UFO profile

In response to these products being too expensive, my daughter enjoyed the Macride for about 6 months before she got too big, I wish I had ponied up for one earlier as it's better in everyway than the iBert that she spent so much time in as a toddler, but money. Her brother got to use it for a solid 1.5-2 years, and we used it especially since he had a tough time keeping up with us on his little bike.

That would be my one beef with these systems, they are so awesome they can demotivate a slightly less motivated kid to ride on their own.

After we were done with it we passed it on for what we paid for it second hand 👌

I totally get this point, and it makes absolute sense.

To play devil's advocate however, the counterpoint I would like to make is why are warranties any longer than a year, or two years maximum. Given the nature of the sport, things get subject to use and abuse. If there was a manufacturing flaw or issue, these will arise within that 1-2 year time frame. If you crack a weld or snap a chainstay 5 or 7 years down the road, is that really a manufacturing flaw at that point?

Imo warranty in and of itself is a marketing exercise. Brand A offers a longer warranty, lifetime even, which gives it a competitive advantage (all things being equal, would you rather a bike with an SLX or XTR rear derailleur). Brand B not wanting to get left behind want needs to catch up, or even offer something even more enticing. Because at the end of the day people will pay more for that piece of mind of increased perceived value

I think this just goes to show the amount of damage a marketing company trying to sell mountain bike parts can do, Crank Brothers are probably nearing a decade from their rock bottom.

Yet having said that you also have to give them credit for pushing boundaries. Who was making a good reliable dropper post back in the Joplin days? Despite the propriety and price of the Iodine wheels, they seemed to offer some performance advantages to be able to justify their price tag as well. And best packaging in the industry for the time as well.

Lots of Banshee love here, which I love to see and justifiably so.

I picked up a pretty good shape og Norco Range last summer for a similar min-max build as something to do and to try and get my wife into more regular riding. My main build changes were to swap out the brakes and drivetrain so it's consistent with the other household bikes, and added an external PNW dropper. I'm still running 26" wheels and rubber, but the rear will clear a 27.5x2.3 quite well so it's kind of future proof that way too.

It's 2011 geometry is decidedly trail bike territory these days aside from the shorter reach. But the rage back then was also to have Enduro bikes break the 30 lb barrier on premium builds. It suits her, and if I want to take it out instead of the hardtail it's still a really fun ride. Why can't a trail bike be 160/160?

Thanks for the help, though this happened a number of years ago when TRP were first breaking into the market. I'm not one to beg and plead, I'll vote with where I bring my business instead. 

Sounds like you're off to a great start with your set so I hope they've sorted out their QC issues

Your riding impressions sound very similar to a set of their early Slate T4 brakes that I was really happy with. They just felt like they had so much control between say 20-80%, and max power from 80-100% was on par with my tried and true Shimanos.

They were so good I bought another set, but one end of this set was a total let down, and the other end was better but not as impressive as my original set. I swapped in some known good pads first with no improvement. Then I swapped levers from my first set and once again no dice. The new levers and pads mated to the old calipers and lines worked well, so by deduction the issue was in the new lines/calipers. All the pistons seemed to move and retract fine, but by the then I had no motivation to troubleshoot down to whether it was the lines or calipers that were the culprit. 

The only thing the shop had to offer was "well these are entry level brakes and there's a reason they are cheaper than Shimano's 4 pots". So needless to say I'm back to Shimano's for all of our household bikes, and I haven't shopped at that shop anymore.

I've got some 700c disc wheels and rigid fork already, so at a bit of a crossroads to go in or out. I'm thinking to keep my 10sp 11-40 rear on a 36t or 38t NW ring. 10sp brifters on a Tanpan to make it work, with the left shifter gutted out to activate the dropper

Andrew, I'm in a similar predicament with my Sakura as well. I'm tempted to move it along as it doesn't need to get used. But I also know that my chances to find another one when my regret sinks in will be next to none. I thought I would have had that same regret when I moved my Dekerf along years ago, but I honestly haven't missed her aside from not being able to flex that I own a Dekerf.

