[big_slacker]

I've currently got an intense tracer with '03 sid team front and manitou QL rear. While this is light, I find that on the FS I want more of a plush ride. Lots of rocks on the trails here in tahoe and I'm getting bounced around a bit. Also with the carbon bars and the SID I find the front end wanting to come up on shot steep sections unless I lean WAY forward.

So I'm thinking of going with a 100mm or possibly greater travel front. I'm limited to 4" travel in the rear but there has to be a shock that is a little more plush than the QL. I've fooled with the sag quite a bit and can't seem to get it to a point where its very comfortable without bottoming. I'm not really concerned about lockout on either since I've only used the feature once on a road ride.

Suggestions? I'm looking mainly for as much comfort/travel possible. I don't mind buying used off ebay so if there was a previous model that is good I'm open to that as well.

 

[Quattro]

I've currently got an intense tracer with '03 sid team front and manitou QL rear. While this is light, I find that on the FS I want more of a plush ride. Lots of rocks on the trails here in tahoe and I'm getting bounced around a bit. Also with the carbon bars and the SID I find the front end wanting to come up on shot steep sections unless I lean WAY forward.

So I'm thinking of going with a 100mm or possibly greater travel front. I'm limited to 4" travel in the rear but there has to be a shock that is a little more plush than the QL. I've fooled with the sag quite a bit and can't seem to get it to a point where its very comfortable without bottoming. I'm not really concerned about lockout on either since I've only used the feature once on a road ride.

Suggestions? I'm looking mainly for as much comfort/travel possible. I don't mind buying used off ebay so if there was a previous model that is good I'm open to that as well.

Over at the Intense board there have been some discussion about different forks on the Tracer. I've been using a 105 mm fork on my Tracer. The front end popping up can be fixed by simply moving your weight forward. This can be acomplished by lowering your bar height.
You can do this by flipping your stem over,using a flat bar, or a lower rise stem. You might have to use a longer stem.

If you get a longer fork, it will change your head angle. Using the Tracer's slack 4 in. setting, the 105mm fork will put your HA between 69-69.5 degrees(depending on the rear stay setting). This works great for trail riding. I've had to compromise between comfort and excellent steep climbing performance by keeping the bar height a little low. I recently bought a Marzocchi MX Pro with ETA. I set the stem up for good comfort and handling on flat and DH runs. By using the ETA, it moves the weight forward and steepens the HA to 70 degrees(I'm using the short WB setting). This makes for excellent climbing on steep technical terrain. It is also very easy to reach the lever and switching is done with little effort. Everyone is different, and some of the Tracer owners are using 120-130 mm travel forks with excellent results. This is too slack for my style of riding. I haven't gone through my 4 in. of travel up front on a normal ride, so 4 in. is fine for me.

My Tracer came with a Fox Float RL. I rarely use the lockout. I put a AVA sleeve on it, and that made it cushier and use almost all the 1.5 stroke. I'll get it Pushed when ready for the next service. I have a Fox Vanilla coil for backup also. I find the ride very cush but bouncy. It is also very heavy. That might work well Pushed also with a Ti spring for weight.

 

[big_slacker]

Thanls for the info, where is this intense board?

Over at the Intense board there have been some discussion about different forks on the Tracer. I've been using a 105 mm fork on my Tracer. The front end popping up can be fixed by simply moving your weight forward. This can be acomplished by lowering your bar height.
You can do this by flipping your stem over,using a flat bar, or a lower rise stem. You might have to use a longer stem.

If you get a longer fork, it will change your head angle. Using the Tracer's slack 4 in. setting, the 105mm fork will put your HA between 69-69.5 degrees(depending on the rear stay setting). This works great for trail riding. I've had to compromise between comfort and excellent steep climbing performance by keeping the bar height a little low. I recently bought a Marzocchi MX Pro with ETA. I set the stem up for good comfort and handling on flat and DH runs. By using the ETA, it moves the weight forward and steepens the HA to 70 degrees(I'm using the short WB setting). This makes for excellent climbing on steep technical terrain. It is also very easy to reach the lever and switching is done with little effort. Everyone is different, and some of the Tracer owners are using 120-130 mm travel forks with excellent results. This is too slack for my style of riding. I haven't gone through my 4 in. of travel up front on a normal ride, so 4 in. is fine for me.

My Tracer came with a Fox Float RL. I rarely use the lockout. I put a AVA sleeve on it, and that made it cushier and use almost all the 1.5 stroke. I'll get it Pushed when ready for the next service. I have a Fox Vanilla coil for backup also. I find the ride very cush but bouncy. It is also very heavy. That might work well Pushed also with a Ti spring for weight.