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Reviews 1 - 4 (4 Reviews Total)
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Submitted by
Whit
a Cross Country Rider
from Arlington, VADate Reviewed: March 26, 2012
Strengths: - Light yet Stiff
- Great suspension
- Snappy and quickWeaknesses: - unique geometry (not so much a down side as something you have to acknowledge)Bottom Line: Love this bike! I have had it a couple weeks; yesterday I did a 4-hour race (Tuscararo MTB Enduro in PA -- big shout out to Fast Forward productions!!). Bike performed excellently in very narley conditions -- wet, roots, rocks, lots and lots of mud. Bike loves downhills. Holds a line thru rock gardens whether zoomin' down or doing a jeep crawl. On local trails, the bike was quick and carved like a beauty; it loves to grab air over whoopty-do's. I did not have issues yesterday with pedal strikes (due to low bottom bracket as reported by some) like I was expecting. I had one over 4 continuous hours. It does have unique geometry. More aggressive than my Blur LT2. Some reviews have noted tendency of front wheel to wander on climbs due to slack head tube. I saw that on the long (1/3-2/3 mi) steep MUDDY fire road climbs. It never got out of control, and I am sure partly it was me (tired and red zoning!). I found you have to position your body more aggressively (than my upright LT2) and then trust the bike. It did not let me down!! I love you LT2, but my cheatin' heart was right....
Favorite Trail: How can I choose, I've ridden everywhere from VA to NC to HI
Duration Product Used: Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$5000.00
Purchased At: LBS
Similar Products Used: Blur LT2
Bike Setup: XT build (SPX)
Overall Rating: Value Rating:
Submitted by
danellerkamp
a Cross Country Rider
from Madison, WIDate Reviewed: February 15, 2012
Strengths: rails corners
unbelievably fast on downhills
great suspension
lightweight
super strong
pedals reasonably effecientlyWeaknesses: low bottom bracket, but can be a strength when cornering hard b/c of low center of gravity
Bottom Line: This bike completely transformed mountain biking for me. I have only been riding off road for 3 years and came from a hardtail 29er that I used for XC racing. Handling skill is usually my weakness, but this bike just begs to be ridden fast and pushed in the corners. It is amazing how much you can lean this bike over in the corners and how much traction it has. Every time I ride it I get a huge grin that is permanently plastered on my face, it's that fun!
The slack angles and low bottom bracket mean that the bike is most at home going downhill and railing corners at full speed. Extra care has to be taken to weight the front wheel on steep climbs and to keep the wheel pointed straight, but with a lighter build and the suspension set up properly it still climbs very well. Then the fun begins when you are at the top of the climb and you get to take this bike down. It immediately accelerates to unbelievable speeds, especially on technical rocky downhills. The suspension does a very good job of eating up rough terrain. Occasionally I have to be careful of where my pedals are while pedaling over larger obstacles, and sometimes on rocky descents the lower link hits larger rocks, but I'm getting used to this quirk and I wouldn't trade it for any less cornering performance. The low bottom bracket lowers the center of gravity in the turns and it gives that "corners on rails" feeling more than any other bike I have ridden!
Favorite Trail: Rock Lake, CAMBA trails
Duration Product Used: 6 months
Bike Setup: Fox Factory F130 FIT RLC fork w/ Kashima coat, Shimano Deore XT M780 groupset, XTR race wheelset, Easton EC90SL riser handlebar, EA90 stem, Thomson Masterpiece seatpost
Overall Rating: Value Rating:
Submitted by
gmatt
a Cross Country Rider
from Brisbane, QLD, AustraliaDate Reviewed: October 18, 2011
Strengths: Very light
Incredibly stable through quick turns
Excellent suspension designWeaknesses: Can ground a pedal quite easily
Is pretty costly, but not bad value when you look at the packageBottom Line: This bike is deeply impressive off-road. I made the mistake of demoing one and bought it two weeks later, as it was that good! There are several things which you can read in reviews which describe why this bike is so good offroad:
It uses the virtual pivot suspension system like all the Blurs
It weighs next to nothing
It has a low (13") bottom bracket to keep it stable in corners.
The thing is, all these are true but for me, when I'm riding it, it makes me better. And not a bit better, a LOT better. I'm not a freerider, I'm a 34 year old ex-XC rider, but I'm leaning this bike over so far through corners I feel like a downhiller, and going really really fast. It's just so much fun it's totally addictive.
After messing with the suspension a bit I found the best results were gained running it quite soft. The Fox Float RLC fork allows me to run pretty low pressures (70psi for me, 84kg) and tune out any brake dive and pedal feedback with one or two clicks of low speed compression damping. I then set the rear shock up with a similar feeling of softness (still within the recommended sag, 165psi ) to get the best results. I'm using full travel at these settings but it's well controlled and doesn't wallow at all. What it does to is allow me to turn really hard on bumpy ground and maintain just unbelievable levels of traction.
The rear suspension system probably doesn't need much talking about, as it's not new to this bike. It does move when you pedal (if you have pro-pedal off) but not enough to cause any issue. I only engage pro-pedal on long fireroad or road climbs when I want every bit of efficiency I can get. Otherwise I leave it open, and laugh like a maniac as I try to find anything that can upset this bike.
Truly impressive, it just doesn't disappoint.
Favorite Trail: Gap Creek
Duration Product Used: Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$6000.00
Similar Products Used: Marin Mount Vision
Bike Setup: XT based build kit. Only changes were tyres as it comes with Maxxis Crossmark which were a little lightweight for what I wanted. So these were changed for Maxxis Highroller on the front and Ikon on the back.
Overall Rating: Value Rating:
Submitted by
BikeSwan
a Racer
from Toronto, Ontario, CanadaDate Reviewed: June 23, 2011
Strengths: - Very flickable through the corners
- The wide bars I specced only add to the controlled feel
- Great shock w/ the frame
- Great looking bike
- Extremely stiff
- Extremely light
- Extremely tough
- Extremely everything
Weaknesses: - Price (the only one I can think of)Bottom Line: A truly awesome bike. Best for trail riding, and aggressive cross country. I do race it but only because I have a really great spec on it. If you plan on racing the bike make sure you spec it up well, because even with a very expensive and quality build it's still 26 lbs which is a lot for a "Race" bike.
It has a great feeling ride, and the quality shock makes the bike extremely versatile. The acceleration is amazing it quite literally shoots of start lines, and overtakes other riders as if they where standing still.
Spec the bike out well and it will reward you with unearthly performance.
Favorite Trail: Porcupine Rim
Duration Product Used: Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$6500.00
Purchased At: Cycle Solutions / Ch
Similar Products Used: Santa Cruz Blur XC
Santa Cruz Tallboy Carbon
Bike Setup: Santa Cruz TRc frame, DT Swiss XMC 130 forks, XT/XTR mix, Stans ZTR & Hope wheels, Hope M4 Brakes, Race Face / Fizik / Thomson finishing kit.
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Reviews 1 - 4 (4 Reviews Total)
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