Ask the experts

[skinipenem]

Soft as in the lever throw changes over the course of the DH? Mine will occasionally do that and it's been a symptom of the pistons not retracting fully, usually due to super dusty conditions. They start pulling a tad bit closer to the bar which I really hate. A couple pumps on the lever will fix it on the trail, and once I get home I pull the pads and move the pistons out as far as they'll go, clean them, them move them back and forth a few times to properly lubricate the seals. Good as new after that.

What did you use to clean the pistons?

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[simple]

I just realized I'm on year 3 with my Magura brakes and they haven't needed a bleed. Watch something will happen now

[Spencer123]

Fox x2 has seems to have lost a lot of mid stroke support and is leaking a small amount of oil after a hard hit on a V2 ripmo. Just rebuilt at the beginning of the season, seems like it’s not worth the rabbit hole or constant rebuilds on it.

Leaving for a road trip at the end of the week, if I order a 210x55 Mara pro can I just move the mounting hardware over? Anything else I am potentially missing if I go this route?

Thanks!

[volklpowdermaniac]

Have an epic evo, status 160 (coiled, with zeb 170) and a steel hard tail with fats on it. Will be moving from PNW-> SLC. Do I have the right trio? My biggest itch is with the EE. I’m ADDICTED to the weight 24-25lbs, and realize there will be more high country adventure riding in UT, but I also have started to realize how it leans XC, often find myself “out running” it? , can’t help but think something more “stout” and trail leaning might be the better combo with the status, but not sure. Want to take advantage of some of the insane sales starting.

Is the easiest, simplest best answer just go up to a stumpy non evo, really want to keep the spry, poppy side of things alive, will be transferring my WAO faction carbons so I imagine that will help to….

Other thoughts:
Tall boy
Stumpy
New partial carbon fluid
Giant advanced
new habit
smuggler
Spectral

Any of those can be built to sub 29, or even lighter using mix of xtr/xt/slx, non carbon cranks (kind of a medium bougie build but not crazy)

[Dantheman]

Fox x2 has seems to have lost a lot of mid stroke support and is leaking a small amount of oil after a hard hit on a V2 ripmo. Just rebuilt at the beginning of the season, seems like it’s not worth the rabbit hole or constant rebuilds on it.

Leaving for a road trip at the end of the week, if I order a 210x55 Mara pro can I just move the mounting hardware over? Anything else I am potentially missing if I go this route?

Thanks!

The Mara will come with eyelet bushings that you will need to press out. Otherwise, the Fox hardware will work just fine.

[climberevan]

A friend has a Ripmo that is around 27.5#. It's a nice build, but nothing is ludicrous. OTOH, my Ripley is over 30# with a nice build. But I like tires with big knobs and sidewall protection.

1400g wheels are easy to get and not crazy expensive, and carbon cranks are also solid and provide a good savings. But tires are the biggest variable --XC ones can be 600g and Assegai EXO+ is like 1100g.

[SchralphMacchio]

VPM, my thinking is, if you aren’t XC racing then why keep the EE over a snappy 120mm rig? I haven’t ridden anything on your list but my first thoughts were that DWlink bikes usually tend to be so poppy and snappy when on the pedals. So Pivot Trail 429 would be on that list and a lighter build Ripley carbon. Also everyone I’ve ever seen in person on a Transition Spur is fast as heck, maybe that bike self selects fit riders who love to go fast up AND down, no idea.

Of course the cheapest and easiest way to sort things out is to put meatier rubber on your Epic and go for a nice 30+ mile high country ride and see how she does on the longer rougher descents, I think that might be informative. What tires are you running now on it?

[volklpowdermaniac]

VPM, my thinking is, if you aren’t XC racing then why keep the EE over a snappy 120mm rig? I haven’t ridden anything on your list but my first thoughts were that DWlink bikes usually tend to be so poppy and snappy when on the pedals. So Pivot Trail 429 would be on that list and a lighter build Ripley carbon. Also everyone I’ve ever seen in person on a Transition Spur is fast as heck, maybe that bike self selects fit riders who love to go fast up AND down, no idea.

Of course the cheapest and easiest way to sort things out is to put meatier rubber on your Epic and go for a nice 30+ mile high country ride and see how she does on the longer rougher descents, I think that might be informative. What tires are you running now on it?

Run it with exo+, max terra, no inserts. Pike 120. I really do love it, but when I start really moving on it you feel the shortness and the xcness, ripely definitely gonna be on the list above, just an error of omission. Don’t love the 157 on the pivot but maybe the UDH/Transmission stuff is gonna put an end to that.

Essentially what I want is to give up maybe 20% of the climbing and whippetness for another 20% more stoutness, another degree of slackness, and a bit longer reach (450 in this bike would be my ideal target)

[SchralphMacchio]

EXO+ what though? Aspens? Ikons? Or something more trail oriented?

I forgot that Pivot is still doing stupidboost.

[volklpowdermaniac]

EXO+ what though? Aspens? Ikons? Or something more trail oriented?

I forgot that Pivot is still doing stupidboost.

Whoops forekaster gen 1 rear (about finished) and a dhf front. Don’t want for grip or performance picking through tech and natural trails but on flow, berms, flow trails with side hits, I don’t know just feels overpowered? Which is to say I think it’s a speed thing.

[SchralphMacchio]

Gotcha that’s what I was trying to figure out, if you had the Epic set up for XC speed with like Ardent Races or something, and if just going to something a little beefier without going full DD DHF/DHR might change the bike feel enough to make it feel less overwhelmed on high country rides. But with a DHF front and if you have no complaints on the Forekaster, and also no complaints about the wheels, yeah might be time to go up to a lightweight 120mm trail shredder.

