i currently own abalfa bb7 the 9" travel version and i'm having trouble with the suspension on the back end, the 5th element shock is a bit worse for wear and probably is whats causing the issue i am having with it. when sat on the bike it goes into the sag but after doing that it feels like a hard tail. i don't know about any other dh frames but shouldn't dh frames in general be really bouncy or to put it in better terms: "a more active suspension" pretty sure 9" travel dh frames aren't supposed to feel like hardtails. i don't have a clue why my bb7 is like this. i have seen soooo many great reviews about this bike on mtbr but from riding mine i don't see what all the hype is about.
if there are any other bb7 owner's or dh/fr bike owners out there that know why this is happening please give us some advice regarding this matter because i know this bike has alot of potential to be one of the best if not THE BEST bike i have ever ridden but at the moment my enduro with a fox van r on the back is putting the bb7 to shame.
do you think it could be the suspension design? or is it more to do with the shock?
I owned a 2003 Balfa BB7 (9"rear travel) and it was a very plush bike. The rear end was very smooth. With a high pivot point suspension design, it was really effective in rough terrain. Good for jumps and drops too. So your problem is not the suspension design.
I rode mine with a Fox Vanilla RC and Manitou Swinger 4way shocks. (it was smoother with the Fox)
So i'm pretty sure your problem is the shock. Maybe too much air in it? Not the right coil spring for your weight? Maybe your shock needs some repair?
I owned a 2003 Balfa BB7 (9"rear travel) and it was a very plush bike. The rear end was very smooth. With a high pivot point suspension design, it was really effective in rough terrain. Good for jumps and drops too. So your problem is not the suspension design.
I rode mine with a Fox Vanilla RC and Manitou Swinger 4way shocks. (it was smoother with the Fox)
So i'm pretty sure your problem is the shock. Maybe too much air in it? Not the right coil spring for your weight? Maybe your shock needs some repair?
i see. i think its probably the spring rate because i have completely deflated the shock and rode it and when it is deflated it compresses sometimes (after hitting kerbs and stuff as i can't ride it on my local trail yet because i need my brakes sorting out either bleeding or hose replacements or something because i've bled them a few times and nothing works but enough about the brakes this is about the suspension mainly.. anyway the shock comresses randomly and mainly doesn't do anything at all it might as well just be for show or something. the spring rate on my shock is 500 x 2.75 and i am only 13.9 stone so the previous owner must of been a fatass so to speak.. but my conclusion thanks to help from a few places including here is that i need a lighter spring for it so i'm gonna replace my 500lbs coil with a 400 because according to tf tuned's springrate calculator my springrate that i need is 421 lbs
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but my conclusion thanks to help from a few places including here is that i need a lighter spring for it so i'm gonna replace my 500lbs coil with a 400 because according to tf tuned's springrate calculator my springrate that i need is 421 lbs 