# I think i graduated (to FS)



## 33red (Jan 5, 2016)

The last 3 years i had lots of fun on HT and all Alu fat for our 4 white months. Last week at a demo i enjoyed a small Norco FS 150 mm than a med. Yesterday i liked a 130 mm FS Cannondale for only 10 min you know the ride around the parking lot nice price but probably not for me, too much of a race postion, low bar. Than a Norco 120 mm FS lower price a 2018 left over. 
I might simply select the price, the Norco was carbon way out of my budget. I know i like a tiny granny gear so swith to a smaller ring, larger cassette.
If you have any suggestion for a newbie, a wise experienced fellow might help me to avoid a mistake.
Do you know a brand with crazy high bar?
That would be a perfect match for my crazy long legs.
My jumps are the 6 in ones not the 6 feet. I enjoy climbing, i do not focus on speed.


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## MSU Alum (Aug 8, 2009)

If you get a 29er you'll want a 1x12 to get the low gearing you want. Check the SRAM page to see what the smallest chainring is for the crankset you're looking at. The smallest ring for NX is 30 tooth, I think, which I think should be fine. But, SRAM does make smaller chainrings for direct mount cranksets. I don't know, offhand what the exact compatibility is on that, but the shop or store you buy from can help with that.

When you buy, just make sure they don't cut down the steerer tube on the fork. It would be nice, for your requirements, if you could put 30 mm of spacers under the stem. You could get a riser stem and/or riser bars to get the position you want. Just make sure whoever you buy from knows what you need and they can help.


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## 33red (Jan 5, 2016)

MSU Alum said:


> If you get a 29er you'll want a 1x12 to get the low gearing you want. Check the SRAM page to see what the smallest chainring is for the crankset you're looking at. The smallest ring for NX is 30 tooth, I think, which I think should be fine. But, SRAM does make smaller chainrings for direct mount cranksets. I don't know, offhand what the exact compatibility is on that, but the shop or store you buy from can help with that.
> 
> When you buy, just make sure they don't cut down the steerer tube on the fork. It would be nice, for your requirements, if you could put 30 mm of spacers under the stem. You could get a riser stem and/or riser bars to get the position you want. Just make sure whoever you buy from knows what you need and they can help.


I read and heard quite a bit of negative stuff about the NX a year or 2 ago. Did they improved? I was thinking of going 11 S with an 11-50 cassette. I use a 10S 11-42 cassette on 2 20S bikes that i like. It is similar(same gears) just with an extra to compensate for the single in front. Bikes on the floor are cut, i guess i would need for the shop to order a leftover from the manufacturer.
Like yesterday going from 34 to 32 front and from 11-46 to 11-50. Off course riser bar and angled stem. I had a great 27S XTR and also now a great XO1, either brand might do. The non negotiable are high bar for confort and granny gear.


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## MSU Alum (Aug 8, 2009)

Nothing wrong with NX....or the new SX Eagle, for that matter.

If you go 1x11 with a 50 tooth, there will be a big jump from 1st to 2nd, I expect but people do it.

I don't know what you currently ride, but bigger wheels affect the gearing. If you want to compare relative gearing between wheel sizes you can do that here:
https://www.sheldonbrown.com/gear-calc.html


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## 33red (Jan 5, 2016)

MSU Alum said:


> Nothing wrong with NX....or the new SX Eagle, for that matter.
> 
> If you go 1x11 with a 50 tooth, there will be a big jump from 1st to 2nd, I expect but people do it.
> 
> ...


The jump is not special it goes 42, 50 just like SRAM. I know my 11S SRAM is real nice 10-42 and the 12 S is similar with the added 50. I know and use Sheldon calculator. Like you say a 26x4.8 fat is different than summer tires. Untill i know wich bike i stay open on tire size. Thanks for your input on the NX because with his low cost we see it a lot.


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## TheBaldBlur (Jan 13, 2014)

I ride NX drivetrain and expected a drop off in performance coming from my GX driven previous bike. I can't tell them apart in terms in shifting performance and have abandoned the idea of "upgrading" my NX drive until something fails/breaks. In fact when I added a Wolftooth 49 cog to my cassette I didn't even have to adjust the rear mech to accept it. That and I went from the stock 30T chainring to a 28T Absolute Black and it'll climb anything my legs and lungs are up for.

There's an interesting chart in the article about NX here: https://enduro-mtb.com/en/sram-nx-launched-the-most-affordable-1x11-drivetrain-yet/ That points to the weight savings of NX vs GX vs X01 (these are pre-eagle) and for the cost, the weight is negligible TO ME since I can tell little to no difference in performance.

IMO: I'd be looking more at geometry and suspension as high criteria than drivetrain.


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## 33red (Jan 5, 2016)

TheBaldBlur said:


> I ride NX drivetrain and expected a drop off in performance coming from my GX driven previous bike. I can't tell them apart in terms in shifting performance and have abandoned the idea of "upgrading" my NX drive until something fails/breaks. In fact when I added a Wolftooth 49 cog to my cassette I didn't even have to adjust the rear mech to accept it. That and I went from the stock 30T chainring to a 28T Absolute Black and it'll climb anything my legs and lungs are up for.
> 
> There's an interesting chart in the article about NX here: https://enduro-mtb.com/en/sram-nx-launched-the-most-affordable-1x11-drivetrain-yet/ That points to the weight savings of NX vs GX vs X01 (these are pre-eagle) and for the cost, the weight is negligible TO ME since I can tell little to no difference in performance.
> 
> IMO: I'd be looking more at geometry and suspension as high criteria than drivetrain.


