Back in black . . .
- Thread starter R120
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- e-sentier fox 36 powdercoated vitus
steve_sordy
Wedding Crasher
I love a nice restrained black bike.
I like the Sugar Skull top cap - to me they look even better with an anodised bolt though. Not cheap, but very stylish!
Laser Etched - Sugar Skull
Laser Etched - Sugar Skull
steve_sordy
Wedding Crasher
You might want to consider replacing those bright Fox logos with some stealth black ones. The logos are satin black on a matt black background. You can only tell they are Fox by catching the light just so. They look really cool and will go well with your bike's appearance.
plenty cheap headsets (and cheap bikes) come with a black rubber bung for the top bolt. Ask in your LBS they might have some kicking about.
Ps. Supersoft Magic Mary's f&r?
Wow!
(I have a set here unused for that very reason)
Wow!
Sorta pointless stealthing out the fork leg logos if you're running E13 TRS wheels with their big bold non removable WHITE rim logos.
(I have a set here unused for that very reason)
- Thread starter
- #10
I have a load of those bungs, I am happy with it as is.
I toyed with taking off the Logos, but its not a full stealth build.
My original plan was to get rid of every bit of logos/writing on everything, the cranks, derailleur etc etc and put the already stealthed out Lyriks that where on my Sommet onto it, after shortening the travel. However I got the Fox 36's cheap so changed the direction of the build.
I have some new cranks on order which will finish it off, but they're not due in till early next year.
Took it out for full shakedown today, and just love this bike, maybe even more than my Sommett.
I toyed with taking off the Logos, but its not a full stealth build.
My original plan was to get rid of every bit of logos/writing on everything, the cranks, derailleur etc etc and put the already stealthed out Lyriks that where on my Sommet onto it, after shortening the travel. However I got the Fox 36's cheap so changed the direction of the build.
I have some new cranks on order which will finish it off, but they're not due in till early next year.
Took it out for full shakedown today, and just love this bike, maybe even more than my Sommett.
- Thread starter
- #11
I am loving the SS MM's on this, local conditions are basically 10cm deep mud everywhere with exposed wet clay and roots thrown in for fun, and they are super predictable in these conditions - not the fastest but a trade off I am happy to make for keeping the rides fun over the next few months
I've actually just fitted a MM (soft) to the front of my sommet and a HRII (Maxxpro) to the rear.
This'll be the first winter in 13 years I've not just stuck with full dry treads (a DHF front and semi slick; blingbling. BBG or SS rear) and just embraced the sketchiness and no rear braking loose/sideways riding style they require. Rode a cold damp Glentress the other day with the HRII on the rear (DHF still upfront) and grip was insane compared to what I've intentionally become used to allowing me to push far far more in almost every corner with not a single sideways moment. er... No shit Gary?
I went with the harder compound rear and a HRII partly so rolling resistance wouldn't end up through the roof but partly because I like a bit of rear wheel sketchiness and like the drift characeristics of the HRII. The full reason for the switch will become apparent in the next week or so.
This'll be the first winter in 13 years I've not just stuck with full dry treads (a DHF front and semi slick; blingbling. BBG or SS rear) and just embraced the sketchiness and no rear braking loose/sideways riding style they require. Rode a cold damp Glentress the other day with the HRII on the rear (DHF still upfront) and grip was insane compared to what I've intentionally become used to allowing me to push far far more in almost every corner with not a single sideways moment. er... No shit Gary?
I went with the harder compound rear and a HRII partly so rolling resistance wouldn't end up through the roof but partly because I like a bit of rear wheel sketchiness and like the drift characeristics of the HRII. The full reason for the switch will become apparent in the next week or so.
Snap! Got exactly the same one on my Sommet. Need a teal bolt for it though
- Thread starter
- #14
I was speaking to @Rob Hancill to show him their website and see if it might be worth getting some forum topcoats knocked up.
- Thread starter
- #15
I've actually just fitted a MM (soft) to the front of my sommet and a HRII (Maxxpro) to the rear.
This'll be the first winter in 13 years I've not just stuck with full dry treads (a DHF front and semi slick; blingbling. BBG or SS rear) and just embraced the sketchiness and no rear braking loose/sideways riding style they require. Rode a cold damp Glentress the other day with the HRII on the rear (DHF still upfront) and grip was insane compared to what I've intentionally become used to allowing me to push far far more in almost every corner with not a single sideways moment. er... No shit Gary?
