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A Grove

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Discussion starter · #1 ·
Hey all...

I've heard some things of the GL's having strength issues in the past... The new 08's just look SO sick... I'm tweaking my original frame design to have much shorter stays and make it a bit more enjoyable for riding street. I'd like to keep my current bike as a loner or a bike that I'll turn into a dedicated FR HT... ANYHOW!! What's up with these new GL's? It will help to steepen my head angle and lighten up my rig by a good 2+ pounds. So at that, is anyone out there riding a '08... If not, what's the word on them?

Thanks.
 
#4 ·
A Grove said:
So is it safe to say "manipoo" sucks so hardcore mainly due to user malfunction vs. product malfunction?
Click to expand...
here's some "manipoo" for ya'. Super short axle-to-crown heights, cnc'ed crowns, dropouts, and archs!
Still going strong after a decade and half. One still has pristine elastomers in it, and that is after hard use and minimal maintenance, can you believe that!? other two have coil...
Image

haha, back in the days when they were all made in house by doug bradbury & crew...
I'm thinking about putting some boots on my DJ2 just 'cuz it's rad.

not quite the same these days, but still light... man I dislike the reverse crowns.
 
Discussion starter · #5 ·
BikeSATORI said:
here's some "manipoo" for ya'. Super short axle-to-crown heights, cnc'ed crowns, dropouts, and archs!
Still going strong after a decade and half. One still has pristine elastomers in it, and that is after hard use and minimal maintenance, can you believe that!? other two have coil...
Image

haha, back in the days when they were all made in house by doug bradbury & crew...
I'm thinking about putting some boots on my DJ2 just 'cuz it's rad.

not quite the same these days, but still light... man I dislike the reverse crowns.
Click to expand...
Heh... my pops still rides that fork on the far right ;) Elastomers blew out last april, found some new ones on retrobike and got her up n running again. Part of the sex of the GL to me is the reverse arch/crown ;)
 
#6 ·
A Grove said:
Heh... my pops still rides that fork on the far right ;) Elastomers blew out last april, found some new ones on retrobike and got her up n running again. Part of the sex of the GL to me is the reverse arch/crown ;)
Click to expand...
Nice, the good ol' Manitou 4. The far left is Manitou 3. Middle is EFC, my personal fav., with some Eibach speed springs, and has a bit more travel... it's dampening is decent too, well for the era. :p
I put a spring kit into the 4, but I still have the stock red elastomers too. No damping, haha, pogos a bit, but doesn't matter when you have that minimal travel and your bike is super light anyway. There were damper cartridge kits you could install in one leg of the Manitou 4, but I have no idea where you would source one these days.
I like the lower profile cnc'ed alu. knobs on the 4 better than the EFC's plastic too.
happen to have any pics of your pop's ride? :)

and c'mon, that reverse arch sticks out so much... kills all lines on a frame/build... That arch almost makes it too obvious you're riding a weird susp. fork, nothing is low-key on it. and with the big lowers that extend past the axle... oh man. ...those lines are just killing me inside the more I think about it!
haha, only messin' with ya', nice fork, even better weight, decent price... but UGLY. ;)
 
Discussion starter · #7 ·
BikeSATORI said:
Nice, the good ol' Manitou 4. The far left is Manitou 3. Middle is EFC, my personal fav., with some Eibach speed springs, and has a bit more travel... it's dampening is decent too, well for the era. :p
I put a spring kit into the 4, but I still have the stock red elastomers too. No damping, haha, pogos a bit, but doesn't matter when you have that minimal travel and your bike is super light anyway. There were damper cartridge kits you could install in one leg of the Manitou 4, but I have no idea where you would source one these days.
I like the lower profile cnc'ed alu. knobs on the 4 better than the EFC's plastic too.
happen to have any pics of your pop's ride? :)

and c'mon, that reverse arch sticks out so much... kills all lines on a frame/build... That arch almost makes it too obvious you're riding a weird susp. fork, nothing is low-key on it. and with the big lowers that extend past the axle... oh man. ...those lines are just killing me inside the more I think about it!
haha, only messin' with ya', nice fork, even better weight, decent price... but UGLY. ;)
Click to expand...
All in the eye of the beholder :thumbsup: I'm liking the weight and price more than anything... Plus it looks sexxy :D

And ATM, I dont have any pics of the pops ride on this comp. I'll try and get some tomorrow or the next day. Its quite the gander into the past ;) Then again... So is my hardcore
Image

MY fave part of the build...
Image
 
#9 ·
A Grove said:
All in the eye of the beholder :thumbsup: I'm liking the weight and price more than anything... Plus it looks sexxy :D

And ATM, I dont have any pics of the pops ride on this comp. I'll try and get some tomorrow or the next day. Its quite the gander into the past ;) Then again... So is my hardcore
Image

MY fave part of the build...
Image
Click to expand...
NICE!

