# Morewood Zama - the ONE?



## Iceman2058 (Mar 1, 2007)

So,

in the continued quest for the one bike to do it all (just because that's what da rulez say in our house... ), I've just finished building up my new Morewood Zama (after riding its predecessor, the Zuza, for almost 2 years). I've moved over most my parts (some of which are on their last breath...), but I think the color scheme has worked itself out pretty nicely, actually (I was worried about the black fork, but it actually sets the build off pretty nicely IMO...). Detailed review will follow, but just some initial thoughts (after a first day of shuttling DH):

-The Zuza was a freeride tank. The Zama is much more of a sleek DH machine, comparatively (but still NOT a pure downhill bike, obviously). The angles are much more open, and it also runs bigger in size L now (since they introduced 3 sizes for all Morewoods in 2011). It should be sitting at 65.5 HA right now, with a slammed front end - XPI adjustable main pivot is on order however, to be able to slacken it out/drop the BB further when needed.
-the level of workmanship has gone up a notch (not that it was bad previously, but it was a bit "industrial" from time to time...). 
-graphics now under clearcoat. 
-compared to the Zuza, the rear suspension is much more active (although I am a bit undersprung at the moment, so I will be looking to stiffen it up just a tad). For today's runs on a rough and steep DH track that lacks major features (no big hucks to flat  ) it was perfect.
-it pedals/moves out much better than the Zuza. Stoked. With a dual ring set-up and tons of seatpost adjustability, and now a larger frame sizing, this thing should actually also deal with climbing and pedalling pretty well. More real-life testing needed, so I'll get back to this point after riding it some more. It really does move out though.

Is the quest for the One over? Time will tell....I'm very happy with how it has turned out thus far. I suspect the Zama will be slightly less at ease on drops and jumps (the Zuza pretty much ruled for that), but I think the trade-off for much better DH performance is a good one. And as a bonus, it seems to pedal much better.

Pics (yes I know - need to cut the lines...the brakes are a mess anyways, will be looking at changing them shortly):






















































































































Parts list:

Morewood Zama 2011, size L, with stock Fox Van RC.
2010 Boxxer Race
Avid Code 2008 (about to give up the ghost...)
Saint 22/36 cranks
Sram X7 shifters
Sram X9 RD
Sram PG-990 11-34 cassette
Sram X7 FD
Halo Freedom on Hope Pro 2, front and rear (150mm maxle in the rear)
Maxxis Minion DHF/DHR
Cane Creek XXc flush lower, ZS-3 semi-integrated top
Chromag Fubar OSX lime green ano, 780mm
Chromag Lynx DT saddle
Easton POS seatpost...(EA30)
Hope seatpost clamp
Kona Wah-wah pedals

LBS said 17.5kg. Not bad with pretty heavy tires/inner tubes with slime etc.

The One?


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## AmirBernard (Apr 25, 2010)

niiicee :thumbsup: are you getting another vivid?


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## eurospek (Sep 15, 2007)

Looks good.


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## wasea04 (Apr 2, 2007)

Great looking bike man!


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## Blatant (Apr 13, 2005)

Man, I love 'Woods (own an Izimu as my DH bike and a Shova LT as my pedal bike). Beautiful bike; looks like they really cleaned up the swingarm around the pivot area.

Really interesting build with the dual crown AND dual rings (don't see that everyday). I was just commenting to my buddy on Wednesday during shuttle runs on my Izimu. Our last run was on a trail that involves some pedalling (National trail for Phx locals). I cleaned a couple spots that I generally struggle with on my smaller bikes. Got to thinking about how fun it would be to put front rings (or a H'Schmidt) on the Izimu.

Congrats.


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## bunnyhopbikes (Sep 2, 2009)

That thing looks GREAT!:thumbsup:


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## Iceman2058 (Mar 1, 2007)

For the obligatory action shots, here's the first one from yesterday's DH race (I wouldn't have chosen it on purpose, but a weekend of racing was a good shakedown. Bike was great. Definitely more plowable than the Zuza, and a lot more fun over fast rough stuff. Still eminently fun and flickable... :thumbsup.


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## Iceman2058 (Mar 1, 2007)

Some more action shots today, sessioned my home trails for a while, getting used to the new bike. I'm very impressed with it so far - it's everything I asked for and more. It's stable through the rough and fast, and still very playful. I have an XPI adjustable main pivot on order, with a slightly lower BB it should be even more fun. More detailed review will follow when I get some more riding done.


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## juan pablo (Jan 17, 2007)

Iceman - looking real good and the ride pics too. I think this is the perfect upgrade from the Zuma. I caught a glimps of the Zama on the Morewood site a while back and forgot about it. I checked last night but it looks like there new site doesnt include any geometry on the bikes - am I missing something?


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## SHIVER ME TIMBERS (Jan 12, 2004)

all I can see through my drunk eyes are x's...like the pic doesn't load....

xxx = great porn.....lucky you:thumbsup:


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## jasevr4 (Feb 23, 2005)

Iceman this gap looks sketchy as!


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## Iceman2058 (Mar 1, 2007)

JP, thanks man, I'm super stoked on it. Pretty damn close to the perfect do-it-all bike (and a FUN bike to ride as well). The geo is not on the sorry excuse for a website Morewood have this year....attached the numbers I have...

jasevr4 - it's not really that sketchy, the angle of the shot does make it looks a bit like a rock pile I guess...but it's just a straightforward little jump.


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## juan pablo (Jan 17, 2007)

Cheers Iceman, those figures look pretty good though I like a slightly shorter chainstay. That must be one of the biggest jumps I have seen in TT length from a medium to large.
The new Delerium is probably the best all rounder I have found and I am totaly stoked on it but I still like the single pivot morewoods. I am playing around with the idea of building a light short travel play bike. Thinking about a 140mm, air or travel adjust fork for my wildcard but it will still be a little porky, I was liking the idea of and Ndiza or Mbuzi but I see Morewood have dropped them from the line up. The Ndiza is a big surprise I know it killed 4X. Its a real shame.


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## Iceman2058 (Mar 1, 2007)

JP, for the shorter stay, I have the XPI on order (adjustable main pivot). In addition to dropping (or raising) the BB, it can also shorten (or lengthen) the stays...I'm looking forward to playing around with it! And you are right, the size L is now a proper size L...I'm guessing a lot of people will stay with the medium though (and as always, be careful with the numbers given out...I've seen quite a few "mistakes" from them already...wouldn't be surprised if those weren't actual final production numbers...)

As for their line up for 2011, I think they really screwed up with the whole short and mid-range travel part of the catalogue. They dropped the Mbuzi and Ndiza in favor of the new 150/170 Sukuma or whatever it's gonna be called with Weagle's Split Pivot...all well and fine, except that the production delays on the new bike have been such that the distis apparently can't even order them yet! And with the others already dropped....a big hole in the allmountain line up (and not sure what is meant to replace the Ndiza either....).


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## Iceman2058 (Mar 1, 2007)

So, after a few weeks of ownership, the verdict is: just what I was looking for. In addition to being lots of fun on the DH/FR side of things, the Zama is also fully usable for climbing/trail riding. It won't climb like a goat for sure, and the dual ply Minions are real pigs to get up a hill, but I'm totally stoked on having a bike I can ride pretty much anywhere, and still go as "big" as I would ever be capable of without ever giving the bike a second thought. Mission accomplished. Here's a little clip I put together just for fun:






Spring sessions (HD MTB) from iceman2058 on Vimeo.


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## 92SE-R (Sep 23, 2005)

Sorry to bring up an old thread. I'm curious what the shock size is on this frame. Your geo chart shows a 8.5x2.5 but the website shows 9.5x3? Which is correct? Thanks.


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## Iceman2058 (Mar 1, 2007)

92SE-R said:


> Sorry to bring up an old thread. I'm curious what the shock size is on this frame. Your geo chart shows a 8.5x2.5 but the website shows 9.5x3? Which is correct? Thanks.


The geo chart is correct...8.5. Website is wrong...

Hey, as a bonus for bringing up my old thread, here's another video of the Zama in action. For the record, still super stoked on this frame, it really has worked out well for me. From long XC/AM rides to FR sessions and local DH racing, it does it all. :thumbsup:


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## 92SE-R (Sep 23, 2005)

Just talked to my sales rep. He measured and said EYEtoEYE was 8.75x2.5. Weird. This is for a 2011 frame. Is that why they only specc'ed Fox shocks? Would you be able to measure yours real quick? Thanks man.


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## 92SE-R (Sep 23, 2005)

Also, 222mm is 8.75". I'm very confused. I'm trying to spec out a rear shock for a customer.


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## Iceman2058 (Mar 1, 2007)

Oh yeah, lot's of epic measuring fail here! 

The actual measure is 222mm, i.e. 8.75. So the geo chart is correct in mm, with the wrong conversion to inches. When you asked me, I didn't double check, I knew about the website being wrong with the 9.5", so I just answered that the shorter of the 2 was the right one. I was lazy...

It's also NOT a 2.5 shock...it's actually a 2.75! (as measured just now...70mm...of visible shaft between the shock body and the plate holding the spring).

8.75x2.75 is the one you want. So you should have no trouble speccing whatever you/the customer wants...

Good luck.


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## bunnyhopbikes (Sep 2, 2009)

Great video Iceman!!


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## Znarf (Nov 12, 2005)

Hi,

sorry to resurrect an old thread =)

But I am looking for a long travel fun bike. 
I have a nice trailbike, which I have for the really pedally rides. 
Since last year I have visited several bikeparks more frequently and the trailbike isn´t really up to it. 

I had two Hecklers in the past and loved them. Just not enough travel.

So after seeing your pics and the reasonable frame/complete Zama prices over here in Europe, I am really thinking hard about getting one this fall.

The bottom bracket seems a bit hight to me, but that seems to be no problem, because of the XPI.

Have you received yours yet? Does it make a difference?

Also: I could get the complete Zama with really nice specs and a Totem RC for a good price.
I could also shell out 1300€ more and get a Kalula. Which has slightly better parts a Fox 36 VAN 180mm and an RC2 shock. 
But also a really slack seattube angle and more complex linkage...
The price for the Kalula would be a stretch for my budget, doable but steep.

And while I think that the suspension action might be more sophisticated, I really liked the simple single pivot of the Heckler. 

Also the Zama would be decent enough for some minor climbing/flat riding?

I´d love to hear your "long-term" input - NICE vids, nice pictures - looks like you´ve already had a ton of fun on the bike!

Greetings and thanks
Znarf


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## Iceman2058 (Mar 1, 2007)

Znarf said:


> Hi,
> 
> sorry to resurrect an old thread =)
> 
> ...


Znarf,

yeah, I've been riding the Zama for 1 year and a couple of months now, and I'm pleased to say it's really worked out well for me this bike. Because I can really only have 1 bike (the DJ doesn't count as a "real" bike, luckily for me  ), this is the best compromise I can think of. The XPi was a good upgrade, it takes a few mm off the BB height in the lowest setting, not a radical difference but I like knowing that I've done what I can there, you know... 

The bike is great fun and makes a good park bike. Easy to jump, stable when you pin it...it doesn't eat up the rough stuff like a pure DH bike, but on the other hand, it is more lively and definitely more poppy....I like the direct feeling of the simple single pivot, even if it can be a bit harsh in the rough sometimes maybe. It pedals really well BTW, the pivot placement is spot on.

The seat tube angle allows it to be pedalled around and yes even climbed. I do some reasonably serious days out on it, with lots of climbing involved, even XC stuff, with a bit of patience on the climbs (and with the granny ring ) I get up pretty much everything. The front wanders a bit on a steep climb as you'd expect, but this is a 7" FR bike after all...so no big deal there. It works better than it should I think. No comparison to a Kalula, you wouldn't want to pedal that thing around much at all, the seated position is all wrong for pedalling around, and the suspension is much softer in the beginning of the stroke. The Kalula is much more specific, it is a true mini-DH/park bike, with little compromise for anything else. But if you already have an aggressive trailbike, would it not be worth it to push into true DH territory for the bigger bike? Not saying the Zama isn't enough bike, because clearly it is, just that if you already HAVE a bike that can be pedalled around, maybe your big bike doesn't need to? Anyway, just food for thought, I have no problems recommending the Zama, especially considering the price - it's a steal!

Here is my latest vid on it:


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## Znarf (Nov 12, 2005)

Hi Iceman,

thanks a lot for your timely reply! 

The vid is great, I´d love to rock those trails - they look fantastic.

You are right about the overlap between my two bikes.
In fact, I´ve been swaying between a pedalable freeride bike and a full on DH-rig for a while.

My trailbike is a Stumpjumper 29er FSR with 5inch f+r travel - and the bonus of the big wheels. 

It rides really great. It absolutely shines on rougher stuff and descends as good (or even a bit better) than my previous Heckler with a Rock Shox Lyrik Coil in the front. 

