NSMB 2023 Full-Suspension Thread

New (to me) Rifty has entered the house...

And after taking it for a shakedown with the kids yesterday I started the Majorification process 

I'm liking the Maguras so far. I'll be getting hold of some stick on cable guides, and going glue & wire on the grips once I'm sure which bar to use. 

Geo is very close to my Moxie, with a 64°ish HA, 75° STA, 1235mm WB and 470mm reach. 

Only disappointment so far is the post insertion depth, I'm limited to a 180mm dropper instead of the previous 210. First World Problems.

No, Pivot. Near new, went like a gunshot jumping from one berm in to another. Gotta be a badly prepared or executed joint. Should be warrantied, so I’ll be able to report back on the Pivot warranty experience.

Posted by: Vikb

Posted by: Heinous

Small issue with mine…

Whoa! Looks melted. What happened? :-(

I think that’s just the way the ride wrap pulled the paint up. The joint / bond looks pretty dry underneath.

Posted by: velocipedestrian

New (to me) Rifty has entered the house...

And after taking it for a shakedown with the kids yesterday I started the Majorification process 

I'm liking the Maguras so far. I'll be getting hold of some stick on cable guides, and going glue & wire on the grips once I'm sure which bar to use. 

Geo is very close to my Moxie, with a 64°ish HA, 75° STA, 1235mm WB and 470mm reach. 

Only disappointment so far is the post insertion depth, I'm limited to a 180mm dropper instead of the previous 210. First World Problems.

I love a short travel bike with burlier suspension and speedy tires. Rifty was on the list if the dang SST hadn't captured my heart. I feel you on the dropper post - that factor was one of the sticking points that ended the relationship with my Trance.

Posted by: snowsnake

Posted by: velocipedestrian

New (to me) Rifty has entered the house...

And after taking it for a shakedown with the kids yesterday I started the Majorification process 

I'm liking the Maguras so far. I'll be getting hold of some stick on cable guides, and going glue & wire on the grips once I'm sure which bar to use. 

Geo is very close to my Moxie, with a 64°ish HA, 75° STA, 1235mm WB and 470mm reach. 

Only disappointment so far is the post insertion depth, I'm limited to a 180mm dropper instead of the previous 210. First World Problems.

I love a short travel bike with burlier suspension and speedy tires. Rifty was on the list if the dang SST hadn't captured my heart. I feel you on the dropper post - that factor was one of the sticking points that ended the relationship with my Trance.

A mate just bought the 27.5 version, it has a much straighter seat tube - could be a good candidate for a mullet.

Full suspension leaning against thing.

30km along easy bike paths at 5 & 7 year old speed in 24°C. Gotta stop at every playground, bridge, shady patch or random feature that catches their eye. 

Looking forward to trying it on proper trails without all the baggage tomorrow. Rides nice so far.

Since there are quite a few "New to Me" posts here, I thought I'd follow suit.

Aurum:

Found a really nice deal on a 2016 Aurum Carbon frame with blown shock and a bunch of random parts. Most of the old stuff from my previous 26" frame swapped over. I only needed to buy a new Jade shock, GXP BB, +5mm reach-adjust Headset, and then stole the rear wheel from my hard tail. This bike is an absolute weapon. A buddy and I held a celebratory dual-birthday shuttle weekend this past, and I couldn't have been happier.

Ripmo AF-LT

I've had this trusty steed 3 years now, but I've always been coil-curious, and also long-travel curious after I found out how the Enduro team sets them up. So I decided to scratch both itches at once over the holidays, and ordered an 8.5x2.5 Jade with 2mm offset bushing. Limited riding so far, but it's super plush, has 167mm of travel that feels more like 160+, and retained all of it's impeccable climbing ability. The Onyx was already set to 170mm, so it feels more balanced and composed overall now.

So excited for the upcoming season.

Posted by: mammal

Ripmo AF-LT

I've had this trusty steed 3 years now, but I've always been coil-curious, and also long-travel curious after I found out how the Enduro team sets them up. So I decided to scratch both itches at once over the holidays, and ordered an 8.5x2.5 Jade with 2mm offset bushing. Limited riding so far, but it's super plush, has 167mm of travel that feels more like 160+, and retained all of it's impeccable climbing ability. The Onyx was already set to 170mm, so it feels more balanced and composed overall now.

So excited for the upcoming season.

So, I had listed my Ripmo AF for sale, thinking I wanted something different.  But this just made me pull the listing and start looking again at the LT conversion.  

Are you running the Cascade link as well?  If you don't mind, what offset bushing are you using?  2mm on the back right?  

Bike looks great!

