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Sandwich
09-14-2005, 10:15 AM
Anyone using a Balfa BB7 for freeriding/trail use? Found a good deal on one built up to 39 lbs, and I'm wondering if it would be ok for DHing and riding to the DH trails...know what I'm saying?

How bad is drivetrain drag?
mandown
09-14-2005, 12:12 PM
i've been using mine here in socal. there is not much in the way of real dh. i dj it, i take it on XC rides. depending on how technical your climbs are, i might consider another option. climbs here are fireroad, so it is stand and hammer. when it gets too steep, game over. trying to climb it up tech stuff is harder. i have used it on flat-ish trails in Washington (Prestion/Tiger) and it was good. guys on shorter travel bikes were able to flow the trail a bit better. the bb7 is a plow. you aim it and go like hell. i have a small size so i can flick it around a bit more (i am 6'1").

the drivetrain can be a pain, but i would not consider drag to be a problem. some people experience a clicking when in the lowest gears. some attribute it to voodoo, while others say it is ramps on the idler gear making the chain climb. i have had that problem. i have also had problems with the idler gear staying tight. the problem shows up more on dh runs with lots of vibration, not as much on runs where i stand an hammer up hills. some loc-tite is probably the answer.

in summary, the bb7 is a great bike. it is not bad for freeride/trail. you just need to gear it right. the more tech the climb/flat, the less fun it can be. if you have a stand and hammer up and a bomber back down, it is a blast.
skyst3alth
09-14-2005, 12:13 PM
I ride my bb7 everywhere, racing DH, trail riding, large drops. You name it, the bb7 goes there.

I think it pedals well, it's no xc bike, or even light freeride/trail bike, but it'll get the job done. I haven't found a bike I like better yet.

http://www.hcor.net/gallery/Bike-Porn/Adam_Bike_1.jpg

-Adam
mandown
09-14-2005, 12:14 PM
dude, how weird is it that there are two posts in a row from bb7 owners named adam (three if you count my 2nd post here).
skyst3alth
09-14-2005, 12:28 PM
We should start a club or something :dancing:

-Adam
Boxxer
09-14-2005, 10:09 PM
Mines up for grabs if anyone is lookin.
lovebunny
09-14-2005, 10:25 PM
i like mine. great frame. but it might be a little long and slack for some people. it also has a veery low bb
Sandwich
09-14-2005, 10:29 PM
that's the kind of info I'm looking for...now just let me see if I can suck up the cash I need....
Sandwich
09-14-2005, 10:32 PM
whoa wait, low? I thought it was moderately high?

i like my angles moderately slack...better for dh and the bike will climb like a pig anyways...

boxxer your bike is solid but I'm looking at one that's a proto and comes in at 39 lbs...
skyst3alth
09-15-2005, 08:50 AM
whoa wait, low? I thought it was moderately high?

i like my angles moderately slack...better for dh and the bike will climb like a pig anyways...

boxxer your bike is solid but I'm looking at one that's a proto and comes in at 39 lbs...

The bb7 is slack and low as a mofo. The faster you ride it, the better it feels.

-Adam
MMcG
09-15-2005, 10:23 AM
whoa wait, low? I thought it was moderately high?

i like my angles moderately slack...better for dh and the bike will climb like a pig anyways...

boxxer your bike is solid but I'm looking at one that's a proto and comes in at 39 lbs...

That proto (or team version) bb7 is hotter n hell!! :thumb:
mandown
09-15-2005, 11:07 AM
whoa wait, low? I thought it was moderately high?

i like my angles moderately slack...better for dh and the bike will climb like a pig anyways...

boxxer your bike is solid but I'm looking at one that's a proto and comes in at 39 lbs...

bike weight has multiple components. the frame is just part of it, and i think it is a small part. if your target is 39lbs, then a frame that is 1 or even two pounds heavier is not that big a deal (relatively speaking). i would guess that the lightest DH frame and the heaviest DH frame on the market (excluding the extreme huck pigs like karps) only differ by 2lbs. of course, that is my e-speculation.

the weight savings of going tubeless, and having a lighter wheelset to reduce rotational weight as well as actual weight is probably more important. you can also shave beef off with fork choice, crank choice, ti coils, air shocks... in my opinion, a pound or two difference on the frame can be compensated for. the closer you get to forty pounds, the harder it will be to notice the one or two pounds of difference.
wood-dog
09-15-2005, 03:36 PM
bike weight has multiple components. the frame is just part of it, and i think it is a small part. if your target is 39lbs, then a frame that is 1 or even two pounds heavier is not that big a deal (relatively speaking). i would guess that the lightest DH frame and the heaviest DH frame on the market (excluding the extreme huck pigs like karps) only differ by 2lbs. of course, that is my e-speculation.

the weight savings of going tubeless, and having a lighter wheelset to reduce rotational weight as well as actual weight is probably more important. you can also shave beef off with fork choice, crank choice, ti coils, air shocks... in my opinion, a pound or two difference on the frame can be compensated for. the closer you get to forty pounds, the harder it will be to notice the one or two pounds of difference.
I completely agree with this Mandown..... he's a smarty-kinda-guy :thumb:
Sandwich
09-15-2005, 04:40 PM
true, but this bike isalready under 40 lbs. I could put trail tires and a lighter fork and get it to 37 or so, but most bb7's are already like 46 lbs, which means I'd have to change everything on it.
mandown
09-16-2005, 12:02 PM
sorry, i was pointing my comment more at people who complain about frame weights. if you have a rig that is already built that low, then game on. if you are a strong enough person to pedal a 39lb frame for freeride stuff, then the bb7 is a good bike. just keep in mind the things i stated earlier. also keep in mind that the bb7 has a rearward wheel path, which means the rear wheel is less likely to get hung up on objects on the trail. other designs will pull the wheel forward as the rear suspension compresses, which will hang you up.
Sandwich
09-16-2005, 03:20 PM
sorry, i was pointing my comment more at people who complain about frame weights. if you have a rig that is already built that low, then game on. if you are a strong enough person to pedal a 39lb frame for freeride stuff, then the bb7 is a good bike. just keep in mind the things i stated earlier. also keep in mind that the bb7 has a rearward wheel path, which means the rear wheel is less likely to get hung up on objects on the trail. other designs will pull the wheel forward as the rear suspension compresses, which will hang you up.

I understand, and those are good points, my arrow is tough on technical things because of just that. And while you are right about frame weights, the concern for me was more of an all mountain vs. DH bike frame weight sort of thing, where DH bikes average maybe 12lbs, all mountains average maybe 9 or less, but between AM and AM or DH and DH the difference is less.