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New Whip? New toys for the dependable steed?

jackalope

Mental acuity - 1%
Jan 9, 2004
7,609
5,924
in a single wide, cooking meth...
This rock panzer originally started with @SuboptimusPrime and was later handed over to yours truly for continued abuse when he jumped onto the HSP bandwagon. It still absolutely crushes and delivers loads of party endorphins to the noodle when smashing East Coast Roxz.

Major metal horns to the GG staff and @mtg for gifting me a main pivot bolt from his own bike when I over man-torqued the original one. DH bikes are so choice. If you have the means, I highly recommend picking one up.

20221017_150710.jpg
 

Da Peach

Outwitted by a rodent
Jul 2, 2002
13,683
4,912
North Van
This rock panzer originally started with @SuboptimusPrime and was later handed over to yours truly for continued abuse when he jumped onto the HSP bandwagon. It still absolutely crushes and delivers loads of party endorphins to the noodle when smashing East Coast Roxz.

Major metal horns to the GG staff and @mtg for gifting me a main pivot bolt from his own bike when I over man-torqued the original one. DH bikes are so choice. If you have the means, I highly recommend picking one up.

View attachment 183406
That helmet work ok with your Leatt?
 

FlipSide

Turbo Monkey
Sep 24, 2001
1,387
825
No 30mm = No way to resize the bushings on the Rock Shox Psylo and Manitou Black :rant:

Sounds like Mike dropped the ball on this... ;)
 

Jm_

sled dog's bollocks
Jan 14, 2002
18,995
9,652
AK
1666481314310.png

Compared to my 5 year old-or-more Bikeyoke Revive, it's not as silky smooth. The WT is more like a fresh PNW in terms of how smooth, which is not junky at all, just that the Revive is still in it's own category here IME. I did have a problem with the PNW I just took out of this bike, where it was slipping and I had to go to pretty insane clamping force on the collar, so much so that I was questioning whether the bike was produced right. The WT fits much tighter, so seems like it was not a bike issue, but a PNW issue. I've killed a bunch of the PNWs though, so the main feature I'm looking for out of the WT is to have reliability more like the Bikeyoke, but in the cold. WT have assured me they've tested it for "years in the cold in Minnesota".
 

Andeh

Customer Title
Mar 3, 2020
1,015
990
I remember seeing a post from Sacki (head of BY) that said they did testing in a freezer on them to like -25 C after someone in Alaska was asking how they'd work. He did say you'll need to use the reset more often but it will work.
 

Jm_

sled dog's bollocks
Jan 14, 2002
18,995
9,652
AK
I remember seeing a post from Sacki (head of BY) that said they did testing in a freezer on them to like -25 C after someone in Alaska was asking how they'd work. He did say you'll need to use the reset more often but it will work.
The main problem is that when you change temps, the lever jams. Sometimes you can force it back, but when it's hard, you'll break it first. If you compress the post before you bring it indoors, then it doesn't matter, but if you are in real cold and forget to at least partially compress the post and leave it there, it'll jam in that position until you can get it to similar temps again. PNW has this problem too, but not as pronounced IME. Since experiencing this with the BYs though, I moved them to my summer bike. If you screw this up, you basically turn your dropper into a rigid post for the entire ride (until you can get temps back to similar).
 

Jm_

sled dog's bollocks
Jan 14, 2002
18,995
9,652
AK
And since the WT has a similar self-bleeding design, I'm curious to see whether it will have the same issue. I guess I should read the manual now. They are flat out saying -30F is good to go...
 

Jm_

sled dog's bollocks
Jan 14, 2002
18,995
9,652
AK
Looks to be same as BY:

If you are riding at cold temperatures and bring your bike into a warm building with the post fully extended, the fluid will expand as it warms and it may be very difficult to actuate the dropper lever. In this case, bring the bike back out in the cold to reduce the pressure and then lower the post 10-20 mm before bringing it back inside. The best solution to prevent this is to simply leave your dropper post slightly retracted before moving from a cold to warm environment.
 

Leafy

Monkey
Sep 13, 2019
549
358
View attachment 183645
Compared to my 5 year old-or-more Bikeyoke Revive, it's not as silky smooth. The WT is more like a fresh PNW in terms of how smooth, which is not junky at all, just that the Revive is still in it's own category here IME. I did have a problem with the PNW I just took out of this bike, where it was slipping and I had to go to pretty insane clamping force on the collar, so much so that I was questioning whether the bike was produced right. The WT fits much tighter, so seems like it was not a bike issue, but a PNW issue. I've killed a bunch of the PNWs though, so the main feature I'm looking for out of the WT is to have reliability more like the Bikeyoke, but in the cold. WT have assured me they've tested it for "years in the cold in Minnesota".
if you want an indestructible post that works in the cold you want a brand-x. I’ve ridden one in the teens, worked flawlessly. You have to give up some rotational slop and overall length vs drop to get it, but they’re also only $100.
 

