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Terremoto: suitable for bike-parks & all-mountain?

1K views 8 replies 7 participants last post by  Lumagent Morple 
#1 ·
I am thinking about building up a bike for summer trips to ski-resort bike parks (Mammoth, Northstar-at-Tahoe) as well as trips up/down Noble Canyon and some other fun trails around San Diego. Basically this boils down to riding black-diamond runs as well as long days climbing mountains and heading back down single-track hitting some jumps and terrain features along the way. So, it wouldn't be my everyday trailbike, but it would get a little air-time (not huge air by any means) and it would have to get me uphill. My other ride is a 29er, so I am thinking something more fun for jumps and tight/twisty trails.

I have my eye on the Terremoto, it looks like a solid bike that could be built up under 30 lbs but still handle some abuse. I am thinking with the right wheels and a 20mm TA fork this could be a killer bike in the parks, but kept light enough to still go uphill. I don't mind pushing a little weight uphill provided the suspension is efficient. I'd be willing to flip the lockout switch on a shock for longer climbs, but would prefer to be able to hammer up shorter hills without too much "pogo" action.

Any thoughts on what frame/shock combo I should be looking at? Am I on the right track with the TM, or should I consider other options from Ventana? What shock does everyone like, and is anyone riding a Ventana on the types of trails/terrain I describe? What's your setup?

Thanks in advance for any feedback, and if I missed a thread please feel free to direct me appropriately.
 
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#2 ·
I think this frame is a very good choice. Although I feel that building a bike to take constant abuse and weigh under 30lbs will be difficult.
With a good fork and wheelset you will be able to enjoy any bike park.
The rear shocks do not have a lockout but propedal settings allow uphill progress without rider induced shock movement.
I recently spent the day at a downhill venue with Leon on our Terremoto's and it was good to fly the downs and then ride past the guys pushing their dh bikes back to the top.
I use Wotan forks and Leon uses Nixon both have 160mm of travel, I have a coil shock he has an air. I have gone for lighter fork and shock on his bike because he only weighs 110lb. This is where it gets a bit unfair because his bike weighs 31lb and mine 34.5lb and he can still leave me on a climb if he wishes to.
With the right build it will be hard to find a better perfoming bike as the Terremoto is such a well built frame that allows you to really push it to find new limits.
 
#3 ·
As AJR said, you'd be hard pushed to built up a durable Moto under 30lbs for bike park riding. With an air shock, air fork and light wheels and tyres, you might make it, but if it's a dedicated bike to enjoy downhills and tech trail features, don't be afraid to make it a little heavier.

I dropped my Moto from 34 to 32 pounds by swapping from coil to air (CCDB to RP23) and going to lightweight pedals and lighter wheels, but I will opt back to the coil shock and heavy wheels for any DH stuff (which is where the bike really shines). The RP23 is not nearly as plush as the CCDB, but does the job for XC duties.

Swapping my Lyrik coil to a Fox 36 would drop another 3/4 of a pound, so maybe 30 lbs is achievable..

As far as the AM riding goes, the Terremoto is more than up to the task.
 
#5 · (Edited)
I agree with Squeaky - the 30# mark is not where the 'moto is designed to be, but I could see 32 as doable. I have mine setup at about 36lbs running a Push'd DHX and Lyrik coil up front. If I had known when I got the fork that I would end up on the TM, I would have gone solo air, and saved a bit of weight, but the fork was on another bike first.

I have mine built for trails that are similar to Noble (my long lost love), except our local terrain is a bit more technical. I will say that this bike climbs better than my X-5 did in 6" travel mode. It is quick to move and doesn't bob much with in-the-saddle pedaling efforts.

If I were going to ride up noble and then back down, the only difference from my current build would probably be going to 2.35 tires, but I am a fatty and love the 2.5s for normal climbing around austin. The noticeably heavy parts on this build are the tires, full on coils and DH tubes, but I do love it.
 
#6 ·
Thanks all for the input - exactly what I was hoping for. I am not 100% determined to keep the build under 30lbs if I do this - I think 32 lbs or thereabouts would be fine, I could always have different pairs of wheels for the bike parks and riding trails. It sounds like this frame would be a good choice, I think I will start saving up and try to build something up this summer.

Thanks for the feedback - I will stay "realistic" on the weight. :)
 
#7 · (Edited)
Bump

Heh, I knew there was already a thread on this, so I figured I would post here despite it being more of a parts discussion....

So, with summer just around the corner, did anyone ever "park" their TM? Looking at Winter Park and Sol Vista, I don't think I would rather rent a 7" bike when I could ride my custom-tuned 6" bike.

Don't get me wrong - the idea of getting to rent/ride something different is appealing, but at the rental prices, it just gets rediculous. I know my DHX is tuned for my riding around Austin, but I am sure I could change a thing or two to make it more park-friendly.

I would even consider running a longer fork (180mm) for the park, that should slack it out to 66.5*.
 
#9 ·
I have no problems taking my TM downhilling. I plan to spend at least a couple days at Keystone and/or Snowshoe this summer on it. I came from a Bottlerocket to the Terremoto and I have to say that I have lost no confidence whatsoever. I am certain that the TM can take the abuse I dish out. With the right build kit, it makes for a nice light-duty mini-DH bike. The head angle is slack enough with a 160mm fork, and a short stem helps out on the steep stuff. Here's a pic from me last fall on the bike. She sits right at 34 pounds as seen below:

 
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