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150mm Mastodon Pro EXT too much for Stache?

1097 Views 6 Replies 3 Participants Last post by  TimTucker, 
T
This is about the time of year that I wind up spending 2-3 months of late nights working on big projects that "no one expected" (funny how that seems to happen almost every year).

As usual, that results in contemplating ways to spend money on my bike as a coping mechanism to convince myself that eventually projects will get done & I'll have more time to ride again about the time that it starts getting warm...

Current setup:
  • 2018 Stache 5
  • 120mm Machete Comp (stock)
  • Vee Bulldozer 29x3.25" front & rear (~785mm diameter)
Would going to the 150mm Mastodon Pro EXT be "too much" for the Stache?

Considering it as a "half-upgrade" to try playing around with 27 fat for warm-weather riding (i.e.: ride a season with 27.5 fat up front, eventually get a 27.5 fat frame & rear wheel, then put the Machete back on the Stache).

Looking at the options for what I might run up front:
  • Re-lace one of my existing 29+ rims on a 150mm hub
    • Slightly stiffer / stronger wheel (although I'm not sure that I need that?)
  • Cake Eater 27.5x4.5
    • Much the same diameter that I have now
    • Would add an extra 400g or so
  • Barbegazi 27.5x4.5
    • At ~770mm diameter it would keep the effective A2C a little closer to what it is now
    • About the same weight as the Bulldozers
Bad idea?

Great idea to get me half-way towards an N+1 fat bike?
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mikesee
No harm in trying it.

To me, the Stache is a svelte, nimble, ginsu knife of a playful, poppy, carving and manualing machine.

Putting a big, heavy, wide Mastodon and a mondo tire up front would quench that fire in a hurry.

But that's just me.
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T
mikesee said:
No harm in trying it.

To me, the Stache is a svelte, nimble, ginsu knife of a playful, poppy, carving and manualing machine.

Putting a big, heavy, wide Mastodon and a mondo tire up front would quench that fire in a hurry.

But that's just me.
Click to expand...
Did some looking into weights -- it looks like while the Mastodon Pro is heavier than Machete Comp I have now, it's actually pretty close to what was considered an "upgrade" on the Stache 7:
  • Mastodon EXT Comp - 2400g
  • Mastodon EXT Pro - ~2200g
  • Mattoc / Magnum Comp - ~2200g (2017 Stache 7)
  • Rockshox Yari RC 29+ - ~2100g (2018/19 Stache 7)
  • Mattoc / Magnum Pro - ~2000g
  • Machete Comp - ~2000g (2017/18 Stache 5 stock fork)
The width part I'm not so sure on - I know it's close or doesn't fit under the down tube on many fat bikes without a crown race extension, which would jack up the front end even more if it becomes required.

The "lizard brain" part of my head says "snatch one up because they're hard to find and you might put together a fat bike eventually anyway". The more rational side of the brain says "the new Mattoc is coming out next year, maybe you should just wait and see what travel options are offered on that... plus you still have an IRT upgrade sitting in the garage waiting to try out on the Machete".

Not sure if I'm riding fast enough to feel much "fire" - manuals are definitely beyond my current level of skill.
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mikesee
It's not just about the width, nor just about the weight. Some of it is even visual -- like putting an F-150 front bumper onto your Mini Cooper.

Not remotely saying it won't or can't work. It can. It just changes the bike in a fundamental way that was only negative, to me.
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T
Point taken -- I'm usually pretty immune to what people think of how things look.

In the process of looking into the Mastodon and reading about the frame clearance issues, that did lead me to come a few options for crown race extenders...

$25 for one of these to see what the Stache feels like a little slacker seems like it might be a far more cost effective way to satisfy the itch to "buy something & experiment":

Bikeman: Not Found

www.bikeman.com
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AndrewTO
I say get one to calm down the inner reptile, but then get a fat frame for it.

I'm with Mike, but more blunt - great fork to ruin that frame with! From what I recall (and I have one) the Stache is usually commented as not having the stiffest frame, most noted by singlespeed users. Bumper on a gokart, indeed. Unexpected build? Certainly.

Personally, any frame I've had either of my Mastodons on feel unbalanced, nose heavy, and not in a minor way. It feels like a cinder block up there! I sold one of them because of its weight - it killed the bike, imho.

Your experiment, your rules. :)
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T
AndrewTO said:
I say get one to calm down the inner reptile, but then get a fat frame for it.

I'm with Mike, but more blunt - great fork to ruin that frame with! From what I recall (and I have one) the Stache is usually commented as not having the stiffest frame, most noted by singlespeed users. Bumper on a gokart, indeed. Unexpected build? Certainly.

Personally, any frame I've had either of my Mastodons on feel unbalanced, nose heavy, and not in a minor way. It feels like a cinder block up there! I sold one of them because of its weight - it killed the bike, imho.

Your experiment, your rules. :)
Click to expand...
Gu
AndrewTO said:
I say get one to calm down the inner reptile, but then get a fat frame for it.

I'm with Mike, but more blunt - great fork to ruin that frame with! From what I recall (and I have one) the Stache is usually commented as not having the stiffest frame, most noted by singlespeed users. Bumper on a gokart, indeed. Unexpected build? Certainly.

Personally, any frame I've had either of my Mastodons on feel unbalanced, nose heavy, and not in a minor way. It feels like a cinder block up there! I sold one of them because of its weight - it killed the bike, imho.

Your experiment, your rules. :)
Click to expand...
Was that the pro or the comp that you'd tried?

On the one hand 200g sounds like a big difference... on the other than I've done a bunch of riding in the past with a 5lb Ryobi flood light strapped to my bars - that's my frame of reference for "makes the front end feel a little heavy".

Did another ride out today with friends before snow hit... and confirmed again that I'm definitely the weakest link in this whole system.
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