[Closed] SLX or Saint + Opinions on new bike setup

SLX are really powerful, no need for Saint IMO.

Neither, get something better for less money. Formula Oro would be my recommendation.

Saint on a bike with Revelations and 717s seems pretty weird to me tbh. E

Saint brakes are amazingly powerful and take some adjusting to from other brakes. If you love all out power then they might be for you. I only use them on the dh race bike, too much for the others and too heavy.

I know its a bit of a wierd combo Northwind but it's kind of a build to fit all my different riding as i cant really afford about 4 different bikes at the moment but the 717's are incredibly strong, its a kind of "special" do it all bike 😉

The forks are too long for the frame and too long for a do it all bike. Dont know about the brakes though.

717s are tough for XC rims just because of the excess metal in them but they're not up to the abuse that you'd usually fit Saints for. Mine did me well but they were starting to feel the strain.

davidtaylforth the 456 summer season is designed for 160mm forks max. so i think the 150mm's will be just fine tbh 😉

Think what you like, it'll be daft and you wont be able to go round corners

Sorry david im just taking on ones advice really not my own..

http://www.bikemagic.com/gear-news/on-one-456-summer-season/6366.html

I think the idea of it is you can run it with "normal" sized forks i.e. 130mm or less and still keep a slack head angle. Im just taking the designers advice really, not my own.

Yeah I get what your saying and I understand where your coming from however I would like the extra travel despite the slacker head angle, hopefully it wont be too slack 😉 only time will tell i suppose.

you can always get one of them angleset headsets to steepen the headangle

If your speccing from new I'd go for wider rims like 719's. Nothing wrong with 717's, mine have taken some abuse & stayed running true, but they look very very skinny with big (2.35) tyres. Cant say I've felt them roll.

I can see taylforth's point, I had a Summer Season & didnt like the slack head angle. It would be even worse with a tall fork like that. Std 456 would be a better choice, especially if its your year round do-it-all bike (in my opinion). I've not tried a 456 though, just a SS & an Inbred. The Inbred has surprised me the most. With a 130mm fork its perfect.

I'd give superstar rotors a few months before I'd buy some, just in case they prove less than reliable. Dont get me wrong, I've generally got on well with their kit, but they arent exactly cheap. Plenty of experience with Hope floaters here, & they are ok. I had one where the rivets came loose, a press sorted it.

cheers for the advice rustlers ill bear that in mind and really it was the bike tart within me that liked the superstar floaters 😉

mattnuttall - Member

davidtaylforth the 456 summer season is designed for 160mm forks max. so i think the 150mm's will be just fine tbh

My mmmbop's designed for up to 160mm forks, by the same man, but it's [i]far [/i]better at 140mm. My Scandal was designed for up to 130mm forks, by the same man again, but it rode like crap with 130mm in it (and lovely at 100mm) But, it's a matter of personal taste to some extent, what some would call bargelike you might just think is stable.

You can probably step the fork down though so don't stress about it too much

why not deore brakes? - they're bloody brilliant, and a bit cheaper still.

what advantage do the saint shifters offer over slx/xt?
i'd probably slx it all over to save some cash and then buy some better wheels, crests/arches/flows on hopes for instance

Xt shifters are much nicer than slx but otherwise i agree. Get stans rims on hope hoops, bargaintastic

As a counter view to davidtaylforths view those forks will be fine, i've got 160mm 36's on my summer season and it feels amazingly good, has no problem going around corners at all.
It's all about how you like your bikes and for me that's slack, 65HA is ideal for me on xc bikes, 62-63 on the dh bike.

so any other opinions on slx over saint?
cheers guys all this advice is helping alot

My reasoning behind the saint shifter was i worked on the assumption that it would provide the smoothest compatibility with the saint rear derailleur hence also the saint/slx cassette for the 1x9 setup.

My Scandal was designed for up to 130mm forks, by the same man again, but it rode like crap with 130mm in it (and lovely at 100mm)

not surprised it rode "crap" at 130mm

A race proven 7046 alloy frame that can be set up with rigid forks or up to 100mm suspension(quote from on one site)

as for op, slx are pretty powerful if set up correctly, work well on my 456.
but i'm not very 'hardcore' 😳

Cheers anotherstan i think im heading towards the SLX's but might look into the Forumla Oro's a bit more aswell.

fwiw i got xt's and if setup correct they are very good, slx should provide the same power, i've never adjusted mine in 2 years..
i also use some ashima rotors which i think are great lightweight rotors, they were £15 each when i bought mine. i use them for xc though and have stayed truer and provided better stoping than avid rotors. xt rotors are good though a little heavier

Go SLX, they are all you need. Used them home and abroad and they are awesome. Saint? Unless you're going full on DH, it's a waste of money. Tried them, know folk who run them and they are super powerful and aimed at the DH market. On that frame, SLX will be way more than enough, save some cash.

