10/06/2008

2004 Brodie Holeshot b-team Jason Goller Photos Jason Goller & Coreena Fletcher

Find Your A-GAME with the B-TEAM The first bike I ever rode on the shore was a Brodie Reactor, a dually of sorts. Since then I've mainly ridden burly duallies, however, every time I ride a hardtail I have so much fun, I'm always left wondering why I don't ride them more.

So I was stoked when I had the opportunity to saddle up to a 2004 Brodie Holeshot b-Team. I spent quite a few fun-filled hours riding it on The Shore, Urbaning in Vancouver and I even hauled it down to Moab's famous Slickrock to see how it would fare in a XC environment (though a technical sort of XC).

The Holeshot b-team is a new addition for '04, and is the star of Brodie's "Hardass" line-up, which also contains the Holeshot (non b-Team edition), Brute, Bruzza and a few others. To differentiate Brodie's 'burly' bikes, the Freedom and Hardass series sport new aggressive graphics for 2004.

In the words of Bruce Spicer, Brodie's Product Manager, the b-team, Sauce and Demon are their "best foot forward" spec'd bikes and not for the budget minded faint of heart. Brodie's hardtails have always been the bread and butter of the company, from the first Sovereigns hand-welded by namesake Paul Brodie, to the modern incarnation of the definitive Shore hardtail, the Holeshot b-Team.

The Bike

DREAM ON ERNIE CRIST! This is the closest Ernie will get to banishing us to the desert or where he's obviously from, the Red Planet. Photo: NASA's Mars Rover

I liked the look of the black flame on the b-Team and so did many other riders I encountered in Moab and at home on the Shore. More than one rider raved about the paint and couldn't believe it wasn't a custom paint job. As for the hardware, this is one sweet ride. The b-Team is built up with Shimano's Saint Gruppo and a Manitou Sherman Flick. Saint was reviewed by NSMB (http://www.nsmb.com/gear/saint_08_03.php) in 2003 so I'm not going to go into much detail other than a few comments. I liked it… and as a rider who is working on improving my finesse (ok and fitness too) you could say I'm very hard on my bike's components. I like the look of the Saint components, the cranks, the brakes and the rear derailleur - I can't explain it any other way than to say they exude heavy duty.

Brodie hasn't gone overboard with the spec'ing of the b-team either, opting for Shimano XT shifters and brake levers vs. the integrated XTR pod. Frankly, a smart choice, considering the possible need to repair or replace a damaged shifter or lever after misadventure shore style. I don't enjoy the Rapid Rise, but otherwise, the Shimano gear worked great.

Truvativ Husselfelt stem and bars, Sun MTX-S rims and Maxxis Minion rubber and the balance of the components round out this bike nicely.

The Spec

Frame: Brodie custom 7005 Aluminum CNC Forged Chainstay Yoke Sizes: 14, 16, 17, 18, 19 and 20.5" Fork: 20mm through Axel, 90-130mm Travel Manitou Flick Front Derailleur: Shimano Deore Rear Derailleur: Shimano Saint Crank: Shimano Saint Handle Bar: Truvativ Husselfelt Stem: Truvativ Husselfelt Lever: Shimano XT Disk Level Brakes: Shimano Saint 203mm Rotor Cranks: Shimano Saint Chain: Shimano Hubs: Shimano Saint Pedals: WAM-B27 Rims: 26" Sun MTX-S (early models will have Sun Double Tracks) Rubber: Maxxis Minions Saddle: Titec Berserkr Seat Post: Brodie w/ QR

The Ride

S T I F F. Burly is apt, so is stiff. The square chain and seat stays and machined BB yoke all make for an incredibly rigid package. The b-Team is nimble and quick to respond, and you do not feel it flex, whether you are grinding up the Bridal Path or wheelie dropping a shipping dock this frame means business. The cockpit position was comfortable whether I was on a several hour ride on the Slickrock or doing the gravity portion of a shuttle bombing through CBC/Corkscrew/Pingu/Pangor on Seymour. (Shuttling with a hardtail - who knew? -ed.) In short, the ride and position were freeride, certainly, but also comfortable for rides with long climbs, especially with the fork's travel set to the short setting.

One key down side for me was the 'Rapid Rise' shifting of the Saint Derailleur. Obviously part of it is pure habit, being conditioned to the opposite action for shifting. When needing to blast through a fist full of gears on an up shift the Rapid Rise concept seems to act in reverse of what makes sense to me. In fact, I wonder if anyone likes Rapid Rise? If so, it'll be the first time I heard of it.

Put the pedal to the metal and the b-Team climbs very well. I felt as if I had Tom Platz's (http://www.bodybuilders.com/tomplatz.htm) quads (without the lung capacity to match). The Sherman Flick is a very capable fork utilizing a number of Manitou innovations including TPC damping and a compression lockout to eliminate bob while climbing. The Rapid Travel II is a top mounted travel adjust knob which allows for up to 40mms of adjustment - this is a nice feature and really suits the rest of the b-Team, which was well-designed to go up and then down.

Dressed up or dressed down - whatever the occasion,
the Holeshot b-Team was always right at home.

Conclusions

Overall I liked the Holeshot b-Team, for the way it rides, the spec, and the way it looks. As pointed out earlier the Holeshot b-Team isn't for the "budget faint of heart"; at an MSRP of $3499 Canadian, complete with a Saint gruppo, this bike is priced like a Maserati. Good thing it rides like one as well. But if you want a top shelf hardtail backed by the Brodie heritage, that lives up to its 'Burly' title, and then some, the Holeshot b-Team is a classic ride.. If you are looking for a more affordable rig, the standard Holeshot ($2299 Canadian) is spec'd out well and still has plenty of 'Burly' on offer.

Spec: 4.0  Ride: 4.5  Price: 3.5  Overall: 4.0

Pros: Cons: - Tight setup - Saint Gruppo - Responsive handling - Sweet paint job - Saint Gruppo - Price

Whether this would be your only bike or if your thinking of adding to your quiver, I'd recommend checking out the Holeshot b-Team for yourself. Watch for more b-Team designations down the road from Bruce and the crew at Brodie. Check out www.brodiebikes.com for more info.