skywalkdontrun profile

I distinctly remember Specialized doing something like this with their "Wu" dropper post.  Granted, it wasn't on-the-fly adjustable beyond tilting upwards at the bottom of the dropper travel, but it accomplished the same thing, and the action of the saddle angle change was integrated into the action of the dropper, not two separate mechanisms.  it was also universally panned.  Whether that was down to bad idea or bad execution is up for debate, so there's that.

Cool people don't need to tell people they're cool.  Just sayin'.

If you weight more than 190lbs chances are good you shouldn't have any spacers at all.  The only exceptions being racers who are looking to achieve a specific shock tune for a specific track.

I definitely wore out my T7 Eliminator a little faster than a comparable EXO+ whatever, but at half the price, if I'm getting 3/4 of the shelf life I feel like it's a win.  Also, Specialized has released a new casing for 2023, so some of the durability issues may be fixe in the future.

I have a '22 EVO Expert (carbon frame, Performance Elite suspension, otherwise exact same bike) and it's the best trail bike I've ever ridden.  I live on the East Coast, and I use it for everything, xc rides, jumps, gnar, even the occasional bikepark day or enduro race.  I run it pretty much exclusively in the high/neutral position to keep the bottom bracket out of the way, and not make the uphill steering too sloppy, but I have a buddy who runs his in the low/steep setting and swears by it for everything (granted, he was a pro BMX racer, so that might have something to do with it).  The Alloy version of the bike is really nice, but I actually think the carbon Expert level is a better value.  The difference between Factory and Performance Elite Fox suspension is color (kashima is great for cookwear, but doesn't make a difference in non-motorized suspension), and for $200 more you're cutting over a pound of weight, getting a stiffer frame, and a better drivetrain (XO vs. GX).  For '23 the "RS" version looks even better with a Lyrik select+ and full carbon for $6k USD flat.  Aluminum is great, but I'd rather see the same component spec as the Expert level carbon bike, and see the price down around $5k than get the bling of Factory suspension and have to pay more than a carbon frame bike with arguably better value.

I think some of your issues might be alleviated by removing some volume spacers.  It seems to me that volume reduction has been marketed for entirely the wrong reasons.  As a heavier rider you (and I) need more volume in our air springs, not less, in order to achieve proper compression curve.  My recommendation would be to try removing most (if not all) of the volume spacers and seeing what can be done about adjusting compression with air pressure.  You may find the fork moves through its travel more smoothly.

I'm interested to see if the quality control issues that have plagued Rocky for the past few years have been addressed.  Since about 2018 Rocky's have looked great, and ridden great out of the gate, and then seem to hit a magical wall at about 6 months/1000 miles where they just seem to fall apart.  Cracked frames, snapped chainstays, bearing play, etc.  I also feel like rebuilt more blown shocks coming off Elements, Thunderbolts, Instincts, and Altitudes in the last five years than any other company, but that may just be biased memory.

I was always under the impression that the throw ratios between Shimano and Sram were different, and would therefore make cross compatibility impossible, but that may be old knowledge.  I would also look into a BikeYoke yoke to be able to replace the rear shock.  If memory serves, replacing the yoke also bumps travel up by 5mm.  The camber also is the same front triangle as a same gen stump jumper, so if you can find the back end of a 2014-2016 stumpy you could bump travel further as long as you get a longer stroke shock.

I mean, unless you're into that...

I'm a dog owner, of a dog that rips trails.  She responds to commands, doesn't poop on the trail, and stays close.  Thing is, I don't take her riding if I'm going with other people.  When it's just the two of us, or me and a buddy who's ridden with her before, and we're riding trails that are close to the house, sure, no problem.  But she doesn't get a free invitation on every ride.  Some trail systems require crossing busy roads, some go through private property, some are crowded.  A dog is a variable no matter how well behaved, and responsible owners and riders know where and when dogs are appropriate riding buddies.

That’s a pretty sweet looking ride.  Throw a dropper on it and it’s perfect.

Hey man, sounds like we both are on approximately the same injury timeline.  I blew up my left AC two winters ago snowboarding.  Total Grade III, full tears of all three ligaments that hold the AC joint together.  Had about 1.5 cm of separation under x-ray, but no further separation under load (which I guess was lucky).  My doc was super disinterested, and just told me I'd be fine without surgery (more on that later).  I was lucky that I hurt my shoulder in the offseason, so there wasn't the immediate pressure to ride, but I definitely got back on the bike too soon.  I did a lot of rehab with bands and doing wall push-ups, building up slowly over the course of many weeks.  It took about ten months before I could do a normal pushup without pain, or bunnyhop a log without feeling a bunch of strain in my shoulder, but it seemed to be healed, even though I had a pretty sizable bump on my clavicle.  I rode with an EVS neoprene brace for most of the fall and through snowboard season, and thought I'd got out of it ok this past spring, but on my first mtb ride of the season in April I shoulder checked a tree and hit rewind on all my progress.  My shoulder definitely didn't respond as well to the second round of PT, and it was super frustrating.  I had decreased range of motion and pain any time I pushed outwards (pushups, holding bars, etc), until randomly one day in the summer I was throwing a suitcase up on a conveyor in the airport and felt a pop.  I thought at first that I'd torn everything again, until suddenly I realized that I had more range of motion and no more pain.  As best I can figure, that shoulder check moved my clavicle, and then the act of throwing the suitcase popped it back in.  Now it feels pretty damn good!  Not pre-first-injury good, but pretty damn good.  I can do pushups and lift without pain, and my shoulder doesn't bother me riding.  Best advice I can give you is to take time off, which sucks, but seriously is the only thing that's going to help, especially being so far removed from the original injury.  The collagen matrix that makes up your ligaments takes time to knit itself back together, and if you stress it while it's weak, it just takes longer and longer to heal completely.  I'm not sure if your shoulder will respond to PT at this point, but maybe using Kinesio tape or a brace will help give the joint the extra support it needs?  Good luck dude.