Video: Seth // Edit: Curtis // Words: Daniel
One of the reasons we really like this Substack is that we can actually talk to and engage you, our audience. There’s no way for us to even start to respond to all of the comments and messages we get on YouTube, but this is a different setting. And that’s one place where this Substack comes in handy. This video may be one of the best examples of it yet.
A couple of months ago, we outfitted the $450 Ozark Trail FS.2 Slalom with over $6,000 in high-end parts. Brand new Fox suspension, Industry Nine wheels, titanium cranks from Cane Creek, SRAM’s new Motive brakes, and a $400 Bontrager carbon handlebar/stem combo from my parts drawer that I wish I didn’t donate to this build because it’s awesome.
With all of those parts, it took what was a very entry-level department store bike and turned it into something else that performed far better and was, without a doubt, the “most expensive Walmart bike” that existed…even though it was hardly a Walmart bike at that point. Nearly every part on the bike that could have made any difference in performance was switched out, but it was lacking one thing, which Seth commented on, and that was a legitimate one-piece rocker link.
You can have the nicest parts in the world on a bike, but if the front end of the bike isn’t soundly connected to the back, then it’s going to have some performance issues. If you look at a rocker link, in a way, it’s like a bike’s “core strength”. Similar to us humans, you can have strong legs and strong arms, but if your core isn’t solid, it can lead to problems. On a bike, if that link connecting the front of the bike to the back isn’t stout, then the bike can be a bit of a noodle, and the ride quality just won’t be that great. It’s especially noticeable in turns and on more technical terrain, both up and down.
One of our subscribers here on Substack sent me a message and said he wanted to build a proper link for the Ozark Trail FS.2 Bonesaw. I said that we were game, and he went to work. The end result was one of the coolest parts we’ve ever had.
I’m going to share a few photos below, but it’s worth noting that Joshua went above and beyond with this project, to the extent of buying an FS.2 himself, to ensure that the measurements and fitment of everything were totally dialed. He even overnighted the links to us to ensure we could get things built up in time for Seth to be able to shoot this video before heading out of town.
A huge THANK YOU to Joshua for all of the time, resources, and engineering that went into this. I think that it turned out incredibly well, and it has been exciting to see it all take shape over the last month.
