[Mike_Burgess]

"cjm" wrote

It might help to define small drops. Small to me is when a drop is shorter than the rider. I only do small drops. I learned to do small drops on Manitou Black with 120 mm of travel. Further, I have seen small drops done on all ranges of air sprung Fox XC forks. However, there is more than just size that causes a drop to be abusive on equipment. The steepness of the transition, density of the landing point and texture of the landing area can all change what a fork can do. A three foot to flat drop on urban concrete can jar your soul. But, six feet to a nice steep tranny made of soft dirt is like landing in butter. Throw rocks and roots in the landing area and the rules adjust again. Still, I would say that as long as you’re keeping it below three feet and do not land in rock gardens, the Fox F120 will be fine.
Another thing you will want take into account is how often you will be doing drops and more aggressive downhill single track. Although I’ve never seen the phrase, aggressive downhill single track could easily define my riding. If you wanted to ride with someone like me three or four times a year, you shouldn’t have a problem with either of those bikes. If however, you want to make it a weekly thing, then durability really comes into question. The fork wouldn’t be the first of my worries, the linkage on the frame and the wheel set would.

Small is likely to be a couple of feet (at most) from elevation to flat on single track and perhaps the same sort of height on to gravel. Certainly this will only be every once in a while, although it may need to withstand a period of me hashing it up.

What is bothering me, is the definition of all mountain – some magazines put the 5" travel in to the “all mountainâ€

[Mike_Burgess]

"jsmith811" wrote

Just wondering how your getting on with the bike? Just trying to decide between the trace x 1 or the marin rift zone

I’m no pro Mnt. Biker, but I’ve raced MX several times in my life, and I’ve put about 20 miles on the Reign 2 so far, and my opinion is the Rear shock is Great(Fox RP2), Front forks are not.. or maybe I got a lemon fork.. It’s harsh on big hits and harsh on small hits.. the lockout works good, but the "plushness" isn’t there.. I DON’T LIKE IT. Everything else is great, bike pedals great, feels light, and has a very comfortable seating position for me. I was looking at the Trance X series when I bought the Reign, I’m 90% sure the Trance would do anything "I" can do on the Reign 2, and probably pedal a little easier. I think the tires on the Reign are a little large for my usage.. It’s a great bike overall, but.. depending on your use, the Trance X with lighter weight and better suspension might be the best bet for "all around use".. but I’m definitely not the expert here..

Thanks for the advice. I certainly dont think I would be able to push either to the limits, that said, I dont want something that will fold up if I start attempting drop offs and a more agressive downhill singletrack.

Get on a some good singletrack runs – that should help bed the forks in 😀 Had heard the same thing about them when I brought mine, they did seem to get better over time, although havent had anything else to gauge them against.

[Mike_Burgess]

"Bombardier" wrote

Welcome to Singletracks, Mike. 😎

I suggest trying to give each bike a test-ride before buying. The Marin is a very nice bike, and they’ve much improved their Whyte-Link suspension design in 2007.

…

Anyways, good luck! And whatever you get, I’m sure you’ll enjoy the ride!

Many thanks for the comprehensive reply – that has somewhat put my mind at ease over buying either bike. The Trance X I hadn’t considered until I came across one at a local bike shop, it appears much better in the flesh than it looks on Giants web site. Unfortunately the shop only had last years East Peak to compare against, which felt considerably heavier. They also had the whyte on display – nice bike, unfortunately that would be quite over budget. Considering my original limit of 1500 GBP, both of these bikes are in the 1700-1800 price bracket so would rather no have to spend cash on any upgrades. Will certainly speak to the dealer about a possible fork upgrade though.

I should have mentioned that it will be a UK spec – therefore anything that can handle mud and wet surfaces is a must. I will be moving from a hard tail (Giant XTC weighing around 29lbs) with Marzocchi MX pro ETA forks to a first full susser. Most of my riding is currently cross country trails, however it would be nice to have something that makes riding technical uphill trails a bit more manageable. I’ve been advised that both of these bikes would be suitable for doing small drops – although im slightly apprehensive on this as the Fox F120 shocks are rated for cross country only, according to the Fox website. Any thoughts on what I can get away with on these bikes?

I have a demo ride booked on a wolf ridge in two weeks – although I have almost ruled this out, it should at least give me a another stick to gauge the other bikes by.

[Mike_Burgess]

"jsmith811" wrote

Here is the bike, havn’t had time to ride it much yet. Not sure about the front forks. Rear is great. Bike feels very light, but no scale. Brakes are very weak, but I believe they need broken in.

Just wondering how your getting on with the bike? Just trying to decide between the trace x 1 or the marin rift zone 😕

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