[math2014]

Hi all

I just spoke on the phone with BETD and Specialized UK.

With respect to the 03/04 SX, Specialized has no problems with running a 6" singlecrown fork, such as the 2005 Z1 FR 150mm or the Sherman Firefly Plus 150mm.

Also they closely work with BETD and they support use of their products (at least unofficially).

With respect to the Enduro/SX BETD linkage transfer plate. For Enduro with 2" shock, it gives 6" of rear travel. For the SX with 1.75" stroke shock, it gives 5.25" of travel and if you upgrade to 2" shock then we got 6" there as well.
More importantly the bb height is raised to 13.1".

Essentially, with a Z1 FR 150mm a Vanilla R with 2" stroke and the BETD plate you will have a nice 6x6 upgrade which will preserve the original geometry of the bike and will not have any clearance problems!!!!

YAY.

 

[DVNT]

Are you planning on switching to the BETD linkage plate on your SX?

I've already got the new Firefly on mine, it doesn't mess with the geometry or at least I don't notice it.

 

[math2014]

hey DVNT you got the 6" firefly or the 5" one?

Yes i am planning on a Z1 FRI 150mm and the BETD link which basically changes the compression rate TO 3:1 . So from the 1.75" stroke shock you will get 5.25" travel instead of 4.5" travel that you get from the current plate.

Given a 7.5 i2i 2" shock you will be able to get 6" out of the SX that is probably something to do as a final stage.

 

[DVNT]

hey DVNT you got the 6" firefly or the 5" one?

Yes i am planning on a Z1 FRI 150mm and the BETD link which basically changes the compression rate TO 3:1 . So from the 1.75" stroke shock you will get 5.25" travel instead of 4.5" travel that you get from the current plate.

Given a 7.5 i2i 2" shock you will be able to get 6" out of the SX that is probably something to do as a final stage.

I got the 6" Firefly. I like it so far. I just got the bike built up so I'm still messing with everything.

Can you post that link for BETD again?

I'll be in North England in January and may try to pick one up somehow. I'm still not sure I want to switch the Link but may pick one up in case I want to use my SX as a "big hit" later on.

 

[math2014]

Here is the pic bro,

now i suspect that by using the 5.25" setting on this one, you actually get 4.75" on the SX , and when you use the 6" setting you get 5.25"

simply because the SX is using 6.75 i2i 1.75" stroke whereas the simple enduro is using 7.5 i2i and 2" stroke

I am so tempted to get a 7.5" 2" Vanilla R

 

[DVNT]

Thanks,
I could read the web address off of the part, although their website is a bit out of date.
Keep me posted if you decide to get one.

 

[gmac]

Are there many SX fans out there ?

I thought quite a few Enduro SX bikes broke pretty easily ?

 

[math2014]

Are there many SX fans out there ?

I thought quite a few Enduro SX bikes broke pretty easily ?

i dont know about the number of fans but i know that almost none has broken in the UK

 

[DVNT]

Ha! If they do break looks like we won't have to worry about the BETD linkage for 6" of travel, we'll just get the new SX frames!

 

[binary visions]

I just read your posts several times.. I don't understand. If you go to a longer i2i shock, you will raise the BB height. If you go to a longer fork as well, you will raise the BB height. How is this "preserving the original geometry"? Perhaps you retain the same headangle but your BB will be skyscraper high with both a 1.25" longer i2i shock and 1" longer fork.

Also, depending on exactly how much longer the fork is (it may be less than a full inch longer), adding to the fact that the i2i of the shock is more than an inch longer, you probably won't end up with the exact same headangle.

...or am I missing something?

 

[math2014]

I just read your posts several times.. I don't understand. If you go to a longer i2i shock, you will raise the BB height. If you go to a longer fork as well, you will raise the BB height. How is this "preserving the original geometry"? Perhaps you retain the same headangle but your BB will be skyscraper high with both a 1.25" longer i2i shock and 1" longer fork.

