[DirtMcGirk]

I've had my 2007 303DH now for 4 years. I love the bike, its an absolute champ. But, its getting on in years now, and I am not a small man.

I found a great deal at Go-ride on a 2009 RDH frame and fork. I know I want to stay with Yeti as I have been very, very happy with their bikes. There are now 5 of them in my arsenal.

So here are my questions:
- What is the change in "the ride" from the DH to the RDH?
- How would an 2007 888 RC2 compare to the 2011 Fox 40 w/Kashima Coat?
- Is the 2011 Fox 40 w/Kashima Coat what you'd call "fat retard on a bike" resistant?
- Would you recommend sending the shock right off to Push?
- Is the 303RDH as labor intensive as to upkeep like the 303DH is?

 

[no skid marks]

I don't agree with brand loyalty. I think you should ask questions, figure out why you like your old bike, test other bikes and get what best suits you.
By mentioning what you like in your current bike, fellow Monkeys will be able to advise you from their experiences on what would be similar, and what those bikes benefits are. remember to add a touch of salt.
With the forks, I think the new 888s would suit you better.

 

[Sandwich]

fyi it's ok to ride something besides yeti, just gonna put that out there.

 

[zdubyadubya]

I've had my 2007 303DH now for 4 years. I love the bike, its an absolute champ. But, its getting on in years now, and I am not a small man.

I found a great deal at Go-ride on a 2009 RDH frame and fork. I know I want to stay with Yeti as I have been very, very happy with their bikes. There are now 5 of them in my arsenal.

So here are my questions:
- What is the change in "the ride" from the DH to the RDH?

Very different

- How would an 2007 888 RC2 compare to the 2011 Fox 40 w/Kashima Coat?

Night and Day

- Is the 2011 Fox 40 w/Kashima Coat what you'd call "fat retard on a bike" resistant?

Yes. Just keep an eye on your maintenance schedules

- Would you recommend sending the shock right off to Push?

No

- Is the 303RDH as labor intensive as to upkeep like the 303DH is?

Yes. Any Rail system will be

I thought you already put a deposit down on a new 303DH? The 25th anniversary one...

 

[DirtMcGirk]

I thought you already put a deposit down on a new 303DH? The 25th anniversary one...

I did.
Then there was some drama.
Then there was some money refunded.

 

[4xBoy]

I did.
Then there was some drama.
Then there was some money refunded.

You? Drama? no way.

 

[gfisher270]

I've had my 303RDH for a season now and I love the bike. It easy to maintain, and it has one less rail than the 303DH. Also it's easy to be able to clean the rail and access the grease port. I got my frame from go-ride.com and it came fast and was a good deal.

 

[go-ride.com]

I've had my 2007 303DH now for 4 years. I love the bike, its an absolute champ. But, its getting on in years now, and I am not a small man.

I found a great deal at Go-ride on a 2009 RDH frame and fork. I know I want to stay with Yeti as I have been very, very happy with their bikes. There are now 5 of them in my arsenal.

So here are my questions:

- What is the change in "the ride" from the DH to the RDH?
The RDH is much lighter and handles that way. Changes lines easier and is more fun on all-around DH trails, not just WC speed trails that the DH was best at.

- How would an 2007 888 RC2 compare to the 2011 Fox 40 w/Kashima Coat?
I really liked my 2007 888 RC2, but some riders felt they were too soft on the brakes and dived in corners. DH forks have progressed a lot since then. The 40 does a great job of handling the bumps and staying up in its travel on the brakes. The 40 will take a day or two to break-in, but after that they are very good. The new 2011 inverted damper is supposed to be more reliable.

- Is the 2011 Fox 40 w/Kashima Coat what you'd call "fat retard on a bike" resistant?
I'm not sure if there is a durability difference between the original coating and the Kashima. Kashima is supposed to have less friction, but I don't notice much of a difference.

- Would you recommend sending the shock right off to Push?
I would consider it. With the right tune the RDH goes from a good bike to an excellent bike.

