Such an engrossing and thorough review... this sort of informed bike-dissection on NSMB is the best stuff on the internet by my lights! I've had a totally different experience of riding the Arrival thus far but (and?) that doesn't stop me mulling over/being delighted about AM's review.
I wish I knew the Shore at all so I could understand the trails that were bringing out this less-amenable side of the Arrival. Just taking a glance at the Trailforks pg. for Severed D, it looks steep as heck - clearly not a low-speed meandering descent - but it's tough to know what the features look like and how the corners ride. (Maybe Simmons and Gully can do a Severed D video along with the Boogieman feature!) Is it the sharp up-and-over stuff that's not meshing with the low BB, or is it something more nuanced about the speed of the impacts or the turning radius of the corners, etc?
I associate the "plunk-kathunk" feeling with slow speed ledgy stuff where the fork drops into a hole and rebounds before the back wheel drops down... which does feel weird on the Arrival, but doesn't it feel ungainly on any bike? I've been finding the Arrival a LOT more manageable on brake-control-oriented tech than the current crop of gravity-adjacent all-mountain bikes (e.g. Sentinel, Stumpy Evo, Sight), partly because that low sag number means a less pitch-y feel under deceleration. For a 191cm rider, too, the SZ3/"XL" Arrival also feels considerably shorter and more maneuverable than some other longer-wheelbase XLs.
I'm sure my rock-roll skills don't hold a candle to Andrew's and that the WAO folks would drop me in a matter of seconds on any descent. But I wouldn't put the Arrival on a pedestal as some 'experts-only' fire-breathing demon of a mini-DH bike. If anything it's a relief to ride an enduro-class bike that's so taut and energetic on low-angle, pumpy terrain.
Oct. 24, 2022, 6:27 p.m. - gubbinalia
Such an engrossing and thorough review... this sort of informed bike-dissection on NSMB is the best stuff on the internet by my lights! I've had a totally different experience of riding the Arrival thus far but (and?) that doesn't stop me mulling over/being delighted about AM's review. I wish I knew the Shore at all so I could understand the trails that were bringing out this less-amenable side of the Arrival. Just taking a glance at the Trailforks pg. for Severed D, it looks steep as heck - clearly not a low-speed meandering descent - but it's tough to know what the features look like and how the corners ride. (Maybe Simmons and Gully can do a Severed D video along with the Boogieman feature!) Is it the sharp up-and-over stuff that's not meshing with the low BB, or is it something more nuanced about the speed of the impacts or the turning radius of the corners, etc? I associate the "plunk-kathunk" feeling with slow speed ledgy stuff where the fork drops into a hole and rebounds before the back wheel drops down... which does feel weird on the Arrival, but doesn't it feel ungainly on any bike? I've been finding the Arrival a LOT more manageable on brake-control-oriented tech than the current crop of gravity-adjacent all-mountain bikes (e.g. Sentinel, Stumpy Evo, Sight), partly because that low sag number means a less pitch-y feel under deceleration. For a 191cm rider, too, the SZ3/"XL" Arrival also feels considerably shorter and more maneuverable than some other longer-wheelbase XLs. I'm sure my rock-roll skills don't hold a candle to Andrew's and that the WAO folks would drop me in a matter of seconds on any descent. But I wouldn't put the Arrival on a pedestal as some 'experts-only' fire-breathing demon of a mini-DH bike. If anything it's a relief to ride an enduro-class bike that's so taut and energetic on low-angle, pumpy terrain.