my hot take is that just seeing you actually wearing a neck protector means that you have a brain and use it, so I'm much more...
my hot take is that just seeing you actually wearing a neck protector means that you have a brain and use it, so I'm much more inclined to go with your takes whether fashion- or trail-related.
I've had one for years but didn't wear it the last few... This year I wore it on everything except for the top of the world cruise run we did. Honestly, I can't believe I haven't been wearing it the past few years. You start to tell yourself that you're old and you don't go big any more so why do I need this thing. Well, shit happens and as we know, it mostly happens when you're just 'taking it easy'.
I bought myself a new leatt spine protector that I can wear outside of my jersey that interfaces with the neck brace so that it can go back to a regular fixture for when I'm in the bike park. Seeing the dudes on the adaptive mtb's is humbling... I'm not sure I would have the guts, courage or strength to follow through like that. That being the case, the least I can do is to try and take any precaution available.
Hurry up and make inflatable protection affordable to the masses A*.
@DServy sums it up nicely. I actually rode 3 bikes on this trip, 1 heavily modified enduro bike (XL nomad 6) and 2 dh bikes...
@DServy sums it up nicely. I actually rode 3 bikes on this trip, 1 heavily modified enduro bike (XL nomad 6) and 2 dh bikes (L TR11 - L V10), so I got a pretty good chance to directly compare a 175/180 enduro bike to a dh bike. Further helping the comparison, is that WBP is in the worst shape this year for end of July then it has been for the last 6.
My nomad 6. Kitchen sink thrown at it. 11.6, Cascade link, smashpot, ochain, DH Rear - DD front, etc etc. Large 2026 TR11 Courtesy of Evo SportsL V10 Courtesy of Evo Sports
Overall, I'd say that a DH bike at the bike park is the move. I've only ridden 1 dh bike (a previous gen, 2022 tr11 for a day up at mammoth) since I got rid of my 2015 giant glory. That wasn't a great measure of what a dh bike is capable of, because mammoth is a place that saps speed quickly, so other then dc10/bullit, you're better off on an enduro bike.
I digress... turns out, dh bikes have come a long way and they are beyond sick. Don't get me wrong, my nomad is measurably more capable then my skills are. It is absolutely enough bike for the park to keep me happy riding all day and in everything but the worst conditions. Where it starts to show up however, is how you feel at the end of the day or riding multiple days in a row.
Going directly from a capable enduro bike to a dh bike is like turning on a cheat code in the middle of playing a video game to slow things down by 25-50%. There is a huge difference in how confident you are pushing the bike, over jumping things and landing to flat, hammering into braking bumps like they aren't there and judging your speed for anything you find in the park. With the enduro bike, you don't notice it, but you need to be on your stuff pretty much all the time. With the DH bike, next thing you know you're just going 'trail speed' and letting go and taking things as they come and riding things comfortably. Once you make a huge mistake and the DH bike basically saves you... you realize just how much work the bike is doing.
So... DH bike is for sure the move for me. The Enduro bike is absolutely fine for blue trails, single blacks and most of the jump trails. The single blacks that are in really hammered conditions, double blacks and braking bumps are where the DH bike starts proving it's worth... that and multiple days in a row with regards to how your body feels.
I have no reason to own a DH bike, I do at most 10-12 days in a bike park a year... but this last experience on a dh bike in the WBP, has me considering building one up this off season for my trip next year.
V10 vs TR11
That being said... I wouldn't necessarily say that any DH bike is universally better. On top of that depending on how particular you are about bike setup/condition rental bikes can be hit or miss. In my case, I started with the TR11, got it all setup to my liking and then promptly blew a rear wheel up towards the end of the first day, and half way through the second day I blew up the vivid air shock on it. I then got switched to a v10 and had to start all over on setup for the next 2 days.
