show off your Santa Cruz

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show off your Santa Cruz
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flag felixp
Posted: Sep 11, 2019 at 1:49 Quote
seraph wrote:
Kind of odd component choices there.
Dedicated park bike Wink
flag newbermuda
O+
Posted: Sep 11, 2019 at 7:33 Quote
felixp wrote:
seraph wrote:
Kind of odd component choices there.
Dedicated park bike Wink

why not just get a dh bike
flag felixp
Posted: Sep 11, 2019 at 8:31 Quote
sosburn wrote:
felixp wrote:
seraph wrote:
Kind of odd component choices there.
Dedicated park bike Wink

why not just get a dh bike
That would have been too easy Wink
I guess it was my curiosity... wanted to try out how a Nomad would ride with 200/190 - and it hasn't disappointed Wink
flag CascadeComponents
Posted: Sep 11, 2019 at 9:37 Quote
felixp wrote:
sosburn wrote:
felixp wrote:
Dedicated park bike Wink

why not just get a dh bike
That would have been too easy Wink
I guess it was my curiosity... wanted to try out how a Nomad would ride with 200/190 - and it hasn't disappointed Wink

Arguably the Nomad LT is the ultimate Santa Cruz park bike! The aluminum frame especially. Much more lively than the V10, but still able to crush technical sections. This build just looks so clean. The fork knobs matching the link is a nice touch.
flag christiaan
Posted: Sep 11, 2019 at 9:56 Quote
Never felt the v10.6 was not lively?? It was very playfull
flag CascadeComponents
Posted: Sep 11, 2019 at 10:22 Quote
christiaan wrote:
Never felt the v10.6 was not lively?? It was very playfull

Don't get me wrong... a good DH bike is awesome. But what makes them stable at speed through things like rock gardens also makes them less nimble. That doesn't mean you can't go rip park laps on a V10. There are just trade offs. The V10 will never be more lively than a Nomad and a Nomad will never be able to lay down fast DH race times like the V10 (on a proper track). In our eyes an awesome park bike is something that whip it's way down a jump trail with ease while still being able to shred through tech sections. The Nomad LT is right in the middle of this spectrum whereas a V10 is more towards the shred through tech sections side of things.
flag niconj
Posted: Sep 11, 2019 at 14:03 Quote
CascadeComponents wrote:
I like the technical side of things and seeing people's opinions. The DHX2 clears the shock tunnel much easier than the photos make it look. We have even tested it with a Super Deluxe coil which is even fatter and that clears fine too. Top of travel is just about as close as the shock gets to the tunnel so clearance only increases from there.

Just wondering about the link you will be offering for the Megatower. Why should one buy it. As far as I understand, it makes the bike even more progressive. Since it is highly progressive already, why this link?
flag CascadeComponents
Posted: Sep 11, 2019 at 15:39 Quote
niconj wrote:
Just wondering about the link you will be offering for the Megatower. Why should one buy it. As far as I understand, it makes the bike even more progressive. Since it is highly progressive already, why this link?

Santa Cruz doesn't really publish any material about leverage curves so where the notion that the Megatower is very progressive has come from I don't know. It's definitely progressive, but in a way that's fairly similar to the Nomad. For reference the V10, which feels awesome descending is has a similar leverage curve to what our Nomad link creates. A lot of people and reviewers alike seem to have attributed the Megatower's sometimes harsh feel to the leverage curve when in fact it's related to the tune Rockshox uses for this bike. The compression damping is too firm. I was talking to Steve at Vorsprung and he said that the Megatower is actually the only bike he's made the tune softer than the stock tune.

Now for what our link will have to offer and why it should exist. The Megatower link's two main purposes are travel options and suspension feel. The stock link isn't designed for longer stroke shocks and actually hits the frame with a 230 x 65 shock installed. Our link is designed to work with 230 x 57.5, 60, and 65. These equate to travel options of 166, 170, and 180 mm. With the stock shock and it's slightly harsh damping tune running 170 or 180 mm of travel allows it to be sprung slightly softer which offsets the stiffer damping enough to make it feel better. Running a non-RS shock the added progression is easy to deal with and it feels quite good at any of the travel options. For those who like RS products sourcing a shock like the Nomad shock, which has a slightly softer damping tune, is a good way to achieve a better damping feel. The increased progressivity actually helps maintain small bump sensitivity while having enough bottom out resistance for more aggressive riding. As for why we would want more travel, a lot of the riding up here in the PNW is quite well suited to bikes with more travel. Some trails are even DH bike worthy. The catch is you have to pedal to them. We designed the Megatower link to not affect its pedaling while giving it near DH bike descending capabilities. Because it's more progressive mid-stroke support is increased which prevents it from feeling like it's wallowing in it's travel if it's set up with a longer shock.

