So my neighbor is building up a Phoenix DH (size Lrg) and looking at scale weights its not bad!! His bike weighs in at 37lbs (sans pedals).
Build specs:
Phoenix DH (size lrg)
Fox 40
Fox RC4 (steel spring; Ti coming)
Magura Louise (203f&r)
Race Face Atlas - cranks (170mm), bars, integrated stem
CB Mallet Pedals
SRAM X9 shifter and short cage RD
SDG carbon I-beam post and I-fly saddle
Kenda DH Excavator(fr) & DH El Moco(rr) and DH Tubes
ODI Lock-on grips
Wheels are some DT Swiss (cant remember the model)
E13 LG1+ chainguide and Race Face 36t single ring
So Im thinking with Fox 36 Float 180, non DH tires run tubeless, Ti spring and lighter bar and stem combo, could easily get down to 34-35 lbs?? Thoughts??
Are you really trying to tell me a bike with 2 downhill tubes and a steel spring is 37lbs ?
I mean that's a pretty nice bike and all but cmon now.... An 8" AM bike seems pretty pointless and a waste of effort but its your bike so do what you want. Whoops... didn't see that scale shot up there. That ones probably off by at least 2-3 pounds, my local shop has the same scale and its something like 4 pounds off.
I'm not usually a fan of attempting to convert a DH bike to be good for long uphills, since I've seen some stupid results, and often the mfg'er has not designed the seat tube to take the stress of a big guy sitting on a super long seatpost.
however the Phoenix is a bit different. The seat tube design appears to enable a decent pedalling position, almost as if Phoenix had this in mind. A magazine review I read mentioned that when they tested it, they rode uphill pretty regularly on it and it worked well.
I can think of some riding areas where there are long dirt road uptracks leading to legit DH trails. run a 36T up front, 11-34 rear, sure, why not.
but putting on AM tires on a bike like this? So the bike can't be ridden as a real DH bike on the descent? that sounds lame. Like getting a DH bike and putting 400 g XC rims on. what's the point?
The first production bikes won't be available until early 2011. That one is from our small batch of in house prototypes. The owner is a very lucky guy :yesnod:
It's been my experience that AM bikes are WAY funner doing AM stuff then DH bikes. The DH bikes BB is too low for pedaling on rocky trails and rolling rocks. If my RFX isn't ready to roll I ride my 303R on trail rides and it's fun mashing out climbs on it but I would rather be on the RFX for sure. If you just want to pedal to your DH trail head, then there's no need to lighten it, just throw an AM cassette on the back.
A buddy demo'd one up at Sandy Ridge and he smoked a bunch of XC guys up to the top (about 4-5 miles up the fire road to the trailhead?). He's a strong rider but he swore that he felt it wasn't any slower than his AM rig when pedaling. He was absolutely blown away by that bike and still talks about it!
37lbs WITHOUT PEDALS sounds right. Besides the rear spring and tubes that's a really light build. My V10 is a little lighter despite some heavier parts.
Why not? I say go for it and let us know how it goes :thumbsup:
I've been riding this for over a year...
I bet the Phoenix would be a hair heavier in this build then my Glory( 37lb 4oz), but there are a lot of big pluses to the Pivot that do tempt me
The DH trail bike is a bit more tiring then riding my lighter Reign X, but it's more fun for some trails and if I decide to not ride something it's not cause I don't have enough suspension This is mostly what I ride in places like Moab. I've been tempted to switch the fork to air and go Vivid Air. Also looking to try a new Reverb. Those things and Deity Lite pedals would probably bring this bike down under 36 lbs.
I was never riding my DH bikes enough to justify owning them since I don't live near a good resort. By owning this setup it gets used a ton more and I beef it up for the trips to resorts. It's also nice if I want to try riding something that has made me nervous on the smaller bike. For my 1st attempt I can pedal this up anything that can be climbed on a XC bike and then get over my fear with a little extra room for error.
the head angle on the Glory is pretty steep, around 65.5 degrees, which helps with a conversion like yours.
i suppose if there's fatigue cracking at the seattube/top tube area due to the long post, then you can just pretend that you never ran a super long post length when you talk to Giant's warranty department.
has anyone asked Pivot if using a long post voids the warranty? since Pivot was managing the demo near Vegas, I get the sense that Pivot actually designed this 'DH' frame to have enough extra insertion depth that you could run a non-dropper post and still get it high enough for long fire road uphill pedalling.
I see no where in my warranty info that it specifies the seatpost length so I'm pretty sure that's not an issue. Besides if my butt's on the seat when it's up, then I'm not doing anything more then pedaling relatively smooth terrain. I can't imagine building a bike like this without a GD style post. Sure for resort riding I throw on a shorty post, but I won't even ride a mountain bike on normal trails without a GD anymore.
Also, I've used several accurate gauges and the whole 65.5 deg head angle appears not to be true for production Glory's. Mine measures just barely under 65 deg with this fork. Others have found similar results. Giant sucks at spec sheets and has for years. Based on my experience, I believe the demo bikes felt steep because they were/are way over sprung in the rear. A 500# spring is ridiculous for a med frame. I can run a 350# and I'm ~170lbs ready to ride.
I say call Pivot and ask, or PM Ken, they are an awesome crew to work with from what I know. I just ordered a 5.7 for the mrs.
the head angle on the Glory is pretty steep, around 65.5 degrees, which helps with a conversion like yours.
i suppose if there's fatigue cracking at the seattube/top tube area due to the long post, then you can just pretend that you never ran a super long post length when you talk to Giant's warranty department.
has anyone asked Pivot if using a long post voids the warranty? since Pivot was managing the demo near Vegas, I get the sense that Pivot actually designed this 'DH' frame to have enough extra insertion depth that you could run a non-dropper post and still get it high enough for long fire road uphill pedalling.
Nice build, personally on a bike like that I'd stick w/DH tubeless tires. Save some weight w/o the tubes, but don't compromise on the rubber. With that bike you'll be rippin' and you don't want a torn sidewall.
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