I've still got some cook bros cranks too, but they are black and currently on a single speeder Fat Chance... But my pride and joys are some Tioga Revolver's (predecessor to the new Fly Cranks or Wombolts, the original 2.5pc. chromo cranks) that I'm saving for a build if I ever find a specific frame I've had in mind....
Is that a Mountain Cycle or Hannebrink fork? bet that disc brake is tough to find parts for!
I like the Tioga Psycho on backwards out back too, haha. I used to do that a lot before the Psycho TT came out... But I was an idiot back in the day and I shaved the knobs off the side of my old TT with a razor to get more frame/mud clearance, so now the tires look goofy...
man, I'd love to give that whip a rip. :thumbsup:
 
Discussion starter · #10 ·
Will - Its just the angle of the picture. the stem was probably crooked considering it was the first time I've ever touched a wrench to a bike... But the fork is fine.

Its a Mountain Cycle Suspenders w/ a first gen. prostop disk. That front wheel lace job got ditched real quick... when coupled with the fork... It gave "that fork feels like a wet noodle" a whole nother level.... Hell yeah the bikes sick!! Its bare frame as of now... Forks gone as well as the disk.. and wheels... Got a blue rear super bubbah and a front purple/blue fade super bubbah to lace up once I find suitable rims. Also a blue ringle post and clamp skewer... Then gotta re-paint a hardcore fork in the basement and do up a set of hammerheads and she'll be good to go ;) Oh and did I mention the Ringle stuff is all NOS?? ;) The frame itself was lying in out attic since '93. NOS once I got ahold of it.
 
#11 ·
A Grove said:
Will - Its just the angle of the picture. the stem was probably crooked considering it was the first time I've ever touched a wrench to a bike... But the fork is fine.

Its a Mountain Cycle Suspenders w/ a first gen. prostop disk. That front wheel lace job got ditched real quick... when coupled with the fork... It gave "that fork feels like a wet noodle" a whole nother level.... Hell yeah the bikes sick!! Its bare frame as of now... Forks gone as well as the disk.. and wheels... Got a blue rear super bubbah and a front purple/blue fade super bubbah to lace up once I find suitable rims. Also a blue ringle post and clamp skewer... Then gotta re-paint a hardcore fork in the basement and do up a set of hammerheads and she'll be good to go ;) Oh and did I mention the Ringle stuff is all NOS?? ;) The frame itself was lying in out attic since '93. NOS once I got ahold of it.
Click to expand...
wow, good guess on the fork! too bad you got rid of it, even if it was a wobbler.

the hubba and bubba's were awesome too... as were several other now defunct or sold out company's hubs!
 
Discussion starter · #12 ·
BikeSATORI said:
wow, good guess on the fork! too bad you got rid of it, even if it was a wobbler.

the hubba and bubba's were awesome too... as were several other now defunct or sold out company's hubs!
Click to expand...
Well.. to put a long story short. A old friend of my pops lent me every part on that frame besides the cartridge bb, seat/post, and bar... I was hurting for a new rig, he was with me when I found that frame, and he himself is an avid rider of a few Groves. He's been hangin' around the shop/my dad for YEARS. He's the kinda guy who goes out of his way to do anything and everything to help anyone he can. He's built up multiple rigs for people who don't have the means or money to get on two wheels... Its on sort of a PIF (Pay it forward) basis... Once I had the money and means to get the bike running myself... I tore it down, and shipped the parts back to him to be used on a future bike to get someone else going ;) I even re-laced the front wheel for him :thumbsup:

Funny story about the ringles... We found an old stash of NOS ringle hubs... Anything from a set of purple anno road bubbahs to a set of NOS blue super bubbah mtn. hubs. Well, we put them on the bay.. and got some 617 dollars for ONE rear blue anno bubbah.... Yeah. INSANE.

