What full suspension bike are you using for the CTR/AZTR?

[Couloirman]

I am looking to get a new bike this year for the CTR. In the past, I have ridden a Knolly Endorphin, which is a 140mm travel AM bike that I build up to just under 27 pounds. It is one of my favorite bikes ever, but just too plush for such a long ride and I am wanting to get something lighter and more efficient with less travel.

For me, I am thinking something like the new 2014 Specialized Epic-- probably one of the 'cheaper' ones like the comp carbon or expert carbon. It has a relatively large triangle up front for a frame bag, is supposed to be a great climber, and comes in under 27 pounds stock depending on the model. 100mm of travel with a SID shock up front, and the brain in the back are nice touches for an XC race bike. Some people say it is a little stiff/uncomfortable though so I am hesitant to buy sight unseen since my dealer in town doesn't do demos (lame). The other bike that is high in the running for me is one of the Scott Spark 900 or 700. Very similar looking bikes.

So, for those of you that are riding full suspension on the CTR/AZTR-- what bike are you choosing? I know there will be comments about how you dont 'need' a full suspension bike for these rides and I am well aware of that. For me, comfort is the key to finishing a ride like this though and my back can't take 500+ miles of rough riding without full suspension.


Here is a pic of my current setup.

[THenne]

I have raced and bikepacked a carbon Epic for the last few years and it's been great.  The suspension really makes the gear load ride well on S/T.  I also have a H/T setup for gravel type routes.

[bncrshr77]

Mine is SC Tallboy and I love it. 

[Couloirman]

Wow-- I just saw the new Giant Anthem Advanced. Look at the size of the frame bag you could get in there: http://www.giant-bicycles.com/en-us/bikes/model/anthem.advanced.27.5.1/14823/66146/#news

Will likely be my new steed. Good price for a 24 pound FS bike as well

[NT]

The Giant Anthem is at the top of the list for my next bike. Demoed one briefly and loved it. The maestro suspension feels great (though I love the simplicity of my single pivot santa cruz superlight) and the frame bag space is a huge sell. The rear hub uses dtswiss's star ratchet (pretty sure of that), which is very reliable and easy to service. Plus you can pop the cassette off in the field with no tools to get to the drive side spokes if needed.

[mtnbound]

Have to admit that the Giant Anthem Advanced, 27.5, looks awfully cool!  24lb for a FS is awesome too.  Did anyone do the CTR last year on a 27.5?  I am curious how it handles on the CT compared to a 29er and 26er.  (Sorry, this may take this thread off topic)

[NT]

I believe Jesse Jakomait was on a 27.5 full sus.

[fastmtnbiker33w]

The new 2014 Epic is much larger in the triangle than the 2013.  I just made bags for both models for one customer a couple weeks ago.  The 2014 has 2 bottle cages and has a third bottle bolt hole for some weird box that holds tools or something.  I hate specialized, but that 2014 model is pretty sweet. 

The Giant has a nice space in the main triangle as well. 

[offroute]

Pivot 429 worked well. This was a 2010 aluminum. I borrowed a frame pack from our tandem that just happened to fit.



The newer 429c has much less room in there. The Turner Czar looks like a great FS design to build a bikepacker out of. So many really good short travel bikes that it's hard to go wrong with a good fit and a ride you like. Demo or rent if you can to be sure it's right. The DW Link on the 429a was beautifully stiff with the right sag. I would work around less frame bag space for a bike that I really connected with.

So many times on the route I thought how I'd be getting worked on a HT. I have had some back issues too, and a light, short-travel FS bike made it a dreamy haul.

Cheers...

[joeydurango]

On my last CTR I rode my Devinci Atlas 29er.  Sweet for a lot of reasons - a 29er that doesn't feel slower than molasses in the tight stuff (super-short chainstays - truly rides different than any other 29er out there), really efficient suspension design (as in I rode the entire race in Fox's Descend mode with no monkey motion), and very stiff torsionally and laterally, which is great when your bike is loaded down.  Not a ton of room for a frame bag though.  Bedrock Bags here in Durango can make you a sweet bag to fit what's there, but there's no way you're going to get, say, three bottles in there.  Photos below.  If you live anywhere close to Durango, we do demo Devincis...

[Couloirman]

The Turner Czar looks like a great FS design to build a bikepacker out of.

The Turner Flux is the one that really has my attention right now. 27.5 is right in my sweet spot for wheels, and not having to worry about cable/pack rubbing on a bikepacker is pretty convenient. Not insanely expensive either to get a <25 pound build either which is awesome for an aluminum 120mm travel frame. Im just debating if 2.25 (the max wheel diameter) is enough width for me. It's a shame there isn't just a tad more clearance on these new frame.

[mtnbound]

Joey, this is off topic (sorry!) but I noticed in your pics that you have a bottle/something strapped to the underside of the downtube by the bottom bracket.  What is that, what was in it (water?), was the bag stitched to the Velcro straps and was it DIY, how did you attach it (were the Velcro straps that went around the down tube attached to anything else on the bike to prevent movement/sliding up and down) and how well did it work (was there excessive movement and did the front tire hit it)?

Thanks,

Walter

[joeydurango]

Good catch...  That's a bag I designed and had my friend Andrew @ Bedrock Bags prototype for me.  Given the limited bottle-mounting areas on that bike, I decided to utilize that space for a Nalgene bottle.  I was able to get away with no water on my back except in the Sargent's area - just one normal bottle and one Nalgene for the rest of the trail.

