After getting my Bullit stolen in San Francisco a few weeks ago, i was fortunate enough to stumble upon a smoking deal on a used 2004 V-Tach that I just took receipt of last week and had my first ride on yesterday.

O.M.F.G what an awesome bike.

However, as sweet as it is, I can't help but think it could be made better for my riding purposes.

My current bike quiver consists of my roadie, my fully rigid singlespeed, and....the V-Tach. The V-Tach will not only be used for DH runs, but I plan on doing quite a bit of pedalling on it as well as I don't see any 5 - 6" trail bike purchases in my near or distant future. The V-Tach will basically be used for nearly every ride I go on except smooth, buff singletrack where obviously the SS will get the nod. I'm already amazed at how well and efficient this thing pedals and climbs for being a 45 lb machine, but I'm thinking if I could shed a few pounds, it would be even better and a bit more nimble in tighter sections.

Anyway, it's build is below:

Size medium frame.
FSA Extreme Pro 1.5 --> 1.125 reducer headset
Marzocchi 888 RC with Go-Ride low-rise lower crown, recently overhauled
Progressive 5th Element rear shock
RF Diabolus crankset/bb, seatpost, handlebar
E13 DRS chainguide
SRAM X-9 shifters, med cage rear der, 11-34 cassette
Shimano XT front der
Rear wheel -- Hadley 150mm bolt-on hub, DT 14ga spokes, Arrow FR rim
Front wheel -- Marzocchi 20mm hub, DT 14ga spokes, Arrow FR rim
Magura Louise FR brakes (200mm front rotor, 180 mm rear)
Kenda Nevegal 2.5's

peecture
http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j320/ronshev/knolly.jpg

So....to lighten her up a little I'm thinking of replacing the 888 with a Totem or a 1.5 Marz 66. And thinking of getting a DHX coil to replace the 5th. First thing I'd do is get rid of the 5th for the DHX 'cause that 888 is just so sweet.

Any other suggestions? I wanted to lighten her up a bit, but still maintain the burliness as much as possible :D

Thanks!

Very nice. Will be building mine soon

I've on my second V-Tach and I've probably pedalled this bike uphill as much (or more!!) than anyone. I'm also 6'5" and am a lean 200lbs. I'm hard on my stuff (because of my size) but I'm a relatively smooth rider.

Here are some thoughts...

-swap the fork. A Totem, 888 SL1ATA or 66ATA would be great on this bike and are all around the same weight (~6lbs). Around here all the travel-adjust air forks have had some growing pains but ultimately provide the best solution to making your big bike more pedal-friendly. The Totem's lockout feature is nice, but the Marz's seem to be more reliable. Also, the 888 is torsionally stiffer than the Totem. The Marz's have infinite travel adjust (the Totem only has 2 settings) but no lockout. The Fox offerings seem nice, but they're expensive and none seem well-suited to this application. The Van 36 has no lockout or travel adjust and the 40 just seems to racey (and also lacking those features). The Talas 36 is really an AM fork and would only work for this app if you were a very light rider.

-rims and tires. I can't tell what rims you have on your bike, but swapping to lighter rims makes a huge difference. I use Mavic 721s - these rims are perfect. They're Mavics, so they're well-manufactured and build up well, are reasonably light (590g) and are as strong as you'd need, unless you're a big hucker - but if you were a big hucker you probably wouldn't want to ride a 45lb bike uphill, would you? Swapping out of the 2-ply DH tires when necessary can also save a pound per wheel. A DH casing 2.5 Maxxis weighs around 1300g. You can get a good single-ply tire that easily weighs 850g. Needless to say that DH tubes are unnecessary 99% of the time.

-lose the Diabolus seatpost. #1. It's heavy. #2 it has 1" of layback, which in combination with the slack seat tube makes for reduced pedalling comfort and efficiency. Switch to a Thomson with high-angle head. The perfect seatpost.

-Ti spring for your shock will save around 1/3 of a pound. Or wait until the Marzocchi Roco Air World Cup air shock comes out later this summer. Currently the Fox DHX5 Air isn't available in the right eye-2-eye for the V-Tach. But the Roco Air will be! The Manitou Evolver is a great shock but is kind of unreliable. The weight savings from the shock should be a bit better than from the spring.