Anyhow.. I was just checking the A2C heights on "manipoo's" versus the 2007 dj's... And I was suprised to find that for the 100mm versions, the difference was a MERE 3 mm. And the 80mm version GL had a A2C of 460mm. I find that ironic.. I never took the time to look into it myself, but everyone else 'round these parts was talking 'bout how the GL had such a shorter A2C than the DJ series.
 
Discussion starter · #14 ·
Ahh.. Well, heavier seems to me to be a hard feat to do!! My '07 dj1 weights some 6.8 pounds!!!

I'm stoked to get my rig set up for this coming season. It'll be done by the end of march if all goes as planned. New frame w/ shorter stays, new fork, new wheels w/ geisha, and hopefully sub 30#
 
#15 ·
Back to the OP:

Can't comment on the '08 except to say I want one to build up a brown and gold DJ bike.

I've been jumping with a 80mm '07 GL2 for a year and a half. I weigh 188 lbs. w/o gear and have used the fork on a Specialized P.2 (perfect) and now on a DMR Trailstar (100mm would probably be better).

It burped a wee bit of oil during the first year but the seals seem fine. I topped off the oil myself using the rebound feel as an indicator of when to stop adding. It's been months since the topoff and there are no signs of a leak. Bushing wear is not discernible.

The 20mm bolt-on is easy to use for a tool-required design, but it's a pain compared to the Argyle, Pike or (heaven-forbid) Psylo.

The fork sure is sweet on DJs and will smooth out a 8' drop to transition - done twice to show a guy with a 45+ lb DH rig that his bike was overkill for our area. Like a quality 'Zoke, I never felt the bottom-out but have measured the full advertized travel.

The BEST thing about it is no air pressure to fiddle with. Just a good ol' stiff coil spring with oil damping. The rebound knob seems to have an equivalent affect on compression damping, but I don't know the specifics of how it's damping works...fluid flow vs. TPC vs. TPC-ish vs. other.

In my experience, it's a good fork for the intended purpose (DJ) and tends to be complimented on it's good looks (in black with subdued grey lettering).
 
Discussion starter · #16 ·
B100 said:
Back to the OP:

Can't comment on the '08 except to say I want one to build up a brown and gold DJ bike.

I've been jumping with a 80mm '07 GL2 for a year and a half. I weigh 188 lbs. w/o gear and have used the fork on a Specialized P.2 (perfect) and now on a DMR Trailstar (100mm would probably be better).

It burped a wee bit of oil during the first year but the seals seem fine. I topped off the oil myself using the rebound feel as an indicator of when to stop adding. It's been months since the topoff and there are no signs of a leak. Bushing wear is not discernible.

The 20mm bolt-on is easy to use for a tool-required design, but it's a pain compared to the Argyle, Pike or (heaven-forbid) Psylo.

The fork sure is sweet on DJs and will smooth out a 8' drop to transition - done twice to show a guy with a 45+ lb DH rig that his bike was overkill for our area. Like a quality 'Zoke, I never felt the bottom-out but have measured the full advertized travel.

The BEST thing about it is no air pressure to fiddle with. Just a good ol' stiff coil spring with oil damping. The rebound knob seems to have an equivalent affect on compression damping, but I don't know the specifics of how it's damping works...fluid flow vs. TPC vs. TPC-ish vs. other.

In my experience, it's a good fork for the intended purpose (DJ) and tends to be complimented on it's good looks (in black with subdued grey lettering).
Click to expand...
Quick question... Are you running the stock spring?
 
#17 ·
A Grove said:
Well.. to put a long story short. A old friend of my pops lent me every part on that frame besides the cartridge bb, seat/post, and bar... I was hurting for a new rig, he was with me when I found that frame, and he himself is an avid rider of a few Groves. He's been hangin' around the shop/my dad for YEARS. He's the kinda guy who goes out of his way to do anything and everything to help anyone he can. He's built up multiple rigs for people who don't have the means or money to get on two wheels... Its on sort of a PIF (Pay it forward) basis... Once I had the money and means to get the bike running myself... I tore it down, and shipped the parts back to him to be used on a future bike to get someone else going ;) I even re-laced the front wheel for him :thumbsup:

Funny story about the ringles... We found an old stash of NOS ringle hubs... Anything from a set of purple anno road bubbahs to a set of NOS blue super bubbah mtn. hubs. Well, we put them on the bay.. and got some 617 dollars for ONE rear blue anno bubbah.... Yeah. INSANE.

