Biggest surprise: Aluminum frame right off the bat. SC kept that secret very well, didn't they?
Hightower V2
1 reading
Rev Bubba
3,441 - 3,460 of 3,569 Posts
-I don't mind Matte vs. Gloss and my V2 Hightower is Wrapped from head-to-toe. 1st frame I've done that to and it's paid for itself already!
I'm not sure glossy is all that much more durable, i get a lot of paint chips over time. I had a matte frame before and it handled things much better. I'm also guessing the paint quality varies over the years.
Note that the rear triangle marks don't seem normal at all to me. I run bigger tires than you and never had this. it looks like they're hitting the frame for some odd reason.
Note that the rear triangle marks don't seem normal at all to me. I run bigger tires than you and never had this. it looks like they're hitting the frame for some odd reason.
Joined
·
47 Posts
Regarding the tire clearance at the back wheel, I wrapped the whole thing with InvisiWrap and then some additional tough film, but over couple of aggressive rides rear tire just cut through both.. So yeah, I don't know what to do with that rear tire anymore... maybe some carbon protectors?
Anything over a true 2.4 and you’ll get either tire rub from flex in wheel or rear swing arm OR from rocks/debris coming between tire and frame causing rub inside the rear triangle
I have had several Santa Cruz models in matte and glossy neither seemed more durable than the other.
I used to put protective tape etc to key places on the frames but stopped when it didn't seem to help much and pulled off the clear coat in a few spots. One of them was matte non painted black and the other was glossy. The Santa Cruz finishes seem more durable in general compared to other brand bikes I own FWIW.
I used to put protective tape etc to key places on the frames but stopped when it didn't seem to help much and pulled off the clear coat in a few spots. One of them was matte non painted black and the other was glossy. The Santa Cruz finishes seem more durable in general compared to other brand bikes I own FWIW.
Joined
·
134 Posts
Interesting, were you running the stock dhr 2.4 too? rim? Bummer this is a thing, but I guess makes me feel better about not having the wrap.
Joined
·
134 Posts
Good to know, I had that impression about their paints as well and is probably still true. marks on the matte just seem to show more and. in the case of this HT, seems like the clearance is just that tight so scratches are going to be inevitable.
Just had first proper trip and bigger rides with it so will take another look soon.
Joined
·
134 Posts
Yeah still runnning stock wheels and tire. Think if I upgrade to some carbon wheels I’d eliminate some flex and potentially some paint?
Joined
·
134 Posts
That is wild, I can’t imagine running over these 2.4 s after this, what kind of wheels are you running?
Joined
·
47 Posts
Wheel is DT Swiss EX1700 with Schwalbe Big Betty 2.4 SG soft. I don't think it's due to different tire tho, since I've seen this happen to me before I changed the rear tire.
DT XMC1200 (30mm inner) with 2.4' butcher an eliminator down casing atm - still have space
Joined
·
134 Posts
At this point, I’m head-over-heels with the bike! Did do a bit of covering up on the inside of the chain stays and downtube, we’ll see how long the former holds up, but honestly, scratches and scuffs be damned, that rear wheel tucked in tight feels fantastic. I’m not interested in anything over 2.5 anyway (the dhr 2.4 may actually be as beefy as I end up going).
Adding to some concerns about Fox on other threads recently, my shop did end up tearing the fork apart and put new oil, slick honey, and seals in. Fork had gobs of grease/oil falling off the left stanchion after a few short rides then soon had some stiction issues—seems sorted now but bummer they had to do this to a basically new fork.
I’ll shut up and ride now!
Chiming in here, my settings are almost identical, so not a shock pump issue, just the way the cascade and fox work together on this bike. The only gripe I have with the DPX2 is the temperature sensitivity with the damping. Anything above 20 Celsius (which is warm in my part of Canada) and the shock just loses it's platform.
Me too!
That's absolutely possible. I'm 165 lbs naked and I run 237 psi on a Fox Float DPX2 with a cascade link, it's about 30% sag. I know the DPX2 and Float X are different, just saying that maybe they have more in common air-spring-wise than with a SD. My compression ratio is either 2.67 or 2.88, can't remember if I had the 0.2cc spacer in it or not now.
