Too much travel. There's a well priced LC FS947 that I'd be jumping at, but being realistic, I don't need more than 130mm travel. This FM1001 is perfect for my needs!
Despite the unfashionable-looking compact carbon rocker arm and upside down shock, I think the 1001/1002 is a more resilient frame than the 947 or most other comparable unbranded factory direct frames (or almost-direct, as in the case of Carbonda doing D2C with frames that I think Flybike is actually manufacturing).
The 947’s had a couple of reports of cracked stays already, which is a little ominous for a frame that’s only been available for about a year. And neither case looks like the rider was a heavyweight doing big jumps or anything. Barely more than JRA situations, from what I remember.
If my 1002 holds up well this year, I’ll be sorely tempted to build a 1001 next winter for the 2023 dirt season. Sophisticated suspension systems like linkage driven swingarms and high pivot idler linkages are obviously tempting but it’s so much easier to screw them up with a small oversight than it is with a four bar.
And these bikes have some of the best kinematics I’ve seen in a four bar, with the relatively manageable tradeoffs of low anti-rise (so some mild braking interference with suspension movement) and a regressive dip at the bottom of the travel so you’ll need an air shock with good end stroke progression. I don’t even think the latter is much of a factor on the 1001, because the dip mainly happens after 130mm of travel.
