[SK6]

OK, so, now that I am the proud owner of a Mountain Cycle Shockwave, I wanted to have a better understanding of the bike and leverage and the bike as a whole. Now if anyone has been to the website, we see they have new ownership. Not much more information, except for a blog.

However, the number works, AND……they do return phone calls. Now word has it they are looking for pro riders…so the resume thing and all involved with that can be sent to Eric….

Email: Eric@mountaincycle.com

This email works for questions on Warranty info and typical question regarding the bikes. They can be reached by phone at 1-888-4MC-1988. Great folks over there. Any questions can be directed to either one of those methods.

Hope this helps......

 

[mattmatt86]

The first time I read it I thought you were saying that you were the proud new owner of Mountain Cycles. I was thinking "Maybe someone will clean it up now"

Good luck with the new Frame and post some pics!!!!!!!

 

[KnightChild]

The first time I read it I thought you were saying that you were the proud new owner of Mountain Cycles. I was thinking "Maybe someone will clean it up now"

Good luck with the new Frame and post some pics!!!!!!!

They're now owned by some Taiwanese company and they're in the process of sorting it out.

Good stuff on the new frame, gimme an idea how it rides if you can (i.e. bb height too high? or does it sag enough?).
I was very keen to get one but was too late it had gone (still looking if anyone wants to sell me a shockwave frame ).

 

[dropmachine]

Looks more like COMMUNISTS GOT THEM!!!!!!!

In Communist Russia, BIKE RIDES YOU!

 

[ZHendo]

^it's like a scrambled message from the ghost of lenin

 

[SK6]

Adds a whole new perspective to..."We stand BEHIND our bikes!"

 

[SK6]

This would be the beast:

 

[SK6]

I just put a Minnion DHF 2.5 on the rear.....Can't wait to point her down and go......

 

[Broken_Spoke]

I'm currently building up a Sin

 

[Whoops]

mmmm... old but good

 

[Broken_Spoke]

mmmm... old but good

always an interesting looking bike

 

[Mr Ridiculous]

Dude, bike looks awesome. Mine's in numerous pieces at the moment. Turns out I had to ship that 888 back to Marz for service. Blah blah blah.

Anyway, sweet new ride. can't wait to catch up with all you guys at the first race.

 

[Whoops]

always an interesting looking bike

Yeah it seems to polarize people - I like it, it's very well engineered, and it's still faster than I am... so why replace it?

 

[blue]

I wonder if the asshats will be able to convince any dealers to sell their (same) bikes?

 

[elRey]

I wonder if the asshats will be able to convince any dealers to sell their (same) bikes?

90% of other bike companies do it. they should be able to.

 

[Udi]

Yeah it seems to polarize people - I like it, it's very well engineered, and it's still faster than I am... so why replace it?

I used to ride one 2 years ago, same bike as the one you pictured. Now i'm only offering advice and you can take it how you see fit, but it really isn't the optimal bike if you race and want to go faster.

The first season I raced on it, I just assumed I sucked and the bike couldn't be holding me back. After all, it was a boutique brand, had 8" of travel, and was pretty light.

I couldn't have been more wrong. The moment I switched to a more conventional race bike (low BB, slack HA, low standover) I took off like a rocket. Thankfully I only wasted one season before I realised, but a friend of mine managed to waste 3 years on the frames before he realised how much they were slowing him down - and still regrets it to this day. He went from a turner to the shockwave, and couldn't figure out why he got slower all of a sudden.

Noticed I said frames - he went through a few I think, and by the time I got rid of mine it had cracked under the headtube, and on both sides where the cnc BB section attaches to the mainframe. I think it's horribly engineered, and you'd be lucky to find many kicking around today... all the ones I knew of here in aus broke, same goes for the san andreas'.

Again just some friendly advice - if you feel like you aren't riding as fast as your peers or as fast as you could be, i'd sooner blame the frame than your riding.

 

[Whoops]

advice taken in the manner intentioned - cheers.

To be honest, I'm as fast as all my friends (on Sundays, Specialized, Intenses etc), and not that serious about racing - far too old for that.

Mine's done 4 summers in the Alps, and 3 years here in NZ - I must just be super smooth (or super slow).

The only thing I'd change would be to lower the BB (it's 14.5").

