Viper Fugitif Alloy Full Suspension Frame 2007

Kall

I'm considering getting a Viper Fugitif Alloy Full Suspension Frame 2007
but don't have any expereince with bouncers!! Current ride is a Scott Scale 40!

Has anyone got any feed back about these?? Is there a recommended rider weight to stay under due the the carbon chain stays??

Are Viper bikes any good??? http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Mode ... elID=14959

Cheers for any help!

Prowlus

thank thing will still be hella heavy considering what aluminium its made out of . Try getting something thats made of 6061 which is professional bike grade and not department bike store grade

BlackSpur

Prowlus wrote:

thank thing will still be hella heavy considering what aluminium its made out of . Try getting something thats made of 6061 which is professional bike grade and not department bike store grade

Sorry but that is rubbish. 7005 grade alloy is used on a lot of high end bikes and is very similar to 6000 series.
As for the frame itself I would be very wary of the no-pivot flex design. Canondale use it and it is not without issues (see the frame failure in a fairly recent mbr review) so I possibly wouldn't trust a fairly small manufacturer such as this with the design. Perhaps my concerns are unfounded, but I would rather have a more "traditional" frame if I was spending on a full susser.

Kall

Yeah the frame is actually almost the same weight as a Santa Cruze Superlight!!

Anonymous

I agree with blackspur though, I'd much prefer a traditional pivoted frame.
Any frame that depends on flex for it/'s suspension action can;t possibly be very stiff under pedaling forces, right?

BlackSpur

Lol I have no idea how that happened! I think you're probably right yeehaamcgee, although in reviews of the Canondale Scalpel I've never seen than mentioned.

With regard to the mbr test I mentioned, the frame on the Scalpel came unstuck/snapped between the carbon flex stay and the dropout. The flex stays on the 'dale look much beefier than those on the Viper too.

Kall

I bought the Viper and believe it or not the flex system is so stiff it actually feels like a hardtail more than a bouncer, that is until the going gets rough then she smooths out the bumps nicely!!
As for how the stays are mounted, they slot in and have like a bulb end so the can't be pulled out forward and on top of that they are then bolted in place as well!!!