Back from the first ride...I have ridden and owned plenty of bikes, (worked as mechanic in bike shop, then opened and ran my own bike shop,as well as bike testing and photo shoots for the mags in the UK) so I certainly know all too well the symptoms of new bike syndrome!! So this is just a damped-down first impression!
The conditions out of the trail were beyond soaking.....5 days of rain.... The trails here are loamy, rooty, rocky. The bike is mega plush(remember that it is currently running a slightly longer stroke shock, giving 163mm out back) Traction from the 2.8's is incredible. The bike claws its way up steep, technical climbs like a mountain goat. Going down is is confidence inspiring to the degree that I hope the bike isn't going to be boring! The very long chainstays keeps things stable for sure, but a little lethargic when it comes to popping over fallen trees etc....but that said this is a completely different beast to anything that I have ridden before. All this said, the condition were horrid today, but I came home with a massive smile on my face and on many parts of the trail I found myself in awe of all the traction! Looking forward to the trails drying out and ripping down some of our tech singletrack finding the limit of this big rubbers traction!
