gubbinalia profile

The Cura 2 vs. Cura 4 comparison makes sense -- I have a friend with a set of each and it sounds like he notices a pretty big advantage to the 2's when modulation is at a premium. It also sounds like the power differential is bigger between the Cura 2/Cura 4 as it is between the Dominion A2/A4, perhaps?

Knowing you are also a sedulous surveyor of semi-slicks, I feel like the A2 with semi-metal pads is the natural choice for a rear wheel when running a not-so-grippy rear tire.

@Ripbro, highly recommended -- I had a number of customers at the LBS where I worked who went that route (Guides/G2s --> Dominion A2s). If your wife uses 180mm rotors on the current SRAM setup she could likely even downsize to a 160mm rear rotor for the A2s, to keep modulation high on the rear wheel.

This well-and-truly-long-term review feels timely to me as I just last night bled a fresh set of the T2 levers into my three-year-old Dominion A2 brakeset (purchased not long after the original Major/McRae dual review back in 2020!) Prior to Hayes I was a longtime pro-Shimano, anti-ServoWave brake-selector, which meant a lot of $$ dumped into old-stock XTR Race levers paired with XT or SLX 2- or 4-pot calipers. I was hesitant to jump ship, but the meteorically rising cost of all things Shimano, and the funky ergonomics of the 9100 levers, had me looking for something else. The original NSMB review, coupled with feedback from one of Hayes's early brake testers on the Path Podcast, validated trying the Dominions... which, without a doubt, have been the most reliable brakeset I've ever been on.

I will sing the praises of the A2 system all day long, for pretty much any XC/trail/all-mountain-ish bike, but I know many (almost all) the folks I've seen move to Hayes in the past 2-3 years have gone to the A4s, "because it weighs the same but gives you more power, ya know?" Having briefly tried the A4 system (on a Stumpy Evo) as well, however, I'm not sure the gains in outright power make up for the increased difficulty modulating the brake to not grab too hard at slow speeds -- at least, for more XC-oriented riders like myself, rather than someone who's running these on a full winch-and-plummet rig. The A2s still have phenomenal top-end power once they're bedded in (and I'm 6'3", 215lbs, so not exactly a flyweight.) The A2's added modulation at lower speeds, e.g. on a rolling section over some off camber wet roots, in not fearing that I'll lock up the rear wheel and start swapping ends is noticeable. 

Re. T106 semi-metallic pads, I pretty much never run the full metallic pads because I'm just not on long enough descents here in central VT to heat up the metallic compound to a point where it grabs as smoothly and equally as the semi-metal. Maybe it's something wrong with my bedding technique on the metallics, but I've found that the super-grabby initial bite of the metallics doesn't feel nearly as good as the consistent pull of the semi-metals, at least until I've been descending for 10-15mins (which is relatively rare around here). I also think the semi-metals are pretty darn good in the wet, at least for XC/trail-ish applications, compared with any of the traditional organic pads from Shimano, etc. (Also, if you're running the Dominion T2 system, the ever-so-slightly lesser piston retraction in that slimmed-down caliper means that the T100s are a fraction too draggy and loud for my preference.)

Thanks AM for the great review and thorough (multi-part, even) follow-up!

This is amazing, as always. If NSMB ran a weekly Whitling feature I'd be thrilled.

Also, can we get a Whitling / Major collab on "Buy the Bike You've Already Drawn: A Spring Service Story" ?!

Fully agree that the Arrival needs no added compression support for pedaling. I'm more than happy pedaling the bike wide-open. Mostly I use the middle mode on the Kitsuma so I can get the rear end to engage less on lower speed traverses. Once it's wide-open and I'm pumping the bike, it wants to shoot forward and gain speed quickly. The "trail" mode is like a check on that. My sense is that the dual tuned damper circuits on the Eleven-Six shock function similarly, while cutting out the initial harshness that some folks perceive when running low sag numbers on an air shock.

That's a fascinating comparison of the Slayer v. other "all-mountain" bikes (I know that's an outdated term, but it seems appropriate to what WAO was trying to design with the Arrival 152). I've been more comfortable with the Instinct/Instinct BC among the Rocky lineup -- Slayer is more often a bike-park choice here in the Northeast US. Given the Shore-based reasons to run the Arrival in a higher-sag, higher-front-end guise, the Slayer makes sense as a point of reference.

Maybe getting into the speculative, "time-and-treasure"-required category too much, but I wonder about the Arrival specc'ed with an air shock with a 2-position lockout (SuperDeluxe, X2) versus setup with a 3-pos. climb/trail/descend-style shock. I'm really happy with how the middle "trail" mode on the DB Kitsuma shock keeps things pretty controlled on traverse-y, techy stuff. If I were running a SuperDeluxe I'd be searching out a Tractive tune that would retain some of that control even in Open mode. 

Your sizing point is spot-on and it's exactly why I thought WAO didn't want to do "M/L/XL" sizes at first -- they were shooting for middle-points between the conventional sizes. I originally had heard they would make an Sz4 as well, for the Cr4w types, with a 525ish reach, and I was bummed that I'd have to "settle" for 500... but after the initial adjustment process and putting on a higher-rise bar, I'm liking the "short" feel of the Sz3. (My anglesetted Surface Voyager has about an inch more wheelbase and is FAR less graceful on the plunky-thunky stuff!)

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.

Have an awesome race out in the winelands, Cooper. While I've never done a multiday gravel race, there are some super fun one day events around the northeast US and it seems like a booming category (maybe THE booming category) for folks who don't usually race bikes but want to give it a shot. 

