[Silentfoe]

This shock seems a good fit for the SB, especially seeing as how the Fox testers are riding it. What do you think?
http://reviews.mtbr.com/fox-dpx2-rear-shock-first-ride-review

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[Dpca10]

So I am going to try something new, I'm putting a 27.5 2.6 DHF on the front and a 29er 2.35 nobby Nic on the rear. I have the headset cup installed.
I like the feel of the 27.5 + tires but the BB is just too low at the psi I like and I get tire squirm with real aggressive cornering especially in the rear. Adding psi gets a little too pogo sticky even with more rebound dampening. I feel the front of the switchblade rides a little high with the cup installed in the 29er setting. I would probably just ride the 29er with no cup and be happy but I like to fiddle. Here are a few amateur measurements:

BB height
29er with cup: 13 3/4
27.5/29. 13 1/2

Middle of stem to ground
29er: 40"
27/29 39 3/4"

I'll either get the best of both worlds or the worst. Feels fun in the driveway. Looks a little more pronounced in the pic. Ride report to follow.

 

[bliz2z]

So I am going to try something new, I'm putting a 27.5 2.6 DHF on the front and a 29er 2.35 nobby Nic on the rear. I have the headset cup installed.
I like the feel of the 27.5 + tires but the BB is just too low at the psi I like and I get tire squirm with real aggressive cornering especially in the rear. Adding psi gets a little too pogo sticky even with more rebound dampening. I feel the front of the switchblade rides a little high with the cup installed in the 29er setting. I would probably just ride the 29er with no cup and be happy but I like to fiddle. Here are a few amateur measurements:

BB height
29er with cup: 13 3/4
27.5/29. 13 1/2

Middle of stem to ground
29er: 40"
27/29 39 3/4"

I'll either get the best of both worlds or the worst. Feels fun in the driveway. Looks a little more pronounced in the pic. Ride report to follow.

Now that looks strange!

 

[godfather]

So I am going to try something new, I'm putting a 27.5 2.6 DHF on the front and a 29er 2.35 nobby Nic on the rear. I have the headset cup installed.
I like the feel of the 27.5 + tires but the BB is just too low at the psi I like and I get tire squirm with real aggressive cornering especially in the rear. Adding psi gets a little too pogo sticky even with more rebound dampening. I feel the front of the switchblade rides a little high with the cup installed in the 29er setting. I would probably just ride the 29er with no cup and be happy but I like to fiddle. Here are a few amateur measurements:

BB height
29er with cup: 13 3/4
27.5/29. 13 1/2

Middle of stem to ground
29er: 40"
27/29 39 3/4"

I'll either get the best of both worlds or the worst. Feels fun in the driveway. Looks a little more pronounced in the pic. Ride report to follow.

I would think that you'll get some odd handling outcomes.

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[Dpca10]

So yeah it does look kinda strange which is a bummer because it rode amazing!

I think it got the best out of the tire sizes. I rode it back to back with a 29er butcher in front on a test trail. Then rode it on a longer loop with everything from bermed turns to chunder to riverbed climbs. I got a few of my fastest times in 5 years on a trail called blue blossom. On my test run of a trail called Sierra morena in the bay area I was 8 seconds faster on my second lap with the 27.5/29 setup but this may be partially due to being warmed up. Subjectively In the direct comparison to the 29er I found the 29er had a bit of understeer in tight corners, the 27.5 front wanted to dive into corners a bit more. Back to back I noticed I definitely prefer the more planted feeling of the front end with the 27.5 climbing. Even with an inverted 5 degree 60mm stem I felt the 29er with the cup required a forward weight shift to stay planted. With a steeper head tube angle and see tube angle from dropping the front end half an inch the climbing characteristics were greatly improved. This would be similar to climbing with the 29er and cup removed. I think my next test needs to be 29er with no cup and DHF mounted, vs the 27.5 2.6 DHF with the cup. But that's going to be pretty annoying traipside work.
After the longer loop on the 27.5/29 here were my takaways:
Pros:
Pretty amazing grip with no hint of tire squirm. 17psi front 21 rear
Balanced in corners no understeer
No Pedal strikes (and I have good technique 27.5/27.5 had just too many strikes)
Love the trail dampening of the 27.5 DHF 2.6 amazing small bump compliance
Felt more balanced in the air and less harsh on landings
Much happier with the climbing position and front end handling on steeps
Felt more agile

