Yes, it's a new bike :D

Ryan Jones
Ryan Jones Posts: 775
edited June 2014 in Your mountain bikes
Hi seeing as i'm getting back into mountainbiking only this time it's serious, i decided to take advantage of the wonder that is 0% finance again and get myself a new steed. When i read an old MBUK (oct 09) i found my bike, Ian Collin's long term tester the Cannondale Rize. Ticked every box for me when i looked at this years models and just collected my RZ 120 3.

Heres the pics of it, and a few of the bike it's replacing......

moto_0043-1.jpg

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My Nukeproof Mega TR

Comments

  • scotto
    scotto Posts: 381
    nice bike, you have to ride a cannondale to really appreciate it, but I geuss that's true of any brand so I will shut up !
  • biff55
    biff55 Posts: 1,404
    very nice.
    severly tempted with the new cannondale carbon rush myself at the mo.
  • Ryan Jones
    Ryan Jones Posts: 775
    biff55 wrote:
    very nice.
    severly tempted with the new cannondale carbon rush myself at the mo.

    One of the guys i ride with has a 2009 rush, very nice bikes and very light too, though a carbon rz would look very tempting too seeing as it's the more up to date one but either one looks superb in my books :D
    My Nukeproof Mega TR
  • j96_2
    j96_2 Posts: 188
    Nice bike :)
  • Ryan Jones
    Ryan Jones Posts: 775
    Thought I'd rehash this old thread, given the bike is taking pride of place in the flat much to my girlfriends amusement :lol:

    IMG_0139.jpg

    To be honest I've neglected it by not riding it much in the time, however whenever I have it's always been a pleasure especially since it's been treated to a fair few upgrades. I'll write about each and what effect they've had maybe give some inspiration;

    Syncros 710mm bars and 80mm stem - easily the biggest ride changers of the lot, changed the bike from a stretched out racer wannabe into a bit of a trail shredder, much better poised and planted without compromise during long rides

    Maxxis Advantages 2.25 60A - superb tyres imho and changed the bike from a skittish hedge-finder into something that goes where I want, when I want. Not too bad rolling resistance either.

    Stans ZTR Olympic rims, Sun Ringle hubs - ebay bargain find and made the bike feel like it had a turbo fitted to it on the first ride. Would recommend lighter wheels to anyone

    Twin and bashring setup - After bending my middle chainring I felt like doing something else, so this is the result. 36t shimano chainring in the middle, slx twin mech and a blackspire bashring makes it a bit more black route friendly.

    Shimano 9spd XT rear mech and shifters - put it simply, the sram stuff played up on me so I swapped it all out for XT, and love it. Seems a lot better built than the x7/9 it replaced.

    Avid Elixr 5 brakes - the juicy's gave me some scary moments with the brakes fading on some more enthusiastic riding, so bought these whilst on offer at merlin. Can't say I've tested these out properly but they feel better than before.
    My Nukeproof Mega TR
  • Ryan Jones
    Ryan Jones Posts: 775
    AA84EE6B-4F0E-41B3-96F4-0B785F25D4C1.jpg

    Decided to update to throw in some feedback on the components and compare what it has now. As the photo shows, there have been several changes centred on making it a bit more play-happy:

    Bars and stem - Now running 750mm funn bars and a 70mm Truvativ stem, and what a difference ! Just puts me smack on where I want to be on the bike and when airbourne it feels stable and confidence inspiring, on the ground it's far better too, although this is aided by......

    Transmission - Out goes the 2x9, in comes 1x10 with a 34t superstar narrow/wide chainring, xt clutch mech and a hope 40t expander ring, xt shifter and cassette. Big difference being the downhill clatter has completely gone, and now it feels like a BMX in the way it pedals. Having one shifter is far more intuitive as there's no guesswork, and on an enthusiastic run down the monkey trail (getting air as well) it never skipped a beat, made a noise or felt restrictive on the climbs. Highly recommended ! ! !

    Avid Elixir 5's - Simply put, I wouldn't bother. Having rode the a bike with current slx's there is no reason to pick these brakes, bleeding them is a faff and they seem to be spongy in feel. Will upgrade these in the near future.

    Rockshox Monarch 3.3 - Shockingly, this shock is now classed as obsolete and they no longer produce seal kits for these shocks, if you want to service them at present budget for new internals too ! This is downright unacceptable for a 4 year old shock carrying the same name as the present incarnation as far as I'm concerned, a real nod toward customer service and confidence in your product *insert sarcastic comment* :x

    Wheels - Aside from needing to be trued up and the occasional creak when pressing on, these wheels are holding up well enough. Can feel sometimes like the front and rear wheel are following different lines which I feel they could play a part in along with Q/R axles and the frame. Happy with them though !

    Overall I am pretty happy with the setup, it's never going to be an all-mountain slayer but for the one and only bike it's a good compromise for general riding. It shall be treated to an RSP plummet seatpost imminently (on order) and hopefully this will make it more versatile. Was going to change it out for a Cannondale Prophet frame, but frankly I'm too pleased with it now to get rid :lol:
    My Nukeproof Mega TR

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