Mondraker Foxy Carbon XR Special Edition
Comments
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Small update time, she's up past 400 miles since new and I after riding it on familiar trails at home today I can safely say this is THE best bike I've ever ridden. Nothing else, even 22lb xc race bikes has climbed technical trails so well and yet is able to reach eye-watering speeds going back down without a hint of feeling on the edge. Forward Geometry is the future as far as I'm concerned, it just works so well and aside from taking a little extra effort when the trail slows down and tightens up, I've yet to find a major downside. It really is that good.
On the back of an awesome days riding I gave it a proper good clean and treated the Cotic to a good once over as well as it looked a little neglected since I last used it several months ago :oops:
Went to get some pics in the garden and despite having been stood in the same place for over an hour the minute I went to take a picture the Mondy promptly decided it had had enough and where it was standing and decided the floor looked much more comfortable :evil:
Cue one written off Hope Grip, a scuffed XT derailleur and a rather nice looking chunk taken out of the end of my practically new Easton carbon bars
Ouch! That moment when your wincing, bumhole twitching and dying a little inside. This happens to me when the bike takes a knock or a minor crash, its like who gives a fuck if I'm ok, is the bike OK moment. Would make for some interesting facial expression selfies haha. An example of this being when I put my bike in the downstairs loo and smacked the lowers on the loo. I was like shit my forks, couldn't have given a shit if I'd have broken the loo at the time.SHUT UP AND RIDE!!!
The Tank.
http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=10017&t=12943207
The bird.
http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=10017&t=130294540 -
My 11 speed XT mech, cassette, chain and shifter turned up today, so will hopefully get round to fitting it all over the next couple of days. As is typical with shimano it looks like beautifully made kit and while the cassette is no lightweight it looks and feels solidly built and the price is great as well. Can't wait to get it all fitted and on the trail
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New 11 speed XT fitted and had a brief test ride, very impressive from the off. Shifting is very positive but still has that light shimano action, feels great going up and down the cassette and the gaps between ratios lower down the cassette are much better than my bodged 10speed setup, love having a 15 and 17t rather than 16t, sounds trivial but I could never find the right gear on the old setup, cadence was either a bit too slow or too fast so it's a nice step forward in that regard. Hopefully the 42t cog will keep mega steep climbs bearable too. Overall small improvements but they all add up and it feels a lot better than 11 speed SRAM setups I've ridden. Hopefully it'll trickle down to SLX soon too.
Also managed to get hold of a Magic Mary for the the front too. Impressive as the Nobby Nic is I've put a decent sized slit in the sidewall, it's not gone all the way through but I'm not sure how much longer it'll hold and interested to see how the Mary compares. Also looking at getting some new grips soon, I managed to salvage the hope one I damaged in the garden incident but it does slip slightly occasionally so I'll be getting some of the new race face love handle grips when they become available.
The more I ride this the more I'm convinced it's the best out there. The geometry is so sorted it makes previously challenging trails easy and the speed it carries up and down is unreal. I'm really keen to see how much more I can improve it further so I'm keen to mess around with the shock a bit more and do some testing to see how much the clutch on the mech affects the suspension so a chain guide of some kind is definitely next on the list. Tempted by the Shimano SMCD-50 and just run the top part, looks good and it's not too expensive either!0 -
are Nobby nics actually any good these days? last time I tried them a few years back they were like being on ice on my local trails in comparison to a minion or the old muddy mary?0
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are Nobby nics actually any good these days? last time I tried them a few years back they were like being on ice on my local trails in comparison to a minion or the old muddy mary?
It's not bad at all! It rolls very well and grip is far more predictable than Nics of old and I think overall it's grippier as well but not quite as grippy as a more aggressive tyre but as a good compromise between grip and speed it's excellent. Running a Rock Razor on the rear means I'm hardly lacking speed though, so fancied trying some with a really aggressive tread pattern on the front and see just how far I can push it. It's a bike that needs to be ridden on the front end so I reckon it could be an awesome combo!0 -
The bike is looking beautiful dude! But how long do you spend cleaning it?!
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The bike is looking beautiful dude! But how long do you spend cleaning it?!
