Fantic Integra XF1 180

[Tim29]

Thanks Gary. I tried something today.
I laced up new set hoops, teardrop carbon hoops, 29x36 front and 27.5x40 rear.
2.6x 29 hans Damf front and 2.6 DHR-II REAR.
EXO case rear couldn’t find DD case. Snake skin soft comp front.
I have been running 29x32 and 27.5x 36.
Front tire pressure 26-28 range and 31-32 rear. But as i have said even with DD case aggressor 2.5 rear with huck noris i killed three rims in rear in 5 days, 1 carbon two alum.
So Gary said more air, we’ll bike was sketch with more air. So i made a suspension change and put small leak shims on the face and then much stiffer valving and two stage.
Upped front and rear rim width and kept same tire on front but swapped out 2.5 DD Agressor for the DHR-II.
Now at 33 front and 36-38 rear psi.
With the suspension softer on cracking with leak shims the bike tracks like it has 25 front 28 psi rear on hard slick. But in hero dirt with the higher pressures the bike feels like i have someone pushing me out of th corners.
So thanks Gary. I didn’t think i could run that high psi and feel comfortable. But in fact in heavy G load corners bike is way more stable and with suspension changes gave up nothing on loose
Today i did 6 segments i have 40 plus runs on and have had KOM on for last 4 months ever once i got the Integra, but today i bettered those times by big margins.
Having one faster segment makes u think well maybe, 2 you have to believe u found something, but 6 segments in a row and on a 3;44 min run to take 21 sec off and a 3:11 run take 13 sec off and then the 11 min run take almost a min off.
That’s.
I was like within 2 seconds of everyone holding top honors, some less then two seconds.
Now i have 20 on some runs over the field.
Keep in mind 6 of the top guys on these leader boards are top level pro riders who all finished on podium at Kamikazi games in DH and super kami in pro class.
So to take that kinda time over some heavy hitters isn’t a fluke day.
By the way, i used lezyne micro and my iPhone to double track my ride so HD two timing devices i added both times together and divided by two for my run time average.
But i kept the best of the two posted
Thanks Gary!!

 

[Tim29]

Sorry it posted samenone couple times

 

[Gary]

Glad to have helped. If you're racing don't get stuck on running the same pressures (or tyres) for every conditions though. higher pressures (even for me) aren't always the one.
Just for example. Flat rootstrewn trails with less agressive corners a lower pressure will roll and hold momentum way more than my pressures. Thing is. Cornering (proper corners) and popping off stuff is way more important to me than times.
I doubt you ride much proper mud. But pressures make a massive difference there too. I tend just not change anything too much ever and just accept (and enjoy) having less than adequate grip and rely on lines and ruts to hold me out of trouble in a looking but not really out of control kinda way.
Just from paying attention I know fine I'd be in the top 1% nationally for my age group descending and don't need to prove anything. (especially comparing electronically collected GPS times against full time riders a couple of decades younger)

 

[Tim29]

I just use the electronic time tracking to gauge my improvements and tack progress for testing.
I don’t run the same tires, i have DHF, Hans, mery, DHR-II for front
Rear, DHR-II, high rollerII, slaughter, Agressor, switch blade, Butcher.
2.3 to 2.8 front, 2.4 to 2.8 in rear.
I change air pressure a lot i just never went over 31 as the bike was to loose at speed and skated on loose and wouldn’t hold off cambers.

 

[Major Major]

@Tim29 - did you not find you needed to change the dropper post? Looks awful high to me, not sure how it felt to you. Congrats on the bike, btw, looks great

 

[Tim29]

It has 120mm dropper post and it’s pretty good. It be better with a 130 but it have to be external cable or the cable would hit shock.
If I’m in terrain park i lower back seat DH style and it’s good.
The med frame the dropper is less and you need to change it out for sure. Prob trim 15mm off seat tube as well.
I will prob change it out to to external cable and trim my frame.
I was used to my bulls fs3 and that seat is 30mm higher with 100m dropper.
So the Fantic was better then i was used to.
But not as good as kenevo as far as dropper seat adjustment.