I went with the harder compound rear and a HRII partly so rolling resistance wouldn't end up through the roof but partly because I like a bit of rear wheel sketchiness and like the drift characeristics of the HRII. The full reason for the switch will become apparent in the next week or so.
Oddly my experiment of running Hillybillys front and rear on the Sommett is turning into a probably longer term plan - surprised at how well it rides, rails through the slop and still seems to hold up on the direr stuff.
Yeah. I've ridden other folks bikes with a MM upfront on bone dry hardpack interlaced with rock with no drama but also seen the increased grip/confidence the MM gives them when it's sloppy so they'll most likely be staying on until April.
I only ever really rode mud tyres when racing but haven't cared about that since about 2003
I only ever really rode mud tyres when racing but haven't cared about that since about 2003
steve_sordy
Wedding Crasher
The wheels came after the logos and I couldn't bring myself to try remove or otherwise obscure the rim logos. Besides, although I like black or subdued stuff, I'm not obsessive about it.
- Thread starter
- #19
Thanks Kris
I took it out for its first major ride today, over in Surrey Hills on Nirvana bikes Emtb ride (amazing shop full of pure filthy bike porn ) and it took some adjusting getting used to riding the hardtail again - lots of pedal strikes early in the ride which shook my confidence (shorter cranks are on the way), along with coming off a bout of food poising meaning I was out on my feet towards the end, but a massive shout out to @Jonny2 and the guys from Nirvana for getting me to HTFU and get on with riding the drops, and getting my confidence going - main takeaway is that the fox 36's transform the bike and make it surprisingly supple for want of a better phrase, terrain never felt like it was battling the bike, and how much lighter it is than the FS means it rockets up hill, just a bit more bumpy getting to the top.
Forgot how much more physical riding it is on proper trails, my back is feeling it now.! Here she is in winter mode with RRP guards front and back
I took it out for its first major ride today, over in Surrey Hills on Nirvana bikes Emtb ride (amazing shop full of pure filthy bike porn ) and it took some adjusting getting used to riding the hardtail again - lots of pedal strikes early in the ride which shook my confidence (shorter cranks are on the way), along with coming off a bout of food poising meaning I was out on my feet towards the end, but a massive shout out to @Jonny2 and the guys from Nirvana for getting me to HTFU and get on with riding the drops, and getting my confidence going - main takeaway is that the fox 36's transform the bike and make it surprisingly supple for want of a better phrase, terrain never felt like it was battling the bike, and how much lighter it is than the FS means it rockets up hill, just a bit more bumpy getting to the top.
Forgot how much more physical riding it is on proper trails, my back is feeling it now.! Here she is in winter mode with RRP guards front and back
Looks good , I almost bought one a while back when they were so cheap , amazing value . Owning a second bike with same motor etc seemed s good idea .
Interested why you say you like it more than your sommet , I’ve not ridden a hardtail ebike and I think I read some unfair negative feedback which put me off , since seen a lot of good reasons to go hardtail , does it do more miles per battery ?
Interested why you say you like it more than your sommet , I’ve not ridden a hardtail ebike and I think I read some unfair negative feedback which put me off , since seen a lot of good reasons to go hardtail , does it do more miles per battery ?
- Thread starter
- #21
It’s lighter so it uses less battery, and the drivetrain is obviously more efficient on a hardtail, so it seems to get a few more miles out of it. I would say it rides better in wet muddy conditions as you get more feedback on what the back end is doing, but that just might be my mind playing tricks on. me.
It doesn’t have a harsh ride and when riding seated with the dropper up I never felt like I was having every bump on the trail transmitted up my backside. When I was out yesterday the others where on a Levo, Kenevo and Cube 160, and TBH if I had known the riding we where going to be doing before hand I would have automatically opted for my E-Sommett, but actually it coped really well.
