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i am in the market for a full suspension bike. had a few in the past, but the only one that worked for me was a ventana el capitan 29'' bike. it was fitted with a Fox DHX ? shock. the one with the 3 settings via a little blue lever.
as it was 10 or so years ago, i have no idea what to look for now, but obviously need something where the shock ratio is suitable for a heavy rider.
looking for something a bit more xc rather than a longer travel bike.
any idea's greatly appreciated.
Nowadays shocks are pretty tuneable to the rider, best bet is to just narrow down what bike you're after and then check what it comes with, air shocks tend to have ranges covering huge rider weight ranges, with the addition of volume spacers and even some shimming helping, then you have compression to tweak it even further, coil is a bit more problematic as they tend to have regular springs only really covering up to 16 stone'ish, depending on the bikes, you'd need some custom style spring for one of those, but the likes of TF Tuned / Sprungs / Etc would give better advice on that.
I was nearly 17stone before I shedded something pounds. I have a 2018 Trek Fuel and it’s max weight I believe is 300lb which is just over 21st.
My shock pressures are not at max and it has 3 settings on the rear and the front can be very much tuned to weight.
I do more XC than trials but do a mix of both and it’s been fine. It’s carried me 70miles from London to Brighton in relative comfort!
Feel free to message if you need any more details.
I'm just under 20 stone and have a Sabta Cruz Tallboy, weight isn't an issue. The fact I bought one a size too small because that's all I could get hold of it a different matter.
been looking at a Orbea Oiz or a Specialized Epic.
both look fantastic. and i think suitable for a heavier rider because of the ratio.
From experience choose something that will take a piggy back shock, for xc stuff ireally liked the dpx2. Waaaaay more supportive if my ample weight the either a monarch or the dps.
choose something that will take a piggy back shock
^^^^^
ton, FWIW, I never got on that well with Specialized rear suspension. could have been the suspension design (Horst link I think), could have been the shock, but it really did not work for me. blew through it's travel way to easily, and harsh on the small bump stuff with the pressures needed.
I never really thought the El Capitan's suspension was all that great either. They sent me a smaller volume can to try to solve similar issues to the Specialized that followed, but it only marginally improved things.
I've a Pole Evolink now, and its a revelation.
agree with others that a piggyback shock does seem to be better designed to cope with big fellas.
Also, in my superbly limited understanding, I think that VPP, DW link and the Pole suspension work incredibly well for a bigger bloke. Single pivots not so much. Santa Cruz I rode (tallboy) as a rental I really liked the suspension action. And my Pole is incredible.
Another thing to watch out for, ton, is virtual seat tube angles V actual. As you know I am tall, and anything with a stupid actual seat tube angle (Santa Cruz, specialized) is a complete disaster when you are at/above the expected height for the frame. The effective seat angle ends up waaaaay slack with your arse somewhere behind the rear axle. horrendous. (slight exaggeration, but you get the jist).
Why not ask some of the brands directly?
Pretty sure the UK-based (Bird, Cotic, Privateer etc) will reply as their folk often 'frequent' this forum. It'll be a start.
And +1 to big_scot_nanny regarding seat height, I've long legs and also have found the same.
I'm about 17st 7. I have an orange charger been riding it on a mix of trail centres(mostly nevis range) and hill paths /whw. No suspension problems at all.
When I was just over 17 stone (110kg) I was riding an Orange Alpine with no problems. I swapped out the Fox RP23 for a CCBD and never looked back.
I did weigh 20 stone. A Hightower worked for me but I seem to remember you’ve already had one of those? Maybe that was someone else. I’m 6’4” and had an XXL which meant the seat angle wasn’t crazy on a V1. Still go the frame. I really must get round to listing it 🤦♂️
Erm, I used to be 141 kg - but I am not now.
Regarding suspension for the slightly more chunky - at 20 stone you are on the limits of anything std, even 38mm stanchion forks. Most bikes are designed around the 60-80kg range as the sweet spot.
You will be right at the top end of the std adjustment range (I am just over 15 some now - and I am still at the upper end of most stuff). Hence you will probably have to have a bespoke shock tuning/fork session. Stuff is unlikely to break - just be too soft and bob around.
Don't look at XC whippet stuff - look ate all mountain / enduro stuff - you extra heft will test the lighter built stuff (The only thing I have actually broke was a Thomson stem).
Frame material - steel or alloy. Stay away from titanium or carbon ...
20 stone here.
Beefy stiff fork is probably more important than shock to be honest, especially for a longer travel or slack bike. 32mm stanchions are a bit too noodly for me, so something with 34+ is what you're after.
As for shock I much prefer running a coil, as to get sag right you need a shit tonne of psi which makes the bike very harsh and poppy. That's great for built trail centres and jumps, but not so great for more natural stuff. Coil feels buttery smooth over small bumps and just feels great for me. Makes climbs far easier too.
been looking at a Orbea Oiz or a Specialized Epic.
both look fantastic. and i think suitable for a heavier rider because of the ratio.
XC race bikes? You might find the forks, and other bits, a bit flexy where they shouldn’t be.
I use a cube stereo, 2015 model, i think the shock is similar to the one ton describes, with the blue lever for climb trail descend. It also has separate compression and rebound damping. It’s not at max pressure under my 20 stone, and works well.
By contrast, the fox 32 forks, while not at max pressure either, definitely feel a little flexy once you start to crack on.
I can’t really recommend anything specific though, I haven’t ridden anything modern eh.
been looking at a Orbea Oiz or a Specialized Epic.
XC race bikes? You might find the forks, and other bits, a bit flexy where they shouldn’t be.
+1
Surely at that weight thd first thing you discount is lightweight downcountry machines?
Ton, sorry, you should've had a quick spin on my Oiz at the Lakes JennRide
@benp1
i know mate, it looked ideal for what i want.
reason i think it would be suitable , there was a thread on MTBR with a chart show the shock ratio's. one suitable for a heavy rider. and the Oiz was on the list.
i will do more homework.
Having had my hands on one of the Pendrel Racing development teams Oiz's and having to tie it down so it wouldn't float away, I absolutely wouldn't say it was big guy suitable. Even at 75kg I would be nervous about riding it hard as there's not much additional material at the linkages/pivots!