66 triumph daytona
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Best retro FS frame?
- Thread starter ultrazenith
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Re:
If I wanted something with a bit of comfort but be capable as a xc bike , II'd probably choose a soft tail . De kerf , Ritchey and Sunn make them . They have a small shock built into the rear triangle of the frame .
Mike
If I wanted something with a bit of comfort but be capable as a xc bike , II'd probably choose a soft tail . De kerf , Ritchey and Sunn make them . They have a small shock built into the rear triangle of the frame .
Mike
Thias
Klein Fan
My personal so far experience:
GT RTS -> no good. The chain is working against the suspension. The Suspension is not too sensible even with new bearings. I dont feel much difference to a Hardtail.
Klein Mantra -> quite good.
No chain related problems, nearly no power loss uphill. The suspension works fine downhill, even if you stand up. But it also helps uphill. The downside is the changing distance between the seat and the pedals, but you get used to that quickly.
modern Cannondale some-4-link with lefty -> even better. But even with lookout you loose some force into the suspension.
GT RTS -> no good. The chain is working against the suspension. The Suspension is not too sensible even with new bearings. I dont feel much difference to a Hardtail.
Klein Mantra -> quite good.
No chain related problems, nearly no power loss uphill. The suspension works fine downhill, even if you stand up. But it also helps uphill. The downside is the changing distance between the seat and the pedals, but you get used to that quickly.modern Cannondale some-4-link with lefty -> even better. But even with lookout you loose some force into the suspension.
secret_squirrel
Orange 🍊 Fan
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Re:
Depends when in the 90's you mean.
Post '97 you are spoilt for choice full sus really came of age.
Pre 97 one if you exclude the URT designs (even though some of them worked) then you recall need to be looking at multi-pivot designs such as the Horst-link ones. Single pivot design needed the shock technology to evolve and become cheaper IMO.
For me the king of early working rear sus has to be Amp & Horst leitner inspired bikes. So you have a choice of Amp's, Mongeeses
and a good half a dozen US boutique manufacturers.
Depends when in the 90's you mean.
Post '97 you are spoilt for choice full sus really came of age.
Pre 97 one if you exclude the URT designs (even though some of them worked) then you recall need to be looking at multi-pivot designs such as the Horst-link ones. Single pivot design needed the shock technology to evolve and become cheaper IMO.
For me the king of early working rear sus has to be Amp & Horst leitner inspired bikes. So you have a choice of Amp's, Mongeeses
and a good half a dozen US boutique manufacturers.
Re:
I'd second the AMP B4 and B5. Never ridden the B3 or its variants.
They are light, fast, climb well, and still look so sharp. Just don't expect DH travel. They are XC racing bikes that evolved into the Specialized ranges of the later 90s.
I do have 2 URT bikes, Ibis Szazbo and Klein Mantra. The 'sweet spot' Szazbo is the better of the two, with around 5" of body the tunable rear travel and no too much variation in the crank to saddle length, but they are both very weird to ride. Best avoided for serious riding.
All the best,
I'd second the AMP B4 and B5. Never ridden the B3 or its variants.
They are light, fast, climb well, and still look so sharp. Just don't expect DH travel. They are XC racing bikes that evolved into the Specialized ranges of the later 90s.
I do have 2 URT bikes, Ibis Szazbo and Klein Mantra. The 'sweet spot' Szazbo is the better of the two, with around 5" of body the tunable rear travel and no too much variation in the crank to saddle length, but they are both very weird to ride. Best avoided for serious riding.
All the best,
Re:
Have to agree with the last 2 comments.
For a lightweight XC full sus the Amp B4 and B5 would be my choice. The only other i have ridden and enjoyed was the Marin full sus like the East Peak further up^^ Mount visions come up quite frequently on Ebay.
Have to agree with the last 2 comments.
For a lightweight XC full sus the Amp B4 and B5 would be my choice. The only other i have ridden and enjoyed was the Marin full sus like the East Peak further up^^ Mount visions come up quite frequently on Ebay.
