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Messages - sclyde2

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1
29er / Re: Lexon 258 Full-Suspension XC
« on: March 02, 2021, 01:32:14 AM »
That frame is the same as a hongfu fm258. There is plenty written on it here and on mtbr.  I have a similar frame (fm058) which is very very similar, just a different top tube seat tube junction and non-boost, but otherwise identical geometry.  It was also sold through pro-mance, and sissypants wrote up a fair bit of details out his - check out his thread on here.  I am still riding mine, and am still super happy with it, have had great success XC racing on it.

Those other frames you mention are not the same frame.

2
29er / Re: building my first 29er
« on: May 01, 2020, 04:31:44 AM »
you missed rim tape and chainstay protection.  optional extras are also frame protection (helicopter tape) and internal routing noise protection

3
29er / Re: Using full cable housing internally
« on: April 05, 2020, 05:20:22 AM »
test rode bike today (towing kids in a trailer, a bit over an hour, lots of climbing, road stuff with a little bit of offroad).  shifting was excellent (light enough action, and perfect shifts every time) and there were zero rattles.  wasn't a big deal to put some silicon in there to fill the gaps around the cables due to the overly enlarged entry/exit holes.  very very happy with the outcome.  am still very happy with the 057 bike and hope to get another six years out of it.

4
29er / Re: Using full cable housing internally
« on: April 04, 2020, 05:50:42 AM »
I finally got around to attempting this.  i had some degree of success.  my planned approach didnt work, so had to improvise.

the drilling out of the cable stops at the cable entry points (one on the chaninstay near the rear dropout, one one the downtube near the headtube) wasnt that successful.  for both ends, I could not get the drill to all the angles required to separate the internal routing tube from the frame.  i even used a dremel flex extension attachment.  i would recommend having a right angle drill, or perhaps a very small dremel cutting disc (if one exists that is that small) before attempting this.  as a result i made quite a mess of the entry points, with the holes ending up much bigger than the cable outer (i'll have to plug the gaps with some kind of silicone sealant).  i ended up drilling through the side of the inner routing tube, but not cutting it all the way around.  it almost beat me.  after drilling through both ends, which cut around some of the internal routing tube at each end, i got a coat hanger (thick wire), formed it into a hook, fed it into the head tube, hooked it onto the internal routing tube, and pulled hard enough to break the internal routing tube away from the front exit point (where i had part cut it with drilling).  as this was now a loose tube in the downtube, i had to get it out, as shaking it around caused quite a bad rattle (as expected).  thanks to carbonazza's idea to use the access down through the seat-tube, i was able to see the internal cable routing (the very edge of it) when looking down through the seat tube, and i was able snag it with the coathanger (a very small hook, after many attempts), pull it quite hard, and managed to break the internal cable routing at the BB area, and then got the front part of the internal cable routing tube out through the head tube.  so i was not able to retrieve the internal cable routing tube in the chainstay, but i got the part most likely to rattle (the part that was in the downtube).  i was then able to feed cable outer through the rear entry point, and by putting a little kink in it, i was able to push it past the BB and up the down tube, then out the head tube.  after feeding some inner cable into the cable outer, i pulled the outer back into the down tube, then spent quite a bit of time trying to get the inner cable to poke out through the front exit (this took quite a while, used gravity + a coathanger in through the headtube to guide it), and finally got the cable outer out through the front entry/exit point.  all this took more than 3 hours.  i have put the bike back together, shifting seems good, but haven't yet sealed up the gaps around the enlarged holes.  i can see why others have advised against doing this, and i wouldn't do it unless i had the rattling issue, as external routing works fine, and i certainly wouldn't do it on a new frame.  Having said all this, i am glad i did it on my 6 year old bike, hopefully the shifting is good and there are no rattles - plan to test ride it tomorrow.

edit: on the 2nd last step, when i had the cable outer out through the head tube, i pushed some capgo noise protection onto it, enough to cover the length inside the downtube.  this was probably the easiest step of all, and ensures the cable in the downtube wont rattle.