[jm2e]

Get over your weight hangup, or get over your desire for something that handles DH well. Something's gotta give.

[panchosdad]

Rocky Mtn. Element isn't hard to build to 26-27 pounds and is an amazingly plush descender for a 120mm bike.

[Spencer123]

Thanks! Just pulled the trigger and ordered it, seems like folks have a lot of good things to say about it.

The Mara will come with eyelet bushings that you will need to press out. Otherwise, the Fox hardware will work just fine.

[Abies]

Have an epic evo, status 160 (coiled, with zeb 170) and a steel hard tail with fats on it. Will be moving from PNW-> SLC. Do I have the right trio? My biggest itch is with the EE. I’m ADDICTED to the weight 24-25lbs, and realize there will be more high country adventure riding in UT, but I also have started to realize how it leans XC, often find myself “out running” it? , can’t help but think something more “stout” and trail leaning might be the better combo with the status, but not sure. Want to take advantage of some of the insane sales starting.

Is the easiest, simplest best answer just go up to a stumpy non evo, really want to keep the spry, poppy side of things alive, will be transferring my WAO faction carbons so I imagine that will help to….

Other thoughts:
Tall boy
Stumpy
New partial carbon fluid
Giant advanced
new habit
smuggler
Spectral

Any of those can be built to sub 29, or even lighter using mix of xtr/xt/slx, non carbon cranks (kind of a medium bougie build but not crazy)

There are some Spur builds still available and on sale. I wonder if an update is coming soon. But that would be a slightly smaller step from the Evo. I have a Tallboy, granted now with a Cascade link and overforked so it is 130/140, but it is decidedly more trail than xc. Obviously well suited for those kinds of rides but even the cc frames are not particularly light I think. Personally for this use I would (and might) get an Element.

[Johnny Utah]

Thanks! Just pulled the trigger and ordered it, seems like folks have a lot of good things to say about it.

Would love to hear how you get along. Looking to replace my topaz on the ripmo v2 — like your x2 not worth another rebuild


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[Spencer123]

Will definitely update once its on.

[D(C)]

Have an epic evo, status 160 (coiled, with zeb 170) and a steel hard tail with fats on it. Will be moving from PNW-> SLC. Do I have the right trio? My biggest itch is with the EE. I’m ADDICTED to the weight 24-25lbs, and realize there will be more high country adventure riding in UT, but I also have started to realize how it leans XC, often find myself “out running” it? , can’t help but think something more “stout” and trail leaning might be the better combo with the status, but not sure. Want to take advantage of some of the insane sales starting.

Is the easiest, simplest best answer just go up to a stumpy non evo, really want to keep the spry, poppy side of things alive, will be transferring my WAO faction carbons so I imagine that will help to….

Other thoughts:
Tall boy
Stumpy
New partial carbon fluid
Giant advanced
new habit
smuggler
Spectral

Any of those can be built to sub 29, or even lighter using mix of xtr/xt/slx, non carbon cranks (kind of a medium bougie build but not crazy)

I think a Spur or Element would be about right, assuming you’re going to keep the Status.

I’m riding a Spur and it can be pushed very hard on smoother singletrack. The geometry is dialled and not sketchy. But it’s still a distinctly different different ride experience from my bigger bike (Norco Sight with a burly-ish build) that leans toward efficiency.

The other bikes you mentioned sound more like one bike quiver options.

[volklpowdermaniac]

Yeah the element peaks my curiosity for sure, as does the new trance, has anyone ridden a light weight stumpy non evo and an EE?

[Dantheman]

Would love to hear how you get along. Looking to replace my topaz on the ripmo v2 — like your x2 not worth another rebuild

With full acknowledgement that I'm a huge Manitou/Hayes homer, my Mara Pro replaced a Topaz T3 and the Mara was very noticeably better in every respect. More supple off the top and better support on big hits. Several people on here have picked up MPs and had nothing but good things to say. The only real knock on them that I've read is that they use a fixed-pressure negative spring. This can be an issue if you're >200 lbs and need more pressure than typical to hit your sag target.

[Boissal]

Yah it is this exactly. Brakes feel great at the beginning of the ride (which I feel like is the opposite of a bad bleed), then partway down a long dusty downhill the lever throw gets longer and they don’t catch until almost at the bars.

This makes sense as I’ve had major issues with sticky pistons and brake rub with these dominions. I cleaned and exercised the pistons extensively with my last bleed and the brakes felt amazing for a few rides. I attributed it to the bleed, but it seems like it might be a piston problem again. Thanks for the tip!! I am going to try that first again before any more bleeds.

What did you use to clean the pistons?

That's the key question with the Dominions in my experience. Personally I clean extensively with rubbing alcohol and qtips, let dry, then actuate them a bunch of times. Haven't had any issues since I did it that way.
I initially cleaned then rubbed a tiny dab of DOT fluid around the fully extended pistons and the issue came right back. I imagine anything on the pistons will attract dust and mess with the system.

[rideit]

Flat dental floss is also really useful.

[Whiteroom_Guardian]

Question from my buddy who is racing with me next weekend:

You think a new take off EXT Storia from a Nukeproof Giga would work on a Spire?

Are EXT shocks all shim tuned per frame or do they just fiddle with the knobs at the factory and in reality they are all the same shock?

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[summit]

Call EXT

[jamal]

I really don't agree with the "rub dot fluid on the pistons" thing. It's outside the sealed system, on the wrong side of the seals. About all I can see it doing is stripping the paint off the inside of the caliper and maybe your frame and possibly contaminating the pads and rotor.