(and I am also eyeing your DH rig, awesome!)

Posted by: kavurider

So, I had listed my Ripmo AF for sale, thinking I wanted something different. But this just made me pull the listing and start looking again at the LT conversion.

Are you running the Cascade link as well? If you don't mind, what offset bushing are you using? 2mm on the back right?

Bike looks great!

(and I am also eyeing your DH rig, awesome!)

Just to be clear, I wouldn't say it completely transforms the bike into an Enduro race rig, it's the same bike, just with a bit more travel (it actually climbs better now some how). And the Jade is a nice option, as it's got a bit of HSC/LSC adjustment for tuning, where the Topaz and Jade-X are rebound only.

My previous setup was 170 Onyx with Topaz and Cascade link out back, but the longer shock won't fit with the Cascade Link unfortunately. With the CL installed, the Swing Arm contacts the BB shell before you can get the shock eyelet aligned/bolted. I reinstalled the stock link with the hopes that I would end up with a bit more usable travel and not need the added progression from the CL (so far, so good). I've got the LSC at around 50% and HSC around 80%, and haven't had any noticeable bottom-outs. I didn't get along very well with the RAF before I installed the CL, it transformed the bike into what I wanted all along, and switching front travel to 170 helped a lot for rowdier riding too. But this current setup appears to be a solid step up from that.

The 2mm offset bushing is from offsetbushings.com in the UK, and was pretty affordable. It retains mostly stock geo, especially after sag is considered. You need the one for the rear eyelet, because if the front eyelet is shifted forward, the mount contacts the shock body on quite a few types of shock.

It's worth going through this thread, it's the rabbit hole that led to my decision:

https://www.mtbr.com/threads/hairbrained-long-travel-ripmo-af-idea.1182090/

Posted by: mammal

Just to be clear, I wouldn't say it completely transforms the bike into an Enduro race rig, it's the same bike, just with a bit more travel (it actually climbs better now some how). And the Jade is a nice option, as it's got a bit of HSC/LSC adjustment for tuning, where the Topaz and Jade-X are rebound only.

My previous setup was 170 Onyx with Topaz and Cascade link out back, but the longer shock won't fit with the Cascade Link unfortunately. With the CL installed, the Swing Arm contacts the BB shell before you can get the shock eyelet aligned/bolted. I reinstalled the stock link with the hopes that I would end up with a bit more usable travel and not need the added progression from the CL (so far, so good). I've got the LSC at around 50% and HSC around 80%, and haven't had any noticeable bottom-outs. I didn't get along very well with the RAF before I installed the CL, it transformed the bike into what I wanted all along, and switching front travel to 170 helped a lot for rowdier riding too. But this current setup appears to be a solid step up from that.

The 2mm offset bushing is from offsetbushings.com in the UK, and was pretty affordable. It retains mostly stock geo, especially after sag is considered. You need the one for the rear eyelet, because if the front eyelet is shifted forward, the mount contacts the shock body on quite a few types of shock.

It's worth going through this thread, it's the rabbit hole that led to my decision:

https://www.mtbr.com/threads/hairbrained-long-travel-ripmo-af-idea.1182090/

I went down that rabbit hole!  That is what led me to the idea in the first place.

I am currently running a Zeb 170 up front, I blew up my Trust Shout.  So much nicer!  Really transformed the bike.

Thanks for the info, appreciate it!

I don't really have any complaints with the ZEB but I don't know if its as plush as the Fox 36 that I used to have but I have no way to compare it side by side

After 2 seasons 2200 kms  the ZEB and the Super deluxe select ( losing air) are in for service while the snow shuts down riding

Posted by: XXX_er

I don't really have any complaints with the ZEB but I don't know if its as plush as the Fox 36 that I used to have but I have no way to compare it side by side

After 2 seasons 2200 kms  the ZEB and the Super deluxe select ( losing air) are in for service while the snow shuts down riding

The Zeb replaced a Trust Shout, which had nearly zero small bump compliance.  Compared to that, it is amazing.  Not a high bar to clear.

I am coil-curious on the Ripmo AF, so I will probably be making that upgrade.  I have been riding my hardtail more, so the Ripmo is going to be for more technical chunky trails.

Some Friday morning Forbidden exploration with Vik today. Trail conditions were pretty good save for some snow at the top and some puddles here and there.

We found a perfect stick to lean the bike on at this clearcut view over Comox Lake.

Bonus photo: stick lean behind the scenes

The last time I was exploring around Forbidden was 2015 I think, and I believe there was a lot of logging slated for that area over the following years. What's that area like these days, with regards to the trail system and riding style?