I got my SD tractive tuned and ran very similar pressures before&after tuning it, around 170 psi with the stock link. Hated the tractive so much I never bothered trying the shock with the cascade link or having it retuned for the new link.
Ok so question for the guys who have their Super Deluxe's custom tuned with Tractive from Vorsprung. Has anyone ran the Tractive tune on both the stock link AND the Cascade link? Im still having significant binding issues with the Cascade link when cycling the suspension with the shock out. Any time i take the shock out and cycle suspension AFTER a day of riding i notice a considerable amount of friction/binding thru mid travel onwards. After cycling it and pushing it past the most notable spots it starts to free itself up some... Last week i did a full bearing swap and after yesterdays hard riding I took shock out and its still doing the same thing. Frustrating to say the least and now its always on the back of my mind when riding really sketchy **** where traction is low. I want the suspension to cycle freely and the only way i get that is putting the stock link back in. It moves 100% freely thru all spots in the travel.
So what im really wanting to know is for those of you running the stock link with Tractive tune, are you having issues still with bottom outs or trouble with balancing small bump sensitivity with enough progression to not be bottoming out constantly? Hope someone can shed some light on the differences between stock link and CC link with Tractive tuned SD.. Thanks
So what im really wanting to know is for those of you running the stock link with Tractive tune, are you having issues still with bottom outs or trouble with balancing small bump sensitivity with enough progression to not be bottoming out constantly? Hope someone can shed some light on the differences between stock link and CC link with Tractive tuned SD.. Thanks
Joined
·
2,292 Posts
If you're asking if a Vorsprung tuned shock will make the stock link more sensitive and less prone to bottoming out, like what the cascade link does, the answer is pretty much no. The Vorsprung tune for SD mainly involves removing the regressive tune from the base valve, and generally adds more compression damping and a custom rebound tune for the rider/air pressure. It probably uses a lower IFP charge than a stock SD (which is pretty damn high), but I haven't verified that.
The increased progression that the C-Link provides, with the much higher initial leverage, is where you get both the small bump sensitivity (higher leverage), and increased bottom out resistance (increase in air pressure/spring rate that is needed).
As for the binding, I have not had that issue with the C-Link at all. It is common to have that issue if you remove the shock and cycle the suspension past where it travels under use. Are you sure it is happeneing at actual mid travel?
The increased progression that the C-Link provides, with the much higher initial leverage, is where you get both the small bump sensitivity (higher leverage), and increased bottom out resistance (increase in air pressure/spring rate that is needed).
As for the binding, I have not had that issue with the C-Link at all. It is common to have that issue if you remove the shock and cycle the suspension past where it travels under use. Are you sure it is happeneing at actual mid travel?
ya that’s what I was kind of thinking in regards to performance between both links. When I put stock link back on bike I can cycle the suspension 100% thru its travel With zero binding but with CC link there’s noticeable friction towards the end of travel.
The issue is exaggerated when out on the trail it seems because after a ride I’ll take shock out and cycle the swing arm, I notice the binding is bad at first but after I cycle it a few times it seems to free up. also, if I take a long bristle brush to try and get in between the frame and linkage I can get it to cycle even more freely.
I really hope that makes a bit of sense. It just seems like the tolerances are a little off between the links. This isn’t really a big issue but it’s one that’s now ALWAYS in the back of mind. In my mind, I’m already at a slight disadvantage as far as sensitivity/grip/traction is concerned due to only being able to run an air shock. There are instances where I’m coming in hot into a rocky and slightly off camber corner and if the back wheel hits a bump at just the wrong angle the back end will start to skip momentarily. That’s enough to mess with my confidence and cause me to brake tap. Those little instances I feel like shouldn’t be happening especially with a Tractive tuned SD. Any tips or other Things to look at would be helpful also.
Also, I’m pretty sure it doesn’t have anything to do with my position on the bike because I’ve simulated this issue several times riding with different positions on the bike to see if it was just poor technique.
Which is why I’m becoming more and more stock link curious. Since my Super Deluxe is tuned with CC link i would have to retune it again if I wanted to do that tho which sucks
3,441 - 3,460 of 3,569 Posts
-
?
-
?
-
?
-
?
-
?
-
?
-
?
-
?
-
?
-
?
-
?
-
?
-
?
-
?
-
?
-
?
-
?
-
?
-
?
-
?
