That HooDoo That You Do 11/06/2009
 Here are a couple of pictures of the voodoo hoodoo frame that i got from you. i took her to catanduanes days after she was built.  She's everything i've wanted in a bike--simple and light. - Roche  This particular frame was part of our first shipment of VooDoo frames. As it turns out, the colors for 2008 have been updated and this particular HooDoo is a rare, bone white breed. Frame size is 17”, which should fit riders from 5’6”-5’9”. We decided to build it up as a demo bike for prospective buyers. We didn’t want to go full-out on the build spec, and instead acquired a bunch of pre-loved parts, while at the same time making smart component choices. Highlights include the trick wheelset. The rims are Mavic 230SBP’s, which had been lying around my garage for almost 8 years! The hoops are light, weighing around 375-grams each. Laced to 32-hole Shimano Deore XT centerlock hubs by way of pre-loved double-butted spokes and red nipples. The combo makes for a lively ride, quick to accelerate. Tires are Corratec GripMaster Lites which weight around 430-grams each, despite their 2.3-inch wide specification. These tires have a shallow tread pattern, yet provide decent grip on the trail. Front suspension duties are handled by a 2001 Rock Shox SID 100. While it badly needs a new paint job (help me choose, red or white!), its seals are still ok and performance is outstanding. Setup was pretty straightforward – just pump up both positive chambers to the required PSI, set the rebound damping, and off you go. No platforms, compression adjustment, blow-off valves or lockout settings to worry about. Admittedly, a lockout would be a bonus, but a little adjustment to our riding style and bob was negligible. The SID is a racing fork, and despite its lightweight construction, holds it own in all the trail rides I’ve done so far. There is some front-end flex, but nothing disconcerting. Shifting and stopping duties are handled by an old pair of XTR DCL levers, mated to a short-cage LX rear mech and XT hydro brakes. Everything literally fit in place – no rotor rub or crappy shifting since day one. Of course, running a 1x9 drivetrain (sans granny and with a Salsa RingDinger in place of the big ring) minimizes sloppy shifting issues. The build spec finishes off with a combination of WTB (saddle), American Classic (headset), Ritchey (grips, seatpost and stem) and Syntace (handlebar) brands. Nothing too blingy. Overall weight is estimated at around 25 pounds. Haven't gotten down to weighing it accurately! The whole is more than the sum of its parts. That’s what matters. After a few tweaks of saddle and bar position, I felt right at home on the HooDoo. The SID’s cush complements the already-forgiving ride of the butted steel frame. Quick directional changes in singletrack were no problem, and this bike loves to climb. The tires surprised me more than once, maintaining grip in situations where I expected the low-profile knobs to break loose. Braking performance could somehow be better – something I also attribute to the less-aggressive tires. Shifting was crisp, quiet and efficient. With the HooDoo, switching back to 26” wheels, suspension and gears was a pleasant surprise. Contact us to set up a demo ride! |