- Is the 303RDH as labor intensive as to upkeep like the 303DH is?
No it is not. Most of the load goes through the main pivot bearings. My 2 yr old RDH has only need a 1 time manual service of the car after a very very muddy race. It took 15 min and required no parts. Otherwise just use the grease injector about every other ride.

Let me know if you have any other questions.

 

[Mr Lahey]

I have been very happy with my RDH from Go Ride. I have yet to see anyone who has actually owned one say that the rail is high maintenance. Unlike the the DH, there is only one rail and it is easier to wipe off. Not sure how anyone would say that is more work. Generally the shock gives the bike a very harsh feeling... one of the few things I would like to change on it this season.

After a season of GES racing and at least one ride a week the frame has held up very well. It has one small dent from Plattekill- but that is to be expected.

My biggest gripe with the frame is that the concentric HA/BB adjustment discs striped out very quickly.


Compared to my previous bikes (sunday, 7.7,IH SGS),it is stiff, fast, and a lot of fun to ride.

 

[go-ride.com]

Duplicate Post

 

[DirtMcGirk]

Well I think that decision was pretty easy.
Now to raise some funds.

 

[norbar]

It's strange you want a completely different ride only because it shares a sticker with your current one. Don't get me wrong it's a good bike but the ride is poppy, not plowy. Why not get something more like the old 303?

 

[MinorThreat]

fyi it's ok to ride something besides yeti, just gonna put that out there.

No it's not.

Generally the shock gives the bike a very harsh feeling... one of the few things I would like to change on it this season.

I experienced this with mine but that was because the large comes stock with a 450# spring (the only one they ship the large with), which was way oversprung for me. Dropping down to a 400# eliminated that completely and I could not be happier now.

 

[go-ride.com]

I'm 165 lbs and ran a 350 lb spring with the boost volume turned in. This gave the bike a nice plush ride in the chop, but still handled the big hits.

 

[Mr Lahey]

My medium shipped with a 400. I have since dropped down to a 350 and it's still overly harsh and not at the recommended sag (155-160).

Looks like a pretty obvious solution for this Spring.

 

[DirtMcGirk]

Yea, I am 240, so I am going to go with the 500 or the 550# on it.

I like poppy more than I like plow. Don't get me wrong, the 303DH is a great ride, but I want something more akin to my Intense SS which is poppy as the day is long.

I have limited trigger time on the RDH. Maybe 4 runs at N* last summer. I liked it a lot.

 

[marshalolson]

the rdh is a much more reactive dh bike that the old 303.

it requires way way less maintenence than the old ones. no more than a normal pivot bike IMO.

i personally always rode it in the low/slack position and thought it rode best by far there.

 

[MinorThreat]

I came from a Blindside and liked that for the pop; so the 303R felt good right away. It still had pop but (I thought) added more stability.

I have never found rail-and-car maintenance to be an issue - - other than you have to do it. It isn't 'ride-it-hard-and-put-it-away-wet' like the Blindside was. So I force myself to do the cleaning/regreasing every time religiously; and it's paid off by giving me no trouble at all.

FWIW, I've found a piece of 1/8" dowel sharpened to a blunt point with a pencil sharpener helps me get a shop rag into the tighter areas around the car.

 

[DirtMcGirk]

I was using the needle fitting on my air compressor to blow all the crap out of the car after spraying the whole area down (rail, car, bolts) with a good degreaser. It would spit all of the gunk out, and leave the inside pretty clear. Then I'd regrease, and bob's my uncle yet again.

I love my 303DH. It really has made me a much better rider. No slowing down over squared bumps, and it rails in and rails out like a rock star. I am a lot sad they aren't making it anymore, I would go for another one in a heartbeat.

The reason I am sticking with Yeti is because of the car design. I don't know why it works, I went to law school, not physics of suspension design school, but I do know that it works like a rock star.

Even if the 303RDH is only 1/2 the bike because it has 1/2 the rails, that still puts it head and shoulders above anything else I've ridden.