NSMB - 2014 – Hardtail Thread

^I was thinking that looked very Cannock Chase like. I've done many a ride, and plenty of building there.

Sadly I didn't have time to go over to Stile Cop today, haven't ridden the DH stuff there for ages and theres a few things I want to ride - namely the ladder drops.

I swapped in the firm spring a couple years back and it made a world of difference. Depending on thr ride I will turn thr lockout switch a bit to increase thr compression. I think its the rebound on the bottom of the leg and I tend to put that around the middle. Its still not a top of the line fork but it certainly is better with the firm spring and good for what I use this bike for. I am 200lbs and can definitely feel and see some flex when braking hard downhill.

Ive contemplated upgrading it however it is grtting more difficukt to find a straight 1 1/8" 26" steerer. I probably will upgrade when I get a new frame one day.

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Cool thanks for the info. I actually have a firm spring sat waiting, just need to get the confidence to open it up and replace it!

Cool thanks for the info. I actually have a firm spring sat waiting, just need to get the confidence to open it up and replace it!

It's an easy swap. Do a full oil change and greasing while your at it. You can get the manual off the rockshox website.

I think having the air model would be good but I'm really fond of the travel adjust.

Yeah I always prefer air forks just because I always end up sitting in between coil weights and I tend to like my forks a bit less plush than most seem to, especially on a hardtail. I just wish I never sold my Pike!

I'll probably give it a service and replace the spring some time in the next couple of weeks, just waiting til after I go to Bike Park Wales so I don't fuck it up and get stuck without a bike for that :D

No pic of it on the bike. But picked one of these Chromag Cutblocks of some 15 year old Toronto kid selling it for $10.

Little ride tonight and man that is a short stem.

My hardtail.

http://www.pinkbike.com/u/wayneparsons/blog/game-changer.html

/thread.

What Omar said. My Raijin was by far the sweetest riding hardtail I have owned (and I have owned a lot of frames). Comparably light to carbon and real scandium (Niner One-9 original) frames but with a next level of "dance" when being ridden.

Compared to other steel frames I have owned the Honzo is super stiff and overbuilt, but - especially if you factor in that most people run a 140mm-150mm fork on them (slacker headangle, touch higher BB) - it is a beast on aggressive trails comparatively.

If it weren't for the necessity of sliding drops I wouldn't hesitate to ride a Taro instead for the weight savings.

I agree you handsome devil!

-D

Surface checks that box D. 5.5# super steel frame with all-time fun geo. Mine with '14 Talas 34 builds up low 27's w/ dropper [HTML_REMOVED] Hans2.35's on ArchEx. Not sure what you're after..

Surface checks that box D. 5.5# super steel frame with all-time fun geo. Mine with '14 Talas 34 builds up low 27's w/ dropper [HTML_REMOVED] Hans2.35's on ArchEx. Not sure what you're after..

Sliding dropouts for one -- but that is a personal requirement.

The Surface is a gorgeous frame with great geo, but it definitely doesn't have the ride characteristic that I'm asking for -- the back end is at least as stiff as my Honzo.

I'm after a frame with the playful XC feel outback of my Raijin, or any number of super-steel XC bikes, but with the geometry of my Honzo (and the front-end stiffness to handle wide bars/short stems).

I think it is the Chromag Kamui that is basically a Sakura out back and Samuri up front? One of those with 29" wheels.

-D

i'm assuming you have ridden one drew. i would have thought the surface had a lighter back end as ian went with tapered, tubular chainstays, rather than the boxy stays he was running on prototypes and on the samurai

i'm assuming you have ridden one drew. i would have thought the surface had a lighter back end as ian went with tapered, tubular chainstays, rather than the boxy stays he was running on prototypes and on the samurai

?

I wouldn't be talking about how 'I' think a bike rides unless I had ridden it.

That said, I am definitely not the only person who feels that way.

-D

Sliding dropouts for one -- but that is a personal requirement.

The Surface is a gorgeous frame with great geo, but it definitely doesn't have the ride characteristic that I'm asking for -- the back end is at least as stiff as my Honzo.

I'm after a frame with the playful XC feel outback of my Raijin, or any number of super-steel XC bikes, but with the geometry of my Honzo (and the front-end stiffness to handle wide bars/short stems).

I think it is the Chromag Kamui that is basically a Sakura out back and Samuri up front? One of those with 29" wheels.

-D

I think I've found what you're after:

I think I've found what you're after:

HAHAwesome!

Yes, I also came to that conclusion.

Waiting very patiently (can't rush art, or something like that).

In the mean time, as Tyler noted, that Surface/Honzo/RootDown/ROS-9/etc geometry is all-time-fun… I do have ridiculous amounts of fun on my Honzo.

-D