[Happymtb.fr]

Taking a sip on a G&T while waiting for the GF to come back home after a long ride, I day-dream about what bike would be nice to take with me on holidays. Where I live is not so mountainous but I usually spend my holidays in the mountains mostly in Sweden but hopefully also in France / Switzerland in a near-ish future.
So far my enduro rig would be my first choice for this kind of activity, which consist of a mix of lift assisted and non lift assisted cycling, but renting a DH bike last summer made me want to have a double crowned fork
So here I am surfing the interweb for a bike that can take a DH fork and still be pedalled up to the hill. Most DH frames have fucked up seat angle and/or won't take a dropper without mentioning that they are optimised for good pedalling efficiency with chainrings too big to climb with... so I feel that I would have better luck looking at what the enduro market has to offer. So far I have found the YT Capra and the Knolly Delirium that are supposed to be compatible with DH forks.

Any other bikes you know that would pedal (relatively) well, take a dropper and a DH fork?

 

[StiHacka]

Taking a sip on a G&T while waiting for the GF to come back home after a long ride, I day-dream about what bike would be nice to take with me on holidays. Where I live is not so mountainous but I usually spend my holidays in the mountains mostly in Sweden but hopefully also in France / Switzerland in a near-ish future.
So far my enduro rig would be my first choice for this kind of activity, which consist of a mix of lift assisted and non lift assisted cycling, but renting a DH bike last summer made me want to have a double crowned fork
So here I am surfing the interweb for a bike that can take a DH fork and still be pedalled up to the hill. Most DH frames have fucked up seat angle and/or won't take a dropper without mentioning that they are optimised for good pedalling efficiency with chainrings too big to climb with... so I feel that I would have better luck looking at what the enduro market has to offer. So far I have found the YT Capra and the Knolly Delirium that are supposed to be compatible with DH forks.

Any other bikes you know that would pedal (relatively) well, take a dropper and a DH fork?

Canfield Balance.

 

[HAB]

 

[Jm_]

IME, you don't need a DC fork, it would be nice, but I'd prioritize great damping first and foremost, that is to say, doing that much descending in rough terrain, it's critical that the fork not be a bump-amplifier in the chunky or at speed and that it doesn't spike or get harsher the faster you go. The big beefy SC forks these days are plenty to handle the DH. I'm kind of going backwards here, where I usually advocate for the DC forks, but don't put a cheap DC fork on there, make sure you do your research on the damping system. I'm not sure if you have been riding these kinds of bikes recently (endurpo), but they are plenty capable going down and don't need to be set up "even more" like a DH bike to rock the downhills.

And if you are going to lift-assisted parks...well parks are just abusive and using your own bike is going to expose it to the risk of crashing and mechanical failure. Unless you are showing up on a trail or XC rig, it doesn't really matter if you are on an enduro or DH machine as far as resistance to damage. I like renting a DH bike to minimize exposure to my own rig, but there are several negatives with this (like suspension setup).

Just my opinion, I wouldn't be looking for anything "special" outside of the enduro set and if I was, I'd be looking at shock/fork tuning (coil, etc.) before just slapping a DC on there. Your post is pretty much the exact reason that enduro bikes exist.

 

[spes]

Rocky Mountain Slayer

 

[slimshady]

@buckoW has a Scott Ransom with a DC on it. Paging him...

 

[iRider]

Alutech Sennes: https://alutech-cycles.com/Sennes-30-TrackReady-TR-275_1
Liteville 601or 901

 

[Loki87]

Liteville 601or 901

Saw a 901 snapped clean in half in Saalbach of all places. Not much to break a frame on X-Line, yet there it was, cracked top and downtube.

 

[englertracing]

Pssst
Pivot firebird 29...

 

[jstuhlman]

nomad? megatower? i've thought about it for my nomad.

 

[sikocycles]

Gnarvana

 

[djjohnr]

Any other bikes you know that would pedal (relatively) well, take a dropper and a DH fork?

Commencal Clash
Canfield One

 

[englertracing]

nomad? megatower? i've thought about it for my nomad.

Mega towers seem kinda cheesy......

 

[iRider]

Saw a 901 snapped clean in half in Saalbach of all places. Not much to break a frame on X-Line, yet there it was, cracked top and downtube.

Are you doing the jonkranked here? If this would be common, don't you think the forums would be full of reports with all the Liteville haters? And from all the brands mentioned so far, the only one where I never have seen a snapped frame is GG. But maybe because I have never seen one in real life?

 

[Happymtb.fr]

Thanks!
Many propositions, I will check them.

@buckoW has a Scott Ransom with a DC on it. Paging him...

It says "Gambler" on the top tube... a Ransom with a DH fork would be nice tho but it doesn't seem to be designed for it

 

[Happymtb.fr]

IME, you don't need a DC fork

Basically I agree with you, I don't really need a DC fork but I want one

 

[HAB]

I don't think GG condones using a dual crown on their plastic frames.

 

[MikeD]

Canfield Balance.

 

[Bikael Molton]

Capra can take a dual crown. STA is barely passable.

 

[Happymtb.fr]

Commencal Clash

Did you see somewhere that it can take a DC fork? I cannot find it on their website

 

[Happymtb.fr]

Capra can take a dual crown. STA is barely passable.

Yes and the build kits have quite a lot of stuff I don't like from e13...