Cons:
Didn't hold momentum quite as well as 29/29
Looks weird if you stare at the bike (it's almost unsettling as I think we are trained to look for symmetry)

Caviets
*This was also my first ride on the Maxxis DHF and I think it's almost unfair to compare. This tire is nuts! The 29 DHF without the cup would certainly replicate a few of my pros, but unlikely to replicate the trail dampening of the 27.5+
** I was really hoping this would be the best of both worlds so there is going to be confirmation bias. That being said I've made plenty of modifications I wanted to like that I hated off the bat.

 

[godfather]

So yeah it does look kinda strange which is a bummer because it rode amazing!

I think it got the best out of the tire sizes. I rode it back to back with a 29er butcher in front on a test trail. Then rode it on a longer loop with everything from bermed turns to chunder to riverbed climbs. I got a few of my fastest times in 5 years on a trail called blue blossom. On my test run of a trail called Sierra morena in the bay area I was 8 seconds faster on my second lap with the 27.5/29 setup but this may be partially due to being warmed up. Subjectively In the direct comparison to the 29er I found the 29er had a bit of understeer in tight corners, the 27.5 front wanted to dive into corners a bit more. Back to back I noticed I definitely prefer the more planted feeling of the front end with the 27.5 climbing. Even with an inverted 5 degree 60mm stem I felt the 29er with the cup required a forward weight shift to stay planted. With a steeper head tube angle and see tube angle from dropping the front end half an inch the climbing characteristics were greatly improved. This would be similar to climbing with the 29er and cup removed. I think my next test needs to be 29er with no cup and DHF mounted, vs the 27.5 2.6 DHF with the cup. But that's going to be pretty annoying traipside work.
After the longer loop on the 27.5/29 here were my takaways:
Pros:
Pretty amazing grip with no hint of tire squirm. 17psi front 21 rear
Balanced in corners no understeer
No Pedal strikes (and I have good technique 27.5/27.5 had just too many strikes)
Love the trail dampening of the 27.5 DHF 2.6 amazing small bump compliance
Felt more balanced in the air and less harsh on landings
Much happier with the climbing position and front end handling on steeps
Felt more agile

Cons:
Didn't hold momentum quite as well as 29/29
Looks weird if you stare at the bike (it's almost unsettling as I think we are trained to look for symmetry)

Caviets
*This was also my first ride on the Maxxis DHF and I think it's almost unfair to compare. This tire is nuts! The 29 DHF without the cup would certainly replicate a few of my pros, but unlikely to replicate the trail dampening of the 27.5+
** I was really hoping this would be the best of both worlds so there is going to be confirmation bias. That being said I've made plenty of modifications I wanted to like that I hated off the bat.

To be as consistent as possible, you'd want to rock a 2.6 DHF 29 in the same compound and casing, but I don't think they are available yet. Closest thing would be the 2.5 WT version. Definitely remove the larger lower cup as well. Interesting experiment.

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[schmittypods]

Hey guys I am about to pull the trigger on a switchblade and am wondering if anyone has experienced the Reynolds wheels being too stiff? Any input is appreciated.


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[ryknown]

Hey guys I am about to pull the trigger on a switchblade and am wondering if anyone has experienced the Reynolds wheels being too stiff? Any input is appreciated.

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I am a casual rider who rides in Phoenix, Ariz. on South Mountain. I have one ride on the factory Pivot/Reynolds/i9 wheels in 29". After the first ride, corning felt different (positive impact) compared to the aluminum 29" XM421, but that's all I noticed so far. They did not feel "too stiff" like one PB-dot-com reviewer mentioned. I like them and am happy with my purchase.

