Mezzer CSU?

[sethschmautz]

Hey guys,

Bought a Manitou Mezzer Pro a year or so ago with 51mm offset. That was all that was available at the time and it matched what was stock for the hightower V1 that it went on. I'm thinking about swapping frames over the winter to an Esker Rowl that comes standard/designed around a 44mm offset fork. Anybody know whether it's possible to just buy a new CSU with 44mm offset and estimate for price?

Is it even worthwhile to do this?

The new frame with come with a Suntour Durolux fork. Anybody have time on this and can compare to the Mezzer Pro?

Seth

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[frorider]

Sure you can get a new CSU, although supply chain issues have impacted availability last I heard.

[rideit]

Close, but all of the options are in grey-scale, so who the hell knows.
Ahhh…’22 will be an interesting year.

https://hayesbicycle.com/products/mezzercrown_z

[Kopi_Red]

If I were in the OP's shoes I'd just run it as is with the 51mm offset and not worry about it. Once the CSU becomes available it might be interesting to purchase one with the shorter offset to see if there's actually a noticable difference between the two but don't let it stop you from buying and enjoying a new bike.

[toast2266]

^^^ agreed.

The importance of reduced offset forks is heavily overblown. But it was a very effective way to get the public to buy a bunch of new shit.

[frorider]

If I were in the OP's shoes I'd just run it as is with the 51mm offset and not worry about it. Once the CSU becomes available it might be interesting to purchase one with the shorter offset to see if there's actually a noticable difference between the two but don't let it stop you from buying and enjoying a new bike.

Agree. I didn’t sense he might let this impact his buying decision…but yeah.

I have demo’d various bikes with similar setup other than offset. IME I noticed a subtle advantage with reduced offset 29 fork on flat corners on mellow terrain and uphill switchbacks. Felt slightly more planted up front, less wheel flop as you’d expect, but I only notice it in certain situations. .

But even though the trail spec is theoretically ‘wrong’ when you combine modern slack HA and long offset, there are definitely sponsored riders who prefer the longer offset for steep descents, slabs etc.

[funkendrenchman]

Sure you can get a new CSU, although supply chain issues have impacted availability last I heard.

I haven't been able to find one. I've been looking since September. I just bought a new fork and sold my creaky one.

[sethschmautz]

Thanks for the input. I haven't been able to ride the same fork with different offsets so I appreciate the real world experience. The only comparison I have is a Mezzer w/ 51mm on my v1 Hightower vs the Fox 36 w/ 44mm offset on my wife's Rowl. Geo is very different on these bikes and it's hard for me to determine how much of what I was feeling can be attributed to the fork offset. Certainly wasn't planning on letting this get in the way of the frame purchase.

I am curious to know if anybody has any time on the Suntour Durolux fork? The frame will likely come with that fork as part of the build kit and I'll likely try to turn it around and sell it before I get a chance to ride it in the spring.

[D(C)]

During a CSU warranty, I switched from 51 to 44 offset on my previous Chromag Rootdown (64 degree head angle). There's lots of talk of things like trail, but I mostly noticed the difference in front-centre. The long offset fork made the bike feel more raked out, similar to a slacker head angle. The short offset made it easier to get the front wheel to bite in corners, likely as a result of having the contact patch farther back and closer to my centre of mass.

One the flip side, I had a 2019 Devinci Troy with 170 mm 42 offset Lyrik, putting the head angle around 65. Coming off my previous Norco Range 29, which had a 65 degree head angle with 51 offset fork, the Troy felt a bit twitchy, like the front wheel wanted to tuck under in corners. My hypothesis after that is that the shorter offset pairs well with a slack head angle. The discussion in this article does a pretty good job at summing up what I felt: https://nsmb.com/articles/2018-ibis-ripmo-reviewed/

I don't think one offset is better than the other, but there are definitely noticeable differences.

[toast2266]

During a CSU warranty, I switched from 51 to 44 offset on my previous Chromag Rootdown (64 degree head angle). There's lots of talk of things like trail, but I mostly noticed the difference in front-centre. The long offset fork made the bike feel more raked out, similar to a slacker head angle. The short offset made it easier to get the front wheel to bite in corners, likely as a result of having the contact patch farther back and closer to my centre of mass.

