Outside of using a Bighit for an all-mountain build is this dumb to have 8" of travel in the rear and 6" up front? I've got too many downhill bikes and I'm trying to put together a bike i can hopefully pedal uphill a little bit. I know that there is hundreds of bikes that would be better suited for this build but this is all I have laying around. Any thoughts or ideas would be greatly appreciated.
Specialized Bighit w/ 8" rear and 6" of front suspension (thoughts)
- Thread starter kellyn7
- Start date
should be fine!, nice little ripper with extra cush!
i ran my dirtbag with 140mm for a month and it was fine...of course i didn't know i was doing it at the time...air fork got sucked down.
i ran my dirtbag with 140mm for a month and it was fine...of course i didn't know i was doing it at the time...air fork got sucked down.
I did exactly the same thing to a Bighit a few years back. My only beef was that it felt too steep, as it takes HA steeper than 67*.
I strongly suggest trying an 8.5"x2.5" shock instead of the stock 8.75". Head angle feels good again and the rear doesn't feel wallowy.
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I strongly suggest trying an 8.5"x2.5" shock instead of the stock 8.75". Head angle feels good again and the rear doesn't feel wallowy.
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let me have that demo 7 in the background and i'll gladly give you my enduro for an AM bike 
8.5" x 2.5" Fox Float or RP23 will make that a sweet AM rig.
I agree with the above that the best option is to run a 8.5x2.5 shock on there. You could run a 24" wheel on the back and achieve a similar effect as it would lower your BB height and slacken your HA but the benefit of the shock is that you would balance out your travel between the front and rear and you get the benefits of correcting your geometry.
If its an older big hit, it probably already has a 24 in the back.
My thoughts on this...... Why not, My Brother has a socom with a 36, thats eight and six, he loves it.
My thoughts on this...... Why not, My Brother has a socom with a 36, thats eight and six, he loves it.
Based on the photo I don't think it is an older one that comes with the 24" rear wheel stock. My brother has a Big Hit DH and that had a different link, different frame and the 24". It was also adjustable from 8.1" down to 6.8" in the rear. It was a sweet design, not sure why Specialized parted ways with it. I suspect because the 24" rear wheel wasn't really popular w/the masses. There is nothing wrong with more travel in the back than in the front and the converse is true too if the geometry is correct. However, I think most people prefer a more balanced feel between the two ends which is why I personally would lean towards a shock change given this application.
I don't think you could wrong with either option, I can only say what I would do given the circumstances.
As a counter point to what I mentioned above, I do run a 24" rear wheel on my Titus Supermoto w/a 2009 36 TALAS RC2. I love it. It turns the bike into a mini DH bike and corners like nothing else. However, my goal with this build is very different than what you are try to accomplish with your build. I was going from an AM build to a DH build and you are going the opposite direction. I don't run this set up for trail riding however.
Ok, so there are two different views from one person. Hopefully I didn't cause more confusion.:huh:
I think the shorter air shock would be a sweet option. I put a shorter air shock on my dirtbag with a pike and it was a fun all mountain bike. the only drawback was the weight, but if you're used to that, it will be awesome. You might check santa cruz clearance, they may have a cheap shock for you to play with. last I checked they had 5th element airs for $25! For that price you could throw them away when they blow up!
In an answer as to why Speccy went away from the 24 rear........ It rolls over like ****, in other words, It hangs up on square edges. The 26 just plain rolls better.
Seems sick. If it feels fine, why not run it?