Please help, I'm confused!!!

Darra8

Hi Guys,

I bought a new Trek Fuel 5.5 last year and used it all through the Winter.I bought the full susser because I suffer from a bad back, so thought it would be better than a hardtail. I have also upgraded it by changing the fork and wheels, plus lighter finishing kit, knocking 2 lbs off the weight. But I recently bought a Merlin Malt 1 frame and built it up using a rigid alloy fork. Since I finished the project I have been using it every other day and think it's great. It's light, fast and handles really well on all but the really rough stuff and really love the way it feels. Now, today I have used the Trek round my local woodland trail and have felt that it just feels all wrong. I feel like I'm perched on it and feel way too high up, I can't seem too lift the front end over roots etc, and just felt very disconnected with the trail. I couldn't build any speed, as the handling seemed all over the place. It was very comfy and felt OK going down hill, but that was about it. It was like the difference between driving a sports car with sorted handling then doing the same route in an old land rover...if that makes sense?

I am worrying now that I have spend all that money on the bouncer and might never use it again.

Am I right to feel like this, or am I just being a dick?

Cheers,

Steve

Anonymous

seeing as fs is better than ht, there can only be one answer to that.......................

Darra8

Ahhh, I seem to remember you wrote something about having a FS is like having sex with someone else, where as having a HT was like having sex with yourself....was that you? Apologies if it wasn't you :oops:

Turrican

Have tried alerting the seat postition and angle off the seat, height off seat post, stem length if on bike has 100mmm and anouther shorter willfeel different also stem height angle thats the small rise of a stem also the spacers below or above the stem can make difference, even the bar length / rise width can make difference in how it feel. Yes riding HT then back to FS does feel different also is the forks rigid you say on HT than whats the length of it dont forget your full suss has shock front and back and will compress and sags SO will proberly feel like boat on dry land then boat in the sea .

Buckle

I have a Fuel EX9 (2007) and also feel like I'm perched on top of it rather than 'in' it. I shortened the steerer tube which helped a little.

The more you ride it the more you'll get used to it until you feel at one with the bike. Took me a few months of riding tho...

Anonymous

Darra8 wrote:

Ahhh, I seem to remember you wrote something about having a FS is like having sex with someone else, where as having a HT was like having sex with yourself....was that you? Apologies if it wasn't you :oops:

that was me, but sheepsteeth used it as his "sig" quote.