...it's been a full season already on the Foes.
So I thought I'd share my ups and downs on this bike.
Some previous bikes first, to get that out of the way:
gt ricochet, kona kula, cannondale killerv, gekko warbaby (norwegian brand), Kona Stinky, Foes DHS Tube, Santa Cruz vpfree, different GT iDrive bikes and now the Foes FXR. I've also tried over longer periodes different bikes from Canyon, Commencal, Trek, Turner, Yeti and Specialized.
So, I thought this season would be the one where I for the first time tested something totally new. The Canfield One. But due to an assembly fault on my frame, and Canfield being sold out - I had to turn around quickly and get another frame. The Norwegian Foes distributor had a red FXR 2008 frame with a Curnutt XTD.
The build is already explained in another thread, but a short summary here:
- RS Lyrik uturn
- Chris King hubs and headset
- EN521 rims
- a bit of thomson here
- some shimano xt there
- oro k18 breaks
And here we go!
My first rides on this bike was everything the manual said. The rear shock on this baby needs some serious run-in, but that's what the trails around here gives. But it wasn't fun, and brought back memories from old 5th Element shocks just before they went "pop" and at times even a hard tail would be better...at least more predictable.
But then something happened. On the third week (did I say it needed some serious run-in?) the shock and I started to agree on how and when a shock should do its job....
But you still couldn't call it a plush ride, and switching from Fox vanilla forks to the RS Lyrik at the same time as changing frame/shock started to be something I regreted...
I was...while standing before this beauty...missing my old idrive based GT with a "I eat everything" Fox fork and "i'll climb anything" suspension.
I went back to the manual, spoke to the girl (!) importing Foes and started playing with different pressure settings and also did some recommendations from the more hardcore RS fans regarding the fork.
I still thought the fork was a bit to linear, but wow did the shock come to life!
The summer was saved...
So how well does it ride?
First, the 2:1 single pivot can't really be explained. That alone is just something you need to experience. Much thanks to the Curnutt of course. The shock needs way to long time to run in (they should get a machine on the factory to at least do half the job), but when that's over with and the it's dialed in for you and your riding - it's doing the job better than a lot of add-more-links solutions out there. It's plush, it's predictable and it really helps you both up and down.
It could be more sensitive at times though, but still gives a very plush and controlled ride.
The bike in general is one awesome AM machine. Low standover, low weight, 67,5 degrees headangle and a 45+ wheel base gives you a bike that loves speed. The Lyrik really pays of going down as well of course. But those features would be something I would have found quite strange if wasn't the case.
I was more worried about the climbing. And it took a bit of practice before all my old crux could be won again. First, this bikes loves the middle chainring. Keep it there, and it climbs like a bullet. And it's so stiff you could think it had a season pass at vivid.com With a uturn, you can really get the front wheel down at the same time, proving that the FXR can be a very technical climber with the correct setup. Add the Chris King hub and a low BB, it's easy to get started in the middle of a climb too. Thanks to the 521 rims and keeping an eye on tire weight, the bike pedals really well as well.
So it climbs well...and it descends well. It looks like Total Awesomeness. What's the downsides?
The downsides are few. But you need patience. The curnutt really needs its time. It's also a heavy build if you want a bike that can take a beating....which is something an AM bike should. But that is static weight, so shave of that winter ass - and it'll even out.
But there ain't many frames out there with that much ink on the pricetag...
The trails around here are quite technical and steep with a mix of rocks and roots as well as single lined hiking trails on regular forest ground. Its never long between crux', and the high speed sections are usually quite technical as well. But its never so bad you won't get flow on the right bike...which this one proved to be after some time. I won't change frame in 2009 :thumbsup:
Picture (this is just after the assembly. When it hit the trails, it had XT BB and cranks - and the tires has been Maxxis Larsen, Advantage and Schwalbe Nobby Nic Evo. The rotors where upgraded to 200mm front and 180mm rear)
Hope this gave a short impression.
