Modern MTB questions

"Andy B" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

This is the first bike I've ridden with front shocks (RS Suntour XCR),
and while they're usefull when hitting ruts etc, I find them a pain
when trying to accelerate fast, as the font end feels like it's
bouncing all over the shop. Is this a technique thing? I've tightned

Yes and no. Better shocks will tend to have a "locked" effect
for normal pedalling action but still absorb bigger hits. You
might find that you are expending too much energy shaking
the bike around on takeoff - hence the shock bounce. Try
taking off hard without bouncing the shocks. Instead of
planting your feet and letting your body move forward in
opposition to the hard pedalling, try bracing your arms and
stomach to hold your upper body rigid while taking off. This
should reduce shock bouncing and give you faster takeoff.

Quoted message said:

Can you get shocks that offer more support,
while still providing a damping effect when it's needed?

I would say so - the range of suspension forks these days
is HUGE. AFAIK Suntour forks aren't "up there" if you
know what I mean. I will happily accept a correction on
this point. Marzocchi, RockShox, Fox and others are the
brands to look for. Or, just go rigid - cheaper, lighter,
faster (on road). :-)

hippy

*time for a long-time lurker to wade in with a first post* 🙂

Can't comment on the frame geometry issue. (The Rincon is a MTB, not
hybrid.) Could be an issue of size/fit or maybe just not what you'r
used to. The top tube travels down from the end often to give you a bi
more 'crotch room' for when things get technical, and yes, it ca
stiffen up the frame a bit more

In terms of suspension, I think you've probably been given a ba
impression by the Suntours, which are by no means a sophisticate
fork... I commute most days about 30plus kms on a dual-suspensio
mountain bike and don't find it a problem, but then it is a XC oriente
machine and I'm fairly lightweight, which helps. Yes, you do ge
suspension bounce on climbs, but this can be minimized as Hipp
indicated, by smoothing out your motions. It never cancels it ou
completely (well, maybe on some of the new whiz-bang MTBs it might), bu
can be brought under control. I notice my front and rear suspensio
moving a little from time to time but not to the point of annoyance, an
it's more than compensated for when you slam into that pothole or nee
to jump that kerb, etc

-

Quoted message said:

To give you an idea, when my foot is at the top of the peddling arc, my
knee is directly above the bottom bracket

Compact frames do -not- have shallower seat angles as you described. I
anything you will find the newer compact frames have slightly steepe
seat tubes compared to bikes 10+ years ago

Your right about the frame being stiffer but that is slightly offset b
the long, extended seatpost

The difference between a 73 and 74 degree seat tube (most bikes us
these angles) makes is about 1cm, which isn't much. It would be hard t
find a bike frame that would push you way over the rear wheel unless i
was very small or big according to your size. I would say whoever rod
the bike you tried had the seat a fair way back and it was obviously no
adjusted for yourself

Its best to look at the end of you knee when the pedal and crank arm
are horizontal, being forward in the 3 o'clock position -not- at the to
of the peddling arc. Adjust your seat forward or back until your knee i
directly over the center of the pedal. This is the method most peopl
use. Never use the saddle to adjust the reach to the handlebars

-

One bike and one bike alone - the new 2004 Specialized EPIC. Took one for a
ride a couple of weeks ago and it is simply awesome (for a stock bike).
Rides like a hardtail when you want it to and takes any bump, lump or jump
you can throw at it. Only downside is the $3800 price tag.
The front shocks (Manitou?) have a lockout on them that works a treat and
I'd be happy to have them on almost any bike.

Oh, and I just like the bike I don¹t have any agenda or work for a bike
shop.

On 9/3/04 9:56 AM, in article
[email hidden], "Andy B"

Quoted message said:

Hi

I own a 1990 Diamond Back Topanga which has done more km's than I
could imagine. It's needing some repairs, so am I'm borrowing a bike
(Giant Rincon) from work for my commute in the interim.

As I'm considering retiring the Topanga, I've got some questions about
newer bikes.

This is the first bike I've ridden with front shocks (RS Suntour XCR),
and while they're usefull when hitting ruts etc, I find them a pain
when trying to accelerate fast, as the font end feels like it's
bouncing all over the shop. Is this a technique thing? I've tightned
them up as much as possible (adjustment knobs on top), so they're not
too washy while riding. Can you get shocks that offer more support,
while still providing a damping effect when it's needed? I've also
noticed that they take a while to recover from being compressed, so on
a section that's very rutted out, they'll probably end up compressing
and not extend before the next rut, so will stay in a compressed state
untill the road/track smooths out.

The frame geometary is very different to what I'm used to. It almost
looks like a girls bike compared to mine, in that the top tube travels
down from the head. I'm guessing that by having smaller triangles,
the frame's stiffer. The problem I find with this, is that I end up
sitting over the back wheel, as the seat post is at an angle, and has
to be extended about a foot to be the correct height. When I peddle,
instead of being over the peddles, they're in front of me. To give
you an idea, when my foot is at the top of the peddling arc, my knee
is directly above the bottom bracket. I find this neither a
comfortable nor powerfull riding position. Is this the new way to
ride?

Lastly, what price should i expect to pay second had for a 6-12 month
old bike in good condition, with a new RRP of around $1,500 (In Bris
if it makes any difference)?

Thanks for any insight you can offer.

Andy