[DirtEveryDay]

This actually probably belongs in the "freeride" section, but it's really hard to get a serious answer over there as it seems more and more kids are pouring in lately(no offence meant to the actual forum, mind you).
Any way, this is aimed at being a serious thread, not just ignorant opinions.
I have a really sweet, dialed and totally pimped Yeti as-X that some of you may have seen(custom white powdercoating, matching 888 Deity Components throughout, Sram only drivetrain).
It will be going on it's second season with me this spring which means I've owned it twice as long as any other bike. It is dialed, I do love it, but it does have a few querks that I would like to change.
Please keep in mind that I am 75% freeride, but it's usually fast and aggressive, and in extremely rough environment. I LOVE DH, but I'm 33, married w/kids and NO time to train...it'll never be more than just-for-fun.

AS-X CONS: high bb, headangle is too steep and the wheelbase is too short for serious DH, and my biggest bitch of them all-the lack of a rear thru-axle. Lacks ISCG mount.

AS-X PROS: All of the above cons are great on the trail, but I could handle a lower BB on the trail(I've been running the 6" mode, but I then lose the steep HA, and the DHX ramps up quickly).

The Splinter will fix my biggest gripe: the rear dropout situation. The geo between the two is VERY close, with an even shorter CS length, but a slightly longer top tube. Not sure how this will affect me yet, I consider myself a pretty small guy, though I'm 5'8" and 170lbs(wishful thinking???), and I like to get behind the bike on the steeps.
Between the Yeti and the Sinister, I will, atleast for awhile, lose the beloved DHX and be stuck with a 5th, I'll lose an inch of travel, and the Yeti really hasn't let me down yet, except for the rear dropouts.

So the as-X is already reputed for being a bit touchy at high speeds(i've actually had it to 44 on a loose-rock ski run, I wasn't really feeling all that twitchy), would anyone here DH a Sinister?

 

[SirChomps-a-Lot]

I run a 12 mm through-axle hub on my as-x.

I got this axle that bolts thread into on either side. Stiffens it up some.

As for your other cons: It's good to hear you are running the ASX in 6 inch mode, but an 888 is too tall a fork for that bike. Even a 6 inch fork is borderline, IMO.

And the short wheelbase/chainstay is a good thing! Flick that bike around.

You can kinda see the bolt-on here:

 

[SirChomps-a-Lot]

More info:

You can find the axle/bolts on www.atomlab.com in products under adapters.

Remember: It's not twitchy, it's nimble.

 

[joelsman]

you can get different shocks with the splinter mx. but you should try sirchomps fix before you spend even more money.

 

[The Mad Haderer]

the other option which i am looking into is running a slightly shorter eye 2 eye on my ASX to drop the BB and slacken it out a lil while still not losing much travel. i was also considering drilling a new shock mount slightly farther up the front mount giving you both with no less travel. as for the dropout..get a bolt on rear hub. problems solved.

 

[dexter]

the new splinter wont cause you too loose any travel. sick bikes i love my 05 mxs one of the best riding bikes ever

 

[DirtEveryDay]

Let's see if I can respond to all the posts at once:
I run a Bolt-On Razor Rock Racing rear hub, I still pop it out on hard hips or this weekend when I juuuust couldn't quite hold my line through some granite and it slid into a lip that, again, popped the wheel out of one side.
I have Risse drop crowns on the 888 and run it in minimal preload, the forks not an issue, oter than it bobs a lot more than, say, and all-mountain fork.
The Splinter is a 6" max travel bike, I have the option to add that measley inch if I deem it necessary.

So, I can drop my BB, but I lose an inch of travel and my headangle slackens too much...kinda like wanting my cake and stabbing my fork into it too...

Oh...and at 40+ mph....it's defintaely twitchy. Nothing a Hopey wouldn't fix, though.

