Can I make my old trail bike relevant?

pulser · Nov 5, 2023

So I pulled my old 2015 Trek fuel ex8 out of the back of the garage to but some new take off 12sp stuff on. And it had me thinking is my old trail bike now my new down country bike? But looking at the geometry charts for the top fuel and the supercaIiber. My bike is closest to the supercaliber. I’m thinking about what I can change to keep this bike alive.
I’m moving to NJ so I will be close to a park with flat fast sand trails. My 2022 fuel ex9.7 will be reserved for real mountain bike trips. The only complaint I have ever had about the old bike is the fox32. I have a 36 on the new bike and I like it allot more. I was thinking about a 34 on the old bike. What’s the better way to make an old bike slacker over fork it or adjustable headset? I am interested is hearing any advice you guys have had taking an old bike and messing with it to make it more modern.

phantoj · Nov 5, 2023

In answer to your question, I don't have experience with an adjustable headset, but I believe it is the preferred way to slacken a bike, as overforking will raise the BB, shorten the reach and set back the seat tube, all of which are the opposite of modern geometry.

BansheeRune · Nov 5, 2023

Hell, just mount a seat on top of the stem, you'll have the latest geo trend beat by a mile!

Mountainfrog · Nov 5, 2023

I started by calling my 2011 Niner Rip my new XC bike. Then I sold it because I only ride a trail bike.

pulser · Nov 5, 2023

Thats why the bike has been in the back of the garage. I’m in central PA and well a new trail bike is just better in the really rocky jank I have here. But the trails I will have close to the house a modern trail bike is serious overkill. I have been riding my gravel bike around there and other than not having enough tire for the sand it’s really fun. Think 2 wheel drift out of every corner.

MTBIvan · Nov 5, 2023

I went down this road with my 2019 Trance. I ended up bumping the fork to 160mm (from 150mm). I also added a 2 degree works angled headset.

New head tube angle is 64.5, bb height remained unchanged. The bike is perfect now. The factory seat tube angle is 73.5 degrees but when I measured it I kept getting 75 degrees. Giant would spec me on a Medium and my bike is a Large, the reach of the new trance X in medium is extremely close to mine.

I feel like the bike climbs well, bombs on the downs, tracks better, more stable and the list goes on. I literally see. I downside to the changes I made.

phantoj · Nov 6, 2023

MTBIvan said:
I went down this road with my 2019 Trance. I ended up bumping the fork to 160mm (from 150mm). I also added a 2 degree works angled headset.

I may be biased because I have a couple of Trance 27.5s but I believe the 27.5" Trance (non-X, both generations) was closer to modern geometry than the 2015 Fuel Ex.

PhillipJ · Nov 5, 2023

Sounds like needs nothing more than faster tyres.

Steep STA is great for steep climbing but not for flat pedalling.

Slacker head angle doesn't sound like it's going to do much for you either.

Used Pike or 34 at around the same travel of the current fork might be nice.

Psychoholic Racing · Nov 5, 2023

A works components headset works really good(better than Cane Creek style). The angle adjust is on the top. It not only makes the head angle slacker it steepens the seat angle and lowers the bottom bracket. Better descending,(slacker head angle), better climbing(Steeper seat anngle) and more stable on steep and corners (lower BB)

Bikedog22 · Nov 5, 2023

Just ride it. It handles better than the chopper bikes the industry says you need.

eb1888 · Nov 5, 2023

Modern means longer reach too. If you slacken with an adjustable headset you will shorten the reach some.
There's a new fork out this year at a $550 list price. ABS+ shim stack damper is better than most $1k forks.
You can make it super supple over all the rocks/roots. The Manitou Mattoc Comp. Internally adjustable 110-160mm travel.
Anew wheel with 35mm inner width rim like an Ibis Blackbird Send will let you run wider tires at lower pressure. You can just get a rim for the rear and relace your hub if necessary. Send has super wide beads to stop snakebite. Spec just copied that.

pulser · Nov 5, 2023

It looks like the works components headset won’t work on my frame it’s an integrated headset. The only one I have seen that works is the 9 point 8 slack r kits.

cookieMonster · Nov 6, 2023

I’d get a Fox 34 or Marzocchi Z2 with 20mm more travel than stock and go have fun with it. That would slack it out by 1 degree and the raise in BB height would be inconsequential; possibly even desirable.

RS VR6 · Nov 6, 2023

Like the others have said...a new fork and some new tires. I honestly don't think the head angle is going to make a huge difference unless you ride some steep and rough trails. I'm riding the same trails with my 67HTA as I did with my 70HTA bike. I'm no faster downhill on the slacker bike than the steep one. The trails just aren't hard enough for the slacker head angle to make a significant difference.

LaXCarp · Nov 6, 2023

Opens thread expecting to provide advice on an early 2000's bike. See's 2015 instead. Looks over at my current ride, a 2016 bike 🤷‍♂️

phantoj · Nov 6, 2023

A 2016 bike could be a ten-year-old design!

NC_Foothills_Rider · Nov 6, 2023

Add 20 mm to the fork travel with a Fox 34 or a Pike (My fave) 2nd hand, and at a minimum an XC tire at the rear. That will slacken the head angle just a bit as noted above,

cookieMonster · Nov 6, 2023

Just for giggles, I’ll share that I still have quite a few DH prs and KOMs from my 2012 Specialized SX Trail. I can’t beat those times on either my 2021 or 2022 bikes, and apparently no one else can either.

I guess we all need even newer bikes.

Sparticus · Nov 6, 2023

Whoa! Nice work BITD, cookie!

Wish you could take your modern bikes back in time 10 or 12 years and let your younger self ride them.
Just so you could compare apples to apples.

Honest question: which do you think would be faster if both were piloted by Mr. Younger?
The older bike or the newer?
=sParty

P.S. Please invent the time machine so we can find out!

Can I make my old trail bike relevant?

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