$4K Trail Bike

[John_B]

Ha, yeah, as tempting as this is, I'm gonna just use my ample ass to stop the post at the proper height.

Not to poopoo your idea but that is going to absolutely suck. Sell it before you use it as an unridden takeoff and then you'll lose a bit less money.

[toast2266]

Not to poopoo your idea but that is going to absolutely suck. Sell it before you use it as an unridden takeoff and then you'll lose a bit less money.

^^^ that.

[GeorgiaSnow]

Falcon3, where you located? I have a 185 bike yoke revive on my GG I got early this year and pretty sure I could fit a 213 if you want to swap.


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[Falcon3]

Falcon3, where you located? I have a 185 bike yoke revive on my GG I got early this year and pretty sure I could fit a 213 if you want to swap.

Thanks for the thought. I think I’m good, and I’ve currently just got the 160. Plus I’ve got a pile of Jenson gift cards what will get me a free OneUp 210.

[John_B]

Duffman swap posts with GeorgiaSnow. It's worth it!!!

[Duffman]

Turns out I'm a dumbass. It is the 185 Bike yoke dropper, I finally measured it when I got the bike home. Which actually makes my life harder now. At full extension the top of the Volt saddle is at 760mm. I really need about a cm less. Ugh.

[El Chupacabra]

Turns out I'm a dumbass. It is the 185 Bike yoke dropper, I finally measured it when I got the bike home. Which actually makes my life harder now. At full extension the top of the Volt saddle is at 760mm. I really need about a cm less. Ugh.

What's the crank arm length? A shorter crank forces a higher saddle height, so that could get you part way there. Maybe a lower profile saddle too?

[toast2266]

Turns out I'm a dumbass. It is the 185 Bike yoke dropper, I finally measured it when I got the bike home. Which actually makes my life harder now. At full extension the top of the Volt saddle is at 760mm. I really need about a cm less. Ugh.

What diameter is it? I have a 160 revive I could trade you.

[Bushwacka]

Just got the XL Ripley AF SLX from N+1 Bikes. Got the Blackbird Send rims coming on all the new bikes. My supply chain lottery wins were Ibis Carbon bars and SLX 4 pot brakes

Only problem slightly is I also got upgraded to the 213mm Bike Yoke dropper from the specified 185mm. At full insertion I am maybe a cm or so too high. Is there a way to lower the travel or should I just manually wing it. 200 would be money .

Get a one up 210mm and it will fit with no issue.

[Duffman]

What diameter is it? I have a 160 revive I could trade you.

31.6 I think. I'll check .

[Duffman]

So update here , with my actual old fairly thick SPD shoes on , the seat height is fine. I had gotten so used to a lower seat from constantly riding both my old road bike and my old Cannondale MTB with a kid seat on the front , that I had gotten used to a very low seat height ,a necessity when there is zero room to straddle the top tube with a 2-4.yo in front . Still trying to figure out stem height / handlebar roll and such but otherwise all good

The Ripley AF is a sweet ride so far. It's def not light and some of it (35mm alloy Blackbird Send Ibis rims ) are definitely overkill for my riding, ,but it's a hell of a package for the $3225 price , especially with the unexpected 4 pot brake and carbon riser bar upgrades. I see Backcountry.and a few other online vendors still have stock. ,highly recommended for those who want a shorter travel trail bike .

[singlesline]

Revel is doing 20% off Ranger, Rascal, & Rail 27.5s right now.

That puts the GX Eagle build of the Rascal at 4710 shipped, for what is seems like a pretty solid build. Just squeeze's in to the roughly 4k trail bike territory (no tax except in CO)

https://revelbikes.com/product/rascal/ with coupon code SEPT20

[MarcusBrody]

The Forbidden Druid SLX build (Z1 fork, Performance DPX2 is now on sale for $3919, which seems really good (the XT/Performance Elite build is $5020, which is also reasonable, but misses out on the thread's qualifiers).

[singlesline]

The Forbidden Druid SLX build (Z1 fork, Performance DPX2 is now on sale for $3919, which seems really good (the XT/Performance Elite build is $5020, which is also reasonable, but misses out on the thread's qualifiers).

