All shock makers have engineering-style drawings of each model readily available on their websites for bike manufacturers to use to ensure that there will be no clearance issues. You may have to email their tech departments to access them, but it shouldn't be difficult. Easier still, is to use their fit compatibility charts, which usually cover recent models (one to three years back) in addition to the current model year. Unfortunately, not every shock maker has a fit guide, so you may have to stick with a sure bet. Cane Creek's Fit Finder is the best resource in the business. I did the legwork for you, and Fit Finder indicates that the DBAir CS and InLine are compatible (with a "call Cane Creek" warning, which probably means you'll need special hardware for the yoke-type eyelet mount). Most shocks on the used market have dedicated tunes, so you may not get the performance you wish for unless you buy new and have the maker give you the correct valving for your Zesty. The advantage of choosing an aftermarket shock like the Cane Creek, is that its high and low-speed damping is completely adjustable so, new or used, you will be able to optimize its performance for your Lapierre. Finally, you can opt for an in-line shock upgrade from any top shock maker and if there are clearance issues with the air-can end, you can simply reverse the shock and mount the can side to the yoke. The tiny increase in un-sprung mass will not affect your suspension's action enough to worry about and you will rest easier with an expensive purchase. - RC |
As more and more riders are figuring out, taking advantage of lift served terrain aboard a shorter travel bike can be loads of fun, but there are a few points to keep in mind in order to ensure that you and your bike emerge unscathed. On the beginner / intermediate terrain your Bronson will be fine; it's when larger drops and gaps begin to enter the picture that you may want to consider stepping up to a dedicated park bike. Large, repeated impacts, especially if you're at the point in your riding career where casing jumps is a regular occurrence can shorten a bike's lifespan, especially a bike that's aimed at more at trail and all-mountain riding. Whether or not you purchase a dedicated park bike should also depend on how often you're planning on riding the lifts. A few weekends a summer? Stick with the Bronson, and save the extra cash for another trip to Whistler. But if you find yourself heading for the lifts every weekend, purchasing another bike will help reduce the wear and tear on your daily driver, since bike parks tend to take a toll on items like wheels and tires. And as to your question about air sprung suspension, there's definitely no rule against using it. If you were riding in an area with massive vertical and sustained steep runs a coil sprung shock could be a good option, but Beech Mountain's on the smaller side of things, and your air suspension should be just fine. - Mike Kazimer |
Wow, they are super high, almost flat. I asked Yoann today, because we are homeboys and we Whatsapp each other on the regular. His reply was: Motocross style! I started to ride with my brakes really high mid-season. After watching Damien Oton riding (and some downhillers), I noticed this particularly on their bikes and decided to try it. The result is simple: no arm pump anymore, and it allows me to ride with my upper body higher and head more up, which is convenient in enduro, as you can see obstacles and the trail coming earlier. I love it! Coincidentally, I was riding with Nico Vouilloz today, and I noticed his levers were also horizontal. He said that he used to line everything up in a straight line when sat in pedalling position, arms, wrists, hands, fingers and brake lever's, but as he gets older they keep getting flatter, the flatter they get the more he feels in control on steep stuff with his weight pushing behind the bar and front axle. He says that when he makes them steeper, he has the feeling of his hands falling over the front of the grips. Personally, I have been running my brake levers high (not as high as Yoann or Nico though) for a couple of reasons: I find it easier to weight the handlebar and front wheel, while not creating as much fatigue and arm pump on long rough trails. Why? If your arm, wrist, and hand are in a straight line, muscles need to be tensed to prevent the wrist rolling forwards or backward. Tense muscles mean tired muscles, and relaxing too much then hitting a bump at the wrong angle could send your hand flying off the front of the grip. If the levers are flatter, it forces you to drop your wrists down like Yoann's left hand in the picture. With your hand in this position you can lean on the handlebar without having to grip as tightly and braces the wrist for impact. I would go as far as saying whatever angle the trail is, if it's smooth I could ride with my fingers completely open just using my thumb to grip. The downside of this is that some people get sore wrists - something I have never struggled with personally, either because of practice/training this method for years, or just my body's mechanics. Of course, there's ergonomic and mobility issues, as well as personal preference to consider, but in general, I think you should consider the angle of your preferred terrain to dictate the angle of your levers. Like riding on flat trails? Then set them steep. Like riding steep downhills? Then make them flatter. - Paul Aston |
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I am pretty sure most all mountain bikes - even trail bikes - these days have margins of safety and strength that would allow for the occasional week in the bike park. The bikes are not the issue - its going to be the accumulated abuse on knees and back and arms from casing jumps or riding ruts on a shorter travel bike that will be the limiting factor. Go to the DH bike for fun all day, all week.
Similar to what @jlhenterprises wrote, I've got an eye on the new Delerium as a quiver slayer for all but the most pedaling days; I'll keep my old 5 Spot around for those. I've just progressed to riding blacks and spending any air time of consequence, though definitely in the category of casing lots of jumps as I gain skill and confidence to faster and bigger...
Thoughts?
I say I "prefer" Shimano brakes, but the truth is that I have not ridden anything else since I took the Elixir's off a complete Stumpjumper I purchased years ago and put on XT's. They feel the best, but I do think the reservoir being where it is makes it easier to destroy. The Guide's look good though.
I went from a fairly flat (less thant 45°) position (that I was talked in to at the beginning of the season) back to a steeper one (about 45°, maybe more), because I felt like it made me less aggressive. But when I'm in a bike park and get really hard arm pump at the end of the day I turn them up a bit and that really helps for a few minutes.
