Mountain Biking

Hi Gents

Out of a new Voodoo Bizango (£522ish with discount) or a Trek Marlin 7 2019 (second hand but mint £425) rockshox forks and hydro brakes which would be the best option do we think

thanks!
 
I'd try the pair of them and see how you get on. I liked my bizango but not a fan of 29er wheels.
I tried the Voodoo yesterday in store, very light and would take some getting used to on the wheel size, brake were very sharp although that’s based on my 6 year old bike which also had disc break but they were cabled
 
Just picked up a second hand (mint condition) Trek Marlin 7 2019, rockshox, hydro brake, 29er wheels ... just need to change the pedals and get a dropper
 
Hi Gents

Out of a new Voodoo Bizango (£522ish with discount) or a Trek Marlin 7 2019 (second hand but mint £425) rockshox forks and hydro brakes which would be the best option do we think

thanks!
hate to say it, but I think the Voodoo is a better mtb, I think... Air vs coil shock. 1x11 vs 3x9. Shimano brakes vs Tektro, 13.2kg vs 14.35 kg

but, if you tried both and prefer the Trek then ace!, enjoy it.
 
hate to say it, but I think the Voodoo is a better mtb, I think... Air vs coil shock. 1x11 vs 3x9. Shimano brakes vs Tektro, 13.2kg vs 14.35 kg

but, if you tried both and prefer the Trek then ace!, enjoy it.
It came more down to cost at the end of the day, needs the extra cash for a new helmet and some other bits
 
the Brand-X is pretty good for the $. a mate moved from a Reverb to BrandX, as he kept having problems with the reverb and the cost of refurb/service each time was half the price of the BrandX, so his man-maths told him that he could get a brand new dropper for every other Reverb service...

but, looking at CRC - it's £130 for v1 and £140 for the v2 Ascend, so I'd do some research to see what the difference between the 2 are...
 
the Brand-X is pretty good for the $. a mate moved from a Reverb to BrandX, as he kept having problems with the reverb and the cost of refurb/service each time was half the price of the BrandX, so his man-maths told him that he could get a brand new dropper for every other Reverb service...

but, looking at CRC - it's £130 for v1 and £140 for the v2 Ascend, so I'd do some research to see what the difference between the 2 are...
Will do! Thanks - sorry what’s CRC?
 
Brand x seem to be to go to dropper of choice at the moment unless you want to spend a lot more.

CRC = chain reaction cycles, same company as wiggle basically.
 
Brand x seem to be to go to dropper of choice at the moment unless you want to spend a lot more.

CRC = chain reaction cycles, same company as wiggle basically.
Right, gotcha, not sure how to work out which length dropper I’d prefer? Assuming it’s based on distance to the seat stem etc
 
Right, gotcha, not sure how to work out which length dropper I’d prefer? Assuming it’s based on distance to the seat stem etc

You generally want the biggest drop you can fit - this is down to the size of frame and the size of you. Sadly, this isn't straightforwards, as the bigger the drop the more distance is needed in the frame for the "compressed" unit. So, a bigger frame can cope with a longer drop... but, a bigger frame on a smaller person will ultimately prevent a dropper, as they will be riding with the seatpost slammed... Also, different frames have different shaped seat-tubes, and thus can accommodate different lengths (ie some frames will allow a long dropper to be slammed, but other frames have a bend in the seat-tube, so can only accommodate a set distance - buy a long dropper on a small frame and its retracted length could well be the ideal extended length of a shorter dropper - if that makes sense).

When you have your bike, set your seatpost to your ideal peddling height (tbh, I probably add a cm or 2, to have it a little more, for steep climbs). Measure the length from the seat clamp (top of the frame) to the top of the seatpost (or the rails under the seat) - lets call this your seatpost height. Now, push your seat tube all the way into the frame and put your thumb against the seat-post, then retract the post to see how long the frame can accept. This is the max insertion depth.
1) Your dropper stroke (150 drop in your link) should be less (or equal to) your seatpost height.
2) You want the total length of the dropper to be no more than the max insertion depth + seatpost height.
3) After that, it's just checking the seatpost height - dropper stroke is more than the min insertion length, that's usually in the frame's handbook.

I think that's what I've done in the past...


NOTE... As you have the Trek Marlin, check the Q&A for the dropper you [ur=[URL]https://www.chainreactioncycles.com/brand-x-ascend-120mm-150mm-dropper-seatpost/rp-prod149024?gs=1&sku=sku669796&pgrid=60711843258&ptaid=pla-671044171380&utm_source=google&utm_term=&utm_campaign=PLA+All+Products&utm_medium=base&utm_content=mkwid|sQKA9oj16_dc|pcrid|309840119912|pkw||pmt||prd|669796UK&gclid=CjwKCAjw2qHsBRAGEiwAMbPoDGuqSJVpYK7Wk_4kOEEz8PTCnv5OePpcfYqH_71233FqLysp-n6f1hoCmI4QAvD_BwE]linked[/URL][/URL]
Will this work with a 2019 Trek Marlin 7 18.5? The Trek website says that it can support internal routing but I can't seem to find where it goes on my bike.

