Let's offroad / mountain bike / mtb / ride dirt

Awesome! The Jibb looks like the perfect bike for these things

Total Adventure bike hire in Windermere will do you a gravel bike

Hired some bikes there a month ago. A pleasant consumer experience.

Not Surrey:

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https://strava.app.link/z3h0Ipgggyb

Fighting monkeys today but no otters

These trinity racing epics are doing naughty things to my brain. They need to offer that as a standard paint job and they can take me £4k

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Nope. Was just the shock bushings worn out.

Back to square one. If anything, the knocking is worse now. I replaced the shock bushings and hardware, they were pretty worn out despite being barely ridden. I don't think it's a pivot bearing because I can't fell any sideways movement, and without the shock in they all feel smooth, however I've ordered some new ones just in case

On compression or rebound, whether with my hand on the top tube or sitting on the bike, there is a distinct knock which can be felt through the whole bike, even the handlebars. I've tried more and less preload on the spring, I've torqued the bolts up to spec. The damper feels fine cycling it in my hand, just smooth as it should be, and the rebound and compression adjusters all work as expected.

I don't think it's the check valve, you can hear that's a different noise when I put the lockout on

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1hKR6SBAOow0Xzx0Xff-IoIRkS6OpHHQL/view?usp=drivesdk

Most of the reviews say the EXT is noisy...

The first is that this shock is noisy. There is an internal shuttle valve that makes a clicking sound every time the shock compresses. At first, I had thought the shock was faulty but discovered this is as expected and I no longer notice the clicking. I have been told the shuttle valve can be removed but it’s worth it for the performance gains so I would also recommend keeping it.

Yeah I'm pretty sure it's not that, you can hear that noise amplified when I put the lockout switch on. This can be felt as a knock through the whole bike, rather than a light click/tick noise. It's also not done this before, and was serviced about 6 months ago

Send the vid to CP and see what he says?

Already been speaking to the Mojo guys, and as usual, they've been excellent so far. Just wondered in the meantime if anyone had any ideas

First guess is that there is air in the damper and the clunk is the shock progressing undamped until the air is compressed and the piston hits resistance.

I can't feel that when compressing it in my hand, but presumably it'd be more obvious with the added leverage when on the bike?

Yep - on the bike your body weight and the leverage will make issues with the internals more apparent.

So the damper might be fucked, 6 months after a service?
Was the damper serviced?

Serviced in September, ridden very little since then. 20-25hrs at the most, and I'm not exactly hucking to flat off cliffs

It’s possible they did a shit bleed. Iirc dampers usually have another chamber with some nitrogen in it as an expansion vessel or volume compensator - if they leak you get the same kind of issue.

It's possible they did a shit bleed, it's not an easy job. The IFP seal should be changed in a damper service. If something else is causing a leak, I'd hope its obvious.

It makes the same noise on the bike, with or without the spring:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1hQxH2T7VkT95yMl08WxuSqSp_o5hkbXx/view?usp=drivesdk

So, probably another service then...

Do any of your mates have a shock with the same eye to eye length that you could use to rule out or confirm that it’s the shock?

The Arma on my bike has had the check valve removed by mojo.
The shock sags a tiny fraction under the weight of the bike it’s self.
It has about 2/3mm of what feels like very soft dead travel at the beginning of the stroke. I think it’s supposed to part of the slight negative travel it has.
If I rock the bike the way you are in the video, it makes a slight sound as it cycles back and forth through that very soft 2/3mm.
But it certainly doesn’t feel like a knock or as loud as how yours sounds.
The have another arma on my dh bike that behaves in the exact same way.

One thing I can say is that in my experience, ext shocks need quite frequent servicing…
The one on my dh bike has been the most reliable being serviced at the hundred hour mark with no issues in between. It’s the least used bike though.
But the one on the nomad has leaked twice way before the hundred hour mark.
Both times it leaked after probably only 30-40 hours use. It’s most widely used bike tho and I suppose I’m a fairly heavy chap.
I don’t know if my experience indicates a recurring theme with ext shocks but it’s made me wonder. Mojo are the only folk who have worked on them.

Also, fwiw, I was told that removing the check valve had no impact on performance.
What are the supposed impacts removing it can have?

I don't easily have another shock to test, but I might knock together a couple of holes in some wood at the right e2e to at least rule out frame bearings.
I do think it might be the check valve now, but something is definitely wrong there as it's causing a knock through the whole bike. It feels like a very loose headset (it's not that, I've checked)
The Mojo guys have been really helpful and patient already, they'll figure it out. I'll be a little miffed if it needs 6monthly services though, I think that's the stated service schedule if you're racing which I most certainly am not even close to

What's the default off the shelf rear wheel?

Think my hub internals are about to explode based on the various noises. Needs to be a 29er with a 142 hub with thru axle.

Its for the xc/gravel/hybrid bike - so tubeless and usually a 2.2 tyre.

The Mojo guys have been really helpful

They suspect the main piston band has an issue, and are honouring some service work on it. Good guys.

Aye that’s good to hear and not surprising, they have went above and beyond for me a good few times over the years.

So despite the last few pages about clicking noises on full sus bikes I want one.
Tldr incoming...

Got my stooge scrambler two years ago and enjoy(ed) it a lot, mainly going down my favourite trail in Grunewald, the very short fun aptly named spaghetti.
Scrambler is now on 29 and becoming more of a touring bike and I booked five days in a trail center in Erzgebirge.
And I haven't bought a bicycle in two years.
So looking at trail bikes.
Option one: second hand Cannondale habit 4 2020. 1600€, typical ridden once including rusty chain bike. Had planned to buy one of those after COVID boom.
This would probably be my best bet, but dunno if it's the right bike to also bring to Switzerland when visiting relatives.
Looks good but would like more frame space. Fork and shock seem good for the price. Not exactly long and slack. But ratboy.
Option two: norco fluid fs3. Those seem to be overflowing at bike 24 and are 2300€. Looks real good.
FS 2 has nicer bouncy stuff, but is blue.
They do a good job on the marketing side.
Will I not smile while riding a formula shock?
Option three: last glen. German, more bounce, expensive (4000€), not really available I think.
Option 4??? Raaw jibb for 8000?

Problem is that I haven't owned a full sus since 2018.
So, where should I put my money?
Could wait til may and rent a new Cannondale habit at the trail thing I am going two, but I fear that by then everything will be sold out again.

Links and pics:
https://www.norco.com/bikes/mountain/trail/fluid-fs/2023-fluid-fs-a3/
https://www.last-bikes.com/Glen

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