Just collected my new Santa Cruz Bullit...

notax

The normal order has returned - Miss Notax no longer has more bikes than me After a day at the UK Bike Park yesterday I was persuaded by Miss NT to consider a burlier bike than my Orange 5 for the Mega and she suggested a Bullit. Found a mint 2008 example - will post photo in a bit. Totally polished to match my SC Blur 8)

Bike has 180mm travel front and rear and weighs only 34lbs, full XTR and awesome Avid Code 203 brakes. Well chuffed. Hoping to try it at Cwm Down next Sunday... few questions about the suspension though:

The previous owner weighed 15 stone and the bike comes with a titanium Nuke Proof spring rated 600 x 2.75 and a steel one rated 600 x 2.55. I weigh about 11.5 stone so considering switching to a 450lb but no idea whether 2.75 or 2.55 better?

Forks are Rockshox Totem coils 180mm. Never had coil forks before but these are also too stiff for me, no idea what springs I'll need or how to change them though :oops:

The bike rides really well and seems to hide its weight. Also amazed by the 203 Avid Codes which seem even stronger than the Formula The Ones fitted to my O5. Only things I'm intending to change apart from the springs are to fit a dropper post and swap the Crank Brother Mallets for something SPD (shame as they are partly polished too 8) )

Hopefully Miss NT will be along to post a photo of the bike soon....

danridesbikes

o5 would have been fine for the mega

did it a couple of years ago on a prophet 4x

notax

danridesbikes wrote:

o5 would have been fine for the mega

did it a couple of years ago on a prophet 4x

Yes, I'm sure the O5 would be better on the climbs and I also like my bikes to be light and flickable... however, this way I get Miss Notax SUGGESTING I get a nice new shiny freeride bike. Cunning eh?

miss notax

Notax wrote:

I get Miss Notax SUGGESTING I get a nice new shiny freeride bike. Cunning eh?

Not that cunning.... This is about to justify the new wheels i'm going to buy for the Minxy

Anyway, here she is! One very good looking (and very shiny) bike 8)

mrmonkfinger

Tidy ride, like it. What are those rims?

springs... http://www.tftunedshox.com/info/spring_calculator.aspx

notax

mrmonkfinger wrote:

Tidy ride, like it. What are those rims?

springs... http://www.tftunedshox.com/info/spring_calculator.aspx

Thanks for the link, I've just ordered a new fork and rear shock spring from them - worth noting that the spring colours have been changed, so what was silver for a Totem has now become yelllow!

Rims are DT Swiss 2350, known for being soft apparently and easy to dent but bike was used by previous 15 stone owner in Morzine and are still straight and ding free. Glad you like the bike, first ride will be at Cwn Down this weekend 8)

drtobiasfunke

I had a bullit for a few years, absolutely loved that bike never let me down.

notax

I have really liked all my Santa Cruz bikes - I started off with one of the lightest full sus bikes available, a 23lb custom built Superlight (carbon everything, XTR V brakes, ceramic rims and titanium spokes - cost an arm and a leg! In fact I still have those wheels somewhere if someone wants to go weight weeny retro - they were bloody strong, used them for riding in the Alps and only ever broke one spoke)

Eventually my frame developed a small crack (that is still available too) and I bought my polished Blur which I still have and am putting on a diet as an occasional XC race bike. Next I added a Heckler to the collection - which I have just sold having also bought an Orange 5 in the meantime!

Not sure how much use I'll get out of the Bullit as I'm not really into freeride - bit old to tackle huge air, but hope to have fun with it on some DH courses and at the Mega

mrmonkfinger

Notax wrote:

In fact I still have those wheels somewhere if someone wants to go weight weeny retro

at 15 1/2 stone I'll pass

Notax wrote:

Not sure how much use I'll get out of the Bullit as I'm not really into freeride - bit old to tackle huge air, but hope to have fun with it on some DH courses and at the Mega

I think if you can tackle a Mega on the bike, you could probably take it pretty much anywhere.

Does the fox shock have a propedal gizmo?

notax

I think at 11 stone I was pushing my luck with the wheels! The bike is definitely Mega ready - not so sure about me...