5
29er / Re: Using full cable housing internally
« on: March 14, 2020, 03:54:54 AM »
i have some experience with this.  not the actual implementation of the internal routing with full length housing, but I have experienced issues with this frame's internal routing, so i have done a bit of research on this topic over the years, but not yet implemented.  my FM-057 (pretty sure it is the same frame still) has just turned 6.  it lasted a couple of years with internal cable routing for the rear shifting, but it deteriorated over time, such that i ended up externally routing it.  i did consider the idea you are thinking (trying to get the housing through the frame), but, at the time, i couldn't see how it could be done, and i did read at least one or two stories of people who did it (buried somewhere in the monster thread on mtbr), and i got scared off - they didnt really detail how they did it, what their issues were, but they advised against it.  so i have been running external routing for at least 3 or 4 years now. 

only a couple of months ago, i have become interested in this topic again, as a pretty bad rattle has suddenly developed, and i have traced it to the empty internal routing for the rear shifting, seems to be around the area near where it attaches internally around the head tube area  (i.e. the front cable stop).  i'd love to remove that internal routing tube to get rid of the rattle.  problem with this frame is the access - with the BSA BB shell, there is no access around the BB area, the only access is in through the head tube, and while i have considered drilling out the cable stops at each end (near the head tube, and the one on the chainstay), i cannot get a good enough view (in through the headtube with the fork off) to know for sure if the internal routing tube is attached/glue/fastened somehow around the BB area, so it would be a risk to drill out the cable stops, as, if the internal routing tube IS attached around the BB area, and i drilled out the cable stops, i would end up not being able to pull out the internal routing tube, so it would end up loose in the downtube, probably rattling even more.  so i gave up on the idea again.

but the rattling over the last month is starting to get to me.

your thread has prompted me to have another look at this.

there doesnt seem to be any thorough explanation anywhere online on how to perform this task on this frame.

but, this time around, i found this old thread (surprised i didn't see it before):
https://forums.mtbr.com/29er-bikes/chinese-fm056-frame-internal-cable-routing-flexes-stretches-792079.html

the fm-056 is the same frame as mine (and probably yours), except it has different rear dropout (i think it might be 135mm only).

it sounds the OP on that thread got some good vision of the going ons inside the frame, using an endoscope, but sadly his vids and pics dont seem to be on youtube anymore.  however, i did get a few key takeouts:
- the internal routing tube is NOT attached to the frame in the BB area, so the only attachment points are at the two cable stops (i.e. at the entry/exit points, one at the front, and one on the chainstay),
- so drilling out the cable stops at each end will be enough to detach the internal routing tube from the frame.
After drilling out each end, the internal routing tube would have to be pulled out of the frame, and the only route to do this is out through the headtube.  I am not sure what tool to use to get in through the headtube and grab hold of the internal routing tube, to pull it out.  gonna have to think this through before drilling out.  if i cant find some kind of super long nosed (and curved) pliers, i have an idea that might work: partially thread a gear cable through the tube (from the rear), do some fairly precise drilling/cutting (either with a very small drill, or some kind of dremel attachment) around the inside sides of the rear cable stop (to detach the internal tube from the frame), then drill out the front cable stop (detaching it internally), then push the gear cable the rest of the way, the objective being to get the end of gear cable to poke out through the top of the head tube.  then pulling the gear cable out through the headtube would take all of the internal routing tube out with it (the head of the cable will pull on the detached-from-frame rear cable stop). 

the next step would be to route the housing through the frame.  this would obviously go through from the rear (as i have doubts that just pushing the cable from the front would just magically go out through the rear exit), and there would be a risk that simply pushing it through might not work, as it has to get around the bend in the BB area, and i cannot see if there are any angles in the carbon on the interior of the frame around the BB area, that a cable being pushed through would get stopped by.  internal snags when pushing through housing are often gotten around by putting bends/kinks into the end of the housing before pushing it through, and failing that, pushing through a more easily bent cable (inner) might work, using gravity to help (i.e. have the frame upside down when trying to push the cable through the bend in BB area), then using the inner as a guide to thread an outer over it.  there would still be a risk it wouldn't work.  having said all this, perhaps this routing-of-housing step could be better done if it was combined with the previous step : attach the housing to the end of inner cable that is used to pull the internal routing tube out of the frame - not sure how to get it firmly attached though (i have tried this before using insulation tape, and it almost always does not hold).

