[KRob]

I continue to be wowed by the D-T. I've been on it about three months now and am still really impressed. I'm not sure how it does it but I never thought a 38-39 lb bike could climb so well. I have an hour long fireroad climb to the top of my local peak (seen in the background of pic #1) where most of my fun, steep, DT-worthy descents start and I just sit and spin right up. I'm pretty sure I could do it a bit faster on the HH....but I don't necessarily.

Weekend before last I took it down to St. George and was priveledged to have El C and Wasea04 show me some of their goods. Wasea has built a multi-jump descent off one of their local hills that is a masterpiece. The D-T flew straight and landed all the jumps and drops I tried nice and solid. I'm sure a second (or third) run down would allow me to be smoother but the D-T saved my bacon and was very forgiving when I flew too long, came up a little short, or landed a little flat on a couple of the features.

We then did a techy climb up Zen which follows along the bluff for aways then ends with a really fun, rough, fast descent back down to the valley. The D-T just eats that stuff up. I love it. Going back for more next week.

A few observations:
-I'm not sure if it's the moisture freezing in the cable housing on that big loop under the bottom bracket for the front deraileur or the FD itself but riding in the snow for more than a half hour or so can cause the FD to freeze up and not shift.

-The 55RC3 seems to be getting even better as it breaks in. Very supple on small bumps yet ramps up nicely on big hits. As it loosens up and breaks in though I notice it does bob more on climbs... especially on out-of-the-saddle efforts. I'm not sure but I think I may be able to detect a slight amount of play in the bushing when I grab the front brake when stopped on the driveway and rock the front wheel back and forth.... maybe. I certainly don't notice it when riding and if that's the price to pay for stiction free action... I'll gladly accept it.

I'm still pretty impressed with the DHX-Air but will probably try a coil at some point. Probably a Roco TST.

I'm not careful enough to have such a pretty-when-new-and-clean dark blue powder coat frame. It's starting to show some signs of cable rub, chain slap, and even some paint flaking in a few spots of excessive wear. I'm not sure if it's just that this color shows these signs of wear more readily or if it's quality issue.

Anyway.... still very happy with the Delirium T

A couple more recent pics.

 

[kristian]

I'm glad to hear you're liking it! I agree on the climbs. We did a 7 mile fire road climb a three weeks ago and I wasn't even the last one in the group to the top! It just spins away without any drama, and it sure doesn't feel like a ~40 pounder.

You might want a chainstay protector. I took an old DH tube and wrapped it around each chainstay to protect them from my duck-footed pedal posture. That will help from the rubbing a lot. Do you know if yours was painted by Spectrum? Mine was powdered before Noel was using Spectrum and the powder coat isn't amazing. It's been pretty durable actually, but it's on there so thick that I would be surprised if it had problems.

If you're anal about the paint, you can buy clear protectors for the places where the cables rub, but personally, I think a bike SHOULD have a couple of wear markes on it!

Cheers,
K

 

[KRob]

I'm not sure where it was powder coated. It is an '07 (DT-IV) though. Not sure when he switched. Yeah, no complaints with the looks of the finish. It looks like liquid candy. Very thick and syrupy.

No, not anal about paint finish protection.... in fact just the opposite. If they had raw or polished I should've gone that way. Love the looks of the Britannia blue, just realizing that with my lack of anal attention to keeping it looking new..... it's going to start looking like crap too soon. I few well placed 3M clear coat stickers and chainstay protection would go along way though. Good advice.

I right clicked and saved a pic of you, I think... (hard to miss the signature tie-dye shirt), rolling a spot on one of my favorite you-know-where routes in Moab quite awhile ago. I just saw it pop up on the screensaver so I thought I'd repost it, if you don't mind.

Man I gotta get back to Moab soon.

 

[TerryLM]

340 Hub?

-The 55RC3 seems to be getting even better as it breaks in. Very supple on small bumps yet ramps up nicely on big hits. As it loosens up and breaks in though I notice it does bob more on climbs... especially on out-of-the-saddle efforts. I'm not sure but I think I may be able to detect a slight amount of play in the bushing when I grab the front brake when stopped on the driveway and rock the front wheel back and forth.... maybe. I certainly don't notice it when riding and if that's the price to pay for stiction free action... I'll gladly accept it.

I was looking through the Knolly form and I stumbled on your post. What caught my eye was your commit about feeling play in your 55 when you stop in your driveway. I have a 08 66 ATA and I felt the same thing. I narrowed mine down to my DT Swiss 340 hub and the fork. If I hold the 66's lower casting and push back and forth on the wheel there is a small amount of play. I tried a different wheel with the same hub and I got the same result. I have also tried three different wheels with a Hadley, Chris King, and Marzocchi hub and there was no play. I could not tell what kind of hub you had from your pictures but I noticed your 5.1 wheels. If you have a 340 hub I would be interested to know if it is the same issue.