One the flip side, I had a 2019 Devinci Troy with 170 mm 42 offset Lyrik, putting the head angle around 65. Coming off my previous Norco Range 29, which had a 65 degree head angle with 51 offset fork, the Troy felt a bit twitchy, like the front wheel wanted to tuck under in corners. My hypothesis after that is that the shorter offset pairs well with a slack head angle. The discussion in this article does a pretty good job at summing up what I felt: https://nsmb.com/articles/2018-ibis-ripmo-reviewed/

I don't think one offset is better than the other, but there are definitely noticeable differences.

That's been roughly my experience as well. For straight line plowing, I like the longer offset. For railing corners, I like the shorter offset. So I just need to swap the CSU out everytime the trail goes from twisty to straight.

In addition to the head angle thing, I also think the longer offsets work a little better on bikes with (relatively) shorter reach measurements for the same reason. Shorter reach means you're riding over the front of the bike more, so having the wheel a little further out in front helps.

[Boissal]

Last time I serviced the lowers on my Mezzer I may or may not have re-mounted it backwards, giving it an effective offset of -51 mm. I may or may not have ridden a few times before a buddy pointed out that my fork looked even weirder than usual.
The entire time I may or may not have been riding a negative offset fork I didn't notice anything particularly noteworthy in the handling of my bike.

The above may be factual or fictitious but I'm now convinced that agonizing over fork offset is one of the bigger wastes of time in mountain biking.

[sethschmautz]

Last time I serviced the lowers on my Mezzer I may or may not have re-mounted it backwards, giving it an effective offset of -51 mm. I may or may not have ridden a few times before a buddy pointed out that my fork looked even weirder than usual.
The entire time I may or may not have been riding a negative offset fork I didn't notice anything particularly noteworthy in the handling of my bike.

The above may be factual or fictitious but I'm now convinced that agonizing over fork offset is one of the bigger wastes of time in mountain biking.

This is my favorite post. Thanks for the input.

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[HAB]

So I just need to swap the CSU out everytime the trail goes from twisty to straight.

You're not thinking big enough — remote adjustable offset, with a handlebar lever. Because making CSUs not creak isn't enough of an issue yet.

[toast2266]

You're not thinking big enough — remote adjustable offset, with a handlebar lever. Because making CSUs not creak isn't enough of an issue yet.

I think adjustable offset could be integrated into the trust fork linkage pretty easily. I sense a second coming of that company.

[Dantheman]

Last time I serviced the lowers on my Mezzer I may or may not have re-mounted it backwards, giving it an effective offset of -51 mm. I may or may not have ridden a few times before a buddy pointed out that my fork looked even weirder than usual.
The entire time I may or may not have been riding a negative offset fork I didn't notice anything particularly noteworthy in the handling of my bike.

The above may be factual or fictitious but I'm now convinced that agonizing over fork offset is one of the bigger wastes of time in mountain biking.

This made my day.

[cydwhit]

You're not thinking big enough — remote adjustable offset, with a handlebar lever. Because making CSUs not creak isn't enough of an issue yet.

Nah, we just need a quick release stem like on the old Honda Trail 90's. That way you can climb with your fork backwards for the ultimate in short wheelbase tight switchback climbing, and flip it back 'round for the descents. Also makes handlebar rub on shuttle racks a thing of the past.

[funkendrenchman]

I have a NIB CSU if anyone is looking. They are out of stock on the website.

[Eluder]

I have a NIB CSU if anyone is looking. They are out of stock on the website.

Negative 51mm offset?

[funkendrenchman]

Positive 44mm

[sethschmautz]

How much are you asking?

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[funkendrenchman]

How much are you asking?

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$225 shipped.

[Kopi_Red]

That’s definitely intriguing. A while back small sharp rock got thrown and got caught on the inside of the reverse arch. It subsequently scratched the hell out of my right stanchion on my Mezzer…

[Boissal]

^^ I've had good luck with very careful sanding followed by nail polish for small scratches, or very flowy epoxy for a deeper one. Sanding the epoxy down was a HUGE pain though. Nail polish sands down really easily.
Worth a shot before going to the new CSU maybe? My fix has lasted for almost 1000 miles now and when I last opened the fork the oil was equally dirty in both legs and the seals on the scratched side didn't look any worse than on the good side.