 

[DsDhBxracer13]

I would stick with the ASX if you have one and enjoy it. I run a bolt on rear axle on mine and it is plenty stiff. The bike is really fine for DH to. I raced a DH9 in 2004 in Jr. X and jumped up to Semi-Pro in 2005 and rode an ASX for downhill it was fine, in fact I liked it a lot more and was a lot faster on it, that on courses like the Mt. Snow nats to.

 

[Echo]

I begged Yeti for 2 years at Interbike to put a 12mm axle on the AS-X. It was the one thing I didn't like about that bike. Everything else was tits.

 

[jackalope]

Justa thought, you could get a King hub and some fun bolts...Did that with my Bullit and it was grande...

 

[Echo]

Justa thought, you could get a King hub and some fun bolts...Did that with my Bullit and it was grande...

You could do a lot of things but you're still looking at a frame with QR dropouts

 

[jackalope]

^^

Tru that...But (IMO anyway), it is an upgrade over a straight up QR...

 

[Echo]

Don't wanna sound like I'm dissing on the AS-X... of all the bikes I've ever owned it was my favorite, the most fun and most versatile.

 

[sampo]

I run a chirs king ISO rear on my ASX and would like to stiffen up the back end. Would upgrading to the heavy duty bolt-thru axle help, I believe that it is compatible with QR dropouts (like on ASX) with an adapter?

 

[SuspectDevice]

The ASX is a sweet bike for sure,and would be on my short list of play DH bikes.


Your riding style sounds alot like my teamate Dane's, and He's has really enjoyed freeriding his mx with a 6" Slider, and hitting 2 or 3 races a season.

 

[jackalope]

Sam,

It helped a lot on my Bullit...The only thing that was sorta bothersome was that when you needed to tighten up the hub, you had to use a special tool (or a small flat head screw driver) and a 3/32" allen wrench...Kinda silly, but I don't have to tighten too often anymore...

But compared to other Bullits and Hecklers I've felt and ridden, there is a marked improvement...As stated above, it's still not a true thru axel, but pretty close (again, IMO)...

Oh yeah, one other thing...Prolly doesn't matter, but the Brake Therapy guys don't have a way to hook up their magic floater to a Fun Bolt set up (at least they didn't as of last year)...

 

[DirtEveryDay]

Again, I've GOT a bolt in rear axle, stiffness is NOT the issue, it's almost too stiff. If it flexed a bit maybe I couldn't actually pop the wheel out of the slots!
In fact, if Yeti is so damn determined to stick with the outdated dropouts, then WHY CAN'T THEY MAKE THEM LONGER???? Is there any point at all in having them only wrap half the axle??

With an engineer's point of veiw, I could see that having the wheel pop out and then still being able to reinstall it(assuming the rider isn't DEAD from hitting a tree) is better than a tweaked swing arm.... I say build a burlier swing arm if that's the case.

 

[Nagaredama]

In fact, if Yeti is so damn determined to stick with the outdated dropouts, then WHY CAN'T THEY MAKE THEM LONGER???? Is there any point at all in having them only wrap half the axle?? QUOTE]

This is my biggest gripe with my AS-X. The drop outs are super shallow. The QR adapter on my Outlaw wheels couldn't engage fully and the darn wheel almost fell off. Luckyily it was a steep loose slow section and I was riding the brake. Without that the darn wheel would have come close. Now I am running the Azonic step-down axle.

If you want to run the bike in 7 inch mode and keep the 14 inch high BB and 66 HT run a 24" rear wheel. http://forums.mtbr.com/showthread.php?t=159491

That being said I may sell mine for a true DH bike.

 

[rigidhack]

My vote is for the Splinter. It is easily the best feeling bike I have ridden. The 06 frame is going to be leaner than the 05 with all the strength. It will aslo fix any head angle issues you may have beacuse it is "infinitely" adjustable between 69 and 66 degrees. Check out www.bustedspoke.com for a bunch of discussions about the frame. There is a recent thread ("Jeep Eater") that includes a video of Suspect Device absolutely ripping it up on his Splinter MXS. I know he runs his with less than max travel, and he has said that he would use the MX on a big hit DH course (if he had to).