Nope, no tire interference under full compression, no movement at all, no loss of BB/chainring clearance to ground.  There's rubber stitched to the straps to prevent rotation around the DT, and velcro sewn to the back of the bag which attaches to adhesive velcro mounted on the bottom of the DT.  Super solid, no issues ever.  The top of the bag ensures the Nalgene stays clean, no matter what you're riding through...

I'm sure Bedrock can make you one, but one of the reasons we decided against going full-on production with it was the fact that it only works on some bikes/sizes/etc.  Really depends on how far that wheel is out there, how much travel you have, and so on...

Finally, for those looking at 650b, check the Devinci Troy.  Could be sweet in the vein of Jakomait's bike...

[mtnbound]

Awesome - thanks!  Like the thought that went into it for the extras, such as the rubber on the underside of the straps and Velcro on the bag attached to adhesive Velcro on the DT, to be able to hold the bag still with the added weight of the water.

[Couloirman]

Great idea on the nalgene bag from Bedrock. Much better solution than a two fish quick cage, that will hold more water, more securely. I just emailed bedrock for one.

Also made my decision on bike and ordered up a 27.5 Turner Flux w/ 120mm SID, Derby carbon rims, and XX1 setup. Think it will be my perfect quiver of one. This might sound crazy, but I really wanted a carbon frame (Czar) for 'psychological lightning protection'. The overall geometry of the flux won out for me in the end though. Im a total lightning weenie and anything I can do to decrease the amount of conductive metal on my person while traveling high in the mountains is a good thing for my psyche. Maybe I am the only one who thinks that a carbon frame might even slightly protect them from lightning though

[Yogi the Barry]

Guilty of not choosing a FS bike, but here's why. I did attempt the CTR on a Mojo SL in 2012, which is a 140mm travel front and rear, 26" wheeled bike. Riding the Mojo is like riding on a plush couch in rough terrain. It's awesome. After bashing 29ers for years, I finally got one to replace my road bike and 26er hardtail. More of a way to trim the bike quiver down from three bikes to two [by using two sets of wheels on the 29er], than an embrace of 29ers. What I wasn't expecting was how well the 29er rides as a mountain bike and not just a smooth XC course racer either. The more I ride the 29er, the more I understand what all the buzz is about. If I could afford it, I'd sell the Mojo and buy an Ibis Ripley [120mm travel 29er] as my FS option. Can't do that right now, so Plan-B is riding the MotoB Ti 29er hardtail. Only 100mm of travel in the fork and nothing in the rear, but it rides so much more plush than I thought it would. It's like 29" wheels give you 10-15 mm of free travel, compared to a 26" wheel. For me, my middling pace of riding the terrain during the CTR is a lot slower than if I was going out for a lightly loaded day ride. Riding over something like the Ten Mile range as a day ride on the Mojo, is nothing like the slow HABfest during the CTR. I'm opting for a 29er hardtail on the CTR this year because: it's simpler [more reliable], lighter, causes less pedal strikes, easier to HAB with and easier to install bags and load up with gear.

...So, for those of you that are riding full suspension on the CTR/AZTR-- what bike are you choosing? I know there will be comments about how you dont 'need' a full suspension bike for these rides and I am well aware of that....

[Yogi the Barry]

Years ago, had a friend who got hit by lightning while windsurfing. I was on the water, about 1/4 mile away, and witnessed it. His mast was carbon composite. The top four feet of the sail was torched away in a fireball. The current passing thru the mast [carbon is conductive] created a mast that was as weak as a cardboard tube. You could flex the mast with your fingers because only the outer, thin protective layer of regular fiberglass remained. The entire carbon fiber layup turned into a mess of what looked like steel wool jam-packed into the remaining thin fiberglass shell. The carbon mast mast had basically turned into a plasma bazooka. Long story short, he's lucky to be alive. Witnesses on shore assumed he was dead and hid in their vehicle during the storm. He was blown off the board about 15 feet. He laid in the water on his back, stunned and just barely able to move his legs enough to keep his head above the water. If he had had a fiberglass mast, years ago that's what the majority of masts were made of, he would have probably died, because more of the lightning strike current would have flashed over the insulating mast and gone thru his body, instead of shunting the current thru the mast. How does this relate to lightning striking a mountain bike? I don't know. However, IMHO, if you get hit by lightning while pedaling a bike, of any construction, you're probably going to literally be toasted. And all that sweaty, salt-encrusted clothing just turns up the toaster even blacker.

...but I really wanted a carbon frame (Czar) for 'psychological lightning protection'. ...Maybe I am the only one who thinks that a carbon frame might even slightly protect them from lightning though...

[Briansong]

I just "full load" rode and rain tested my 2014 S-works epic today. The poor picture of the fishing scale says 34.6#. It includes a 100oz bladder with about 70oz in it. The frame bag is small. It holds a full bladder, two tubes and my down jacket. I had a 2013 S-works epic and upgraded just the frame because of the added frame room. It makes the difference between nothing on my back and using a Camelback.

Super ride and comfort, not compromising speed.

All I need to add is a 20oz. bottle, a few tools and my aero bars, Thinking 37.5 ready to race

Steve

[Couloirman]

Sweet seatbag Steve-- excellent use of space. Love how it hugs the seatpost all the way below its insertion into the seat tube. Did you make that yourself?

[Briansong]

No, I have no skills. I had Tim @ Phantom Pack Systems make it. I knew I would have limited room in my frame bag with a FS bike. I have all the room I need. Not doing the CTR or AZT this year. Just the TD. The two Velco straps on the seat tube make it really ride well, no movement at all. here's a better picture.