One of the more interesting things for me was that despite being a healthy SC fanboy, I did not prefer the v10 to the tr11. Part of that was the suspension and the setup, but the other part was that the v10 rode like my nomad with a bit more capability if you were riding it below the limit. Once you started to ride it really hard, it didn't get more comfortable... but it did slip into it's element and encouraged riding it harder and harder. The V10 is composed, supportive and very communicative to the rider. You know exactly how much ultimate grip there is and where you are at within that window, you know exactly what the suspension is doing and how much you have left and you have this complete sense of having all of the information you need to keep pushing... even if it's not 'comfortable' or soft. This is sorta the ethos of a pure bread race bike and to me, the v10 rode like exactly that.
the TR11 on the other hand, is an absolute trophy truck of a bike and a true trouble maker. It rode in the middle of the travel other than when I was banging pedals on the ground, I had little idea on where the rear suspension was at and how much capability the bike and I had left. That being said, it was completely erasing bumps, encouraging absolute hooliganism and gloating you on with a feeling of 'is that all of you've got'? It was a simple bike to figure out, with simple manners and a ton of capability. It was very consistent and easy to swing off of and correct lines mid corner and it did not require riding at the limit or man handling to get the most out of it.
Part of this is obviously down to the difference in suspension RS for the TR11 vs Fox for the v10. It seems to me, in the current generation that the fox 40 in particular is very stiff, tracks well and accurately, but it is anything but compliant/comfortable. The boxxer however, is gushy and willing to give up any/all travel and the same thing goes for the vivid air. The butter cups, linear xl air spring and the air annex seem to be doing their job. Obviously both bikes were over due for service compared to where I would keep them, and I also have a hunch that the rockshox stuff does a bit better at dealing with overrun service intervals.
I digress... I was surprised how much I preferred the TR11 to the v10 and how much I preferred the Rockshox product to the Fox product. I was also surprised that I am less picky about bike condition and a few other things that I anticipated. On my own bikes, I will obsess over bar roll, brake lever angle, suspension setup etc. While I spent a good deal of time dialing the suspension in... I basically just got on these bikes and rode them and slowly worked my way to getting them dialed in.
I do have to give a shoutout to Evo sports. I'm not generally a big/chain bike shop type of guy, but the guys at evo were great to deal with and were patient with me me hammering on their bikes. The rear wheel destruction was technically my fault, but they identified me as at least having compassion for the position I put them in and they worked their ass off to get me back on the bike and rolling again.
Huge missed opportunity to actually ride a bike set up for you. EVO sucks ass and doesn’t set up the bike at all for you and is the most expensive place. EVOLUTION will get you set up for less money on bikes they take care off. V10 BLOWS the tr-11 out of the water
@DServy sums it up nicely. I actually rode 3 bikes on this trip, 1 heavily modified enduro bike (XL nomad 6) and 2 dh bikes...
@DServy sums it up nicely. I actually rode 3 bikes on this trip, 1 heavily modified enduro bike (XL nomad 6) and 2 dh bikes (L TR11 - L V10), so I got a pretty good chance to directly compare a 175/180 enduro bike to a dh bike. Further helping the comparison, is that WBP is in the worst shape this year for end of July then it has been for the last 6.
My nomad 6. Kitchen sink thrown at it. 11.6, Cascade link, smashpot, ochain, DH Rear - DD front, etc etc. Large 2026 TR11 Courtesy of Evo SportsL V10 Courtesy of Evo Sports
Overall, I'd say that a DH bike at the bike park is the move. I've only ridden 1 dh bike (a previous gen, 2022 tr11 for a day up at mammoth) since I got rid of my 2015 giant glory. That wasn't a great measure of what a dh bike is capable of, because mammoth is a place that saps speed quickly, so other then dc10/bullit, you're better off on an enduro bike.
I digress... turns out, dh bikes have come a long way and they are beyond sick. Don't get me wrong, my nomad is measurably more capable then my skills are. It is absolutely enough bike for the park to keep me happy riding all day and in everything but the worst conditions. Where it starts to show up however, is how you feel at the end of the day or riding multiple days in a row.
Going directly from a capable enduro bike to a dh bike is like turning on a cheat code in the middle of playing a video game to slow things down by 25-50%. There is a huge difference in how confident you are pushing the bike, over jumping things and landing to flat, hammering into braking bumps like they aren't there and judging your speed for anything you find in the park. With the enduro bike, you don't notice it, but you need to be on your stuff pretty much all the time. With the DH bike, next thing you know you're just going 'trail speed' and letting go and taking things as they come and riding things comfortably. Once you make a huge mistake and the DH bike basically saves you... you realize just how much work the bike is doing.
