Dream frame just landed.......

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Wheels and tyres are the biggest gains. That front wheel weighs 1500 grammes with tyre and rotor fitted. I run tubeless which saves some rim weight.
What are the wheels and hubs again. That is exceptionally light, I doubt it could go much lighter could it?
 
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Cubist

Cubist

Still wavin'
Location
Ovver 'thill
It's a Hope Proll with a Stans Arch EX rim. Built with DB spokes and run with a 2.25 Nobby Nic tubeless. The rotor is a Superstar Components rotor. It weighs a scant 146g. Crest rims are a bit lighter again, but would only be suitable on an XC bike with a lighter rider.
 
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Cubist

Cubist

Still wavin'
Location
Ovver 'thill
Just got back from its maidden voyage. It feels great, up to speed on one downhill facing track and it pops off every lip and bump, landing solidly and hardly wavering. Initial thoughts are that this is the dog's danglies!
 
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Cubist

Cubist

Still wavin'
Location
Ovver 'thill
Just come back from a day at Llandegla. Needless to say it performed every bit as well as I would have hoped. It just blatted over everything on the red route, but as I was on my own I decided I'd do the black next time, and went and played in the skills area instead.

I was concerned that it's slack front end would be compromised on twisty stuff, but it steered impeccably. It has a tendency to "tip in" at very low speed, so it's a good job you can rail stuff at higher speeds. It carried speed through berms particularly well. Chattery bumpy rocky stuff was an eye opener. The RP23 shock is renowned for its manners on that kind of stuff, but I'd been worried the high speed compression of the fork (which isn't adjustable) would lead to loss of fillings. However, the fork was far better than I could have expected, holding up without diving on flat terrain, even when pedalling hard, yet reacting to all the little bumps with great poise. On bigger hits I never even got near its limits.

The bike loves air. Until; recently I was a bit "wheels on the ground" yet recently I've learnt to get up off little bumps, lips, rocks and jumps, and this thing loved it. On the smaller tabletops it left the ground easily, and absorbed every landing with ease. No doubt as I get braver I'll get to try bigger jumps. I may go to Philips Park and session the jumps there in the next couple of days.
 
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fossyant

Ride It Like You Stole It!
Location
South Manchester
Looks a cracker.
 
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Cubist

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Still wavin'
Location
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Them sure is wide bars Mister C !
750mm. Coupled with a 65mm stem they make the thing steer nicely on twisty stuff. Another advantage is that with it's big forks this needs some control on steep climbs. Wide bars mean I can simply open my shoulders, bend my elbows and get my chin over the stem to get weight over the front. They also have an effect of lengthening the cockpit, so I can run a medium frame despite being on the cusp of large in most sizes. The Mojo is a large with a 19 inch seat tube. The Canyon, which has similar geometry, is medium at 18.5, so effective top tube length is part of the consideration for me.
 
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Cubist

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What made you go for the x-fusion by the way. They seem to be gaining more of a following now?
I read a couple of reviews, and liked what I heard. I wanted a fork that was stiffer than a Revelation. I have become an ardent fan of RS, having tried a Fox 32 140 in the Canyon and finding it flexible (it also packed down riding a rocky section because the positioning of the rebound setting meant you caught it with your gloves when locking and unlocking your fork.) The frame needs a burly fork, so that left Pikes (although with my budget they'd have been secondhand, and heavy) or Fox Talas, again, overweight in a 36 format, and hard to find what I wanted for the money I had. I was offered a Bos Deville 160, but again that was secondhand, and I don't know much about them. I had read a discussion about the Slant and went and did a bit of research. One reviewer on a long term test swore that in order to get a Fox to perform this well you'd need to have them tuned. I then asked the question on a forum and all that had Slants reported that the man told the truth. So, a combination of light weight, stiffer 34mm stanchions, simple air spring (no messing about with compression settings) and a selling price of £399 and I was convinced I ought to give them a try. They haven't diasppointed in any way.
 
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