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i just bought the 2018 voodoo bantu, took it for a ride over my local trails and gotta say was very disappointed. the bike was fine there wasn’t anything wrong with it, certainly an upgrade from my last bike, but the dealbreaker was the forks. they were very stiff even after i softened them to their max. the suspension did little to none to cushion my landing either- jumping the bike felt like jumping a road bike and i was flung out of my seat many times. i have never fallen so much on a ride as i have today. another thing to note is my wrists hurt a lot after the ride, i believe from the impacts, with basically no cushioning from the bike all the force went into my hands and arms.
so my question is: would it be worth it to invest in a better front fork, something air sprung that’s more adjustable to try and solve my issue or should i try to return this bike (or sell it) and buy a new mtb all together.
i ride a lot of jumps and would need something that doesn’t feel so harsh when i ride it
the fork from the voodoo is the Suntour XCM DS HLO and it’s listed on the website as ‘casual riding’. i dunno what that means but i don’t think that’s me
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Firstly, what is the wheel size?
Secondly, head tube… Is it taper compatible? Being an ’18, I would think so.
A fork upgrade can be a major improvement. Pike or a Fox etc. can offer some very enjoyable plushness that it sounds as though you are missing.
The other thing is changing the internal valving in the existing fork to save some coin and make it functional. Years ago, we had to do this with every fork on the market to make em actually work.
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The Bantu is what I would call a “bike shaped object”. It looks like a Mountainbike but isn’t. If you can send it back and get your money back, that would be best. Everything about the Bantu is of very poor quality or extremely out-dated by modern bike standards. Doing upgrades on this bike would be throwing good money after bad. There’s a reason why Voodoo calls the Bantu a “casual riding” bike.
If you’re serious about Mountainbiking, get your money back and instead buy a $1000+ 29er Hardtail with 2.4-3.0 tires.
Rocky Mountain Growler
Specialized Fuze
Salsa Timberjack/Rangefinder
GT Zaskar LT
Vitus Sentier
Trek Stache
Norco Torrent
I would put these bikes at the top of the list for affordable entry-level Hardtails. I wish bikes were cheaper, but the price of admission to the real Mountainbike world is $1000+.
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Sounds like a cheap mountain bike. Get your money back if you can or sell it. Used is another way to go, you definitely can find some very nice older mtn bikes for some excellent prices.
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Do NOT upgrade that bike!! Waste of money
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