Comparing a 27.5 and 29 fork, assuming that they have exactly the same travel amount:
The axle-to-crown (leg length) is slightly longer on a 29 fork. The axle offset is slightly shorter on a 29 fork. The steerer tube is thicker walled (internally) on a 29 fork. The arch/brace height is higher on a 29 fork.
The first two are subtle changes to the steering geometry. Putting a 27 wheel on a 29 fork will give slightly slow / floppy steering. It will still work.
It’s the bike (frame) not your shock.
https://linkagedesign.blogspot.com/2016/09/focus-vice-275-2017.html
That frame is basically a linear progression curve. (See “leverage ratio” graph.
This means that there isnt much of a “ramp up” in the resistance as you hit big stuff. That’s what you’re feeling. Second point: you can’t do much to fix this from the shock perspective.
Adding tokens and adjusting the shock tune could improve bottom out resistance at the trade off of stiffer suspension
The megneg won’t help for this issue (it modifies only the first 1/3 of the travel).
Different frame with much higher progression will help.
Theory time:
A progressive frame let’s you run suspension that is both soft at the start and very firm at the end.
A linear frame like yours has nearly the same bump response at the start and end.
Let’s say you hit TWO bumps. The progressive suspension has a different respond depending where the shock is within the stroke. It can move easily when extended (start), but a similar bump when the shock is partway through the travel will not move the suspension as much.
A linear bike hitting two bumps will move a more similar amount for each.
The above thought is why you might like the feel of one design over the other…it depends on your style and terrain.
Theory time 2:
On the graph “Forces”, you can see this frame bottoms out with 1600 Newtons and sits at sag (30%) with 500 newtons.
So 500N is gravity, and 3G’s of down force is the maximum force to bottom.
For a bike to handle extreme trails (big drops and jumps) you will find you need around 5-6G bottom out resistance in the frame. If you dont have this level of leverage / profession you’ll end up breaking the frame.
(If memory serves, a ~6 foot drop to flat is around 5Gs of down force in the landing.)
Link: https://vorsprungsuspension.com/blogs/learn/understanding-leverage-curves
Says the same thing in a different way, but useful round up of the concepts.
…and make Mexico pay for it.
It is expensive (the most expensive in North America *) because it is low in fossil fuel generation AND uses a lot of renewables with variable production.
The only way to keep the system stable is to rely on fossil fuel generation outside the jurisdiction to offset the peaks and troughs that happen on short time scales.
Ontario actually pays the bordering states to take away excess energy, and they can do it because their gas fired generation can act in seconds to balance supply and demand.
The power EXPORT from the windmills costs the ratepayers in the province over $1B a year…
Similarly, many of the hydro projects rely on seasonal foreign demand. For example BC produces a lot of extra hydro in summer season, and there is air conditioning demand in California during those months. Its not as if the province can hold that water and use it for heating homes during winter.
(* because of unreliable supplies, large consumers like industry can’t actually operate in the province because they cannot get reliable contracts… This is about 1/2 million jobs. This is a big part of how Ontario became a have-not province, actually. I had multiple clients from Ontario’s generating sector who told me that they “did not want” to enter power contracts with penalties around outages, so if a car plant loses power they can lose millions per hour, and the power companies didn’t want to commit to anything. All things equal, big factories can move to Buffalo NY and pay half the price for Ontario energy… )
Basically, it’s expensive because of the costs of remote jurisdiction dependencies and the lack of true self sufficiency.
They don’t have the cards?!?