Long story short it opens up options that can make the Megatower an even better descender and gives riders the ability to tune the travel to what suits them best.
flag niconj
Posted: Sep 11, 2019 at 16:02 Quote
CascadeComponents wrote:
...

Thanks a lot for this thorough explanation. Just one more question since you know a lot about tunes and the like. Could it be that the Megatower only feels harsh for riders that don‘t weigh too much or does this not figure in the calculations?
flag CascadeComponents
Posted: Sep 11, 2019 at 16:42 Quote
niconj wrote:
Thanks a lot for this thorough explanation. Just one more question since you know a lot about tunes and the like. Could it be that the Megatower only feels harsh for riders that don‘t weigh too much or does this not figure in the calculations?

Very good point. For heavier riders the stiffer damping is a good thing. Even people of average weight have felt that the RS tune for the Megatower is stiff though. People who are on the lighter end will definitely find the Megatower's stock tune too stiff.
flag niconj
Posted: Sep 11, 2019 at 23:24 Quote
CascadeComponents wrote:
niconj wrote:
Thanks a lot for this thorough explanation. Just one more question since you know a lot about tunes and the like. Could it be that the Megatower only feels harsh for riders that don‘t weigh too much or does this not figure in the calculations?

Very good point. For heavier riders the stiffer damping is a good thing. Even people of average weight have felt that the RS tune for the Megatower is stiff though. People who are on the lighter end will definitely find the Megatower's stock tune too stiff.

What is „average weight“ though? I come in at 200lbs which puts me at the other end of the scale I suppose.

Am I right that lighter righters will benefit from your link more than heavier?
flag scjeremy
O+
Posted: Sep 12, 2019 at 3:18 Quote
niconj wrote:
CascadeComponents wrote:
niconj wrote:
Thanks a lot for this thorough explanation. Just one more question since you know a lot about tunes and the like. Could it be that the Megatower only feels harsh for riders that don‘t weigh too much or does this not figure in the calculations?

Very good point. For heavier riders the stiffer damping is a good thing. Even people of average weight have felt that the RS tune for the Megatower is stiff though. People who are on the lighter end will definitely find the Megatower's stock tune too stiff.

What is „average weight“ though? I come in at 200lbs which puts me at the other end of the scale I suppose.

Am I right that lighter righters will benefit from your link more than heavier?
I just dropped 20 lbs putting me at 155lbs without gear. I spent a day (8 runs) on a nice rough track doing suspension tuning using the bracketing method. 160 pike, Rockshox super deluxe. My settings both front and rear ended up just two clicks off of middle. Made me think I’m that target weight now? TBH still not happy with shock. When set to feel good to me it blows through its travel too quickly.
flag CascadeComponents
Posted: Sep 12, 2019 at 9:45 Quote
scjeremy wrote:
niconj wrote:
What is „average weight“ though? I come in at 200lbs which puts me at the other end of the scale I suppose.

Am I right that lighter righters will benefit from your link more than heavier?
I just dropped 20 lbs putting me at 155lbs without gear. I spent a day (8 runs) on a nice rough track doing suspension tuning using the bracketing method. 160 pike, Rockshox super deluxe. My settings both front and rear ended up just two clicks off of middle. Made me think I’m that target weight now? TBH still not happy with shock. When set to feel good to me it blows through its travel too quickly.

200 lbs is on the heavier side of things. 155 without gear is close the the middle, but slightly on the lighter side so it doesn't surprise me you were very close the middle on the adjustments.

We've always found the settings that feel good lead to blowing through travel to easily. This is why all of our links add progression. It keeps you in a travel range that feels good over rough terrain and then ramps up smoothly on larger hits to prevent harsh bottom outs. One thing I'd say is worth trying for you is run a stiffer spring/more air pressure and a couple clicks less on damping. Maybe speed the rebound up a hair too.
flag newbermuda
O+
Posted: Sep 12, 2019 at 11:34 Quote
200 is the heavier side?
most people i know who would actually invest in something like that weigh over 200 with gear.
flag CascadeComponents
Posted: Sep 12, 2019 at 11:48 Quote
sosburn wrote:
200 is the heavier side?
most people i know who would actually invest in something like that weigh over 200 with gear.

A 200 lb rider on a Nomad for example should be on a 600 lb spring (their recommended rates too low unless you love bottom out bumper). The heaviest weight they even recommend a spring for is 220. Average weight in the States is higher than the majority of the world so locally it may seem like 200 might not be on the heavier end, but looking at a global market it is.

 


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