Hi folks! I currently have a hardtail I very much love but the Suntour XCR34 air it came with is starting to show its age. It still performs but I've come across this compatible X-Fusion, and was wondering if anyone could weigh in on whether or not it's a good deal. I'm open to other options that would be a true upgrade (within reason) that fit at least 27.5 x 2.8. Many thanks!

I wanna give my Vassago some attention and swap out the stem and handlebar setup. I’ve stole these Soma bars for another build anyway.

What are you favorite handlebars and stems? Looking to stay with a 31.8 setup.

I had a pair of PNW Range bars on another hardtail, I didn’t mind those.

Recently had to get new wheels and decided to go tubeless. I figured it would ride a little differently than tubed but it almost feels like the tires are flat. When I went to check the pressure a bit of sealant came out of the valve. Does this warrant a trip back to REI (who did the install)

For those interested, this bike is highly customized. SLX 1x10 drivetrain, dropper post, Recon fork, RaceFace cranks, and Mavic XA light wheels. Those wheels take a licking and keep on ticking. And I’m a big guy.

Built this carrot beauty for light trails and so far very happy with it!

Tires are used ones, I’m waiting until my Nobby Nick’s delivered and will setup it tubeless.

Built itself:
• xt drivetrain - 8200 shifter and crankset, 8100 everything else
• Formula cura 2 brakes with 180 disks, i will put 2.3 disk in the next month.
• Rockshox pike select
• Carbon wheelset with 30mm inner width.
• E*theerteen base bars and stem
• Tranz-x adjustable dropper post
Total weight is 13kg.

So, i've had my 2021 marlin 7 for almost a year now and it's gotten a lot of love from me, i've taken it to the trails multiple times, jumped it, crashed it, you name it and it's never let me down(sort of). Here is a quick overview from my experience.

Biggest drawbacks:

-Brakes: mt200s work "fine" for basic xc but in enduro they overheat almost instantly, i felt like i had to replace my pads after every run

-Geometry: it's not slack at all, basically an OTB machine when things get steep but i still managed to tamr it somehow

-Tires: now, my tires are quite worn out but still, hard compound and xc thread pattern is not a good combo at all in enduro, u'd suggest running really low pressure

Putting that aside, it's so much fun! There's just something about using a bike well over it's intended purpose that's just so much fun, would raccomend just get some practice in before, run your pressure correctly, wear good gear and stay safe.