With the rear shock overstroke - I went from the stock 230x62.5 to 230x65. I'm not sure if the math checks out and if that's truly 180mm rear travel. If you know, reply to this comment. The fork was also ran as 180mm.

PS. A few shots were out of focus, my bad on that. Working through the growing pains of a new camera. Does it look any better?

Maybe start swapping things back stock one by one until you find the sweet spot. Like put the 38 back on, and see how it feels, then the shock. It would be interesting to see where the law of diminishing returns starts kicking in

The "law of returns" you're talking about is the law of diminishing returns. At a certain point, the cost of upgrading far outweighs what negligible benefits you will get.

Aaw man this man is obsessed with spending money

You should add fork guards

0:17 “until it stops feeling special” dude it’s literally the brand name! 😅

Just came in to say great work! You are always entertaining and inspiring. I do also think the fork may be what is taking away from that special feel. In the world of hot rods and horsepower, we talk about the law of diminishing returns. Where you get to a certain point that the engine just can make much more power. $1,000 in upgrades may gain you 100HP, by the time everything has been done, you’re dumping $6,000 to gain 3HP.
The law of diminishing returns is what I think that you were referring to.
Thanks for sharing the rad bike videos!

Love the videos man your builds are the BEST on youtube by a longshot

I think one of the benefits from changing the crankset and chain ring is that it can improve the chain line, which can help improve shifting

You had me at: "overstroke it" ! Great to see people still pushing the envelope !

You need a 180mm ZEB FORK

It's called the law of diminishing returns where at your first upgrade it feels amazing but as you upgrade again and again the change becomes less impactful until the point of uselessness

I have 22 Status 160 and I converted it to a 29r after a few years of riding it as a mullet. Also added a coil. It's rides like a whole new bike and is wayyy better for racing Enduro. Climbs better. Better bottom bracket clearance. More balanced. It's worth a try to fool around on. Would suggest a 2.3 or 2.35 rear tire for clearance.

Mud isn't an issue where I ride so minimal clearance is not an issue.

These parts would be my dream build!!

This is the type of content I live for

Say, that’s a nice bike. Nicely done, chief.

Better cranks will be lighter and flex less than stock/normal cranks. That will mean better power transfer and more efficiency!

Was able to pick up a frameset online for $1299 slapped my Marzocchi bomber Z1 fork on it and upgrades the spring. Can’t wait to ride it!

I have a older 160mm travel S2 and went for a long travel jump/play bike. I threw the Hope catalogue and some 50mm rise bars. Slammed it full with all the spacers in the bouncy bits and it rips. Only downside is it's sketchy at higher speeds

Before swapping out the fork go for a flatter crown to get you back to the old ride hight. See if it’s better then. Also overstroking the shock effects the balance of the bike. That could also make it feel strange.