So... DH bike is for sure the move for me. The Enduro bike is absolutely fine for blue trails, single blacks and most of the jump trails. The single blacks that are in really hammered conditions, double blacks and braking bumps are where the DH bike starts proving it's worth... that and multiple days in a row with regards to how your body feels.
I have no reason to own a DH bike, I do at most 10-12 days in a bike park a year... but this last experience on a dh bike in the WBP, has me considering building one up this off season for my trip next year.
V10 vs TR11
That being said... I wouldn't necessarily say that any DH bike is universally better. On top of that depending on how particular you are about bike setup/condition rental bikes can be hit or miss. In my case, I started with the TR11, got it all setup to my liking and then promptly blew a rear wheel up towards the end of the first day, and half way through the second day I blew up the vivid air shock on it. I then got switched to a v10 and had to start all over on setup for the next 2 days.
One of the more interesting things for me was that despite being a healthy SC fanboy, I did not prefer the v10 to the tr11. Part of that was the suspension and the setup, but the other part was that the v10 rode like my nomad with a bit more capability if you were riding it below the limit. Once you started to ride it really hard, it didn't get more comfortable... but it did slip into it's element and encouraged riding it harder and harder. The V10 is composed, supportive and very communicative to the rider. You know exactly how much ultimate grip there is and where you are at within that window, you know exactly what the suspension is doing and how much you have left and you have this complete sense of having all of the information you need to keep pushing... even if it's not 'comfortable' or soft. This is sorta the ethos of a pure bread race bike and to me, the v10 rode like exactly that.
the TR11 on the other hand, is an absolute trophy truck of a bike and a true trouble maker. It rode in the middle of the travel other than when I was banging pedals on the ground, I had little idea on where the rear suspension was at and how much capability the bike and I had left. That being said, it was completely erasing bumps, encouraging absolute hooliganism and gloating you on with a feeling of 'is that all of you've got'? It was a simple bike to figure out, with simple manners and a ton of capability. It was very consistent and easy to swing off of and correct lines mid corner and it did not require riding at the limit or man handling to get the most out of it.
Part of this is obviously down to the difference in suspension RS for the TR11 vs Fox for the v10. It seems to me, in the current generation that the fox 40 in particular is very stiff, tracks well and accurately, but it is anything but compliant/comfortable. The boxxer however, is gushy and willing to give up any/all travel and the same thing goes for the vivid air. The butter cups, linear xl air spring and the air annex seem to be doing their job. Obviously both bikes were over due for service compared to where I would keep them, and I also have a hunch that the rockshox stuff does a bit better at dealing with overrun service intervals.
I digress... I was surprised how much I preferred the TR11 to the v10 and how much I preferred the Rockshox product to the Fox product. I was also surprised that I am less picky about bike condition and a few other things that I anticipated. On my own bikes, I will obsess over bar roll, brake lever angle, suspension setup etc. While I spent a good deal of time dialing the suspension in... I basically just got on these bikes and rode them and slowly worked my way to getting them dialed in.
I do have to give a shoutout to Evo sports. I'm not generally a big/chain bike shop type of guy, but the guys at evo were great to deal with and were patient with me me hammering on their bikes. The rear wheel destruction was technically my fault, but they identified me as at least having compassion for the position I put them in and they worked their ass off to get me back on the bike and rolling again.
Huge missed opportunity to actually ride a bike set up for you. EVO sucks ass and doesn’t set up the bike at all for you and...
Huge missed opportunity to actually ride a bike set up for you. EVO sucks ass and doesn’t set up the bike at all for you and is the most expensive place. EVOLUTION will get you set up for less money on bikes they take care off. V10 BLOWS the tr-11 out of the water
They did the basic setup and both bikes were delivered to me with the transition and santa cruz prescribed setups. TBH, that didn't matter much for me because I always have to do some tweaking off of baseline settings no matter the bike.
