160 AM frame advice.

taffygriffiths

Hi guys..

currently have a ghost amr 120mm.. its a great bike, but lately i feel like i could do more than the 120mm travel it has. i weigh 17 ish stone...

so.. im looking for a 160mm All mountain bike.
something that can climb, aswell as handle the trails and bike parks.

most of the factory builds seem to use sram components, which im just not fussed on, and id really like the new Pike forks, so im looking at building up a new bike.

got a budget of about £2500, and ive currently narrowed the frames down to...
2013 mondraker dune XR (large only)
2013 nukeproof mega am (large and xl)
2014 nukeproof mega am 275 (large and XL)

i sat on both of the 2014 models of these bikes today, and both felt good. albeit not ridden...

now.. im 6'2" with about an 88/89 cm inseam... i can only get the 2013 mondraker in a Large which has a 470mm seat tube... all the other sizes are right, as its quite long frame.. but that is a very short seattube for me, and will have a seatpost close on max extension.

the nukeproof i can get for £850 2013 or £1165 for 2014 in 650b.

bike shop didnt have an XL to try..

so.. has anyone of my size bought any of these bikes? does anybody have any input? any other frame suggestions?

looking around the £1200 frame to keep this on budget.

cheers guys,

dusk

http://www.yt-industries.com/shop/index.php?page=product&info=376

are you not tempted by this? Great frame and top notch components. I wasn't a big Sram fan but now having used it it's actually really good.

Cqc

^bikeporn^ #dreamspecfor£2500

Myster101

I've recently bought the 2014 Nukeproof Mega AM (full bike) which is great at climbing and even better at going back down. I know you're only after the frame but as it comes with Pikes you could always strip and sell the bits you're not keen on then stick on what you fancy.
Forgot to say I'm 6'4" so have the XL.

supersonic

I'd be tempted by this:

http://www.on-one.co.uk/i/q/CBTIELGX5/t ... ntain-bike

Ok its 150mm, but is a great do it all bike. Not too slack, so will be still quite agile for the riding you suggest. And a Pike as standard!

Kowalski675

supersonic wrote:

I'd be tempted by this:

I already am. Have been for a while, but even more so since they started offering it in orange.

taffygriffiths

ive looked at the EG.. but theres no frame sizes in.

think the 2013 Mega am seems to be a good shout.. especially at chain reaction are doing 10% off atm which makes it like £750..

absolutely baffled by the sizes tho..

CRC guide says a large for 5'11 to 6'3... im 6'2...

but large is 81-86cm inseam.. i have an 88/89! :?

current bike is 740mm from bb to seat rails. if the mega is a 470mm frame, im going to be close on minimum insertion. on seatposts..

taffygriffiths

well... i went for the Mega AM in the end in XL, and its great!

Monarch shoch doesnt seem quite as good as the fox float on my last bike... thats the only downside tho!

rockmonkeysc

I also have a Mega. Im 6'1" and also have an XL frame, it's quite small for an XL. You might struggle a bit with the Monarch shock. I ride with someone who is 16 stone and rides a 2013 Mega AM with the same shock and he is close to max air pressure and finds it a bit wallowy.
Looks like a nice build you have there. Use lots of heli tape, im finding the paint a bit fragile.

Myster101

Another nice looking Mega, love those colours.

gazman428

Ive got a mega pro in large. I got it 3 weeks ago. Mega bike!

poah

is it an XV air can? the shim stack can be tuned at home

Kowalski675

Those bars look huge :shock:

kammybear

Needs yellow pedals and a yellow Charge logo on the saddle 8)

Angus Young

kammybear wrote:

... and a yellow Charge logo on the saddle 8)

Needs a Nukeproof saddle.

rockmonkeysc

Angus Young wrote:

kammybear wrote:

... and a yellow Charge logo on the saddle 8)

Needs a Nukeproof saddle.

I have got one of them. It's ok on my downhill bike but to sit on it comfortably for more than a few minutes I would need my gentlemen vegetables amputated :shock:

gazman428

Angus Young wrote:

kammybear wrote:

... and a yellow Charge logo on the saddle 8)

Needs a Nukeproof saddle.

Im gonna try my bike tomorrow, im debaiting fitting my specialized bg saddle and selling the nukeproof one

taffygriffiths

It helitaped to hell and back! Even the forks. Ha ha!

Shock is ON max air pressure. Tbh... For the riding we do round here it hasn't been too bad so far.

I accept that I might plunge for a fox in the future!

I would buy new pedals, but I can't bring myself to change them when the v12 still spin smoothly and work well with my shimano shoes! I have had some stick for them
Mind! :-p

As for the saddle.. Nothing I have tried has been like a charge spoon... Only gets uncomfortable after a very long time in the saddle!

ride_whenever

isn't the max 275???

poah

taffygriffiths wrote:

It helitaped to hell and back! Even the forks. Ha ha!

Shock is ON max air pressure. Tbh... For the riding we do round here it hasn't been too bad so far.

I accept that I might plunge for a fox in the future!

I would have thought it should be at least an MM tune rather than a LL for the mega - foes is have fast rebound with little compression damping. it also looks like a HV can so putting in some volume spacers will make it more progressive

taffygriffiths

Max is 275psi! Hell of a pumping session to get that in there

Shock is an LL tune... No idea of the difference?

poah

LL is low compression and low rebound damping - are you having to use 275psi to get the correct sag you want or to stop it going through its travel too quickly. if its a HV can then you can add spacers to reduce the air volume and make the shock more progressive. the shim stack can be changed inside pretty easily to increase the damping.

taffygriffiths

pretty sure its a HV shock.

using 270 psi just to get the sag. looking at 25% ish sag at that.

find im using a lot of travel not even on bit hits.

whats the deal with these spacers and shims? any guides online for what they are and how to change them??

thanks!!

poah

yip somewhere I've seen them before when I was researching the monarch RC3 - I've got the 2014 version

taffygriffiths

found what you mean by the spaces for volume.... crappy bit is, you need a special £13 adapter to refil the piggyback chamber when you depressurise the shock! argh! how annoying!

still investigating the shim stack?

Dick Scruttock

taffygriffiths wrote:

found what you mean by the spaces for volume.... crappy bit is, you need a special £13 adapter to refil the piggyback chamber when you depressurise the shock!

No you don't:
http://www.pinkbike.com/forum/listcomme ... did=149644

You won't need to touch the piggyback, just the aircan.

taffygriffiths

ahh! i stand corrected!

i could only find service manuals which show having to depressurise the piggyback! :oops:

will be having a bash at that tomorrow!