I'm contemplating converting the Sakura into a drop bar gravel bicycle, but I need to build a use case for it first.

I was just being facetious lol. But now that we've gone down this road, your KM is rigid so it doesn't even qualify as a mountain bike :P 

The 2.8 Trailblazer was also my first 'plus' tire, and that was a scary tire for me. Lean it over and you run out of side knobs prematurely. The 2.8 Rocket Ron and Nobby Nic worked well traction wise but paperthin sidewalls. I'm on a Onza Canis right now that I'm happy with, and also a WTB Ranger waiting in the wings.

I'm going to get on my high horse here and claim I pioneered the current mullet trend way back in 2017, thanks to the plus tire movement.

As a hardtail rider, the move to plus back then was nothing short of a revelation to me. A bit of cush to take the edge off a ruggedly built steel frame, traction for days on those slow sloggy tech climbs. I don't corner hard so the squirm in the rear was manageable for me. But the vagueness from the front was something I couldn't get around. And also going full 27.5+ dropped my bb enough that pedal strikes with my limited technique were a problem. So moving to a normal 29x2.3/2.4 cured all of these and I found my nirvana.

Ultimately I think 27.5+ died quickly because at the time we were not willing to accept the extra weight of a proper casing in the wide size. Sidewalls would get slashed easily, harder riders did not like the squirmy feel, and tire inserts weren't a common sight back then (once again, because weight). 

Now that our carbon enduro wunderbikes have gotten up in weight to what WC dh bikes used to weigh, I wonder if 27.5+ with proper casings would thrive -- probably not since 27.5 is more or less an afterthought these days.

After trying the DHF/DHR in 27.5*2.8 and not liking the experience, I've found that my preferred plus rear tire is something with smaller/shorter knobs spaced somewhat close together for optimal rolling speed and climbing traction for my use needs. Unfortunately I'm still having to deal with largely thin sidewalls with this sort of tire, but such is life. Like many who've posted here, I've started to have to build up a stash of spare tires in the size fully expecting them to go extinct in the not too distant future.

Posted by: Vikb

Here is a 10 speed wide range cassette --> https://www.microshift.com/products/groups/advent-x/

You'll need to verifying the ability of your derailleur to handle a 48T cog.

This is probably the easiest/cheapest way to go. Then add a M6000/7000/8000 rear derailleur which would get to the 48t without any issues. The 11 speed rear derailleur will work with 10 speeds with 97% functionality. Then add a $30 10sp chain to get to the bigger cogs

Posted by: TonyJ

So you are running a 275+ in a 2.8 out back and a 29er 2.4/2.5 on the front?

Yes, ran the same on a Primer too. Though but my Rootdown and Primer were the v1, the current geo is longer, lower, and slacker of course.

I've moved away from the Chromags, but running the same wheel and tire setup on the NS Eccentric

Posted by: Kenny

27.5+ on the rear, 29 on the front, naturally. :)

This. I experimented 27.5x2.8 with my Rootdown BA back in 2016, found the bb too low and too many pedal strikes on the way up for what I was riding. But I really liked the increased traction out back and a bit of cush. I didn't like the 27.5 up front though, at least not at the 'proper' ~14psi, tire squirm and vague steering was a thing for me and my limited skills.

Once I jumped up to a 29" front wheel it raised my bb just enough, and running a 2.4/2.5 with proper 21psi was enough to get steering precision back. 

I don't carve berms so that bit of tire squirm that I'm sure exists out back never factored in for me.

Posted by: XXX_er

I was suprised at the pricing for Megatower, it appears to be up there with the E-bikes altho it looks like the E bikes have a lower spec

I was as well, but after looking at the other bikes in their lineup the pricing structure seems pretty consistent across the board for similar builds. The HT frame for example is now $5200 vs. $5600 for the MT, which is not too farfetched being that this HT has been around for what 2-3 years now. 

While all of Santa Cruz's lifetime warranty stuff is good, you are just paying for this insurance policy baked into their inflated MSRP.

Posted by: PowellRiviera

Straight, comes with a fox 34.