I didn't really have much choice of where to grab a bike from... when you're in the middle of your trip and in the middle of the day, trying to find a bike to ride immediately, you go with whatever is available. I have no doubt that there are better shops, I typically deal with Arbutus Routes when I'm in town... in this case I got a bike from whomever had one right now.
As for one bike blowing the other out of the water... I guess everyone has their own opinions. I wanted to like the v10 more then the tr11... but for non-racing applications the tr11 is an easier bike to get on and ride. It was easier to setup, more forgiving, far less stiff and rather agnostic to mediocre riding. I have no doubt that I could setup the v10 to suit me very well... I have my n6, ht4 and bullit setup perfectly. That being said, with the frame stiffness the v10 has, it's going to always be some version of a scalpel where the tr11 is always going to remain some sort of hammer. Both can take things apart quickly into pieces and there are different reasons why certain people would prefer certain tools for the job.
Dusty's bar in creekside is the best of the resort restaurants... Typically I wouldn't recommend any of these, but this spot is quiet and the people that work there are nicer then other spots. They have a decent appetizer menu that's less expensive then other resort based restaurants and the chicken wings are pretty good.
You lost me there. They put BBQ sauce on nachos. That's unforgiveable.
@DServy sums it up nicely. I actually rode 3 bikes on this trip, 1 heavily modified enduro bike (XL nomad 6) and 2 dh bikes...
@DServy sums it up nicely. I actually rode 3 bikes on this trip, 1 heavily modified enduro bike (XL nomad 6) and 2 dh bikes (L TR11 - L V10), so I got a pretty good chance to directly compare a 175/180 enduro bike to a dh bike. Further helping the comparison, is that WBP is in the worst shape this year for end of July then it has been for the last 6.
My nomad 6. Kitchen sink thrown at it. 11.6, Cascade link, smashpot, ochain, DH Rear - DD front, etc etc. Large 2026 TR11 Courtesy of Evo SportsL V10 Courtesy of Evo Sports
Overall, I'd say that a DH bike at the bike park is the move. I've only ridden 1 dh bike (a previous gen, 2022 tr11 for a day up at mammoth) since I got rid of my 2015 giant glory. That wasn't a great measure of what a dh bike is capable of, because mammoth is a place that saps speed quickly, so other then dc10/bullit, you're better off on an enduro bike.
I digress... turns out, dh bikes have come a long way and they are beyond sick. Don't get me wrong, my nomad is measurably more capable then my skills are. It is absolutely enough bike for the park to keep me happy riding all day and in everything but the worst conditions. Where it starts to show up however, is how you feel at the end of the day or riding multiple days in a row.
Going directly from a capable enduro bike to a dh bike is like turning on a cheat code in the middle of playing a video game to slow things down by 25-50%. There is a huge difference in how confident you are pushing the bike, over jumping things and landing to flat, hammering into braking bumps like they aren't there and judging your speed for anything you find in the park. With the enduro bike, you don't notice it, but you need to be on your stuff pretty much all the time. With the DH bike, next thing you know you're just going 'trail speed' and letting go and taking things as they come and riding things comfortably. Once you make a huge mistake and the DH bike basically saves you... you realize just how much work the bike is doing.
So... DH bike is for sure the move for me. The Enduro bike is absolutely fine for blue trails, single blacks and most of the jump trails. The single blacks that are in really hammered conditions, double blacks and braking bumps are where the DH bike starts proving it's worth... that and multiple days in a row with regards to how your body feels.
I have no reason to own a DH bike, I do at most 10-12 days in a bike park a year... but this last experience on a dh bike in the WBP, has me considering building one up this off season for my trip next year.
V10 vs TR11
That being said... I wouldn't necessarily say that any DH bike is universally better. On top of that depending on how particular you are about bike setup/condition rental bikes can be hit or miss. In my case, I started with the TR11, got it all setup to my liking and then promptly blew a rear wheel up towards the end of the first day, and half way through the second day I blew up the vivid air shock on it. I then got switched to a v10 and had to start all over on setup for the next 2 days.
