I've been the proud owner of an '04 X-5 for about 18 months now, but recently I've had some dark thoughts of replacing it with an El Salt. These dark thoughts hit their apex this weekend, when I took a day-long road trip to ride two of the more fun trails around Idaho, Greenhorn/Imperial in the Scum Valley area and Fisher/Williams in Stanley. (See link here: http://forums.mtbr.com/showthread.php?t=205833) The bike I chose for this venture was my trusty X-5, which is currently sporting a true "all mountain" build - '04 Z1 FR fork, 6 inch rockers, Atlas cranks, DT 5.1 rims and Pro II hubs. I'm also running a pretty beefy set of rubber - 2.4 Big Betty up front and 2.35 Nevegal out back. I'd have to guess it's probably in the 32 - 34 lb range. The other guys I rode with were all on lightish-weigh XC rigs (Blur, Truth, Stumpy FSR, NRS carbon) and one guy was on his Surly 1x1. Needless to say, I could NOT hang with the group on the climbs - I got dropped like an ugly chick with a bad case of halitosis on nearly every climb. Usually, I'm a very good climber and most often I'm leading a climb or very close thereto. I don't know if I just had a bad day with some sore legs, but it was a humbling experience. (The other guys did let me lead the downhills where, of course, the X-5 was in its element.)
Yesterday, I did a longish ride/climb on my dedicated short-travel XC bike, a Jamis Dakar XC Expert, which sports a King/717 wheelset, faster rolling rubber, but a mere 90mm of travel. (It's pretty heavy for its build - maybe 28 lbs or so. Hey, the frame was cheap. Cheap, light, or strong - pick two.) Unlike Saturday, my climbing speed was more like I'm used to - fast and steady, but the downhills were not as fun.
These two rides got me thinking that perhaps I should consider replacing the X-5 with an El Salt or at least "building down" the X-5 into something more vaguely XC'ish. I do 90% of my riding in and around Boise, where 5 inches of travel is pretty useless. The climbs are long and steep, and the downhills are fast and smooth. I am a strictly XC rider - I don't do technical, rocky trails and I love to climb. I bought the X-5 originally because I thought I was planning on taking my riding to the next technical level, but I finally have to be honest that I'm just not "that" kind of rider and never will be. When it comes to choosing a bike to ride locally, I unfortunately find myself choosing to ride the Jamis (or my Fisher Rig) more and more, while the X-5 collects dust. The other 10% of my riding is usually in the mountains in Idaho, where 5 inches of travel is nice, but not strictly necessary. I also make a trip to Moab or Fruita once a year or two, where 5 inches of travel is really nice to have. The X-5, at least in its current configuration, just seems like more bike than I need on a daily basis. I also have not found the highish (14.5" plus) bottom bracket on the X-5 with the long fork and 6" rockers to my liking - as others have described, I feel like I'm sitting waaaaay up high on the bike, instead of sitting "in" the bike.
So, I'm staring squarely at a case of "FoShizzlitis" (you all know what I mean - even you, Fo!) - the urge to change components or whole bikes in search of that "ultimate" set up. Ideally, I'd like one bike that I can ride comfortably locally (lots of climbing, fast & smooth downhills), but which is still burly enough for the occasional trip to the mountains and Moab. The options I've considered include:
1. Replacing the X-5 frame with an El Salt with 4/5 rockers and getting either a Vanilla or TALAS fork. I'm thinking an El Salt with the 4/5 rockers and a TALAS would be a nicely adjustable set up that can be easily modified to go back and forth between smooth XC riding and burlier, rockier riding. I would probably sell the Dakar frame and fork as well, and have the King hubs from the Dakar rebuilt with 29'er rims for use on the Rig. This option may also accelerate my timetable to replace the Rig frame with an El Commandante.
