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lefty on a blur? thoughts needed.

2K views 24 replies 14 participants last post by  marc / fisherbike 
#1 ·
I have a 2011 blur lt and am running a 2010 fox talas 36, set at 140mm. However this bike is a mule and I would like to cut some weight. I also have a 2010 cannodale rz one twenty with a lefty ultra w/dlr 120. As I was riding today I was thinking of how the lefty would work on the Blur. I like the lefty and it is 2 pounds lighter than the talas. project 321 has the adapter to do this but what is your thoughts.

I am 235 lbs, 6'3 and 43. I ride xc type stuff no real jumping but speed does not scare me that much. thoughts?
 
#2 ·
Those Fox 36 forks are dogs aren't they? It's like climbing with a snow plow on the front, but so nice going down.

I'd say give i a try, it's probably best with a light 140-150mm, but the lefty will be light and also give you a bit more forward, XC geometry.
 
#4 ·
The problem isn't the 36...

...it's a great fork, and very light for what it is and does at around 5 lbs. At your size the weight cannot possibly matter. I say that as a 220 pounder who rides a 35 pound Nomad.

The problem is that it's too much fork for that bike. You should have gotten a 5" fork-- any 5" fork or a TALAS 150. That fork would have been ideal for your bike.

As for a 120mm fork on your bike, unless the crown height is really high it's not enough fork, not enough travel, and will mess up the geometry. Your bike just won't ride correctly. And why handcuff such a great bike with such a tiny fork?

Regards,

M-
 
#5 ·
The talas has 3 adjustable setting and I currently ride in the 130mm setting, the 160 is just way too much fork for the riding i do. at 4.95 pounds it is a beast. The lefty comes in at 3 lbs and is 120mm and I think it feels stiffer and more reliable than the talas. The blur right now weighs in at 32.5 pounds. To me that is just too heavy for a xc bike, even for a clyde.
Being able to ride the c'dale rz and the cruz side by side all I can say is I like the rear end on the cruz and the lefty of the c'dale.

Side note: the rz weight at 29lbs, in a side by side ride ( same ride, same effort, same weather, same set up) the c'dale rode the 9 mile loop at 43 min. the heavy cruz rode the same ride at 47 min. weight does help out even at my 235.
 
#6 · (Edited)
Even though I'm a tall, thin 175lbs, dumping my XL Banshee Rune and Van 36 and going to a carbon blurxc and f120 was like losing 100lbs of fat. That bigger bike 6" travel bike is set aside for lift riding and torture climb training only now. Those bigger bikes are kinda fun, but it sucks if you want to go fast up and down. I found myself always hunting for long declines that didn'e exist within 100 miles. You said XC trails right? Not fire roads up and 1track down?

On the flipside, you could always get a few cases of Mt Dew and get a Fox 40. I'm sure the dew will get you to the top quick. :p
 
#7 ·
dapozer said:
The talas has 3 adjustable setting and I currently ride in the 130mm setting, the 160 is just way too much fork for the riding i do. at 4.95 pounds it is a beast. The lefty comes in at 3 lbs and is 120mm and I think it feels stiffer and more reliable than the talas. The blur right now weighs in at 32.5 pounds. To me that is just too heavy for a xc bike, even for a clyde.
Being able to ride the c'dale rz and the cruz side by side all I can say is I like the rear end on the cruz and the lefty of the c'dale.

Side note: the rz weight at 29lbs, in a side by side ride ( same ride, same effort, same weather, same set up) the c'dale rode the 9 mile loop at 43 min. the heavy cruz rode the same ride at 47 min. weight does help out even at my 235.
Couple of comments:
- The LT is not an XC bike
- A Revelation is closer to the Lefty in weight than to the Fox 36 and is more
appropriate than a 120mm fork.
- 32.5 lbs is kinda porky for a LT, mine is/was 27.5 lbs with a Revelation.
 
#9 ·
The Lefty ultra 120 has an axle to crown of 490mm. The Fox 36 set at 140 should have
an axle to crown of 525.3mm. A difference of 35.3mm. That will drastically affect the handling characteristics of that bike. Santacruz bases the Blur Lt on a 529mm axle to crown. I would get yourself a lefty Max 140 with a 510mm axle to crown if you want to
do this. Some ultras can be extended to 140. What year is the lefty?
 
#12 ·
pumpkinbiter said:
The Lefty ultra 120 has an axle to crown of 490mm. The Fox 36 set at 140 should have
an axle to crown of 525.3mm. A difference of 35.3mm. That will drastically affect the handling characteristics of that bike. Santacruz bases the Blur Lt on a 529mm axle to crown. I would get yourself a lefty Max 140 with a 510mm axle to crown if you want to
do this. Some ultras can be extended to 140. What year is the lefty?
Its a 2010 lefty. I am worried about the geometry that it is going to give me. the Lefty is just too short, crown to axle. Back to the drawing board I guess.:D
 
#13 ·
dapozer said:
Its a 2010 lefty. I am worried about the geometry that it is going to give me. the Lefty is just too short, crown to axle. Back to the drawing board I guess.:D
The 2010 ultra can be extended to 140. That would still put you 15mm lower in the front end.
Depending on the type of handling you want that could work for you. But we try not do deviate more than about 5mm from the manufacturers recommendations.
 
