Wasmachineman NL
Senior Retro Guru
I'm saving for a ML7, Has anyone ridden one or had one?
Maverick Monolink bikes, Anyone ridden them? SEE LAST POST
- Thread starter Wasmachineman NL
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Piers
Retro Guru
Re: Maverick Monolink bikes, Anyone ridden them?
Go for it
I've "Cougar", a ML75, and I love it. Climbs brilliantly (helped with travel adjustable forks), descends very well and eats up the miles and bumps. Mud clearance is fine and they are really fun to ride. Mine's the hard ano finish and this very tough - just about matches the colour of the original Fox TALAS fork.
The front mech/shifting can be a pain, but quality cables/Middleburn cable oilers help.
Seat posts need to be selected carefully as the seat tube is at such a relaxed angle. I've a Hope Eternity.
The headset is an integrated jobbie, so there's not much in the way of bling available.
Ethan, in the US, is a mine of info and support and I've used John Atkins cycles for servicing the rear damper. I managed to snap a read pivot axle after 21/2 years but got a spare in just a couple of days and fitted it easily.
Apparently the date of manufacture on the head tube is gen. older than the frame as they were produced in batches.
There are reviews on mtbr.com (inc. mine).
Go for it
I've "Cougar", a ML75, and I love it. Climbs brilliantly (helped with travel adjustable forks), descends very well and eats up the miles and bumps. Mud clearance is fine and they are really fun to ride. Mine's the hard ano finish and this very tough - just about matches the colour of the original Fox TALAS fork.
The front mech/shifting can be a pain, but quality cables/Middleburn cable oilers help.
Seat posts need to be selected carefully as the seat tube is at such a relaxed angle. I've a Hope Eternity.
The headset is an integrated jobbie, so there's not much in the way of bling available.
Ethan, in the US, is a mine of info and support and I've used John Atkins cycles for servicing the rear damper. I managed to snap a read pivot axle after 21/2 years but got a spare in just a couple of days and fitted it easily.
Apparently the date of manufacture on the head tube is gen. older than the frame as they were produced in batches.
There are reviews on mtbr.com (inc. mine).
garethrl
Senior Retro Guru
Re: Maverick Monolink bikes, Anyone ridden them?
I have a ML7.5 and love it. Echo everything Piers says about climbing in particular and very capable on descents (much more so than the rider). Mine has the SUC32 'upside-down' fork so has all the mud clearance you could ask for, which in Belgium is a nice bonus! The shock is very well protected from the elements, which again is very nice, but it is a bit of a fiddle to set up - you can spend ages getting the oil/air balance just right. The fork by contrast is a doddle really and is very plush indeed, but sometimes I struggle a bit with the concept of having a rear end which tightens up when out of the saddle but pairing it with a fork that has no lockout. You can compress the fork before starting long climbs which I guess takes you halfway there, but I still have a feeling that something like a Terralogic might be a better partner in that respect. Then again, there's much more to bike design than optimising it for climbing out of the saddle, and the overall ride quality provided by the fork and shock together over the course of a ride is pretty well balanced.
I'd also echo the points about the front mech and seatpost. I ride a Thomson inline post which doesn't put me too far back over the rear wheel. I think that if I were a bit taller for the frame size it might be more of an issue but it's fine for me. I've also found that front shifting is easier to set up if you have an all-Shimano transmission since the front mech inward travel is limited by the frame and you need to have the right chainline to ensure smooth front shifting. I struggled with a Race Face crankset even with spacers, but have no problems at all with XT - almost fit-and -forget.
I've never seen another in Belgium and have absolutely no idea what the service network is like in Europe. I bought the bike from an old friend who owns an LBS in the UK and he's done all work on it so far. A bit of a pain to have to transport the bike all the time, but at least I know the service is to a good standard.
Cheers,
Gareth.