 

[englertracing]

https://m.vitalmtb.com/community/farozm,8593/setup,39325

 

[djjohnr]

Did you see somewhere that it can take a DC fork? I cannot find it on their website

I asked Commencal USA directly when I bought mine; it's dual crown approved.

 

[Happymtb.fr]

I asked Commencal USA directly when I bought mine; it's dual crown approved.

Nice, good news!
How much travel do you have up front? And what offset?
How do you like the bike? Do you feel the need for more travel at the rear sometimes?

The commencal is a bargain, you basically get a full bike for what some other brands take for a frame...

 

[Happymtb.fr]

https://m.vitalmtb.com/community/farozm,8593/setup,39325

Looks really nice but the price tag is a bit steep, at least here in Europe.
I like the idea of a 29er since I could move some nice parts from my actual enduro rig, a Bird AM9.

The Slayer looks good, my LBS is a retailer. I will have chat with him and check the price and availability for a frameset.

Canfield looks good to but will be too expensive to import.

 

[MikeD]

I asked Commencal USA directly when I bought mine; it's dual crown approved.

I think no mountain bike has ever been cleaner. It's so clean that doctors must rub themselves on it before conducting surgery.

 

[6thElement]

I asked Commencal USA directly when I bought mine; it's dual crown approved.

Did you ask them if it was Ruxx approved though??

 

[Nick]

No ruxx, gtfo!

 

[djjohnr]

Did you ask them if it was Ruxx approved though??

That's an X-Fusion RV1

 

[djjohnr]

Nice, good news!
How much travel do you have up front? And what offset?
How do you like the bike? Do you feel the need for more travel at the rear sometimes?

The commencal is a bargain, you basically get a full bike for what some other brands take for a frame...

• I run 180mm up front, 46mm offset, typically with a 180mm Lyrik on it. I'll swap on a dual crown (same travel/offset) when warranted.
• The rear feels very progressive, which means I can get away with a pretty soft spring on it for lift days (~33% sag) without any worry about harsh bottoming. The rear pivot is also mid-high; all together it feels like it has more than 165mm of travel. The Knolly Delirium I had before it was the opposite.
• Low bb, corners well
• Chainstays felt long at sag to me stock so I'm running -3mm of offset bushings to move some weight off the front wheel. I was running a -1 degree headset as well but I couldn't get it to stop creaking.

 

[buckoW]

Thanks!
Many propositions, I will check them.

It says "Gambler" on the top tube... a Ransom with a DH fork would be nice tho but it doesn't seem to be designed for it

We like enduro bikes with 40s. You can get a lower a2c for the same travel as a single crown and they never get creaky. That’s my wife’s Downduro and I like mine like that too.

here’s my Ransom with a 40. I also like the Raaw Madonna with a 40.

One thing to consider is bb height and fork bumper/top or down tube strength. Many distributors won’t know what tests the frame passes. Some enduro frames pass the harder FR/DH tests.

 

[Happymtb.fr]

Thanks @djjohnr and @buckoW
I feel like a kid in a toy store

 

[Lelandjt]

Thanks!
Many propositions, I will check them.

It says "Gambler" on the top tube... a Ransom with a DH fork would be nice tho but it doesn't seem to be designed for it

It's rated for a DC fork, a guy on the MTBR Scott forum has one. The geo is identical to the Capra. I have both and prefer the Ransom for lighter weight and its shock, BUT for mostly DH riding with a DC I'd take the Capra with coil shock.

 

[Happymtb.fr]

It's rated for a DC fork, a guy on the MTBR Scott forum has one. The geo is identical to the Capra. I have both and prefer the Ransom for lighter weight and its shock, BUT for mostly DH riding with a DC I'd take the Capra with coil shock.

Incredible with resources here!
What about the ransom with a coil for DH?

 

[Flo33]

Incredible with resources here!
What about the ransom with a coil for DH?

@buckoW has you covered. He has posted a pic with a modified RC4 somewhere here.

 

[Lelandjt]

Incredible with resources here!
What about the ransom with a coil for DH?

It's a more expensive frame, rarer, and not as progressive. So, it'll work with a coil but not as well as the Capra. Also, you lose the features that make the Ransom better than the Capra as a trail/enduro bike, its light weight and remote adjust shock. So, if you're going that way the Capra makes more sense. I have my large Capra 29 frame from last year sitting here with a DHX2 and a couple springs that we were gonna build up with a DC as my girlfriend's park bike but with the local mountains not running I'm gonna sell it.

 

[HardtailHack]

Hybrid and super on trend mullet??????

 

[Happymtb.fr]

Thanks @Lelandjt
I am a medium guy and on the wrong side of the pond for buying your frame...

@buckoW
I see that you are running air shocks on the pictures above. Have you tried the Ransom with coil? If yes, what's your opinion about it? Is it progressive enough?

 

[dexter]

Another option not mentioned yet would be the yeti sb150/165. If i visited more bike parks and had rowdier local trails I would be on a sb165- 2 wheelsets and possibly 2 forks. Dh wheels with DH tires and light trail wheels with exo+ casings. Fox 36 for local stuff and a 40 for the DH/ park riding. Yeti's SI system climbs like a mtn goat and the bike gets glowing reviews.

 

[Jm_]

Yeti's SI system

But why? Heavier and more complicated (prone to failure) way of doing what a simple linkage and a few bearings can. Lots of people with trashed SIs.