Answers

Looks like there's a spare cable routing entry point at the top right hand side of the down tube. You might need to remove the bb to get it up the seat post. Alternativvl y get the ascend 2 external post. Works great
So... also check on your frame where there's cable routing...

a load of info here too:
https://singletrackworld.com/forum/...er-posts-how-to-decide-correct-length-to-get/
 
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So i got a cheapish Carrera Vulcan in April. Slowly been upgrading it bit by bit, and its amazing the difference the each incremental upgrade brings. I just keep riding my bike till something annoys me, then i changed it out

Lost traction on wet hardpack, so changed tyres from 2.1 Kenda nonsense to 2.4/2.2 Continental Mountain King
Grips starting to twist round during small drops and decents, swapped to B-dog Death Grips
Lost footing over a small rock garden, upgraded pedals and now rear wheel lifts make sense

Plan now is to get wider bars, and maybe a shorter stem as i find climbs rather wobbly. Then its onto more expensive changes, but i cant decide between drivetrain (swapping to 1x10/11 from 3x9), dropper post as the first one. Then it will be the other, then the forks, then the frame.

My brakes are the only thing that havent annoyed me other than changing the pads, though we shall see what the future brings
 
lol, yeah, once you start looking at frames, you can soon talk yourself into a new bike...

I've recently changed my wheelset, as I buckled a rim. I wanted to make use of the bike while the weather was good, so just grabbed a new set, with the thought I could "theraputically" try to rebuild the bad wheel over winter... So, then started looking at a HT frame with the thought I could build up a bike gradually - someone mentioned the Shan on here and the amazing Martini livery, so priced up a build with that and I soon gave up on the idea as a new Whyte 905, Commencal HT AM Essential, or Nukeproof Scout would all be cheaper (yeah, I know they're all ally instead of steel)... I guess that if you already had a groupset, fork and brakes then most of the cost is already done...

As for tyres... I never know, as everything from conditions to tyre pressures have an influence.

I used to get a decent discount with Mavic, so used to run 2.5 Claw Pro front and back, but they're just too soft for the back, so now on 2.4 Quest Pro rear and 2.4 Mountain King 2 Black Chili at the front. I seem to remember the black chili compound making a big difference with the Mountain King, and without it they're pretty meh.
 
But none of those 3 bikes come close to the ride that is the Shan :D

My Shan was a fresh build, picked up some bargains on forks and drivetrain so saved a few hundred quid.

If you're ever down this way let me know and you can have a go of my Shan at BPW :D It's a brilliant bike!
 
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the Brand-X is pretty good for the $. a mate moved from a Reverb to BrandX, as he kept having problems with the reverb and the cost of refurb/service each time was half the price of the BrandX, so his man-maths told him that he could get a brand new dropper for every other Reverb service...

but, looking at CRC - it's £130 for v1 and £140 for the v2 Ascend, so I'd do some research to see what the difference between the 2 are...

Had a quick online chat with them and they said it was mainly down to sizing and no other internal changes

Brand-X have had a few iterations of Ascend posts which mainly changed in what travel that they offered.
There first options where only available in 100mm and 125mm travel with a specific 150mm XL version released.
They have then released the 120mm & 150mm options with a 170mm XL version.
Not a whole lot changed in the internals.

Plus I get £10 off when I spend over £50 just need to measure and choose one, how hard are these to install myself or would a trip to the local bike shop be a good idea, I'm not adverse to bike stuff..
 
But none of those 3 bikes come close to the ride that is the Shan :D
ok, without talking myself into a future build... What's put me off the Shan (or Orange P7, Ragley etc.) is the steel longevity. The last steel bike I owned was when I was a kid, and I remember it being a rusty mess... Sure, it's more compliant than aluminium, but it will still rust, and we're in UK with lots of wet riding. So, what's stopping you running about with a touch-up pen after every rock-strike?
 
ok, without talking myself into a future build... What's put me off the Shan (or Orange P7, Ragley etc.) is the steel longevity. The last steel bike I owned was when I was a kid, and I remember it being a rusty mess... Sure, it's more compliant than aluminium, but it will still rust, and we're in UK with lots of wet riding. So, what's stopping you running about with a touch-up pen after every rock-strike?

Both Shan's that I've owned have had zero issues with rust. The inside tubes are coated and the outside is coated, painted and clear coated I believe. Plus both of mine have been invisframed from new so that's extra protection there.

There's nothing stopping you riding around with a touch pen, but if you're doing that or worried too much about that type of stuff then you're doing it wrong, very wrong.

PS: Both of my mates Shans (1 HT and 1 FS) also have zero issues with rust and such... Plus we both live in South Wales where it's wet 98% of the year.
 
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