front. For the type of riding I do it sucked! My weight was always over the front of the bike on the steeper downhills and I always found my front tire to wash out, in part because of my tire choice, but I'm sure the head angle also played a role because it was harder to keep my weight back.

I've since switched to a 24" in the rear to try and even out the front end a bit. That in combination with a different front tire has helped a bit. I still wish I had more travel in the front though.

 

[Evel Monkey]

Hearing some of the issues I was thinking of being confirmed, I believe I'll drop the bullit thought and keep the heckler on the list. Was really only considering the bullit 'cause I had a good deal opportunity for a frame.

Thanks for the input.

 

[jimmydean]

I had a Stratos LR-1 on mine and it was PERFECTION! 6is DC with wide steering radius, butter smooth, with a lock out switch. I was able to climb up without issues with the fork locked down so the front end wasn't too tall, then switch to a nice and plush fork.

I didn't feel constricted steering when climbing on rocky or technical sections like I have with other DC forks. It was sweet.

A Z150 would be nice too. Anything less, I would go with the Heckler instead.

 

[SDH]

I road a bullit with a 5" Djer. It was nice and made a great fun trail rig that offered a lot of flexibilty. It was not that heavy for trail riding and a XC ride after work from time to time. I could DJ it , urban it and hang, for the most part, with shuttles.

I do agree with Dingus though, a single crown fork does not make the bullit ride to its potential. I also rode the bullit with a monster and that was awesome to for just free riding and shuttling.

I guess my point is IMHO, the bullit offers maximum flexibilty. It can go both ways unlike the Heckler. The bullit can be a fun trail rig that can go almost anywhere then swap a fork with a 1/2 of labor and you have a VERY capable free ride, DH, big drop bike. The heckler is a GREAT trail rig but will fall short in the other direction (free ride, DH.....). The wierd way I looked at it was both the heckler and the bullit are great in their element (heckler/ XC & bullit/FR) but for maximum flexiblity which frame is better out of their element. Here I believe the bullit is a better trail bike than the heckler is a free ride bike. So I say go with the bullit. If you have the heckler keep what you have.

 

[go-ride.com]

If you don't have plans to run more than a 5" fork, then you might want to consider a bike with a bit less travel, like the Ventana El Chamuco. I'm running one of those with a 5" Z1 QR20 and it balances out very nice. I still have a slack head angle and good BB height. Of course the rear suspension is not as plush as a 7" bike, but it is more lively for jumping, street and climbing in general.

One of my riding bros, "Krispy", has a 7" Yeti ASX with a Marz. 5" Z1 QR20. He comments on how the rear suspension feels about as good as a DH bike, but definitely doesn't climb as well as my Chamuco, weighs more and does have a steeper HA.

Here's a pic of my bike:

 

[MMcG]

Originally posted by go-ride.com
If you don't have plans to run more than a 5" fork, then you might want to consider a bike with a bit less travel, like the Ventana El Chamuco. I'm running one of those with a 5" Z1 QR20 and it balances out very nice. I still have a slack head angle and good BB height. Of course the rear suspension is not as plush as a 7" bike, but it is more lively for jumping, street and climbing in general.

One of my riding bros, "Krispy", has a 7" Yeti ASX with a Marz. 5" Z1 QR20. He comments on how the rear suspension feels about as good as a DH bike, but definitely doesn't climb as well as my Chamuco, weighs more and does have a steeper HA.

Here's a pic of my bike:

Scott,

Your El Chamuco is so sweet - drives me nuts everytime I see you post it - I think that frame just makes for a kick as trail bike.

What is the bottom bracket height on it. That's the one thing that's been driving me crazy lately with my Belair - setting the shock up to really utilize as much travel as possible on the Belair seems to cause a little more sag than I'd like it to have - and then this lowers the bb a bit - I've been bashing the crap out of my Time Zs this season and it's getting a bit bothersome......that El Chamuco frame combined with the parts spec on my Belair right now is so damned tempting.

Only one problem - lack of funds.

 

[Evel Monkey]

Originally posted by go-ride.com
If you don't have plans to run more than a 5" fork, then you might want to consider a bike with a bit less travel, like the Ventana El Chamuco.

It, another Ventana model, and the Heckler are the ones I have narrowed it down to. Still a couple more months to figure it out.

Thanks for the comments.

 

[Supa8]

I just switched from a 7" travel Bullit to a new Heckler. I am running a Z150 up front and I have to say so far its the most comfortable bike I have ever ridden. I don't miss the Bullit at all. Heckler is a great playbike. My .02.

 

[bmxr]

Originally posted by Evel Monkey
Thinking of getting a Bullit frame.
What would the head angle be w/ a 5" fork?
What travel fork was the Bullit designed for?

Thanks

According to Santa Cruz, the current Bullit was designed for forks between 125mm and 200mm. I think it was originally approved for up to 175mm, but that was before certain 200mm forks got so popular, and they upped their max.

On my Bullit, I have run 02 and 03 DJ1's, an 03 Monster, and stock and modified 02 Monster, and have spent time aboard others' Bullits with Supers. I have always run a pretty stiff shock; 475lb spring and 150psi in the air chamber ( I weigh about 210lbs).

I liked the bike with the DJ1's, but they didn't hold up. I HATED the way the bike handled with the 03 Monster. The front end would not track a corner AT ALL. I liked the Bullit a lot with the Supers and with my 02 Monster, however my current (and all-time favorite!) setup is my 02 Monster set up with about 150mm travel. The head angle is about 68' +/- .5 degree because I am not sure how accurate my measuring is

I spend most of my time jumping and riding trails. I might feel differently if I spent a lot of time pointing down a mountain at over 30 mph, but I doubt it. I don't like a mushy ride; I like just enough action to take the "edge off", and my 150mm fork makes me feel like I have the perfect bike.

 

[mtnbikej]

Originally posted by Silver
It works fine with my Z1FR. I am getting a Slider Plus for shuttle duties, but I like my Bullit just fine for trailriding.

Dingus McGee does have a point though. You might want to pm mtnbikej, I think his wife traded in her Bullit for a Heckler.

Yeah, my wife ran a Bullit for 2 years with different Z1's on it. After a while, she was not using the bike to the full capabilities that it was designed for, but was still lugging the weight around. So we sold the Bullit and put her on a Heckler. Saved about 2 lbs from the Bullit, but it is way more trail friendly than the Bullit. If she wants to ride it hard, it is more than capable. More of a do everything bike than the Bullit.

Most everyone I know that has run a Z1 or other SC fork on thier Bullit has eventually gone to a DC fork. Those that didn't.....really bought the wrong bike. Those people should be on Hecklers.

mtnbikej

 

[Softy]

Rode SuperT then Z-150 Bullits backtokcab And the Z-150 Bullit felt like the front want to turn under. Where the Super T one was neutral and stable with no hands at speed.

Side by side there was like 3" shorter wheel base with the Z-150. Exact same large size frames.

SuperT is fine for XC.