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MountainBikeReview.com's Forum Archives - What Bike to Buy
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Blur help needed, youse blurry guys.... (12 posts)
|  Blur help needed, youse blurry guys.... | JimC.
Mar 10, 2003 6:06 PM | | So I got this loaner in the garage: Medium frame, SIDxc fork and Vbrakes, not yer Norshore ride buy hey, at least I got one to try out.
It feels a bit small as in too short in the top tube, I'm 5'11" and 31" inseam, and tomorrow I'll move the seat back a bit. I think I've got a 90mm stem, gotta check that. And a very low rider bar, almost flat, I'm used to 2".
It doesn't feel "fast" but I think that's the Michelin sticky tires, and I've got BOB when I pedal, set the AVA at 200lb and six clicks out from dead slow rebound. It's been 2 years since I used clipless, nearly fell over sideways, and forgot about no flats ^:o|
I guess after two years of Bullit riding, I thought this would leap out of the gate, but I guess I've gotta phart around with it a bit.
I'm going to put a bit more air into the tires too, and tomorrow early take it on the 'shore for a bit of an XC ride on a lower trail that's not a huckfest.
Is the AVA sposta bob? I'm a dummy on them, used to the nobob 5th element.
I guess I'm so used to a shore sled, which BTW feels light as a feather on the way down, that I'm kinda disappointed with the feel here, maybe I built up the performance too high in my head.
Any comments and/or ridicule welcome, Jim
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| re: Blur help needed, youse blurry guys.... | laffeaux
Mar 10, 2003 6:39 PM | | The AVA should be set up so that it has the the same PSI as your weight, or just over (+10 pounds). The rebound setting will need to be set up based on the fork that you have, or does the fork need to match the AVA? Hmm... either way they should be set up to give the same response.
The rear suspension will move a bit as you pedal - unless you can make perfectly smooth circles with the pedals. Even though there is a bit of movement, I don't think it takes away from pedaling efficency, and is the result of your weight transfer during the pedal stroke.
I don't think it's going to feel like a race horse on the flats - it has the same motor as your Bullit. It's a nice riding bike, it does not have an engine. :) Anyway, what's nice is how effectively it absorbs bumbs while letting you pedal on like there are no bumps on the trail. Rough trails will feel really smooth, and you'll be able to pedal through rough sections - just be sure to watch out for the low BB height when you pedal.
The set up might be tight for you. I'm 6'0" with a 34.5 in-seam, and I'm on a large with a 120 or 130 stem. Your torso is probably longer than mine, and on the smaller bike with a 90mm stem, you might feel cramped. With a shorter stem I felt the handling was fine if I was behind the saddle, but on the saddle or above it, I felt like I was too far forward. You might get the same senation with your set up.
Hope you enjoy the ride. |
| suggested setup | Wasatch Walt
Mar 10, 2003 7:58 PM | | Let the air our of the rear shock, dial the AVA all the way OUT so that the air spring is in the most linear position. Then pump it up to 10 psi over your weight.
Yes, there appears to be a small amount of "bob" .... but if I'm not looking at it, I can't feel it moving ... and the movement is about 1/4 of an inch back and forth by looking at the top pivot. I think Laffeaux is right ... the movement is due to the weight transfer of the legs, because I can't feel any feedback or nothing ..... in the legs or my body ....
Take it up steep climbs, I'm amazed at how steep it climbs without two things happening ..... 1) the front end doesn't come up easily ... the hill has to be so steep before the front end wants to lift up, that the hill almost is beyond any pedalability anyway .... and 2) The traction with each power stroke up the super steep is always there ... In the last three days of riding I've been able to spin out up a climb only ONCE!!! ... and that was when I rode up on a nice roundish two inch rock that acting as a bearing under the tire. It's like the rear tire pushes down into the ground exactly commensurate with how hard your pushing ... so it has TREMENDOUS climbing traction.
I'm also very impressed with the control "feel" of the bike, it's always there, at speed, over harsh sections, downhill, uphill ... the whole deal at being very disciplined as far as bike handling seems superfluous on the Blur. It just does it automatically. I'm also very impressed with how it "carves", I can lean the bike way over far more than I've ever been able to any other bike ... and it has no inclination to wash out .... as though the suspension is exactly metering it's "give" so that the tires are always hooked up, even with extreme angling of the bike. |
| I'm a little blurry.... | Monte
Mar 10, 2003 8:43 PM | | but it probably doesn't have anything to do with a Blur. Most likely to do with the Russian Beagle sitting on the table.
The medium does sound small though. I rode a large Superlight. Your Bullit is a large, isn't it? Oil well, it's a free bike for a week. Enjoy! As soon as I finish siding my house I'm gonna come up and bug you guys.
