|   help pricing used Tracer | danny K
Jun 12, 2003 5:29 AM | | Friend has been thinking of buying some guy's Tracer that did not sell on ebay.
Here is the link: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=3611575490&category=27948&rd=1
What would be a fair price for the seller and buyer? The guy says the frame is a 2001, he believes, and that item is in near-excellent condition.
Any help would be appreciated. |
| Offered price was more than fair | derby
Jun 12, 2003 10:51 AM | | Sure it's a great bike, potentially it can be setup to be best in class for most people. But it's used, no warrantee. That early x-fly Z1 fork was defective (only gets 3 inches of usable travel), but that would match the 3 inches of usable travel with that Float RC rear shock at the cost of a very heigh BB for a 3 inch travel bike. The rest of the parts look great.
The bike immediately needs a 4 inch travel fork, and a Fox AVA add on for the Float, or Vanilla-R for best performance (or Romic if you like a more hardtail pedaling feel) to get 4 inches of usable travel out of a Float on the rising rate shock linkage of the Tracer and a true 4 inch travel fork. Then it would be a $2400 value bike if you waited for the discerning buyer.
- ray |
| Offered price was more than fair | danny K
Jun 12, 2003 11:01 AM | | It's a z2, not a z1, which makes the "deal" even less inviting, 'eh?
But I agree with what you said.
$2400, theoretically, is way too much for a used Tracer. |
| Offered price was more than fair | derby
Jun 12, 2003 11:24 AM | | I used to use a Z1 x-fly (now have coils in a x-fly 100), so I know the travel limits of the Z1 x-fly. I tried everything possible to gain travel but it was a design limitation (too small air chambers, corrected in '02 with the use of the older classic Marzocchi open-bath design.) The Z2 reportatly got 65mm maximum travel of the 80mm advertized. For it's day the Z1 and Z2 x-flys were the best performaing air forks available, even with the missing travel.
With a quality fork that high end barley used Tracer would be worth $2400 without warrantee to the right buyer even with the stock float (most people don't realize they aren't getting full travel with a Float on a Tracer because the ride is still so great), and it would probably sell quickly for $2000 (again with a top quality used fork, or even with this fork).
- ray |
| advice pls.. | older guy
Jun 12, 2003 12:47 PM | | ray,
I still use my Superfly (remember those?) on my Tracer in the 3" mode.
Am planning to upgrade to a 4" fork and set the rear to 4". What would you suggest, Fox Forx 100x, Talas R, Rl, RLC?, or Zoke 100sl? I don't want to jack up the front end so as to increase BB height so much.
Thanks-joe |
| fork for Tracer | derby
Jun 13, 2003 12:26 PM | | The Z2 x-fly was almost the same fork you probably know. I'm still window shopping and test riding for my next fork. I'm pretty heavy at 200 lbs and the Talas fork I tests rode felt better, smoother than any thing I've every tested before (I like smooth stiction free action with compression damping or spring tunable brake dive). I like the on the fly height adjustment for tuning handling and travel quickly. I think it would match my Vanilla-R in back very well. Lighter riders report that the damping isn't very good on the Talas for them, but average to heavier riders rave about them. Either that or a Vanilla-R Forx. I don't think I need the compression or lockout options for my wandering enduro or cruse speed ride style. I can adjust the spring weight and damping fluid for compression adjustment and brake dive as long as the rebound is adjustable. Those forks are smoother and more refined feeling than any other I've test ridden or owned, including Marzocchi.
I'm also curious about the newer Manitou's adjustable height forks with TPC valving, but the reverse arch kills them for my interests since I use a front fender, about 1/3 of the year during the wet months of Nor Cal, that would get hit at half travel with the reverse arch.
- ray |
| thanks (nm) | older guy
Jun 13, 2003 7:47 PM | | / |
| Offered price was more than fair | danny K
Jun 12, 2003 2:32 PM | | I owned a z2 xfly and we put in different oil and dropped the level and got a full 80mm actual measured out of it.
Glad I sold that fork! |
| I never sold my Z1 xfly | derby
Jun 13, 2003 12:34 PM | | I didn't want to curse anyone with it. The maintenance effort was such a messy chore. I kept it to lower down to 80mm with more negative spring (which shouldn't be a problem for usable travel with near recommended oil volume) to put on a back up bike someday.
I tried lowering the volumn to 4ml and used ATF, and oiled under the dust seals. The most rravel I could get was about 85, maybe 90mm on a big hit. But it was my first Marzocchi and I liked the stiffness and confidence improvement in rough terrain.
- ray |
| Why does Tracer not get full travel with an air shock? | fasteddy001
Jun 13, 2003 6:00 AM | | I have an uzzi sl which I beleive has basically the same suspension linkage as the tracer. I put an air shock (2002 Float R 6.5 i2i) occasionally and even with 200lbs of air pressure, at 170lbs I will blow through all the travel on most rides at least once (can tell by using a zip tie on the shock). I assume that means I'm getting full travel but maybe not?
Does the rising rate linkage of these bikes make it more difficult to use the max travel with an air shock since the spring rate in air ramps up?Vs a spring shock which tends to be linear? or is there a design limitation of the float shock the doesn't allow you to get full travel? |
| you answered yourself... | GregC
Jun 13, 2003 10:58 AM | | Does the rising rate linkage of these bikes make it more difficult to use the max travel with an air shock since the spring rate in air ramps up?
YES! That is why alot of Tracer owners switch to a coil shock. The air shock gets inherently stiffer towards the end of the stroke not allowing for that last half inch or so of travel. |
| yes, Tracer more rising rate linkage than SL | derby
Jun 13, 2003 12:44 PM | | I'm 200 lbs and used 175 psi in my Float-RL shock for 1 inch sag and used an o-ring to check travel. I could get nearly full travel with 160 psi, but the sag was 1.5 inchs. I've seen lighter guys get what looks like full travel with normal sag in very rough terrain (Boulder City Bike Park) with a Float. So it may not be such a problem to get full travel for lighter riders using lighter air pressures.
With the Vanilla (linear coil) I get full travel with the sag desired. And the action is noticably smoother with little more noticable bob. Now the sticktion in my Marzocchi coil fork is more noticable, so I'll get a Fox fork to match the rear action better (hopefully) soon.
- ray |
| I carefully measured total travel on both... | Quattro
Jun 14, 2003 3:53 AM | | And they were at 4 in. The last bit of stroke(where I think is where people think they aren't getting full travel)is where the air shock ramps up and the coil shock hits the bottom out bumper. Both don't get the 1.5 stroke under normal conditions. The coil will hit the bottom out bumper and it will compress and the air shock ramps up at the last bit of stroke and would would get the full stroke under extreme conditions(both to protect the shock from damage). The travel,
when measured from the seat on both was slightly under 4 in. measured at normal stroke(using an o ring on the air shock and a zip tie on the coil). So when considering both at extreme compression,both come in at 4 in. The coil goes through its stroke easier and "feels" like it has more travel. It is livelier and does bob more than the air shock unless you crank up the rebound control. |
| |