It's still a bike, it does skids and jumps. I'm happy, and I'll stand by the engineering comment.

edit to say; but yes, I know what you mean... when I ride the Sunday it's FAAAAAAAAAAAAAAST.

 

[Udi]

Yeah fair call... as long as you're happy with it.

This was my old frame after a powdercoat:

 

[Whoops]

nice all white.

headtube wrap? did that work?

 

[Udi]

Yeah the headtube was sweet after that, but then the other two cracks showed up where the cnc pivot section connects to the mainframe... managed to sell it still, found a buyer that must have been an MC enthusiast or something.

Been floating around on a bighit dh, a demo8, and a sunday since then.

 

[SK6]

That's the reason I went to this frame. I'm a big guy, and my old bike was pretty "twitchy" feeling. I had NO confidence in the bike whatsoever. At the Massanutten Race in mid-May, a couple from NC, who ride as well, were talking after the race, and essentially said the same thing. If you're riding is not improving, or is improving, but only marginally, look into the frame.

He said the frame will, and often time does make a world of difference. So, I immediately knew, that I needed to suck on my own merits, and not the bikes... Henceforth the frame change....

So, here we are...Now, the issue of the rear shock set up is where I need to get more educated.......

 

[SK6]

Dude, bike looks awesome. Mine's in numerous pieces at the moment. Turns out I had to ship that 888 back to Marz for service. Blah blah blah.

Anyway, sweet new ride. can't wait to catch up with all you guys at the first race.

Dude, PM me your number....and Doug's if you don't mind......


Cheers...

 

[xy9ine]

i used to lust after the old san andreas. when the first mountain cycle launched (15 or so years ago) it was a radical design - the full suspension monocoque frame, disc brakes, & inverted fork were all leading edge stuff. i bought one of those forks (and still have it today). though the brake worked well, the (2" travel) elastomer sprung fork never worked as well as it looked.

 

[MinorThreat]

They're now owned by some Taiwanese company and they're in the process of sorting it out.

They were purchased back in 2001 by Kinesis, a Portland, OR-based frame maker that also has manufacturing capacity in Taiwan. Kinesis sold Mountain Cycle late last year to a new investment group.

Mountain Cycle is alive and well and headed up now by Doug Stuart. If that name rings a bell, it's because he was CEO of Full Speed Ahead (FSA) until last year. He left FSA to head up Mountain Cycle and revive the brand.

An article from Bicycle Retailer about the whole deal is here:
http://www.bicycleretailer.com/bicycleretailer/search/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003052682

 

[JRogers]

I called them up a few weeks back to get extra dropouts for my 9.5. The guy on the phone was very helpful and actually talked to me for quite a while about their plans, new ownership, frames, etc. And I got my parts quickly without any hassles.

I've had good luck with my 9.5 racing and riding and I got it used for cheap off of here. It's a durable, reasonably light, well performing frame. I haven't met anyone who's actually ridden one and did not like it. Geometry looks a bit funky compared to lots of newer bikes, but it works well.

I have mine set up with a short shock (8.75x2.75) and a 66sl and it rides a bit funky, but I seem to be doing well on it.

 

[SK6]

Well now that you bring up the issue with the shock, it turns out I have a 9.5 x 3 shock on the bike, however it has a 500# 3.25 spring on it.

I just ordered a 600# 3.0 spring to put on it. So now the question is, how dramatic will .25 make? Seems to me, with all of that travel, it may not be as noticeable. And to that end, Eric said that the 500# 3.25 for my size would probably be just fine, and very plush, so long as I set it up properly.

Anyone have any thoughts?

 

[denjen]

the extra 1/4" doesnt have anythint to do with how it will feel. it is just to keep the spring from binding up when you bottom out.

 

[SK6]

My guess would have to be with the sag would it not?

 

[JRogers]

My guess would have to be with the sag would it not?

I'm not sure exactly what you're saying. The change to a heavier spring (ie from 500 to 600) will make less sag, but the change from a shorter travel spring (3) to a longer one (3.25) will not change anything. All that means is one may have a slightly longer stroke than the other...as long as the spring stroke is at or above your shock stroke (ie not binding at full travel) then it makes no difference in the ride.

In any case, I'm not sure of the spring weight to use as I haven't used a DHX on mine. I have a Push Vanilla RC on there now and I think I use a 500. When I had the 5th Element on there, the spring was significantly lighter. How much do you weigh?

