RSAmerica
Well-Known Member
Sounds like a Ripmo with a 160 fork.
The what new bike are you considering thread
- Thread starter Captain Brainstorm
- Start date
pkovo
Well-Known Member
I can't help you too much in terms of picking a 27.5 hardtail. Maybe a nukeproof scout 275. But I will say be careful trying to downsize wheel size on modern bikes. The BBs are pretty low to begin with on some newer bikes. I tried to run 27.5 plus wheels on my 29er and it was a failure. They weren't even that much smaller than the 29ers but I still didn't like the BB drop that came with them.
I have a 29" hardtail and like it a lot. A friend I ride with has a steel Honzo, also 29er and seems to like it alot. A 29" hardtail might surprise you. Mine is pretty playful. Doesn't feel as "wagon-wheelish" as it looks.
bergsnj
Well-Known Member
Try an sb150. May not climb like a scalpel but it is definitely a great climber and will shred the rest of the mountain going down. I came off a 27.5 trigger too and its night and day
As a 26" guy who just recently added a 27.5 trail bike to the stable, i just can't see me enjoying a 29er when i have to switch back and forth between 3 wheel sizes. Tire and emergency backup tube sharing is another reason i want to stay 27.5. I just feel it would be too annoying switching back and forth. i dunno, i'll see what's out there.
Ian F
Well-Known Member
I dunno… I go from my 29er enduro bike to a 29er trail bike to a 27.5+ hard tail to a near-vintage (1996) road bike to a 26" full-squish dirt jumper to a 20" BMX bike depending on what feels right for the task at hand. You get used to it. What I do tend to do is ride the 26" for a bit before jumping on the 20". But when I go to some place like Ray's in Cleveland, the 20" just feels like the right tool.
Got to my testing grounds.
My opinions and mine only.
Mullet Bike all party out back with WTF up front. This is probably due to not riding any new geos of todays offerings. My last long travel trail bike was a 2007 nomad and the rear VPP is light years from then. I loved everything about the performance of how this version just plain works. What I cared and wanted to test was the climbing abilities in steep and technical. In the old nomad I always felt like every pedal stroke I was blowing through full travel of the rear, not so with this. The rear stayed planted Always! On the down it soaked both big and small hits as expected. I was always a believer that a suspension lockout is a default of poor suspension design but not here, I could see if I was living in an area where I had 5 mile jeep road climb to get to the 12 mile DH then it would be welcomed, otherwise I wouldn't use it.
Now for the dislikes. Everything with the front cockpit. Bars were too wide and more the anything too straight. I was in wrist pain for most of the ride. These bars would go off immediately and swap for some rise and sweep. Neck pain was also evident so not sure if sweep would help or maybe bike size was too big. Always a large but maybe with the new geo I need a medium. I played with saddle but did not help.
Now to what I hated, Utah is correct with the fork, it in no ways could I get the fork to work for me to match the rear. I brought the pump and clicks here and there to try and fine tune, it was too harsh to extremely harsh period. This fork would not be one I would match with that rear. The only place it worked was really big hits but small to medium bump performance was non existent. Now I need to see how fox plays with these long travel bikes as I do like the fact of having a ride for both parks and trails.
I will skip the 2nd test ride tonight as I dont want to go through that pain again. But this has got the juices flowing to test more long travel trail bikes to compare but man this bikes party side was a pure winner!!
thank you so much @jdog and Halters!!!
My opinions and mine only.
Mullet Bike all party out back with WTF up front. This is probably due to not riding any new geos of todays offerings. My last long travel trail bike was a 2007 nomad and the rear VPP is light years from then. I loved everything about the performance of how this version just plain works. What I cared and wanted to test was the climbing abilities in steep and technical. In the old nomad I always felt like every pedal stroke I was blowing through full travel of the rear, not so with this. The rear stayed planted Always! On the down it soaked both big and small hits as expected. I was always a believer that a suspension lockout is a default of poor suspension design but not here, I could see if I was living in an area where I had 5 mile jeep road climb to get to the 12 mile DH then it would be welcomed, otherwise I wouldn't use it.
Now for the dislikes. Everything with the front cockpit. Bars were too wide and more the anything too straight. I was in wrist pain for most of the ride. These bars would go off immediately and swap for some rise and sweep. Neck pain was also evident so not sure if sweep would help or maybe bike size was too big. Always a large but maybe with the new geo I need a medium. I played with saddle but did not help.
Now to what I hated, Utah is correct with the fork, it in no ways could I get the fork to work for me to match the rear. I brought the pump and clicks here and there to try and fine tune, it was too harsh to extremely harsh period. This fork would not be one I would match with that rear. The only place it worked was really big hits but small to medium bump performance was non existent. Now I need to see how fox plays with these long travel bikes as I do like the fact of having a ride for both parks and trails.
I will skip the 2nd test ride tonight as I dont want to go through that pain again. But this has got the juices flowing to test more long travel trail bikes to compare but man this bikes party side was a pure winner!!
thank you so much @jdog and Halters!!!
