Well I finally ponied up and got rid of the Racelink and replaced it with a more modern ride, and IH Sunday. Picked up the frame from Dave Trumpore, and built it up with mostly new parts.
Spec as follows:
2008 IH Sunday Factory w/DHX
Boxxer WC
Saint Cranks
Saint Brakes
Saint Derailleur
XTR 8 Speed shifter
XTR 8 Speed 11-30 cassette
SRAM 870 Chain
e13 Stem
Kore Torsion 20 800mm riser bar
Azonic Outlaw wheels
Maxxis Minion F + R x 2.5"
e13 LG1+
Atomlab pedals, titec Saddle, Thomson post, intense grips.
Obligatory clean photo:
Mini-review:
Bike weighs in at roughly 40.2lbs via the bathroom scale method. I did my best to build a stout, reliable bike that I wouldn't have to worry too much about, without being overbuilt. I am super impressed with the weight above. That's roughly 15 lbs lighter than my racelink (Estimated, I never bothered to weigh that bike).
On the trail, that translates to a much more flickable and manageable bike. I can hop it at will, which was always a problem with the RL. I lost 4-5lbs on the front fork alone, so I'm super pleased there.
For the ride, so far I am extremely impressed. The frame suspension is excellent, on par with the Brooklyn but not nearly as plush. The fork gives up very little to the avy fork I had previously, but in return you get a much more modern chassis with less trail and the direct mount stem. The front tracks MUCH better, mostly due to this, I think.
I don't think I need to get into the frame that much; I can simply say it has a reputation for a reason.
A few notes:
8 Speed combined with the Saint mech RULES. Abso-f-ing-lutely rules. Crisp, clean shifts, no misses, a nice solid *CHUNK* every time you flick the buttery trigger.
Saint brakes- excellent modulation, plenty of power. Highland isn't necessarily the best place to test brakes, as it isn't really steep, or long, and the berms give you a good opportunity to get off the brakes every few seconds, but I love these things so far
Alligator rotors- I picked these up because they were so much cheaper (38 for the pair vs. 33 for one) than anything else on the market, and they were lightweight. I seemed to have adequate power, but there were a couple of times that I could hear the stupid sawblades rubbing. I can't recommend them until I put more time on them.
Kore bars- wide bars are wide. I'm using new muscles in my back instead of my arms...these will probably have to come down an inch or so on either side, but I'm still feeling it out. Super cheap and not too heavy.
Minion tires- I'm not as impressed with these as I thought I would be. They're great on certain surfaces, but I'm not seeing the huge traction gains I thought I would be.
Spec as follows:
2008 IH Sunday Factory w/DHX
Boxxer WC
Saint Cranks
Saint Brakes
Saint Derailleur
XTR 8 Speed shifter
XTR 8 Speed 11-30 cassette
SRAM 870 Chain
e13 Stem
Kore Torsion 20 800mm riser bar
Azonic Outlaw wheels
Maxxis Minion F + R x 2.5"
e13 LG1+
Atomlab pedals, titec Saddle, Thomson post, intense grips.
Obligatory clean photo:
Mini-review:
Bike weighs in at roughly 40.2lbs via the bathroom scale method. I did my best to build a stout, reliable bike that I wouldn't have to worry too much about, without being overbuilt. I am super impressed with the weight above. That's roughly 15 lbs lighter than my racelink (Estimated, I never bothered to weigh that bike).
On the trail, that translates to a much more flickable and manageable bike. I can hop it at will, which was always a problem with the RL. I lost 4-5lbs on the front fork alone, so I'm super pleased there.
For the ride, so far I am extremely impressed. The frame suspension is excellent, on par with the Brooklyn but not nearly as plush. The fork gives up very little to the avy fork I had previously, but in return you get a much more modern chassis with less trail and the direct mount stem. The front tracks MUCH better, mostly due to this, I think.
I don't think I need to get into the frame that much; I can simply say it has a reputation for a reason.
A few notes:
8 Speed combined with the Saint mech RULES. Abso-f-ing-lutely rules. Crisp, clean shifts, no misses, a nice solid *CHUNK* every time you flick the buttery trigger.
Saint brakes- excellent modulation, plenty of power. Highland isn't necessarily the best place to test brakes, as it isn't really steep, or long, and the berms give you a good opportunity to get off the brakes every few seconds, but I love these things so far
Alligator rotors- I picked these up because they were so much cheaper (38 for the pair vs. 33 for one) than anything else on the market, and they were lightweight. I seemed to have adequate power, but there were a couple of times that I could hear the stupid sawblades rubbing. I can't recommend them until I put more time on them.
Kore bars- wide bars are wide. I'm using new muscles in my back instead of my arms...these will probably have to come down an inch or so on either side, but I'm still feeling it out. Super cheap and not too heavy.
Minion tires- I'm not as impressed with these as I thought I would be. They're great on certain surfaces, but I'm not seeing the huge traction gains I thought I would be.
oster_oops:
Anyway for good cs I just go and look for smaller shops or go threw distributors.