New build advice

ianjenn · Oct 24, 2015

Avoid the cheaper rear FOX shocks they are basically garbage. I have seen 4-5 swapped out in a 4-5 month period at my work. I think the RS Monarch or CCDB AIr may be the best bet...

Tires a 2.3-2.4 should be plenty big.

I have been running 1x11 but most of the guys I work with use a modded 1x10 set up it works fine for them they are in their mid twenties I need all the help going up.

I have not noticed any noise on the 2014 or newer FOX forks the 36 is very...very good.

Jm_ · Oct 24, 2015

People ride single speed bikes, so yes, you can ride a single ring. It's not a big deal and you adapt quickly to it. I haven't found the need for bigger than a 34 in the back, but these days cassettes can be had with 40 and 42 cogs, either 1x10 or 1x11, either one is fine and 1x11 should be getting cheaper now that shimano is getting into it as well. That also means older stuff will be cheaper for a while as stocks are sold off. I find that one the trail I rarely ever need a larger gear than I have on my 1x10 setup and it's not worth having that extra pound for the .01% of the time that I can actually use a ring larger than 30 or 32t up front.

I have a Monarch+ RC3 and like it, a definite upgrade from my piss poor Fox CTD Evo. I like the idea of the Vivid for DH, but I don't know if I'd want it for day-to-day riding.

Consider buying a separate pair of DH tires just for DH. Lugging around 1000+g DH tires all the time is tiresome and I notice the difference on rides, but on the other hand, DH is real abusive and you want a good thick casing and traction, which a good DH tire provides (and can wear out fast if you use it for everything).

Carraig042 · Oct 25, 2015

On my trail bike I like to run the Minions DHF exo and their weight was just under what maxxis claims of 870. They set up tubeless nicely as well.

I am a converted 1x10 (30tooth up front and maybe could use a 32t) and if i were you, I would do the same. Maybe get one if the extended cogs from 1up (40-42t) if you find it necessary for your climbs.

Cane Creek has a base tune specifically for the bullit available on their website, and their tunes are normally really good. I think you should be looking at the CS version to help with the climbs.

Make sure you get a clutch type derailleur if you go single ring up front! They work wonders and you may not need a guide up front at all.

-Brett

dump · Oct 25, 2015

Yes, do yourself a favour and run maxxis dhs exo tires

Jm_ · Oct 25, 2015

Dizmo said:
Haha, yeah. I should have mentioned I live in Vancouver BC. I don't think a single speed would really provide enough of a range to get around...at least not in the shape I'm in
I'm definitely sticking with Shimano for the drivetrain, I've never used SRAM but if something works...why change it.

So? You think there aren't SS guys tearing up all your local climbs? I live in Alaska, did 11 years before that in Arizona, where normal rides always included several thousand vertical feet, and I was running a 44lb freeride bike with a single ring, in addition to my normal bike which I had decided to not use the granny gear on. It's simple adaptation, not dependent on your hills. It takes the same amount of energy to climb the hill with either front ring size. In 2 weeks you'll be riding 95% of the stuff you rode with a granny gear and in 4 weeks, you won't even remember a difference. To make the point the other way, I put a 30t ring on the front of my AM rig (so it was running 30t front and 11-36 rear) and I thought that would make me better able to make climbs/not be as exhausted. Did it work? Nope, my body simple re-adjusted to the 30t instead of the 32 almost immediately and I was no faster or slower on said climbs. It's conditioning, not all out fitness or strength.

You run a 32t up front? That's the other thing I wasn't too sure about. My last bike was a Turner Rail set up on the aggressive side, and I ran a 11-32 in the rear and a 34t up front.

30t actually, although I have a 32 I could put on it if I wanted. Since the bike is an Enduro 29er, the 30t is roughly equivalent to a 32t on a 26 or 27.5" wheeled bike (the 29er size is significantly bigger than both and needs a bit smaller gear to have the equivalent gearing, taking the wheel size into account). The rear has an 11-36, I might have said 34 earlier, but i misspoke. The great thing these days is that some manufacturers like 1up and wolf tooth offer replacement cogs where you take out a small cog and put a larger big cog in behind the cassette, giving you similar range to Srams 1x11, which goes up to 42t. I haven't found that necessary, but the equivalent gearing is like riding in the granny gear front ring and 2nd easiest rear on an older 3-ring bike, it just gets rid of all the redundant gears.

I also find the more technical the climb, the higher the gearing you need. To power over rocks and obstacles, you need a pretty high gear, otherwise you stall out all the time due to lack of momentum and gyroscopic stability. Your brain will reprogram as I mentioned above for the "spinning" on the steep stuff. You won't notice it.

Good to hear that the Monarch is a decent shock, how do you find it handles the descents? That's the main thing I'm worried about with that guy. I'd be going down far more than up.

It's not bad, much more stable than my fox, I can feel the rebound circuit working and not packing up like my fox, I've raced downhill with it a few times and I'm pretty happy with it. I don't feel like I "have to get something else because this is unbearable" like with my fox, but it was a pretty crappy fox that I had. Given your criteria of going down more, I'd be looking more at the Vivid. The fox Float X offers a unique feature of being aftermarket-modd-able at Avalanche Suspension, but so does the Monarch+, so if the Monarch is cheaper, I'd probably go with that and if unhappy or wanting of a suspension improvement, send it to Avalanche Suspension and craig will make it magic.

Honestly, switching out tires is probably one of the most annoying things I've ever done. I'd likely just buy one set of tires and stick to them, perhaps a pair of 2.5" Nevegals? In the folding bead variety they're quite light at around 850 grams per tire.

850g tires are probably decent for all-around riding and big downhills that are part of your ride, but for actual DH at a resort/park, I'd still go with 1000g+ "DH casing" tires. That kind of riding tears up and spits out tires fast. The other thing is that some good sticky tires like the minions can be simply amazing in terms of traction on off-camber stuff and at angles that almost defy belief, the traction is usually worth it, as is not tearing the hell out of your "normal" tires. I also find that for most trail riding I have no need or want of more than a 2.3 in the rear. Obviously it depends on how often you'll be DHing and just regular trail riding. I think I switched out my minions about 3-4 times this year. I'd leave them on for a few rides both sides of DHing, but for the majority of trail-riding i had them off, except for one long ride where it felt like my wheels were made of lead. I mix up my own sealant with latex mold builder, ammonia, water and slime, so I basically make it in bulk and store it in mason jars. Modern tubeless rims are easy to deal with and the tires "pop" into place rather easily. I do this with a floor pump, but I'll probably get the new bontrager "tank" pump, it will make my life even easier.

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New build advice

Dizmo

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Turbo Monkey

Jm_

sled dog's bollocks

Dizmo

Chimp

Carraig042

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dump

Turbo Monkey

Jm_

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