[azonicbruce]

I thought I remembered reading somewhere that Yeti says you can't put an air shock, such as the DHX air on an ASX, yet I've seen numerous pictures of owners who have done it. Is yeti saying you can't, or that you shouldn't? If so, why? What are the reasons?

I'm trying to sell my ASX frame, but am having second thoughts. Is there any way to "All-mountain-ize" the ASX? I think the way I have it setup is pretty good. I feel if I try to lighten it up it will become more frankenstein-ish.

Here's what I was thinking:
*Swap the 5th Element for DHX Air
*Swap the Z1 FR1 for Fox 32 RL Talas 150mm QR15
*Swap the Hadley/Mavic EX721/Hayes 8" rotor wheelset for Shimano XT/180mm centerloc rotors/DT *XR4.3 wheelset
*Lighter tires

What do you think? My other option: a fresh build on a Transition Covert.

 

[Bicyclist]

It won't ever pedal well in the granny ring, which is my main issue with the AS-X.

 

[no skid marks]

I'm guessing it ramps up too much, so an air shock that inherently ramps up will be too soft initially if you want to use all the travel, and the ramping will be hard to control with the DHXs damping. May also be all wrong for the mid travel.

 

[Horror Business]

There is a compatibility issue depending on the year of your frame. If it is an '04 or '05, you need to order a new dog bone and short link kit. http://store.yeticycles.com/store/show_product/334

If it is an '07, you can swap shocks directly. If it is an '06, I think you can swap directly, but I am not 100% sure.

Now for the spam: I am selling an almost new DHX Air 5.0 in the RM classifieds that fits your bike, I will let it go foro $200 plus shipping if you are interested.

 

[azonicbruce]

Yeah, mine's an '04. Yikes. $250. Any idea how much weight I'll really be saving? by switching?

 

[stoney]

You'll shed more weight with an air fork (Talas of Float 6") and reduce some rotational mass with a 6" rear rotor. As we all know, that bike ain't exactly tits when it comes to rear braking when in the rough, and when it's smooth, you'll be hard pressed to over cook a 6" rotor.

 

[azonicbruce]

yeah, that's been my biggest complaint about it; braking in the rough stuff. Would a covert do any better, though? or do you need horst/floating brake to eliminate that?

 

[stoney]

I basically learned to brake when applicable, when I could. If it was super rough, I would use a slight drag to steer with the rear, other wise it teaches you to commit, because once you've started you aren't stopping.
Reducing overall weight helped quite a bit as well because it allowed me to be more nimble with the bike. Even then, I never got past 6/6 because the BB was too high beyond that point. If you can get the complete bike down to ~30#, it becomes a ripper.
As for the braking, it's a high-forward single pivot... It's not going to get better. You just need to load the rear slightly to shift for traction so you can brake lighter. Lighter braking will impact your suspension less. But the effect is negligible.