[SMOKEY]

I am coming off a 5 spot and I am curious about other suspension designs. I have been single speeding more and more and I have come to a conclusion....I like to stand and hammer. I try on my spot but it wallows around too much. I have been secretly admiring the 100x or the HH100x, they seem to be lighter, snappier bikes. So, can you guys hammer away in a big gear uphill without Bobbing around like clowns?

I guess I should be looking at the VPP designs as well, but I am skeptical of all those links and bearings.

 

[CampLemur]

no idea

I have never ridden a HH or 100x, but I think you are crazy if you want to get rid of your Spot. That is THE bike--by my way of thinking--and I would have gotten one if it was within the budget. I'm sure you've considered the options, but I would give either an RP3 or a Manitou SPV a chance and tinker with different amounts of platform before giving up that bike. I'm sure the HH would be great, but it hurts me to hear you forsake my ideal bike.

 

[tscheezy]

Smokey, find a place that demos vpp bikes. Since you want to lose weight and bob you should be looking at a blur or spider. I demoed a spider and thought it pedaled brilliantly. I personally think that is just what you are after. The harder you pedal the less the suspension moves, but it still reacts impressively to bumps. I expected to feel pedal feedback but it was minimal if detectable at all. You are not going to find what you want by asking around. You need to go ride the bikes in question.

Good luck, my bro.

 

[SMOKEY]

Smokey, find a place that demos vpp bikes. Since you want to lose weight and bob you should be looking at a blur or spider. I demoed a spider and thought it pedaled brilliantly. I personally think that is just what you are after. The harder you pedal the less the suspension moves, but it still reacts impressively to bumps. I expected to feel pedal feedback but it was minimal if detectable at all. You are not going to find what you want by asking around. You need to go ride the bikes in question.

Good luck, my bro.

Dude,
Do you happen to have a link to any posts you made about that bike? I will look in the I-bike threads you started way back. Thanks man.

 

[boone]

Smokey

I agree! Check out the VPP designs. I think the Blur screams up hills like a scared monkey I have been riding one for a little over a year now and it is great!!
If you are interested, PM me about mine, it might be for sale to the right "inside" person for a great deal

On the other hand, a HH100x is a great bike. I think it is probably one of the stiffest short travel (4") bikes around. The HH100x is built to take a little more abuse than the RacerX. I think abuse is a relative term here! Give Charles at HH a shout and see what he says (call him, don't e-mail). However, I would be aware that his past track record. Read a little about the HH100X and Charles on the board (some very good and some not so good). I personally e-mailed him once about being interested in a HH100x and he never returned my mail. Then I decided that this was not the bike for me, no harm done. See what other people say.

Best to get as much info as possible. Good luck with the new search!

Boone

 

[KRob]

Can you stand and hammer on the Hammerhead? You bet. Will it feel like a hard tail? No. but with 3/8" of sag it is pretty close...... unless you go back and forth from hardtail to squish every day... then you'll notice the difference. I do. But it's certainly better in this regard than any other FS bike I've ridden.

Disclaimer: I haven't ridden the Blur or Spider.

 

[rensho]

I have no issues with it on my rx100. Did it today at demo. The key for me is the fork lockout. I notice bobbing up there the most. Since i have a remote lockout on the handlebar, it is no prob at all.

 

[tscheezy]

Dude,
Do you happen to have a link to any posts you made about that bike?

No, you need to call around and find a place which will rent you a vpp for a day. Go throw one of your impressive legs over that puppy and mash until it screams uncle. That is the only way you will be able to tell if it right for you. If you read my drivel on the subject you will only know if it was right for me or not.

Gotta dish a little tough love here, baby. Now spread your wings and fly...

 

[The Squeaky Wheel]

Yes Smokey, you can.
Even without a platform shock, the rear of the Hammerhead is darned efficient when hammering. Even better with the propedal.
Tscheezy is right about the Blur however. You can stand & hammer & it doesn't move. However, I've always found that an active rear climbs better on technical terrain, the VPP suffers from pedal feedback which the Titus doesn't and the Blurs continue to have issues with bearing failure.