One of the more interesting things for me was that despite being a healthy SC fanboy, I did not prefer the v10 to the tr11. Part of that was the suspension and the setup, but the other part was that the v10 rode like my nomad with a bit more capability if you were riding it below the limit. Once you started to ride it really hard, it didn't get more comfortable... but it did slip into it's element and encouraged riding it harder and harder. The V10 is composed, supportive and very communicative to the rider. You know exactly how much ultimate grip there is and where you are at within that window, you know exactly what the suspension is doing and how much you have left and you have this complete sense of having all of the information you need to keep pushing... even if it's not 'comfortable' or soft. This is sorta the ethos of a pure bread race bike and to me, the v10 rode like exactly that.
the TR11 on the other hand, is an absolute trophy truck of a bike and a true trouble maker. It rode in the middle of the travel other than when I was banging pedals on the ground, I had little idea on where the rear suspension was at and how much capability the bike and I had left. That being said, it was completely erasing bumps, encouraging absolute hooliganism and gloating you on with a feeling of 'is that all of you've got'? It was a simple bike to figure out, with simple manners and a ton of capability. It was very consistent and easy to swing off of and correct lines mid corner and it did not require riding at the limit or man handling to get the most out of it.
Part of this is obviously down to the difference in suspension RS for the TR11 vs Fox for the v10. It seems to me, in the current generation that the fox 40 in particular is very stiff, tracks well and accurately, but it is anything but compliant/comfortable. The boxxer however, is gushy and willing to give up any/all travel and the same thing goes for the vivid air. The butter cups, linear xl air spring and the air annex seem to be doing their job. Obviously both bikes were over due for service compared to where I would keep them, and I also have a hunch that the rockshox stuff does a bit better at dealing with overrun service intervals.
I digress... I was surprised how much I preferred the TR11 to the v10 and how much I preferred the Rockshox product to the Fox product. I was also surprised that I am less picky about bike condition and a few other things that I anticipated. On my own bikes, I will obsess over bar roll, brake lever angle, suspension setup etc. While I spent a good deal of time dialing the suspension in... I basically just got on these bikes and rode them and slowly worked my way to getting them dialed in.
I do have to give a shoutout to Evo sports. I'm not generally a big/chain bike shop type of guy, but the guys at evo were great to deal with and were patient with me me hammering on their bikes. The rear wheel destruction was technically my fault, but they identified me as at least having compassion for the position I put them in and they worked their ass off to get me back on the bike and rolling again.
Huge missed opportunity to actually ride a bike set up for you. EVO sucks ass and doesn’t set up the bike at all for you and...
Huge missed opportunity to actually ride a bike set up for you. EVO sucks ass and doesn’t set up the bike at all for you and is the most expensive place. EVOLUTION will get you set up for less money on bikes they take care off. V10 BLOWS the tr-11 out of the water
They did the basic setup and both bikes were delivered to me with the transition and santa cruz prescribed setups. TBH, that didn't matter much for...
They did the basic setup and both bikes were delivered to me with the transition and santa cruz prescribed setups. TBH, that didn't matter much for me because I always have to do some tweaking off of baseline settings no matter the bike.
I didn't really have much choice of where to grab a bike from... when you're in the middle of your trip and in the middle of the day, trying to find a bike to ride immediately, you go with whatever is available. I have no doubt that there are better shops, I typically deal with Arbutus Routes when I'm in town... in this case I got a bike from whomever had one right now.
As for one bike blowing the other out of the water... I guess everyone has their own opinions. I wanted to like the v10 more then the tr11... but for non-racing applications the tr11 is an easier bike to get on and ride. It was easier to setup, more forgiving, far less stiff and rather agnostic to mediocre riding. I have no doubt that I could setup the v10 to suit me very well... I have my n6, ht4 and bullit setup perfectly. That being said, with the frame stiffness the v10 has, it's going to always be some version of a scalpel where the tr11 is always going to remain some sort of hammer. Both can take things apart quickly into pieces and there are different reasons why certain people would prefer certain tools for the job.
