Znarf profile

@Dolomite - e-lobbying across the big pond, eh?

I live in Southern Germany (and manage and build a legal trail system here) and I travel a lot with my mountain bike, all over Europe and have spent quite a bit of time in BC and North America as well, biking. 

Just for the record, I disagree with several of your "conclusions" and "facts".

1. the Dolomites, parts of Austria and South Tyrol DONT have THE best trails in the world.  There are great trails in these regions, but that is true for a lot of regions. I don´t know if you´ve ridden all regions world wide a lot, but if you don´t, you just can´t speak of "world´s best".

2. E-Bikes and trail access are absolutely not without trouble (in Europe) and I for example have certainly NOT understood the potential of E-Bikes the way you have. I however understand that there´s a boat load of POSSIBLE trouble.  

3. As with guns, not E-bikes kill trails, but some people riding them ;-) I´ve experienced douchebag non-e-bike behaviour on trails over the last twenty years. And I´ve experienced douchebag e-bike behaviour on trails. If you have physical ability as a selecting factor (only dedicated people get to 6000ft mountain tops self propelled) there´s a humbling element. Lazy people just don´t go there a lot. And if you´ve climbed LOADS you just don´t argue. You sit there and nibble your energy bar and some water, content with little stuff.

Add a motor though and things get ugly. I KNOW - riding an e-bike can be very exhausting. And absolutely not everyone who rides one is lazy or a douchebag. In fact, there´s no reason that regular mtbers are douchebags, too. And in lift or shuttle assisted riding areas the douchebag factor is higher as well. But suddenly every "regular" tough climb is not as strenuous as before. You´ll have e-bikers speeding climbing trails. And some who don´t. But what´s the point of lugging 5kgs of motor and battery and NOT speed? You could just ride a regular bike...

Yeah - you can rack five times as much elevation a year with your e-bike. But know what? I could multiply that with my car. And could even do it in the rain, without getting wet. In fact - I could do it with a bike on my roof rack. =)

To be fair, as long as you ride your e-bike responsibly, I couldn´t care less if you ride e or non-e. Have fun and enjoy yourself. But just to give the Canadians here a second, non-e opinion I thought I´d contrast your pro-e-bike european opinion with a european non-e-opinion...

Also try Syntace bars. They come in 12deg also, loads of different rises, widths and materials. Not cheap, but probably the highest quality bars and stems you can buy. Don't know if they're available in Canada though?

Procore actually DOES help against burping and rolling, contrary to what the Cushcore chart says. It's also lighter AND it does protect against pinch flats. 

But Cushcore doesn't look bad, too. Especially for park bikes it might be a low maintenance option. 

Their website however states, that it should be swapped for a new foam ring every two tires. It has a "service life" as most other performance products, or so the website says. 

If you ride a lot, that's not a lot of product life for a 149$. 

Not destroying your rims constantly saves a lot of $ though. So maybe it's not that expensive.

I really like this uncle Dave thing. The guy can write and seems like a cool uncle.

Could we have links to those anti 27.5 articles? I'd like to read them 🙂

I am 6ft with long legs and long arms and the large as well fits me perfect with a 70mm stem. And now I start to feel like a parrot 🙂

Great write up btw@boomforreal

I have this exact bike's 26 inch sister. And let me tell you, it is a stellar bike. I even like the elixir trail brakes.

The clamp on the command post ir can be reversed btw. If you want less setback!

Nice bike and write-up!

Is it a Pike RC? Has that a charger damper?
Also - the Hans Dampfs are the "Performance" variant. Probably decent tires, but only from Schwalbes "budget" line.
Understandable at that pricepoint…

That is probably the point about simple machines. They just do their job without us noticing too much.

I can imagine a Heckler does just that.
I always loved mine.

It does come with the 2014 CS DB.
I already rode that in August. Feels good when in the climbing mode. Shock felt a bit dead then, but good for climbing. Too much volume for my liking though. But some spacers might help. Didn´t have the chance for that though …

I love the bike AND the review. So good job Santa Cruz and (very) good job Dave, very nice read!

I owned several Hecklers and loved all of them. If I wasn´t in a situation where I want to treat myself with a new (bling) bike, because I am making real good money for the first time in my life, I´d shop for a Heckler for sure. Even if the value over here in Europe isn´t that outstanding because of import taxes. (Which Santa Cruz can´t be blamed for!)

I bet they´ll sell a boatload of them.

Yetis are 7000+ Euros in Germany, that’s around 10.500Cad.

Same applies for Rocky Mountain or Santa Cruz. Incredibly expensive because of tax and distribution model.

There are still lots of Santa Cruz and Yetis to be seen on the trails though.

The 29 inch Capra rides fantastic, also the 27.5 is really nice, had a long demo in Whistler during Crankworx.

I’d prefer the 29er though. They really designed a great bike there.

Schwalbe used to make a tire very similar to what you wish for. Rock Razor Super Gravity in Soft compound and 29“.

After they switched to the new Addix compounds the 29“ version is only available in single ply and the not very soft Speedgrip compound. 27,5 is still available with the tough casing.

I really liked the soft version, but don’t really get on with the speedgrip. It rolls fantastic and is a great choice for a trailbike, but a let down on roots and slippery rocks. 

