New DH frame

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New DH frame
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flag sharpbrick
Posted: Mar 18, 2011 at 8:53 Quote
Hi all i have a jamis bam with full saint spec fox 40... you know all the good stuff however i have been riding that bike for a year now and don't like how the rear suspension set up feels (almost like it is not there untill i hit something big its an odd feeling i dont know really how to explain it) i really love how my reign feels. it almost feels softer than my jamis.

so i do have a job and i am thinking that i could sell the frame so i can get some money. i was thinking my price range for the frame would be around 1500$. so what do you think that i should get? what has a more responsive rear end... srry this is really hard to explain lol i do have a bike shop that i can go test them myself if you guys have any ideas of frames.

oh and btw if you guys think that there is a way to maybe make the rear end of my bike more responsive i would be totality willing to try that to.
flag glory00
Posted: Mar 20, 2011 at 17:03 Quote
my friend has a glory and reign ive ridden both and i agree that the maestro feels really good super supple. I think the glory would be a nice choice for you(good price,good spec, ok performance). with that being said.. my choice personally would be an operator, the supreme operator is the best bike ive ridden in a long time, kona really stepped up there game for 2011, you might be thinking kona...bad taste in my mouth, but the operator is a sick bike super good in tech and gnar the only criticism i might have is that it is just feels a bit tall in corners but thats a little price to pay for all the other performace aspect in return. so to sum it it i would either get the glory or operator Smile (btw check out my supreme operator)
flag sharpbrick
Posted: Mar 20, 2011 at 17:36 Quote
glory00 wrote:
my friend has a glory and reign ive ridden both and i agree that the maestro feels really good super supple. I think the glory would be a nice choice for you(good price,good spec, ok performance). with that being said.. my choice personally would be an operator, the supreme operator is the best bike ive ridden in a long time, kona really stepped up there game for 2011, you might be thinking kona...bad taste in my mouth, but the operator is a sick bike super good in tech and gnar the only criticism i might have is that it is just feels a bit tall in corners but thats a little price to pay for all the other performace aspect in return. so to sum it it i would either get the glory or operator Smile (btw check out my supreme operator)

ya i was looking at kona and i know they get a lot of flack the only thing that made me turn away from the operator is that it to me feels more like a dh race bike... then again that could be a good thing i just have a stile of riding that is huck this huck that and do some berms and call it done lol which i would equate to more of a free ride bike like a older demo 8 or yes a older glory (before they redid the geometry). I dont know what you think of the demo but i can get a 09 demo 8 for about 1000$ which i was thinking is a deal considering what i have read about it.
flag glory00
Posted: Mar 20, 2011 at 17:52 Quote
if your looking for more of a freeride bike then scratch the operator because it is a dedicated race bike. and ive had time on my friends 2010 demo and i think its a good bike but its lacking the rear stiffness im looking for to give me confidence when i land im kinda like " oh shit did it snap" on the bigger jumps but then again i am a bigger guy. btw what kind of travel are you looking at? it might make it easier for me to give you some suggestions
flag sharpbrick
Posted: Mar 20, 2011 at 17:58 Quote
I was looking for something to match my fox 40 that i have. i guess the 7.5 to 8in. range. ya and that is what i thought about the operator. one bike i would really love to have is the knolly v-tach.... however i believe the frame for that is a bit expensive for me
flag glory00
Posted: Mar 20, 2011 at 18:10 Quote
hmm ivve never ridden a knolly so i cant really comment on its performance. but here are some suggestions , tr250, norco truax(good performer just ugly in my eyes imo)the new corsair corona ( dh/fr bike travel adjust)rocky mountain flatline (one of the best bike ive ridden, supple,stiff,simple) or the giant faith ( great bike)
flag sharpbrick
Posted: Mar 20, 2011 at 18:54 Quote
ok cool ill have to try them out... that is not going to be easy.
flag sharpbrick
Posted: Mar 21, 2011 at 12:38 Quote
what do you think of a blindside?
flag glory00
Posted: Mar 21, 2011 at 14:17 Quote
hmm i kinda like it.. never been on one but it looks clean and simple. what kind of price point are you looking at?
flag sharpbrick
Posted: Mar 21, 2011 at 16:40 Quote
under 1500... curbsrtbest says he can get me a frame for that much however i have never ridden one and need to find a place to try it
flag thereisnospoon
Posted: Mar 21, 2011 at 17:55 Quote
I have a very hard time believing that a faux-bar Operator is in the same league as a Maestro or 4-bar suspended DH bike in terms of braking and pedaling. possibly, but I would have to ride one to believe.

$1500 will buy you a good used 2010 Demo 8 or Glory. you could also pick up a new/near-new 2010 Wilson frame for that money, good frames as well with a fully active rear end.

plenty of good used frames that can be picked up with your budget.
flag thereisnospoon
Posted: Mar 21, 2011 at 18:04 Quote
reading the original post again, one question that should really be asked first: is the rear suspension on your Bam setup properly?
proper sag/spring rate? rebound not set so slow that it packs up? compression set so that it doesn't blow through its travel, or is too harsh?
flag sharpbrick
Posted: Mar 21, 2011 at 18:11 Quote
I would think that it is. i have messed with the rebound i have about 20% sag and it never bottoms except for when i take it off a drop over 6ft with a crap landing... that is why i was asking if any one knew about the bike in a way that they could say they has to tweek it this way or that
flag glory00
Posted: Mar 21, 2011 at 19:59 Quote
the operator is a great race bike ive ridden my friends 10" glory and the operator feels right up there with the glory. that being said it is a tad bit tall in the corners like i said earlier.
thereisnospoon wrote:
I have a very hard time believing that a faux-bar Operator is in the same league as a Maestro or 4-bar suspended DH bike in terms of braking and pedaling. possibly, but I would have to ride one to believe.

$1500 will buy you a good used 2010 Demo 8 or Glory. you could also pick up a new/near-new 2010 Wilson frame for that money, good frames as well with a fully active rear end.

plenty of good used frames that can be picked up with your budget.
flag thereisnospoon
Posted: Mar 22, 2011 at 6:46 Quote
there has never been a 10" travel Glory.
Glory DHs, like mine, have the most travel at 8.8".

a good shock setup should never pack up in the chunder, rarely hard bottom, but should use all of its travel in the bigger stuff. good rear suspension design should pedal well (even in rough stuff), and should be 100% active while braking (again, in the rough stuff). faux-bar suspensions, like those used in the past on Konas etc, are notorious for not being 100% active while the suspension is being cycled, as well as having mediocre pedaling efficiency.

but it's still possible that the Operator isn't as bad as the older Kona DH bikes. still wish they offered a rear floating brake to be absolutely sure that it was at least active while braking.

20% sag is good for freeriding and jumping, but IMO it's not supple enough to soak up small stuff and keep traction for high speed DH runs. 30-35% sag (depending on the bike) is more akin to DH. the first thing I'd do is swap out springs for something lighter to get proper sag.
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