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Best "FR" frame for a summer in BC?

887 Views 9 Replies 9 Participants Last post by Mike-e, Jul 2, 2009

aye-aye

Discussion Starter · Jul 2, 2009

I'm going to try and get to BC for about 4 months next summer from the UK.
I hope to be based somewhere near Kelowna (need a dry climate for health reasons) and gradually travel round to all the bikeparks and also see a lot of the other riding to be found in BC.
I like doing drops and love stuff like "original sin"
I'm trying to work out what would be a good "freeride" bike to take.
I currently ride a Bottlerocket, which I love, with Van 36s and a DHX coil, built to around 36lbs. The geometry is great and I love the snap and pop but its a bit of a handful when the going gets really rocky or the drops get big and messy ( 8 foot plus to lumps) and i felt i needed a bit more travel at Whistler etc (mainly to deal with the braking bumps though)
So I think I need a different frame for this trip.

I want to be able to pedal it around with a dual chainring and for the full bike to weigh 38 lbs or under with coils.
I'd like it to be a bit "poppy" and chuckable rather than an over-plush chunder-plough.
Fork would either be 180mm SC (if there are any reliable ones :sad: ) or Van 36s depending on what the frame needs.
I've had a great time on Transitions, a 2006 4" Preston Fr and BR and I don't really like single pivot frames after finding Hecklers and Yeti ASXs very front end "divey" on steeps and under braking.
( I know the Transitions are technically single pivot too but whatever

rft: )
I also don't want the suspension to be too "techy" with maintenance and/or reliability issues.

So i want something ideally with :
a bit more travel (but not too much, i like to feel whats going on down there)
short (sub 17" )chainstays
slackish headangle ( 66 deg or slacker)
low BB (14" or lower preferably)
sub 11 lb frame weight ( including coil shock)
stiff rear end
tough
reliable

Here are my current possibles:
Knolly Delirium T (stiff and reliable but heavy and a bit too steep?)
Intense SS (light and poppy but not a stiff rear end?)
09 SX trail (looks perfect but can't buy frameset in UK and reliability unproven so far)
Nicolai UFO ST (adjustability and great geo but single pivot and weak chainstay issues?)
Transition Blindside (like the geo but too much travel?)
Transition Dirtbag (tough and chuckable but BB too tall and a bit steep headangle?)
Corsair Maelstrom (good geo but complicated and reliability unproven)

Any others I should be looking at?
What would you get?
Cheers

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climbingbubba

· #2 · Jul 2, 2009

aye-aye said:
So i want something ideally with :
a bit more travel (but not too much, i like to feel whats going on down there)
short (sub 17" )chainstays
slackish headangle ( 66 deg or slacker)
low BB (14" or lower preferably)
sub 11 lb frame weight ( including coil shock)
stiff rear end
tough
reliable

Here are my current possibles:
Knolly Delirium T (stiff and reliable but heavy and a bit too steep?)
Intense SS (light and poppy but not a stiff rear end?)
09 SX trail (looks perfect but can't buy frameset in UK and reliability unproven so far)
Nicolai UFO ST (adjustability and great geo but single pivot and weak chainstay issues?)
Transition Blindside (like the geo but too much travel?)
Transition Dirtbag (tough and chuckable but BB too tall and a bit steep headangle?)
Corsair Maelstrom (good geo but complicated and reliability unproven)

Cheers

I have owned a few of the bikes you mentioned and one you already have. (transition BR/DB, UFO, Intense SS)

for what you described i would go for the Nicolai UFO ST. it is amazing. incredibly stiff rear end (no chinstay issues i know of) and it fits everything in your criteria. It feels exactly like a longer travel BR (i sold my BR to get a UFO). out of all the frames i would say it could handle the most abuse and be the lowest maintenance. The adjustability is awesome. It is the bike i took to whistler and felt it handled everything perfect. it jumps really good but still has enough squish to handle the gnarly rocky stuff. mine weighed 37 pounds with single ply tires.

the transition DB and blindside also are good options though. little lighter too.

The corsairs are very sick. have a few friends who ride them. only downside is the pulley especially with the front der but not too big of a deal.

The other good option would be the new intense Uzzi.

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Uncle Cliffy

· #3 · Jul 2, 2009

Bubba pretty much hit the nail on the head with his reply IMO.

The only thing I can add is that the Blindside I tried on Dirt Merchant and Crank it up had plenty of pop. That bike can be built up with a Single crown and probably do pretty well. You won't get sub 17 stays though... I didn't find them as plush as I'd like in the brake bumpy parts of the trails either.

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SHIVER ME TIMBERS

· #4 · Jul 2, 2009

try out the new 951 by Intense....like a bottlerocket but burlier....great DH bike without the massive travel

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$ally Hu$tle

· #5 · Jul 2, 2009

session 88 FR

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006_007

· #6 · Jul 2, 2009

I dont think the Delirium T is too steep - 66.5-67.5 with a 160mm fork - throw on a 180mm fork and you will be in the 65 range. That bike was built for riding in BC.

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Techfreak

· #7 · Jul 2, 2009

If you want the ultimate FR bike, get a Knolly V-Tach with a Totem. Done.

If you really just want to ride and have fun, bring your B-Rocket. If you don't like the "divey" feeling of an SP, perhaps you just need to either set your suspension up correctly (more low speed compression on the fork) and learn how to brake in a single-pivot kind of way (as in don't touch 'em in the chunder). I ride a 6" travel single pivot all over the Shore and Whistler and once I figured the braking out the need for more travel just went away.

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juice

· #8 · Jul 2, 2009

If you can afford it, Knolly is a fantastic way to go. I'd probably go for a Delerium instead of the monster-big V-Tach.

But honestly, it sounds like you need an SX Trail. 38 lbs is doable with single ply tires and a few other compromises, but I'd suck it up and go with DH tires and accept 40lbs. You are, after all, going to be in BC. SX is one of the few strong, mid-travel, slack bikes out there with short chainstays and more travel than the Bottle Rocket.

A Giant Reign X would also be good, but I think the chainstays are a wee bit longer. Maybe a Transition Dirtbag? You like their bikes, and they're strong and fun. Also, a new Nomad could be good, but it has 2 strikes against it with long stays and a complicated linkage (though I hear it's pretty reliable in it's current form).

No matter what, you're going to have fun up there! The riding is so diverse that you'll have to make some compromises for some of the riding, so there's really no right answer, other than just riding a lot.

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essenmeinstuff

· #9 · Jul 2, 2009

006_007 said:
I dont think the Delirium T is too steep - 66.5-67.5 with a 160mm fork - throw on a 180mm fork and you will be in the 65 range. That bike was built for riding in BC.

Maybe a little steep meaning $$$

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