Angus bought a Kona...

rockmonkeysc

Rear wheel travel and shock stroke determine linkage ratio. Yours is similar to my Mega (130mm travel and 51mm stroke) so if your under 15 stone with riding gear the CCDB Inline will be fine and the monarch/monarch plus have a better rebound range than the Cane Creek.

Angus Young

Just under twelve and a half in regular clothes, and that's me being quite heavy at the moment. That's about a stone over where I should be so that will be gone at some point.

poah

RockmonkeySC wrote:

Rear wheel travel and shock stroke determine linkage ratio. Yours is similar to my Mega (130mm travel and 51mm stroke) so if your under 15 stone with riding gear the CCDB Inline will be fine and the monarch/monarch plus have a better rebound range than the Cane Creek.

depends on the bike. the MM tune monarch plus couldn't control the back end enough while the inline can

Angus Young

As nature intended...






A quick hour in the woods during which I was briefly humped by a Dalmatian.

CitizenLee

Hope all that muck if from you riding the trail rather than the dog riding the bike

jcguimaraes

It was a much better option than the Mondraker.
It is a clearly setting for hard rides. Despite the High Roller not be bad option was better with a Kenda NEVEGAL
Since I bought one two months agou I will always thinking "forward never slipped still have to go faster ?!"
It is an exaggeration of grip and also rolls very well, I chose a 2.1 but it seems a 2:35.

If you want, we are happy to welcome you here in Guimarães with the new bike ...

Angus Young

Here are the latest upgrades. PUSHed Fox Float X and e*thirteen cranks/ring/bb, going down to 1x10 in the process. Also added a front mudguard.



The Float is wonderful compared to the original shock. Back wheel seems glued to the ground where the old shock might be bouncing around, while at the same time being more comfy. Much the same effects as putting the Pike on the front compered to the original fork. Of course, any of the other suggestions made by the good folk who contributed to my other thread would probably have been just as wonderful.

I can tell absolutely no difference between the new cranks and the old. But I didn’t expect to - I bought them because I liked the look of that big centre boss. I guess they are lighter though, so I'll use that as an excuse.

I’m very much liking 1X10, having taken the plunge after some hesitation. It’s very liberating not having to give brain space to that second ring. Not sure my legs are quite up to it yet, I do have to get off and push now and again, but they will be.

The Enduro Guard on the front is surprisingly effective at keeping the crap out of your face.

Bike now weighs 30lbs, down from its original 33.2lbs.

Absolutely loving the bike. I’ve ridden a lot of different bikes now and I’ve yet to pedal anything I like more.

A few small gripes…

One. Still don’t like the look of the bike. I thought I’d get used to it but, no, it’s still ugly! That ultra low TT makes it look like a traditional girl’s bike to me. It needs a basket on the front to complete the look.

Two. Having stated, in my other thread, that I wanted a quiet free hub I’ve ended up with something that sounds as if I’ve got lollipop sticks in the spokes. It doesn’t bother me as much as I thought it would (very little, if truth be told) but, all the same, it’s not what I wanted, so it’s annoying from that point of view.

Three. The dropper is quite grime averse. When it’s in tip top condition it’s a very good dropper, none of the play that people seem to experience with other (more expensive) droppers and smooth as silk. But after a few rides in particularly sloppy conditions there’s a little recess in the top of the post that blogs up with cack and then the operation goes to pot. It’s relatively easy to fix, five minutes of maintenance, but it’s plain bad design.

Four. I wish it were a little easier on long uphill slogs, but I guess if that’s a problem I should have stuck with 2x10.

All small stuff, though, and none of it takes away from how much I’m enjoying the bike.

The Rookie

Range expander for the cassette?

Cranks look good, personally I think the bike looks good, and the low TT gives you more scope to move the bike around before the TT hits your legs!

Would one of the Lizard skin products protect the key part of the dropper?

Antm81

Bit of tape electrical or gorilla tape to cover the hole on the dropper? Or something better looking as Rookie suggested. My previous dropper (Giant contact switch) had a similar issue and this was the recommended fix.

Angus Young

The Rookie wrote:

Range expander for the cassette?

Yes, been thinking about that. I suspect it's my pathetic legs that are the issue, though. I'm going to stay as is for a while and see how I progress. If it doesn't get any better with the miles then I'll go for an expander. Besides, I'm not too posh to push!

The Rookie wrote:

Cranks look good, personally I think the bike looks good, and the low TT gives you more scope to move the bike around before the TT hits your legs!

Yes, looks aside, that low TT is brilliant to ride. You don't realise how much a regular TT gets in the way until you get used to this. I'm also in danger of doing myself a nasty every time I stand down on a regular bike now and forget there's a TT right where my nads are usually enjoying free space. Caught myself a couple of times like that.

One curious thing is when you're cornering and leaning the bike and getting a knee into the top tube. That feeling of knee against tube is the cue that you've got a good position going on, got all your appendages in the right order. On the Process there's nothing to snug your knee up against so when I was first riding it I had to keep looking down to make sure I was in good form. I didn't realise how much that little bit of feedback from knee against TT mattered.

The Rookie wrote:

Would one of the Lizard skin products protect the key part of the dropper?

Antm81 wrote:

Bit of tape electrical or gorilla tape to cover the hole on the dropper? Or something better looking as Rookie suggested. My previous dropper (Giant contact switch) had a similar issue and this was the recommended fix.