The AS-X is a really nice bike, but the Splinter is just SIIIIIICK!

 

[SirChomps-a-Lot]

What in the hizzell are you doing to pop the rear wheel out of the dropouts? Jeezum crow.

I reckon you should check out my setup. I know you already have bolt-on, but my setup has a ton of contact area with the dropouts. The washers under the axle bolts are about an inch in diameter!

I would try calling yeti and tell them about the rear wheel popping out. They might have some suggestions. Maybe if enough people call, they'll make 12mm swingarms! Ask them if you can take a dremel to the outsides of the dropout to rough them up some maybe.

 

[DirtEveryDay]

I'm not doing anything I would consider "drastic." I've lost it on hip landings, once during some urban, and just this weekend I lost it on some slightly aggro(very rocky) trail riding, no drops or jumps or anything. And each time I have to completely unbolt the hub to get it back in, and it still fits and lines up perfectly, so it's not like the swingarm is tweaked or anything. Maybe I'm just a hack?
The Razor Rock rear hub has a 20mm axle that is drilled and threaded to take bolts. The sides of the 20mm sxle that touch the inside of the frame are knurled and there should NOT be any possible way for it to slip. And I never hear it or even really feel it pop out, it just suddenly gets squirely, won't shift and the chain binds. It would definately cost me a race, that's for sure, but it(usually) only happens when I'm getting pretty rough with it, not just straight lining it down a mountain, but this has DEFINATELY cost me a lot of security in lettin it out during a race.

 

[SirChomps-a-Lot]

I'm not doing anything I would consider "drastic." I've lost it on hip landings, once during some urban, and just this weekend I lost it on some slightly aggro(very rocky) trail riding, no drops or jumps or anything. And each time I have to completely unbolt the hub to get it back in, and it still fits and lines up perfectly, so it's not like the swingarm is tweaked or anything. Maybe I'm just a hack?
The Razor Rock rear hub has a 20mm axle that is drilled and threaded to take bolts. The sides of the 20mm sxle that touch the inside of the frame are knurled and there should NOT be any possible way for it to slip. And I never hear it or even really feel it pop out, it just suddenly gets squirely, won't shift and the chain binds. It would definately cost me a race, that's for sure, but it(usually) only happens when I'm getting pretty rough with it, not just straight lining it down a mountain, but this has DEFINATELY cost me a lot of security in lettin it out during a race.

Do you have any pics of that hub and axle conversion? Sounds weird... You should seriously get on the phone to yeti and let them know what's happening. My guess right now is that there's something weird with that hub.

How'd you pop it riding erbon? Were you trying to 180 or something? I can't think of how erbon would side-load a wheel unless you were trying spins.

 

[smedford]

I just thought I would chime in and say I love my new splinter MX, have not had enough time on ityet though.

 

[DirtEveryDay]

You know, ironically enough, I've been trying 3's and haven't lost it yet, so I REALLY do not know why I'm losing the wheel. And just clear that up, I'm not literally "losing" the wheel, one side or the other pops out and gets jammed under the chain stay(the bolts are still in it), or I'll check it after a ride and there is visible movement in it.

And it's not an adapter, it's like a bolt-in Hadley. No one's familiar with Razor Rock hubs?

Oh...and I do land straight. It's just that the trannys are crooked!

 

[DirtEveryDay]

Well, I can't just "try" the Atom lab kit, it would involve buying a new hub and relacing a wheel as well.

And I am transferring it over to my fully...it's just been awhile since I've done them. BESIDES.... I just said that I'm not having any problems with that, it's in places that it SHOULDN'T be coming out. And it doesn't happen all the time, I'm just bothered knowing it could! Hell, I don't even like the fact that it's physically possible. I hated that aspect of it the second I pulled it out of the box and it's annoyed me everytime I've looked at it since.

I've even wondered if I'm not losing the wheel on larger undercut ledges or something...I actually hit quite a few of those in my nearly-exhausted state on Saturday's ride. That's the time I've been the most perplexed about.