![Image]()
So I thought I'd share my ups and downs on this bike.
Some previous bikes first, to get that out of the way:
gt ricochet, kona kula, cannondale killerv, gekko warbaby (norwegian brand), Kona Stinky, Foes DHS Tube, Santa Cruz vpfree, different GT iDrive bikes and now the Foes FXR. I've also tried over longer periodes different bikes from Canyon, Commencal, Trek, Turner, Yeti and Specialized.
So, I thought this season would be the one where I for the first time tested something totally new. The Canfield One. But due to an assembly fault on my frame, and Canfield being sold out - I had to turn around quickly and get another frame. The Norwegian Foes distributor had a red FXR 2008 frame with a Curnutt XTD.
The build is already explained in another thread, but a short summary here:
- RS Lyrik uturn
- Chris King hubs and headset
- EN521 rims
- a bit of thomson here
- some shimano xt there
- oro k18 breaks
And here we go!
My first rides on this bike was everything the manual said. The rear shock on this baby needs some serious run-in, but that's what the trails around here gives. But it wasn't fun, and brought back memories from old 5th Element shocks just before they went "pop" and at times even a hard tail would be better...at least more predictable.
But then something happened. On the third week (did I say it needed some serious run-in?) the shock and I started to agree on how and when a shock should do its job....
But you still couldn't call it a plush ride, and switching from Fox vanilla forks to the RS Lyrik at the same time as changing frame/shock started to be something I regreted...
I was...while standing before this beauty...missing my old idrive based GT with a "I eat everything" Fox fork and "i'll climb anything" suspension.
I went back to the manual, spoke to the girl (!) importing Foes and started playing with different pressure settings and also did some recommendations from the more hardcore RS fans regarding the fork.
I still thought the fork was a bit to linear, but wow did the shock come to life!
The summer was saved...
So how well does it ride?
First, the 2:1 single pivot can't really be explained. That alone is just something you need to experience. Much thanks to the Curnutt of course. The shock needs way to long time to run in (they should get a machine on the factory to at least do half the job), but when that's over with and the it's dialed in for you and your riding - it's doing the job better than a lot of add-more-links solutions out there. It's plush, it's predictable and it really helps you both up and down.
It could be more sensitive at times though, but still gives a very plush and controlled ride.
The bike in general is one awesome AM machine. Low standover, low weight, 67,5 degrees headangle and a 45+ wheel base gives you a bike that loves speed. The Lyrik really pays of going down as well of course. But those features would be something I would have found quite strange if wasn't the case.
I was more worried about the climbing. And it took a bit of practice before all my old crux could be won again. First, this bikes loves the middle chainring. Keep it there, and it climbs like a bullet. And it's so stiff you could think it had a season pass at vivid.com With a uturn, you can really get the front wheel down at the same time, proving that the FXR can be a very technical climber with the correct setup. Add the Chris King hub and a low BB, it's easy to get started in the middle of a climb too. Thanks to the 521 rims and keeping an eye on tire weight, the bike pedals really well as well.
So it climbs well...and it descends well. It looks like Total Awesomeness. What's the downsides?
The downsides are few. But you need patience. The curnutt really needs its time. It's also a heavy build if you want a bike that can take a beating....which is something an AM bike should. But that is static weight, so shave of that winter ass - and it'll even out.
But there ain't many frames out there with that much ink on the pricetag...
The trails around here are quite technical and steep with a mix of rocks and roots as well as single lined hiking trails on regular forest ground. Its never long between crux', and the high speed sections are usually quite technical as well. But its never so bad you won't get flow on the right bike...which this one proved to be after some time. I won't change frame in 2009 :thumbsup:
Picture (this is just after the assembly. When it hit the trails, it had XT BB and cranks - and the tires has been Maxxis Larsen, Advantage and Schwalbe Nobby Nic Evo. The rotors where upgraded to 200mm front and 180mm rear)
Hope this gave a short impression.
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