Monte |
| from what I read in the MBA article at the grocery store... | Rde Biker
Mar 10, 2003 8:53 PM | | you are not supposed to use the AVA adjustment with the Blur, so like previous poster said, let the air out and dial it out. I love AVA on my Superlight, I don't know why they would spec it if it makes the suspension "not right" on the Blur, but that's what the article said. The medium does sound a little small, with a 90mm stem on a XC bike. |
| lots of sag | derby
Mar 10, 2003 10:51 PM | | I test rode the sister bike, the Intense Spyder in their factory parking lot. The designer of the bike, Jeff Steiber, set it up for me with a recommended 1/3 shock stroke sag. Set your fork to suit your comfort (I liked little sag on the short race fork). The rear suspension is designed to stand on it or pedal hard enough to lift out of the seat and still float through smaller rocks and gravel with great traction. With an 80mm fork and low BB it's a quick handling and stable bike. It excels in hard pedaling and climbing. It's not as slack handling for speed and drops as a more upright position big obstacle handling trail bike. It's not designed to do that, but should work pretty well as a plush riding trail bike with a 100mm fork raising the BB to a still fairy low 13 inches for that travel. The deep sag is for using very fast rebound damping for fast suspension and better tracking at speed.
Give a little seat time to adapt to it. It's really different than a monopivot or a Horst link 4-bar too. And carry a shock pump and adjust the sag up or down a little at a time until it stops bobbing while pedaling hard, there should be a sweet spot for each rider and their position on the bike (it should oscillate when casually spinning due to the fast damping). Don't slow the damping down or it won't use full travel.
I'm jealous! That's a bike I'd really like to demo for a while. But it's going to be hard to find a better all around trail bike than my Tracer. After my short ride on the Spyder I don't want one for my interests. But I am really interested in a 5-6 inch travel VPP designed for a higher BB and longer slacker fork. That could be a better climbing steep drop trail bike than any other 5 6 inch bike out so far.
After your last XC bike episodes, maybe you should keep your hucker armor on ;-)
- ray |
| Availabilty? | J.S.
Mar 11, 2003 9:36 AM | | How would you rate the Spyder in terms of plushness? Are these frames available yet? |
| Availabilty? | derby
Mar 11, 2003 10:36 AM | | The Spyder is scheduled to ship in the spring (that could be just two weeks away).
"Plush" means deep soft travel to me. And the Spyder felt like it had more soft travel without bottoming out with 4 inches total than my 4 inch travel Tracer. I think the travel rate is very different between the two. The Tracer is rapidly rising rate with a coil shock. But I think the Spyder is a combination, starting with slightly falling rate gradually becoming linear to very rapid rising rate deep in travel using an air shock. The Spyder (or Blur) isn't designed to take the bigger hits the Tracer is.
- ray |
| Thanks everybody, great help | JimC.
Mar 11, 2003 6:53 AM | | since yesterday I've also noticed the bike has 2.2 Michelins (2.2 MUD in front and 2.2 DH Comp in the back), so they weigh a bit more than your average XC tire; they are the right tires for here though. I think I'm a bit spooked over XC "feel" after last year's escapades on a slightly too small Kona I bought (how come I never follow my own advice?)
I've dialed in the AVA again and gotta download the SIDxc setup for the front.
Because of my long trunk, I'll move the saddle all the way back, well, as far as it makes sense.... to get a better cockpit.
Anyhow, this a.m. I'll head on up to the 'shore to see how it works out in wet technical, and some steeper technical trails.
Like you all said, I have to get used to it.
thanks for all the input, if I've learned anything it's to take my time and make sure it's right.
I'll post how it rides later today, assuming I don't have a bad crash ;P You don't have to wear armour on and XC bike right?
Jim |
| I would call the Blur a Trail Bike that can do XC | CTRider
Mar 11, 2003 6:56 AM | | and you should wear at least your knee/shin pads and elbow pads Jim! Especially since you'll be clipped in!
Is the Blur the only bike you are considering or are there others in contention to replace the Bullit? And have you thought about converting the Bullit to more of a Trail Bike set up, or do you plan to keep it as your North Shore hucking rig and add the Blur to the stable?
Have fun getting that rig dialed in!
Mark |
| right now | JimC.
Mar 11, 2003 7:09 AM | | I'm only looking at the Blur. No otehr shops will let me trail test their bikes, and with a week off work, it's perfect timing to phart around with the Blur and see how it works for me.
I'll keep the Bullit, I think, but yes I might get a second wheelset of XC tires, but it still has a Jr T at 7+lb, and Gustav DH 8" brakes, and I might swap the Jr T for a Super T and 20mm front axle.
The issue is that the terrain here is either mountainous, or steep and FR/DH-ish. If I keep my focus right, 2 bikes are needed and the second one cannot wander into the FR catagory without defeating what you set out to accomplish. It was easier in the East :o\
Anyhow, if I do get it, I'll set it up for XC/trail so of course now I should look at all the other bikes that fit there right?
Except I can't get them out on the trail.
In the meantime, I'm gonna have a ball on a free Blur. :))
Jim |
| Cool! Enjoy your vacation and your free week-trial Blur! | CTRider
Mar 11, 2003 7:20 AM | | Testing out and pharting around with one of the latest FS designs out there anywhere is one helluva fun way to spend a week's vacation in my book!!
Have fun and wear some protection! LOL
Mark |
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