Did you keep the Reba fork? (Guessing you got the Reba due to the NX build but could be wrong).
Yeah, I kept it and Iām happy with it, but havenāt used it in the woods yet.
I was able to ābench testā the Judy RL, Reba RL, and Fox Rhythm. The Reba seemed quite a bit different than than the Judy. It didnāt seem to (and doesnāt) blow off anywhere near as aggressively as the Judy despite the similar specs. It seemed to have less stiction than the Judy and similar amounts as the Fox from a sag position. It seemed to have similar small bump damping as far as I could tell. The Reba was also 350gr lighter than both.
I also once worked for magnesium casting plant that used to make Rockshox lowers, so Iām sentimental to that bit.
I say this with the caveat that I plan on racing my HT until the frame gives out, but I upgraded from a Judy 100mm to a Sid Select 120mm over winter and itās just a whole different level. More plush through the mids, I have yet to bottom it out (still dialing pressure but Iām 20psi lower than RS recommended) and it is a whopping 600g lighter than the Judy.
I could go lighter with a Race Day damper, but Iām not sure about reliability and longevity. The Charger RL damper is just fine for now.
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You go to 120 travel with the 34?
No, I didnāt change the travel or offset from original. I debated increasing travel and considered an increase in the rear as well, but ultimately decided that I didnāt want to mess with a good thing (I really love how the bike climbs). If I was doing more technical courses, I would have looked harder at increasing the travel.
As much as Iād love to justify a new bike, Iām honestly not sure the new spark RC is a measurable improvement for marathon racing. I still want one, but Iām gonna wait for the premium on SRAM transmission to drop a bit and also hope that there are some reasonable wireless suspension lockout systems. I figure Iāll get another ~3 seasons out of my current RC with the new fork, will be pushing 10 years at that point. Some kind of record, but Itās been such a good bike for me. Must have over 25k miles on it at this point.
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ā¦ā¦ Good luck! You have about a $5k wishlist at best there.
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I was the same. Been debating going to 120 on my 2018, as I donāt see the new one as that big of a improvement (minus the 2nd water bottle lol). Who knows. 51 offset in 120 and a 34. Maybe Iāll find one on Pinkbike one day. Ha ha ha ha. Good luck with the rest of your season.
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Weāll see. In ~3 years, I expect transmission to be a pretty common install on MTB, maybe even get to a point where SRAM has a āGXā level option. Agee on wireless suspension control, I think that is pretty far off from being mainstream. Time will tell. Bikes are so stupidly expensive these days that $5k for those features actually sounds like a bargainā¦
$5k for the parts add the rest of the bike 
.
Definitely agree that Iād like wireless suspension control on my next bike. Currently the cost of the Enduro FA bikes is still pretty crazy though.
Both ends get done annually, an now the summer race season is pretty much over for me, its due now.
I rode a very hard 500m climbing per 18k lap Marathon yesterday and the bike was great, the rider less so 
Iāve taken to riding the fork slightly higher in its travel which feels more supportive FWIW 82psi for a 75kg rider.
I tested the ARC8 Evolve Fs this Weekend (without ripping the BB apart, I tried though ;-))
I donāt know how good availability is on the other side of the pondā¦ If someone has a burning question and is interested in this bike , feel free to ask. Iām happy to answer questions if I can.
Iām 187cm, 84kg and tested the Large Frame. I have long legs (91cm inseam) and short torso, normal arm length.
Some observations:
- Bike felt long in the sense of itās an enduro bike to steer and ride downhill but it wants to go fast flat out and uphill - interesting concept and definitely needs some getting used to (coming from a 69Ā° headangle hardtail.
- Steering felt twichty (or floppy?) flat out. headangle made it steer really weird going slow in thight turns (as Enduros do). But it was really composed once I pointed it downhill. Not necessarily what Iām looking for in a XC bike but maybe it just takes more time?
- Bike felt short in reach. The Faserwerk handlebar I think has 35mm reach and the grips in a weird angle so that the outer part of my hand started to hurt almost immediatly. Never had this before. Saddle was almost all the way back already. Iād definitely ride this bike with a 60 or 70mm stem and another handlebar.
- I felt more on top of the bike like it was a tad too small altough ARC states the Large frame is good up to 192cm if I remember correctly. Definitely a long and low, slack bike that feels like it has more shock/fork travel than it actually has.
- bike had lock outs and a wired dropper. Donāt like the birds nest up front
- frame comes with flat mount brake caliper - donāt like that as I have a nice set of PM brakes that Iād want to transfer
- Didnāt feel any pedal bob with the shock open, which I like. Preferably Iād have an XC frame without lockouts as I donāt plan to race.
Overall Iād say I liked the ride but itās not a 100% what Iām looking for. For me itās too long and slack like a mini Enduro when I want more of an XC bike. If youāre more downhill oriented XCer this might be the bike for you.
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I think that if people are looking at the arc8 an element should also be on their radar. It takes a different style than most xc bikes, but I replaced my blur with one and donāt regret it.
Whatever some people say, these bikes do have a use, and Iām a big fan.
Arc8 Element? do you mean Essential? Their trialbike is called Essential or do you mean another bike? Maybe I misunderstand what youāre saying.
Can you comment on how these two bikes differ and what kind of terrain youāre riding? Iām considering a Blur and am going to testride one soon. Since youāve already ridden both quite a bit (I suppose) Iād be interested in your opinion. Thanks!
I think they mean the Rocky Mountain Element
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Man, that post aged very quickly. SRAM Transmission GX just dropped today. $500 less than XO and ~100g penalty. Iād buy it with my shop discount now if I just had a udf frame. Might have to re-think my plan to wait for electronic suspension controlā¦
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Related post with lots of links:
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Is Transmission really better? I havenāt really heard anyone say this.
Um, yeah. The reviews sure point to the ability to shift at loads not possible before as the main selling point for daily use, from what I saw. Overall durability with crashing as a notable benefit as well. More or less set & forget while being mostly bulletproof compared to even the best AXS that came before it.
Click the link above and head to the OP in that topic for all the reviews I found on release day. There may be more to be found now as well.
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The GX tier is definitely more of a price point I would consider as an upgrade if I had a UDH frame. Iām impressed they released it so quickly after the higher tiers dropped. Itās nice to see the trickle down happen more quickly, especially when dealing with expensive upgrades that actually seem to offer an appreciable performance benefit.
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So it does the same thing Shimano Deore does for $300 all in? 
(Iāve got 2 or 3 bikes on SRAM)
For what matters here, youāre at +$500 for wireless and better shifting under load (+150 cassette if they did mechanical).
Itās better, but Shimano HG+ already exists for a no-nonsense price. Youāre at XT (1831gr) for the GX (2xxxgr) mechanical price,
Anyway, SRAM is packing to much price into this change to meet Shimanoās 1x shifting advantage.
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