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That was impressive. I was surprised he wasn’t on a Slayer
Go for it.. the Infinity EN solves all Enduro bike issues.. same hub, no adapters.., same stem.. low weight.. this one is the same I used on my canfield one.2... and the Spire with the CClink was 90% a DH bike.
Take a look at the Vaia you can start with the standard boost hub, and if you want later on, you can always add the DH adapter. I used to run a Dorado on my Evil, which is a great fork, don’t get me wrong, but the EXT is on another level. The build quality and performance are truly premium. I’d say the same about Intend, though I’ve only tested the single crown version. If your budget allows, definitely go for a double crown fork it’ll really boost your confidence on the bike.
Great looking bike and thank you for the info. I’ve being eyes the Intend. Have you damaged the lowers without the guards? My lowers are pretty good on my 38 but there are some scuffs.
Thank you. I’ll take a look at the EXT. hadn’t considered them.
nope, not a scratch.. shuttling with tailgates, trucks, riding bikepark etc.. but I think I may have not fallen on it yet ; )... after 1.5 years riding it..
Love seeing all the dual crown enduro rigs. This is a great thread.
Here is Kavenz VHP18 that I have since sold under the guise of “it’s too much bike for everyday riding”. And well that is certainly true in some aspect because it made every trail notable easier to ride, it is without a doubt my favourite bike to date. I miss it more often than not, and I will likely be bringing it back to life in some form with my current Kavenz VHPG gearbox frame. It handled everything from bike park laps here in BC to 1000m climbing days no problem. Was it a bit slower on the climbs? Absolutely. But I never found it to be a handful compared to other enduro bikes. And it truly was notably more capable on the descents when compared to a single crown setup. Setup with Mx wheels, 180mm rear, 200mm front and ~38.5lbs.
Wow, amazing looking bike!
This is crazy good!! I would love to try a gearbox bike from Kavenz 😁. I used to run an Arma v3 on my Insurgent and the Dorado, that setup was really plush.
Me too! Love the dual crown setup on mine.
My original V5 set up for park 180r/200f, dropper post, 10-42t 11sp.
This year I got the G2 so my V5 went back to 160r/160f. High leverage link bumped it to 200r/200f. Ran the +10 and +20mm dropouts and really enjoyed the longer rear end. 9sp SmartShift Pinion, super quiet and planted like my e-bike. This bike eats.
My buddy runs a Crestline setup similarly.
Oh, I did also try the Boxxer on my Reign E+ - great going down (duh) but the monster head/down tubes on that bike didn’t work great with the dual crown on tighter trails so I went back to the 180mm Zeb. Might try it on my next e-bike if it’s a bit slimmer.
Did you're buddy just slap a dropper and 12 speed cassette on the Crestline DH bike and start pedaling? He have any insight on it?
I think pretty much - it's got an 80d seat tube angle so the pedaling position is good. It just has to run an electronic dropper due to routing/insertion limits. I know he's run both 29 and 27 rear, and occasionally a single crown fork for pedal laps at home. Can't remember if he has different shock links for it, I think Cascade used to do some shorter travel links, but I know he's run various strokes.
This thread is reminding me of that one time Brian Cahal put 12spd and an axs dropper on his Phoenix for some enduro races
That is one sick bike!
Do you find there to be a pretty notable difference between the rocker links? Obviously the gearbox makes a pretty big change in ride feel so might be harder to tease out the leverage rate changes in isolation.
I really do think that for bigger travel bikes like this, the gearbox is a game changer. It definitely adds to the stability of the bike, while still be able to climb, and removing the derailleur off the back for suspension performance and bike park durability are all huge wins in my book.
Wow, that is a very cool setup!
How does the gearbox + chain combo feel? It seems like every review is always set up with a belt. The chain seems like the better option to me, though.
Also, having owned the same bike with a gearbox and a derailleur is a pretty neat experiment. Does the gearbox add appreciable drag, in your experience? I know the bikes are setup with different travels and whatnot, but I would love to hear your comparisons, if you are inclined to share them.
Either way, congrats on the sick bike stable!
Shit, I quoted the wrong post. Haha.
I did the same thing with mine. Originally had two setups, a single crown and a short stroked shock. Eventually just left it in full DH mode as it really wasn’t any worse to climb on.