 

[FoShizzle]

I am coming off a 5 spot and I am curious about other suspension designs. I have been single speeding more and more and I have come to a conclusion....I like to stand and hammer. I try on my spot but it wallows around too much. I have been secretly admiring the 100x or the HH100x, they seem to be lighter, snappier bikes. So, can you guys hammer away in a big gear uphill without Bobbing around like clowns?

I guess I should be looking at the VPP designs as well, but I am skeptical of all those links and bearings.

So Smokey, you thinking now (1) new SS and (2) replace Spot? Damn you! Now I may need to sell my Ventana for these same reasons

 

[bigdrunk]

Smokey,

You should seriously consider picking up an RP3 and sending it to PUSH to have the platform cranked up in "+" mode. I would try this before you send the BEST trail bike out right now to the glue factory. I had a Blur before my Spot and there is absolutely no going back for me.

On the Blur, when the suspension was set to where I could get full travel etc, I would not call the suspension BOB free at all. It did a nice job of resisting it though. But also take my opinion with a grain of salt, I am somebody that gets out of the saddle only when I really have to. The new Blur LT does look nice though.

Check out the RP3!

 

[SMOKEY]

I guess the most cost effective thing to do is get an rp3, then there will always be the possibility to get it pushed when the warranty expires. I am searching for shops that will let me actually ride a vpp bike on a trail. No luck so far. They take one look at my "largeness" and probably think I will snap the poor bike in two.

Foshizzle my nizzle, I don't know what I am going to do. I really need to wait till I loose 60lbs before I order my custom titanium single speed from seven. I want to EARN my single speed. I will ride my crappy surly into the ground in the meantime.

If I find that the 100x will better suit me than I may just buy a frame and swap parts, I really don't want to sell the spot. Well, actually a 100x for a light fast bike and a 6-pack for the fun stuff sounds pretty good to me.

 

[FoShizzle]

I guess the most cost effective thing to do is get an rp3, then there will always be the possibility to get it pushed when the warranty expires. I am searching for shops that will let me actually ride a vpp bike on a trail. No luck so far. They take one look at my "largeness" and probably think I will snap the poor bike in two.

Foshizzle my nizzle, I don't know what I am going to do. I really need to wait till I loose 60lbs before I order my custom titanium single speed from seven. I want to EARN my single speed. I will ride my crappy surly into the ground in the meantime.

If I find that the 100x will better suit me than I may just buy a frame and swap parts, I really don't want to sell the spot. Well, actually a 100x for a light fast bike and a 6-pack for the fun stuff sounds pretty good to me.

i hear yuh.....it sounds like you are going to ultimately be a 3-bike bro.

I think I may too....I cancelled my listing on ebay today for the Surly. I think I will just put the Surly rigid on the bike and sell the pos low end Marz. I will use it for after rain, crappy kind of weather riding intead of getting a few bucks for it. I think that makes more sense.

 

[KRob]

Well, actually a 100x for a light fast bike and a 6-pack for the fun stuff sounds pretty good to me.

Amen, brother. I'm just sayin'.

 

[The Squeaky Wheel]

Well, actually a 100x for a light fast bike and a 6-pack for the fun stuff sounds pretty good to me.

I wonder what fool would possibly do something that foolish

 

[barrows]

Blur/RX

SMOKE: I have been riding a Blur for over two seasons now, and any day now I should be receiving my new RX-100 frame. It is true that the Blur's rear suspension basically locks out under hard efforts while climbing-this allows the bike to feel like it has great acceleration and snap out of the saddle-the drawback is that the suspension is basically inactive at these times, and therefore when you hit bumps it's just about a hardtail. On the other hand the Blur does bob while spinning in the saddle (less chain tension) unless you have alot of shock platform damping going on. For me I found the RX-100 to be better-I like long rides in the high mountains and I like suspension that is active while I climb steep singletrack-yes the RX will bob a little under an all out uphill sprint-but I do not do that very often on 5+ hour rides with 6k of climbing! If you are used to the active suspension of the Spot, you may not like how the VPP bikes' rear suspension stiffens under high chain torque situations-both the VPP and Horst designs have their merits, you just have to decide what is the most important suspension quality to you.