At no stage did I feel I was being bucked around or wishing I was on the FS, other than when I pussied out of doing some steeper drops where on the FS you would have just pointed it and rode over the terrain, but on the HT you would have to pick a line through the rocks. As mentioned before I had a fair few pedal strikes in the fist part of the ride, and this put the fear into me of hooking up on something on some of the terrain, but as the ride went on and mainly thanks to Simon from Nirvana pushing me I pretty much forgot I was on the HT.
Main feedback I would give, is that if you are going to ride an HT on more technical stuff, then your upper body takes more of a beating, as you are manoeuvring the bike around more to pick a line rather than just blasting though sections, and you definitely feel like you have put way more into the ride when your done, both mensal and physical. Funnily enough my legs gave me no grief at all, despite the fact that on an HT they essentially provide your rear suspension.
The reason I like it round my way is the tracks are pretty tight and switchbacky, all off piste for want of a better term but also smooth and fast if you pick he right line, and whilst the E-Somett is good on them the hardtail works better on the tighter tracks, but you also have to pay more attention. Sometimes the E-Somett is too good and you end up picking up too much speed for the next section, breaking hard and interrupting the flow of the track, whereas on the hardtail I seem to maintain a more consistent speed and flow.- I guess it just makes them a little more fun and challenging than on a FS.
So if want to go for a quick blast locally its probably the hardtail that I will take, but for a proper ride the Sommett.
It doesn’t have a harsh ride and when riding seated with the dropper up I never felt like I was having every bump on the trail transmitted up my backside. When I was out yesterday the others where on a Levo, Kenevo and Cube 160, and TBH if I had known the riding we where going to be doing before hand I would have automatically opted for my E-Sommett, but actually it coped really well.
At no stage did I feel I was being bucked around or wishing I was on the FS, other than when I pussied out of doing some steeper drops where on the FS you would have just pointed it and rode over the terrain, but on the HT you would have to pick a line through the rocks. As mentioned before I had a fair few pedal strikes in the fist part of the ride, and this put the fear into me of hooking up on something on some of the terrain, but as the ride went on and mainly thanks to Simon from Nirvana pushing me I pretty much forgot I was on the HT.
Main feedback I would give, is that if you are going to ride an HT on more technical stuff, then your upper body takes more of a beating, as you are manoeuvring the bike around more to pick a line rather than just blasting though sections, and you definitely feel like you have put way more into the ride when your done, both mensal and physical. Funnily enough my legs gave me no grief at all, despite the fact that on an HT they essentially provide your rear suspension.
The reason I like it round my way is the tracks are pretty tight and switchbacky, all off piste for want of a better term but also smooth and fast if you pick he right line, and whilst the E-Somett is good on them the hardtail works better on the tighter tracks, but you also have to pay more attention. Sometimes the E-Somett is too good and you end up picking up too much speed for the next section, breaking hard and interrupting the flow of the track, whereas on the hardtail I seem to maintain a more consistent speed and flow.- I guess it just makes them a little more fun and challenging than on a FS.
So if want to go for a quick blast locally its probably the hardtail that I will take, but for a proper ride the Sommett.
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- Thread starter
- #22
And I would say that I find the coverage of hardtails on EMBN a load of bollocks, particularly their last video, for starters they are riding hardtails provided by their sponsors that are not designed for aggressive riding, and whilst the Sentier is not the most aggressive HT out there it has the basic geometry and design to let it be ridden hard. EMBN seem to forget that a lot of people like them because they are fun!
@R120 That's pretty much exactly how I feel about non assisted hardtails (apart from the more grip thing, that's definitely your mind playing tricks on you ).
It's only Steve on EMBN* that's a twat about hardtails. He always has been. He's a fast downhill rider but has no style and can't jump to save himself . all the shit he talks about hardtails is from fear.
He's a dick about sizing and how you "should" ride an ebike aswell.
Choose whatever bike in whatever size suits you and makes you happy and ride the shit out of it doing whatever you feel like doing.
*Blake, Chris and donny all spent half their life on little dirt jump hardtails. I hate the way Chris allows Steve to shut him down all the time. He might be older but he's certainly not wiser.
).It's only Steve on EMBN* that's a twat about hardtails. He always has been. He's a fast downhill rider but has no style and can't jump to save himself . all the shit he talks about hardtails is from fear.
He's a dick about sizing and how you "should" ride an ebike aswell.
