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MountainBikeReview.com's Forum Archives - What Bike to Buy
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lots of long seated climbs - NRS, HH100X, Blur, Truth (23 posts)
|  lots of long seated climbs - NRS, HH100X, Blur, Truth | Marc
Mar 11, 2003 7:26 PM | | I borrowed my friends NRS Air for the past couple of weeks and have been riding it everyday. I like it for the most part - It is great on the climbs - not great over the small stuff - and not that great on the descents. I ride a lot of long seated climbs (fireroads and singletrack) and then do a lot of fast twisty singletrack with many really rough, rocky and rutted sections. I love the NRS's weight. I have been shopping for a new ride for awhile. I thought I was going to get the HH100x, but then the Blur came out, which I have not tested. After riding the NRS I started to think about the Truth again - weight - a little more plush. I'm going to put 100mm Fox forks on whatever I get. Any opinions that could help. I still like the simplicity of the HH100X but am not sure how well it climbs. |
| Truth (if you do nothing but slow climbs) | derby
Mar 12, 2003 9:49 AM | | I've ridden all those bikes. Of the bikes on your list the HH100 is much better balanced for faster speeds and cornering and hard braking. It really climbs just as well (only an expert could feel the very slightly greater pedal kickback in the lowest granny gears than the Truth hitting sharp rocks). It weighs the same as the Truth but is designed to be much more durable. Hammerhead and Titus customer service is as expert as it gets.
The NRS won't absorb bumps anywhere as smoothly as any of the others. The Blur and NRS are race oriented with low BB's and won't pedal clear very rough climbing terrain as well as the other two. Otherwise the Blur is a plush riding climbing machine and would be second in my list of yours after the HH100.
Other bikes now available in the same highest design and engineered class as the HH100 are the Tracer, XCE, O2, RacerX, and Switchblade. With the Tracer as the most adjustable and versatile all mountain and raceable trail bike ever produced. The Truth is a very good bike too, just a few small steps behind these others in all around performance, but it is the best slow speed seated climbing bike ever, but falls behind the others in all other performance areas.
- ray |
| thanks - that was good advice-is HH100x good 24hr rig? | Marc
Mar 12, 2003 10:10 AM | | I have been leaning towards the HH100x but it's been hard to make the decision since I haven't ridden one. I'm in the Los Angeles area and I haven't seen one on the trails yet. So, the HH100x sounds like it would be the best of the group for all day rides or 24hour races? |
| Where in LA? | Ivabign
Mar 12, 2003 1:18 PM | | Marc,
I live in the Agoura / Westlake area and if you would like to take a spin on a 23.5" let me know. I can't say enough good things about both the bike and dealing with Charles. |
| Where in LA? | Marc
Mar 13, 2003 6:38 PM | | I live in Studio City near Laurel Cyn. I might take you up on it - but I think I'm pretty well decided that I'm going to go with the Hammerhead. I'm 5'9" with a 32" inseam - what is the proper size. I've been riding a small Team Zaskar LE b/c I like the smaller bike under me for singletrack, but I think I should go to a medium. How much does a finished HH weigh if I went with xtr cranks, monkeylite bars, easton stem and seatpost, and a light seat? |
| Best Guess on Weight and Size | Ivabign
Mar 14, 2003 10:05 AM | | Charles is the Man to consult for fitting, but my guess would be either a 22.5" or 23". Depends upon what TT you're used to, what size stem you like to use and the area you ride in. I'm just under 5'11", but with a long torso and the 23.5" really fits me like a glove.
I've never put my bike on a scale, but with a Float 100RLC fork, Marta SL's, King/VXC wheels, Conty Vertical Pro-tection 2.3 tires, XT crank and fr. der., SRAM XO shifters and rr. der., 959 pedals, Thomson stem, easton seatpost and Selle Italia seat I'd have to guess around 26. Not silly light, but for a bike built up very solid with 4" front and rear very respectible. With a lighter fork, V-brakes and lighter tires you could easily drop some weight from it. |
| Where in LA? | Marc
Mar 13, 2003 6:40 PM | | Is it worth getting the lockout version of the rear fox shock? |
| Rear shock lockout | Ivabign
Mar 14, 2003 11:58 AM | | Hhhmmmmmm... Well, when I first got the bike and I didn't have the shock dialed in, yes. Now, I still use it on pavement and sometimes on smooth fireroad climbs. Kind of depends on where you are riding, the bike really doesn't need it. |
| HH100 very stable, comfortable, efficient. | derby
Mar 12, 2003 3:41 PM | | Check out Charles's (Hammerhead) post above using the Talas fork on the H100. I think that fork could make endurance racing even more comfortable with bike having 3.5 - 5 inches of rear travel.
On your list the HH or the Blur would be my choices for endurance racing, with the HH100 more well rounded for all trailbike uses.
And Steve from JH is correct. The Truth must be made stable by slowing damping down and possibly firming up the spring to feel like a firmer shorter travel bike. But it is still very twitchy handling, and brakes with poor rear wheel traction compared to the HH100 or most other Horst link and monopivot bikes I've ridden. But it definitely has less pedal kickback for a smoother pedal feel in the granny than any FSR.
There's no point in arguing anymore about the Truth performance. Some riders like it a lot, some don't at all. Generally larger rider don't, smaller riders do like it. The adjustable digressive compression damped Romic "stable platform shock" with the "bob control knob" should make the ride much more stable handling and also be able to use full travel for larger riders.