the last step would be to get the housing out through the front exit.  this would be quite hard to get it to line up perfectly and go out through that exit (as that hole is the same size as the housing), but i got some idea from one of those threads : have the end of the cable housing behind the front exit (down towards the bottle cage slightly), then push a cable inner through the housing from the rear and then get the inner to go out the end of the housing (inside the frame), the out through the exit (would be much easier to inner cable to do this than housing, as it bends easier so can be directed easier (either with gravity and/or by sticking a wire down through the headtube to try directing/manipulating it), and is thinner so will go out the exit easier), then thread another piece of (short) housing onto the cable inner that is poking out through front exit, then push that housing in through the front exit (so some of the housing is in the frame, some is still outside) then push the "main" piece of housing from the rear until it butts up against the short bit of housing (so the short bit of housing becomes a guide for the main housing), then push it some more (again, from the rear of the bike), and it will come out through the front entry/exit hole.

before the last step (i.e. before the housing is pushed out through the front entry/exit hole), it would probably be a good idea to feed some capgo noise protection onto the length of housing that will reside in the downtube.  this optional step would be pretty easy (push the housing out through the headtube, then thread the noise protection tubing over it), and would virtually eliminate any risk of cable rattle.

as the rattle in my frame is bad as it is, i now feel that i have nothing to lose, so i am gonna try doing the above.  as i have had some pretty tricky internal cable routing jobs over the years now, i am quite aware how difficult, time consuming and, above all, frustrating, some of the above steps are.  am i also aware that there is a risk that i might not successfully complete the above described steps.  eg1. i fail to pull the internal routing tubing out of the frame (but i doubt the rattle caused by loose internal routing tube would be much worse than i have now). eg2. i fail to get the housing past the BB area (in which case, i'll just continue to externally route).

anyway, hopefully you get a few ideas of how you might go about doing this task.  i'll let you know how i go, but it'll probably be a month or so until i attempt it.

the reason this process is so difficult is because there is no access around the BB area.  Just in case they have changed things over the years, and your frame is different to mine, the first thing you should do is remove the BB and see if there is any access (holes) inside the BB shell.  If so, this process might be much easier (the less risky) on your frame than it is on mine.

6
29er / Re: List of Full Suspension MTB Frames
« on: March 08, 2020, 03:22:58 AM »
not sure of the purpose of this thread - could very easily be cynical, and suspect vendor involvement (poster's first post noted), as the list seems to be dominated by a small number of brands.

but we should entertain the idea that this thread is genuinely motivated....
so, if you are going to attempt this, try to at least have some level of thoroughness - a quick glance at the titles of the threads on this forum would quickly reveal quite a few frames not on the list.  e.g. didn't notice the sizeable fm936 thread?

7
29er / Re: Best options for 100-120mm XC frame
« on: February 15, 2020, 12:06:26 AM »
you probably need to narrow down the geometry that you are after, mainly head angle and seat angle.  there's a fair range of geo across the options you have there.  also is your main priority xc/endurance racing speed, above all else?  from the description of your terrain (i dont know the area though), it sounds like 100mm travel would be enough.  you also need to work out your preferences and must-haves.  e.g. is bb92 ok?  need boost spacing? dropper post compatibility required?

i'm not sure if 67/77 angles on a short(ish) travel bike like that Carbonda FM936 would work that great for xc racing.  who knows though, it might be way of the future.  in the meantime, i find myself putting a setback seatpost on my 69/74 angle FS XC race bike, as the seat tube seems a bit steep compared to what i am used to (having said that, my recently acquired trailbike has a steeper seat-tube, but it is longer travel, and at sag everything gets a bit slacker).  maybe this upcoming race season, i'll look into moving the saddle forward a bit (maybe even save a bit of weight and use my zero offset seatpost).

