Posted by: fartymarty
Vik, Slow,
Thanks for the replies. Both my Murmur and Krampus have long CSs 445 and 446 respectively and I don't mind them.
Vik - I get you on geo. My XL Murmur is loooong (a few mm short of 1300mm) whichnis fine for me at 6'1" bit you need to ride it aggressively to make it come alive which sometime I'm not up for. The Krampus otoh is about 1180 and "nimble" for a 30+ lb HT. I love both bikes as they are very different however am about to drop the Murmur down to 140mm up front from 160mm to see how it goes.
Back on topic- I like the look of the Smax geo and would run a 120mm fork. I tend to agree with Steve at HT Party that HTs should be 120-130mm to keep them sensible. I'm hoping it would be a good combo of both bikes - playful (steeper HA than Murmur at 64) yet have good climbing manners (steep STA than Krampus).
I make no claims that my geo preferences are anything, but what work for me. Lots of people like/love long CS. That's part of the reason I bought the Cotic as I wanted to see what happened with a long bike with long CS. I gave it a solid try and I have tried other bikes I own with adjustable CS in various configurations. For whatever reason short CS work best for me. I love that feeling of sitting on top of the rear tire. The bike climbs, descends and corners better for me. But, that's just me...
I don't mind the longer CS on the Krampus, but it has been mostly a bikepacking/urban assault bike for me. It's never been a trail bike for day to day shredding. I also think there is something going on with the 29+ wheel + super slack STA on the Krampus that makes the CS feel shorter, but I have never figured out what's going on there.
I haven't had any issues with HTs that have longer forks in terms of geo changes while riding them, but I also don't really see the point in a massive fork on the front of a HT as you have to get the rear wheel through the same terrain as the front. If I was building a custom HT I go with a 140mm fork. If I was buying a complete bike anywhere between 120-150mm with the right geo would be fine.
Both the quality of the Cotic frame I have and the CS I rec'd from them was excellent. If they offered an adjustable CS [say 430-445mm] that could still fit a 29 x 2.6" tire I'd order up another one...in medium this time!