Out of curiosity: Did the Bjorn not make the cut for the race because the plastic Spesh is faster, or because you wanted to put a test bike through the ringer?

Ah, congrats on that first "real" ride! Always feels *amazing* to be back in the saddle, pedaling briskly, descending with purpose, for the first time after some time away due to injury, busy-ness, or (in my local case) five months of fatbiking and skiing. Will be interested to keep up with your recovery and hear how things evolve.

That's fantastic to hear the Rift Zone build is panning out so far. I'm looking forward to reading a full build breakdown. (I was a bit surprised you didn't just go for a Phantom frame and an angleset, as you reference, given your affinity for all (many) things Banshee.) I personally would not build a shorter travel bike with the same tires as a longer-travel one -- I like the game of building 110-120mm bikes up *almost* as light as a 100mm race bike, but with just enough concessions to descending to make them survivable on steeper stuff --  but I take your point about the incredible versatility of a short-travel bike. "Pumpy" is a great word for such bikes, btw.

Ha, consider the salt measured! I, too love hardtail'ing and singlespeeding (not a rigid convert, regrettably!), but if anything I think it's turned me into a suspension snob: when I am riding a fully-suspended bike I feel like I need it to be fully tuned and dialed in -- the shock needs to feel great, the linkage needs to feel predictable and active, everything needs to work in concert -- or else I'd rather just be on a hardtail. After all, a hardtail is nothing if not predictable and easy to tune perfectly; you just need to dial in tire pressure/insert usage and away thou goest. Maybe that's not true of all hardtail riders but if anything I listen to the opinions of folks on non-suspended bikes *more* closely than I would listen to someone who exclusively rides, say, 150mm+ FS bikes and likely is losing the forest for the trees in their impressions of the ride as a whole.

Ha! No intent to induce panic on my part, I promise. I was actually re-reading those last few paragraphs myself, trying to figure out what I missed, because I knew you weren't trying to laud Giant's mid-2010s design team, but I couldn't figure out what the broader point you were making was. I think the nuance that I missed was that you were making a separate point at the beginning of the piece -- that "some of the most exciting meat-powered rigs on the market right now aren't a huge leap from the thinking behind Andrew's version the SX," which I 100% agree with, and really don't think is up for debate given how lively the "downcountry" category is right now_--_ than you were at the end of the piece, when you brought up the Process 111 et al. Let me admit, Andrew: sometimes my mid-work-day ability to digest your insights is a bit dulled; I recant my testimony! :-)

The even more nuanced point you're bringing up about "fully-people-pedaled bikes" is, I think, worthy of a future editorial -- whether here or on MeatEngines. I live in an extremely un-eBike-friendly area, and we haven't come close to reaching blender-bike saturation here, but when we do I imagine many of the meat-powered riders may be switching to lighter, shorter-travel machines instead of hopping on motorized all-mountain/enduro category rigs. 

The Path Podcast did a great segment on this topic, pondering what will change about the buying habits of highly evolved MTB consumers if they continue to resist the encroachment of motorization. As one of the podcast hosts noted, once the buyer has recognized that they're *not* getting the most expensive, most technically-equipped, most "advanced" (heavy scare-quotes) bike on the market, why continue choosing a bike that's at the upper tier of the pyramid in terms of suspension capability, when a lighter short-travel bike will make for a more immediate, lively riding experience, and go uphill faster to boot?!

Slowly simmered into Super Boost: anyone else seeing the news about the new SRAM electro-group making SB157 "obsolete" on trail bikes?

Love seeing the resurgence of the Chromag on this thread!

Here's my poorly-photographed Surface Voyager.

Posted by: trioofchaos

Did someone say year of the Rootdown?! Long time lurker and have been wanting to join the conversation for a while. Here is my rebuilt Primer - this is V3. It is the bike that I always end up coming back to. Hopefully, the pictures post correctly!

Nice one! Is that the stock DeKerf pewter grey or did you go for a different metallic undercoat? Looks good with the pink accents and the 5dev cranks. (but how can you have a Endless chainring without a pink singlespeed cog to match?!?)

This is NSMB, after all... how can a hardtail thread ~ not ~ be a Chromag-heavy thread. I have to get some decent photos of my Surface Voyager to post up (any other Surfaces out there??)

Re: "Hiking for Biking"

_Heck, if there's a better way to actively stretch out properly warmed-up legs that is not watching-paint-dry-boring I'd love to hear about it. _

I'm a big fan of the hike-a-bike-centric ride for expanding the adventure/exploration/uncommon terrain possibilities... but if you're purely looking for mobility, what about doing a quick circuit at the top of a climb targeting some of the muscle groups that you're hoping to stretch out? I'm no PT, but maybe some jumping/lunging, a deep squat or two... something that would open up the posterior chain and activate your calves to absorb and stay pliable in big compression moves.

I remember seeing a video (maybe with Curtis Keene or some such pro athlete) many years ago talking about training for the then-new discipline of 'enduro,' in which they were preaching the benefits of doing some strength activation with resistance bands at the top of a climb before dropping in. 

Re: hiking as a form of "seeing lines" -- any (every) time I hike or run on a trail that I usually ride, it's like there are several alternate lines which I've never rode before that are suddenly glaringly obvious. Slowing things down to foot-speed is different enough that it's almost like coming to the trail for the first time again.

(Unrelated: am I the only one who feels like the gravel riding community is picking up with hike-a-bike-mandatory rides where the focused-on-designated-climb-trails mountain bikers may have left off?)