I know I'm treading into shark infested waters here, but could the Nitrous work as an all-around bike for a 120lb woman?
I've been trying to get my wife into full suspension because the places she gets hung up are in high speed technical sections. She is an excellent low speed technical rider, and experienced as well. Her style is smooth and she doesn't like big air/drops, or any of that.
I put her on my Flux and it was simply too much bike for her: too big, too far off the ground, etc. In a chance happening, we ran into a friend with a Nitrous and she jumped on it for a spin. That changed her whole attitude towards FS, and she remained starstruck ever after. She wants a Nitrous for everyday riding, and the occasional race.
I know I'm treading into shark infested waters here, but could the Nitrous work as an all-around bike for a 120lb woman?
I've been trying to get my wife into full suspension because the places she gets hung up are in high speed technical sections. She is an excellent low speed technical rider, and experienced as well. Her style is smooth and she doesn't like big air/drops, or any of that.
I put her on my Flux and it was simply too much bike for her: too big, too far off the ground, etc. In a chance happening, we ran into a friend with a Nitrous and she jumped on it for a spin. That changed her whole attitude towards FS, and she remained starstruck ever after. She wants a Nitrous for everyday riding, and the occasional race.
Any objections?
I'd email or call Turner and ask. The nitrous is billed as an all-out racer, but given her size and style, it might work for her. CS at Turner is very good at responding to inquiries such as yours.
Was the Nitrous a different size than your Flux? If she liked the fit of the Nitrous I don't see why she couldn't get a Flux that is the same size to feel equally as comfortable with adjustments to the cockpit (stem, handlebars, seat), and I can't imagine anyone not wanting the additional 1" of travel. Doesn't the Nitrous have a longer TT than the Flux for a given size? IMO your wife would be better served with a Flux. Also, the Flux is available in a wider range of sizes including an XXS that DT named the "Jane."
the flux is 1/2" taller at the b/bkt and roughly 1" taller at the t/t, but other than that the nitrous is smaller in a given size with shallower angles. yeah, im surprised too knowin what i do about the average womens build. the flux shouold be the clear winner but if thats her gig then thats what she should have. if mommas not happy........
Any chance the Flux was a size larger? I rode a Nitrous at the dirt demo and was downright scared on the downhill sections. Sure, the bike was setup sorta like a track bike with the seat in the clouds and the handlebars almost scraping the ground, but it felt very long and definatelly not confidence inspiring on the downhills, so if that's where she's getting hung up, I would faster see a Flux being a better choice. On the other hand, women have longer torsos than men so it wouldn't feel long for a given size, possibly. Still, something's not adding up
_MK
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"No man goes before his time -- unless the boss leaves early."
-- Marx, Groucho
Any chance the Flux was a size larger? I rode a Nitrous at the dirt demo and was downright scared on the downhill sections. Sure, the bike was setup sorta like a track bike with the seat in the clouds and the handlebars almost scraping the ground, but it felt very long and definatelly not confidence inspiring on the downhills, so if that's where she's getting hung up, I would faster see a Flux being a better choice. On the other hand, women have longer torsos than men so it wouldn't feel long for a given size, possibly. Still, something's not adding up
_MK
I have to agree with everyone here. She may be light enough that she wouldn't break the nitrous, but it would make a horrible all-mountain bike due to the strict XC-racing angles. It will not inspire confidence at speed and will probably decrease that slow-speed technical abiliy you were talking about.
"It's only when you stand over it, you know, when you physically stand over the bike, that then you say 'hey, I don't have much stand over height', you know"-T. Ellsworth
I know I'm treading into shark infested waters here, but could the Nitrous work as an all-around bike for a 120lb woman?
Any objections?
You might want to consider an old Stinger or a Racer X. Both have lower BB's and the Racer X is available in lots of sizes. The Nitrous just sounds like overkill, plus keep in mind it's geometry is setup for racing, so it's not as relaxed as most Turners.
Maybe she should consider a small Burner or XCE. There's a sweet looking XCE in the classifieds right now and a small black Burner frame going for cheap on Ebay. Either one of these rides would probably suit her better for all around riding and the occasional race. You''d save a fair amount of dough as well. http://classifieds.mtbr.com/cgi-bin/...uery=retrieval
Well... I'm 5'6", 135lbs, semi-pro cc racer and have a small Nitrous for a race bike. My "every day" bike is a custom steel hardtail with a 4" fork.
