Show off your Mountain Bike!!!

I didn't like the transition on the Minion, it was slippery and unpredictable. But probably just not right for our Missouri soil, especially in the dry summer months.

I think I will be trying the High Rollers . . . thanks for the review!

 

i might have to do the minion in the front and high roller in the back. i guess it depends if i go home or stay at school for the summer. at home its more XC so ill probably go back to a 2.2 front and rear if i go back.

i still need to convert to tubeless. ive wanted to try ghetto tubeless but my front wheel is messed up so i might get a new one too. my bike is my money pit haha

 

actually i have disc of the images. i will see if i can load up some images when i get home. not a bad break. it is out towards the shoulder which the doc said makes it harder to plate but he said it should heal up nicely.

 

NP! When the climate/soil is more moist I sometimes wil throw on a HR in the front. They self clean and corner MUCH better than the Minion in the wetter stuff. Just what I've observed. I could also see the HR being much better than the Minion in the clayish stuff too. For rocks/dry/sandy/gravel/loose stuff the Minion is my choice.

I say run HRII's on front and rear if it's more XC. It's a nice tire! Tubeless FTW, just do it! Tubeless done proper > any tubular setup. Pinch flats are a royal beeeeeyatch. My Butcher is still tubular, and the only reason why I carry TWO new tubes in my hydro pack lol.

 

i run a small block 8 on the rear - great small knob tire, and it's light. running them on front and back would probably work.

 

Any idea what weight penalty is for metal vs. air?

 

Looking at getting a dirt jump bike, what brand is that? I can't tell

 

If I had to guess 1.25 pounds TOPS??? The rider is 6' 3" / 210 lbs (the TRc is an XL frame). I've ridden a section on his bike(I'm a medium lol) with the DHX RC4 on there and now the limiting factor in his suspension is def his 120mm fork. It's a complete mismatch now, the back is super plush while the front feels very limited. He is looking to go with a 140 or 160 fork soon.

Bryceland ran a 160 fork on his TRC for Sea Otter last year in the dual slalom, pretty neat!

 

And it's warrantied/spec'd to handle a 160? That seems to make the LT pointless......probably basically same frame however.
Either way definitely needs more than 120 up front.

 

Ratboy is a freak of nature but riding 160 for dual isn't new. However, running that frame in a slalom race is definitely odd.

 

For us NON-Syndicate team/SC sponsored riders is more than likely not warranted for a 160 fork lol. It's spec's by SC
as "120-140mm fork RECOMMENDED"....what SC means by "recommend" when it comes to a warranty case I guess puts the consumer at the mercy of interpretation. Lots of ambiguity in SC's fork recommendations I've discovered lol.

I was confused at the differences that defined each of the SC trail bikes haha but I've broken them down like this(in the eyes of the end consumer/hobby rider):

The Blur XC is a straight XC bike. Lightweight. Wouldn't huck it too much w/it's geometry.

The Blur TR is a reworked Blur XC with geometry specifically designed for tight/technical trails BUT still have the ability to huck around. Low center of gravity is ideal for blasting through turns but also stout enough to hit some jumps.

The Blur LT is more of a bigger hit trail bike than the TR. Designed for people who like to ride a little more aggressive AM but like to descend and hit the table tops.

The Nomad bridges the gap between the V10 and Blur. A true "tweener" bike IMO. Center of gravity isn't ideal for tight, technical riding, but it does everything else damn good. Perfect for the people who want a bike that descends like a "baby V10" without sacrificing the ability to climb strong.

Haha that he is! I guess it's a testament to the handling the TRC was build for.

 

Matt you must be Santa Cruzes most loyal customer so many damn SC bikes you got haha atleast there good bikes tho!

 

Lol only down to my Nomad and Butcher now. I miss my v10! But those funds didn't go to waste....you'll see.

 

I love my Nomad and Blur LT

 

i was so close to getting a blur LT from backcountry on sale but they sold out before i finished deciding hopefully SC will have another sale this year and I might get one

 

I need to finish my Blur LTC build already!

You might be in luck if you're a L or XL. The aluminum blur LT frames are going for $900 right now direct from SC:

http://shop.santacruzbicycles.com/sale/blur-lt-al-2-2-with-float-ctd-evolution-1428.html

...unless you're a medium or small or want the carbon LT lol

 

hmmm well on that note...anyone wanna buy a 2011 EX 8 frame? haha

edit: they have a butcher and heckler for 675 and 550...hmmmm those are so tempting.

 

Haha doooo eeet!

Can't complain about my Butcher!

...but honestly, it doesn't even come close to performing like my VPP Nomad lol. Once you get serious seat time on a VPP SC, you'll wonder why you rode anything else lol.

 

i might, depends on how much i could get for my frame. i noticed they dont have my size in the butcher though.

thinking about the blur LT, its only got 15mm more travel than my EX 8, so im wondering if the blur is even worth it. ive never ridden VPP either so idk how the pedaling compares to trek

 

VPP is just a modified DW Link with slightly different geometry (like the Giant Maestro and some others, go ahead and flame me, doesn't make it not true).

It's a great suspension design, I loved the DW Link on my Iron Horse. It rode like a Cadillac.

I ride an EX9 now, and AVP does work well, but not quite as plush. Pedaling efficiency on the EX9 is a little more efficient than it was on the DW Link, but the VPP geometry may be better.