you should also have a look at the scott spark rc copies.  e.g. hongfu fm258, pro-mance (not sure of the model, if it is the 9007 or 7007?), and some other resellers i cant recall the name of.  i have one of these (the earlier non-boost fm058 from hongfu) and i find it close to perfect for the racing i do on it - since i have been racing on it (since mid-2018), my results have improved significantly (some of that had to do with diet and fitness though).  i am not sure if a 120mm fork is what the frame is aimed at (it is designed for 100mm fork), but i don't think the geo would be screwed up by an extra 20mm at the front - in fact, it would put it in the same ballpark as the frame you mentioned that you quite liked - probably around 68.5/73.5.

if i could do it again, i wouldve got the boost version of my frame, and would run a 34t chainring.  i had some chainring clearance issues with a non-boost chainline, exacerbated by running an oval chainring - had issues even fitting a 32t.  the anti squat on this frame is such that it pedals unbelievably well, and i run it with compression full open, no need for rear lockout, even stomping up hills - my climbing speed last year was such that i have been relegated to the top grade this year.  check out the climbing speed on kerschbaumer at last year's world cups when he was riding one of these frames (his is branded torpado, but it is the same frame as the 258).  having said all this, i think the frame is designed around a 34t chainring - i am finding the anti squat is a bit too much with a 32t, such that the suspension is too firm under power and not as active as i am used to (i have had a lot of horst link bikes over the years).  i am really splitting hairs here though - i have no intentions to change anything on my bike.

8
29er / Re: "XT" tantan FM08 29er build
« on: January 26, 2020, 07:21:43 PM »
during today's ride

9
29er / Re: "XT" tantan FM08 29er build
« on: January 26, 2020, 07:17:27 PM »
a couple more rides on the FM08, exact same trails (both times) as previous ride.

1st ride was with the same setup as previously (2 rear travel reduction spacers), but i increased the rear shock air pressure, to 140psi at the start of the ride.  without any major drops etc, it was getting about 49-50mm of stroke (of 53.5), so i increased it again to 150, and still seemed to get around 48-49mm.  despite a bit of techy climbing, lots of prime candidate rocks to hit pedals etc i simply was not getting any pedal strikes.  towards the end i was literally trying to hit pedals (pedaling around corners with rocks on the inside) and finally got a couple scrapes.  note that i use 170mm cranks on all my bikes, so this probably helps.  as the steering was still fine for the twisty stuff (i.e. not too slack), this was the final confirmation to make the decision to drop the rear end further, by adding another 1.25mm stroke reduction spacer (which also reduces the shock length).

after the 1st ride, i remeasured the BBH.  making sure the fork was fully extended (140mm), it was actually a bit higher than i previously measured, at around 341-342mm.  i then added the extra travel reduction spacer - now 3 spacers, which is 3x1.25=3.75mm, so the stroke is now 52.25 (56-3.75).  Based on the leverage curves (a bit over 3:1 near top out), i reckon the spacers reduce travel (and the rear end) by nearly 4mm for each spacer.  with 3 spacers, it would have around 138mm rear travel - if the leverage curves etc from the manufacturer are to be believed.  After putting in the extra spacer, BBH was again measured, now at 337-338mm.

further tweaks done to the bike at that time:
- went full tubeless.  i.e. converted the front tyre.  i dont think i've ever had a tyre seal so easily.  bike dropped a little weight, but less reduction than expected (i didn't realise i had a lightweight tube in it).  bike is now 13.16kg, which is pretty much right on 29 pounds.  that's the "final" weight, i reckon.
- found a lower stack height top headset cap and put that on.  maybe dropped the bars about 5mm.

the 2nd ride started with the rear shock at 150psi.  continuing with a similar less-disciplined approach to pedal timing as i have on previous rides, pedaling through the first few corners there was a noticeable increase in pedal scrapes.  so i tidied up my pedaling a bit, and it was far from a problem.  with bike slackened a bit further, i definitely felt more over the back wheel, and the bike was using a lot of travel (around 49mm of the 52mm).  halfway through the ride, i upped the rear shock to 160 (back to where i was months ago), and it was using only 44-45mm.  i reckon i will end up around 155psi.

