#!markdown
Drew, thanks for the nice comment about the review, I appreciate it.
In regards to looking into costs of upgrading, I didn't, as I believe that if
I'm given a bike to review, that's what I'm reviewing as that's the bike
that's been created by the manufacturer. As you can see, I've definitely
speculated as to what I think could make this bike a better performer for
certain things, but again I'm not sure I think people will (or should) buy a
$6500 bike and then have to drop another 1000ish to make it better/more
suitable….
I'm sure that there are many places around the world where this bike stock is
suitable, and I also realize that pushing it in Whistler is a lot different
than other places. That being said, I also think that minor changes on the
spec from the factory would make this bike more diverse and more capable,
while still staying pretty close to the intended use. I think even a 150/130
travel adjust would slacking things out just enough to give an extra comfort
descending, while still being able to maintain that steeper head angle for
climbing. And a move to a mid-weight casing tire (even while keeping the
wheelset) might be enough to eliminate the headaches with flat tires, as long
as it's setup tubeless from the get go….but we all know manu's love light OEM
tires to try and make the bike seem lighter…..
Oct. 23, 2014, 10:37 a.m. - t.odd
#!markdown Drew, thanks for the nice comment about the review, I appreciate it. In regards to looking into costs of upgrading, I didn't, as I believe that if I'm given a bike to review, that's what I'm reviewing as that's the bike that's been created by the manufacturer. As you can see, I've definitely speculated as to what I think could make this bike a better performer for certain things, but again I'm not sure I think people will (or should) buy a $6500 bike and then have to drop another 1000ish to make it better/more suitable…. I'm sure that there are many places around the world where this bike stock is suitable, and I also realize that pushing it in Whistler is a lot different than other places. That being said, I also think that minor changes on the spec from the factory would make this bike more diverse and more capable, while still staying pretty close to the intended use. I think even a 150/130 travel adjust would slacking things out just enough to give an extra comfort descending, while still being able to maintain that steeper head angle for climbing. And a move to a mid-weight casing tire (even while keeping the wheelset) might be enough to eliminate the headaches with flat tires, as long as it's setup tubeless from the get go….but we all know manu's love light OEM tires to try and make the bike seem lighter…..