[Coldass]

The medium Flux has a shrinking seat tube. The large's headtube has grown and handle's too slow for my liking as an alternative.

I love my medium 05 Flux - but it's 17.3 inch seatube borders on too small already.

The 09 DW large Flux is too-big (seat 19 and headtube 5.3).

THERE DOESN'T SEEM TO BE A TURNER THAT FITS ME RIGHT NOW.

Please Mr. Turner. I need a size in the middle. A 'taint' if you wish. You know - in the middle.

18 inch seatube. 23.5 effective TT. 4.5 inch headtube. Handling like the current medium (remember we're running bigger forks these days - I'd like to run 120mm Fox's next go, I'd lose spacers compared to all those old photo's that have 100 forks specked).

This bike would be for XC and Enduro's.

I didn't keep the larger DW Flux. It is now in the hands of a larger rider. I am riding my 05 re-flux and looking at a.... Ellsworth Truth (medium) or Intense Spider (medium) as replacements. I just can't think what else.

For the record.

I am 5.9 (175cm), 73kg's, average proportions but pretty big gluts and flexibility (all those yoga poses). I like my seat on the high side, but not so high I rock. I set my MTB saddle height lower than my road bikes - so I know that I am not setting it too high.

 

[wheatgerm]

Your desired specs are pretty close to a med DW Flux. Its 17" seat tube, 23.3" TT and 4.3" head tube. I checked out your reflux pics in another thread and your seatpost doesn't look like its too tall. Its up there but I don't know if its out of spec too tall. You'd have another quarter inch of exposed post with the DW med. What does DT think on the seatpost in your pic? How do you like the ride on your current medium? If I it rides sweet, I am not sure if I would get too hung up over the seatpost.

BTW, the reflux looks great!

 

[Coldass]

Your desired specs are pretty close to a med DW Flux. Its 17" seat tube, 23.3" TT and 4.3" head tube.

BTW, the reflux looks great!

You know, I have a lot of miles on my reflux. Right now it is like a new bike, and if I hit another DW Flux it will be a medium and I'll work around the size. But I am not in a hurry - I can wait a bit now.

Yes I have some safety on my 05 Flux with a 410mm Thomson post. I couldn't use a Masterpiece though...

And at 17 inches the new Medium is smaller - sure by .3 of an inch which is what 7.5mm or so. But hey, I'd prefer a bit more post in the frame than I have, not less. The large is too big for me. Mostly because of the headtube (and feels bigger/slower to me).

Anyway, I am just putting out to Turner land my wish for an 18 inch seattube Flux (or even 17.5). I must say I'd prefer a 4 inch head tube as well so I can go to a 120 fork on my next bike (I have a 100 with 20mm spacer right now). I also run a 0deg, 110 stem.

Thanks for your note.

Yes, my polished/anodized Flux is pretty. It rides very well also. I have retired the Fulcrum wheelset as the freehub bearing failed (waiting for the proprietary part from Campy). I have a set of FSA 500's on at the moment.

I also love pro-pedal (I updated to a RP23 with firmer range). I allows me to set compression for climbs, harden the rear and steepen the head, then a flick and I have plushness for downhill. I must say I didn't love the DW as much as I thought I might. It is good, but not worth the $500 premium over the 05/08 that needs a platform shock IMO.

Sure it negates shock platforms to a degree, but hey compression in the shock works a treat and offers some nice benefits. Back-to-back I'd be happy with a HL Flux. I got to say I see some deals on NOS Flux's from a few years back and get tempted...

I rode my old Santa Cruz Superlight back to back with my medium 05 Flux, Large DW Flux and can say the gap between the SL to either Flux is huge. Between the HL and DW Flux? I'd need a medium DW to fairly score this.

 

[nybike1971]

I am kind of in the same boat as you. I am 5'10" with 33in inseam and I am square in between medium and large frames. The 2007/2008 Flux works well for me in Large, I use a setback Thomson post because of my longish femur and a 90mm stem to stretch it out for racing. The fit is excellent but there is no standover clearance (maybe 1in), which is fine by me on the Flux.

I have also been riding a large 2008 Spot last season and I never felt really comfortable in technical terrain on this bike. The front triangle is just too big for me, mostly too tall but also a bit too long. the seat tube angle is perfect for my legs and a zero offset post.

In the aggressive trail bike category, I still haven't found anything that fits me as well as the old 2006 medium RFX. Perfect standover, top-tube length, and even seat-tube angle with a zero-offset post and seat slammed forward in the rails. I ride that bike far more than the Spot even on terrain where the Spot would be much more appropriate because the geometry and fit just feels right.

I like the shorter top-tube on the new large Spot and Flux and increased standover clearance. I am afraid that for me the headtubes might also be a bit too long. I have no spacers under the stem as it is on 2008 frames. Ideally, I'd like to see the large headtubes back to 5in (or even 4.5in), a tapered headtube to allow for zero-stack solution, and slightly slacker headtubes to compensate for the lower stack height. People who like to run a taller stack will most likely not complain about the 0.5 degree slacker geometry.

 

[Coldass]

I measure about 275mm from center of bb to seat rails. That leaves about 100mm of my Thomson 400mm post in the seatube. This is enough for sure. But going to a smaller seatube will only extended this.

I guess it isn't really a problem, my bike fits me fine. And with the DW Flux there is now a bigger post at 30.9mm. But such a small relative seatube (to effective TT) restricts seatpost choice and I can't understand the benefit to the bike design of not offering a medium at 17.5 or 18 (pretty usual to find these seatube sizes with a 23 inch TT hey)?

Sure the answer would be for me to size up like some do. But I don't want a 5.3 inch headtube and don't want a 23.9 ETT)...

I often wonder why bike makers will market XS, S and XL yet only offer two sizes M and L for what makes up >80% of all buyers. The bell curve of demand would say that you should have three closer sized models - M, M/L, L - to offer to the bulk of the market while reducing the offerings for the rest. I also think that riders considering an XL would likely now go 29er - and should, at least for a Flux travel bike. I wonder how many XS's are sold? Yet here I am Mr. Average lost in the middle of the two most popular/common sizes. Go figure.