vpc66 wrote:I would think having the larger wheel plus longer forks would do the same as having longer travel forks on the Cuda frame which is always said not the best thing to do...what am I missing ?
Ditto. Maybe the diameter of the wheel offsets the increased turning radius? Or maybe you just feel like such a stud that any and all handling issues are annihilated by testosterone! MUSCLE MILK!!!!!
Even when I was rocking the chopper front end (120mm Manitou Black) the handling was not that bad. Definitely not as nimble as it is with the 80mm Rock Shox Mag 21 but really not even a hinderance on the trails around Greensboro. I would think that on flat to rolling terrain it would not likely ever be much of an issue. The one time it was an issue was on a steep climb in Blacksburg, VA. The longer length from axle to top of crown essentially pushes you further back, a good thing for climbing...to a point. Once you cross that point it is not very hard to pedal the rig right out from underneath yourself (as I so deftly did...
)
As you all know my thing is more road riding/racing than mountain biking/racing, though my heart is still with the mountain bike. Something about it I just like more than road bikes. A friend approached me last night at spin class (don't laugh, the yoga shorts and tank tops are more inspiring than a bunch of sweaty dudes) about racing the Cohutta 100. I am giving it some thought, though it is early in the sesason (April 27th I think) and I would rather do the Shenandoah 100 in September. I ride 6-8 road centuries a year but a mountain century...never. If I decide to take the bait I will need to make some changes to the Cuda. I am rebuilding the EFC right now and I am thinking that I am going to like it more than the Mag 21, mainly because it's adjustablility is fully functional. I would like to run discs again but that is out of the question on the front end, still a possibility on the rear. The area of greatest concern though is the wheels. The wheels on their now are nothing special, nothing wrong with them, but I would like to get a pretty light weight set if I am planning on tackling 100 miles in the mountains with 12,000+ feet of climbing. Seems like all nice lightweight wheels are disc only these days. What are yall's recommendations for either buying or building a set of race wheels? If I do go with the disc read I have a pretty nice Mavic 321 I built that I would likely use. Maybe going with a different shock and the 321's would be the best plan...
Obviously with my impending termination (which I jsut found out is not going to be until August AND I will get 2 months bonus if I stay on till then
) I am trying to do this on the cheap.
