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Matic w/PIKE vs SC32

1K views 3 replies 3 participants last post by  baha_boater 
#1 ·
I recently became a Maverick Owner when I purchased a 07 Matic with the SC32 Fork from Beyond Bikes when they were closing them out. I actually bought the frame for two primary reasons: 1) my riding buddy has a 7/5 with the DUC32 and he loves his 2) the price! what a steal for a quality frame and fork...

I built it up as my backup/loaner bike with DT Swiss wheels, Sram X9, Deore Disc, etc. and was fairly happy with the ride but it was no where near taking the place of my primary ride which is an Ellsworth Epiphany. I rode it a half dozen times and could not get it close to my Epi or my buddy's 7/5 with the DUC32. Then the rear shock started hanging up in mide stroke which required a warranty trip to Suspension Experts, they repaired it under warranty and as expected it was better than new after Kevin worked his magic. However I still could not get the same feel I had on the Epi or the 7/5 after playing endlessly with setups, air pressures etc. I went to a 110M stem and that helped some, wider bars helped as well and it was good but not special, it did not climb as I expected a Maverick to, also it felt like more of a cross country ride vs AM which was my goal. SO I settled in to being satisfied with getting a great deal on a second bike but somewhat underwhelmed overall.

Then came winter, rain, mud boredom and I thought what the heck I am going to swap the SC32 off my Maverick to see what a pound of the front end of my Epi will do. Well let me tell you it made a BIG improvement on my Ellsworth. The shorter axel/crown length of the SC32 was exactly what the Epi needed. I started a thread in the Ellsworth forum and discussed the all of the improvements in the ride, I found nirvana on the Epi at 25lbs....

Well today I decided to take out the Maverick with the 140MM Dual Air PIKE.... I was stunned, all of the fickel steering traits were GONE. All of the sudden I had a bike that rode very much like my buddy's 7/5 with the DUC32. The trail was a sloppy muddy mess in places and the thing climbs like a freaking goat. Even over wet off camber roots stability, grip, and more stability. This frame loves 140MM of travel and a taller A/C length as much as my Epi loves 120MM in place of 140MM.

My only problem now is; can the Maverick actually replace my beloved Epi as my favorit ride? Before it was not even close.... For now lets just say I left my pedals on the Maverick and gave it an extra good cleaning after the mud bath today....

Anybody else out there experimented with different forks on the Matic or 7/5? Interested in your experience as well.
 
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#3 ·
Yes, Welcome!
I'd say for the most part all the forks of today are pretty darn good. But, as you have discovered, H/A is very important to the personality of the ride. The (a) bike is so dynamic and every rider is 180 degrees different than the next. That it is impossible to read the maunual, set and forget. You need to experiment and tune to get it right for the rider, not necessarily the frame... I think a lot of performance is missed if not set for the type of ride a rider is doing that day. My .02! :thumbsup:
 
#4 ·
Thanks Ethan I agree... I am always trying different setups/components/tires/etc and sometimes admittedly I go backwards in performance. However sometimes I make small or as in this case big improvements. The whole exercise ensures that I am always learning (I have a ton of that to do) how my bikes respond to various changes it also keeps me jacked up about riding in general. It's cheaper than my old method which was to buy a new bike every year which is a waste of money.

The best way to get the most out of the sport is to buy a top quality frame & fork (Maverick certainly fits the bill here) then begin the process of tweaking the setup. Plus it's a hoot to experiment, go ride and see what happens....
 
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