Keep Bullit or go VP Free, help deciding ?
- Thread starter keen
- Start date
once a season my a$$, mine lasted 4 months. others with who ride loads too lasted about 6months. i have really changed my view on vpp, when i say it lasted 4 months, that means about 1-2 months of the bike being perfect. then it just goes downhill, and it only "lasted" 4 months coz i didn't like the idea of changing my bearings each time my bike is 100%.
anyways, on the brighter side. it eats rock gardens well. i got a slightly different set up now. i am using a 2.5 in stroke dhx. and my fox 40 is at 8in. the bb is 14.5 and the ha is around 65. it handles much better then the stock set up. and of course the dhx makes a huge difference. well, this also made my chain stay 17.9 but it doesn't bother me.
then agian there is a down side. with the dhx i run no propedal, and it doesn't pedal well. bobs alot.
well, lets put it this way. i am saving up for a single pivot and my free is up for sale.:evil:
anyways, on the brighter side. it eats rock gardens well. i got a slightly different set up now. i am using a 2.5 in stroke dhx. and my fox 40 is at 8in. the bb is 14.5 and the ha is around 65. it handles much better then the stock set up. and of course the dhx makes a huge difference. well, this also made my chain stay 17.9 but it doesn't bother me.
then agian there is a down side. with the dhx i run no propedal, and it doesn't pedal well. bobs alot.
well, lets put it this way. i am saving up for a single pivot and my free is up for sale.:evil:
What conditions do you ride it in? I'm dry all summer long, save the occasional thunderstorm. I don't even get humidity. My bearings lasted me a good 13 months of riding - all the usual drops and jumps, couple 3-day trips to Whistler, and a bunch of snow riding including a DH race at Steven's Pass on the boarder-x track this winter. They're just now starting to make noise.dhkid said:
I am curious to know what you mean by "goes downhill," especially since it seems to happen so quickly. What does less than 100% mean to you? Do they just start to make a little noise, or are you talking a more serious thing like seizing or what?dhkid said:
And it shouldn't be much surprise the riding a shorter stroke shock will have an impact on the pedaling performance of a vpp bike.
yea, i agree that it would effect the pedaling slightly, but i did the claculations, at 30% sag on the normall set up (the sweet spot) i can run somewhere around 22-25% sag. i have also tried a vp free with a blown 5th just for the heck of it. it still depends on damping alot.
when i mean not 100% is that there is play in the rear end. like i said before, the bearings berings never seize. they just get rough. normally, say on a single pivot, at any sign of play/roughness i would replace the bearings. but on the vp free is still rode it untill i could notice the play when i rode the bike. then i couldn't stand it anymore, so i HAD to replace them. but if i had the choice i would have replaced them earlier.
i ride on average 5 times a week. it rains often here. basically your bike would be full of dirt 4/5 rides. once in a while i ride in the rain. i NEVER ever use a pressure wash on the bike. when i check the beaings they still have grease in them and they aren't dirty inside.
when i mean not 100% is that there is play in the rear end. like i said before, the bearings berings never seize. they just get rough. normally, say on a single pivot, at any sign of play/roughness i would replace the bearings. but on the vp free is still rode it untill i could notice the play when i rode the bike. then i couldn't stand it anymore, so i HAD to replace them. but if i had the choice i would have replaced them earlier.
i ride on average 5 times a week. it rains often here. basically your bike would be full of dirt 4/5 rides. once in a while i ride in the rain. i NEVER ever use a pressure wash on the bike. when i check the beaings they still have grease in them and they aren't dirty inside.