All things MTB (old)

Mostly about deciding between the available models. I am 6’3" or so and 220 pounds. In stock they have the older Plus 135 model available in 24" only and then available in July will be the current production Plus in 24" and 25" sizes. Is it worth it to size up? Also I was interested in the SWB version but I am not sure when that will be in stock.

I’m 5’10" and ride the older 135 Plus with 24" ETT (dookie brown color). Bars are the 710mm Loop paired with 45mm x 0-deg stem. Post is your basic zero-offset jawn. I rode the original 23" ETT diamond frame for a year, and was initially concerned that the 24" ETT Plus would feel too long. Turns out I was wrong–the 24" Plus handles rough stuff even better.

Thanks for posting that. I like the brown though more than the newer colors.

I emailed Jones but haven’t heard back because of the holiday I am sure. I will wait for his response but I feel like just because of my height I will end up with 25". I am just worried about the crazy tall headtube. I am looking at for long distance dirt road and trail touring plus trail riding trails locally.

Jones position is very upright

I wouldn’t bother thinking about geo numbers out of context. the kook bike is the kook bike.

If you’re unsure, call Jeff. Budget 60-75 minutes for the call.

at 3 words per second

hahaha ill just call him today then

Are these good or dumb?

I like new bikepacking hardtail bike a shitload, but curious about putting 69d HTA into shredding mode 67d HTA while not bikepacking.

Since I’m not about bike packing one bit I say fuck yes, it’ll make descending the rough and steep stuff a lot easier. Sure it might put your weight a bit further back over the back wheel but I ay slam that saddle all the way forward and try it.
I don’t know what stem length you running now but you might want to shorten that up to get the steering feeling good and snappy while slackening out the front. A 35/40mm should be ace!

Edit: I just ordered a -2 degree slackset for my HT, taking it from 65,7 to 63,7.

Running 60mm stemwith 120mm travel frok.

If you just ordered one I’m going to sit back and let you tell me how you like it first lol. I don’t really know anything about how it’s going to work or if it works or what. It’s all brain experiment right now.

I am an inexperienced mountainbiking coward but trying hard to get better. I’ll never get to hucking but if I can get into decent-handling-moderately-weird-shit and figure out how to manual a little, I’ll consider my personal goals met.

Keep me/us posted on your experience.

Definitely do it. IIRC, doing it that way will slacken the head tube angle without raising the stack height, so your seat tube angle might not even get slacker. It might get steeper, but I haven’t thought about angle adjust headsets for a minute so I might be thinking of something else.

Point is, though, if you live somewhere that has hills (which I’m pretty sure you do) there’s very little reason to have a mountain bike with a head tube angle steeper than 67.5º or so, atmo. Especially on hardtails, where the HTA gets steeper as soon as you sit on the bike and compress the fork. A slacker front end will just feel a lot more confident descending.

On balance I’m sold on the slackness argument. I guess I just don’t know if this +2d headset thang is witchcraft/snakeoil or if it’s legit. Like, does it deliver +2d but at the cost of [unknown horrible tradeoff] or are they just super smart with the bearings and found +2d where we’d not thought to look? Is it +2d, but I need to buy a 140mm travel fork? I haven’t cut my steerer yet - will steerer length play a part in it? Lotta questions and little experience to trade on. So I am watching with great interest and trying to ask least-dumb questions.

I appreciate the feedback. Truly.

Was staring at the Fox 34 on my FS, thinking about how I never get full travel. Cracked it open and found it already had two air spacers in it, in addition to the bagged three pack that came in the box. Took one out. Checked the 32 on my hardtail. No spacers. Also, now I own a 26 mm socket.

[quote=tehschkott]On balance I’m sold on the slackness argument. I guess I just don’t know if this +2d headset thang is witchcraft/snakeoil or if it’s legit. Like, does it deliver +2d but at the cost of [unknown horrible tradeoff] or are they just super smart with the bearings and found +2d where we’d not thought to look? Is it +2d, but I need to buy a 140mm travel fork? I haven’t cut my steerer yet - will steerer length play a part in it? Lotta questions and little experience to trade on. So I am watching with great interest and trying to ask least-dumb questions.

I appreciate the feedback. Truly.[/quote]
The bearings have to be pressed into the headtube just right, at which point the holes will be aligned such that the steerer now goes through the headtube at an angle that is not parallel to the headtube. You will need a bit more steerer, but probably not too much more. If you’ll be cutting your steerer soon, probably leave a little extra on top.

Some people I know tell me that their cane creak anglesets (adjustable angle headset) creak a bit, but I’m not positive that they installed them right. I’ve known a couple of people who’ve used the works components fixed-angle headsets and been totally happy, though. I think they are just simpler and there is less to do wrong.

holy shit that men’s downhill wc race.
The times you really wish they had cameras in more places, particularly the mysterious space in sector 1 where people were losing 1.5 seconds, even when they made most of it back later.
About to watch the women’s replay now.

Damn. Val di Sole is the best fucking track. Maybe Mont Sainte Anne is up there, too, but damn does Val di Sole give us fucking good racing every year. It’s so steep and technical and gives us some real gaps, usually. It’s wild to see the top 3 so close.

Pierron is a beast. He was riding totally different lines than anyone else. I’d have loved to see Laurie Greenland take it, though. That was a fucking wild ride from him. I’m also still waiting for both of the Santa Cruz riders to keep it together and win one of these things. Loris was fastest in the technical section even though he’d already crashed out of the race and had nothing left to race for.

Bummed that we didn’t get to see Myriam Nicole race, though. We finally got to see Tahnee and Rachel competing at full strength on a great track. Would have been fun to have Myriam in the mix as well.

This might be the best season since Bryceland won it in 2014.

Yeah, I want secret footage of that spot where estaque set that unbeatable (for most of the race) time. Loris looked like he was moving well too - and didnt look like he did anything super bad to crash, just a minor mistake…

Super stoked for Hrastnik - nice to see a privateer crush the qualy and still pull out a good final. Myriam has been crushing the technical, chunky riding, so i think this one would have been no exception - but will have to wait a bit to see her going again.

[quote=tehschkott]On balance I’m sold on the slackness argument. I guess I just don’t know if this +2d headset thang is witchcraft/snakeoil or if it’s legit. Like, does it deliver +2d but at the cost of [unknown horrible tradeoff] or are they just super smart with the bearings and found +2d where we’d not thought to look? Is it +2d, but I need to buy a 140mm travel fork? I haven’t cut my steerer yet - will steerer length play a part in it? Lotta questions and little experience to trade on. So I am watching with great interest and trying to ask least-dumb questions.

I appreciate the feedback. Truly.[/quote]
So this is how slack-sets work in general, this is of course shown with a straight steerer and tapered head tube. But the principle is the same for tapered steerers and straight head tubes or other combinations:

you don’t want to switch it back and forth

you don’t want to switch it back and forth[/quote]

yeah, this is not a flip chip type situation where you can readily swap between head angles…