Just because I prefer to ride down hills does not mean that I huck. I am not a big drop kind of guy, but more a go as fast as you can sort of rider. If I leave the ground in the process, it's all good, but slow moving drops are not my cup of tea.
For VI and other interested in Mountain Biking
- Thread starter Idle Mind
- Start date
Mine either. That's why you ensure that the drop has a formidable gap as well as a vertical drop, so you can't go off them slow.
I consider myself more of a slopestyle type rider. Fairly short runs (anywhere between 1/4 and 2 miles, with lots of jumps, platforms, wallrides and such.
I may get into slopestyle more, but unless up I'm at one of the lift parks, the trails around here aren't very conducive for that type of building. BC has really strict liability laws on public land, so most big stunts get taken out before long. The lower mainland is a little better, but the Island here gets the shaft a bit. Most of the trails are fast, flowy single track and tech downhill.
Hurry up and get it done already.
I'll save the rant for later, but holy hell I hate bike stores sometimes. Two misorders later and I still only have my front wheel on. Two different bike stores, two different botched orders. Getting real fucking impatient now, because the weather is actually perfect for riding right now. The trails are still going to be super tacky, and the detritus and leaf litter left behind from the trees dropping them last autumn are going to make things super fun.
Soon enough. Should be ready to rip on Monday. Thankfully there was a woman there this time, since all the men I talked to had a problem comprehending basic English.
And Visceral, I saw a Transition Syren (Transition gives you a sticker kit that you apply yourself, so pink is not necessary) built up at the store this afternoon, and the nice girl working there owns one. I must say, that bike looks pretty hot, and she is in love with how it rides. The riding around Victoria has some pretty gnarly lines, so I have no doubt that it will be able to handle everything you throw at it. I'll ask her some more questions about it when I go to pick up the axle I ordered, provided she's working.
Ok, fuck it, I'm going to rant now. All this riding talk has got me all pissed off again.
So, I bought this bike from a kid who lives in Whistler, and he wanted to get rid of it so he could get something a little smaller and easier to flick around. He's a dirt jumper and spends a lot of time in the bike park, so tricks and things are part of his riding. Fair enough. I love the frame, but some of the components are not what I want, so I'm changing them out.
I noticed a bit of play in the rear wheel when I took the bike in to have the oil topped up in the forks, and upon inspection, we noticed that someone had rigged a hub with a 10 mm axle into 12 mm "through-axle" drop-outs. Meaning, you line up the wheel, then slide the axle through the frame, through the hub, and out the other side of the frame. 10 mm axles do not slide out of the hub, so it was jerry rigged in there somehow. The only way I was able to get the rear wheel off was by taking the drop-outs off the frame with the wheel. This is why my bike has been out of commission for so long.
I ordered some replacement drop-outs from Transition, and in order to replace them I had to take the wheel and old drop-outs off the frame. I wasn't about to pull the same hack job and get the wheel back on, since I had just ordered new wheels. But, the distributor for Hope didn't have any 12 mm x 135 mm hubs in red. They were getting a single rear hub in two weeks, and it wasn't spoken for.
Everything finally arrives after 3.5-4 weeks, and the wheels are built. Two problems, aside from them looking fucking sexy and the rear hub sounding loud and awesome as fuck. First, although I ordered the front hub with 20 mm through-axle spacers, they ordered the 9 mm quick-release (QR) spacers. This doesn't work with my fork (which I also told them what I had, so if they were unsure they could have referred to the fork...). Great. That's okay, I can run the old front wheel for now. Secondly, since the previous owner was running a 10 mm x 135 mm rear hub, I don't have the necessary 12 x 135 mm rear axle. Fuck. This is my bad, so no fault to the bike store here.
But, frustratingly enough, my bike is still not ridable. So, last Friday, I ordered the conversion kit for the front hub (which are just spacers that allow a 20 mm axle to run through the hub), and a rear axle so I could get my rear wheel mounted. But, the bike store heard "rear hub" instead of "rear axle", so now I have to wait while they place another order, and I still can't ride my fucking bike.
People at bike stores have a hard time listening, and if they're unsure, they don't like to call you to make sure that things are correct. Sigh.
Soon enough. Should be ready to rip on Monday. Thankfully there was a woman there this time, since all the men I talked to had a problem comprehending basic English.