 

[SK6]

230lbs I'm picking up the 600# this Saturday....

 

[SK6]

OK, with the 500# x 3.25 spring, the sag is 1". In other words, the 9.5" without me on the bike, and 8.5" with me on the bike.

 

[JRogers]

OK, with the 500# x 3.25 spring, the sag is 1". In other words, the 9.5" without me on the bike, and 8.5" with me on the bike.

Hmmm, that sounds about where you'd want it. DH bikes should usually have at least 30% sag.

 

[SK6]

Yeah, so now its a matter of air.....and Pro-Pedal.....

 

[blue]

Mountain Cycle is alive and well and headed up now by Doug Stuart. If that name rings a bell, it's because he was CEO of Full Speed Ahead (FSA) until last year. He left FSA to head up Mountain Cycle and revive the brand.

He runs Corsair Bikes now...I think the MC deal didn't work out.

 

[denjen]

OK, with the 500# x 3.25 spring, the sag is 1". In other words, the 9.5" without me on the bike, and 8.5" with me on the bike.

how are you measuring sag?

 

[KnightChild]

How much do you weigh?
To find out the correct spring for you: take your weight and x 3 = for a DHX/Vanilla, then take away 50pounds/inch - 100 for a 5th elephant.
You should have about 1" of shock stroke worth of sag. (use a small ziptie/oring on the shaft to tell.
You should have about 3-4" of sag on that bike.

 

[SK6]

9.5" I to I....I sit on bike....8.5"; henceforth...1". 3" stroke 33.3% = 1"

Per the Fox Manual:

1. Before sitting on the bicycle, measure and record the distance from the center of one mounting bolt to the center of the other mounting bolt. This is known as the “eye to eye” measurement. Air shocks have an o-ring on the shock body. The o-ring should be pushed up against the scraper lip of the air sleeve. If there is no o-ring, use the "eye to eye" method.Measurement #2

2. Sit on the bicycle in a normal riding position. Your weight should be distributed on the saddle, handlebars and pedals. It may be necessary to hold yourself up against a wall or post to steady yourself. Do not bounce on the pedals or saddle.

3. Have an assistant measure and record the eye to eye distance. Subtract Measurement #2 from Measurement #1. The difference is the sag. For an air shock, dismount the bicycle and measure from the scraper lip to the o-ring. This is the sag.

 

[Dartman]

9.5" I to I....I sit on bike....8.5"; henceforth...1". 3" stroke 33.3% = 1"

I get 33.3333333333333333333333333333%

 

[Transcend]

How much do you weigh?
To find out the correct spring for you: take your weight and x 3 = for a DHX/Vanilla, then take away 50pounds/inch - 100 for a 5th elephant.
You should have about 1" of shock stroke worth of sag. (use a small ziptie/oring on the shaft to tell.
You should have about 3-4" of sag on that bike.

That equation doesn't work very well at all. To find the proper spring weight, use one of the many spring selection charts available on the net (including from fox).

With your equation I would need a 400lb spring, but I actually need a 300lb spring. That is a HUGE difference.

You need to know stroke, leverage ratio and body weight at the very least (the % sag you want also helps) to get the proper spring weight (or as close to it as possible).

Here is the TFtuned calculator.
http://www.tftunedshox.com/springcalc.htm

 

[SprungShoulders]

...I have mine set up with a short shock (8.75x2.75) and a 66sl and it rides a bit funky, but I seem to be doing well on it.

Funky indeed! The "accepted" shock mod for the 9.5 is to go to a 9x2.75, yielding approx an inch lower BB, a 65-ish (or a hair less) HA with a 21.5"-ish AC fork, and about 8.7" of rear wheel travel. I had mine set up like this for a while and generally really liked it, with two exceptions: it severely limited the choice of front forks (AC needed to be about 21.5" or less); the HA was just too slack for me in most circumstances (even with a low AC fork).

Going back to a Push'ed 9.5x3 Fox and a '05 170mm 888RC worked better for me. YMMV.

The 9.5 works well. It's a fun bike to ride, it's been highly durable and maintenance free, and the BB height becomes a non-issue in real-world use. Between ample sag and corning forces, the bike settles, sticks, and rails.

I'll ride mine 'til it breaks. Or I do. Whichever comes first (most likely the latter). :biggrin: