agleck7 profile

Is that a shim for your dropper? the horror!!

Great article, AJ.  Thought I'd add my experience since I've been thinking about this a lot and just got cushcore.  

I'm on a beefed up Kona Process 134 (Topaz/Lyrik 150, Codes, Flow MK3s) and ~195 lbs geared up.  I've been fine on EXOs with this bike even getting into some gnarly terrain, but probably have compensated with higher pressure in the rear (28.5/29), and usually still put some significant flat spots in my rim over a season.  

This year I was planning on experimenting with a DD or huck norris or both in the rear to see about how the more supportive tire affected ride quality and for rim protection.  But after listening to the cushcore Downtime podcast, decided to give it a go instead.  The setup has been DHF 2.3 rear at 25 psi with CC and DHF 2.5 front at 24 (both EXO).

I've only had a handful of rides on it, but the benefits are real for sure.  The lower pressure in the rear feels like tons more grip, but with no noticeable squirm, cornering support is awesome and the damping on big compressions and through rock gardens is very noticeable in a good way: way more smooth and supportive on compressions and smoother, more controlled in the rough.  But the weight is also noticeable for sure.  Mostly in accelerations, but also I imagine just more fatiguing overall over the course of a long ride.  That said, I've already mostly stopped noticing it over the course of a few rides.  A good riding buddy with basically the same setup put a Minion SS on the rear for his and really likes it and that's my next step.  My theory is that the ~100 gram tire weight savings will mitigate the CC weight increase, and the lower rolling resistance will help as well.  Plus, I think with the dramatic increase in grip at 25 psi vs. my old pressure, the SS's braking traction won't feel like as big of a departure from the DHF 2.3 as it would've otherwise. Sor we'll see.

Even with the tradeoffs, I think it will be really hard to go back and give up the ride quality benefits from CC.  But, since I've never experimented with a DD/DH casing on the rear, I don't have that comparison, so I'm super curious what your findings are, AJ, as that has been a nagging question for me with this experiment.

I think they do but only between the CS lengths of the different models which have the same CS length throughout the range (as far as I can tell). The longest being only 435. What I’m thinking is that it could be fully modular if there was either a 10mm extension like on the Megatower or another option for more mixing and matching of the chainstay lengths beyond the two they have (both relativley short). Kinda like they offer the 10mm On the headset. 

I ride XLs and am longer chainstay curious so it’d be cool to have a platform where you could experiment without having to buy whole new frames.

That GG is sweet for all the adjust-ability, with one glaring omission: chainstay

Great review. Rare you get someone with experience on lots of different flats. I’ve been riding Vaults for the last 4 seasons but demoed a Transition for a few days this winter that had these pedals. At first i was skeptical because visually they seem smaller than the vaults but when riding they felt great. I felt the grip and feel was as good and the slightly smaller body had the benefit of getting hung up less. Probably going to move to these when my vaults are done.

Yup, right on trend with a long (relative) CS for the bigger sizes.  I was surprised to hear how agile and lively you found it since the relatively longer CS grows as you compress the suspension.  Seems like there's a lot of misconceptions about CS length and ride characteristics.

Nice review. On the windbreaker point, I’m going to switch to a vest with light waterproofing for those days. Won’t get too hot and it’s more stashable.

Thanks!  Excited to try the Vigi myself this season

AJ - what tire would you choose on your trail bike: WTB Vigilante you reviewed or Assegai in DD?

Seems like a custom water bottle for certain frames/brands wouldn't be that big of a design chore. Especially if it was just done as an option