Been holding onto the NOS NukeProof Couch FS frame for a while now. I built her up over the winter. Being a 250+ lb rider I went with King hubs and the new Syncros FR rim. Seem solid so far. Also went with Syncros' new FR Stem - very stiff as well.
I put on a Marz 66RV 180mm travel fork - new take off from a Scott Nitrous. Marz. only makes one spring rate for these forks - if you are a heavier rider you are expected to pump the air pre-load all the way to 15psi and ride a $600+ for like a rigid fork. I, under protest and the doubt of Marzocchi and some mechanics, removed the spacers and springs from the fork and dropped in a set of 2004/05 Firm (green) 888 springs. They are the same diameter and had to be compressed about 1cm to get the top caps back on. I put about 7 psi in each leg and they ride like a charm!
I found a Stratos El Jefe and took it to the Fox depot here in Edmonton. They lengthened the reservoir hose and rebuilt the shock. They were impressed with it and so am I. It rides great and adjustments work very well. With the motorcycle internals in this shock, just about anyone can rebuild it - so if you can get your hands on one, don't be afraid to just because Stratos disappeared. I highly recommend it, and I have ridden most shocks save for the CC Double Barrel.
I also had some of the white Sram 9.0sl stuff still new kicking around. Also, I just ordered a Blackspire Dewlite dual ring chain-guide. Trying to make this a "do-everything" just isn't cutting it.
The decal work is all custom - leaning toward me Irish heritage. Took a few renditions of the head badge to come up with something that looked decent, but finally it worked out. My daughter is an art student and a great help with that stuff. The Gaelic on the seat mast is a well known saying for those who are curious.
The Nokon shift cables seem pretty slick - although it'll take time to see if they pay off, and I got some custom Goodridge fittings and hose for the Avid brakes.
She's getting a little dirtier now, but at 42 years old, I have to throttle back a tad. I know now that I am not bulletproof.
I put on a Marz 66RV 180mm travel fork - new take off from a Scott Nitrous. Marz. only makes one spring rate for these forks - if you are a heavier rider you are expected to pump the air pre-load all the way to 15psi and ride a $600+ for like a rigid fork. I, under protest and the doubt of Marzocchi and some mechanics, removed the spacers and springs from the fork and dropped in a set of 2004/05 Firm (green) 888 springs. They are the same diameter and had to be compressed about 1cm to get the top caps back on. I put about 7 psi in each leg and they ride like a charm!
I found a Stratos El Jefe and took it to the Fox depot here in Edmonton. They lengthened the reservoir hose and rebuilt the shock. They were impressed with it and so am I. It rides great and adjustments work very well. With the motorcycle internals in this shock, just about anyone can rebuild it - so if you can get your hands on one, don't be afraid to just because Stratos disappeared. I highly recommend it, and I have ridden most shocks save for the CC Double Barrel.
I also had some of the white Sram 9.0sl stuff still new kicking around. Also, I just ordered a Blackspire Dewlite dual ring chain-guide. Trying to make this a "do-everything" just isn't cutting it.
The decal work is all custom - leaning toward me Irish heritage. Took a few renditions of the head badge to come up with something that looked decent, but finally it worked out. My daughter is an art student and a great help with that stuff. The Gaelic on the seat mast is a well known saying for those who are curious.
The Nokon shift cables seem pretty slick - although it'll take time to see if they pay off, and I got some custom Goodridge fittings and hose for the Avid brakes.
She's getting a little dirtier now, but at 42 years old, I have to throttle back a tad. I know now that I am not bulletproof.