For what it's worth your experience with the new TR11 and the new RS suspension tracks pretty well with what I've seen. I got my wife a TR11 in the S size and she's a good rider, but wanted a couch with some wheels attached over a lap time hunting machine. I wasn't sure she would ever find bottom on the new boxxer without having to run a stupid amount of sag, but to RS credit she's able to use full travel when appropriate and run the recommended PSI.
As for my fox 40. I love the thing but it is for sure ment to go fast and pushed hard, however it could never be the lazy couch that the RS stuff can be.
my hot take is that just seeing you actually wearing a neck protector means that you have a brain and use it, so I'm much more...
my hot take is that just seeing you actually wearing a neck protector means that you have a brain and use it, so I'm much more inclined to go with your takes whether fashion- or trail-related.
I've had one for years but didn't wear it the last few... This year I wore it on everything except for the top of the world...
I've had one for years but didn't wear it the last few... This year I wore it on everything except for the top of the world cruise run we did. Honestly, I can't believe I haven't been wearing it the past few years. You start to tell yourself that you're old and you don't go big any more so why do I need this thing. Well, shit happens and as we know, it mostly happens when you're just 'taking it easy'.
I bought myself a new leatt spine protector that I can wear outside of my jersey that interfaces with the neck brace so that it can go back to a regular fixture for when I'm in the bike park. Seeing the dudes on the adaptive mtb's is humbling... I'm not sure I would have the guts, courage or strength to follow through like that. That being the case, the least I can do is to try and take any precaution available.
Hurry up and make inflatable protection affordable to the masses A*.
Respectfully, were you able to change rear spring rate on both bikes? I can see that the V10 has a coil, but I can't tell on the TR11 because the shock is behind your leg.
I ask because one of the worst days of bike riding in my life was when I rented a V10 from a shop in Creekside (maybe Coastal Culture Sports? I can't remember) that had a coil rear shock. I hadn't ridden a DH bike in years at that point and had been loving my XL 29" Megatower, so I was excited to see what a proper length downhill bike with dual 29" wheels would feel like in the bike park. I was up there with my lady friend for vacation, not for bikes, but she told me to go have fun in the bike park for one of the days.
I was so psyched! I brought my own stem risers and longer bolts so I could get the bars up, I brought my own DX pedals, a shock pump, and I think I may have brought grips too? I think I even brought my old volume reducers for the 40. Anyway I do the bounce test around the parking lot and say "I think it needs a 450 spring instead of the 500, but I'm happy to do the spring swap myself." The guy looks at me like I have three eyes. "Uhhhh, what?" I explain to him again that I need to bump down springs, and he tells me "yeah we don't do that."
I aaaaaalmost changed plans right then and there for a Nomad with an air shock that was sitting next to the V10's on the rental floor, and I wish I had. Instead, I tried to make the V10 with the 500 pound spring work. It was awful. Like a jackhammer, all day. I could either set the fork up stiff so the bike was balanced front to rear, but that made it almost impossible to hold on through braking bumps and rough sections, or I could set the fork up softer to actually absorb bumps, but then it would dive everywhere and it felt like I was going to get thrown over the front. I think I spent something like $350 CAN for the lift pass and the bike rental, and I had absolutely zero fun the whole day. And my hands were ruined. The worst part is I had the correct Fox 450 pound spring I needed sitting on a shelf at home. I could have brought it if I knew I needed it.
TLDR: if you're going to rent a DH bike, make sure it either has an air shock or that the rental shop is wiling to do coil spring swaps to accommodate your setup. Don't make the same mistake I did.
TLDR: if you're going to rent a DH bike, make sure it either has an air shock or that the rental shop is wiling to do coil spring swaps to accommodate your setup. Don't make the same mistake I did.
Sage Advice and for sure the TR11 was easier to achieve setup balance on then the v10 because of the air front and rear vs coil rear and air front.
I weigh 180 and rented a Large which comes with a 550lb spring (technically sized down by 10-15mm on reach, but the spring rate was part of my decision to do so, as well as the fact that the XL is 29 only). The suspension setup FAQ for Santa Cruz confirms that for 180lbs, I would be on a 550 with 22-23% sag... technically the right spring. I think ultimately, for non-racing applications I would run a 525 to get slightly more sag/compliance out of the back end of the bike. I haven't spent enough time on DH bikes to fully know where I should be with regards to sag... but I am always around 30-32% on my other santacruz bikes... so maybe with the right compression tune, a 500lb would be the correct rate.