 

[Snowsed341]

nobby nic 29x2.6

One short ride but so far i like them. They roll fast and i have had 0 traction issues. They seems pretty light. I can tell that air pressure can have a major impact on the ride, so i need to dial this in.

 

[burtronix]

Hey guys I am about to pull the trigger on a switchblade and am wondering if anyone has experienced the Reynolds wheels being too stiff? Any input is appreciated.

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How can a wheel be "too stiff" on a FS bike? Does that mean you're used to riding riding on floppy noodle wheels & have learned to compensate? But now with a set of stiff wheels the handling is just too darned responsive?

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[BmanInTheD]

How can a wheel be "too stiff" on a FS bike? Does that mean you're used to riding riding on floppy noodle wheels & have learned to compensate? But now with a set of stiff wheels the handling is just too darned responsive?

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There was a guy on bikemagdotcom talking about the Switchblade and they were saying how the wheels were almost too stiff. A couple of them said something to the effect that there was no give at all in them, that they were just sort of pinging off rocks when riding them. These were not hacks, either. Pretty good riders. I replaced my stock with some Nox Teocalli's, not because of stiffness, but because they were much lighter. I noticed the weight more than I did the stiffness.

 

[k2rider1964]

I disagree. He may not be using his SB like most of us, but that doesn't mean it's the wrong tool for him and how he enjoys riding. If he were riding downhill on a BMX bike, and he enjoyed it, then great for him. I wouldn't go for it, but probably for many different reasons than him. I'm a big advocate of "ride your bike the way you most enjoy it." My earlier post was more about "that's not for me, because...blah, blah, blah." In no way do I want to sound like I'm judging how this guy enjoys his bike. I can understand that someone with the funds that wants to have an XC machine set up that can occasionally be taken down some super gnarly stuff, might go this route. I might have a different choice for myself in that case, but this guy knows his own personal riding experience better than anyone and I defer to him to match his bike to that experience. There's no "quintessential" bike in any given situation. There are typically several set ups that could work. However there is probably a single "perfect" set up for each individual, and this guy has possibly found his.

I agree as well. Even though I have droppers on 3 of my bikes, I use them more often while making 4 bikes fit on a rack at one time than I do one the trail. Maybe that's because I rode dirt bikes for 30+ years before droppers ever came out and I use the seat for balance & leverage. I **NEVER** drop the seat so far down that I can't feel it. I will say that I'm using my droppers more often nowadays but I'd survive just fine if they were never invented. Tomas, Overend and the riders of that era did fine w/o them.

 

[schmittypods]

There was a guy on bikemagdotcom talking about the Switchblade and they were saying how the wheels were almost too stiff. A couple of them said something to the effect that there was no give at all in them, that they were just sort of pinging off rocks when riding them. These were not hacks, either. Pretty good riders.

Yeah that was the article I was thinking about. Seems like you should be able to adjust with tire pressure and suspension but I guess I will see.

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[ryknown]

Yeah that was the article I was thinking about. Seems like you should be able to adjust with tire pressure and suspension but I guess I will see.

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There is a Pivot Switchblade review article on pb-dot-com where Vernon Felton said this:

"In fact, I'd argue that the stiffness actually edged into "jarring" territory on rockier turns. While I appreciate the pimp-factor of the upgrade Reynolds Carbon Enduro 29 wheels, I'd strongly recommend going with the standard, aluminum DT XM Series 29-inch wheel package, which would likely offer a more balanced overall ride feel."

 

[burtronix]

Yeah that was the article I was thinking about. Seems like you should be able to adjust with tire pressure and suspension but I guess I will see.

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My thoughts exactly. Maybe tune the rebound damping. Maybe select tires with more compliant sidewalls.

Having said that, I'm kind of a hack myself. I've never ridden carbon hoops. Haven't ridden a wide variety of bikes or terrain. And I'm older than dirt.

It's just that statement "too stiff" didn't make sense in my limited experience. Kind of like the first meal my wife cooked for me. She asked "Is this too much garlic?" I told her it could be pure garlic, & still not too much.

