Anyone use flight attendant for marathon MTB?
I’m my experience, super expensive MTB equipment may be a bit better than mid-range, but usually does not add enough value to justify the price.
But flight attendant seems amazing in theory. Anyone with experience with it? Is it worth it on my next bike, or should I stick to manual/remote lockouts?
from what I hear, it does what it says it does. therefore it makes manual locking/unlocking obsolete what is definately a benefit.
Is it worth it? it’s pretty expensive… doesn’t come on mid range bikes, so you need to decide that for yourself…
I have a 2022 scott spark with 3 position lockout, the (flat) local tracks I mostly ride in the mid setting, but in more challenging terrain I use the remote lever way more often… I can imagine that the benefits are great in all cases… also on the flat tracks where you mostly ride mid mode… if it switches to open automatically every few seconds you stop pedaling… you will keep more momentum/speed in corners and bumps.
if you have the money to spent, go for it 
I upgraded to FA about 2 months ago. It’s neat, but not that neat. I have done my 3 hour local loop about 5 times now with FA…digging into the segments all of my times are exactly the same as they were the last 3 years on the same bike but without FA. My trails are SUPER rough/rocky…on and off…quick sections of smooth interupted with lots of techy rocky stuff. I like that I can run lower PSI - I run 8-10psi less, so I actually almost bottom out in the rough sections but have the immediate stiffness/support when I need it. It is nice not to think about it anymore and getting rid of the cables is great. But if you are racing/riding on more uniform trails, it is hard to justify. I think you would be better off buying new tires more often.
Their claims are an average of 2% saved in terms of time. They outlined their testing protocol on this podcast episode.
I haven’t done any testing, but for me, it is an absolute game changer. Like @PiperPrincess mentioned, you can run significantly lower pressure which allows your bike to be much smoother, more composed, and carry more momentum through those typically momentum-starving rough sections.
For me, it’s an absolute game changer and I think the most meaningful equipment advancement for XC since tubeless tires.
I never felt “bogged down” by having to think about which suspension setting my bike was in, but I’m continually shocked at how much of a difference it makes on trail. Less cognitive load leaves me more free to focus on the task at hand.
Thank you! Very helpful response. The thought of amazing suppleness when needed and firm when needed seems pretty tempting. . .
Thank you! Very helpful response. The thought of amazing suppleness when needed and firm when needed seems pretty tempting. . .
For you all with flight attendant, if you run lower pressures for the smaller bumps, do you add a volume spacer for a bigger ramp up for bigger hits?
This is kind of how I feel about it as well. If you are planning to upgrade your fork and shock anyways, I’d go for it. If you are already running the Ultimate / SidLuxe 3p its harder to justify.
This is less of an issue with the suspension… but my biggest issue is everything keeps adding weight. A top of the line race bike with full AXS everything is 25-ish pounds. You can get a GX mechanical build that gets close to that and it is 1/3 the price and performs very similar.
Where is FA most noticeable / beneficial - front fork or rear shock?
I’ve been running it since late summer and I’m a big fan. But I’ve also been running a 3 way lockout since ~2017 and very much value having different suspension for different terrain. Some folks do great on bikes without lockouts (and some bikes are better suited for that), but adjustable suspension is must have on XC bikes for me. Manual works pretty well, but flight attendant does a much better job than I could ever do (at least on courses where there is a lot going on). For something like Leadville, it’s a nice to have, but for any course with varied terrain and any kind of technicality, it’s a game changer for me.
When I went shopping for a new XC bike this year, I wanted FA, but didn’t want to spend huge $'s. Ended up buying an Epic 8 expert and upgraded to FA. I had to get a completely new shock, but the fork can be upgraded with a new damper and the control module. I think the list price on all that was pushing $1500, but discounts can be had and you can sell your old stuff to offset the price.
For me, this is probably the biggest benefit. I need every brain cell available to drive the bike when terrain is coming/changing fast. I honestly don’t know how much faster it is, but it just makes racing more enjoyable and less “frantic” for me (particularly for long events where fatigue/complacency can get dangerous).
I put Flight Attendant on my Oiz recently, and I think one thing to aware of is it takes a little while to get used to it and trust it. I’m certainly not there yet and may even go back to play with pressures and settings.
I’m still in that phase where I’m wondering what setting it’s in and why. Looking down to see the lights, listening to the switch, etc. It’s not just second nature set-it-and-forget-it yet.
I did move from a Fox with two volume tokens to the SID with none and probably set up a little softer. But, not enough time on it yet and trust yet to really say how it’s working for me (I’ve been spending time on the road and gravel bikes this fall so really only have a handful of rides)
You can’t do one or the other. It’s both. And IMHO the value is in the reduction of the mental load required to manipulate gears, brakes, dropper, and suspension in a long race. Six hours into a long MTB race it’s super valuable to be able to ignore things. And yes, I have FA.
Personally, after thinking hard about it, I decided not to get it.
My bike pedals AMAZING in the open position. And my experimentation has shown that I am faster out of the saddle with the fork open except in the most perfect conditions (and ONLY) out of the saddle.
I removed the lockout from my fork and run everything open all the time.
For endurance racing, that’s when I want to set it and forget it even more.
Anecdotal proof open suspension works: I did win a set of Enve bars and stem at a race being the fastest person of the day (out of ~500 people) on a sprint climb
No way in hell I would soften my suspension. But then again, this bike gets more air time than most enduro bikes 
I don’t have experience with FA (yet), but my intuition, as with most go-fast technology, is that you have to be riding at the limit to gain the intended benefit. This is why I listen to @Jonathan ’s gear advice.
I rode an FA equipped Epic last year for Leadville and I can say it was great. I don’t really think you’ll notice it on shorter rides, or less intense ones. But when you’re all out and the race is long and you can barely see straight, I think FA is worth its weight in gold. Think of it like SRAM Transmission (which is another marginal gain I’m a fan of) – doesn’t really matter when you’re going slow or you’re fresh, but damn it’s great when you’re 4000 calories into something
I would consider it to be one of the best updates to mountain bikes. I agree with Jonathan, it’s a game changer.
Yeah - I think the better your bike pedals the less lockouts are needed. I used to have a 2014 Trek Fuel and it had terrible pedal bob and pedal strikes. Had to lock that out a lot on climbs.
I rarely use my lockout on my current bike. And same as you, I ride with my fork fully open. Maybe it’s slower vs locking out… but I definitely don’t notice any time when riding where I say “jeez, I wish I was locked out right now”. But maybe I just need to try FA and see what I might be missing.
I haven’t been in the mtb space for a while, so the FA is like a Brain but doesn’t need to sense a hit or drop to open the suspensions (if they were in firm mode)?
Yes, it still needs to hit a bump to move to open. Though it does open when you are descending without hitting a bump in my experience.