I used to own this bike! 10 years later I'm still chasing another frame that can match it's suspension quality. The only criticism on the suspension performance is that the super low leverage ratio didn't offer much pop even after a custom shock tune to speed up the rebound.
The idler performance was awful though! I ran a 2x10 drivetrain with a 2x lower chainguide roller (Blackspire I think). The shifting was absolutely horrible. The idler slid left and right on a row of loosely installed cartridge ball bearings (so much maintenance!) to adjust for front shifts, but it would hang up and rarely slide to the correct position. I could really only effectively use the fastest 3 gears and the slowest 3 gears. That was fine for winch and plummet rides, but low gradient trails weren't fun.
That bike with a 1x12 drivetrain, dropper post, and modern geometry (I agree that the geo was awesome at the time) will haunt my dreams forever. I'll definitely be looking to get a high pivot enduro bike for my next ride.
Also, I'm not a pro racer. I'm a mid-pack, amature, couple times a year enduro racer who mostly just rides for fun.
June 30, 2021, 8:46 a.m. - hugebiff
I used to own this bike! 10 years later I'm still chasing another frame that can match it's suspension quality. The only criticism on the suspension performance is that the super low leverage ratio didn't offer much pop even after a custom shock tune to speed up the rebound. The idler performance was awful though! I ran a 2x10 drivetrain with a 2x lower chainguide roller (Blackspire I think). The shifting was absolutely horrible. The idler slid left and right on a row of loosely installed cartridge ball bearings (so much maintenance!) to adjust for front shifts, but it would hang up and rarely slide to the correct position. I could really only effectively use the fastest 3 gears and the slowest 3 gears. That was fine for winch and plummet rides, but low gradient trails weren't fun. That bike with a 1x12 drivetrain, dropper post, and modern geometry (I agree that the geo was awesome at the time) will haunt my dreams forever. I'll definitely be looking to get a high pivot enduro bike for my next ride. Also, I'm not a pro racer. I'm a mid-pack, amature, couple times a year enduro racer who mostly just rides for fun.