So I guess it's not for everyone, but you should give it a try!
This is why I think it would be good for most people to ride a hardtail bike with rigid forks for a while. Suspension covers up your mistakes and wrong body positions, but when riding without any suspension you'll learn yourself the correct positions because else it will hurt. Also good for your bike handling skills.
And getting looks from beginners/ intermediates? Please.....but whatever make you feel good I guess
Cool your times went down on your blue flow trail.
Worldwide trend:
More flow trails
More people saying all mountain/ enduro bikes are faster than dh bikes downhill.
I dont agree they are obsolete for all but the gnarliest of tracks. Any half decent DH track will be much more fun, faster and safer on a dh bike.
That russthedog is a badass!
I hope one day to rise above my blue rated flow trails like him. And I wish I could hang on the past with such ferocity too. Damn the innovations! 26 forever man! I'm dumping my 27.5" wheels and carbon rims now! The clipless pedals and that electronic shifting, my dropper post are all conspiring to make me a flow rider!
How could I ever have come unstuck from my DH roots?
I blame the marketing machine!
It's the new shiny products that got ahold of me.
Oh wait. I just lost my mind.
The new shit is better and faster on just about everything I've ever ridden in the last 30 years.
Except the gnar dh trails I'm so afraid of.
#Lovemesomepinkbike!
Fact is, super rough stuff is the primary purpose of long travel, and I never really loved that stuff anyway. A few baby head sections now and then are nice, but it is no way to spend my day if I can help it.
And YES it is all a huge compromise where you set things up!
Especially for most of us "SET IT AND FORGET IT" riders.
www.meandmypivot.com/wp-content/uploads/grip1.jpg
I personally think hand size/comfort should dictate grip size. Rock hard, skinny grips aren't for everyone!
Best grips ever: ESI Racer (but they explode if you crash on them).
Best grips that last: Ergon GE1 Slim (single inner lock ring/ ergo shape).
As far as bike parts go, $30 grips are the cheapest experimenting you'll ever do, so try a variety!
I have big hands (XXL gloves) and had fairly big grips last year (chromags), and my fingers were killing me.
Now I switched to the Renthal tie-on bmx grips (smallest grips I've ever seen) and couldn't be happier. I can easily do 15 laps in Queenstown bike park in a day, 2 days in a row now.
The secret of getting rid of arm pump is in your feet. Weight your bike properly and put your weight through your feet using dropped heels will take all that arm pump away. Lock your legs out as much as you can get away with and you'll reduce the fatigue at your quads too. Of course you'll need good hip, hamstring and calf flexibility to make this happen.
I'm gonna bet that the French riders that use the high lever position have ridiculous flexibility so they can put their arms in whatever position they want. If you're riding 5 minute long sections totally gassed out and taking huge square edged hits on bikes with 6" of travel then a high brake lever position is probably going to help you not to go otb...
So consider the bar angles in this as well, I'm pretty sure it plays a part. Although finding parts these days that dont follow the same setup as all the rest is a problem. Everyone following the middle of the crowd, not many offering options outside that.
Big nasty grimmace at the lack of 26" tyres for example ????????
I don't feel like there's a problem with my riding and I hate the obsession for over-analysis that we have in the mtb community, but am I riding too much over the front??
I wouldn't recommend twisting my wrist like in that picture, rather leave it straight. Even if it feels convenient because you're giving your muscles a break, you could eventually get injured. Really you won't slip over the handlebar as long as your thumb is in place, right? Otherwise just drop your elbows a little to absorb the impact and your (still straight) wrist will tilt into that recommended angle.
One advice I once implemented in my riding came from Steve Jones from Dirt (mountainbike magazine) well over a decade ago. Use the middle finger for braking so that you still have a wide grip between index finger and pinky. Against popular taste, I therefore also don't like to have my lever set too close to the handlebar as my index finger gets stuck when braking.
I used to run them high / flat on my motorcycle, but I feel like its just a trend like a lot of things. Maybe its legit on the mtb - no idea, but easy enough to try.
I was massively impressed at the improvement, although I have to state that I went from the stock shock which was in dire need of a service... It is night and day better on the downhill stuff, and I immediately improved many personal bests on different sections of trail. I was (and still am) extremely happy with the change. It does take a little time to find your settings but, if you follow the guide (available online if you want to have a look), it is very simple - just looping a section of trail adjusting a single setting at a time until you have the desired results. Took me maybe 30-40mins at most I think...
If you do go for the in-line there does seem to be a lot of stories of them failing (on the internet, so please take this with a pinch if salt!)? I think you'd be better placed with a new shock with warrantee to be on the safe side.
I previously had a qr Fox Float 32, where I purchased new qr15 lowers and swapped them over. I believe that the new Fox 36's might be able to take both axles but I'm not sure?
If you have certain hubs you can change the axle compatability - for example Hope Pro2's. Sometimes as simply as changing out some endcaps.
So, depending on your fork and hubs, you might be able to use your current stuff together, but without more information I can't say! Cheapest option after @justincs may be to just get a relatively cheap and decent 20mm front hub and get your LBS to swap it over, but if your forks are about to get serviced you'll probably find that the shop will change the lowers free for you if that suits better (or it is very easy to do yourself AS LONG AS YOU HAVE A TORQUE WRENCH!!! I learnt this the expensive way!)