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Originally Posted by ODB
Talk to me about them. I had considered it when I was in the market but decided against it due to the tight switchbacks we have around here. I would think they would be great for flatter areas like Texas. As it is I have enough trouble on some of the local switchbacks with my 26'ers.
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ODB - I am just going to cut and paste my review from my home site. So some things will not be in context for you. All I can say is, "ride one", before you make your next purchase. You will likely love it. Of course the advantages go down exponentially depending on your height. I don't know how tall you are, but i'm 6'2". I would think 5'8" is probably where the tide turns. Here is the review. Not much has changed, except the bike geometry has been tweeked and I feel more at home than ever before on a bike.
After much deliberation her first ride went down on home turf. RCP was the trail of choice. At first, I was a little disappointed in the venue. But then I realized that it would be the best place for a comparison.
The Goods:
Cornering - 29'rs are on fuggin rails. I love cornering @ speed and this thing does it beautifully. The trail was in descent condition (a little crumbly and loose over all) and I was running 50 in the front and 52 in the rear. It was difficult to break her loose. I was impressed. Another unique sensation was the centrifugal force lifting the bike up on the exit of corners. The rigid fork knifes the bike through corners with perfect steering precision.
Momentum - There is an incredible sensation when you get these things up to speed. You can actually feel the bike doing the work. There was a couple of times that I wished I had a harder gear (or had gears period) because my efforts were almost useless....Kaida Mai was in stride and she needed very little input from me.
Air Born - I was very pleased with her jumpability. No, she's not as flickable as the 26'r. But she didn't have any problems leaping in my favorite spots.
Compliancy - I am coming off a steel 26'r. I didn't expect to notice a difference in compliancy, but I did. That's right it's smooth. Riding in the saddle over 'forearm' sized roots and they literally disappear. And that’s running pretty high tire pressures. The rigid fork/big wheel setup is far superior to rigid/26 which I have tried....but more on that later.
Braking - WOW! I'm a huge fan of braking. I think it is one of the most important aspects of our sport. The combo of my new Hope Mini's (fugging unbelievable brakes IMO) and the big tires/increased tire patch is braking at its best. Modulation is flawless and shutting it down is mundane (which I had to do while on a flyer, south side @ speed and there is a huge log blocking the normal trail).
The Notso-goods:
Rigid - Rigid is the perfect setup for RCP. With big wheels their is very little out there that causes problems. My 26" brothers are riding rigid 26'rs out there every Tuesday. Big wheels just take a little more edge off the rough.
BUT, I definitely had more hand fatigue and awareness over all. The chattery stuff was the worst and I even lost my grip on the bars a couple of times. This puts trails like Tyler and North Shore and IDB/JB in question for me. It's not a matter of 'is it doable'. Of course those trails are doable. It's a matter of comfort and fun. I'm thinking suspension would be welcome, particularly a stable platform (that actually gave you a stable platform on the flats) would be the perfect setup. Due to costs....I will be running rigid for some time.
acceleration - The big question. The big knock on 29'rs. Right?
Not so much. I'm a realist. I try to be objective. So here is my report on this subject. I didn't have any problems with acceleration. It didn't seem to take any extra effort. In fact, when I put power into the pedals, the bike lurches forward. It feels great. So you are probably asking, "why is this in the 'Not so Goods'?" Good question. The reason is, I felt I suffered a little bit more in the tight sections of trail (twisty part of 7 and mainly 11). These sections require slow speeds and torque to get to the next hair pin turn. So I assume that they were a little more difficult due to all the slowing and accelerating. Don't know for sure. But that’s my feeling at this point. On the same topic, the acceleration that felt so crisp could have been due to the rigid nature of the setup. The fox I have been running on the 26" SS's was an energy consumer. It dulled the snappiness of a 19lb SS. So the rigid setup goes a long way in making a bike feel quick, IMO.
Slow speed, highly technical stuff (not much of it at RCP but I must report)
I felt a bit off my game in these areas. Again, 11 was more effort that it should have been. As well, the technical root climb, on the Glen's Wall section of trail, required a dab. I haven't missed this on my 26" bike in forever. So something is 'a miss' in this area of the bikes characteristics. I think it's because I need to tweak my riding position. (I need a setback post and I need the front end lowered 1/4 an inch. Hopefully these slow speed technical sections will come around with some saddle time.
Summary
It's no surprise, I’m a fan. It does well, the exact things that enticed me into switching. The cornering is my absolute favorite aspect of this bike. It holds lines beautifully and doesn't want to loose grip. It brakes with little effort and allows for modulation in the arena of 'perfection'. It's comfortable, washing away trail obstacles like you're in the captains chair of an 18 wheeler. Am I faster? Don't know. A hot lap, with a clock, will be only way to know for sure.
She's got long legs.....
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