#!markdown
I'll add to the review since you didn't say much about how the bike rides. I'm
an aggressive rider, great at tech and steeps, OK at jumping, pretty fast, and
I also use this as my main bike to do big xc rides. I'm no pro, I don't race,
but among the stronger of the mortal riders. I live in Seattle and love all
styles of riding, I'm 40 years old, 6'2″ and 200 lbs. geared up (all reviews
should say a bit about the rider!). I just bought one of these after riding my
last bike (2009 Trek Remedy with a 36 and modded DHX Air) into the ground.
First, it's bright, really bright. I love it, actually, even though I'm
usually a bit understated. They really nailed it with the graphics on this
one, and nice swoopy lines.
The bike feels really balanced, the front and rear seem to work well together
and I felt good on the bike as stock. I like a compact frame, and this feels
just right size-wise. I was kind of worried about the long chainstays at first
since I like a playful ride, but for some reason this bike is really lively
and fun. It's not hard to get the front end up, as I like to manual and pump
along the trail. Chainstays are low, but not so low that you can't ride
technical xc on it. The bike is slack, but with the longer chainstays it can
technical climb like an animal! It's not the lightest bike, so wouldn't be
your choice for xc racing, but I got up some nasty root sections that I didn't
think I would make.
Rear travel seems smooth throughout the stroke and no harsh bottoming even on
3-4′ drops to chunky flat landings. I'll probably add one of the Fox volume
spacers to the rear since I'm really hard on frames and I don't like to bottom
except in ohshit moments, but I'm not normal in this regard and like a lot
more ramp up than all the guys I ride with. It does resist bottoming a lot
better than my last bike. There's none of that mid-stroke wallowing that I
feel too many bikes have.
The front is a 2015 Fox Float 34 Kashima CTD. I struggled with this fork the
first ride, but turns out it needed a break-in period and I now have it set up
feeling great. It was notchy and blew through mid-stroke at first. It needed
about 5 rides to break in, which surprised me on a Fox. I find that descending
nasty tech sections it likes to be in Trail 1 instead of descend. I pulled the
lowers and put some Slick Honey on the seals and it feels super smooth now. I
also added 7.5mL of Float Fluid into the air chamber to run lower pressure and
make it a bit more progressive. This was based on the chart that Push has for
their $80 top cap spacer setup for the Float 34. Screw the $80 when you can
just add oil.
My first two "real" rides on this bike were on (undisclosed trail) an hour
outside Seattle that is a 2500 ft descent with steep crux moves, soft Hemlock
duff, lots of roots, drops to flat, jumps with smooth tranny and finishing on
rocky, techy, steep. It was also pissing rain on the climb both times so the
conditions were challenging. It felt great by the second ride and I was
charging the g-out rough corners with confidence. On the gaps and drops it
felt balanced and easy to control. I hit two little gaps a bit out of control
and was able to keep things together - so it passed that test with flying
colors.
The only things I didn't like about the bike were the seat (too narrow for
me), the grips were too thin, and I cut the bars down to 760mm/30″ from the
stock 785 so that they're the same as my DH bike and hardtail. I might try a
60mm stem instead of the stock 50mm, at least for long alpine rides. I also
changed to the Minion in the front from the massive Hans Dampf. I don't like
that high of volume tire, and I'm just a Minion guy. I think Schwalbe tires
are over-rated, but that's another discussion.
The SRAM 1×11 blows my mind how good it is and the 30 tooth ring up front is
perfect for B.C through Oregon riding. I came from 1×10 with an 11-36 on a 30
tooth (on a 26er) and the extra gear is a huge improvement on long climbs.
Love this gear setup, just hoping I don't blow up a derailleur since they're
expensive.
This is a great all-rounder for me. I like stout frames, and don't mind a
160mm bike on a 5 hour xc epic. It can handle anything I throw at it short of
bike park or shuttle runs. I think this will be another bike I keep for a long
time and ride into the ground.