This thread brings back good and bad memories of riding my first "real" mtb. A 2012 Giant Glory 2 with an external routed dropper, and Shimano 11-46 gearing, Coil Fox 40 and CCDB shock. I rode that bike uphill, downhill, bike path, didn't matter lol. I would always Add preload and compression damping to the rear shock, and remove preload and comp from the fork while climbing, to change the dynamic sag and make climbing a little less horrible. I did a full loop at Soquel Demo about 5 times, and You See SC a bunch on that bike. People were always so stoked for me on the climbs, and that always helped me power up the hill, even though I like to think of myself as pretty stoic.
Anyways, I do remember a few uphill switchbacks always being a challenge on that bike. Especially in the wet, when I couldn't carry as much speed and use lean angle to make it through easy. I always wondered.. Would Dual Crown steering radius be significantly better if it was a metal/metal, crown to downtube mounted stopper affair like on Motos? or is the better steering radius of motos more. a function of steering offset? If it's the former, I feel like we need a new standard for dual crown forks, and frames designed for dual crowns.
Yeah I feel like the belt drive positives (quiet, low maintenance) don't outweigh the negatives (belts breaking/derailling, parts availability, mud performance, etc). The chain setup seems simpler to me but I've never had a belt bike, I've only ridden one around a bit that was way too big for me (Adam Prosise's one-off Reeb Brewser). I always run a waxed chain on all my bikes, helps a lot with the HP idler bikes especially.
Gearbox drag is definitely a thing, but for my long travel bike I think the tradeoff in durability, weight distribution, and suspension performance is worth it. I've pedalled big (5000ft+ vert) days on it and while it's not ideal it's totally doable, though it probably depends on where you sit W/kg wise in your riding group or how much of a hurry you're in. The drag is probably less than going from a trail to DH tire setup. I have the 9sp Pinion, it I were really pedalling it a lot I'd want the 12sp, not so much for the added range but for the smaller jumps between gears.
I don't think I've ridden the links back to back on the same bike so it's hard for me to say. I did have to bump up a spring rate when I swapped due to the extra leverage. I'm fairly light at 155lbs so spring rates are still reasonable, I think I'm running a 400lb/in.
Right on, man. Thanks for sharing your insights.
Now I'd like to see the same test, but with the Phoenix v5. I'm considering adding a dropper post to my v5. I also have a cassette and rear derailleur, but I don’t think an X12 will fit.
Before I (won lottery) go and buy a Raaw Madonna or a Kavenz VHP16 as a second bike for my enduro trips, I need to make the most of my current Mondraker Summum. Here’s my plan to adapt it for enduro riding:
- Install a Dropzone Dropper Post (31.6mm x 385mm / 125mm) with a lever-operated mechanism.
- Modifiy current Shimano Saint 10-speed derailleurfrom downhill to freeride mode to allow for a wider cassette.
- Replace the Shimano CS-HG500-10 cassette with a larger range, moving from 11-25 to 11-34.
Unfortunately, there’s not much I can do with the existing Fox suspension, as it doesn’t support any locking mechanism. While I could consider changing the rear shock to something like an EXT with a lock, that might be a bit over my budget.
What do you think about this cheapskatish idea? This is my silly idea to use Summum for example on March in Finale Ligure 🙃
I'm so curious about that kavenz, how high pivot does it feel? I can't say I'm in love with the suspension feel of my session, but hearing my friends zerode make zero noise is so appealing.
Depending on the exact suspension u are using going up in spring rate and progression will mimic Enduro bike setup fairly easily for little to no extra cost. Saint mech can deal with 36t cassette just fine too. Slide the saddle forward and nose down, and you are good to go.
It will only work if you take pictures.
^^^this.
I was tired of running an axle adapter on my Ohlins 38DH and since I had to move some wheels around my bikes so got a new front wheel with a hub that can do both 20mm and 15mm. Going forward this will be something I'll always do for my front wheels. Shame not more hubs can do that but at least there are a couple options (Hope, Race Face, Tairin).
I’m seeing this a little late, but could probably chin in on the topic - a Saint mech can take more than a 36t cog, I’ve seen people using it on a 40t. I’ve also seen a guy running a Zee mech on a 42t cog, this was the limit!
Pretty sure that a Saint can work on an 11-40 cassette problem-free. 
With a One Up cage, yes. I have one.
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