|   The Climbing Monsta... | HELLBELLY
Nov 4, 2001 8:39 AM | | Howdy y'all. Here is a big guy question. How many of y'all with Monster T's or other similar big booty forks do any climbing with em? I am not talking 'bout XC silliness but at least 3-5mi up a fire road to get to that schweet descent. How about short quick grinders ie: after a dip that you'll need to pedal through to maintain momentum. I am a biggun pushin' 240lb with gear and feel like this will be a good fork for me when things get big'n'nutty. How does it handle in tight twisty stuff? I rode this cat's DHi and dug the feel of it rolling through the local neighborhood down and up some short stuff and some stair drops, but I am torn between this and Super T for my next years ride. I am leaning toward the Monster 'cause I figure that if I am really doing any XC-ish stuff I can always put my Z1 back on. Thanx for yr feedback. |
| re: The Climbing Monsta... | Donald Duck
Nov 4, 2001 8:46 AM | | Get the monster t, the super-t will flex like a soggy noodle if you weigh 240. |
| Not exactly | BigRichDL
Nov 5, 2001 9:19 AM | | A super T is a very stiff fork. It will not be a wet soggy noodle if you weigh 240. No more than a Boxxer or an S7. The Super T will have the same exact travel as the MOnster T, not as stiff but lighter. The 02 Super T is very sweet. Id get that if you are more the epic ride type and less the full on DHer. YOu'll save a lot of weight and you'll thank yourself on the climbs. YOu'll end up standing either way. I have a MOnster and 97 Super T(they arent the same, I know) and love them both. The new Super T is close to being on par with the S7 or the Boxxer as far as stiffness and feel. Except you have the reliability, tech support and company security of Marzocchi.
Dunno. are you doing huge drops? If so...get the Monster. I weigh 270 and would buy an 02 Super for my Light duty DH bike if I didnt already have one....and I have a Monster, a Z1 Bam, a 97 Super T, and an 02 Dirtjumper 1 so I know their product and how it holds up under the large. |
| re: The Climbing Monsta... | SoCalSar
Nov 4, 2001 9:37 AM | | The Monster may be a great fork, but lighter weight is always easier to climb, not to mention the head tube angle that fork will create. Going up anything reasonably steep and keeping the front down will be impossible. Also the slacker seat tube angle puts you further back off the pedals, decreasing power when pedalling sitting down. A lot more goes on than just adding a few pounds. The guys at Marzocchi would raise a few eyebrows if you used this fork on a bike that you climbed regularly. I long for a long travel fork on my Bullit, but I climb almost everything I go down so to put more than about 5" doesn't make sense. I think you should shop around for a 5-6" dual crown fork with a thru-axle. Best compromise. If Marzocchi would put the ECC cartridge in the Super T, now THAT would be one sick fork that would get you anywhere!! |
| Yeah, | Bear
Nov 4, 2001 10:29 AM | | I use mine for Downhill, but also for the occasional street ride or trail ride. You just have to get way over the front to keep the front end down, but you can really go up pretty much anything if your in shape.
Its an awsome fork and i sincerely wouldn't use anything else of all the forks i've tried (stratos, boxxer, mr.T, foes, WB). |
| I do | Jm
Nov 4, 2001 8:27 PM | | but my bike is probably around 40lbs, its kinda light, cheeta proline, boxxer up front, nothing really heavy part wise, a couple parts that I need to switch out(kooka cranks, the handlebar) but what really kills you with a big bike like is the gearing, and partly the suspension. I got a 44t up front, and a mega-range rear cassette, this combo is just enough to get me up a 1400 vertical fireroad near where I live, its fun because I can do it on my own power. If you got a Fox RC shock, you can also turn the compression all the way up for the climbs when it is pretty smooth, this will make it pedal pretty good, instead of the rear compressing when you are standing(because most likely you wont be able to do it any other way) the bike will accelerate forward for the most part. This can be key, although when you are a couple miles in and dog-tired it may not matter. It is possible I am sure, the monster T will be heavy as heck, but I strap my helmet to the front of my bike when I climb anyway, so there's another couple pounds on my front end anyhow.
It is possible, but if its too steep it may not be possible on a DH bike at all. Heck I go between the middle and the granny gear on that climb on my hardtail, and to do it on my DH bike blew me away. The bike "forces" you to ride in a certain gear, so you get kind of used to it, sometimes I am ULTRA-slow on the hills, but I don't stop, I just keep going.
If you can go with something like a 32t front, hopefully your Fox RC is reachable when you are riding(mine is easy to ajust the compression while riding) and you can kind of use that to help you as well. |
| oh yeah, and you WILL learn to climb STANDING | Jm
Nov 4, 2001 8:30 PM | | the ENTIRE time. I only sit on the climbs for a few seconds at a time, when the trail gets more level, all the time that I am climbing though I am standing, and that is for MILES on end. It's a pain, but its the only way. Perhaps if I had a longer seatpost I wouldnt have to, but then on the other hand with the gear-combo that I am running you kind of have to stand anyway to generate the kind of power necessary to keep you moving. |
| damn, more information i just thought of | Jm
Nov 4, 2001 8:37 PM | | actually you might scratch or reconsider what i said about getting a 32t ring. It actually turns out that there is a "certain" gear that I turn while climbing, if I turn and "easier" gear I can no longer stand on the bike and climb, because in the easier gear it is "too" easy and necessates sitting, which is impossible due to the seat-height. In this situation a gear that is higher than my lowest is the best gear for climbing actually. This also goes back to what I said below about "standing" in a climb, you have to stand to get the most efficiancy out of your climbing depending on what gears you have.
If anything, I say go out and try it with what you have, if you are in good shape, it "should" be possible, you will probably find yourself standing the whole time in your 2nd or 3rd lowest gear, drink lots of water and you will be climbing just fast enough to keep your forward motion. If that doesnt work, and you feel you need a lesser gear, get a smaller front ring, and if you still feel like you need an easier gear, get a mega-range rear cassette, it will make it slightly easier, but as I said, a lower gear may not actually be "easier", just some things to consider. |
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