My guess: your lady liked the Nitrous because it feels like her hardtail. I've bounced around between a lot of bikes (Moots YBB sl, RacerX, Ibis Mojo, Ventana, even a Turner Rail) and I love the Nitrous as a race bike because it feels like a hardtail, except I can sit and spin on stutter bumps. Now, for every day riding, that quality makes little difference to me, but in a race, when I've been trying to maintain lactate threshold for an hour, it makes a big difference in my ability to keep the power on. My point is the Flux doesn't feel like a HT. Particularly if she is going from a short fork to a 4" on the Flux. But I'll tell you this: I don't know anyone who went to a 4" fork and then went back to a 3" fork for trail riding. Some weirdos do go back to ridgid, but they're mostly wacko single speeders.
Anyhow, that's a lot of words to say I agree with everyone else. For an every day bike, the Flux would be better in just about every way. If you use the same parts, it'll build to within a pound of the Nitrous.
I'd email or call Turner and ask. The nitrous is billed as an all-out racer, but given her size and style, it might work for her. CS at Turner is very good at responding to inquiries such as yours.
Later.
I dont know if it has been mentioned elsewhere, but I think that CS has moved on.
Yeah, I'd second all that was said. The nitrous is NOT going to inspire confidence for her at speed. If there is one thing I have noticed about girl riders it is that they demand a bike that gives them a feeling of confidence. The nitrous will be twitchy compared to most other bikes in the line. Make sure to check out the Titus racer-x line and also an SC juliana. They cater to the womens shape. MK was incorrect when he said women have longer torsos. It's the other way around. Women have longer legs and shorter torsos in general than a man of the same height. Both the SC and the smaller size titus bikes are built with this in mind. How tall is she anyway? Also the womens models usually have slacker head angles.
[QUOTE=Stradissimo]Well... I'm 5'6", 135lbs, semi-pro cc racer and have a small Nitrous for a race bike. My "every day" bike is a custom steel hardtail with a 4" fork.
Thank you for the feedback, I'll let her read through this all when she wakes up. Most probably she likes the fact that the Nitrous feels like a hard tail, and even when she tried a Racer X, she complained that it felt too plush! Since that time she has come to realize the advantages of FS. She really loved a Blur that she demoed in Hood River one day, but I think the amazing trails had something to do with that experience as well...
When she rode around on the Nitrous, she did not do any real descending, just poking around a gravel and dirt landscape. It was also a 21lb build, enough to perk anybody's interest. But it sounds pretty sketchy on descents...
I think a small Flux would be awesome for her, maybe built to 22 lbs? That would be lighter than her hardtail! (but, yikes, that's a project...)
Well... I'm 5'6", 135lbs, semi-pro cc racer and have a small Nitrous for a race bike. My "every day" bike is a custom steel hardtail with a 4" fork.
how much does your Nitrous weigh?
According to my scale, it weighs 22.1 lbs.
There are a couple areas where I could lose some grams.
1: The rear rim is a Mavix X3.1. I'm running a Stans Olympic on the front, and I like it so far, but I've heard mixed reports on their durability as rear wheels.
2: ODI lock on grips. I'll switch over to bar tape, or Porc Rinds before next season.
3: Old (first generation) disks for my Martas. Stans or wavy rotors will be lighter.
Where I'll possibly gain weight.
1: Bar ends. I can't decide if I want 'em, or not.
2: The New Ultimate seat post that is on it weighs 135 gm, but it is really flexy, and I have to have the seat all the way back. I'm going to try a less flexy post, and see if I can feel the difference.
There are a couple areas where I could lose some grams.
1: The rear rim is a Mavix X3.1. I'm running a Stans Olympic on the front, and I like it so far, but I've heard mixed reports on their durability as rear wheels.
2: ODI lock on grips. I'll switch over to bar tape, or Porc Rinds before next season.
3: Old (first generation) disks for my Martas. Stans or wavy rotors will be lighter.
Where I'll possibly gain weight.
1: Bar ends. I can't decide if I want 'em, or not.
2: The New Ultimate seat post that is on it weighs 135 gm, but it is really flexy, and I have to have the seat all the way back. I'm going to try a less flexy post, and see if I can feel the difference.
I'm 135lbs and have been racing the Olympic Disc rims all season long on my Flux. I even raced the Downieville Downhill on them. No problems. If you are rough on wheels, run DT Competition 1.8-1.6-1.8 spokes on the rear, or just on the drive side. Use a tensionmeter and you will be fine.
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Originally Posted by obaby