- ray |
| Hey, Derby, you were right | Jaybo
Mar 12, 2003 12:03 PM | | The Tracer is an awesome slow speed, seated climbing bike. I can almost stall that bike, keep pedaling, and stay upright. I would love to ride a Truth if it is better. My only beef on this bike is some detail orientated stuff. |
| The Truth has distinguished itself in real long races. | Steve from JH
Mar 12, 2003 11:19 AM | | The guy who came in either first or second, I can't remember, in the Iditabike has a Truth set up just like mine. Also I have heard many reports of 24 hour solo riders favoring the Truth.
I've ridden a Racer X, not the Hammerhead 100 version, and I found it inferior to my Truth in all respects. I didn't notice much difference between the Truth and a Tracer I rode, except the Tracer did not seem to get all its travel.
Derby is the only person I know who has ridden a Truth and has reported that it bobs horribly, and is totally unstable at speed. The typical report is that it bobs very little and makes you want to go very fast.
Technically the Truth has
b more
pedal kickback than a Racer X and is more of an extending bike--fewer gear ratios that cause compression. The Tracer, Turners, and Truth are all quite similar in that respect. The Titus linkages are closer to Specialized designs. |
| Truth incoming... | J.S.
Mar 12, 2003 12:33 PM | | Well, I'm retiring my Isis and jumping on the Truth for the plushness factor. Speedgoat gets the frame today... perhaps I'll see the bike next week.
Steve, how is your Truth set up? Are you running a Romic coil, Fox Float, or Cane Creek rear shock? What fork did you go with? |
| Truth incoming... | Steve from JH
Mar 12, 2003 1:07 PM | | Romic, Vanilla R, Avid mech. discs, Hopey steering damper. |
| Truth incoming... | J.S.
Mar 12, 2003 1:15 PM | | Thanks for the info.
I'm going in blind and trying out a Romic coil (ti-spring soon) with a TALAS RLC. I couldn't test ride the combo, but I've heard too many wonderful MTBR testaments on both products... |
| Could win on many bikes | Jaybo
Mar 12, 2003 1:53 PM | | Ellsworth is very active in such events; therefore, it is not surprising that they win a lot of those events. However, that said, I owned an Isis and found it to be a finely crafted bike. I'm not sure you have to defend the Truth, as it is a very nice bike. I have ridden on for a few, but never really hammered on it. My Tracer is a blast, but my Isis was too. I really think this design stuff is vastly overrated when it comes to high-end bikes. They all ride very well. |
| Truth - Bobbed and felt unstable at speed for me also... | poser
Mar 13, 2003 8:59 AM | | I owned a 2001 with a X-vert air. At the time I weighed about 190. I sold it because of Derby's concerns and annoyance with the handling of an error in welding. Now there are two of us. |
| Hammerhead 100x... | Green Giant
Mar 12, 2003 2:49 PM | | ... climbs like a scalded billy goat. I've owned the Truth, and while it climbs well, the Hammerhead climbed better IMO. Both good, HH better by a nose in my world. |
| Exactly | Jgang
Mar 13, 2003 7:19 AM | | No need to search further. Get a HH100X and fugeddaboudit. |
| So where would you guys rank the Hollowpoint in this mix... | næstep
Mar 12, 2003 4:31 PM | | Where does it fit into the mix of all these Truths & Blurs & Hammerheads?
I read: Lack of pedal feedback similar to the Truth;
Very solid climbing ala the HH100X;
"Very Active" braking akin to a Horst Link;
This sounds like a very well rounded suspension. Why doesn't it come up more often, especially considering the DW-Link has been tested for half-a-year on the 2002.5 models? Marketing? Flawed?
næstep |
| I can't really say | derby
Mar 12, 2003 5:18 PM | | I haven't ridden one to feel how it handles.
The reports of it's bob free, smooth pedaling, and climbing ability sound very promising. I suspect it's a pound or more heavier (to hold up to longer travel torques) than the others with the same shocks and component mix. It's more in the Id, 5 Spot, Switchblade, Uzzi SL XC/freeride crossover class of bike. The list posted above is more XC-racer/trailbike crossover class.
I'm very curious about the Hollowpoint too. I hope they are at Sea Otter in April to test ride.
- ray |
| Encouraging shipping weight of 30 pounds... | næstep
Mar 13, 2003 5:05 AM | | ...hopefully puts the bike in that 27 to 28 pound range (once all the packaging is discarded). Considering my stock NRS2 was a little over 28, that's encouraging. And of course there is that unverified rumor on hcor that some rider is racing & placing his Hollowpoint. Anyone know the story there?
Unfortunately, I don't see Iron Horse listed on the Sea Otter site as a participant, and IH doesn't have that weekend listed on their "Events" page (although their race team will be there).
næstep |
| Large(21") just over 28 lbs. | syadasti - hcor.net
Mar 13, 2003 8:09 AM | | See the review here:
http://www.mtbr.com/reviews/2003_full_suspension/product_121267.shtml |
| re: lots of long seated climbs - NRS, HH100X, Blur, Truth | clarkie
Mar 12, 2003 6:37 PM | | Racer X or HH 100. The true form of a Billy GOAT !!!! Very efficient. |
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