Yes, I'm probably going to bodge something. I cleaned it out again two days ago and I was thinking about getting something in there. It's tucked up right under the seat so it can be pretty rough and ready. I had intended swapping it out for a Reverb Stealth but, turns out, gunking up aside, it's a really decent dropper. It's absolutely rock solid and has none of the slight wiggle that people talk about with Stealths and the like and its operation is beautifully silky. I may still change it at some point to shed a little more weight but I'm not in as much of a rush as I was.

Angus Young

Oh, one thing I forgot to mention...

The lock-out on the Float X - I keep forgetting I've got it and so I haven't used it yet. It's only when I've finished a ride and my thighs are in pieces that it pops into my mind. So I've no idea what advantage that gives over not having one as on the original shock. Must try to remember I've got it next time I'm out!

russyh

What dropper is it Angus?

Angus Young

Russyh wrote:

What dropper is it Angus?

KS Eten R.

BloggingFit

Angus Young wrote:

Oh, one thing I forgot to mention...

The lock-out on the Float X - I keep forgetting I've got it and so I haven't used it yet. It's only when I've finished a ride and my thighs are in pieces that it pops into my mind. So I've no idea what advantage that gives over not having one as on the original shock. Must try to remember I've got it next time I'm out!

Very rarely use mine unless is a smooth climb and I really want to go for it. I personally like a bit of pedal bob while seated and climbing.

Angus Young

BloggingFit wrote:

Angus Young wrote:

Oh, one thing I forgot to mention...

The lock-out on the Float X - I keep forgetting I've got it and so I haven't used it yet. It's only when I've finished a ride and my thighs are in pieces that it pops into my mind. So I've no idea what advantage that gives over not having one as on the original shock. Must try to remember I've got it next time I'm out!

Very rarely use mine unless is a smooth climb and I really want to go for it. I personally like a bit of pedal bob while seated and climbing.

To be honest I can't say that I'm noticing any pedal bob but, well, it's there, so I'm slapping myself on the forehead every time I finish a day out with my legs in half and then realise I've forgotten all about it. Must try and remember it next time just to see if it does take any of the effort out of the climbs. Mind you, then I'll probably forget to switch it off at the top and wonder why the bike's gone all harsh!

BloggingFit

Angus Young wrote:

BloggingFit wrote:

Angus Young wrote:

Oh, one thing I forgot to mention...

The lock-out on the Float X - I keep forgetting I've got it and so I haven't used it yet. It's only when I've finished a ride and my thighs are in pieces that it pops into my mind. So I've no idea what advantage that gives over not having one as on the original shock. Must try to remember I've got it next time I'm out!

Very rarely use mine unless is a smooth climb and I really want to go for it. I personally like a bit of pedal bob while seated and climbing.

To be honest I can't say that I'm noticing any pedal bob but, well, it's there, so I'm slapping myself on the forehead every time I finish a day out with my legs in half and then realise I've forgotten all about it. Must try and remember it next time just to see if it does take any of the effort out of the climbs. Mind you, then I'll probably forget to switch it off at the top and wonder why the bike's gone all harsh!

Helps on the smoother stuff but I think counter productive on anything harsh. If it doesn't truly lock out completely and has some give then you may find its bit more useful.

Angus Young

Yes, there is still a little movement (though not much) when it's locked out and I wouldn't be using it on anything where the back wheel needs to work hard. There's also the middle setting (Trail) which might prove useful. There's plenty of experimenting to be done.

BloggingFit

I stay in trail for the majority of the time unless things get pretty rough on the flat or going down. After a while you get used to flicking between modes on the fly without losing any momentum.

Angus Young

BloggingFit wrote:

I stay in trail for the majority of the time unless things get pretty rough on the flat or going down. After a while you get used to ******* between modes on the fly without losing any momentum.

What exactly are you doing between modes to trigger the swear filter?! Lol!

BloggingFit

F l i c k i n g apparently

Angus Young

The Kona and its friend have a new home...





And that was my girlfriend's idea, not mine.

Herdwick

Angus, never let that curtain up,
people some times get way to curius about others property.....

I have some ratchets and shackles around, looking for a wall :idea:

Angus Young

Herdwick wrote:

Angus, never let that curtain up, people some times get way to curius about others property...

Yes, that did cross my mind. We live in a very quiet area, though, so it's not so much of a problem, plus I work from home so there's someone in for much of the time. If we leave the house for an extended time I'll just chain the bikes together which should make it just about impossible to get them out the backdoor.

poah

I'd not be hanging them right next to the door and window.

Herdwick

Angus Young wrote:

If we leave the house for an extended time I'll just chain the bikes together which should make it just about impossible to get them out the backdoor.

FishFish

Angus Young wrote:

And that was my girlfriend's idea, not mine.

I don't think she quite meant tie the bikes to the old climbing gear that looks a bit like handcuffs...

Angus Young

FishFish wrote:

Angus Young wrote:

And that was my girlfriend's idea, not mine.

I don't think she quite meant tie the bikes to the old climbing gear that looks a bit like handcuffs...

No... we have a different euphemism for that...

rockmonkeysc

Theres a different use for retired climbing gear. Shame I never actually ever retire any of mine.