[steelstump93]

I'm thinking about buying some XR rockers for my burner, but not sure if it's worth the extra $150. I've been on the Burner since spring and like it alot, but in hind sight wish I would've gotten a 5 Spot. I also rode my brothers 575 last week and those couple of extra inches were sweet going down (although I didn't like it as much for climbing). So my question to any of you that have ridden the XR's: Is the extra .4" worth it? Any comparisons would also help.

Thanks

SS93

 

[RedRocker]

For $150 compared to a different frame....
Yeah, it's worth it. It adds a level of plushness to the ride in addition to the extra bit of travel. I didn't think just the spare bit of travel would make a noticable difference - but it does.
What kind of riding do you do/how much travel do you have in your fork.

 

[FXRob]

I never rode my Burner with stock rockers, I built the bike up and put the XR's on during the build up process. I did sit on the bike with the stock rockers and after the XR install the travel did feel much more substantial. I know that isn't a great evaluation but I think the XR's will give you what you are looking for. They ride great, I'm very impressed with the feel of the bike and like the active rear end yet it still climbs very well. I'm a guy that is used to long travel bikes as I've owned a Foes FXR for over 2 years (sold now), and now own a Yeti 575, 6 Pack and AS-X and the Burner just has enough travel to keep me happy with the XR's. There might even be some people selling theirs who have switched to the Flux frame, but either way I think it is worthy of the $150 upgrade.

 

[pffft]

I am probably in the minority but I did not think they were worth it.

I should point out I am very nearly 200lbs and always ride with a heavy camelbak
which may make a difference, and I ride fairly rough and rocky single track
and my style leads to very little "air" so your results may vary........

I tried the three obvious easy options, stock with 3 way, stock with an XCE
vanilla and x rockers with the 3 way and actually prefered the basic burner.
My experience is that there is more to be gained from more travel up front
than from the rear (at least within reason). I traded in my xce for a spot because
I felt I was using up the front travel more than the rear. A year later I jumped on
the cheap Burner parade when they were available, and tried a bunch of things
to see if the burner had any advantages over the spot, and what I discovered was
that FOR ME, the limitation really was the 4 inch fork. (At the time the only
adjustable travel fork I had was an old psylo, so I never did try a good adjustable
fork on it)
The vanilla/standard rockers felt like an XCE (duh), I felt like I blew through too much
travel too easily with the X rockers and 3 way, and enough air and spv adjustment to
stop that made the intial small bump reaction too harsh. I was very suprized to find
that I actually like the way it rode with the stock 3 way better than the vanilla, too.
I was not a fan of the platform versions of shocks I have tried on other bikes, like the
float propedal that came on my spot or the romics lent to me to try by fellow homers,
but I really liked the way the burner worked with the 3 way (again it sounds like I am
in the minority on this) when riding with a spare shock in my pack and swapping back
and forth on rides. (and this led me to put a 4 way air on my spot which I am still not
sure I like less than the DHX coil)
So, in short, if it were ME, I'd do what I did before and get a bike compatible with a
longer fork instead of spending the cash on rockers .

 

[MK_]

I would agree with pffft's evaluation. The fact that he rode on my Burner frame, might have something to do with it . I really liked the stock setup of the Burner with the 3-way. I didn't find the shock to be harsh, nor did I long for more compression ratio on the rockers to change the behavior of the 3-way (it was my first full susser, so that might have a little to do with that). 0.4" of travel might sound tempting, but I am not sure it makes that much difference, especially after you subtract 25% of sag. Adding 0.4" back there was not going to be enough. At one point I felt like the frame was limiting my progress as a rider and I began to save my pennies up for a 5 Spot. Like pffft, I find the front suspension to be a larger factor in the overall performance, so being able to run a REAL 5" fork on the Spot was a big factor in my decision. I was surprised how nearly identically I felt on the 5* on the climbs and what a world of difference that frame is on the way down. I must say, however, that Burner does handle better in the tight stuff. I would say that rather than spending little here, little there, to squeeze that little extra out of the Burner, you ought to think about saving up for the big jump to the 5 Spot.

_MK

 

[RedRocker]

I did put a Reba U-Turn on the front recently and I do find it to be a bonus. I have to at this point, don't I?
For the type of riding that I do I feel that a 4 inch bike is pretty much what I "need". It works well for the trails I ride and has the ablility to get more travel up front for downhill bombs or go less for steep climbs. That sounds like a plug for the adjustable fork, but I do like the added cush in the rear suspension. I just think it feels better through the whole range of travel than it did when I used the whole range wheth the stock rockers.

 

[steelstump93]

Close, but bad time of Year.