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[schmittypods]

My thoughts exactly. Maybe tune the rebound damping. Maybe select tires with more compliant sidewalls.

Having said that, I'm kind of a hack myself. I've never ridden carbon hoops. Haven't ridden a wide variety of bikes or terrain. And I'm older than dirt.

It's just that statement "too stiff" didn't make sense in my limited experience. Kind of like the first meal my wife cooked for me. She asked "Is this too much garlic?" I told her it could be pure garlic, & still not too much.

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Yeah kinda like too much butter! I have a set of carbon wheels that I built on my current bike and they feel great, I will report back once I get some time on it.

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[InertiaMan]

There was a guy on bikemagdotcom talking about the Switchblade and they were saying how the wheels were almost too stiff. A couple of them said something to the effect that there was no give at all in them, that they were just sort of pinging off rocks when riding them. These were not hacks, either. Pretty good riders. I replaced my stock with some Nox Teocalli's, not because of stiffness, but because they were much lighter. I noticed the weight more than I did the stiffness.

Ryan Palmer wrote that article here. But I think you're mixing up his article on bikemag (he says the Reynolds wheels are compliant) and the Pinkbike article by Vernon Felton (he says the wheels are very stiff).
While Ryan may not be a hack as a rider, he's a hack when it comes to physics and engineering. He couldn't have packed more myths about spokes into that article if he'd consciously tried. Among others:
- he says that straight pull spokes "create a more forgiving ride" because they "have more opportunity to unload" since there is no J-bend.
- he says you can tune how compliant a wheel feels thru spoke tension adjustments
- he attributes the "flex" of these wheels that he likes to the spoke tension being lower than recommended by Reynolds
All of this is utter nonsense that has been repeatedly debunked. I find it extremely disappointing that a head gear editor at a major bike magazine can so happily state utter bulls*&^ . I'm sure its out of ignorance, not malice, but that doesn't make it right.

All that said, I agree w/ Vernon Felton's conclusion in his SB review in Pinkbike, essentially that the $1300 upcharge for the Reynolds wheels isn't worth it. The DT wheelset is a good wheelset, extremely reliable freehub, reasonable weight, excellent tubeless seating w/ the XM 481/551 rims. You could strip the rims and lace in Chinese carbon for $500-ish if you really want carbon.

 

[Krompa]

What 34t chainrings are ye using on the SB?

Finally got a https://www.bike-components.de/en/O...ts.de/en/OneUp-Components/Switch-Chainring-Carrier-System-for-Race-Face-p56472/ delivered and mounted. Got the 0 mm offset super boost version and it looks like I have enough clearance. Raceface AEFFECT SL crankset. Non driveline side has one all black alu default spacer. Driveline side 1+0.5mm plastic spacers from lbs + one black alu default + the RF spacer with red rubber ring with heel under alu spacer.

Only issue so far is back pedaling a couple of rounds causes chain to drop from 46 ring. Race XT kit.

 

[Miker J]

Hey guys I am about to pull the trigger on a switchblade and am wondering if anyone has experienced the Reynolds wheels being too stiff? Any input is appreciated.

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Not a SB (yet) or Reynolds owner but can add a comment about carbon hoops.

I think the carbon wheels I had built up for my 275 felt stiffer than my aluminum hoops. They were wider rims, Derbys. Just didn't care for the feel - neither the wide or the stiffness.

I went back to aluminum rims. Stan's. Arch MK3, Flow EX (earlier version). Maybe on a 29er carbon would be good, but it felt very harsh on a 275, even with a fatter tire. Maybe it was harsh because it was a very wide, and thus stiffer rim.

 

[Blatant]

You can add me in to the clan that finds many carbon wheels to be too stiff for my personal taste and riding environment (Phoenix).

My favorite carbon rims have been cheap LBs, which felt like they had the vertical compliance I was looking for. My least favorite were Enves, which were so stiff they changed the entire suspension feels of the bike.

For the most part these days, give me a nicely constructed aluminum rim with an awesome hub and I'm happy.