Is it worth buying a telescopic shell for my mountain bike? What advantages does it provide? Is it a necessary innovation?
Let's start with the most basic, what is a shell? A bicycle component? A Mexican dish? No, the shell is the bar that joins the picture of our bicycle with the armchair. It serves to regulate its height and thus adjust our position above the bicycle.
This element is fixed and once adjusted, it cannot be changed while we are underway, although surely there is someone with enough expertise to do so, but it would not be theirs.
What gives us a telescopic shell?
Telescopic shell is an innovation that has been implanted in the world of enduro and descent for several years, and which for a few years has also been finding its gap little by little in the rally, Cross country modalities and even in marathons of marathons of MTB.
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The telescopic shell - or pija, as it is also known - what allows us is to modify the height of the armchair while we are moving. This allows us to lower the center of gravity of our body on the bicycle.
The main advantage of modifying the height of the armchair in progress with a telescopic shell is that it offers greater bicycle control in order to face more confidence and speed in technical declines or by complicated and irregular lands.
What disadvantages do telescopic scams have?
Obviously, not everything is advantages. When deciding whether it is worth buying or not a pija shell, you also have to value the main inconveniences, which are the following:
The price
Like any innovation or improvement that we want to add to our bicycle, we will always have the counterpoint or headache of the price. In these behans we are moving in price ranges ranging from € 60 to € 800.
The weight
For me, this is not a point that should obsess whether what you want (or need) is to gain security and confidence in descent. But it is true that many cyclists are obsessed with the gram.
A telescopic shell weighs between 300 and 400 grams more than a conventional shell, although this will depend on the model we choose.
Maintenance
Depending on the type of telescopic typical that you buy, you will have to do periodic control. For example, in hydraulic sciards you will have to make a maintenance similar to the fork: seals, oil change, purged, etc.
Without a doubt this point must be taken into account, because this implies investing time and money that one may not be willing to assume.
Types of Telescopic Tijas
There are several typologies of telescopic scams. If we look at their internal mechanism, we mainly have them of two types:
Mechanical Tijas
They work with a spring or spring that returns the armchair at its initial height. To act the operation of the same, it can be either by cable or by lever (located under the armchair).
These scams are characterized by being very abrupt in their returns and for lacking intermediate positions when lowering the position of the armchair (saving very specific models).
However, they have the point in favor of having practically null maintenance, nothing beyond the cleaning of dirt to achieve proper functioning.
We also have to keep in mind that they are the most economical telescopic scams.
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Hydraulic Tijas
They offer us a much softer and more precise operation. In fact, in this type of dyes thanks to its hydraulic circuit we can have infinite heights or positions in which to place our armchair height at all times.
We cannot forget to perform the proper maintenance depending on the land by which one walks. It is advisable to make a review and change of seals every 6 months or 1 year, or as soon as you begin to notice that its operation is not optimal.
As in mechanical scams there are several methods to act the operation of it.
- By lever under the armchair.
- By remote control from the handlebar, either with internal, external wiring or, as some manufacturers are starting, by wireless method.
Some models of telescopic scams with wireless connection are rockshox reverb ax that mounts SRAM or the Magura Vyron Elect.
What must be taken into account to buy a telescopic shell?
In addition to the price, the maintenance or use that will be given to it, in regards to the technical characteristics of the beast, a series of elements must be taken into account before deciding on one or the other.
The diameter of the beast
The first thing we will have to look at is the diameter of the typical that we have already mounted on our bicycle. Thus we will know what measure we need. Depending on the model there are several measures: 27.2, 30.9, 31.6, 34.9 millimeters, etc.
The tour
As with the route of the suspension forks, depending on the modality of Mountain Bike that we enjoy we will have to choose the route of our wasch.
The route is the depth, measured in millimeters, which we can lower or climb the shell to vary the height of the armchair while we are moving. The most common telescopic scams offer a tour that ranges between 35 and 200 millimeters.
The height
You have to calculate if the minimum insertion required by the shell you are going to buy fits the measures of your bicycle. Small sizes or paintings with a lot
Sloping They could give problems.
Wiring
In case of taking a shell whose remote control works with cable, we will have to decide between carrying the internal or external wiring. That is, if we do not care that the cables of the remote drive control go outside the box or prefer them inside. In the latter case you must keep in mind that not all pictures support internal cable guided.
The recoil of the bee
Depending on our pedaling position on the bicycle and the geometry of the frame that we mounted, we can need a recoil beal or not.
CONCLUSIONS ON TELESCOPIC TIVES
Let's go to the two big questions that have taken us here: Should
Buy a mountain bike with telescopic shell? Should I buy a telescopic shell to improve my mountain bike?
My response to both: leaving the price factor, little by that you like the
Mountain Bike and leaving the clues simple and calm the telescopic typical will give you that point of confidence and security that will make your outings much more enjoyment. After all, it is what we are looking for almost all
Bikers. Or not?
https://youtu.be/xWIIwhtKJ9s?t=210