 

[craigstr]

The dreaded Marz bushing play

I had that on my 08 66 RC3 after about three rides, its very annoying, has the crown started creaking yet? My 66 felt great, but it made alot of racket. How do you like those Ardents? I found the front tire to have a little of a void in traction when transitioning from the center knobs to the side knobs, have you had that sensation? I still cant decide if I should go DHX-air with a Float 36 RC2 or go DHX coil with a Vanilla 36, either way Knolly doesnt get their Fox stuff until January, so I have to wait until then.

 

[sir_crackien]

looks like you have a speedball for a jolopin seatpost on there. have a quick q for you. is the drop that the seatpost give you enough? its a 3" drop right?

 

[KRob]

What caught my eye was your commit about feeling play in your 55 when you stop in your driveway.

Like I said in the original post: " I'm not sure but I think I may be able to detect a slight amount of play in the bushing when I grab the front brake when stopped on the driveway and rock the front wheel back and forth.... maybe. I certainly don't notice it when riding and if that's the price to pay for stiction free action... I'll gladly accept it."

I purposely left a lot of room for uncertainty in that statement. If there's any bushing slop there at all.... it's pretty minimal. In fact I wouldn't even have checked for it if there hadn't been problems on previous model years. I really cannot feel any play or slop while riding and it's only barely discernable (maybe) in the parking lot test.

No creaking of the steerer tube/crown either. It's a beautifully functioning fork. I'm very happy with it. I'll keep an eye on it though..... and yes, I do run DTSwiss 340 hubs too so I'll check that out as well.

 

[KRob]

How do you like those Ardents? I found the front tire to have a little of a void in traction when transitioning from the center knobs to the side knobs, have you had that sensation?

I really like the Ardents for the most part. They grip really well in a variety of conditions and roll pretty fast for a 2.6", wire bead, 1300gram tire...... and they absolutely rule in steep, loose, boldery chunk and chunder. The rebound durometer of the sidewall is just about perfect... They absorb and bend around small to medium rocks without being too dead feeling or too bouncy/springy. I've found I like them best at 25-27lbs.

I have noticed the gap in transition from center knobs to edge knobs but it only shows up on rare occasions if you're not paying attention on certain loose turns. And I think the rear tire has worn out way too fast for the price. Center knobs were almost gone after 2 months.

 

[KRob]

looks like you have a speedball for a jolopin seatpost on there. have a quick q for you. is the drop that the seatpost give you enough? its a 3" drop right?

Yeah, the maverick Speedball. I like it but would like it better with 4-5 inches of adjustment. Three is generally OK, but if we're stoppin to session some bigger drops, jumps or really steep rollers I still usually lower the post into the seat tube another 3inches for more clearance....... and the seat attachment mechanism sucks.

I'm really interested in the AMP All-Mountain Post which has an option for 3", 4" or 5" drop I believe and the new Kind Kobra adjustable post that looks a lot like the Joplin/Maverick but also has 5" drop with infinite settings in between and most importantly a Thomson-like seat attachment. Much less fiddly and more secure. It also comes in the 31.6mm diameter whereas the AMP only comes in 27.2 so you'll need to shim it.

 

[kristian]

I right clicked and saved a pic of you, I think... (hard to miss the signature tie-dye shirt), rolling a spot on one of my favorite you-know-where routes in Moab quite awhile ago. I just saw it pop up on the screensaver so I thought I'd repost it, if you don't mind.

Man I gotta get back to Moab soon.

I've got to get back there soon too! That trip was when my DT was brand new (2 years ago) and I haven't been back since... We should plan to meet up out there this spring sometime!

 

[craigstr]

Specialized Post?

I was thinking of waiting for the spec. post, it is going to have a 4 inch drop, I dont think 3 would be enough, I was going to run the gravity dropper w/ 4" drop (with a shim) from my motolite until I figure out what post to get. The rase post was nice, but $399 and their site says they are all out of stock. I had the the 2.25 and 2.4 kevlar Ardent's and they did wear rather quickly, but man were they big (and tall) for their size. I actually really like the Maxxis Advantage in 2.4, I ran them front and rear on my Glory for most of the summer, with standard tubes, never flatted. They offer great traction and wear great with the MaxxPro compound, I was thinking of converting them to tubeless and running them on the new delerium. I loved the 66 on the glory, it felt incredible, I just wondered how long it was going to last before the bushings gave out or the crown cracked, even though Marz told me the crown issue was nothing serious. I am still considering a 55 for the delerium, it seems a little burlier than the Fox 36 even though it has smaller stanchions. I just wish somebody made a 170 mm travel, 38 mm stanchion fork. The old 66's were available that way, werent they?

 

[Dominator13]

Sorry!

