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Re: Best AliExpress head & tail lights?
I was wrong, it’s the BR800. They are pretty cheap and I may some day end up with a third. They just click right in so I have a mount on the commuter, road bike, and even Tt bike for safety.
August 27, 2023, 03:26:46 PM |
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Re: Carbonda fm936 Thoughts
Hey there, I haven't ridden either but I've stared at the charts long enough and understand them well enough to have an idea of how they might perform. See these posts here: http://chinertown.com/index.php/topic,3343.msg29072.html#msg29072 http://chinertown.com/index.php/topic,3198.msg27489.html#msg27489 The FM936 has ~20% lower antisquat values with the same size chainring (compare the 32t vs 32t plots). I can't seem to link the images directly but @julian labeled his charts just fine. What that translates to roughly is more suspension resistance to your pedal stroke- in my opinion the S3 will be a much better climber and sprinter and the 936 will be mediocre in all scenarios. Not a bad ride but not a standout. The leverage charts appear to be roughly the same and that makes sense. There's an effect due to the flex stay that isn't there with the horst link, it's hard/impossible to quantify without advanced tooling. I'm guessing the flex stay will cause some additional resistance as you get deeper into the travel which translates to a bit of a falling rate, but I think it'll be negligible in trail effect. All in all, I think the S3 is an objectively better frame- it should pedal better, brake better (marginally) and have similar progression in the shock stroke. I am looking at one for myself, but the question is really "do I need a new frame" and not "which one to get". I'm 5'11" and I think the medium would be great...my current bike sits around 450mm and it's pretty darned comfortable and set up as a trail/enduro bike. A 465mm reach XC/Trail bike should be nice and long and still manageable in slow speed turns. December 11, 2023, 05:27:49 PM |
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Re: Carbonda fm936 Thoughts
Am I missing something? Isn't more suspension resistance what you want in a cross country frame? Especially when climbing and sprinting? And why the add the extra weight and complexity of a 4 bar suspension to XC? I'm very confused by this analysis and recommendation. I wasn't thinking straight- the flex stay will likely ADD spring force, not take it away, making the frame even more progressive than it already is. It will naturally want to return to its static position. Again very difficult to tell without measuring the force at the axle. In terms of performance, that doesn't really do anything at all. You can tune for that within the shock (smaller air can, more resistance bands, etc). What you want in an XC frame is likely 100% antisquat, or more, or a lockout and light weight. Most of the most competitive XC frames all have a pivot height near the carbonda's (epic, scott). You add the extra pivot for stiffness, reliability, better braking performance, and switching the suspension from single pivot to virtual pivot. You can tune the horst link to do a lot of things, and the added anti-squat is pretty helpful in my opinion. If you are looking at it from a pure XC point of view, yeah I'd probably go with the carbonda and a lockout shock, then slap that on any time you head upwards. If you're looking for a trailbike to go have fun on, then I'd go with the S3 as the marginal improvement of the horst link with roughly the same weight and cost seems like a win to me. None of this is to say the 936 is a bad frame- it's probably the best designed chinese full suspension bike I have ever seen. The NS got rave reviews and this is basically that bike. I just think the addition of the horst link and in particular its added anti-squat makes it a better buy. December 11, 2023, 09:22:33 PM |
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Re: Carbonda fm936 Thoughts
This isn't an enduro bike, you are not going to experience pedal kickback at 100 or 120mm of rear travel. An additional pivot point isn't not going to add stiffness either, in fact it will do the opposite. Tune the horst link how? and why? Again, this isn't an enduro bike, it is an XC frame that has been built by a lot of people as a downcountry frame. As soon as you enter trail territory then, yes, go 4 bar and tune your shock all day long. The S3 is a weird frame in the modern bike realm, no major brand is using 4 bar for XC or light trail for many reasons, and if light trail is what you want then sure go for that. uh, ok. I'm not going to argue with you on the internet, especially if you are misinterpreting what I am saying. I haven't ridden either frame, but I've been riding MTBs for like 27 years and have been trying to understand suspension since the very first full suspension mountain bikes (remember semi active vs fully active?). Linkage blog and other resources have come out that help to plot how suspension behaves and helps to demystify awful marketing speak. Mobile Chernobyl asked about the differences between the two frames, it's extremely unlikely that anybody has ridden both, but based on the suspension analyses performed already and a fundamental understanding of translating them to practice, there are differences that trend in favor of the S3 in terms of suspension performance alone. The FM936 has already been proven to be a great bike, and if you can't get the S3 in your size (it is discontinued) or can get the Carbonda for cheaper, then you aren't missing out on much- roughly 10-20% increase in anti-squat and slightly less anti-rise. The difference between the two suspension designs is very marginal but it's also real- the brake is decoupled from the swingarm and the fixed instant center of a swingarm bike is changed to a migrating instant center which creates a bit more anti-squat. December 12, 2023, 07:55:28 AM |
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