flattire2 profile

^Exactly. The servowave mechanism boosts hydraulic pressure 20% over the same lever without servowave. It’s an impressive design. It changes the leverage ratio of the hydraulic plunger arm when the pads make contact.

Now that I think about it, maybe the wandering bite point is magnified by servo wave.   Hmm

I never understood the hate for servo wave levers.  Changing leverage ratio at pad contact point is a Brilliant design, effectively  reduces finger effort by 20% all other things being equal. I will take a free 20% boost in brake power any day.  Sure, the initial pull of the lever feels a little odd but you get used to it.

No mention of the ride quality of Ti?  I'm beginning to think the appeal of steel and Ti hardtails is diminishing. Considering the rollover ability of 29in wheels and tire inserts that let you run 18psi in a huge volume tire.  Hardtail ride quality has gone way up recently.  You can get a great cheap modern alu HT frame for $500.  Sweet ride though.  Totally agree with how fun modern geo hardtails are.

All frames should have steep seat angles, and now is the time to bring back the 'setback' seatpost design from 20 years ago for those that want to slacken it out.

Super steep 78 STA on enduro bikes account for rear suspension sag while climbing.  In my experience, 75 STA on a hardtail is perfect.

Try climbing an old hardtail with a 70deg STA and let me know how that works out.  There is a sweet spot of where your butt is relative to the cranks.

Perfect.  She looks about 5'-7" and is on a old skool M or L

I dont give a F**** how my bike looks.  I want it to perform excellent and be easy to work on.  Sad this is a priority for the industry.

The banshee geo chart shows 450reach and 595 stack.  I don’t get how your stack can be 625 without reducing reach.  No need to get so worked up man, it’s just aluminum tubes. Believe me, I rocked small bikes for way too long and had tons of fun.  Now on proper long bikes and it’s been a revelation. I believe them vastly superior, especially in BC.   As does the rest of the bike industry looking at the common geometry trends.  

And calling me a sheep for swallowing long reach trends?  Cmon man.  I’ve tried both, and made my choice what’s better.

My takeaway from your piece is you can breathe new life info an old rig with angle set and new parts, but IMHO, you leave one of the best MTB innovations (modern reach) off the table.  So I personally dont think it’s worth it, dependant on rider height and old frame size.  Cheers.

Humans are adaptable monkeys and you can get away with riding small bikes and still have fun...but if you are 6'-2" and riding a 450mm reach 595 stack bike I think you are leaving something on the table.  Choosing a 70mm stem is telling the bike doesn't fit you well.  The geometry revolution isn't just a gimmick.  Hey ride what ya want, I'll post my opinion. :)

Look at any size chart of a modern bike, and they do recommend a 450reach and 595 stack bike as fitting people in the 5'-7"range.  Dont get mad at me lol

Since your coming off old school shitty short geo anything new is going to feel unfamiliar and huge at first.   You have to get used to it, which doesn’t happen during a parking lot test ride.  Trust the manufacturer size recommendations, and size up or down slightly if your on the bubble.  Geo is king.

With all the variability in preferred brake lever positioning, thumb length, etc, I never thought the integrated brake/shifter mounting was worth it. Saves 15grams of parts but ultimately leaves someone unhappy with positioning options. I'll take separate discrete mounting clamps please, every time.

^ thanks man.  I flip flop back and forth between this and the 170mm enduro bike, it makes you appreciate what either excel in.    Its kinda fun to be on a hardtail again, climbs so well.  You realize what a slug the enduro bike is on the ups.

Ragley Big AL, size XL. 480 reach, 650 stack. 150mm fork, HA measures 64*. I'm 5'11" and the fit is great. I will never own a short reach bike again.

Riding it to 7-11 with my kids it does feel like a lumbering beast but as soon as it hits dirt, it all makes sense. Much more capable than the hardtails of yesteryear. Stable, forgiving, fast, and just fine to throw around. Not in tight radius berms tho.

The 74 SA is almost a deal breaker but with saddle all the way forward is just enough. 76 probably the sweet spot. Alu frame, 29.5 lb build with good rubber. Frame was $450 from CRC to my door :)

I question the dedication to steel frames. With big volume 29” tires (and inserts), proper geometry that get you more over the fork on the descents, I think I’d rather save the 2 pounds of weight an aluminum frames offers over steel. It won’t have the lifespan of steel for sure tho.

Go sunrace.

How the lineups in the park these days?  Thinking of heading up for the weekend but 45min waits at FITZ will be a deal breaker for me