Also, depending on exactly how much longer the fork is (it may be less than a full inch longer), adding to the fact that the i2i of the shock is more than an inch longer, you probably won't end up with the exact same headangle.

...or am I missing something?

Hey bv,

Here is the deal so far if i am correct.

With current setup i got 12.5" bb height , 6.75" i2i, 1.75" stroke, 2.57:1 compression rate and 4.5" rear travel, fork a-c is 518mm.

With BETD plate the only thing that changes is compression rate, which rises to a sensible 3:1, hence the 5.25" rear travel figure by using the existing shock and betd plate.

By putting on a 7.5" i2i 2" stroke shock, i am adding 0.75" on the rear, and by using the betd plate i ll be getting 6" of rear travel. By going from a 130mm Z1 to a 150mm Z1 i ll get a rise of 20mm up front or 0.78". In other words given some basic geometry etc etc, my bb will rise from 12.5" to 13.1-13.2" hich sounds much more sensible in my books for pedal clearance, and since front and rear will rise by the same amount , in theory the geometry should remain unnaffected.

I hope this makes sense. I am not claiming i am correct, i am just having thoughts on this and making e-configurations .

Yannis.

PS. Getting a 6x6 new bike is simply financially not an option for me, so dont suggest a 6pack

 

[Roasted]

Care to ask them if they will do after market bighit plates that doesn't force me to use a 26" rear wheel, since specialized has stopped making them.

btw congrats...you could make a nice mid range travel bike with that plate...

 

[math2014]

Care to ask them if they will do after market bighit plates that doesn't force me to use a 26" rear wheel, since specialized has stopped making them.

btw congrats...you could make a nice mid range travel bike with that plate...

Will try to call them up tommorow morning bro, and i ll let you know definately... they are closed down now ...9.15pm here

 

[binary visions]

I hope this makes sense. I am not claiming i am correct, i am just having thoughts on this and making e-configurations .

It's been a long day; I don't know where I got the 1.25" rear shock length change.

I gotcha now. Sounds correct to me!

 

[Roasted]

Sweet thanks...muchly appreciated. And no I am no in my office on msn. A server has crashed and I am trying to fix it. It takes like 15 minutes to boot so I have time to do nothing

 

[math2014]

It's been a long day; I don't know where I got the 1.25" rear shock length change.

I gotcha now. Sounds correct to me!

that is very intriguing for me as a project... to get a new bike from upgrages , well i ll spend 350uk notes (by selling my fork as well) and i ll get a 6x6 bike, instead of dishing out 3000$ for new frame and fork (888+d8) which i ll be unable to use properly for the time being.

Roasted, no worries bro...i am of to smoke my ciggy, will catch you laters, patience with the server bro...

 

[DVNT]

Care to ask them if they will do after market bighit plates that doesn't force me to use a 26" rear wheel, since specialized has stopped making them.

btw congrats...you could make a nice mid range travel bike with that plate...

Check their website www.BETD.co.uk they have some stuff for the Big Hit and not everything is listed on their website so you may want to e-mail them.

 

[math2014]

Check their website www.BETD.co.uk they have some stuff for the Big Hit and not everything is listed on their website so you may want to e-mail them.

it is more convenient though to have a UK based bro given them a call

 

[Roasted]

Check their website www.BETD.co.uk they have some stuff for the Big Hit and not everything is listed on their website so you may want to e-mail them.

Yeah I have been to the site. Hard to find stuff and I really just want a biglink kit. I don't mind the 24" wheel. Although if worst comes to worse I may end up settling for one of those aftermarket linkages, I just don't want 9 in of travel.

 

[math2014]

Yeah I have been to the site. Hard to find stuff and I really just want a biglink kit. I don't mind the 24" wheel. Although if worst comes to worse I may end up settling for one of those aftermarket linkages, I just don't want 9 in of travel.

8.9" of travel are available only if you are using the long DH shock that comes stock on the Bighit DH frame.

Now i will definately try to clarify if they make a linkage plate for 24" and what the travel is going to be with it...along with comp ratio etc.

 

[Mr. Furious]

Are there many SX fans out there ?