Not very actually!
In the fancy work pics I'd given it a proper good clean to try and remedy an annoying creak from the BB, other wise she doesn't get a huge amount of loving cleaning, just a quick lube up and wipe down the fork and shock and she's good to go 0 -
Haha fair enough. It did look suspiciously clean in those photos 0
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Aye it was pretty clean, aside from the huge lump of bird crap on the down tube from the commute in that day! 0
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Sexiest bike on the forum!All the gear, no idea and loving the smell of jealousy in the morning.
Kona Process 134 viewtopic.php?f=10017&t=129946070 -
are Nobby nics actually any good these days? last time I tried them a few years back they were like being on ice on my local trails in comparison to a minion or the old muddy mary?
Hmm interested as I'm going to be replacing the onza Ibis on mine.. love the profile(2.4") and grip in the dry on them, they are not the best wet tyre but ok. What I like is they are comfortable on Uplift days and general trail riding. I know there is always a trade off and I think these are just a tad weighty.. looking for something similar just a few grams lighter.
And as you know our bikes ride uhm fairly similar :P0 -
They felt ok at Antur tbf, perhaps not quite as nice as Hans Dampfs I've used there in the past, but certainly good enough. Had I not ripped the sidewall slightly id probably have stuck with it, but since it could do with changing I thought I'd experiment a bit and go for the Mary up front and keep the Rock Razor on the back.
Had a look in work today at getting some Easton Arc rims built onto DT350 hubs and the pricing didn't look too bad, so I may well look into that in a few months, can't really justify new wheels as there's nothing technically wrong with the EA70's, just a bit narrower than ideal. They're certainly stiff and light enough and seem to be holding up well, so I can't complain too much!0 -
They felt ok at Antur tbf, perhaps not quite as nice as Hans Dampfs I've used there in the past, but certainly good enough. Had I not ripped the sidewall slightly id probably have stuck with it, but since it could do with changing I thought I'd experiment a bit and go for the Mary up front and keep the Rock Razor on the back.
Had a look in work today at getting some Easton Arc rims built onto DT350 hubs and the pricing didn't look too bad, so I may well look into that in a few months, can't really justify new wheels as there's nothing technically wrong with the EA70's, just a bit narrower than ideal. They're certainly stiff and light enough and seem to be holding up well, so I can't complain too much!
Look into Derbys, you will get a industry discount too.0 -
They felt ok at Antur tbf, perhaps not quite as nice as Hans Dampfs I've used there in the past, but certainly good enough. Had I not ripped the sidewall slightly id probably have stuck with it, but since it could do with changing I thought I'd experiment a bit and go for the Mary up front and keep the Rock Razor on the back.
Had a look in work today at getting some Easton Arc rims built onto DT350 hubs and the pricing didn't look too bad, so I may well look into that in a few months, can't really justify new wheels as there's nothing technically wrong with the EA70's, just a bit narrower than ideal. They're certainly stiff and light enough and seem to be holding up well, so I can't complain too much!
Look into Derbys, you will get a industry discount too.
I don't know what it is about the derbys, but I just don't like them! I'm not a fan of the huge section rims and I'm liking how the Arc's are relatively cheap and easy to replace when compared to Carbon rims. I've seen Derby ready builds on JRA but they are a bit more than I'd want to spend, I've not got huge sums of cash to throw at this atm, so paying double what I want to get marginal (if any) gain isn't really option atm. 0 -
Some pics of the XT M8000 kit, please forgive the shift indicator window, I-Spec B shifters are few months out and the covers if you remove them are OE only atm :?