confidence in front tyre has been increasing with each ride.  with it now tubeless, i have reduced to 20psi.  i seem to be much more comfortable putting it into some more extreme leans, such that i am starting to find the limits of the rear tyre's grip, with it letting go a few times, but not anything i couldnt catch.  maybe i'll have to move up from an XC tyre for the rear, or i could end up paying the price....

did a few pbs on some strava segments, including some fast downhill flowy/jumpy/bermy stuff, and some flatter twisty stuff.  i have ridden this trail quite a lot, so some of it was surprising, especially the flatter stuff, given i have done some fast runs on my XC bike through there.

i think i have settled on the final geometry, especially the rear travel / ride height.  for the first time, i did notice the steering a tiny bit "floppy" through some very slow speed series of corners through trees, so i think i've found the slackest i want to go with the steering (probably a touch over 66 degrees HA, with a 51mm offset fork).   i might need to drop the bars more (would need another stem,if i do), will see how it feels after the XC season starts and i start getting used to my XC bike again.  getting close to finalising spring rates on the the fork (75psi, uses about 120mm with no big drops) and rear shock (will try 155psi next time).  next step will be to confirm sag levels are good (and, if not, reduce air spring volume/s, and then re-do pressures again), and then do some experiments with different rebound settings. 

bike is turning out to be perfect for that trail.  i certainly appreciate how active the suspension is under power, as there a quite a few rock steppy stuff on the climbs on that trail.  a few more runs on it to confirm the bike is dialed there, then i think i need to try it out somewhere else.

10
29er / Re: "XT" tantan FM08 29er build
« on: January 10, 2020, 10:01:40 PM »
Despite my thumb still being a bit tender, the ride today went extremely well.  pretty much the same track as last time: a loop with a mix of XC-ish twisty singletrack, combined with lots of rocks, a bit of techy climbing, lot of square-edged rock step-ups, a little techy downhill, some flowy downhill, but only a couple jumps, no big drops.

today was the coolest day in a while, and there was light rain when we arrived at the trail head.  this was actually perfect conditions, as it has been super dry and hot lately (dunno if you have heard about the weather and bushfires we have had in oz lately) so this actually improved the trail immensely, turning it all into hero dirt.  not enough rain to create any mud or puddles whatsoever, but there were a few moist rocks and roots to be wary of.

i checked the pressures at the start of the ride.  23 psi in the rear (tubeless) tyre, 22psi in the front (tubed) tyre.  just under 75psi (probably 73) in the fork, 130psi in the rear shock.  that 130 is a fair bit lower than what i had last time, but i thought i'd just leave it there, as i have been having problems using all the travel in past rides.  after taking 2 weeks off the bike over Xmas, and all the festive season drinking/eating, i reckon i am about 2kg heavier than i was a few months ago.  i went back to work on monday, so have put a few hours on the commuter bike this week, and the fitness is already coming back, so pedaling was no problem.

despite there being no big drops, i was pretty much using all the travel, bar the shock's internal bottom out bumper - i stopped a few times to check the o-ring (and reset it) and it was at 50-50.5mm (of 53.5) each time.  so the 130psi in the rear shock was too low.  post ride, i have increased the rear shock to 140psi.  i am guessing the square edged rocks on the techy climbs were using the travel.  i did not feel any harshness or bottoming.

i think i have found the final setup for the fork - at just under 75psi it was using 132-133mm travel (of 140mm).  post ride, i put a few psi into the fork to bring it to 75, to give a little more buffer against bottoming, for when i start hitting some bigger hits.  i think i will leave it there for a while, unless i get some frequent bottoming (in which case i would consider putting a volume-reducing token back in).