-If you're spendy, a great solution is to have two wheelsets. One with lighter rims and tires, the other with heavier duty of both.

-The Diabolus cranks are heavy. But the 83mm BB shell on the V-Tach pretty precludes any good AM option like the Atlas. The new XTRs might work but they'd be pricey as well. No biggie as the Diabolus cranks are beautiful even with their extra pound of weight.

-Don't buy a carbon bar. They are all suspect (http://www.raceface.com/components/ProductReviews/Bike_NextBarsReview.pdf). If you're a big guy, riding a big bike like this, you can stand to save weight elsewhere. Keep your Diabolus bar (or whatever is on there). You won't save much on the stem either, which is just as well. Your teeth are worth more than that!

I'd say you could shave a good 2-3 lbs off that beast. Mine is currently around 45lbs with big tires and a steel-sprung DHX. One thing I've recently rediscovered is clipless pedals. After 6 years away they've turned out to be a great way eek a bit more leg power when moving the big bike around.

It's totally worth it. The V-Tach is the best bike I've already had. Sure it's not pretty when you put it on the scale but that's my only complaint. It rides so well and is such a good climber that I'll happily bring it on just about any ride!

Good luck!

I think the V-tach uses a 73mm bottom bracket.

Thanks for the thorough reply Asin.

For reference, I'm 5'10" 180 lbs and definitely don't consider myself a hucker. An aspiring hucker, sure...but I definitely wouldn't really call myself one yet. On skis maybe...but not on a bike yet :D

The rims I have on it currently are Arrow FR rims...cant remember the specific model name off-hand, but I was already thinking of swapping out to some Mavics at some point. I figure not being the huge hucker, if I can save some weight where it's rolling...then that'd make a noticable difference.

And yes, bars (like the seatpost & cranks) are Diabolus.

Hey Tyrone,

No problem. It seems that many on this board would consider it pure lunacy to pedal a bike like this around, here in Vancouver it's pretty normal. The bike has to survive the descent, right? And if you own a Porsche, why not drive the Porsche?

As for the BB thing. My newer V-Tach is the wider 83mm BB. The older ones may be narrower. If that's the case then you'd do fine on a Race Face Atlas crank (or something like it). Make your own call on the bar thing. Saving weight on handlebars isn't very cost-effective and certainly increases your risk of death, especially on a bike like this. The Diabolus stuff is awesome, but it's designed to be imminently strong, not light. If weight-balance-with-strength is your goal then the Atlas line of Race Face products is better suited to your needs.

Your rims weigh just shy of 700grams, according to the Arrow website. So to go to 721s would save you 100grams per wheel (a quarter pound of rotating weight). You might even consider going lighter, given your weight; depending on what sort of riding you plan to do...

And do you really need that tensioner? If your trails are smooth with big hits you might want to consider that as well, seeing as it adds nearly another pound. You might want to try it without, see if you have any issues, and go from there. No point carrying around stuff you don't need....

The website list 73mm. I guess its not updated and I ordered the wrong size. Ahhhh shoot. Tim & Noel what is it? 73 or 83?

Hey Tyrone!

Welcome to the Knolly cult - err.. - um - group of riding friends (or something like that! :)

I had a good laugh as I read your post - especially the "Oh My....." part!

Anyway, I just wanted to jump in and clarify a few things here:

Asin is pretty much bang on in his descriptions of what to do to drop some weight off the bike. He's on his second V-tach (he sold his first one to go travel for a year) and has tested out pretty much every (relatively) light weight option on the market that's still applicable for a frame like the V-tach. He looks like a 6'6" tall version of Bruce Lee and is totally ripped, meaning highly capable of man handling his bike. He can give you detailed descriptions of the Totem 2 Step vs. the 888SL ATA fork for example in terms of performance and stiffness (real personal opinion, not marketing BS). I also totally agree with his statement about the Thomson seat post. And of course wheels (tires / tubes / rims) make by far the biggest difference in pedaling performance, though often at the expense of traction, cornering and resistance to flats.

