Carbon with strut

[stangman675]

I was very bored so I started playing with photo editor.  I have seen a few pics of the evos with struts and that got me wondering, what would a carbon frame look like with a strut, so I made one.  My photochop skills aren't the greatest but you get the idea.  I have to say, I really like it and i may have to look a little further into it. What does everyone think? Also, Does anyone know if the strut used on the evo was the same as an 857 or a custom piece?

P.S. Thanks to the bike owners for the use of your pictures.

[orange]

bit 'fat' at the front and 'skinny' at the back, but nice try

[stangman675]

I've always thought that the evo swing arm was too bulky looking.  The smaller fork legs always looked out of place since everything else was so fat.  I'll post a real photo sometime if I get around to actually trying it. 

[Old Proflexer]

i like it -

[whisperdancer]

I like it too!!! Never thought it could turn out so good looking.
However, I wish I could get rid of the strut in my WC frame so I could use a standard shock on it... 

[shovelon]

Dang it!!!

I can't see any of the image. For some reason TimeWarner restricts some data.

stangman675 I am going to PM you.

Terry

[fyrstormer]

You do know the strut is the single biggest downside to Pro-Flex frames, right? It adds weight, it requires an extra pivot that has to be maintained, it puts shear loads on the shock bushings that causes the shock to wear out faster, and it renders the frame incompatible with most shocks on the market.

[stangman675]

You do know the strut is the single biggest downside to Pro-Flex frames, right? It adds weight, it requires an extra pivot that has to be maintained, it puts shear loads on the shock bushings that causes the shock to wear out faster, and it renders the frame incompatible with most shocks on the market.

Of course there are downsides to it.  I have to wonder though, why were the evo frames that were used for racing fitted with the old style suspension and why the 957 is still such a sought after bike.  Something else that crossed my mind was the issue that the carbons have with the shock plate rivets breaking/loosening up.  I believe there would be less stress on the plates with the strut setup so that might be something to think about.  The limited shock selection is definitely an issue, especially if you're like me and can't afford a Risse. 

[stangman675]

I tried the swap today.  I measured the travel with both swingarms and was surprised at the results.  With the stock swingarm and NR-4,  there was 82mm/3.22" of vertical travel.  With the 957 setup, the travel was 76mm/2.99".  I'm not sure how they figure the advertised 4" of travel.  There were no major issues.  I used all the pivot parts for the carbon frame as the 957 parts are a bit different. The ride height is also about 1cm lower in the rear with the 957 setup but I don't think that would cause any problems. There were a couple little issues. First is that the the head of the shock hits the skeleton of the frame before it can go deep enough into the mount to line up properly with the bolt hole.  A tiny bit of filing in the area would fix the problem.  The other issue is that the front derailleur is very close to the swing arm.  It didn't seem to hit but it think it could while riding.   I have attached a few pictures and I have to say, it doesn't look as good as I thought it would.   

[stangman675]

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[stangman675]

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[stangman675]

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[stangman675]

The helpful donor. 

[stangman675]

I also found out in the process that my "large" 4500 is actually a medium.  Luckily there isn't much difference.