I am in the planning mode to upgrade my Kona Stinky to have 7" of rear travel like the Deelux. I already have a Jr T with 7" on the front...so what shock would you suggest?
Upgrade my 04 Stinky...need info
- Thread starter k9handler
- Start date
Hey, Sam here..
I'd see if you can get Ben to loan you his Stinky for a ride to see if you can tell the difference with his Fox. I think it would depend if you really want a bike that you are going to pedal up some hills with your Dual ring, or if you want to use it just for parks and drops like I did. For ups and downs you might want the 5th element. You can check out sizing at http://www.progressivesuspension.com/5th-element-apps.html
Or if you just want to go downhill Paul isn't full of **** with all the talk he says about Avalanche. I rode his bike and it was closer to a dirtbike than anything else I've ridden. Definately not for going uphill though. Not sure if those two shocks will actually change the travel to 7. If the linkage is exactly the same dimensions as the Dee-Lux you could use the shock that 5th element is specing for the Dee-Lux which is 2.5 stroke with an eye to eye measurement of 8.5 inches. I'm pretty sure that would give you more than 6 inches if it fits...
I'd see if you can get Ben to loan you his Stinky for a ride to see if you can tell the difference with his Fox. I think it would depend if you really want a bike that you are going to pedal up some hills with your Dual ring, or if you want to use it just for parks and drops like I did. For ups and downs you might want the 5th element. You can check out sizing at http://www.progressivesuspension.com/5th-element-apps.html
Or if you just want to go downhill Paul isn't full of **** with all the talk he says about Avalanche. I rode his bike and it was closer to a dirtbike than anything else I've ridden. Definately not for going uphill though. Not sure if those two shocks will actually change the travel to 7. If the linkage is exactly the same dimensions as the Dee-Lux you could use the shock that 5th element is specing for the Dee-Lux which is 2.5 stroke with an eye to eye measurement of 8.5 inches. I'm pretty sure that would give you more than 6 inches if it fits...
For reference your current shock has 2 inches of stroke and ben's rc has 2.5.
The eye to eye on your Vanilla R is 7.875 and his eye to eye on the rc is 8.5 inches. But if the linkage is the same I don't see why it wouldn't be able to take it...
The eye to eye on your Vanilla R is 7.875 and his eye to eye on the rc is 8.5 inches. But if the linkage is the same I don't see why it wouldn't be able to take it...
Have you bought the plates to make the bike 7" yet? Just adding a longer spring will do nothing besides make the geometry funny. I think Dangerboy makes the plates that I am thinking of, there may be some other companies as well. Also, I would just recommend getting a Fox DHX for the bike. It makes the bike more active feeling than the fifth, it rocks.
I'd check with the Kona site to see if the rocker is longer for the DeeLux first. If it is a different lenght it will be real close.
That is the main thing I was looking at. Ben told me and Phil that the rear linkage matches and he thinks the only difference is the shock.sayndesyn said:
I will look at the Kona site and see if they have the specs on each bike broken down that far.
this is what I see on the Kona site:
The Stinky has a seat stay of 24/19x1.75t while the Deelux has a seat stay of 24/19x1.5t
otherwise the frame geometry in the rear is the same.
The Stinky has a seat stay of 24/19x1.75t while the Deelux has a seat stay of 24/19x1.5t
otherwise the frame geometry in the rear is the same.
Deelux has a longer rear end (.4" longer in the chainstay, and a 3:1 shock ratio) to make for more travel. If you put a longer stroke shock on the standard Stinky, you'll have some seatstay/seatpost love happening, and if you put a longer eye-eye shock on, you'll get some real weird **** happening with your geometry.
Listen to misinformation at your own peril, the above is real information taken from real experiments. To try and extend travel will be dangerous if you're not sure of what you're doing, so instead you should focus on quality travel, not quantity. Get a shock with an adjustable bottomout control, ala swinger/5th or DHX, and that should take care of any issues you have.
Listen to misinformation at your own peril, the above is real information taken from real experiments. To try and extend travel will be dangerous if you're not sure of what you're doing, so instead you should focus on quality travel, not quantity. Get a shock with an adjustable bottomout control, ala swinger/5th or DHX, and that should take care of any issues you have.
agree...that is why I am here asking these questions. Thank you for the response, looks like the best answer is to upgrade the shock so I can tune the 6" of travel to benefit me.Rik said:
i think you can go with a 8.0/2.25 shock like on previous Stinkies (you should always physically measure this first). The longer i to i wont raise the BB significantly either (may be offset by sag); the rear will drop by .375" so the BB height only about half that. That shock will give 6.75" of travel.
i dont recommend new linkage plates unless they call for longer stroke shocks, something Dangerboy has never done.
i dont recommend new linkage plates unless they call for longer stroke shocks, something Dangerboy has never done.
I had someone measure it for me and it does contact the seatpost. Did the previous stinkies have 2.25 shocks? I thought they always ran a 2" shock to keep under the 3:1 ratio?zedro said:
no 2.0's, but fitting a 8.0/2.25 was a common upgrade with the 5" Stinkies. And those old bent seat tube Stinkies allowed for upto 8" travel with 8.75/2.75 shocks....Rik said:
well the official word from Kona is a NO!
They're competely different, longer rockers, new chainstay and seatstay, longer shock with more stroke, and adjusted angles in the front triangle. To top it off the distance between the rocker, and main pivot on the front is also different, so even if you bought the rear end and shock it still wouldn't happen.
We build our 4-5-6-7" bikes with completely different frames. If we didn't the bike would be compromised in its short travel position. This way the 7" bike rides like the 5" etc. We adjust frame angles and sizing, modify rockers, and spec new shocks. Even the thickness of the tubes changes.
The idea that the aftermarket guys are selling a part that will increase the travel by changing one part isn't valid. The Fox shocks are valved for a specific stroke (3:1), and exceeding that results in uncontrolled damping. Putting a heavier spring on does nothing for this. You can also cause the rear wheel to strike the frame, since the extra travel comes from moving the wheel further. Last you'll void the frame warranty, and could damage the frame and shock. Never mind getting bucked off a cliff when the shock can't control a hit and the tire stops on the frame!
They're competely different, longer rockers, new chainstay and seatstay, longer shock with more stroke, and adjusted angles in the front triangle. To top it off the distance between the rocker, and main pivot on the front is also different, so even if you bought the rear end and shock it still wouldn't happen.
We build our 4-5-6-7" bikes with completely different frames. If we didn't the bike would be compromised in its short travel position. This way the 7" bike rides like the 5" etc. We adjust frame angles and sizing, modify rockers, and spec new shocks. Even the thickness of the tubes changes.
The idea that the aftermarket guys are selling a part that will increase the travel by changing one part isn't valid. The Fox shocks are valved for a specific stroke (3:1), and exceeding that results in uncontrolled damping. Putting a heavier spring on does nothing for this. You can also cause the rear wheel to strike the frame, since the extra travel comes from moving the wheel further. Last you'll void the frame warranty, and could damage the frame and shock. Never mind getting bucked off a cliff when the shock can't control a hit and the tire stops on the frame!