[m0ngy]

hi,

i've got an 04 Heckler but wanna move up to either the nomad or vp-free. the only reason i wouldn't go the vp-free is cos i've read in several reviews that it suffers a bit from pedal bob and doesn't climb that great. other reviews reckon it climbs well... so... i dunno. can i get a definitive answer from someone who knows? also, weight isn't really an issue for me. i'm strong enough leg-wise and kinda prefer the momentum a beefy bike offers.

thanx

 

[MTBKauai]

One Star out of Five

Short uphill "parts" are OK on the VP, but sustained climbs of 1/2 mile (or more) suck. I've had a VP for a year now and just bought a Heckler for climbing.

Go with the Nomad if you're really going to climb. If you're going to huck, get the VP.

ps: VP pedals great downhill.

 

[IJR]

IMO the vpfree climbs great for a bike with over 8" of travel. Doing sustained climbs on big bikes is more a matter of how fit you are and how well YOU pedal than it is how well the bike pedals. Technique and fitness are very important when you're pedalling a bike that weighs 10 to 15 lbs more than your typical trail bike and twice as much as the racer boys bikes.

The group I ride with has Stinky's, Demo's, RM7's, Screams, several Bullits, Iron horses etc. Our normal mountain rides have 8 to 15 miles of climbing depending on which route we take. Some of those bikes listed above weigh 50 lbs+ (I'm not even going to get into how much our backpacks weigh) and we pedal over 30 miles through the mountains some on a weekly basis, the rest at least once a month.

My vpfree weighs 41 lbs so I'm not going to win any hill climbs on it. It's not as nimble as my nomad but again it weighs 10 lbs more. I've owned single pivots and horst link bikes and as far as actual pedalling performance the vpfree is as good or better than any of those.

Get a dual ring setup adjust the 5th properly find a comfortable gear, stay seated as much as possible and pedal away.

 

[rogue]

Hi I'd have to agree with IJR (I also have a Free and now a Nomad)

The Free isnt a light bike, but in saying that how many 8.5" bikes are. It does pedal quite well and I found out when i first got it I could get up some pretty difficult sections with a little momentum and spinning. Stay seated when climbing though. As IJR said if u r fit it will be less of an issue.

Mine weighs 39-40lbs.... Large ano, 888RC 170, Saint brakes, etc etc running tubeless and 5th with Ti coil mand Mallet M (light)

Mine doesnt bob once I set it right, its real plush... but steady...

One thing to consider is maintenance of the VP axles (greasing) and later bearings.... 4 axles to take off and grease.

 

[Dusty Bottoms]

I climb thousands of feet per week on my Free. Let's face it, with platform shocks you are able to tune ANY bike in so it doesn't bob while climbing. So then you are dealing with weight and geometry. If you are a strong climber the weight won't bother you, you just pick a lower gear and deal with it. As for geometry, I'm riding an 8" 888 and don't mind it, but I'm also not foolish enough to tell you that the geometry is sweet for climbing. You gotta be willing to make certain sacrifices on a multi purpose bike. If you give climbing prowess a higher priority than DH capabilites you should get a Nomad.