I thought quite a few Enduro SX bikes broke pretty easily ?

I'm a big fan of the SX
Haven't heard of any broken SX's myself, only heard about one guy ovalizing the headtube from too much DJ'ing

 

[gmac]

Ya. The Trail SX 05 looks nice. Not many out there yet though. NSMB had it billed as a "DEMO 6 ? " But, I don't see how a trail SX and the Demo 8/9 compare in design.

I know I loved my FSR XC until I broke it in like 6mos. Just wasn't meant for real trail riding obviously. But, if the Trail SX pedals like or close the FSR XC then it might be perfect for my riding. I's love to see a 24" rear option for the Trail SX myself.

 

[math2014]

Spoken to BETD again, unfortunately they turned me away from using a 7.5" i2i shock... as it will raise the rear end of the bike by 2.25" so i will end up with a road bike geometry

So i ll stick to my existing shock, and prolly get 5.25" travel soon... question is... how much of a difference is 0.75" increase on a 4.5" bike? Also the extra 20mm of travel of the fork will help?

Yannis

 

[DVNT]

Spoken to BETD again, unfortunately they turned me away from using a 7.5" i2i shock... as it will raise the rear end of the bike by 2.25" so i will end up with a road bike geometry

So i ll stick to my existing shock, and prolly get 5.25" travel soon... question is... how much of a difference is 0.75" increase on a 4.5" bike? Also the extra 20mm of travel of the fork will help?

Yannis

Stick with your plan of adding the new 150mm fork first.
You may decide that you don't even need the BETD plate, but then again in a year or two it may bring new life to an old frame.

 

[Zark]

screw the plates and fork, ride what you got and save the cash for a big bike. This is like ricing out a Civic, it might be fast in the end, but you're better off starting with a faster car to begin with.

The SX is a badass bike, enjoy the ride and save your pennies.

 

[math2014]

Noah i wish i could bro,

cash is not the only problem for a demo8... it will be useless for me for where i live give the lack of car, that is why i want to go in the middle with the upgraded SX.

 

[oly]

If you have a dragster, but no dragstrip, is it worth it?> But you could have a little ricer that has some upgrades you can run through the neighborhood to annoy everyone.

 

[Zark]

Noah i wish i could bro,

cash is not the only problem for a demo8... it will be useless for me for where i live give the lack of car, that is why i want to go in the middle with the upgraded SX.

I have some personal experience with this very scenario. I modded my '98 FSR pro from 4.5" to 6" and put a 6" fork on it. I ended up with a bike with a skyscraper BB, so I put a 24" wheel on it. All in all I spent as much money modding my bike as it would have cost to sell my bike and use that cash to get a purpose built machine.

I think 5.25" setting with a 6" fork to keep the HA about right 'might' be OK, but the BB will be going up an inch at least.

 

[DVNT]

I have some personal experience with this very scenario. I modded my '98 FSR pro from 4.5" to 6" and put a 6" fork on it. I ended up with a bike with a skyscraper BB, so I put a 24" wheel on it. All in all I spent as much money modding my bike as it would have cost to sell my bike and use that cash to get a purpose built machine.

I think 5.25" setting with a 6" fork to keep the HA about right 'might' be OK, but the BB will be going up an inch at least.

I've got the new Firefly on mine 150mm with the original rear set up and it seems ok to me. It handles great.

 

[math2014]

I have some personal experience with this very scenario. I modded my '98 FSR pro from 4.5" to 6" and put a 6" fork on it. I ended up with a bike with a skyscraper BB, so I put a 24" wheel on it. All in all I spent as much money modding my bike as it would have cost to sell my bike and use that cash to get a purpose built machine.

I think 5.25" setting with a 6" fork to keep the HA about right 'might' be OK, but the BB will be going up an inch at least.

Well the bb on the SX is lower than it should for my intended purpose, it is 12.5" now and will be 13.2" so that sounds ideal for trail/dh purpose... but i see your point in general... however i am concerned with the specific application to my bike.