Hey foes fans, i just found this forum and thought i'd post my impressions and issues with my '05 fly after 1 year of hard riding.
My build:
medium 05 fly w/ floater and 450lb ti curnutt (i'm 195/180 with/out gear) - 11lbs;
current curnutt settings: 60-75psi, full firm, fastest rebound;
06 200mm Triple Ti Travis, TPC converted, firm spring;
721s, hadley;
thomson, protaper, wtb cockpit;
X9 1:1 drive train with 22/36/bash and e13 DRS custom fit;
Margura lousie 210mm/160mm;
XT760 cranks, DX's;
2 sets of 2.5 nevegals - double ply for park, single for eveything else.
I live in lynn valley and mostly ride fromme, seymour, eagle (rocks!), whistler and sometimes squamish, vedder, and south of the border.
Setup issues:
I run the 9 inch setting all the time. a 450lb spring is perfect for me, i cannot imagine running anything less. it eats up small stuff, pedals very well and (almost) does not bottom. i feel these bikes perform best under fast, hard riding; i could see the bike feeling too stiff if riding at a slower pace. I had bottomout issues on 10+ foot landings that were not smooth (but still steep) where the rear tire would hit the seat tube. I actually could not feel/hear or tell the tire was hitting the seat tube but the piece of tape i had on there to check told me otherwise. foes reworked the valving and all is good now and better yet the small bump compliance feels even better, climbing is still really good but not quite as good as before (98%) but it's still incredible. i earn about 75% of my vert.
I originally ran a 05 180mm dorado but, oddly, found the fork to be too short. the dorado was tuned to perfection by manitou but it still didn't feel as good as the rear end and with a maximum 22 inch axle to crown height, the bike was a little unbalanced. Now i'm running a 200mm travis at a 23.5 inch axle to crown height (tall) and it has transformed the bike. notwithstanding the fact it's a better fork, the balance is perfect. Originally, i also found the bike a little long (i have the longer top tube 2005 medium and am 5 ft 10 in) and the higher and slacker front end than i previously had feels much better for fast, aggressive FR/DH without any noticable climbing difference. the wheelbase is now 47 inches, i don't know where foes gets their measurements from. even with the dorado it was just over 46". I'm surprised to see guys running 6 and 7 inch forks with a 9 inch rear end... to each his own. i think the longer wheelbase is why the bike feels best at speed. while i ride tight technical shore trails, i like the momentum and power a bit of speed allows for tossing a longer bike around and the bike just feels right ripping at speed!
Riding impressions:
for the terrain i ride, it's perfect on most days for me. sometimes overkill but i appreciate the safenet such a capable bike allows when pushing your personal limit. specifics:
DH - unless you're competing full time at a high level, i would suggest that a fly can keep up with any full-on DH rig and take just as much abuse. i ride with friends on much burlier built demo9s, yeti 303s, RMXs, AZONICs, etc and never question the suitability of a fly for full on DH and never felt it held me back.
FR - while a bit long wheelbased for tight corners on stunts, the fly is an awesome freeride bike, especially for hucking, stupid steeps, gnarl, and jumping. the fly really soaks up the bumps allowing more speed and control yet it's still quite lively to toss around. i think part of that is because my build is 40lbs not 45+
AM - while overkill for AM riding, with the light tires it works OK. i would say it would be signifcantly more fun on a FXR that is faster up, and gives more trail feedback to stimulate the downhill. a fly is really just too fast down and a bit too slow up for all mountain IMO.
Jumping - requires speed with the fly! the rear end does soak up a bunch of the compression energy that you could be juicing out with a hardtail so you really need to pin it. i still have wicked fun on freight train, dirt merchant, crabapple, a-line, boneyard, etc but probably because i don't hike dirt jumps all day and don't care that the bike does not launch with the same liveliness as a HT or short travel slopestyle bike. i also appreciate the travel on sketch landings, off camber, nose heavy, etc. i bet running the 8 inch setting would be better for getting a bit better launch off the lips.
Climbing - while 40lbs is 40lbs climbing ability is truely fantastic. try strapping 15lbs to an epic and running 2.5inch tires and see how it climbs! the traction, smoothness and power transfer that the curnutt provides is great. when grinding a fire road the rear end feels better than my 5" AM bike that never gets ridden. i don't know about bob but the power transfer is great, however standing up and mashing the pedals will get the shock moving. technical climbs are great as you can just throw the fly at a stupid steep or vertical rock face and it will soak it up and provide traction to grind over. i run a normal thomson post and the chain stay length and seat post angle really keep you over the pedals for a good climbing position.