July 3, 2014, 12:24 p.m. - JVP
#!markdown I'll add to the review since you didn't say much about how the bike rides. I'm an aggressive rider, great at tech and steeps, OK at jumping, pretty fast, and I also use this as my main bike to do big xc rides. I'm no pro, I don't race, but among the stronger of the mortal riders. I live in Seattle and love all styles of riding, I'm 40 years old, 6'2″ and 200 lbs. geared up (all reviews should say a bit about the rider!). I just bought one of these after riding my last bike (2009 Trek Remedy with a 36 and modded DHX Air) into the ground. First, it's bright, really bright. I love it, actually, even though I'm usually a bit understated. They really nailed it with the graphics on this one, and nice swoopy lines. The bike feels really balanced, the front and rear seem to work well together and I felt good on the bike as stock. I like a compact frame, and this feels just right size-wise. I was kind of worried about the long chainstays at first since I like a playful ride, but for some reason this bike is really lively and fun. It's not hard to get the front end up, as I like to manual and pump along the trail. Chainstays are low, but not so low that you can't ride technical xc on it. The bike is slack, but with the longer chainstays it can technical climb like an animal! It's not the lightest bike, so wouldn't be your choice for xc racing, but I got up some nasty root sections that I didn't think I would make. Rear travel seems smooth throughout the stroke and no harsh bottoming even on 3-4′ drops to chunky flat landings. I'll probably add one of the Fox volume spacers to the rear since I'm really hard on frames and I don't like to bottom except in ohshit moments, but I'm not normal in this regard and like a lot more ramp up than all the guys I ride with. It does resist bottoming a lot better than my last bike. There's none of that mid-stroke wallowing that I feel too many bikes have. The front is a 2015 Fox Float 34 Kashima CTD. I struggled with this fork the first ride, but turns out it needed a break-in period and I now have it set up feeling great. It was notchy and blew through mid-stroke at first. It needed about 5 rides to break in, which surprised me on a Fox. I find that descending nasty tech sections it likes to be in Trail 1 instead of descend. I pulled the lowers and put some Slick Honey on the seals and it feels super smooth now. I also added 7.5mL of Float Fluid into the air chamber to run lower pressure and make it a bit more progressive. This was based on the chart that Push has for their $80 top cap spacer setup for the Float 34. Screw the $80 when you can just add oil. My first two "real" rides on this bike were on (undisclosed trail) an hour outside Seattle that is a 2500 ft descent with steep crux moves, soft Hemlock duff, lots of roots, drops to flat, jumps with smooth tranny and finishing on rocky, techy, steep. It was also pissing rain on the climb both times so the conditions were challenging. It felt great by the second ride and I was charging the g-out rough corners with confidence. On the gaps and drops it felt balanced and easy to control. I hit two little gaps a bit out of control and was able to keep things together - so it passed that test with flying colors. The only things I didn't like about the bike were the seat (too narrow for me), the grips were too thin, and I cut the bars down to 760mm/30″ from the stock 785 so that they're the same as my DH bike and hardtail. I might try a 60mm stem instead of the stock 50mm, at least for long alpine rides. I also changed to the Minion in the front from the massive Hans Dampf. I don't like that high of volume tire, and I'm just a Minion guy. I think Schwalbe tires are over-rated, but that's another discussion. The SRAM 1×11 blows my mind how good it is and the 30 tooth ring up front is perfect for B.C through Oregon riding. I came from 1×10 with an 11-36 on a 30 tooth (on a 26er) and the extra gear is a huge improvement on long climbs. Love this gear setup, just hoping I don't blow up a derailleur since they're expensive. This is a great all-rounder for me. I like stout frames, and don't mind a 160mm bike on a 5 hour xc epic. It can handle anything I throw at it short of bike park or shuttle runs. I think this will be another bike I keep for a long time and ride into the ground.