And Visceral, I saw a Transition Syren (Transition gives you a sticker kit that you apply yourself, so pink is not necessary) built up at the store this afternoon, and the nice girl working there owns one. I must say, that bike looks pretty hot, and she is in love with how it rides. The riding around Victoria has some pretty gnarly lines, so I have no doubt that it will be able to handle everything you throw at it. I'll ask her some more questions about it when I go to pick up the axle I ordered, provided she's working.
Ok, fuck it, I'm going to rant now. All this riding talk has got me all pissed off again.
So, I bought this bike from a kid who lives in Whistler, and he wanted to get rid of it so he could get something a little smaller and easier to flick around. He's a dirt jumper and spends a lot of time in the bike park, so tricks and things are part of his riding. Fair enough. I love the frame, but some of the components are not what I want, so I'm changing them out.
I noticed a bit of play in the rear wheel when I took the bike in to have the oil topped up in the forks, and upon inspection, we noticed that someone had rigged a hub with a 10 mm axle into 12 mm "through-axle" drop-outs. Meaning, you line up the wheel, then slide the axle through the frame, through the hub, and out the other side of the frame. 10 mm axles do not slide out of the hub, so it was jerry rigged in there somehow. The only way I was able to get the rear wheel off was by taking the drop-outs off the frame with the wheel. This is why my bike has been out of commission for so long.
I ordered some replacement drop-outs from Transition, and in order to replace them I had to take the wheel and old drop-outs off the frame. I wasn't about to pull the same hack job and get the wheel back on, since I had just ordered new wheels. But, the distributor for Hope didn't have any 12 mm x 135 mm hubs in red. They were getting a single rear hub in two weeks, and it wasn't spoken for.
Everything finally arrives after 3.5-4 weeks, and the wheels are built. Two problems, aside from them looking fucking sexy and the rear hub sounding loud and awesome as fuck. First, although I ordered the front hub with 20 mm through-axle spacers, they ordered the 9 mm quick-release (QR) spacers. This doesn't work with my fork (which I also told them what I had, so if they were unsure they could have referred to the fork...). Great. That's okay, I can run the old front wheel for now. Secondly, since the previous owner was running a 10 mm x 135 mm rear hub, I don't have the necessary 12 x 135 mm rear axle. Fuck. This is my bad, so no fault to the bike store here.
But, frustratingly enough, my bike is still not ridable. So, last Friday, I ordered the conversion kit for the front hub (which are just spacers that allow a 20 mm axle to run through the hub), and a rear axle so I could get my rear wheel mounted. But, the bike store heard "rear hub" instead of "rear axle", so now I have to wait while they place another order, and I still can't ride my fucking bike.
People at bike stores have a hard time listening, and if they're unsure, they don't like to call you to make sure that things are correct. Sigh.
@Idle, Syren's cool, I eventually decided on a Blindside though. Cos it's made specifically for downhill.
I still think you would have been happier with a Syren.@Idle, Syren's cool, I eventually decided on a Blindside though. Cos it's made specifically for downhill.
For one I bet a Blindside weighs more than a comparable sized Syren and two, the Syren's geo was specifically designed for women.
Idle, if it's any consolation I found out to no surprise, that the shimano front brake that I have on the BR that I pilfered from the Edge just isn't cutting it. A caliper designed for a 29 lb A/M bike on a 40 lb SS bike; and you can guess the results. I'm about to order an Avid BB7 front brake kit with an 8" rotor.
This was discovered last Saturday when I finally got to ride it out at our park for a bit. It's very, very stable. But on the flipside, it's a good 10 lbs heavier than the Edge and not near as flickable. It's not quite as easy to manhandle as the Edge was. I guess I'm going to have to lift some weights and get some more strenfth.
Meh. I don't mind riding something heavy.
Yeah but the Blindside has that backward angled geo more suitable for downhill.
Another thing I'm concerned about is sizing. How tall are you, VI? And I thought I recall you saying something in another thread about having relatively short legs? Maybe I'm mistaken.