Build quality - besides the quality of suspension travel and balanced feel of the bike, the thing i like most is the frame stiffness. after a day of serious beating on the fly, it still feels like the day i got it (better actually as the shock is now broken in). the single pivot, 150mm rear spacing keeps taking endless abuse and the bike feels 100% straight and true - ZERO PLAY. While i'm looking to get a new 6&6 AM bike like a nomad, i just don't like the idea of all the bearings, bushings, etc. developing play. without question, i'd get an FXR for the combination of stiffness and suspension quality from the curnutt - same as a fly.
take it easy,
Simon
My build:
medium 05 fly w/ floater and 450lb ti curnutt (i'm 195/180 with/out gear) - 11lbs;
current curnutt settings: 60-75psi, full firm, fastest rebound;
06 200mm Triple Ti Travis, TPC converted, firm spring;
721s, hadley;
thomson, protaper, wtb cockpit;
X9 1:1 drive train with 22/36/bash and e13 DRS custom fit;
Margura lousie 210mm/160mm;
XT760 cranks, DX's;
2 sets of 2.5 nevegals - double ply for park, single for eveything else.
I live in lynn valley and mostly ride fromme, seymour, eagle (rocks!), whistler and sometimes squamish, vedder, and south of the border.
Setup issues:
I run the 9 inch setting all the time. a 450lb spring is perfect for me, i cannot imagine running anything less. it eats up small stuff, pedals very well and (almost) does not bottom. i feel these bikes perform best under fast, hard riding; i could see the bike feeling too stiff if riding at a slower pace. I had bottomout issues on 10+ foot landings that were not smooth (but still steep) where the rear tire would hit the seat tube. I actually could not feel/hear or tell the tire was hitting the seat tube but the piece of tape i had on there to check told me otherwise. foes reworked the valving and all is good now and better yet the small bump compliance feels even better, climbing is still really good but not quite as good as before (98%) but it's still incredible. i earn about 75% of my vert.
I originally ran a 05 180mm dorado but, oddly, found the fork to be too short. the dorado was tuned to perfection by manitou but it still didn't feel as good as the rear end and with a maximum 22 inch axle to crown height, the bike was a little unbalanced. Now i'm running a 200mm travis at a 23.5 inch axle to crown height (tall) and it has transformed the bike. notwithstanding the fact it's a better fork, the balance is perfect. Originally, i also found the bike a little long (i have the longer top tube 2005 medium and am 5 ft 10 in) and the higher and slacker front end than i previously had feels much better for fast, aggressive FR/DH without any noticable climbing difference. the wheelbase is now 47 inches, i don't know where foes gets their measurements from. even with the dorado it was just over 46". I'm surprised to see guys running 6 and 7 inch forks with a 9 inch rear end... to each his own. i think the longer wheelbase is why the bike feels best at speed. while i ride tight technical shore trails, i like the momentum and power a bit of speed allows for tossing a longer bike around and the bike just feels right ripping at speed!
Riding impressions:
for the terrain i ride, it's perfect on most days for me. sometimes overkill but i appreciate the safenet such a capable bike allows when pushing your personal limit. specifics:
DH - unless you're competing full time at a high level, i would suggest that a fly can keep up with any full-on DH rig and take just as much abuse. i ride with friends on much burlier built demo9s, yeti 303s, RMXs, AZONICs, etc and never question the suitability of a fly for full on DH and never felt it held me back.
FR - while a bit long wheelbased for tight corners on stunts, the fly is an awesome freeride bike, especially for hucking, stupid steeps, gnarl, and jumping. the fly really soaks up the bumps allowing more speed and control yet it's still quite lively to toss around. i think part of that is because my build is 40lbs not 45+
AM - while overkill for AM riding, with the light tires it works OK. i would say it would be signifcantly more fun on a FXR that is faster up, and gives more trail feedback to stimulate the downhill. a fly is really just too fast down and a bit too slow up for all mountain IMO.
Jumping - requires speed with the fly! the rear end does soak up a bunch of the compression energy that you could be juicing out with a hardtail so you really need to pin it. i still have wicked fun on freight train, dirt merchant, crabapple, a-line, boneyard, etc but probably because i don't hike dirt jumps all day and don't care that the bike does not launch with the same liveliness as a HT or short travel slopestyle bike. i also appreciate the travel on sketch landings, off camber, nose heavy, etc. i bet running the 8 inch setting would be better for getting a bit better launch off the lips.
Climbing - while 40lbs is 40lbs climbing ability is truely fantastic. try strapping 15lbs to an epic and running 2.5inch tires and see how it climbs! the traction, smoothness and power transfer that the curnutt provides is great. when grinding a fire road the rear end feels better than my 5" AM bike that never gets ridden. i don't know about bob but the power transfer is great, however standing up and mashing the pedals will get the shock moving. technical climbs are great as you can just throw the fly at a stupid steep or vertical rock face and it will soak it up and provide traction to grind over. i run a normal thomson post and the chain stay length and seat post angle really keep you over the pedals for a good climbing position.
Build quality - besides the quality of suspension travel and balanced feel of the bike, the thing i like most is the frame stiffness. after a day of serious beating on the fly, it still feels like the day i got it (better actually as the shock is now broken in). the single pivot, 150mm rear spacing keeps taking endless abuse and the bike feels 100% straight and true - ZERO PLAY. While i'm looking to get a new 6&6 AM bike like a nomad, i just don't like the idea of all the bearings, bushings, etc. developing play. without question, i'd get an FXR for the combination of stiffness and suspension quality from the curnutt - same as a fly.
take it easy,
Simon