Thanks everyone

I sent you a PM

I had a brief look at Waltly a while back, and I love the concept and value. But I was simply overwhelmed by the amount of spec options and ultimately got scared off because if I'm paying that much, I want it to work well and suit my expectations from the getgo. Options like tubing diameter, shape, thickness, etc etc etc...

I don't want to spec and build a V1, then iron out and refine my spec mistakes to a V2 and eventual V3. This doesn't seem like an uncommon theme from guys who have chosen to go down the custom route irregardless of frame material. I don't think I'm in tune enough to really notice minute changes, but if I know that the option is there in my mind, the mind starts to think....

Posted by: Vikb

One thing I'd add to this discussion is that right after geo frame tubing/construction is the next most important thing in how well a HT rides. While geo is free...tubing, an amazing design and quality manufacturing are not.

I don't disagree, but I think you also have to factor in the relative value and cost for this ride quality. For me geometry is a very clear #1, somewhere in the very distant #5 and #6 is frame material and design/ride quality (#2-4 for me is suspension, brakes, and tires)

As you've mentioned frame flex/ride quality is going to be largely subjective in this category. My weight, riding style, and expectations of what a HT should deliver will likely vary greatly from yours. For me, I know I'll get a more discernible improvement in ride quality with a 27.5x2.8/3.0 rear tire, much more than any inherently engineered-in ride quality could deliver. This is what makes HTs so fun IMO

When I went from the Honzo to Rootdown BA, I'd be hardpressed to note any improvement in ride quality, though the geometry and fit improvements were significant. From the Rootdown to Primer, no discernible differences aside from the Primer having an occasionally creaky PF bb interface. I moved to a Specialized Fuse to try and gain a bit more overall versatility, I really noticed and enjoyed the lighter weight but I also realize that I probably went too far in sacrificing geometry. Once again the ride quality was not notable, for an aluminum frame that was stated to be 'more compliant'. From the Fuse, I eventually settled on my current NS Eccentric Al which gave me 95% of the geometry that I liked from my Chromags (with a longer CS even which was something I wanted), in a more weight efficient package, at a killer price -- it hit my light/cheap/performance trifecta. The NS now sells for $480cdn including Canadian shipping, but out of stock currently. If you look at the NS' SS and CS junctions, they are not elegant and they are overbuilt. But once again I have not found the ride quality to be worse (or better) than anything else I've had previously.

Posted by: tashi

I noticed that Kona stands out for value - all the Honzos can be bought frame-only for $700 CDN. (Aluminum FS frames seem to be cheaper than the competition too) 

At that price for me it would be a toss up between a Honzo or a Marino that basically copies a Honzo or Rootdown. Everything else, even the new RSD is $1k plus these days.

Fwiw the Honzo frameset I bought new in 2016 was right around $500, and the Rootdown BA in 2017 was $800, and really the increases were most dramatic and notable over the past 12 months

I think it's mainly down to shipping costs. That previously $500 frame in a box in a seacan doesn't take up any less space, but the cost to get the container across the ocean has what, doubled or tripled?

All's that to say expect prices to increase further once materials cost and labour inflation catches up

Posted by: fartymarty

At least Chromag have gone back to threaded BBs. 

The Surface and og Rootdown has always had threaded BB's dating back to it's earliest incarnation

The move to press fits came with the Primer and Rootdown BA, when the party wagon wanted short as possible chainstays with big tire clearance on emerging 29" geometry

Hard to determine relative value and worth these days. 5 years ago we were complaining about bikes cresting $5000 MSRP.

I was looking at fancier options to upgrade on my NS Eccentric which cost me $400 new to my door. The UK branded Asian built aluminum hardtail frames are all now $700+, add an extra ~$200 to get their steel frames. Then I looked at Cotic's Solaris again, $1200 now. Banshee Paradox, $1400. This does indeed make a $2000 Canadian Chromag seem like a great value proposition.

I consider myself fortunate to be able to participate in this hobby and luckier I can do most of my own parts sourcing and wrenching. At the same time the value and quality in the true entry level category is probably the best it's ever been.