I only bottomed the v10 out hard enough to have an audible notification once and that was due to over jumping one of the new A-line section 1 jumps to flat... I bottomed the TR11 out a handful of times when riding it the day before, but that was about the peak of my riding for the week and I was doing a lot of sloppy aline and dirt merchant runs and with my jumping ability, that's sorta expected.
Suffice to say that things would have been far more simple with an air shock... and I agree with you rental bikes should always have air shocks. Regarding other setup particulars... I was running faster rebound then either setup charts would suggest, but that's almost always typical for me. I did really get along with the rockshox lsc/hsc adjusters where leaving them at the neutral position resulted in middle of the road settings and +1/-1 in either direction gave noticeable changes that were equally usable in certain situations. It was for sure much faster to find an acceptable baseline setting for me on the RS product then the fox product (despite everything in my fleet being on fox at the moment).
I find that the fox stuff is a little particular with regards to setting rebound. HSR wants to be in a certain spot for the LSR adjuster to be working as I expect it to. Each damper/shock seems to have a HSR window you can start with, but a different setting +/- 1 from the next sample to put the LSR adjuster back into the ideal window. This is something I've experienced on all of the grip x2 dampers I have, and the vvc rebound circuit shocks and this fork was no different.
I've had one for years but didn't wear it the last few... This year I wore it on everything except for the top of the world cruise run we did. Honestly, I can't believe I haven't been wearing it the past few years. You start to tell yourself that you're old and you don't go big any more so why do I need this thing. Well, shit happens and as we know, it mostly happens when you're just 'taking it easy'.
I bought myself a new leatt spine protector that I can wear outside of my jersey that interfaces with the neck brace so that it can go back to a regular fixture for when I'm in the bike park. Seeing the dudes on the adaptive mtb's is humbling... I'm not sure I would have the guts, courage or strength to follow through like that. That being the case, the least I can do is to try and take any precaution available.
Hurry up and make inflatable protection affordable to the masses A*.
Huge missed opportunity to actually ride a bike set up for you. EVO sucks ass and doesn’t set up the bike at all for you and is the most expensive place. EVOLUTION will get you set up for less money on bikes they take care off. V10 BLOWS the tr-11 out of the water
They did the basic setup and both bikes were delivered to me with the transition and santa cruz prescribed setups. TBH, that didn't matter much for me because I always have to do some tweaking off of baseline settings no matter the bike.
I didn't really have much choice of where to grab a bike from... when you're in the middle of your trip and in the middle of the day, trying to find a bike to ride immediately, you go with whatever is available. I have no doubt that there are better shops, I typically deal with Arbutus Routes when I'm in town... in this case I got a bike from whomever had one right now.
As for one bike blowing the other out of the water... I guess everyone has their own opinions. I wanted to like the v10 more then the tr11... but for non-racing applications the tr11 is an easier bike to get on and ride. It was easier to setup, more forgiving, far less stiff and rather agnostic to mediocre riding. I have no doubt that I could setup the v10 to suit me very well... I have my n6, ht4 and bullit setup perfectly. That being said, with the frame stiffness the v10 has, it's going to always be some version of a scalpel where the tr11 is always going to remain some sort of hammer. Both can take things apart quickly into pieces and there are different reasons why certain people would prefer certain tools for the job.
You lost me there. They put BBQ sauce on nachos. That's unforgiveable.
For what it's worth your experience with the new TR11 and the new RS suspension tracks pretty well with what I've seen. I got my wife a TR11 in the S size and she's a good rider, but wanted a couch with some wheels attached over a lap time hunting machine. I wasn't sure she would ever find bottom on the new boxxer without having to run a stupid amount of sag, but to RS credit she's able to use full travel when appropriate and run the recommended PSI.
As for my fox 40. I love the thing but it is for sure ment to go fast and pushed hard, however it could never be the lazy couch that the RS stuff can be.