Oooh, those seem tempting. Although I kinda want to hold out to see if Ibis does start dumping carbon Ripmo stock--maybe not the too good to be true 40%, but something solid.

Too bad the GX/XT builds don't go the full 30% off like SLX

[jackattack]

The Forbidden Druid SLX build (Z1 fork, Performance DPX2 is now on sale for $3919, which seems really good (the XT/Performance Elite build is $5020, which is also reasonable, but misses out on the thread's qualifiers).

XL only, other sizes are +$500

XT build on the way.

[El Chupacabra]

Privateer / Hunt just sent me an email with a sale announcement: they're including a set of carbon Hunt wheels with any bike purchase, in addition to the wheels that come with the bike.

Not necessarily a "$4K trail bike", but there are some good looking builds in the $4K range. IDK how much I'd want to pedal one uphill though.

[smmokan]

XL only, other sizes are +$500

XT build on the way.

Get the Cascade link for that baby.

[jackattack]

Get the Cascade link for that baby.

Sounds promising.

[smmokan]

Sounds promising.

Depending on what you ride, I'd also consider a -1* Works headset.

[davjr96]

Does anyone have any thoughts on the Rascal vs the Druid? Would be replacing a ripmo af as a single do it all trail bike for CA. Have't yet decided if either is a good idea, but both were on my shortlist even before the sales...

[singlesline]

Test rode a druid today in GX mullet spec (and just an around the block/through the grass at the playground test ride).

Was a small on me but did feel like it could it could capture that feeling of do it all of a similar nature to the Ripmo (but with a bit less travel front/back).

Doesn't come out super lightweight though. Shop owner who owns one cautioned a little against it for lots of pedaling up as some combination of the weight + chain drag from the idlers + geometry made it noticeable on long rides (but great for stuff like shuttled rides and he really does like the bike and the high pivot suspension). That kind of made me nervous about it as I'm looking for an almost do-it-all bike for the local terrain (basically do everything except when I might reach for my hardtail for fun).

I'm not trying to set speed records, but I do want to climb at a decent pace and not feel like I'm wasting energy.

[Andeh]

The Druid is super interesting to me, but I've managed to avoid impulse buying one. Its amount of travel coupled with the high pivot would let it erase bumps but still be poppy for my local trails. If they ever update the geometry a tad, my willpower will cease. IDGAF about the weight (my Megatrail is 35#) but I'm not OK with a 75* ST and 66 HT. I guess if I ever saw a used medium frame locally I'd be tempted too (with Cascade + Ziggy links, a coil, & angleset).

[toast2266]

Doesn't come out super lightweight though. Shop owner who owns one cautioned a little against it for lots of pedaling up as some combination of the weight + chain drag from the idlers + geometry made it noticeable on long rides (but great for stuff like shuttled rides and he really does like the bike and the high pivot suspension). That kind of made me nervous about it as I'm looking for an almost do-it-all bike for the local terrain (basically do everything except when I might reach for my hardtail for fun).

I haven't ridden the druid, but I own a high pivot bike (norco range). While the range is obviously in a different category, I'd generally agree with the shop owner's take - I don't think I'd want a high pivot as my do it all, pedal all over the place bike. More drag, more weight, and the drivetrain is much pickier about maintenance and cleanliness. I'm also a little less concerned about my shorter travel bike absolutely destroying descents, so the negatives of the idler / high pivot system kind of outweigh the benefit in that category, imo.

[jackattack]

Does the idler/chain guide setup really introduce that much drag? Like more than cuschcore inserts and dh-casing maxxxgrippp tires that the bros are all running these days?

Seems anecdotal to me, but it’s been a long time since I had a bike with a chain guide.

[toast2266]

At least on mine, the guide doesn't touch the chain, so no drag there. The idler has a little bit of drag, and it's more noticeable (meaning, it gets noisier) in higher torque situations. It's barely noticeable spinning up a mellow road climb. It's more noticeable on steep punchy climbs. It also gets worse if the chain's dirty or in need of lube.

It's more noticeable than adding an insert, but less noticeable than putting a maxxgrip in the rear.