I have a ML7.5 and love it. Echo everything Piers says about climbing in particular and very capable on descents (much more so than the rider). Mine has the SUC32 'upside-down' fork so has all the mud clearance you could ask for, which in Belgium is a nice bonus! The shock is very well protected from the elements, which again is very nice, but it is a bit of a fiddle to set up - you can spend ages getting the oil/air balance just right. The fork by contrast is a doddle really and is very plush indeed, but sometimes I struggle a bit with the concept of having a rear end which tightens up when out of the saddle but pairing it with a fork that has no lockout. You can compress the fork before starting long climbs which I guess takes you halfway there, but I still have a feeling that something like a Terralogic might be a better partner in that respect. Then again, there's much more to bike design than optimising it for climbing out of the saddle, and the overall ride quality provided by the fork and shock together over the course of a ride is pretty well balanced.
I'd also echo the points about the front mech and seatpost. I ride a Thomson inline post which doesn't put me too far back over the rear wheel. I think that if I were a bit taller for the frame size it might be more of an issue but it's fine for me. I've also found that front shifting is easier to set up if you have an all-Shimano transmission since the front mech inward travel is limited by the frame and you need to have the right chainline to ensure smooth front shifting. I struggled with a Race Face crankset even with spacers, but have no problems at all with XT - almost fit-and -forget.
I've never seen another in Belgium and have absolutely no idea what the service network is like in Europe. I bought the bike from an old friend who owns an LBS in the UK and he's done all work on it so far. A bit of a pain to have to transport the bike all the time, but at least I know the service is to a good standard.
Cheers,
Gareth.
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Re: Maverick Monolink bikes, Anyone ridden them?
I've not seen those before: they're kinda like a semi URT design?
Weird.
I've not seen those before: they're kinda like a semi URT design?
Weird.
highlandsflyer
Retro Wizard
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Re: Maverick Monolink bikes, Anyone ridden them?
Had my leg over a tourist's one after they had a bad off and were being carted to A&E. Don't remember the decals on it, it was mud covered, and don't think I have seen another one. The designs are interesting for sure.
Had my leg over a tourist's one after they had a bad off and were being carted to A&E. Don't remember the decals on it, it was mud covered, and don't think I have seen another one. The designs are interesting for sure.
careful now
Retro Guru
Re: Maverick Monolink bikes, Anyone ridden them?
I've owned both rhe ML 7 and 8,they both rock.
It's a great suspension design,works amazingly well,only downside is it makes it harder to do skids,as the back end just wants to grip.
If you get the early 7 you can upgrade to the later linkage,which lifts the BB a bit.
Get one if you ge the chance,they're a design classic and one of the many best bikes evarr.
I've owned both rhe ML 7 and 8,they both rock.
It's a great suspension design,works amazingly well,only downside is it makes it harder to do skids,as the back end just wants to grip.
If you get the early 7 you can upgrade to the later linkage,which lifts the BB a bit.
Get one if you ge the chance,they're a design classic and one of the many best bikes evarr.
P20
Retrobike Rider
Re: Maverick Monolink bikes, Anyone ridden them?
I had the Klein Palomino version. It was good, but I prefer the more active feel of my Yeti. The Klein also sting bugged under heavy braking. A mate has an ML7 & ML8 and he loves them both.
Klein Palomino by ritcheyp20, on Flickr
I had the Klein Palomino version. It was good, but I prefer the more active feel of my Yeti. The Klein also sting bugged under heavy braking. A mate has an ML7 & ML8 and he loves them both.
Klein Palomino by ritcheyp20, on Flickr
Wasmachineman NL
Senior Retro Guru
Re: Maverick Monolink bikes, Anyone ridden them?
I can buy EXACTLY the same one for 250 euros, Has a worn drivetrain but it looks cool to me.P20":3i2aiov1 said:I had the Klein Palomino version. It was good, but I prefer the more active feel of my Yeti. The Klein also sting bugged under heavy braking. A mate has an ML7 & ML8 and he loves them both.
Klein Palomino by ritcheyp20, on Flickr