overall, the bike rode absolutely awesomely.  with that bit of grease in the rear shock mount, the bike is now blissfully silent.  the suspension (front and rear) disappeared beneath me, totally unnoticeable (the way it should be), and ironed out the bumps extremely well, both up, down, everywhere.  with the bike now at its slackest yet (probably 66.5 degree HA), it still went around the tighter XC-ish corners unbelievably well, had no downsides on the climbs, and only upsides on the faster/downhill stuff.  i simply couldn't fault it, nor could i imagine how it could be much better.  i think i will do a tiny bit more tinkering though:
- as mentioned before, drop the bars a few mm, via a lower stack height top headset
- might add another spacer in the rear shock - take out another 1.25mm of shock stroke & length, which would translate to 3mm less travel at the rear wheel (to about 138mm), and about a 2mm lower BB (to about 337mm).  with the way i had the shock today, with the too-low pressure, it must've been running excessive sag - yet i still very rarely hit pedals (and only minor scrapes when i did), even on a techy trail often navigating over and around rocks, and doing some sloppy pedal timing too.  as the steering is still not too slack, i think there is still scope to lower and slacken it a bit further, so i will try the experiment of putting in that extra 1.25mm spacer.
- maybe tilt the saddle nose down a tiny bit
- front tyre still yet to go tubeless

the only remaining gripe i have with this bike relates to my injured thumb: the shift effort is a bit high - not sure where the friction is, but even with an xtr shifter, i did get a sore thumb from pushing on that shift lever.



11
29er / Re: All Mountain 29er-New build "the Eggplant"
« on: January 10, 2020, 08:14:06 PM »
Nice looking frame.  That supplier (winow sports) is not one i was aware of until now.  I googled their site.  Do you have a link to your frame - i couldnt find it on their site.  I am interested in the geo etc.

That frame sure is light for a 150/160mm build.

i am also intrigued by some of the components you put on there.  i've never noticed that crank before - i looked it up, and the one site i saw (a malaysian vendor) suggested the chainline is 48.5mm.  i'm had a look at those superstar chainrings.  am i correct to assume that you went with a BOOST version of their direct mount chainring?

12
29er / Re: "XT" tantan FM08 29er build
« on: January 08, 2020, 07:07:02 PM »
Well, it had been close to 3 months since my last update, and I certainly haven't been getting the ride time on the trail bike that I had hoped for.  I accumulated a few injuries in the last 4 months (knee injury flared up in September, got a weird glute strain in October), so have been prioritising the riding.  Unfortunately, trail riding is the lowest priority, with commuting to work (a necessity) and completing the xc race series (which I won) coming first. 

I did ride the FM08 in late October, and had a terrible ride:
- flatted the rear tyre in the first 10 minutes
- had some creaking in the rear shock mount
- had a stack - clipped a tree with the end of my handlebar (must've had my hand at a couple cm from the end), throwing my off the bike, but worse, giving me a thumb injury (still not 100%)

While I haven't ridden it since, I have made a few changes:
- greased the rear shock mount to avoid the creak.  Am considering putting a RWS roller bearing kit in there.
- put some spacers in the rear shock, to shorten the stroke and length by 2.5mm.  with the shock now at 197.5x53.5, the BB height is around 339mm, and I estimate the rear travel to be 140-141mm (if TanTan's leverage curves are accurate).
- went tubeless on the rear tyre.  Front still has a tube.
- got some new grips
- got a wcs trail stem (got a decent deal).  5mm shorter than the old stem (65 to 60mm), and a lot nicer, and lighter.  The steerer clamp height is a bit higher though, and it moved the bars up a bit.  Might look into a lower stack height top headset, to bring the bars down.

Weighs in at 13.22kg now.  Have a ride planned for Saturday.