 

[Tim29]

So let’s fast forward, started with 32 internal rear and recap, 32-34-36 rear rims all bent inward on the sides, all my rim dings pushes outer edge inward or completely folded it into the rim.
In last few months i have gone mad.
36-38-40-43.5 internal rims on rear.
Cush core in all wheels, 36 internal i still dinged wheels, 38 went long time before a ding, 40 i am down to 28psi not a single rim ding in almost 1,000 miles.
And that monster 27.5x43.5 with Eddie current and cushcore i rode flat through a rock garden 3 miles and not a single rim mark.
All my rim dings where coming from folding the tire over the rim and that’s why the rim bent inward. Going to wider internal rims the tire case is stiffer and supports better.
My lap times have improved considerably, and fun factor of going 3 months without a single tire or rim failure is great feeling.
Now to just make sure natural evolution wasn’t the cure.
I went back to 32 internal with a Cush core and in one day the wheel was bent inward again with 30psi.
So that being said i have no doubt that bigger is better.
I found I’m fastest on 29x35 front and 27.5x40 rear rims with 2.6 front and rear or 2.5 front.
But the fun factor of the 29x36.5 front mixed with 27.5x43 is just monster crusher in chunk.
Running 2.6 MM snake skin soft up front with 27.5x2.8 Eddie in rear.
The Mary and Eddie combo has so much traction it feels like cheating. And they don’t care what conditions, mud, hard, Loam , hiro, chunk. That combo is just rediculously fun. But to slow for any enduro race unless it’s really steep and chunky.
With that combo on a trail called Grizzly, it’s a 2 mile steep deep rain rutted double Black D trail with 180 switch i can brake so hard late that I’m actually loosing brakes before i get to bottom and have to stop sprinting out of turns to give brakes time to cool.
Code R with hope 203 floating rotors. The code rotors where not holding up at all the holes where to big and they over heated bad!
Next up, 215mm front rotor and 210 rear with endless zeal high temp road race pad compound

 

[Tim29]

Here she is, 130mm dropper, deity bars and stem, Tnt Carbon hoops, Dt Swiss spokes & locking nipples, hope4 hubs, hope floating disk, rc3 charger cartridge re valved , Debon air rod.

I made my own Carbon hoops as i couldn’t find any that would hold up or wide enough.

 

[Kiwi in Wales]

Hi Tim,
Have you heard of the the new Formula Cura 4 pot mineral oil brakes?
I am running them with a 220mm Formula C2 rotor up front and a Formula C2 x 203mm rear and they seem to do a fairly good job stopping me. However, I am not doing the long down hill runs that you are currently doing so not sure about their resistance to brake fade. I can confirm that they stop me substantially quicker than my Shimano Saint 820s ?. It may give you another option to try if the Hopes don’t do what you want them to do?

 

[Tim29]

Hi Tim,
Have you heard of the the new Formula Cura 4 pot mineral oil brakes?
I am running them with a 220mm Formula C2 rotor up front and a Formula C2 x 203mm rear and they seem to do a fairly good job stopping me. However, I am not doing the long down hill runs that you are currently doing so not sure about their resistance to brake fade. I can confirm that they stop me substantially quicker than my Shimano Saint 820s ?. It may give you another option to try if the Hopes don’t do what you want them to do?

I have hard of them. But don’t know anyone with them. Do they bite like saints?? I don’t like the harsh feel of saints, there stopping power is good but i find i chatter the back wheel in rough trails with saints. Prefer a more modular apply.

 

[Kiwi in Wales]

I have hard of them. But don’t know anyone with them. Do they bite like saints?? I don’t like the harsh feel of saints, there stopping power is good but i find i chatter the back wheel in rough trails with saints. Prefer a more modular apply.

They have good modulation but are single finger super powerful if you give the lever a good tug for those occasional late braking manoeuvres

 

[Fantic Fanatic]

I have a 2020 Fantic Integra XF1 180R. I agree that the current reviews out there don't do this bike justice. It mashes downhill and it pedals great uphill. The battery life is efficient. The Brose integration is seemless and feels perfectly natural. The suspension is unstoppable and the bike boosts your confidence. Highly recommend! Don't bother with the 160, 180 is where it's at. GLHF, LO3.