Will try and get the Magic Mary fitted this week, also going to look into chain guides a little more as I play around with the clutch tension on the mech, see if Chris Porter's theory on them actually holds some truth, so I'd rather not take any chances and run without a guide while I'm experimenting! :shock:
Another thing I've noticed is how quiet the new cassette and chain seem to be. My old XT cassette and chain weren't exactly past their usable life, but they seem super noisy in comparison to the new setup. It's highlighted a few other little creaks, squeaks and groans, but aside from that she's running sweet as and looking forward to getting more miles under her belt over the next week. Fancy a big trip somewhere at the end of the month, thinking somewhere in the peaks or giving her a proper non-stop thrash round the Chase, either way she's gonna be in for some abuse and loving it!0 -
Looking good with the xt kit on. Ive got £100 voucher for crc n am gonna put that towards xt kit myself, did you go with the med or long cage as im gonna get the 42t version aswell. Also saw further up the page that you were gonna play around with the shock, did you ever upgrade the air can or not?2014 Mondraker Foxy R limited edition http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=10017&t=129795820
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Looking good with the xt kit on. Ive got £100 voucher for crc n am gonna put that towards xt kit myself, did you go with the med or long cage as im gonna get the 42t version aswell. Also saw further up the page that you were gonna play around with the shock, did you ever upgrade the air can or not?
I went for the medium cage mech in the end, didn't feel like I'd need the long with a 1x setup. I've had a little play with the shock as it is, messed around with pressure and rebound and it feels pretty good, but I am still tempted by the EVOL air can or a Vorsprung Corset in the future, just to see how it goes. how are you getting on with yours now you've changed to the corset?0 -
The corset is a big improvement over the old can I had, much better small bump compliance and better mid-stroke support and upto full travel, i'm yet to bottom out the o-ring with the corset unlike every ride i had with the fox can. Can't say ive noticed any more pedal bob with the reduced forces needed to move the shock. I had seen on a corset forum that people were having to run near 300psi to get 30% sag but im 14.5stone and with 200psi im at 30% on mine so it must be down to the suspension designs.
The only two niggles i've had is as the corset can comes pre installed with seals, they aren't quite as snug as the ones in the fox can so air does seep out a bit quicker. On a 2 hour/16 mile ride it only lost 5psi so not gonna complain about that, its just if its sat in the shed for a few weeks it starts to go down a bit, but its just remembering to pump up again before each ride, also 'climb' mode is now awful to ride. Due to locking off the suspension but the corset can needing less force to start using its travel its causing a weird sensation of bouncing on every pedal stroke due to the can using its small bump sensitivity yet trying to stay rigid at the same time. Its kind of hard of how else to explain it!! To be fair though Ive never needed to use climb mode though as the trail and descent modes have been more than capable even on the long forrest road climbs at whinlatter2014 Mondraker Foxy R limited edition http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=10017&t=129795820 -
Can't say ive noticed any more pedal bob with the reduced forces needed to move the shock.its causing a weird sensation of bouncing on every pedal stroke due to the can using its small bump sensitivity yet trying to stay rigid at the same time.
erm, the first statement doesnt seem to match the second. Doesnt adjusting air volume affect the compression damping?0 -
Can't say ive noticed any more pedal bob with the reduced forces needed to move the shock.its causing a weird sensation of bouncing on every pedal stroke due to the can using its small bump sensitivity yet trying to stay rigid at the same time.
erm, the first statement doesnt seem to match the second. Doesnt adjusting air volume affect the compression damping?
Tbh i don't know, all i know is in trail and descend modes i can't feel any/any noticeable bob when pedalling, only when in climb mode its when i can notice anything. I always thought pedal bob was based on when the shock was fully open and you could physically feel the bike bob through each pedal stroke not when closed?? Could be wrong though! Its also slightly noticeable when not pedalling on flat surfaces aswell.2014 Mondraker Foxy R limited edition http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=10017&t=129795820 -
Interesting, I've found the climb mode on my CTD to be pretty mushy as stock, certainly not as firm as I've seen on other bikes, but it does mean traction is slightly better, so it's always a trade off I guess. I think I might go for the EVOL can over a new shock, but it'll wait a while, seems to be handling things reasonably well at the minute but there's definitely room for improvement down the line.