Bike is fitted with a Fox DHX 5.0 with a titanium 600lb spring which I'm going to sell as I've been advised by TF that I need a 400lb.. It doesn't have pro pedal but I remember seeing there is a little red wheel on the air can, not sure what it does! So far I've only ridden the bike about 100m before I bought it and there was very little bobbing due to the spring being so strong. I can imagine it will be a different matter when I have the correct spring for my weight - hopefully good on the downs but I'm not expecting great things on climbs!

mrmonkfinger

you sure it doesn't have propedal?

http://www.foxracingshox.com/fox_tech_c ... hox_en.pdf

shows rebound, propedal, bottom out & boost valve


red dial is rebound I think

notax

Thanks for posting - useful to help me set it up when new spring arrives. I took the shock off this morning and didn't notice pro pedal - but looking at the info leaflet it seems the DHX uses a wheel rather than the pro pedal lever I have on all my other bikes so it probably does have it afterall...

mrmonkfinger

no worries, think you'll get the springs sorted before cwm carn?

BTW are the codes the more recent version? I'm thinking of swapping my elixirs at some point.

notax

Apparently the Codes are the recent ones, although I haven't checked. I do have Pro Pedal - and it is the wheel rather than the lever. New soft spring has arrived for the forks and I'm expecting the rear one today First time on the bike will be Cwm Down in the wet so should be interesting...

delcol

ahhhhh to late i was going to say look at the blue wheel,, it's not a lever like the air shocks..

i had the same shock on my spesh demo...

mrmonkfinger

so... how does it go?

notax

Really like the bike 8) the O5 had begun to feel out of its league at the Cwm Down and UK Bike Park (not that I'm a big air freak!) and the Bullit seems to get into its stride just where the O5 is getting out of its comfort zone. The first few runs at Cwm Down were pretty awful and it took quite a time for me to get the hang of getting it airborne at all. I was surprised how much more effort needs to be put in with a heavier bike. The bike seemed better the faster I went and by the end of the day I was really enjoying it. It aslo helped a lot tweeking the riding position part way through the day, guy I bought it from was huge but rode with a very cramped position.

I used all the travel on the forks even with my 11 stone and little jumps so it may be that I need to swap back to the blue spring it came with - having said that it didn't noticably bottom out, but I'm not yet jumping it as much as I did the Orange... I've just fitted a yellow soft spring to the Totems, but easy to swap so next time I may take both with me.

Brakes were excellent - Avid Codes, feel even more powerful than The Ones I have on the O5, still got arm pump though!

Overall excellent day, no tumbles and getting some mini air by the end of the day (as was Miss Notax on her Minxy)

mrmonkfinger

sounds cool... you might be able to play with the compression settings to stop it bottoming out, esp. if the spring gets you to the right sag?

SC bullit was high on my list before I picked up the Horse, nice bikes, simple but effective.

styxd

I honestly cant see how that will perfrom better than an Orange 5 for the megavalanche. Fair enough, its got lots of travel, but the geometry is typical old school Santa Cruz - i.e. short, tall and steep.

I'd choose a five over that anyway, just fit some downhill tyres to it!

miss notax

styxd wrote:

I honestly cant see how that will perfrom better than an Orange 5 for the megavalanche. Fair enough, its got lots of travel, but the geometry is typical old school Santa Cruz - i.e. short, tall and steep.

I'd choose a five over that anyway, just fit some downhill tyres to it!

But it's all personal isn't it? You might like to do the Mega on a 5 and that's great, but other people look for different qualities or prefer different set-ups. Life would be very dull if we all wanted to ride exactly the same bike

mrmonkfinger

styxd wrote:

the geometry is typical old school Santa Cruz - i.e. short, tall and steep.

Its probably 67 deg with the totems, they're a big fork.

1.5" headtube - so if those totems are a 1 1/8" steerer, notax can add an angleset to slacken it off even more.

notax

styxd wrote:

I honestly cant see how that will perfrom better than an Orange 5 for the megavalanche. Fair enough, its got lots of travel, but the geometry is typical old school Santa Cruz - i.e. short, tall and steep.

I'd choose a five over that anyway, just fit some downhill tyres to it!

I might just do this As we're driving down I'm taking both bikes (much to Miss Notax's disgust) The O5 still has a triple set up so no bash guard, but other than that and a chain device I reckon it is Mega ready. The Bullit just needs a chain device - although I am considering a dropper post too, even though it goes against my old skool principles (been riding in the Alps for ten years and not needed one yet etc etc... )

styxd

Yeh, who needs a dropper post! Slam your saddle!