13
29er / Re: Xmcarbonspeed CS-057 cracking
« on: December 15, 2019, 03:08:39 AM »
Not sure if I'd jump to the conclusion that these BSA BB shells in Chinese frames are problematic enough to steer clear of them.  Not sure how liberally you guys grease the threads and faces of the BB shell, and what kind of resultant torque is required for you to install and remove the BB, but the BB setup on my '057 has been nothing but faultless, totally quiet, easy to maintain.  Coming up to 6 years soon, probably close to 2000 rides now - bought it off Peter when he was at xmiplay.  If I needed another hard tail frame (which I guess would only be required if this one got stolen), I'd get this exact one one, with BSA BB.  Heard too many issues with noisy BBs on the press fit version - then again, that's probably just due to bad maintenance, which will cause issues with any setup.

14
29er / Re: New Enduro Frames
« on: October 20, 2019, 01:08:37 AM »
if you are very happy with the P8, but just want more travel, why would you get this BXT instead of, say, a P9?  the P9 appears to have slightly more updated geometry than that BXT frame - steeper seat angle, slacker head angle, shorter stays.  I'm not sure what the advantages of the BXT frame are.

if you are after a 150mm travel frame, have you also considered the FM08/FS713?  While it doesn't have a threaded BB, that frame has more updated geometry.  In particular, the stays are much shorter.  The reach on it is longer too.  After riding a few 29ers with stays in the 435-440mm range, i don't think i would even consider a frame with stays longer than 450mm, especially if i wanted to ride twisty singletrack on it.

15
29er / Re: "XT" tantan FM08 29er build
« on: October 08, 2019, 01:07:32 AM »
The new bike still hasn't yet quite reached its 'final' state, so the upgrade-testride cycle continues.

The latest test ride went close to expectations.  Not a great ride, as the trails were still wet from rain from the days before, and not familiar with the new tyre etc.

Firstly, the longer fork and taller front tyre definitely made the bike feel noticeably taller.  I was surprised at the difference.  I think it was barely 6mm higher at the bottom bracket - though I did re-measure it, and it was closer to 445 than the earlier measurement of 443.  I didn't hit my cranks once, riding the same trails as the previous ride, including a lot techy climbing.  And I was noticeably worse at cornering too.  Perhaps the wet roots and rocks contributed though.  Not sure.  But this has confirmed my approach with this bike, to lower it below the frame's standard specced geo, with a 10mm shorter-than-spec fork and lowered rear end via a shortened shock.  I still plan to start with 2.5mm off the shock's stroke/length, which translates to a ~8mm lowered rear end (to about 142mm travel), but I could end up droping it further again.  My only reservation about going further is that the angles might be getting a bit slack - I don't think my trails or riding style would benefit from a HA much lower than 66.5.  I'm glad I went for a 140mm air shaft for my fork too, as a 150mm fork would've made the bike too tall (or too slack, if I dropped the rear end to bring it back down).

For the first time, I noticed the feeling of being a little further back, which will get worse when I lower the rear end.  However this was only on a super steep climb (Probably 15%grade), so I don't think it will be a problem.

I thought I put 75psi in the fork, but I think I was mistaken.  I might've put the recommended 85psi in, just in case it bottomed with the no volume tokens in it.  Got over halfway through the ride and noticed the fork barely used 110mm of the 140mm.  I dropped  it to 75psi for the rest of the ride, but didn't hit anything big, so it barely used any more travel. I'll leave it as is, and see how it goes on some bigger stuff.

With the rear shock on full volume, I went for low sag initially, and pre-ride settled on 160psi to get just under 25% sag.  Mid way through the ride, it had used only 44mm stroke (of 56mm, so about 80%), so I dropped it to 155psi.  Was still around 44mm at the end of the ride.  I'll drop it to 150psi after I shorten the shock.  As expected, the McLeod shock was awesome at erasing bumps, while at the same time not ever feeling wallowy.  I thought the not-high main pivot on this frame could result in a bit of Bob, but it is near non-existent.

With the wet trails, i was a bit hesitant to really put the new DHF tyre into any big leans, but in hindsight it barely slipped at all.  Perhaps the next (hopefully drier) ride will be better, and I have more trust in it.

The latest round of upgrades added more weight (mainly the tyre).  Bike is now 13.44kg, which is probably as heavy as it will ever get. It will lose a little weight when I go tubeless, and a slightly lighter stem.

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