Anyhow.. I was just checking the A2C heights on "manipoo's" versus the 2007 dj's... And I was suprised to find that for the 100mm versions, the difference was a MERE 3 mm. And the 80mm version GL had a A2C of 460mm. I find that ironic.. I never took the time to look into it myself, but everyone else 'round these parts was talking 'bout how the GL had such a shorter A2C than the DJ series.
Click to expand...
That's cool about your dad's buddy, always helpin' others out on the two wheel deals.
and I believe you about the hubs, some of this vintage stuff can really get some draw, it's almost like muscle cars from the 60's... the 90's were prime time for all of the crazy cnc/anodizing upgrades in mountain biking, so even today, people are seeking those parts out, or just looking to relive a moment or part they couldn't afford at that time... I like vintage stuff, haha. :thumbsup:

as for the GL2 A2C heights, yeah, it can be a lot of jive passed around. 460 is still very low, Sherman Jumper was a 455 at 80mm... But what is weird is the fact that most people cannot see how a DJ series, or even Pike/Revelation/Argyle can also be easily lowered even farther. My '06 DJ2 is at ~440mm a2c, so not too far off of my rigid.
I seriously don't see how your '07 DJ1 is 6.8lb though, my '06 DJ2 is, if I recall correctly, in the mid 5lb range. but still a good lb heavier than a GL2.
I personally would love to get a Pike with the Duke u-turn, then somehow ditch the maxle lever and knobs on top too. Now that is a smooth fork.
 
Discussion starter · #18 ·
BikeSATORI said:
That's cool about your dad's buddy, always helpin' others out on the two wheel deals.
and I believe you about the hubs, some of this vintage stuff can really get some draw, it's almost like muscle cars from the 60's... the 90's were prime time for all of the crazy cnc/anodizing upgrades in mountain biking, so even today, people are seeking those parts out, or just looking to relive a moment or part they couldn't afford at that time... I like vintage stuff, haha. :thumbsup:

as for the GL2 A2C heights, yeah, it can be a lot of jive passed around. 460 is still very low, Sherman Jumper was a 455 at 80mm... But what is weird is the fact that most people cannot see how a DJ series, or even Pike/Revelation/Argyle can also be easily lowered even farther. My '06 DJ2 is at ~440mm a2c, so not too far off of my rigid.
I seriously don't see how your '07 DJ1 is 6.8lb though, my '06 DJ2 is, if I recall correctly, in the mid 5lb range. but still a good lb heavier than a GL2.
I personally would love to get a Pike with the Duke u-turn, then somehow ditch the maxle lever and knobs on top too. Now that is a smooth fork.
Click to expand...
This friday I shall weight it and take a picture on the scale. QBP put it at 6.87# whenever I placed the order....
 
#19 ·
BikeSATORI said:
That's cool about your dad's buddy, always helpin' others out on the two wheel deals.
and I believe you about the hubs, some of this vintage stuff can really get some draw, it's almost like muscle cars from the 60's... the 90's were prime time for all of the crazy cnc/anodizing upgrades in mountain biking, so even today, people are seeking those parts out, or just looking to relive a moment or part they couldn't afford at that time... I like vintage stuff, haha. :thumbsup:

as for the GL2 A2C heights, yeah, it can be a lot of jive passed around. 460 is still very low, Sherman Jumper was a 455 at 80mm... But what is weird is the fact that most people cannot see how a DJ series, or even Pike/Revelation/Argyle can also be easily lowered even farther. My '06 DJ2 is at ~440mm a2c, so not too far off of my rigid.
I seriously don't see how your '07 DJ1 is 6.8lb though, my '06 DJ2 is, if I recall correctly, in the mid 5lb range. but still a good lb heavier than a GL2.
I personally would love to get a Pike with the Duke u-turn, then somehow ditch the maxle lever and knobs on top too. Now that is a smooth fork.
Click to expand...
Talk to me when you're ready. I can hook up the bro deal, the spring, and ditch the Maxle. :thumbsup: :D
 
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