Anyway, I'm 6'1", and I am on a size small Blindside frame. It gets a little tight in some situation (the cockpit feels a little short), but otherwise it fits nicely. The effective top tube length is actually quite long, even on the small frames. To contrast the two frames (Sm Blindside vs Med Syren), the standover on the Blindside is 2.5" taller. The wheelbase on the Blindside is only 1.7" longer, which will make it more stable, but since it's bound to be a heavier build that may be offset. Plus, you could put a longer axle-crown fork on the Syren and make the head angle more slack quite easily. The Blindside has a 65 degree head angle compared to the Syren's 67, which will be quite significant, but like I said, you can probably get the Syren a bit more slack with a longer fork.
I'm not trying to talk you out of any decisions, it's up to you 100%. But I think you'll be happy with either frame. Also, make sure you find a dealer and ride one of each around before you buy it.
Yeah Mike, that sucks about the brakes. I'm going to upgrade as well. I have Deore hydros on right now, but I am a solid, heavy dude compared to the usual biking crowd and I'll need something with a little more bite. I've settled on some Avid Elixir R's, and will probably order them pretty soon. Any reason you're going with a cable disc brake rather than hydraulic? Cost? Intended use? I'm not sure I could go back to cables, even after only having ridden entry level hydraulics (HFX-9's on the Rampage, and the Deores on the Blindside). But, to each their own. Proper working brakes are better than ones that are under powered.
Anyway, I'm 6'1", and I am on a size small Blindside frame. It gets a little tight in some situation (the cockpit feels a little short), but otherwise it fits nicely. The effective top tube length is actually quite long, even on the small frames. To contrast the two frames (Sm Blindside vs Med Syren), the standover on the Blindside is 2.5" taller. The wheelbase on the Blindside is only 1.7" longer, which will make it more stable, but since it's bound to be a heavier build that may be offset. Plus, you could put a longer axle-crown fork on the Syren and make the head angle more slack quite easily. The Blindside has a 65 degree head angle compared to the Syren's 67, which will be quite significant, but like I said, you can probably get the Syren a bit more slack with a longer fork.
I'm not trying to talk you out of any decisions, it's up to you 100%. But I think you'll be happy with either frame. Also, make sure you find a dealer and ride one of each around before you buy it.
Yeah Mike, that sucks about the brakes. I'm going to upgrade as well. I have Deore hydros on right now, but I am a solid, heavy dude compared to the usual biking crowd and I'll need something with a little more bite. I've settled on some Avid Elixir R's, and will probably order them pretty soon. Any reason you're going with a cable disc brake rather than hydraulic? Cost? Intended use? I'm not sure I could go back to cables, even after only having ridden entry level hydraulics (HFX-9's on the Rampage, and the Deores on the Blindside). But, to each their own. Proper working brakes are better than ones that are under powered.
For one, the guy who built the bike for me recommended them. He is very reputable in this area. Two, as you mention...price. I found a set on cambria for $45. Three, I'm a solid, light dude (5'11", 160ish). I won't need quite as much stopping force as you. And lastly, they had very good reviews on MTBR.
I did, however also buy a G2 Clean Sweep rotor. I am either going to try to use the Roundagon rotor that comes with the BB7 in the back with the Shimano caliper (if I can find an adapter), or just set it aside and use it as an emergency spare.
If I do wind up deciding to splurge on a brake kit, it might as well be this one::worship:
http://www.cambriabike.com/shopexd.asp?id=79980&page=HOPE+TECH+V2+HYDRAULIC+DISC+BRAKE
That vented rotor is insane.
Elixirs (even the least expensive R model) are still about triple what the BB7s are. Like I said, if I'm going to spend much more than $100, I'm just going to get the Hopes.
I'm a bit over average height for a girl, around 5'7. But yes, I do have short legs.
Well, the best thing to do in either case would be to try out a built bike of each and see what you prefer. If you ride exclusively downhill, then the Blindside may be a better choice. But, if you do any other type of riding you may be happier on a different frame. DH-specific bikes are decidedly poor trail bikes for the most part.
Yes I ride exclusively downhill. I also ride standing up nearly all the time so it doesn't matter if it is a bit high, just high enough that I can actually sit on it.
I would recommend you do a bit of trail riding every now and then, and especially try some small jumps, drops, skinnies and the like. Trust me, it will make you better at DHing.
I'll have to dial in the suspension on the BR, but I'm going with my DH buddy to a place called Windrock (an apparently nationally reknowned DH trail) this spring. While DH is not my favorite, I am looking forward to it because it will help me out on the FR/SS trails.