2. Keeping the X-5 frame, but going back to the 5" rockers and selling the Z1 fork for a Vanilla, and using the King/717 wheelset off my Jamis for local riding. I'd still have the X-5, but it would be set up more XC-ish. I think this is what Fo did with his X-5 about a year ago. I would guess it would still be around the 30 lb range, so I'm not sure I'd gain anything.
3. Replacing the Dakar frame with an El Salt. Not sure, however, whether the 100mm Reba SL on the Dakar would be "enough" fork for an El Salt.
4. Doing nothing. This would be the cheapest option. The X-5 would just be used very little, which is a bummer b/c it's such a nice bike. The Dakar is an OK bike, but I originally built it up more to use a "backup bike," not as a primary ride.
Decisions, decisions. :madman: Any advice from the Ventana faithful?
Yesterday, I did a longish ride/climb on my dedicated short-travel XC bike, a Jamis Dakar XC Expert, which sports a King/717 wheelset, faster rolling rubber, but a mere 90mm of travel. (It's pretty heavy for its build - maybe 28 lbs or so. Hey, the frame was cheap. Cheap, light, or strong - pick two.) Unlike Saturday, my climbing speed was more like I'm used to - fast and steady, but the downhills were not as fun.
These two rides got me thinking that perhaps I should consider replacing the X-5 with an El Salt or at least "building down" the X-5 into something more vaguely XC'ish. I do 90% of my riding in and around Boise, where 5 inches of travel is pretty useless. The climbs are long and steep, and the downhills are fast and smooth. I am a strictly XC rider - I don't do technical, rocky trails and I love to climb. I bought the X-5 originally because I thought I was planning on taking my riding to the next technical level, but I finally have to be honest that I'm just not "that" kind of rider and never will be. When it comes to choosing a bike to ride locally, I unfortunately find myself choosing to ride the Jamis (or my Fisher Rig) more and more, while the X-5 collects dust. The other 10% of my riding is usually in the mountains in Idaho, where 5 inches of travel is nice, but not strictly necessary. I also make a trip to Moab or Fruita once a year or two, where 5 inches of travel is really nice to have. The X-5, at least in its current configuration, just seems like more bike than I need on a daily basis. I also have not found the highish (14.5" plus) bottom bracket on the X-5 with the long fork and 6" rockers to my liking - as others have described, I feel like I'm sitting waaaaay up high on the bike, instead of sitting "in" the bike.
So, I'm staring squarely at a case of "FoShizzlitis" (you all know what I mean - even you, Fo!) - the urge to change components or whole bikes in search of that "ultimate" set up. Ideally, I'd like one bike that I can ride comfortably locally (lots of climbing, fast & smooth downhills), but which is still burly enough for the occasional trip to the mountains and Moab. The options I've considered include:
1. Replacing the X-5 frame with an El Salt with 4/5 rockers and getting either a Vanilla or TALAS fork. I'm thinking an El Salt with the 4/5 rockers and a TALAS would be a nicely adjustable set up that can be easily modified to go back and forth between smooth XC riding and burlier, rockier riding. I would probably sell the Dakar frame and fork as well, and have the King hubs from the Dakar rebuilt with 29'er rims for use on the Rig. This option may also accelerate my timetable to replace the Rig frame with an El Commandante.
2. Keeping the X-5 frame, but going back to the 5" rockers and selling the Z1 fork for a Vanilla, and using the King/717 wheelset off my Jamis for local riding. I'd still have the X-5, but it would be set up more XC-ish. I think this is what Fo did with his X-5 about a year ago. I would guess it would still be around the 30 lb range, so I'm not sure I'd gain anything.
3. Replacing the Dakar frame with an El Salt. Not sure, however, whether the 100mm Reba SL on the Dakar would be "enough" fork for an El Salt.
4. Doing nothing. This would be the cheapest option. The X-5 would just be used very little, which is a bummer b/c it's such a nice bike. The Dakar is an OK bike, but I originally built it up more to use a "backup bike," not as a primary ride.
Decisions, decisions. :madman: Any advice from the Ventana faithful?
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