Thanks. It will be easy to find a bike with NX. If i have my granny i do not mind the weight. I love my fat bike in winter. Since speed is not my focus a small front is not a problem to me. I practice my equilibrium, real slow. I am just happy to pedal my way up.


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## bitflogger (Jan 12, 2004)

Delay gratification and try lots of stuff. Rent bikes. Go to manufacturer demos at trailheads.

IMO all the well known brand modern trail bikes are good. You don't need boutique stuff. We have a fleet of bikes in our garage to accommodate same height parents and teens. I can ride a fancy or basic parts and materials bike if same type. It's the bike engine and not the parts that make the big difference.

I don't know what model Cannondale, but I've ridden late model Fuel EX (Trek) with that sort of travel in basic and high end versions. They have more frame sizes than some makers. My long legs relative to the rest really liked that plus the bikes themselves. I have m/l size, short stem and reverse mullet (longer Pike in front) for complete satisfaction. I also like their shocks. At first I thought "Reaktiv" was silly marketing but you get a bike that brakes well in the back, doesn't wallow like a Horst-type, and doesn't get too on/off firm and plus like VPP. You need to have the pressure set right to realize how good it works.

Have fun shopping.


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## 33red (Jan 5, 2016)

bitflogger said:


> Delay gratification and try lots of stuff. Rent bikes. Go to manufacturer demos at trailheads.
> 
> IMO all the well known brand modern trail bikes are good. You don't need boutique stuff. We have a fleet of bikes in our garage to accommodate same height parents and teens. I can ride a fancy or basic parts and materials bike if same type. It's the bike engine and not the parts that make the big difference.
> 
> ...


Thanks you lucky guy. My legs are crazy long, at 61 my torso lost an in., it is tough fitting L legs and short torso, often i reverse the seat post to shorten the bike. I will look at Trek.


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## bitflogger (Jan 12, 2004)

33red said:


> Thanks you lucky guy. My legs are crazy long, at 61 my torso lost an in., it is tough fitting L legs and short torso, often i reverse the seat post to shorten the bike. I will look at Trek.


Thank you.

I'm not so sure about the reversed seat post. I see a guy on my home trail system who's got crazy ideas and criticizes our trail building but he's really just an idiot who sets up a Trek Remedy like it's a triathlon bike. He falls over the front of his bike. He's got a set back post turned around and a long stem. ?????

You'll probably find most full suspension bikes with droppers. If you get a modern bike you need to think and act like skiing. You carve it. If you're going downhill get that seat out of the way. Get the seat out of the way for turns.


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## MSU Alum (Aug 8, 2009)

bitflogger said:


> Delay gratification


Is that possible? I've never tried it.


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## hikerdave (Mar 8, 2006)

33red said:


> Thanks you lucky guy. My legs are crazy long, at 61 my torso lost an in., it is tough fitting L legs and short torso, often i reverse the seat post to shorten the bike. I will look at Trek.


I have the same bike fit problems so the new long and low geometry trend is problematic for me. Besides picking a bike with a good effective top tube length, one thing I do is put on a riser bar; I have the Diety Highside on my eBike which I moved from my FS bike. The rise brings the handlebar closer to your shoulders. I also cut down the bars a bit more than is fashionable; I'm using 740mm width, again to bring the grips a bit closer. I've noticed that the Trek powerfly comes in a medium-large size which might work for us long-legged people.

https://www.deitycomponents.com/highside_handlebar_80mm.html


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## 33red (Jan 5, 2016)

hikerdave said:


> I have the same bike fit problems so the new long and low geometry trend is problematic for me. Besides picking a bike with a good effective top tube length, one thing I do is put on a riser bar; I have the Diety Highside on my eBike which I moved from my FS bike. The rise brings the handlebar closer to your shoulders. I also cut down the bars a bit more than is fashionable; I'm using 740mm width, again to bring the grips a bit closer. I've noticed that the Trek powerfly comes in a medium-large size which might work for us long-legged people.
> 
> https://www.deitycomponents.com/highside_handlebar_80mm.html


Thank you very much for that link. My bars are 620 wich is great to bring back my head-shoulders but also great in trails instead of waiting for passing a walker or a rider we can fit 2 wide. Also doing my grocery i use sidewalks occasionaly and there is no room for 760. 3 years ago i got a med FatBoy, put a stem raiser on
https://www.mec.ca/en/product/5042-662/Alloy-Stem-Raiser
and the frame was still too long for my confort. The bar was 740
A year later i switched for a small, switched my stem raiser on it and bingo i can ride 4-5 hours daily everyday in confort. The bar was 720.
I found a used carbon 700, liked it.
Later i found a 620 riser carbon it was low price so i gave it a shot and loved it, i think it is + 30 mm. Because of the cold here i prefer carbon and it kind of limits me at + 35 mm. Also on a summer bike i am not sure it would be safe that stem riser. I like those + 50 and + 80 they might come up handy. I might switch to a straight seatpost on a 16 in frame i bought in december, now i have a good position but that small gain might make it great. I am still testing wich saddle will be ideal, this might become my main bike.


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