I ride my "standard" 456 with forks at 160mm all the time,no problem turning or anything else for that matter.Never ridden a Summer season with the slacker head tube though.
Oh and SLX for a 456 ,Saint for DH.

anotherstan - Member

not surprised it rode "crap" at 130mm

A race proven 7046 alloy frame that can be set up with rigid forks or up to 100mm suspension(quote from on one site)

Nice try but [i]totally[/i] wrong... The Scandal was recommended for up to 130mm, but due to the CEN regs was downrated to 100mm which is what you're reading now. Exactly the same as the Inbred in fact which was also recommended for up to 130mm.

SLX would be fine. I had a set on my old prophet and they were great brakes. I have a pair of Saints on my RFX and whilst they are superb brakes, they are overkill for your build.

but seriously, what's wrong with deore brakes?

i've got both Deore and SLX, and the only 2 differences i actually notice are:

1) the deore brakes were cheaper.

2) the deore lever has a clever 1-bolt split clamp

spend the money you save on some nice shiny blingness somewhere you'll notice...

anotherstan - Member

not surprised it rode "crap" at 130mm

A race proven 7046 alloy frame that can be set up with rigid forks or up to 100mm suspension(quote from on one site)

Nice try but totally wrong... The Scandal was recommended for up to 130mm, but due to the CEN regs was downrated to 100mm which is what you're reading now. Exactly the same as the Inbred in fact which was also recommended for up to 130mm.

so, in your attempt to prove me wrong, you have admitted that what i said was actually correct 🙄

Eh. No. What I'm explaining is why you're talking mince. My Scandal was pre-CEN and so recommended for up to 130mm. So posting items from the website as it is today is obviously daft.

However, just to complicate it, the reason that the recommendation of fork length changed is the CEN test- it's no less suitable otherwise than it always was. It doesn't suddenly ride differently because of a test certificate you know

running 160mm on a std 456 and it's perfect (lakes bike) never too steep occasionally to slack

... talking mince

mince??? hmmm.

so, am i correct in saying that the scandal is effectively a 100mm compatible frame?

thought so

Jeezo. As I said, mine was a 130mm frame, sold to take up to 130mm forks, guaranteed for 130mm forks, and recommended by its designer as suitable for up to 130mm forks. So not correct, no.

The CEN certification has absolutely no bearing on how a bike [i]rides[/i], it's not a review- it just means that it didn't meet that stress test. So why you think that'd effect how an older frame rode before the test was launched, I have no idea.

Oh and just to hopefully put an end to it... From the old On One website, pre-CEN:

"Scandal 26in
Our superlight 3.5lb race frame. Designed for covering the ground at high speed, moreso that leaping off things (if you like that, you need a 456).
Race proven by many (our racers tend to run the 29in model) this is a superb handling frameset that can be set up with any fork from 80-100mm right up to 130mm. It's attitude changes a little as fork length increases, but it's always fun.
Huge tyre clearance with our bridgeless rear stays - (we've got 2.5s in there no problem), continuous cable routing to keep things running when it's gritty, it's a dream fast light trailbike if your riding is more speed than jump."

You're welcome.

...So why you think that'd effect how an older frame rode before the test was launched, I have no idea.

i didn't think i said that 😯

but you did say that you thought it was sh*t at 130...

...but it rode like crap with 130mm...

...regardless of when you bought it. therefore confirming my statement...

A race proven 7046 alloy frame that can be set up with rigid forks or up to 100mm suspension(quote from on one site)

seems there's a bit of confusion from your quotes.
have you been drinking? 😉

edit -

You're welcome.

Oh jeez. I'm done with this but I don't think it can be any clearer than "this is a superb handling frameset that can be set up with any fork from 80-100mm right up to 130mm. It's attitude changes a little as fork length increases, but it's always fun." If you can't follow that then what's the point?

yawn...(stretch)...zzz

anyway northwind, slx or saint???

SLX have quite a soft feel. Powerful and easy to modulate, but just slightly soft. I broke one and replaced with an XT lever, and that seems to be quite a bit firmer. Maybe it's the blade flexing slightly or something.

Anyway point is that they're great brakes, easy to bleed, reliable, etc.