Had a thrash around Llandegla today to give the Magic Mary its first run and blimey it's good! Tons of grip even on hardpack and in the looser stuff it felt a lot more predictable than the Nobby Nic, but on the flip side I think it rolls a little less well. It's certainly bearable with a Rock Razor on the back, but I wouldn't fancy one front and rear. The XT M8000 is still impressing, the range got its first real work out today and it felt pretty good, the top 42tcog feels very marginally easier but the ratios don't feel way apart as I found on SRAM setups so thumbs up for that so far I left the clutch mech in a slightly looser setting than normal and didn't notice a huge difference in noise or suspension feel, so next time I'm going to turn it off entirely and see how that goes. 0 -
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forgot to say,stunning looking bike by the way.
Cheers It looks like a much more cohesive package than the Ibis ever did, great looking as that was it did look a little mismatched at times.
The Magic Mary is ace btw, Kester! It's a total grip monster, and with the Razor on the back you still get awesome rolling speed. Definitely my new favourite tyre combo!
New wheel plans are in motion, going for Easton Arc 27 rims on either DT or hope hubs with DT spokes, just waiting to decide which road bike I'm also going to get with my cycle to work voucher and then I get building 0 -
That's good news got a pair of vert stars magic Marie's on the new bike be good fun..0
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The Magic Mary is ace btw, Kester! It's a total grip monster, and with the Razor on the back you still get awesome rolling speed. Definitely my new favourite tyre combo!
Good to know cheers! Am still a bit undecided on the mary due to it wearing down quickly. As for the rock razor i am tempted but also tempted by the maxxis minion ss if it ever gets released!
http://m.vitalmtb.com/photos/features/2015-Sea-Otter-Classic-Pit-Bits,8821/Maxxis-Minion-SS-Tire,89177/bturman,109
I have also just ordered the xt 11 speed set except cranks and 32t absolute black oval chainring2014 Mondraker Foxy R limited edition http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=10017&t=129795820 -
The Magic Mary is ace btw, Kester! It's a total grip monster, and with the Razor on the back you still get awesome rolling speed. Definitely my new favourite tyre combo!
Good to know cheers! Am still a bit undecided on the mary due to it wearing down quickly. As for the rock razor i am tempted but also tempted by the maxxis minion ss if it ever gets released!
http://m.vitalmtb.com/photos/features/2015-Sea-Otter-Classic-Pit-Bits,8821/Maxxis-Minion-SS-Tire,89177/bturman,109
I have also just ordered the xt 11 speed set except cranks and 32t absolute black oval chainring
Wear rate seems pretty good tbh our mechanic at work has used the Vertstar Super Gravity ones all season racing downhill and they're still in reasonable condition, so the harder trail stars should hold up well. I've never worn out previous Trailstar Schwalbe tyres on the front end, usually go for a trailstar front/ pacestar rear in a variety of tread patterns and they do seem to hold up well, I get a good year or so out of them before they actually need replacing.0 -
A whole season DH racing on Vertstars? Mine lasted two weekends racing before half the side nobbles were gone and the centre tread was well worn. Trailstars seem a good compromise. Not sure I would buy another set of Magic Marys unless they are very cheap again. I prefer super tacky minions.Transition Patrol - viewtopic.php?f=10017&t=130702350
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A whole season, on one set of tyres?
Either he rides like a p*ssy, or has some special edition Schwalbe's that are unlike every other tyre they make.
This is a 6 day old tyre Magic Mary, Trailstar compound. It's done exactly the same as every other Schwalbe i've had. Side knobs are 50% torn off. Tyre is fit for the bin. Frightening thing is, this was on the front too. Same with every other Schwalbe I & friends have used.
Replaced with Minions again, 3 times the mileage in Whistler, the rear doesn't even look as bad as the front Magic Mary.
As much as I like the Mary for grip, i'd never actually pay for one. They are utter shyte.0 -
That's about standard for Schwalbe tyres. They don't look particularly worn.Transition Patrol - viewtopic.php?f=10017&t=130702350
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Centre's are fine, but like all of them, the side knobs cracked the first ride, then started tearing.
Which is great, because as soon as you lean the bike over in a corner, it starts behaving like an extra from Tokyo Drift, then they just fall off completely.
The best bit is this set is the 3rd 'warranty' replacement for some tyres I won a year ago, all for the same reason. I'll send them back when I get home & chuck the replacements in the tyre pile when they no doubt send some more, with an apology, and some bullsh*t.0