#14 · (Edited)
pumpkinbiter said:
Care to elaborate?
Jake, my comment was not meant to be taken as a shot at the Project 321 conversion.

I can't see him being happier with a 120mm fork on an LT2. Additionally, he will make his new (2010) RZ un-rideable.

Otherwise, he's going to be spending a lot more money to have two bikes with Lefty's.

He might like the performance of the Lefty (on a bike that was designed for it), but he's really concerned about the weight of his LT2 (see his other posts).

Here's the real issue. He has a "light" zippy bike and one that isn't so light and he's trying to ride them both the same way. So now he's trying to figure out how to make the one bike feel more like the other bike. Removing the Lefty off the XC bike and putting it on the heavier bike is a bad idea. It's not going to make the LT2 feel like the RZ.

He's asking for an opinion. - he got mine
 
#15 ·
MarkHL said:
My comment was due to my personal negative experience with the Lefty and not a shot at the Project 321 conversion.

I can't see him being happier with a 120mm fork on an LT2. Additionally, he will make his new (2010) RZ un-rideable.

Otherwise, he's going to be spending a lot more money to have two bikes with Lefty's. He might like his Lefty, but basically, he's complaining more about the current weight of the LT2. See his other posts.
MarkHL, I wasn't taking offense to it. I was really just interested in what kind of experience you had that would make you say that. As a seller of leftys and lefty related components I am always interested in peoples experience with either. But thanks for pointing that out, Im glad that your bad lefty experience was not with our product.
 
#16 ·
MarkHL said:
Jake, my comment was not meant to be taken as a shot at the Project 321 conversion.

I can't see him being happier with a 120mm fork on an LT2. Additionally, he will make his new (2010) RZ un-rideable.

Otherwise, he's going to be spending a lot more money to have two bikes with Lefty's.

He might like the performance of the Lefty (on a bike that was designed for it), but he's really concerned about the weight of his LT2 (see his other posts).

Here's the real issue. He has a "light" zippy bike and one that isn't so light and he's trying to ride them both the same way. So now he's trying to figure out how to make the one bike feel more like the other bike. Removing the Lefty off the XC bike and putting it on the heavier bike is a bad idea. It's not going to make the LT2 feel like the RZ.

He's asking for an opinion. - he got mine
I think you are right here. The rz feels lighter, climbs better and is probably a better xc bike than the Blur LT. However the LT's VPP is really a sweet setup. I finally got to put the Talas through it's paces today. Climbing with this fork is like pushing snow with a plow, Heavy and kinda cumbersome, However railing the downs with the 160mm travel was worth the effort. I was climbing in the 130mm mode, but i really want to try the 100mm mode for climbing. Thanks for chiming in, It always helps to hear other thoughts and experiences before i go and do something crazy.
 
#18 ·
indyfab25 said:
Leftys are great...for shop labor.
This is true with all Lefty's that have Fox internals. For 2010/2011 they moved over to Rockshox internals along with a XX hydralic lockout on a couple models. Only time will tell if it is more durable than the Fox.

Lefty's look great, and are lightweight, but they have proven to not be as durabable as 2-legged forks...and require quite a lot more maintenance, and then also a special wheel build with a specific lefty hub.

My opinion would be to do it on a XC race bike that you will actually be racing with and that would be it...not an everyday bike or a trail bike.
 
#19 ·
pumpkinbiter said:
The 2010 ultra can be extended to 140. That would still put you 15mm lower in the front end.
Depending on the type of handling you want that could work for you. But we try not do deviate more than about 5mm from the manufacturers recommendations.
I just picked up an '07 Lefty Max 140 Carbon that I'm putting on my ancient Prophet, but I've been looking at the LT2 since it looks like I can throw 650B wheel set on it like my Prophet.

If decided to put this Lefty on a Blur LT2, could you describe which Project 321 kit I'd need? And what sort of spacers I'd need? I believe since its a carbon Lefty that its fixed.
 
#21 ·
What else you running on the BLT to make it 32lb!? I had mine built up with a 36 Van coil reduced to150mm, and adjustable seat post and it still came in at only 30lb. Dropping the 36 to 150mm made it handle wonderfully. A 120mm lefty owuld be just plain WRONG.

Ran it for a while with a 150mm 32 Talas and it came in at 28.5lb.

If you're worried about the weight, I suspect its more than the fork you need to look at.
 
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