 

[tscheezy]

Any guy currently happier on a singlespeed hardtail than a 5-Spot will not have ANY problems adapting to a vpp which stiffens a bit under power. Standing and mashing bob is his nemesis right now. He is basically looking for a bike where chain tension resists suspension movement.

Every design is a tradeoff, and you just have to recognize which aspects are most important and which are least. For me, I don't mind extra suspension movement in exchange for supple absorption of all trail irregularities while under power or coasting. For Smokey, I think he does not mind a little loss of suspension movement in exchange for greater perceived efficiency. He's on a Surly SS right now, that's gotta tell you something....

 

[CampLemur]

Brain?

What about the Specialized Epic? Or the elusive '04 Enduro S-Works? That Brain technology might be just what you're looking for. Although I would stick with the Spot and try a Manitou Swinger.

 

[Hecubus]

I don't have any ridding time on the 5 Spot but have extensive riding time on a Spider, Blur, Switchblade (which should be somewhat similar to the 5 Spot), and Racer X. Basically this is what I feel comparing these bikes.

As far as the VPP bikes go its kind of a typical mistake to assume both the Blur and the Spider are basically the same bike made by a different builder. They have enough differences in feel to explain why one is considered a XC racer and the other is a trailbike. One thing that I found curios about the Blur is that while it does resist bobbing rather well there definately seems to trade off on some off the benefits of vpp to give a smoother ride. Its still pedals better than the SB which tends to squat a bit when hammering hard though. The Spider on the other hand feels very tight and with efficiency being the main priority. This bike will resist bobbing fantastically even when hammering hard without the need of a platform shock. Stick in a 5th element or a Swinger and you can make it feel Epic stiff when hammering. I actually hate the Spider with a platform shock. I think its a big mistake to spec them on shorter travel vpp bikes. The suspension actually transitions so seamlessly between stiffened from pedaling to active when it hits bumps it feels as smooth as some of the best designs. Its claimed its technically not as active when climbing as a horst link but I find that the threshold at which the suspension breaks free is so low it activates well enough during technical climbing to not be completely stiffened out. It plays a nice balance between the two sides. Comparing climbing when seated I actually find the Spider to actually feel just as active if not more than the RX. I feel that while the Racer X's suspension should technically be better here the leverage ratio on the shock is so low it has a harder time activating or just moving enough making it feel not necessarily any more active than the Spider.

 

[shanedawg]

If I find that the 100x will better suit me than I may just buy a frame and swap parts, I really don't want to sell the spot. Well, actually a 100x for a light fast bike and a 6-pack for the fun stuff sounds pretty good to me.

That's pretty much where I wound up. A 100X for trail days and an RFX for freerideing. Also have a bonty hardtail that I am building for SS. I have a pushed vanilla rc on the RFX and can tell you that a pushed shock on your spot will help the standing climbing bob.

As for the HH, it is awesome when standing. I have one with a float rl on the back and a TALAS RLC fork. For standing climbing I either lock the fork for long fireroad climbs or dial it down for more technical climbs. For standing I think the front lock out is the most important on this bike. No real need for the rear lock out. I only use it on rare smooth pavement climbs. Once the front is stiffened up and you stand and hammer the rear end feels like a perfect balance between sucking up trail iregularities which helps keep it glued and stiffness that makes it feel super effiecient. My main riding buddy has a blur with the 5th element and a minute fork. His bike does climb very well too but his rear tires spins more on technical climbs. The diff between these two bikes is very subtle though I can feel a bit of pedal feedback through the suspension in the blur.