[DaveyG]

Right, i'm planning on buying one of these frames, in blue.

The build will be,

2006 Fox 36 Talas

Sun MTX on Pro II's

XT Groupset w/DX pedals

Avid Juicy 7's

Truvativ Holzfella stem and FSA FR270 bars

*roughly* How much do you reckon this will weigh?

Also, what are the RFX's like at climbing, as i'm going to want to use it for XC aswell :/

Dave

 

[Jon Edwards]

I've had one for 7 years now.

It'll weigh +/- 37-40lbs

Mine's 37 in XC mode, 40 with DH wheels and tyres on.

Do you know what rockers are on it - have a search on here - there's a few old threads about them, but the basics are simple - get the lowest, slackest ones you can lay your hands on.

They're not fast up hill, but they will go up anything you've got the leg strength to push. The back end just finds traction in places where there is none, and the longish c/stays and steep s/angle means that you've still got plenty of weight on the front.

On the other hand, they are stupidly quick down...

Mine, just post respray/rebuild:-

 

[DaveyG]

Eeeeee no offence, but thats preety heavy.

Any way i can get that weight down?

Its just that i've been offered a santa cruz heckler for the same price, and i could build that up into around 32lb.

 

[HubbaMan]

Weight will most likely be mid 30s, RFX's climb great as long as the engine has enough power in it. A good quality rear shock helps too.
One other thing will be the rocker type you get on the frame as this affects geo, there were 2 types available A/B. Do a search in the forum and you'll find tons of material on the differences.

My '01 RFX weighs 32.5lbs but that takes a fair bit of thought and attention to every part. I could get it lower but I'd have to swap out the AVY for an air shock and I'm not ready to give up the coil. It also helps that I'm 157lbs so I can afford lighter parts and they still hold up under drops & jumps.

Solid frame for sure, take care of it and it should last as long as you want it to.

 

[DaveyG]

Yeahh does anyone know how much the frame weighs?, this would be with a Fox Vanilla R, one of the new ones, which IIRC weighs 330 gramms.
It is this frame, http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?VISuperSize&item=130342251969
Owned by a guy on here, alimaclikespie.

 

[Jayem]

Right, i'm planning on buying one of these frames, in blue.

The build will be,

2006 Fox 36 Talas

Sun MTX on Pro II's

XT Groupset w/DX pedals

Avid Juicy 7's

Truvativ Holzfella stem and FSA FR270 bars

*roughly* How much do you reckon this will weigh?

Also, what are the RFX's like at climbing, as i'm going to want to use it for XC aswell :/

Dave

Get some gravity-light carbon bars

Them are probably heavy rims, I dunno, but you can always go a little lighter with the front wheel, because it doesn't see as much stress. That means you can use a lighter rim, slightly lighter spokes, etc. The only problem is maintaining enough rim-width for proper tire profile.

200mm front rotor, 180 or 160mm rear.

It will climb as good as the person that is powering it. There is no free lunch, but I've never really been held back by a 35-36lb bike. A couple pounds of difference is never going to be some sort of end-game amount, but you will have to be a strong climber to keep it going up steep hills and for hour after hour.

I think the old RFX is something like a pound heavier than the 6 pack, which isn't really all that much more weight. You should be able to keep the weight down with smart component and wheel choices. 11-32 XT cassette, XT cranks, maybe get some cheap shimano 540 pedals for the XC days, decently light seatpost and saddle, etc.

 

[DaveyG]

The rims aren't too bad actually, about 600g.

But yeah i get what you're saying, so i reckon i shoudl be alright, i'm like 250 anyways so i'm not gunna be wanting to climb for ages

Thanks mate

 

[Jayem]

The rims aren't too bad actually, about 600g.

But yeah i get what you're saying, so i reckon i shoudl be alright, i'm like 250 anyways so i'm not gunna be wanting to climb for ages

Thanks mate

That is friggin heavy for a front rim IMO. If you need that much strength, you only need it in the rear.

 

[DaveyG]

Hmmm, well an XC717 is like 400g and i mashed one of them, hitting a root, plus im a preety clumsy rider, so i'm willing to risk the 200g, to ensure i dont have to spend any more money and constantly buy new wheels.

Would changing to rocker plates or swing arm to newer models lower the weight by much?

 

[Jayem]

Hmmm, well an XC717 is like 400g and i mashed one of them, hitting a root, plus im a preety clumsy rider, so i'm willing to risk the 200g, to ensure i dont have to spend any more money and constantly buy new wheels.

Would changing to rocker plates or swing arm to newer models lower the weight by much?

It's just that when you want a somewhat light bike, you HAVE to build it as such and you can't make many sacrifices, or it ends up ballooning in weight pretty fast. A 400g is too light, but something around 500g is probably just right, and a significant saving of weight (and rotational weight). Was that 400g rim on the front or the back? Even if it was on the front, 400g is not going to be super strong. I know this sounds harsh, but either you try to build it up light, which does take commitment and $$$, or you build it up as you can and don't care about the weight.

 

[DaveyG]

I suppose i was just loooking for somewhere cheap and easy to lose weight, like tyres and such. But i dont have the money to change every part like that :/
Cheers mate.

 

[Nick.]

My '02 RFX with a Vanilla RC is 9.5 pounds, IIRC.
Complete bike is around 35 pounds, currently with 36 TALAS, XT, Mavic SX tubeless wheels and a touch heavier with King/Syncros/tube setup.

 

[DaveyG]

Okay mate cheers, you don't have a picture of it do you mate?

Dave

 

[Nick.]

the CB pedals were just for a climbing heavy trip, it usually has platform pedals which add a minimal amount of weight.

 

[Jon Edwards]

Mine is as light as I could make it without compromising function. I could save a bit of weight by swapping to Fox Float 36s or Lyric SAs and by putting an air shock on, but certainly the rear shock would struggle, and I'd rather have the feel of coil both ends. Likewise I could swap the EA70 bars for Monkeylite DHs, but I crash too often to feel comfortable running expensive carbon bars.

Wheels - i'm running Mavix 719 discs for trail/am stuff. They're not a lot heavier than 717s, but are much stiffer, and seem to be moderately ding resistant - I got 3 years out of the first set of rims, and am now a year into the second. Rear is laced 3x, front 2x with ally nips to try and reduce weight. Maxxis 2.3 Minion single plys. I've got a second set of wheels with 721s and 2.5 twinplys on for DH.

At the end of the day, it's a 9.5lb frame. That's heavier than some DH race frames. It's *never* going to be a light bike. What it is, is a very capable one. On technical climbs, I'm usually the last one to be off and walking, and it's fast enough and tough enough DH, to make the average rider on a DH bike look a little stupid.