Jm_

sled dog's bollocks
Jan 14, 2002
18,995
9,652
AK
if you want an indestructible post that works in the cold you want a brand-x. I’ve ridden one in the teens, worked flawlessly. You have to give up some rotational slop and overall length vs drop to get it, but they’re also only $100.
That's the Wintek cartridge. I've killed 3 of them...one of mine is eternally in warranty because PNW can't get any new parts, supposedly. I rode them in the -20Fs, maybe even colder a few times. Destructible.
 

Leafy

Monkey
Sep 13, 2019
549
358
That's the Wintek cartridge. I've killed 3 of them...one of mine is eternally in warranty because PNW can't get any new parts, supposedly. I rode them in the -20Fs, maybe even colder a few times. Destructible.
How the heck do you break them? It certainly isn’t the seals. I left one in the down position for 8 months. Unless it’s the bushings you’re killing then the longer overall length of the brand-x might actually last longer than pnw for you.
 

Jm_

sled dog's bollocks
Jan 14, 2002
18,995
9,652
AK
How the heck do you break them? It certainly isn’t the seals. I left one in the down position for 8 months. Unless it’s the bushings you’re killing then the longer overall length of the brand-x might actually last longer than pnw for you.
They get saggy. Air gets in the cart.
 

shirk007

Monkey
Apr 14, 2009
500
357


New whip. Finally finished building another frame. Also new fork, I bought the Helm in the spring of 2020 when this bike was supposed to be built just before they launched the MKII. New set of Formula Cura 2x, this is my second set of these and really like them. Fresh set of Michelin Wild AM2 / Force AM2 rubber. These are a bit less aggressive than the Wild Enduro that just came off the front.

 

HardtailHack

used an iron once
Jan 20, 2009
6,746
5,638


New whip. Finally finished building another frame. Also new fork, I bought the Helm in the spring of 2020 when this bike was supposed to be built just before they launched the MKII. New set of Formula Cura 2x, this is my second set of these and really like them. Fresh set of Michelin Wild AM2 / Force AM2 rubber. These are a bit less aggressive than the Wild Enduro that just came off the front.
That's pretty rad!
Also, do people tell you have your bar too far forward? I run mine like that, I find upsweep helps more with my hand numbness than backsweep.
 

shirk007

Monkey
Apr 14, 2009
500
357
I have grown to prefer plenty of backsweep and a bit of forward roll. These bars are 15 back and 5 up. They might be a hair too far forward in this picture as I was still adjusting on the first back alley test spin.
 

HardtailHack

used an iron once
Jan 20, 2009
6,746
5,638
Saint cranks came today.
-2758955562580022028.jpg


-567488328403665649.jpg

If anybody in Australia is lighter than me and needs a bougie week old frame shoot me a message.
The geo is great for my 6ft frame but I am a bit fat for the tubes used in the front end, she's a bit whippy.
 

buckoW

Turbo Monkey
Mar 1, 2007
3,787
4,730
Champery, Switzerland
Saint cranks came today.
View attachment 184043

View attachment 184044
If anybody in Australia is lighter than me and needs a bougie week old frame shoot me a message.
The geo is great for my 6ft frame but I am a bit fat for the tubes used in the front end, she's a bit whippy.
What wall thickness on the tubes? Bummer…

Are you sure it’s not the Mara sabotaging the whole feel of the bike? No negative chamber design?
 

HardtailHack

used an iron once
Jan 20, 2009
6,746
5,638
What wall thickness on the tubes? Bummer…

Are you sure it’s not the Mara sabotaging the whole feel of the bike? No negative chamber design?
No idea but I did think of asking him to use cheap straight gauge stuff instead of the fancy stuff, I think the magic in 853 is mainly people believing it rides better because it cost them more or they have never had a well spec'd cheap frame.
My Marino hardtail was the perfect balance but the quality was pretty shit, you could not finish a ride with the seat at the same height it started at.

Riding my new bike a night seems to be the key, I can't see the bike flex so I don't wiggle it side to side and giggle at the movement.
If I am less fat it will be a wicked bike, but I really like KFC.
The Mara seems like it will be fine, I thought I had a flat rear tire today but then I remembered that I sold my soul.

I bet a dropped down 38 would fix the front end right up.
Because a 130mm 37 is too flexxy?