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Ian F
Well-Known Member
I'm not convinced on the mullet-bike concept, but I haven't felt the Megatower to be unwieldy. Granted, most of my riding on it has been on jump lines at bike parks.
New forks seem to be set up for enduro racers going all-out. Makes them great for that (or for park riding), but if you want a more plush feel it'll definitely take some fiddling. I haven't found that setting yet with the Helm.
I run the same Answer/ProTaper 780mm wide bars on all of my bikes, so that helps me with jumping between bikes. New-school geo definitely needs a somewhat aggressive riding style, though, which has been tough at times.
New forks seem to be set up for enduro racers going all-out. Makes them great for that (or for park riding), but if you want a more plush feel it'll definitely take some fiddling. I haven't found that setting yet with the Helm.
I run the same Answer/ProTaper 780mm wide bars on all of my bikes, so that helps me with jumping between bikes. New-school geo definitely needs a somewhat aggressive riding style, though, which has been tough at times.
pkovo
Well-Known Member
I'm with Ian for the most part in the fact that I don't really have any issues going back and forth between bikes with different wheel sizes. Just doesn't really phase me much. That is except for 20". I have trouble adjusting to 20" at this point.
I hear you though, I really like 27.5 as well, and that's my trail bike size also. But it seems 29 is the more popular choice right now so there's more available in that size. Could b a placebo effect, but I do feel like it rolls over stuff really well, and the on I have is still pretty playful. I think a lot comes down to the geo of the specific bike as opposed ot just teh wheel size though.
As for emergency tubes, i think you can pretty much make any of them work in a pinch and a 27.5 is a good spare.
JerseyPete
Well-Known Member
@mattybfat what other bike will you be taking for a ride after the Hightower?
What is this front and rear?
Big Dumb Animal
Hippo Nipples' #1 Fan
150 fork, 140 shock
What BDA says
I am out of the gate, many demos ahead. I really want to try as many as possible. It needs to fill the need of both fun trail and park bike. Days of going big in bike parks are done but I still like going with boywonder.
Many 🙂
It was my turn on the hightower this evening. Having a tallboy, sitting on the bike felt very familiar.
Pedaling out of the lot was also a nothing new. I tried hopping around the lot a bit, and there was
plenty of bounce, but as soon as we started climbing, there was no bobbing at all. pedaling was smooth
and almost effortless - bike tracked straight and true for me.
went through the first uphill rock garden without a problem - even had to stall/adjust/restart - no problem.
This one is equipped with gx eagle, my tallboy is xo1 11sp. I tried out the dinner plate a couple times.
crazy rpms, but up ya go.
i suck at going dh fast, but this bike just eats it up. where i'd be brake checking, i just let it roll. wouldn't do that
on the tb in 29r mode.
yeah - i feel a AXS hightower in my future. only one problem...i gotta sell a bunch of stuff!
Pedaling out of the lot was also a nothing new. I tried hopping around the lot a bit, and there was
plenty of bounce, but as soon as we started climbing, there was no bobbing at all. pedaling was smooth
and almost effortless - bike tracked straight and true for me.
went through the first uphill rock garden without a problem - even had to stall/adjust/restart - no problem.
This one is equipped with gx eagle, my tallboy is xo1 11sp. I tried out the dinner plate a couple times.
crazy rpms, but up ya go.
i suck at going dh fast, but this bike just eats it up. where i'd be brake checking, i just let it roll. wouldn't do that
on the tb in 29r mode.
yeah - i feel a AXS hightower in my future. only one problem...i gotta sell a bunch of stuff!
The Kalmyk
Well-Known Member
I rode a Nomad in NV. I’m not so rad that I need that much bike. Clearly not a climbing bike.
In general, does it make sense to lug around that bike if you aren’t going to totally rip DH? I understand that a current 150/140 rides like a 120 bike of yesterday year, but it sounds to be like you would be better suited on a blur. Mainly since, while they can “climb” you are setting land speed records in the bigger bikes where in the blur, probably would be..
also, from experience with my 5010, the setup of the year largely affects the fork movement. I recently did bearing replacement and just like that, my fork is way more active.
@mattybfat when are you riding the 5010?
I gonna try the Bronson next me thinks but will try the 5010. I first need to figure out if I am large or medium santa cruz rider now (was large but I am shrinking). As I mentioned to @jdog I was a SC fanboy from the beginning, first bike was the tazmon, who here remembers that. That was the precursor to the heckler which I owned 2 and a super8 and a nomad. The nomad was the end because SC customers service went into the shitter. Seems like they fixed that problem to being the best now....
How tall are you?
I am just under 5'9", so i right at the threshold between medium and large. 100% happy that I went with a medium, but I have always preferred smaller bikes.
yes. strange thing about the hightower is that i didn't realize it was that heavy until i put it on the rack.
i'll probably tweak the tallboy a bit - it is in for service, and it was way overdue. I'm looking forward to getting my
hardtail back into the rotation, and of course the fatbike is fixed and it should snow soon.