Thanks for all the feedback. I think if they were under $100 or it wasn't so close to the holidays ($$$) I'd definately do it. I'm 170 with gear so I don't think I would have the same problems Pfft did, and I've got a Reba U-turn so I can match the travel in the front. My main problem with the Burner is that I usualy use all the travel and I still get bounced around on fast rocky descents. It sounds like the extra .4" will help with this.

I'll keep my eye on the classifieds.

 

[MK_]

There's a local guy (to me, in Colorado) selling his Burner and XR rockers (separate) on craigslist, might be worth contacting him if you're set on getting the rockers. http://denver.craigslist.org/bik/114853852.html

_MK

 

[Christian]

I like XR Rockers

Hi,
I put a set of XRs on my Burner, from Paul Components. See pic. I like the extra travel, its more supple in the back and gives a little more for those big hits. Also, the rockers will raise the back of the bike and steepen the head angle a little bit. So, I run my TALAS fork at 4.5 inches and it feels great. Putting on the rockers let me run more suspension in the front while keeping the head angle from getting too slack.
Highly recommended. Plus, my Burner is 25.5 pounds, so for a 4X4.5 inch bike thats great!

 

[cutthroat]

The XRs are a good upgrade IMO. It's not just the additional half inch, the XRs' added leverage ratio change the quality of the rear suspension. They make the rear travel more supple. I also think the Burner rides better as a 4"x4", it just seems more balanced overall, particularly at speed. But, MK's right - if what you are really longing for is more travel, you may be looking at a 5 Spot soon. If you don't like the XRs, there's always a buyer out there.

 

[BJF]

XR Rockers

Just figured I would throw my 2 cents in. I am currently on a burner with x rockers and a propedal. I only have one ride on it so I can't fully evaluate it but I do have comments on the XR rockers. For the last two years I have been riding a XCE with a Romic and XR rockers. It was one of the last XCE frames made. It came standard with the romic and the xr rockers. At the time I was happy it came set up this way because I figured I could use any shock and still have the four inches of travel. Before I get into my review I am sure some people are wondering why I went from an XCE to a burner when they are basically the same bike. Honestly I am a big wuss and was sick of how heavy the XCE was. I figured the burner was about 1.5 pounds lighter because of the frame and the rear shock. I figured since my XCE has retained its value and the burners can be gotten at some supergos for cheap that this was a cheaper way for me to upgrade to a air shock then just buying the shock.

I liked my XCE a lot. It was fun to ride espeically since it is my first full suspension bike. The problems I had with the XR rockers and the romic were that my bike was always bobbing. I found out that my romic needed to be rebuilt but also that I was too heavy for the XR rockers. Appently by using them they change the leverage ratio on the bike. Now if you are a light rider this is fine but once you pass the 170 pound mark it wont work properly and will actually suck. Now I have heard this from two sources. 1. Being a dealer who I think knows what he is talking about and 2. Turner themselves. I called to ask what the deal was and they told me the thing about the weight limit for the leverage ratio. Now I wish I knew this before I even got the bike but its not a big deal.

I would just take your weight into account before you go buying the rockers. Also call Turner and ask them what they think, you might be suprised at the answer.

 

[pffft]

The fact that he rode on my Burner frame, might have something to do with it . _MK

did it look anything like this?

 

[MK_]

did it look anything like this?

Close

_MK

 

[D-Rock]

Yeah, it's worth it. It adds a level of plushness to the ride in addition to the extra bit of travel. I didn't think just the spare bit of travel would make a noticable difference - but it does.

You're welcome. When you're ready to spend some more money to get that rig fixed up right, let me know.

I think the XRs are one of the best things you can do to the Burner. I didn't like the stock ride at all. I found it very harsh. The XRs changed all that.

cutthroat is dead on about the leverage change. 2.66:1 seems to be the sweet spot for the 1.5" stroke shocks.

YMMV,
D.

 

[Steve71]

There's a local guy (to me, in Colorado) selling his Burner and XR rockers (separate) on craigslist, might be worth contacting him if you're set on getting the rockers. http://denver.craigslist.org/bik/114853852.html

_MK

Hey, that's me!

I haven't had any interest in the frame, so I'm going to put it up for sale in the MTBR classifieds. I'm hopping the XR rockers will help sell the frame, so at this stage I want to keep them as an option for someone interested in the whole thing. Thanks for the offers anyway guys. If the frame sells without the XR rockers, then I'll offer them to first guy (Jeff) who emailed me via Craig's list.

As to the original question about the XR rockers:

Well I think they were worth it because (1) the extra leverage reduced the compression damping - better for my 150lbs. (2) The front range is rough and that little bit of extra travel kept the bike from bottoming all the time. To be fare though, I was running a 120mm fork.

In the end the Burner just wasn't the right bike for me. I got a killer deal on a 6" travel Reign which seams a better match for the conditions here. Jesus built my Giant just doesn't have the same ring to it though.