I was thinking of waiting for the spec. post, it is going to have a 4 inch drop, I dont think 3 would be enough, I was going to run the gravity dropper w/ 4" drop (with a shim) from my motolite until I figure out what post to get. The rase post was nice, but $399 and their site says they are all out of stock. QUOTE]

Not gonna happen...:madman:
I was thinking the same thing about the "Command Post" but , spec. has decided not to market it for other bikes, just theirs. 30.9 is the only way you'll get it. You can tork on it since it's only .7mm but, not recommended. Not gonna find a .35mm shim, either. Beer can is too thick, thought of that one. Go with the AMP or the GD if 3" isn't enough. The AMP was way cleaner than the GD, IMO. I think, with the Econ. being as it is you and I might have to trek to Bootleg to demo our DT's this coming Jan./Feb.!?

 

[craigstr]

Sounds like a plan!

More like February, I wont see the fork until the third week of January. You feeling the economy too? We are going down to Santa Barbara to talk to some home owners about rebuilding, maybe we can find some work down there. But I would be up for a Bootleg trip, we just finished my buddy's nomad the other night, he wants to go too.

 

[KRob]

I've got to get back there soon too! We should plan to meet up out there this spring sometime!

Deal. Let's keep in touch.

 

[KRob]

I was thinking of waiting for the spec. post, it is going to have a 4 inch drop, I dont think 3 would be enough, I was going to run the gravity dropper w/ 4" drop (with a shim) from my motolite until I figure out what post to get. The rase post was nice, but $399 and their site says they are all out of stock.

Not gonna happen...:madman:
I was thinking the same thing about the "Command Post" but , spec. has decided not to market it for other bikes, just theirs. 30.9 is the only way you'll get it. You can tork on it since it's only .7mm but, not recommended. Not gonna find a .35mm shim, either. Beer can is too thick, thought of that one. Go with the AMP or the GD if 3" isn't enough. The AMP was way cleaner than the GD, IMO. I think, with the Econ. being as it is you and I might have to trek to Bootleg to demo our DT's this coming Jan./Feb.!?

Yeah, the Specialized post looks pretty promising... too bad they are going to hoard the proprietary rights. That's dumb.

Seriously look into this Kind post though. It comes in 27.2, 30.9, and 31.6, has 5" drop and, from what I could tell at I-bike when I fondled one, looks to have the same or better quality of design and construction as the top sellers.

Hey, keep me in the loop on this February bootleg trip. I'd love to join you if I can. We could make it a trio of D-Ts taking the trails by a storm. You'll want to go across town and do the Cowboy Trails as well. The D-T was made for the Bone Shaker!

 

[NoahColorado]

Our shop crew will be in Arizona/Utah/Nevada from 1/9-1/21 with a whole bunch of Knollys (my 2, my bosses 3, and at least 2 others). We'll be in Phoenix for the middle chunk of it, anyone want to join us?

 

[KRob]

Our shop crew will be in Arizona/Utah/Nevada from 1/9-1/21 with a whole bunch of Knollys (my 2, my bosses 3, and at least 2 others). We'll be in Phoenix for the middle chunk of it, anyone want to join us?

Yeah, keep me/us posted. I'm already so tired of this snow I'll be really itching to head south at every opportunity I can. If you're in/around St. George and/or Vegas on Saturday the 10th, Saturday the 17th, or Monday the 19th (that's MLK day, right?) I'm in.

 

[sir_crackien]

thanks for the tips on the seatpost there. the price is right as well!

 

[Dominator13]

Yeah, the Specialized post looks pretty promising... too bad they are going to hoard the proprietary rights. That's dumb.

Seriously look into this Kind post though. It comes in 27.2, 30.9, and 31.6, has 5" drop and, from what I could tell at I-bike when I fondled one, looks to have the same or better quality of design and construction as the top sellers.

Hey, keep me in the loop on this February bootleg trip. I'd love to join you if I can. We could make it a trio of D-Ts taking the trails by a storm. You'll want to go across town and do the Cowboy Trails as well. The D-T was made for the Bone Shaker!

That's funny! I was at I-bike and got a DT to demo went to the Kind booth and started to remove the seatpost out of the DT to insert the Cobra and we couldn't get it out. We tried everything. :madmax: Finally, I took it back to the Knolly booth and they said that a small % of the frames had a burr in them that happened during the welding process and they had fixed the problem. I had to get a V-tach, pluuuussssshhh, instead and never got to try the Cobra. Let me know how it works, I am very interested in that post. THe AMP is a great post, it's a mechanical one but it works great. I prefer the air feel, myself. As far as Bootleg goes, from what BikerBob told us, we wouldn't think of going out there without you.

 

[KRob]

That's funny! I was at I-bike and got a DT to demo went to the Kind booth and started to remove the seatpost out of the DT to insert the Cobra and we couldn't get it out.

Glad that wasn't the demo I bought.

As far as Bootleg goes, from what BikerBob told us, we wouldn't think of going out there without you.

Be gentle with me.:eekster: