08 Pitch Pro vs. 08 Stumpy FSR Elite

[FlimFlamvanHam]

General rule is one degree slacker for inch of travel added (of course this is assuming all axle to crown measurements are the same for a given travel, which they are not). Anyway, that rule of thumb is close enough for good estimations.

So you are at 67 with the Pike, then yes around 66.

For what it's worth I think 67 is the perfect do anything head angle and you're starting to get chopper going less.

[skibumnh]

Got my first ride in yesterday and I love this bike. I'm very happy with my decision - it climbs like a dream, handles very well on tight singletrack given the slack geometry and downhill its unflappable - dont think I have ever shredded rutted out, rocky sections with that type of speed. I took a couple 3-4 foot drops, and one of them I was lacking the proper speed and came off a little weird - something that probably would have amounted to going OTB on my old bike and was easily swallowed up by that Pike. It reminded me of the first time I got on rocker/reverse skis and stuck a drop despite landing too far forward, so forgiving. Bottom line is if you are not into XC racing and you like to go out and have fun when you ride then the Pitch is where its at.

Pros:

-The pike is awesome.

-Great climber - almost better in some respects than my hardtail when climbing rocky/rutted out uneven terrain.

-Plush on the down

-Lightweight for its spec and rides even lighter than it weighs IMO.


Couple con's:

-Developed an annoying creak about 30 min into the ride.

-Front brake rubs simply from pulling the front wheel to stuff it in the car. There seem to be horror stories about the Juicy 3's over on mbtr so I cant say Im surprised - probably going to swap on some K18's in the near future.

-505 Pedals kinda suck - could not get them dialed and it landed me in both a tree and a mudhole.

-The stock seat and grips suck too, but I swapped on a Specialized Alias and some ODI Rogues before the maiden voyage - both are great upgrades.

[LT]

Couple con's:

-Developed an annoying creak about 30 min into the ride.

-The stock seat and grips suck too, but I swapped on a Specialized Alias and some ODI Rogues before the maiden voyage - both are great upgrades.

My Pitch developed a very annoying creak about 9 rides in....we tried EVERYTHING under the sun to fix it....eventually determined the "shock-can" was loose. Grab ahold of the shock-can and twist to tighten. Hasn't creaked since.

I do get a little rub from the front disk it comes and goes but never lasts long.

I instantly traded out the grips for some Oury Lock-ons and love 'em. The saddle sucks but haven't found something I like that I want to pay for yet.

Sweet bike, you'll be happy for sure. Check out the shock-can and let me know if that fixes the creak.

[skibumnh]

Thanks, ill check the shock - it seems to be coming from that general area.

[whapworth]

2 cents here, just started riding an enduro sl, essentially the same build as a pitch, just a little lighter. bike is awesome!!!, bit of a sacrifice compared to my iron horse comp HT on the ups, but ahhh the down.... would compare it to touring on dukes, little extra weight, but you feel that much safer and burlier charging the down and finding hucks in the back country. ripped off the front derailure and running a single with the ethirteen guide and got the weight under 30 now which helps a lot, not sure if this is something you'd consider, but the granny never does much anyway imho. cheap enduro sl for sale on craigslist right now in slc if you want to just swap parts for now and wait, also a number of fully build enduro for sale out here, but in xl i believe...not sure on your size, but should check out SLC craigslist.

not sure if i helped at all, but the pitch/enduro not a bad way to go, and this bike would be awesome back east too (blue mountain, kingdom, waterbury, MRG, killington and the likes)

good luck

[scrublover]

not sure if i helped at all, but the pitch/enduro not a bad way to go, and this bike would be awesome back east too (blue mountain, kingdom, waterbury, MRG, killington and the likes)

good luck

it's a really fun bike back east.

[huck4bucks]

My Pitch had a creak, too. Mine was just the seat post. I clamped it down extra tight and I haven't heard it since.

[skibumnh]

Stopped by the shop tonight and had the creak fixed. Top shock mount bolt was a little loose. Tech said it happens sometimes on the pitch and just to keep an eye on it.

[suiliRem]

You can obviously adjust the shocks to suit but from the sounds of it the pitch was set up correctly. Its a 6" travel bike. With all that travel its suppost to feel squiggy at the back. You can obviously adjust the shock to harden up the ride but theres no point having a 6" travel bike if you prefer to ride around with the suspension hardly moving.