I rode a lot of alpine singletrack and even quite a bit of bikepark stuff on it. As soon as I start jumping/dropping more than some minor trail obstacles, it isnt´as brilliant anymore.

Deep and plenty travel is lacking, the big wheels with their good rollover charakteristics don´t matter anymore when I am jumping etc.

I could get a Specialized Demo / Status at a good price, but I testrode a Specialized Status II for a bit and it was really a tank. (as every other full on DH-bike is, I guess).

I like lift assisted riding, but even then - in the Swiss or Austrian Alps whe have a lot of trails where you can get to the top with a chairlift, but you need to pedal a bit or even a bit more, to get to the most beautiful trails. Or to "commute" between different lift stations. I imagine that pedaling a Demo for 4-5km in flat terrain is awkward - I also have an inseam of almost 37" - a super slack seattube angle makes me look and feel like Kermit the frog. 


The alpine resorts and trails still warrant a big bike, they are really rough and steep and long.

So in my view, the bike should allow a certain amount of reasonable efficiency - at least if I don´t use it as a DH-racer, which I clearly won´t. 

Also I´d prefer a singlecrown fork for a snappier feel and improved turning radius.

Kind of like the Santa Cruz Bullit, which isn´t produced any longer.
So the Zama seems to be a good match. 

I might just wait for the Eurobike at the end of August and take a couple of bikes for a spin. Then order one and build it over winter. 

Thanks again for your input, it is really helpful and appreciated.

Greetings Znarf


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## Iceman2058 (Mar 1, 2007)

Znarf said:


> Hi Iceman,
> 
> thanks a lot for your timely reply!
> 
> ...


Nice place to live for riding! 

Reading your description of what you are looking for, you are definitely on the right track with the Zama, no doubt. Last year I was in Les Portes du Soleil (Les Gets/Chatel etc) with it, and we did quite a bit of "commuting" between the resorts, so I know exactly what you are looking for and why you want it. I was with a couple of friends on DH bikes, coming back from Chatel to Les Gets via the lifts for example, I was definitely the happier one on the transfers (they were on Sessions etc). 4-5 kms flat on a Demo is NOT the same as on the Zama... 

Yeah, you could say the Zama is pretty much a descendent of the Bullit, just a bit slacker and lower (and lighter! Mine's at 17.5kg with full DH tires and heavy tubes). All good I think!

And finally, I don't think there is actually that much overlap between your Stumpy and the Zama. The Zama is in a whole other league in terms of robustness and stability. Not knocking the Stumpy, great trailbike, but clearly the 2 bikes were not built for the same thing. If you had said Enduro Evo or something, it would be a different story... :thumbsup:


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## Znarf (Nov 12, 2005)

Hey,

yeah, it is really nice where I live. 

I don´t live IN the Alps, but not far off. In the Black Forest, which has spectacular riding as well. Only three little lift assisted resorts though. Good enough with two former WC DH courses. 
Portes du Soleil is only 3.5 to 4 hours away by car though, which isn´t that bad .

I want to buy the bike mostly for Portes du Soleil and the other resorts. 
With first hand experience, you´d steer me toward the Zama or to a full-blown DH-rig (Demo etc.)?

Same question put different: Who was happier with their bike-choice - you or your buddies with the Scratches and Demos... 




Greetings Znarf


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## Iceman2058 (Mar 1, 2007)

Znarf said:


> Hey,
> 
> yeah, it is really nice where I live.
> 
> ...


It was a week in Portes du Soleil...we were all happy. 

Seriously though, I don't think you'll regret going either way. if you're only going to bang out lift runs on the Pleney, you'll enjoy a Demo/Session/Makulu/whatever, especially in the legendary brakebumps...and then you'll suffer/push a bit more on the transfers between resorts etc. It's tempting to say you'll have the _absolute _most fun on a full-blown DH, but the way you described your riding, I don't think you'll regret the Zama. I never felt undergunned anywhere, and I appreciated being able to pedal it around.


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## Znarf (Nov 12, 2005)

Hey,

thanks again for your insight. Really helpful.

Just booked a trip to Eurobike at the end of August. I´ll look out for freeride&dh bikes and have a good look on the 2013 Zama and Kalula. 

Then I´ll either get a closeout frameset, a 2012 Zama - or even the 2013 one =)

Keep the good riding up!

If everything goes well, I might have the opportunity to go to Portes du Soleil in a couple of weeks. I´ll take the Stumpjumper once again or rent a big bike...


Greetings Znarf


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