The softer compound worked really well for me, even in winter. After three seasons almost exclusively on semislicks I am amazed how much more confidence a proper DHRII gives in steep, dusty chutes though. 

Rolling resistance on paved roads is really bad, on the trail I don’t notice it as much.

Have a look at the Formula Neopos spacers. They let you use more travel more often, without getting too divy in the midstroke. Had the same f/r imbalance before. Now I am more like 90/95 instead of 70/95 after a good ride.

I’d think the tire combo is pretty bang on! Although there are better tires in really dusty conditions than the Aggressor, it’s a great choice still. It rolls alright and with the DD casing you should have decent flat protection.

I run the same tire combo on my 29er and recently replaced the worn Aggressor with a DHR II. And while it offers LOADS more grip, it also rolls quite a bit worse.

I haven’t done the hole 45km trip, just explored a bit (by bike) with JBV around the Tyax area.

Three things would be paramount for me:

1. Take it easy - if you crash out there, you are far away from any help.

2. Make sure that your bike is in really good shape, put enough (lots) sealant in your tires, don’t skimp on brakepads ;).

3. Enjoy the scenery - I found my time out there to be less about the trail or the bike. The colors, rocks and plants, all the intense sounds and the weather will blow your mind.

The time I spent out there was absolutely intense, it’ll be a precious memory! Thanks again to JBV for making it possible!

My five tens (ride Freerider or Freerider canvas with a thin sheet metal insole added and buy discounted last year models) last half a season. By then they are so soft that my feet get super tired on rough trails. The sole on the ones with black soles last longer for me. The ones with grey or colored soles wear even quicker.

I’ve tried other shoes for riding, but nothing comes close so far in performance. I was going to try the Freerider Pros next, because of the stiffer sole and better durability. But maybe not?

I’d try to warranty a 200$ pair!

Posted by: JBV

not to derail the thread, but i'd be curious as to if you feel the Lyrik is much of an overall improvement or difference from the Pike in general.  i have a Fox 36 on the AM bike and going back to my trail 29er with 140 for has me wanting for the front end performance of the other bike...  wondering if a switch to Lyrik 150 would do it.

Same situation when I ride my Smuggler with a 150mm Lyrik (2016 Model) compared to the 160mm Fox 36 Evol on my LT 29er.

The Lyrik just feels harsh in comparison. 

I bought a 2018 Debonair airshaft (140mm) for the Lyrik and some Formula NEOPOS spacers. But I haven’t had time to fit and try the modification yet. 

Will report back. 160mm of plush travel are really nice. Even though shorter travel bikes are hyped and fun!

No matter what you do - get the Fox Performance Elite or Factory and NOT the „plain“ performance.

Or if you do, factor in the cost of the possible upgrade to the better damper cartridges of the Elite or Factory line.

I’ve spent time on the different cartridges and the RC2 and FIT4 are much better than the budget GRIP stuff. More support, less wallow, but they open up when needed. Big, noticeable difference. 

I haven’t ridden the new GRIP2 - which ironically is their premium cartridge for 2019. It is supposed to be even better,

I really love how the now „old“ style Bronson V2 rides. Maybe you could snag an XL frame for a great price?

Posted by: RAHrider

Just got this one last month. Came with all black everything - wayyyyyy to intense (and boring). I had these turbine cranks kicking around and threw them on but they stuck out in a bad way so I upgraded the rotors to 203's and went blue hope. Figured I would add a few other blue accents. Arrggg, the blues don't match. What do y'all think? Swap out the cranks for the original black ones? I was thinking about getting some blue decals for the fork...

How does it ride? So smooth...Super supple over all the chatter but feels bottomless on the big stuff. The more you drop the bars into a corner the more it bites, the suspension just eats up everything and keeps the wheels planted. It actually climbs pretty well as well. It is always a good sign when you don't like using the climb switch. 

All I can say is God Damn Race Face for making a blue crank that clashes with everything else on the market!

At least the blue color of your grips DOES match the blue in your jersey/shirt in the window =)

I find the only occasions when I really „appreciate“ the huge range of the 11-50 are when I ride with someone who’s having a really low gear and taking a very relaxed approach to climbing. I can keep my preferred cadence and just spin and chat away, without going to a 30rpm leg bursting mode or being the ass who’s constantly going that tiny but friendship destroying bit faster.

When I let my body determine the speed/cadence intuitively I always end up in 32/42 max and will therefore go to a 34t chainring, once the 32 is worn. The 50t is for the long alpine days...

My bike will profit a bit from the bigger ring, because of pivot locations.

I do ride to the trails by bike usually, because of our traffic situation (Europe), but I really don’t need the 11t. If I ride my mtb with fat soft tires down sustained road descents I’d be doing something wrong imho. If you spin 90rpm on a 32x11 on a 29er that equates to roughly 37km/h. I can’t put out that much energy for a very long time. (On level ground)

And when I’m going 37km/h or faster on trails there’s no pedaling involved most of the time.

For racers it makes a lot of sense though.

If my bike would play nice with small chainrings I’d be on a 30tx1x11 10-42 xx1 cassette and Shimano drivetrain. Sweet, reliable and light.

Posted by: shoreboy

Posted by: rnayel

Just wait until shimano finally releases their 12 speed option in 2022.

It's coming this month.  May 2018.

And maybe with Boost 148.99mm and a new freehub standard :)