The Felt Virtue is worth looking at. Its like the FSR but its got this extra link that really stiffens the back end up. When you can bounce up and down on the pedals it wont bob anything like as much as the Pitch. The downside to this link is it takes a lot more of a jolt to get the suspension to move so it doesnt feel anywhere near as smooth.

[skibumnh]

I honestly would not change a thing about the suspension on the pitch. The rear end bob is almost negligible when climbing, flip the switch to pro pedal and its non-existent. My only skepticism going into the experience was with the Pike because I had soured on the RS brand a long time ago in favor of Marzocchi and Fox, but I have been turned. The Pike is the perfect pairing for the RP2 - I love the balanced feel, and I love the simplicity of the design. The 20mm front tracks on another level compared to QR and inspires confidence the entire way. Been pounding the pavement on the Pitch lately, doing some urban riding just to get out around the house, and I've been really enjoying it - Dial down the rebound on the RP2 for that extra launch and J hop over everything in sight.

[monkeywrenchMoose]

I just test rode a Pitch Pro today from my LBS. Sweeeeet! I thoroughly enjoyed it, especially loving the pike. I felt that the bike was a great climber once I lowered the fork a little bit. So sold on this bike!

[skibumnh]

Just an update, after about a month and a half of abuse and shakedown, I made some upgrades to the pitch that have really brought the bike to near perfection IMO...

Replaced the Juicy 3's with Formula Megas (85cm-180/165cm-160) - I didnt mind the 3's all that much until I bombed down a fireroad down a local ski hill and experienced the fade. I really didnt need to upgrade these yet, but now that I did, I cant believe the difference in power, and modulation - night and day, and totally worth the money.

Swapped out the X5's for X9 Shifters - X5's suck, lots of missed shifts, easily out of adjustment, and annoying stuck shift levers at the worst times possible. I love X9's for the money, so much more crisp.

Swapped on an XT Rear Cassette - Stock one was cheapo and heavy stamped steel cogs.

Also swapped out the pedals (stock shimanos sucked, tiny mud collecting design that I could never get adjusted) and saddle (Specialized Alias 130 is a sweet cushion)

I think I'm pretty much content at this point, with the only other weak point being the wheels, already bent some spokes but they've stayed true to date. If I do them I'll probably go with either CrossMax SX/ST or a Stans Flows/Hope Pro 2 combo.

[skibumnh]

As much as I loved the pike, I've been doing a lot more lift served lately and was really looking for more travel up front to smooth things out. Picked up an 09 Lyrik off e-gay and threw it on last week. I haven't had a chance to get out on it yet, but I took some pics to highlight the angles throughout the adjustable travel range. I'll likely ride XC at around 130 and then crank all the way up for lift served. At the same weight as the pike, I think this fork further enhances the versatility of the bike without any real compromises when compared to the pike. Also replaced the original headset with a Cane Creek S3 - I can't believe there was a loose bb headset spec'd on a near $3k bike. Also switched to 22/32/FSA Bash and I'm running DMR V12 Mag's for DH riding.

The photo below shows the bike with the fork set at 160, 145, 130 and 115.

[monkeywrenchMoose]

Man, that looks sweet. Congrats on the new fork, you should keep us posted in this thread.

After my first full season of riding, I have some upgrades planned for next summer. Definitely getting some new brakes, the stock Hayes Stroker Rydes blow. Zero modulation + fade + finicky = teh suck. And a new wheelset. Ideally would like some King hubs laced to some high end DT swiss. We'll see. And some new grips, crashed the other day and ripped mine up.

[scrublover]

As much as I loved the pike, I've been doing a lot more lift served lately and was really looking for more travel up front to smooth things out. Picked up an 09 Lyrik off e-gay

Excellent! I swapped the Lyrik and parts from my prior frame onto my Pitch (only bought it to get the frame) and have been loving it ever since. IMO, it's tits with a 160mm fork. It climbs a bit slower that way, but I'm also riding where I don't have a ton of super long climbs, more short and steep stuff with lots of chunk. Works great there, though if living where longer climbs where prevalent, I'd likely swap the Solo Air over to U-turn coil, or see if I could get a working 2Step setup going.

[shredepicgnar]

the good news is that it's not a cannondale, so the creaking is probably a torque/fastener issue. my friend's enduro had a really bad creak, turned out that the bottom shock bolt was ridiculously tight. no noise since.

If it's not the seatpost/seat, I'd look at the shock hardware. then maybe give the rest of the pivots a once over?

[skibumnh]

Finally grabbed a scale. My pitch (as spec'd above) with a Lyrik weighs in at 30.85 lbs.