|   Air Shock for Ellsworth Id | spe_de_sc
May 22, 2003 5:12 PM | | I built up an Ellsworth Id last month, to be used mainly as a trail-bike, and the occassional enduro XC race. I was originally looking at a Truth, but shied away from it, due to the greater versatility (ie. "fun") of the Id (can take 5" forks without voiding warranty) with only a small increase in weight. I have been told that the weight diff is only half a pound, if fitted with the same shock.
I plan to do some endurance XC races on this bike (4/8/12/24hr), in 1/2 man teams. It is built up reasonably light, small frame, Talas RLC, new XTR (cranks, ders, old shifters), monkeylite, hope minis. Mine came with a Vanilla RC rear shock. With the Vanilla RC, I'd reckon that it would currently be around 28 pounds with light-ish tires, maybe lighter. I'd like the bike a little lighter for racing. The shock is by far the biggest chunk of weight that I can reduce - could easily lose more than a pound by going to an air shock. I weigh nearly 170lbs.
How much decreased is the ride quality when going to an air shock? I haven't heard many good things about the SID (the recommended shock), so maybe the reported loss of plushness/responsiveness is due to that particular shock, and such losses may be minimised with some of the newer air shocks.
Any one used: Manitou SPV (swinger) air, dt swiss shocks, or any of the others? risse, stratos, cc cloud 9
what about the new 5th element air? is that a stable platform shock? do Id's need spv? i get the impression that some mild sp valving works well with the id (eg. romic coil).
Has anyone done this? run <=100mm fork travel on an Id (faster steering, steeper seattube angle), with an air rear shock, for racing?
Anyone do enduros or shorter XC racing on an Id? What fork/shock setup do you run?
I have heard that Romic shocks work really well on Id's, and ti springs are becoming available, making them a viable light weight option. i could just go that way in fact. But whatever anyone says, the ti romic will still be half a pound heavier than a reasonably light weight air shock. This might not be much, but if the newer air shocks perform almost as well, an air shock may be better for racing XC.
this bike is my first full suspension. my other bike is a 22lb-23lb aluminium hardtail. my legs are getting stronger already. but, given a reasonably smooth trail, i reckon i'm lots quicker on the hardtail.
can i make my Id perform like a Truth in XC racing?
(btw, in any case, i have no regrets getting the Id) |
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