Best compromise bike for AM + WBP (A-line) 2015

Cheaper than having two bikes, may get annoying to be switching fork and shock on a regular basis.

meh, as long as you have the right hardware (reducers, crown race, steer tube spacers) installed or on hand, swapping suspension is easier than almost any other major component: tires, wheels, brakes, drive train

if i rode the park regularly that's probably what i'd do, despite the wisdom of getting a park beater for park beatings. love me some concept :)

Met a guy in line last year at WBP that had a Rune V2 and kept two shocks and two forks, would swap to 180mm/coil for park and 160mm/air for S2S.

Cheaper than having two bikes, may get annoying to be switching fork and shock on a regular basis.

I'll ride AM with a 180 mm fork since I am a stud-horse on climbs :) and AM descents are just candy on a 180mm. You can float much faster over tech sections on a DH bike, but there isn't a huge advantage on most other terrain. The pros race A-Line on modified AM bikes. I've been riding the bike park with 180 mm for the last 3 seasons and any limitations on my rides is due to primal fear and not the capabilites of the bike.

Have you considered the norco truax? There might be some leftover frames or full bikes on sale. Love mine, sad to see it discontinued.

Have you considered the norco truax? There might be some leftover frames or full bikes on sale. Love mine, sad to see it discontinued.

I liked the look of it … it seemed to be Jay Hoots go-to bike wherever he went a while back. "Freeride" got cannibalized by "All Mountain". People wanted bikes that could be ridden uphill as well as downhill. Shuttle/lift-assist became the domain of specialty DH rigs with 8 inches of travel. Like you said, its discontinued so little chance of getting a new frame.

Here it is.

A little bit old, a little bit new - compromise parts. 2011 Marzocchi 66 (180 mm), but like new. Naz and the Marzocchi crew put in a brand new uppers for the fork (stanchions, crown, steer tube) - no charge - as I had beaten the beJesus out of the old one. Talk about amazing customer service. Thanks guys, I've always been a Marzocchi guy and a fan of Marz bullet-proof, hard-as-nails toughness, but I am a giggling fanboy for life now.

Old Formula The One Brakes, old cluster (SRAM 9-speed)/derailleur, old front wheel, old tires, new BB/Double Cranks, new rear (142 mm) axle, new Cane Creek DB CS shock. Dropper seatpost may be my next purchase. Creeping upgrades over time for the other old components.

Thanks to the guys at Different Bikes NV. Check out their 2014 Knolly Chicoltin + shock blowout for $1649 at the NV Store.

Rode it today on Seymour. Was amazed, especially how it climbs.

[Geek] What's with the little UFO scene on the down tube? The Knolly decal is black, but reflective (go figure?). What you see is the reflection of the red-eye light hitting the decal and back to the camera lens. There is 3M Car Bra Clear Coat protective film on the underside of the frame. It blocks red light hitting the lower part of the decal, but some of the light undergoes dispersesion as the "halo" through the clear coat [/Geek]

The down tube looks totally normal to the naked eye. So, in 2 words, "Its aliens".

Looks like you'll have tons of fun with that beast.

Those Formulas have some serious bite!

Nice

Looks like a lot of fun. May I suggest getting some bashguard/taco on that asap? I'm running a 32t Straightline bash on my Chilli, and the low bb means it see plenty of action.

EDIT. Ah, I see it's in the steeper shock setting. That along with the 180mm fork probably brings the bb up a fair bit.

Looks like a lot of fun. May I suggest getting some bashguard/taco on that asap? I'm running a 32t Straightline bash on my Chilli, and the low bb means it see plenty of action.

EDIT. Ah, I see it's in the steeper shock setting. That along with the 180mm fork probably brings the bb up a fair bit.

Yes … I'm going to put one of those on. I will also go from the 2X8 spd to a narrow-wide X10 setup before the bike park season. The chainring is too big to take the chaninguide I have, but hopefully the clutch on a Zee 10-speed derailleur on the back will take away the whiplash.

That´s a great idea. 1x10 is great. I have a 34t Raceface narrow wide and it works flawless.
Also have a SRAM x01 on my 1x11 other bike, 34t as well - works also great. The Raceface is quieter though. AND cheaper. Should even fit right onto your 2x crank - probably =)

26"Nomad with Pushed Link and RC4 is awesome! I'm sure there are some Carbon NOS frames around.

Spam alert…
I have a medium carbon nomad frame with a push link, RC4 and Marz 55 RC3Ti, works angleset -1.5 headset and Thomson X4 50mm stem you can have for $1200.
Angleset and Push link/coil takes this bike to the next level for bike park and west coast gnar.

Details here if interested.
http://vancouver.craigslist.ca/nvn/bop/4889241260.html

EDIT:
Nevermind, I see you bought a bike when I read the rest of the thread.

Yes … I'm going to put one of those on. I will also go from the 2X8 spd to a narrow-wide X10 setup before the bike park season. The chainring is too big to take the chaninguide I have, but hopefully the clutch on a Zee 10-speed derailleur on the back will take away the whiplash.

You can also run one of those MRP top guides (with skid plate or without). They actually work and you're gonna need one for park. WN chainring and clutch mech is brilliant, but not good enough for Whistler I was dropping chain every run.

Yes 180mm fork for sure! Park on 160 is doable, but if you like to ride all day, not recommended. Outside the park you may be a little slow getting to the top, but you're going to stomp the descents with large grin. Just be sure the frame manufacturer is ok with 180mm, sometimes it rakes them out pretty far. Frames with high and low settings, are usually good for taking out too much rake… yes the trade off is slightly higher bb but not really an issue.

You can also run one of those MRP top guides (with skid plate or without). They actually work and you're gonna need one for park. WN chainring and clutch mech is brilliant, but not good enough for Whistler I was dropping chain every run.

Thanks for the tip … will look into that.

Yes 180mm fork for sure! Park on 160 is doable, but if you like to ride all day, not recommended. Outside the park you may be a little slow getting to the top, but you're going to stomp the descents with large grin. Just be sure the frame manufacturer is ok with 180mm, sometimes it rakes them out pretty far. Frames with high and low settings, are usually good for taking out too much rake… yes the trade off is slightly higher bb but not really an issue.

From Knolly website:

"This frame is cleared for take-off with a 180mm fork, so feel free to enter Crankworx on your Chilcotin, and we promise the bike won’t be holding you back at all."

Did some riding south of the border … works great! A bit heavy for climbing, but will go up anything without complaining and descends like a dream …