XC RACE bike set up

Westy · Jun 23, 2003

My race bike:
SantaCruz Superlight
King hubs with Bontrager Valiant rims
Avid SD7 brakes
Sram 9.0 shifters and rear mech
Truvative Stylo cranks
Fox Forx Float RL
Hutchinson Mosquitos or Pythons depending on conditions

Weighs in just under 24lbs but feels even lighter.

Serial Midget · Jun 23, 2003

Originally posted by Westy
Weighs in just under 24lbs but feels even lighter.

Mine is average but it feels much larger...

Echo · Jun 23, 2003

'03 Jekyll 1000 w/Lefty Ti
Swapped the stock bars for Easton carbons
Swapped the stock cranks/bb for Truvativ Stylo Teams
Swapped the seat for a Flite Ti gel
Swapped the tires for Maxxis High Roller XC tubeless
Running ATAC carbon pedals

Just under 27lbs, not bad for a 5.3" travel bike :cool:

Squeak · Jun 23, 2003

I try to race on a 02 Titus RacerX

Avid disks
Mavic 317 disc rims with CK and Hugi hubs
Truvativ stylo team cranks and bb
SID team fork

It is about 26 lbs.

Echo · Jun 23, 2003

I would swap my frame for a Yeti AS-R and my fork for a Fox. Other than that I'm happy with the setup, including the Magura Marta discs. I would never go back to racing XC on a hardtail.

Squeak · Jun 23, 2003

Originally posted by Repack
I wasn't interested so much in specific parts, just what racers thought of disc brakes and full suspension. I race downhill, so you can guess my thoughts. I was wondering what racers had vs. what they want to have.

I can truly say now after this weekends mud bath race that disks are great! The mud was so deep that it got the rotors a bit and stopping power was still excellent.

I am still not sure if you "need" full suspention on a XC course. It is nice though.

Westy · Jun 23, 2003

Originally posted by Squeak
I can truly say now after this weekends mud bath race that disks are great! The mud was so deep that it got the rotors a bit and stopping power was still excellent.

I am still not sure if you "need" full suspention on a XC course. It is nice though.

For most racing situations vee brakes are fine, but when it gets muddy disks rule.

You never need any suspension, but I feel that having a full suspension makes me faster.

oldfart · Jun 23, 2003

Discs and full suspension rule for XC racing. There will always be courses which are smooth enough for a hardtail to be competitive if not faster, but I think more often than not full suspension is faster. Disc brakes work so much better than rim brakes and there is little weight penalty now. When it gets wet rim brakes in comparison with discs are just plain stupid.

JMAC · Jun 23, 2003

I race on my 25 LBS C-dale hardtail it has disk brakes.
I'm still not sure about those FS things but it would have been nice to have one for the 180+km race i did last week.

I'm not to sure what i'd rather be racing on.

Heidi · Jun 23, 2003

I am not technically qualified to answer this since I have always raced full suspension mountain bikes. My racer-x is definitely a race bike - pretty stiff and it only sucks up enough to take the bite out.

EBasil · Jun 23, 2003

AND, that's really Heidi's picture in the avatar.

Impressive.

LostBoyScout · Jun 24, 2003

Rigid singlespeed with V-brakes.

I need to get with the times! :monkey:

rockracing · Jun 24, 2003

I'm using discs on my hartail (25lbs) and if I could afford it would ride a short travel full suspension bike (eg. scalpel) cos that def. wouldn't be any heavier than my ht, with the right parts of course.

The Toninator · Jun 24, 2003

Originally posted by Serial Midget
Mine is average but it feels much larger...

mine is actual size but it seems much bigger to me...

The Toninator · Jun 24, 2003

Steel HT, V brakes.

some of our courses are total FS but i stay HT.

NRSracer · Jun 24, 2003

my bikes FS and has disc brakes.
the FS helps sometimes wen i want to jump the bike over logs rocks, etc. The disc brakes are a very large help with the weather around here, and tubeless tires are a very good protector against pinch flats (yup, a 120 lb rider that gets pinch flats)

mrbigisbudgood · Jun 24, 2003

I think it would totally depend on the course. For a shorter and smoother race course, I'd ride a hardtail just because they ARE more efficent. For the Shenendoah 100, you know damn right that i'll be on a long travel bike with discs.

My preference is a FS with discs.

douglas · Jun 24, 2003

current=FS w/hayes mech discs
want=lighter, less bob, FS w/discs

the discs have come in so handy this year due to all the mud!

ghostrider · Jun 24, 2003

Trek Fuel 100 with V brakes. 24.5 lbs. I don't think discs would do me any good for racing around here. We won't see rain again until November.

indieboy · Jun 26, 2003

there honestly aren't many race courses that require an FS bike. actually talked to many pros about this and they all agreed w/ me that HT's are pretty much the way to go. snow shoe and mt snow are considered to be pretty decently technical race courses and even those don't really require an FS bike. havin the option to choose between bikes if you are a sponsored racer is nice though, however if you are on a budget just go w/ a hard tail. they are typically lighter and require no work to keep the frame up and running like a FS bike will.

bURKeNSTiEN · Jun 26, 2003

I would like to actually try a race on a good dual susp bike, to see if it has benefits over my HT. If I felt that it was far & away better than a HT then I'd probably go & buy one

The sad fact is i've never raced a dual so I can only say that I race my 21lb hardtail and i LIKE it!

I am a bit of a HT fan and cant imagine life without one really... but that said, I think dual could make certain courses around here less taxing on the body.

lightweight discs could a good thing too, I'd like to try out some Marta's, see what they have to offer to me

Airborne · Jun 26, 2003

Originally posted by Repack
I wasn't interested so much in specific parts, just what racers thought of disc brakes and full suspension. I race downhill, so you can guess my thoughts. I was wondering what racers had vs. what they want to have.

hardtail and XTR V-brakes. i would love discs for the wet tho!

PaulE · Jun 27, 2003

I run a hardtail, with front disk, rear XTR v-brake and a sus. seatpost. It's excellent for short races (up to about 4 hours) but 2 of my last 3 have been 24 hour solo, and they're starting to hurt my body too much...... I think that a full sus frame will be coming next time I get paid.

Having said that, if I was only racing traditional XC events, then a nice hardtail would be my choice, purely for it's simplicity and sprinting ability.

Ian F · Jul 2, 2003

I've always raced XC on a hardtail, although my XC-HT hasn't changed much since '98: Indy Fab Deluxe w/ XTR drivetrain and Avid Arch Supreme brakes. Any XC races I do will be on this bike and for the most part I can rely on my DH experience to get me through most situations. I do like full suspension and how it can reduce fatigue on rougher courses.

I'll be looking for a lighter FS bike over the Winter as my current XC-FS bike is a 38 lb Yeti Lawwill-6.

XC RACE bike set up

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