ALL V-tach BBs are currently 73mm and generally require a 118mm spindle width (yes, Asin - even yours :)

The next batch of V-tach's in moving to 83mm, but they won't be out for several months. Really, there isn't really any performance difference, but it's just the way the industry is going with longer travel frames.

In terms of forks, I wouldn't run anything with less than 180mm of travel (or 170 as a minimum). The Fox 36 forks are great, but they are way too small for a frame like the V-tach. The Fox 40 is the only fork that Fox makes that we would recommend for the V-tach frame. Other forks that will work well with the V-tach are:

Marzocchi
888 series
66 series

Rockshox
Boxxer
Totem

Manitou
Travis 180 or 203mm (single or dual crown)

Let me know if you have any more questions.

Cheers!

Thanks for the comments Noel.

You would have laughed at the comments/looks from the random people in the shop where I live (NorCal...sierra nevada foothills). It's mainly a roadie/tri shop except for the one mechanic I take all my stuff too....

from one of the shop guys: "How much does she weight? Well, I can tell you that she didn't rip the scale hook out of the ceiling..."

from a random customer after answering some questions about it was: "they make bikes that just mainly want to go downhill? why would you want to do that? "

:D

But rest assured, the people who knew...K N E W and were lusting and drooling.

Can't wait to become more familiar with this bike that is for sure.

ALL V-tach BBs are currently 73mm and generally require a 118mm spindle width (yes, Asin - even yours :)



Aha. Yeah that makes sense. But either way they still don't make an Atlas crank to fit! *Hear that, Race Face?*

Aha. Yeah that makes sense. But either way they still don't make an Atlas crank to fit! *Hear that, Race Face?*

Ya, something that is quite sour with the engineering types at Raceface, while the marketing guys try to figure out what to call the "Atlas crank with the longer spindle that we'll make into DH race crank"

I hear that SHimano XT cranks will fit - Dan at On Top Bike Shop is using a set on his V-tach I think.

Cheers!

Thanks for the comments Noel.

from a random customer after answering some questions about it was: "they make bikes that just mainly want to go downhill? why would you want to do that? "

:D


No problem about the comments - we're happy to help!

Ya, the riding community will get a little shock when the Endorphins start to ship later on this month: imagine - Knolly frames that not only climb well, but can actually be built under 30 pounds and LIKE going up hill!

:)

Cheers!

Noel

No problem about the comments - we're happy to help!

Ya, the riding community will get a little shock when the Endorphins start to ship later on this month: imagine - Knolly frames that not only climb well, but can actually be built under 30 pounds and LIKE going up hill!

:)

Cheers!

Noel


I know I'm interested ! :thumbsup: TIG.

Bring it Noel. Cant wait for the endorphin. Wheels and Totem ordered today so I should build it next week. Then it goes to Killington to do some runs

I forgot to mention that by replacing the 5th with the DHX, you'll drop about 0.4 pounds off the bike right away. Not a bad start :)

Cheers!

Noel

I forgot to mention that by replacing the 5th with the DHX, you'll drop about 0.4 pounds off the bike right away. Not a bad start :)

Cheers!

Noel

What's the shock i2i and stroke on the V-Tach? I don't see the info on the website.

_MK

What's the shock i2i and stroke on the V-Tach? I don't see the info on the website.

_MK

It's 8.75 x 2.75.

Cheers!

Noel

Noel have you ridden a cane creek double barrel on a v-tach yet? If so what sre you thoughts? Deciding between the CCDB and a avy.

Thanks

Terrible bikes they are, and that Noel guy is a real PITA. ;)



Really nice bike you have there, especially like the color :p I have been running mine for a few years now, and I am pretty much the same size as you are. I love my 5th element, although I have a Ti spring on it. Am now running an 07 888WC as well.

A few of my friends run the CCDB on their V-tachs and I must admit they are a REALLY nice shock. I just can not justify spending that much to raplace a shock that is working jsut fine for me. Once the 5th lets go then will probably order a new CCDB unless the rocco tst lures me.....