Taking up the Reigns of leadership

[Jagman]

This is the latest addition to my stable.


2007 Reign 0 - 6 inch rear travel
Fork: Fox 32 RC2 (100mm travel)
Shock: Fox RP23 (Air shock)
Wheelset: Mavic crossmax
Crankset: Truvative powerspline
Pedals: Shimano SPD (yes, I've crossed to the dark side, there are clipless pedals on one of my bikes)
Stem: Raceface duesXC
Bars: Raceface duesXC
Grips: Oury lock ons
Brakes: Juicy 5
Seat post: Raceface duesXC
Seat: Selle Italia XC kevlar
Shifters/ derailleurs: SRAM X9 from X7 rear
Tyres: front-high roller, rear- larsen tt

And carbon steerer spacers!!!! Makes you go faster.


Current weight is 13.5 kilos, but will probably go up a bit when Bec takes some of her parts back for the Trance and I put the Bombers back on it.

[Tony]

Where do you get all the time to ride all of these bikes john. Please hand some of that time my way

[Jagman]

I have no time because I ride them. I took this out for a trail ride this arvo, I kept forgetting that I didn't have to struggle up the hill, I could just put the hammer down and it would respond

It's going to be my 4X weapon for Pingelly, with slightly different spec.

[Tony]

with your limited experience on clips then. what do you think of the shimano spd pedals. i want some clips for my nicolai

[mike]

Time.

Get them.

[Tony]

OK (wimpers into corner)

[phillywa]

If those forks are off the trance x, they are actually a fox F120, 120mm travel

[Jagman]

They only measure 100mm visible on the stanchions, or that's what Bec said, I'll check.


I haven't gotten the right shoes yet Tony, so all I can really say is that they are a bit wobbly under my boots.

[wal]

Does this mean your getting into lycra?

welcome to the clippless world.

[Geoff]

Time z's are the way to go!

Also, nice bike. Again.

[Gus]

Does this mean your getting into lycra?

welcome to the clippless world.

Crank Borthers are the best too, not SPD's.
the Mallets are the best for all round riding, egg beaters for XC

[Jagman]

My Reign is sporting a very different setup from last time I posted it.

New parts
Fork: 08 Domain u-turn 120-160mm
Seat post: Joplin adjustable.
Crankset: SLX dual ring, 22 and 36 tooth rings
Stem: Thompson Elite X4 50mm
Brakes: Juicy 7 (still Juicy5 rear in photo) with ceramic pads coming
Bar: Raceface Diabolous DH
Tyres: Tubeless Maxxis Larsen TT rear, Schwalbe Racing Ralph front (looking for tubeless version to try, awesome pea gravel tyre)

This is the 3rd fork that has been on this bike, I've tried the Fox 32 120mm air, 160mm Bomber, and now 115-160mm adjustable Domains.

The Foxes were very light, and very adjustable, but I was always riding on tippy toes with them ,a bit afraid to pound them, partly because they were Bec's forks, and partly because I wasn't sure they would hold up to jumping with my weight. They were great for cross country, I used them for riding part of the Mundi Biddi and were perfect for this. The Bombers worked pretty well, but they were just too long for 4X or climbing. For 4X the centre of gravity was too high and the head angle too slack and it took 3 months with a long and complex negotiation process to affect direction change, and for climbing I just couldn't get the weight of the bike far enough forwards from the saddle, or even leaning right over the bars. They have a weird sort of travel adjust where you turn a dial with great difficulty (you couldn't really do it while riding) and then each time they compress they don't come back out again. The idea is as you climb a hill they shorten as much as you need according to the weight you put on the front. In practice this was too hard to turn on and off when riding, and either got left on until there was no travel left, or didn't get used at all. They were not too bad when pointed down a steep hill.

The Domains seem to suit this bike the best. They can be wound right down lower than the Foxes for climbing, and still be plush. I rode Turner hill with them, and only for a few sections, where I could see there was a long downhill or lots of jumps coming, did I lengthen them. There are rocks all through that trail and I hardly felt a thing through the bars. I was a bit worried they were going to be too plush for efficient pedaling, but from the saddle I hardly noticed any bob. They felt super stiff and confidence inspiring, I was hitting hucks to flat with comfort, and doubles without any misgivings about them folding under me if I cased. These are the 302 version, which doesn't have compression damping. This wasn't a problem for all mountain/freeride riding, but I'm going to source a motion control unit and fit it for 4X, they'll be too plush for pumping. I may notice the bobbing when I ride smoother flatter tracks as well.

The Joplin seatpost is a must for all mountain riding. You can whack the seat right up when you are on the flat or an uphill, but when you spot something interesting or a downhill, flick the lever and you're in attack mode, with no fear or being punched in the date by the seat at an inconvenient moment. It makes the whole experience more rewarding. It's heavier than the previous setup, as is the fork, but it's much more rewarding.

The Thompson stem was just a tad short for Turner Hill, I may have been better off with a 70mm, but I bought it with the intention of running it for 4X, and the 90mm Raceface stem for cross country. In practice I think it will stay on most of the time now, unless I'm going to do a really long ride.

With a few more tweaks, I think this bike will be close to perfect for my new riding regime (otherwise known as fun after downhill). If ever the time and the inclination line up, it's going to get painted orange with gold pearl, the paint is sitting waiting in the shed.

Uphill mode:


Downhill mode:

[phillywa]

Where did get your Joplin seatpost?

Nice build btw, hopefully my reign will ready by the weekend, got my forks and wheelset this morning

[Jagman]

I got the Joplin from Chain Reaction, they were having some ridiculous one item a day sale, and I scraped in the Joplin at $170 about half an hour before it changed to the next item.

I just had a look on Chain Reaction, and lo and behold, they are on sale again for nearly as good a price. http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=25015

[Backdoor]

Do it phil, you know you can't resist