Respectfully, were you able to change rear spring rate on both bikes? I can see that the V10 has a coil, but I can't tell on the TR11 because the shock is behind your leg.
I ask because one of the worst days of bike riding in my life was when I rented a V10 from a shop in Creekside (maybe Coastal Culture Sports? I can't remember) that had a coil rear shock. I hadn't ridden a DH bike in years at that point and had been loving my XL 29" Megatower, so I was excited to see what a proper length downhill bike with dual 29" wheels would feel like in the bike park. I was up there with my lady friend for vacation, not for bikes, but she told me to go have fun in the bike park for one of the days.
I was so psyched! I brought my own stem risers and longer bolts so I could get the bars up, I brought my own DX pedals, a shock pump, and I think I may have brought grips too? I think I even brought my old volume reducers for the 40. Anyway I do the bounce test around the parking lot and say "I think it needs a 450 spring instead of the 500, but I'm happy to do the spring swap myself." The guy looks at me like I have three eyes. "Uhhhh, what?" I explain to him again that I need to bump down springs, and he tells me "yeah we don't do that."
I aaaaaalmost changed plans right then and there for a Nomad with an air shock that was sitting next to the V10's on the rental floor, and I wish I had. Instead, I tried to make the V10 with the 500 pound spring work. It was awful. Like a jackhammer, all day. I could either set the fork up stiff so the bike was balanced front to rear, but that made it almost impossible to hold on through braking bumps and rough sections, or I could set the fork up softer to actually absorb bumps, but then it would dive everywhere and it felt like I was going to get thrown over the front. I think I spent something like $350 CAN for the lift pass and the bike rental, and I had absolutely zero fun the whole day. And my hands were ruined. The worst part is I had the correct Fox 450 pound spring I needed sitting on a shelf at home. I could have brought it if I knew I needed it.
TLDR: if you're going to rent a DH bike, make sure it either has an air shock or that the rental shop is wiling to do coil spring swaps to accommodate your setup. Don't make the same mistake I did.
Sage Advice and for sure the TR11 was easier to achieve setup balance on then the v10 because of the air front and rear vs coil rear and air front.
I weigh 180 and rented a Large which comes with a 550lb spring (technically sized down by 10-15mm on reach, but the spring rate was part of my decision to do so, as well as the fact that the XL is 29 only). The suspension setup FAQ for Santa Cruz confirms that for 180lbs, I would be on a 550 with 22-23% sag... technically the right spring. I think ultimately, for non-racing applications I would run a 525 to get slightly more sag/compliance out of the back end of the bike. I haven't spent enough time on DH bikes to fully know where I should be with regards to sag... but I am always around 30-32% on my other santacruz bikes... so maybe with the right compression tune, a 500lb would be the correct rate.
I only bottomed the v10 out hard enough to have an audible notification once and that was due to over jumping one of the new A-line section 1 jumps to flat... I bottomed the TR11 out a handful of times when riding it the day before, but that was about the peak of my riding for the week and I was doing a lot of sloppy aline and dirt merchant runs and with my jumping ability, that's sorta expected.
Suffice to say that things would have been far more simple with an air shock... and I agree with you rental bikes should always have air shocks. Regarding other setup particulars... I was running faster rebound then either setup charts would suggest, but that's almost always typical for me. I did really get along with the rockshox lsc/hsc adjusters where leaving them at the neutral position resulted in middle of the road settings and +1/-1 in either direction gave noticeable changes that were equally usable in certain situations. It was for sure much faster to find an acceptable baseline setting for me on the RS product then the fox product (despite everything in my fleet being on fox at the moment).
I find that the fox stuff is a little particular with regards to setting rebound. HSR wants to be in a certain spot for the LSR adjuster to be working as I expect it to. Each damper/shock seems to have a HSR window you can start with, but a different setting +/- 1 from the next sample to put the LSR adjuster back into the ideal window. This is something I've experienced on all of the grip x2 dampers I have, and the vvc rebound circuit shocks and this fork was no different.
DH bike all day any day
Enduro bikes are good but not that good
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