All mountain riding - Frame, Forks, Brakes, Wheelset (H/T)

GT Destroyer

Hi

Thinking of upgrading the brakes on mine and my mate's bikes.

We are mainly XC riders - Riding stuff like Wharncliffe and Dalby red.

We are getting a bit bogged down with the different models available. Is it best to spend big, and get something which is going to last longer or make a careful selection with something that costs a little less?

Are Avid Ultimate's suited to XC riding? Or would a 7 or a 5 do the same job?

The same question goes for Formula stuff - Do we need the top end bits if we can afford them or are we just wasting our money?

The bikes are a GT Avalanche 1.0disc and a Mongoose super tyax. So we both have discs at the moment, the mongoose is mechanical so upgrading to hydraulic should give a marked improvement in performance. Mine is the GT and I'd like to be able to adjust the brake lever travel - Plus of course get some more stopping power as well.

Thanks for your advice in advance.

ddoogie

It would be completely pointless to get any top of the range brakes like the Ultimates. You wont notice any difference when every other component on the bike weighs twice as much (relatively speaking).

Go for the middle of the range stuff. Shimano XT, Juicy 5s, Formula Oros etc. They all function in essentially the same manner. None are better than others in that sense. Shimano brakes work well with my hand shape so I use them. They are also super easy to set up.

jayson

I rate Hope Mono Minis highly and the new floating rotor looks uber cool too, bags and bags of power and cool looks what else could u ask for!!!

GT Destroyer

I thought as much - I guess the top end stuff is more DH and not really suited to what we ride. So it look like it might be a bit cheaper than we originally thought, which is a good thing!

I'll go on with the queries if you don't mind!

My mate has bought a RoxShox Recon fork with adjustable travel (I think its 100-130) I am planning on replacing my fork in the very near future and have narrowed my search down to either a Pike 454 air or a Fox 32 Talas - Now we are both thinking that the extra money on a very good fork is well worth it as it can improve many areas of your riding, whereas the extra money on brakes isn't - Would this be along the right lines?

nicklouse

you are getting confused with the brakes. any can be used for anything. Few are designed for a particular job. Eg codes are not for XC use.

the Oros are all the same but have different adjusters or better/light bolts.

the main thing that govens use is disc size.

re the forks dont forget the AXel system is it compatable with your hub?

good brakes will make a bit difference but more so if you have a good fork to start with.

personally Revalation and Oro K18's 185mm front and 160mm raer and sorted.

GT Destroyer

Cheers Nick (Its good to know your set-up, you seem to be somewhat of a legend on here!!)

So XC is 180 (or 185) front and 160 rear (I might opt for slightly bigger rotors as I am a BIG bloke)

I am also upgrading the wheels and hubs, so I will make sure I get a hub which is maxle compatible.

Been looking at the popular Mavic 717 (or potentially something a bit more durable but still Mavic) with a Hope Pro 2 hub, these seem like a really good deal from places such as Stif, they are dead local to me so its a case of nipping in and getting them fitted.

Lots of change for our bikes on the horizon! Wheels, hubs, brakes and forks!

nicklouse

you may think you are a big bloke but i get no fine with 160mm front and rear Oro's on the XC bike and i am 100kg.

if you do get pro 2 hubs then you will need an XT cassette or higher so as not to damage the cassette carrier. (should come with a note saying so with the hub).

GT Destroyer

They do breed us big in Yorkshire!!

I upgraded the cassette very recently to an XT one with an XT chain too - By the time I get the new hub and wheelset it won't have had that much use (I knew that getting the XT cassette was a good idea!!!)

ddoogie

130-140mm travel wont do your Avelanche any good. Think, sack of potatoes!

Rebas or F100s would be better.

GT Destroyer

That was going to be one of my other queries - The frame angles and which fork to choose - I had thought of the 32 Talas Fox as it is the lowest travel of the adjustable forks from Fox, but from your post I guess a 140 travel fork is no good for my rig.

Is there a max and a min travel to look out for?

ddoogie

I think GT put 130mm travel forks on the Aggressor Pro and it didn't work out too well for that bike.

benneally

juicy 5's are great!! soo happy with mine!

GT Destroyer

nicklouse wrote:

you are getting confused with the brakes. any can be used for anything. Few are designed for a particular job. Eg codes are not for XC use.

the Oros are all the same but have different adjusters or better/light bolts.

the main thing that govens use is disc size.

re the forks dont forget the AXel system is it compatable with your hub?

good brakes will make a bit difference but more so if you have a good fork to start with.

personally Revalation and Oro K18's 185mm front and 160mm raer and sorted.

Sorry to bring this back to life but its still an ongoing saga for me - Nick, in this post you didn't mention any concern about the forks (Pike or 32 Talas) being a bad idea for the bike. The way I see it is that if I'm doing some DH section of a trail somewhere I can set them anywhere I like up to 140 travel, if I am climbing or just doing some singletrack I can just as quickly reset it to 100 or 120? I do however take note of Doogie's comments that the bike isn't really designed for constant 140 travel.
Will 140 actually cause damage to the bike?

Andy B

Yes it could damage the bike running a 140 fork, maybe even if you do only run it @ 140 DH & 120/100 everywhere else.

GT Destroyer

So whats the deal with upgrading the forks then? Whats the maximum travel I should be looking at for the frame? We ride aggressive XC, we'll do the DH sections no problem, do the big-ish drops etc... I want a fork that I can ideally change travel on whilst on the move.
A revalation travels from 100-130, where as a Reba is 85-115, both these seem to get good reviews, any thoughts?

jacktheoc

i would get rebas they will be better suited to the frame and wont change the geo alot

Bazzowmb

How about 2007XT's form Merlin - Real Bargain!!!!

http://www.merlincycles.co.uk/?fn=produ ... goryId=115

Upgraded my cable discs for these recently on XC717/XT's and I'm well pleased .

Edwinsprint

I have a MOngoose with mechanical disc and have just bought some cheap Deore hydraulics from CRC cycles and they are fantastic. I did alot of research and for xc they seemed the best buy, so I could spend more on other things!!!!!

GT Destroyer

Thanks mate - We've come to the realisation the ridng we do is more all mountain rather than just XC. The list of bits currently stands at this,

Orange Crush 21" frame - 2008 model
Avid 5's ( or possibly 7's or ultimates if the budget stretches that far)
Rockshox pike (probably coil not air - still trying to dedice if I need travel adjust too)
Mavic 717 rims with XT hubs (might look at something more robust but still in the mavic range - the hubs could well change too to XTR or Hope Pro 2's)

I was half thinking that it'd be easier to just buy a new Crush but that way I dont get the components I want, and the cost of building the bike up is very similar to the cost of the brand new bike itself (£999)

Just waiting for the money to come now!