Project Hyrax: johnny's build thread

Haakon

Keeps on digging
Front tyre is also too thin - 2.3, but that's all that was available at the time. It'll hopefully be replaced soon, to be put on the rear, with something around 2.5 on the front.
I have a pair of FTGH Wild Enduros I got sick of looking as the cracking on. They still ride fine (mostly, some knobs tearing off the back one...) if you want them until you get something betterer?
 

johnny

I'll tells ya!
Staff member
Appreciate the offer, thanks mate. I think there will be a little bit of dialing in, which means some more sedate riding for a while and when I'm done with that, I'll buy the bars/stem from a retailer that has the tyre I want. Thanks anyway.
 

Haakon

Keeps on digging
Appreciate the offer, thanks mate. I think there will be a little bit of dialing in, which means some more sedate riding for a while and when I'm done with that, I'll buy the bars/stem from a retailer that has the tyre I want. Thanks anyway.
You moving that Renthal bar on?
 

moorey

call me Mia
Front tyre is also too thin - 2.3, but that's all that was available at the time. It'll hopefully be replaced soon, to be put on the rear, with something around 2.5 on the front.
Elephant in the room is that the rear is an Ardent. It has no place on a bike, let alone the Hyrax. High Roller 2 isn’t a great rear either, IMHO. Doesn’t roll well and doesn’t grip well enough to warrant the rolling resistance. This is all personal opinion of course, I have no gear and no idea.
 

johnny

I'll tells ya!
Staff member
Aaaaand, it lives.


Bled the brakes, tried to get the packing grease/wax off the chain, fitted and tuned the gears and took it out to drop a few gutters. Everything seemed to work as designed. I can already tell that I need to go shorter than the 50mm stem that's on it now. The dropper I have has far too much travel for me (think I got a 200, can't recall...). Luckily the PNW has presets, otherwise it would suck terribly.

I will take it out for a proper test ride this weekend - probably up the mainline and down rollercoaster at Stromlo - to start understanding the suspension and dial a few other parts in.

Thought I'd feel much more difference that I do, so far. Going from a 26 to a 29 and a bigger bike in general, I thought it would feel like a tallish sled. It doesn't, it just feels like a bike. Sure the trails will be a different story though.
 

johnny

I'll tells ya!
Staff member
Thinking of one of these, 38mm. Only concern is that there's no rise and the 50mm stem I've been using for the past 9 years has 10* rise.
385840
 

link1896

Mr Greenfield
If carbon bars are in the plans, I’m starting to go cold on the new fad for tiny bar clamps like the Spank Split. It’s a tiny weight saving compared to a full clamp.

Something with a full clamp treats the carbon bars a whole lot nicer. While I’ve picked an expensive hope, there are others out there with less silly prices. But hope stems are beautiful.




 

pink poodle

気が狂っている男
If carbon bars are in the plans, I’m starting to go cold on the new fad for tiny bar clamps like the Spank Split. It’s a tiny weight saving compared to a full clamp.

Something with a full clamp treats the carbon bars a whole lot nicer. While I’ve picked an expensive hope, there are others out there with less silly prices. But hope stems are beautiful.




What the fuck? My first bike 40 years ago cost less than that! Thats crazy man...


Thinking of one of these, 38mm. Only concern is that there's no rise and the 50mm stem I've been using for the past 9 years has 10* rise.
View attachment 385840
A spacer under the stem or a little rise in your bars I'll counter that.

Have you ridden a really short stem before? I've found sub 40mm to feel odd to me. Others seem to like it.
 

johnny

I'll tells ya!
Staff member
It’s sweet FA really. Add a small spacer if needed.
Yep, have one of those half sized spacers that I'll chuck in. Pretty high stack height on the steerer already!

If carbon bars are in the plans, I’m starting to go cold on the new fad for tiny bar clamps like the Spank Split. It’s a tiny weight saving compared to a full clamp.

Something with a full clamp treats the carbon bars a whole lot nicer. While I’ve picked an expensive hope, there are others out there with less silly prices. But hope stems are beautiful.




I wasn't planning on going carbon on the bars. My reasoning for choosing that stem is actually a bit more important than how it grips the bars; it is two-tone, black and red, which is perfect for the bike's colour scheme.


Have you ridden a really short stem before? I've found sub 40mm to feel odd to me. Others seem to like it.
No I haven't and I do think about that too. But there's only one way to find out. I'll ride it today with the existing stem raised up a but on the steerer and the seat angle adjusted a touch and see how it feels. It might just be a 43mm stem that's required yet.
 

johnny

I'll tells ya!
Staff member
So, just went for my first ride on the trails and it was a fucking disaster.

My legs burned all the way, my lungs were weezing and I think my heart might have stopped. The bike complained about me all the way to the top. Think I'm going to have to ditch this rider and get a new one.

The bike is magnificent. Quietest thing I've ever ridden. Everything is working beautifully, although the suspension felt super-stiff (30% sag on the rear, 22% sag on the front. It still did the job well, just felt like I never really sank into the travel when I should be. Might have to read the manual and have a good play around with that.

I put a half spacer under the 50mm/10* stem on there now. It felt better but there's still too much weight on my hands when riding on flat ground. My instinct is to shorten the cockpit a smidge b trying a 43mm stem, but might need to do some reading before I settle on that. Everything else felt bang on.

Once I reduced the sag on the front (was at 40%) the bike felt a bit bigger and I could feel the difference from the 26er Remedy that I'm coming off. But it wasn't a huge change. Maybe when my attention isn't so divided by my lung capacity I will have more time to notice the changes. Who'd have thunk that not riding for most of a year would impact your fitness!?

385875
 

johnny

I'll tells ya!
Staff member
Lol, just realised that I rode it without replacing a bung where the gear cable comes out of the frame and I forgot to lube the chain.

Idiot.
 

johnny

I'll tells ya!
Staff member
Try sliding your saddle back a little. This can be a common feeling on steep seat-tube bikes on flat terrain unfortunately.
Yep, thinking of sliding the seat back and bringing the stem in a couple of mil.

I'd tipped the nose of the seat up a bit to see if that helped but it was a bit too uncomfortable.
 

beeb

Dr. Beebenson, PhD HA, ST, Offset (hons)
Yep, thinking of sliding the seat back and bringing the stem in a couple of mil.
Sometimes shortening the stem makes things worse if you can't sit further back as your weight ends up even more on your hands. How's the stem/bar height feel with the saddle dropped/when descending? (Too early to know is also an possible answer...)
 

ozzybmx

taking a shit with my boobs out
Thinking of one of these, 38mm. Only concern is that there's no rise and the 50mm stem I've been using for the past 9 years has 10* rise.
They are a good looking stem.

I put the all black 50mm Spank Split on my Highlander, they have a really nice shape to them.
 
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