Choose whatever bike in whatever size suits you and makes you happy and ride the shit out of it doing whatever you feel like doing.
*Blake, Chris and donny all spent half their life on little dirt jump hardtails. I hate the way Chris allows Steve to shut him down all the time. He might be older but he's certainly not wiser.
I'm not sure I've seen the one you mean.
Jonsey has a hell of a lot knowledge, enthusiasm and experience to bring to mtb media but he absolutely ruins EMBN with his blinkered views.
Jonsey has a hell of a lot knowledge, enthusiasm and experience to bring to mtb media but he absolutely ruins EMBN with his blinkered views.
It is Panto season OH NO IT ISN'T!!!
Poor Cinders. massively more talented cleverer and fitter than her ugly sister
Watched the first 4 minutes and gave up. (I'll probably watch it another time)
Check the vid I posted a bit earlier in the non-ebike section - it probably has a lot to do with why I can't cope with Steve pointing and being a prick.
Back on topic. Have you updated the firmware on your hardtail? I noticed today my Sommet was much easier to wheelie in Trail and Eco. Not sure if it's the last firmware update's smooting it out even more than before or just having a "good" day
OH NO IT ISN'T!!!Poor Cinders. massively more talented cleverer and fitter than her ugly sister
Watched the first 4 minutes and gave up. (I'll probably watch it another time)
Check the vid I posted a bit earlier in the non-ebike section - it probably has a lot to do with why I can't cope with Steve pointing and being a prick.
Back on topic. Have you updated the firmware on your hardtail? I noticed today my Sommet was much easier to wheelie in Trail and Eco. Not sure if it's the last firmware update's smooting it out even more than before or just having a "good" day
- Thread starter
- #28
The Sentier is running the latest firmware, haven’t updated the Sommett in ages. All I can say from the Sentier is the motor is running very smooth, but It was dismantled for nearly two months so hard to compare back to back. Will update the Sommett tomorrow
Tried again and managed to get through the rest of it.
When Steve says "hardtails don't teach you how to pick lines correctly" he's missing one very basic difference between a suspended rear end and a rigid one.
What he funnily enough (as he just doesn't ride them enough) doesn't seem to realise is. Hardtails teach you how to feel tyre grip more directly. which includes grip limit, drift breakaway points and even braking grip and no rear suspension can also teach you finer weight distribution skills. not being able to ride the same lines is often bollocks. guys like Akrigg can ride lines on a hardtail Steve never could on any full sus.
For someone who's constantly banging on about us all NEEDING longer bikes for stability he ironically also misses that because it has no rear suspension a hardtails chasis is actually more stable (the rear frame triangle, not the ride). and because of this it the hardtail actually more predictable and consistent in feel and although your body has to do more work you gel with it more. This is why you see immense bike handlers like Chris Kyle struggling a little on their enduro bikes when you'd think they'd kick any mtbers arse jibbing and riding tech.
That pureness of feel is one of the reasons I prefer jumping hardtails to full sus despite riding DH bikes for over 2 decades..
When Steve says "hardtails don't teach you how to pick lines correctly" he's missing one very basic difference between a suspended rear end and a rigid one.
What he funnily enough (as he just doesn't ride them enough) doesn't seem to realise is. Hardtails teach you how to feel tyre grip more directly. which includes grip limit, drift breakaway points and even braking grip and no rear suspension can also teach you finer weight distribution skills. not being able to ride the same lines is often bollocks. guys like Akrigg can ride lines on a hardtail Steve never could on any full sus.
For someone who's constantly banging on about us all NEEDING longer bikes for stability he ironically also misses that because it has no rear suspension a hardtails chasis is actually more stable (the rear frame triangle, not the ride). and because of this it the hardtail actually more predictable and consistent in feel and although your body has to do more work you gel with it more. This is why you see immense bike handlers like Chris Kyle struggling a little on their enduro bikes when you'd think they'd kick any mtbers arse jibbing and riding tech.
That pureness of feel is one of the reasons I prefer jumping hardtails to full sus despite riding DH bikes for over 2 decades..
Ps. the more I open this thread the uglier your sentier in OG form looks an the more awesome the KM2 JPS model looks
I don't say that about many L or XL hardtails
I don't say that about many L or XL hardtails
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