Submitted by
Matt Gordon
a Weekend Warrior
from Orange Date Reviewed: May 18, 2008
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$3800.00
Purchased At:
Adrenaline Bikes
Strengths:
The versatility is the absolute first drawing point for me. I'd tested a Yeti 575 and a couple others, but once I was told about the geometry adjustability, I was set. I thought that it would be a particularly strong asset for the bike, but it still blew me away. I didn't expect the 6 degrees of change to make it feel like a completely different bike.
Weaknesses:
None that I have found. I've had to get used to the geometry adjust on-the-fly, but after two rides or so, it's second nature.
Bike Setup:
Full XT hardware except for Avid Seven discs, Mavic Crossrides. Total weight: 31 lbs 4 oz.
Bottom Line:
I still am blown away every time I ride it. I can't stress the difference that you feel when you tilt the bike forward for climbing. This 6 inch travel beast climbs easier than the older 3 inch Giant I was riding previously. It's nothing short of amazing.
Ride one, buy one, don't bother looking back; You'll be having too much fun.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Jason R
a Weekend Warrior
from Castaic, CA USA Date Reviewed: September 22, 2007
Favorite Trail:
Sycamore Canyon area, Ojai, Southern Sierras
Duration Product Used:
Tested or demo'ed only
Strengths:
We emailed Mic and Paul to see if there was a small Edison that my wife could demo at one of the shops. Mic invited us to come on out to Ridgecrest and he would take us out on a demo ride. We took him up on the offer and drove on out. We rode in the Rademacher Hills park OHV trails for little over an hour on rolling high desert terrain with a mix of sand, hardpack, doubetrack and a fast technical single track descent . The push button geometry adjustment is really simple and easy to use while riding. It becomes second nature after about 15 minutes. The weight transfer required to produce the geometry shift is inline with what most people do naturally as they approach climbing or descending terrain.
The climbing position can reach a much more extreme angle than you get with a height adjustable fork and because the back of the bike is being lifted at the same time the trail feels like it is being flattened out.
Descending is amazing. Hit the button, lean back and the bike stretches out, lengthening the wheelbase and slackening the head and seat tube angles to something equivalent to a downhill bike. The bike is sure footed and stable at speed going downhill. Point it where you want to go and hang on. The Formula brakes are very good. Smooth modulation and excellent stopping power.
One of the nicest features of the adjustable geometry angles is that you can immediately find a comfortable balance. Once you have the seat, seatpost, stem length and bar height adjusted you hit the button and lean for and aft until you find a comfortable weight distribution. You don't have to ever feel like the bike is causing you to put too much weight on the front or rear ends.
The bike is also supposed to be very easy to work on. The bearings for the swingarm are the same as the headset and don't require any special tools to replace. The fork is supposed to be able to be overhauled in 10 minutes with a 5mm allen wrench.
Weaknesses:
More people need to buy the bike to strengthen the local dealer networks. Ride one you'll like it.
Make the external rebound adjust on the fork standard.
Similar Products Used:
Enduro SL, Slayer XC
Bike Setup:
Demo bike: mix of SRAM X7/X9, DT Swiss hubs and Alex Rims, Fat Alberts, Bionicon spec bars and seatpost, Truvativ cranks, X-Fusion RPV shock
Bottom Line:
Verasatile geometry, good weight balance, plush travel, low standover height for a long travel bike, low center of gravity, stiff rear end with large bearing surfaces (good for heavier riders), low pedal bob in small chainring, stiff fork for weight.
A really good bike for people that feel like they cannot get a good fit on other bikes. I have shorter legs and a long torso. Normally I end up on larger bikes with way too much standover or smaller bikes with long stems and and the seat pushed back on the rails. This bike deals with some of the body type variations issues very well.
Very good component specs on the bike. You can spend some money to chase grams, but for durability, performance and value the stock bike is well set up.
The geometry adjustment is not a gimmick and you don't look like a stinkbug going uphill. It just hasn't been implemented in an easy to use manner before that is light and durable.
Three bikes in one.
We are buying a small Edison I for my wife and a large Supershuttle I for myself.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
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