So, I have a few rides on the bike and I think it's time to share some thoughts:
Frame build quality:I ordered a medium superlight version in medium, UD matte.
- Weight for the medium "superlight" version was over what I expected. Not by much, but just slightly over their "+/- 50g" claim.
- Frame construction is very good. The inside is a little rough in places, but nothing I haven't seen on many brand name frames I own/have owned.
- Linkage came with the upper shock mounting spacing 0.5mm wider than spec (see my previous posts). Hairline crack in the paint on the linkage's left side after the first ride. I highly doubt it's anything but paint, but I am going to sand down the paint to verify.
- BB pressed in very smoothly without issues (Wheels MFG). I was actually worried the ease of which it pressed in might cause creaks, but so far so good. Crank axle went in nice and easy which means well-aligned BB shell holes. Time will tell...too early to judge any longevity issues.
- Internal cable routing was fairly straightforward. The holes in the port covers appear be just slightly undersized for hydraulic lines, but they closed nice and flush with some persuasion.
- Frame hardware came dry from the factory and not torqued to spec. I disassembled, lubed everything up and torqued everything to spec. The bearings used aren't fantastic quality, but they're fine for now (weren't notch or loose in the bores, etc).
Current build spec:
- 2018 Fox Float DPS 165x42.5, LV EVOL (more on that later)
- SR Suntour Aion 35 (lowered to 120mm, 331 A2C).
- XT M8000 Drivetrain with a ZTTO SLR2 11-46 cassette., KMC chain, SRAM XO shifter (yes, works great with an XT 11-speed rear derailleur) and XT M8000 pedals.
- Crank Brothers Cobalt 3 wheels. Goodyear Escape rear, WTB TrailBoss 2.25 Front.
- Crank Brothers Highline 150mm dropper*, WTB SL8 Team wide saddle.
- ZTTO 35x50mm stem with Race Face Next R 35mmx800mm handlebar (which I plan on trimming down to 780mm).
12.7kg inc pedals with the current build spec. With a lighter fork (SID 120) I can bring it down to around 12.1kg. Carbon wheels will easily make it sub 11kg without even trying to go lighter with XTR parts, etc.
Ride:
- The suspension is very efficient but also rather active. It rides somewhat similar to my Cannondale Scalpel Si 3 (a flex stay design as well) but feels much plusher on the descents (no surprise as it is a 120mm rear vs the 100mm Scalpel...and large volume shock air can on the Carbonda)
- This is a relatively high leverage frame (2.8:1) and with the Fox Float EVOL LV shock on it, I found that I needed about 240psi in the shock to get 25% sag (I am 75-76kg geared up). NS specs the LV shocks on the Synonym TR, but we don't know the shock tune. I am not unhappy with the shock but I have a preference towards shocks sitting higher up in the travel. It's fairly active (not in a bad way) and I miss the lockouts I have on my Scalpel for sprinting. I am going to put an air volume spacer and see how it feels with this.
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Climbing: Despite its radical geometry, the frame does indeed have an XC pedigree. My position on the bike on steep climbs feels very centered, and I ascribe that to the steep ST angle. If anything, with the extra travel and much slacker head angle, it climbs as well as my Scalpel on pretty much everything other than smooth double track where the lockouts play a big role in out-of-the saddle hammering. One thing where it falls short is technical climbs with rocky step-ups or ledges: the bottom bracket is super low and you need to work on your crank ratchet game if you don't want to keep bashing pedals (read more on the BB height below).
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Descending: It's much plusher than I expected. Really tracks the ground and feels like a bigger bike. The low stack and very slack (for its class) head angle make for a really fun (and controllable at speed) ride. A regular 32mm tubed fork is totally fine for most purposes, but a 34mm or 35mm stanchioned fork really stiffens things up on the front end and enables you to get the most out of that geometry if you live somewhere with rough descents. (that's why I think a SID 120 35mm is the perfect fork for this frame: stiff enough, very light and can come with a lockout).
- At 326mm with a 120mm fork, the bottom bracket height is among the lowest I have ever ridden on a full-suspension bike. It's really LOW. It's a good bit lower than bikes in the same class: YT Izzo is 334, Nukeproof Reactor 290 C is 336mm, Mondraker Dune DC RR is 337mm, Yeti SB130 is 337. Granted: most of these bikes spec a 130mm fork with a taller A2C length, but even a Yeti SB100 has a 336mm high BB. I am running 170mm cranks and still bashing pedals more than any of my other bikes (on familiar trails). The bike is
really planted in corners, but the very low BB height is something to keep in mind if you ride rocky/rooty/technical trails. The other bikes I ride don't have particularly tall BB heights, but with this one there will certainly be some getting used to period.
Other issues:- S3/E-Type for a light top-only chain guide mounts would have been a nice option! I haven't lost the chain yet going down some fairly rough descents, though.
- Chainline is great with my non-boost XT M8000 crank, but my beloved 34T oval doesn't clear the chainstay. I am going to find a boost crank to run an oval chainring as I do on all my bikes, but will chainlink be worse? I don't know yet.
*Yes, I know the dropper cable is too long and rear brake line is too short: waiting on some other parts to trim everything to length and tidy up the cabling with heat-shrink tubing
Edited for spelling.
