After the announcement of the new Ibis Ripley V5 which is even convertible to a Ripmo I am hoping for a major update of the Element.
Are there any news or rumors?
Are there any news or rumors?
2025 Element - major update?
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Sebov
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Fair enough, I appreciate how versatile the Element is -- can be set up pretty darn close to a World Cup XC bike or push well into trail bike territory. I'm currently mulling over a new fork from the Fox lineup for my Element and debating 34SL vs. 36SL.
PS. poor quality pictures from some desert time a couple weeks ago:
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Just finished my build and got a short trail ride in. 24.09 pounds with pedals, cages and Garmin mount in a size large. New Reserve XC wheels, XTR 2 pistons, Float DPS 3-position and fork with the other parts mostly from my 2018 SB100.
Started in the steep setting and it feels really snappy, stiff and responsive ... every input pushes the bike forward. I'm pleasantly surprised with the support and stiffness of the 130mm 34 SL fork. It's like SID ultimate but more so.
Will get the real test tomorrow with a 30-mile backcountry XC race. Stoked.
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Started in the steep setting and it feels really snappy, stiff and responsive ... every input pushes the bike forward. I'm pleasantly surprised with the support and stiffness of the 130mm 34 SL fork. It's like SID ultimate but more so.
Will get the real test tomorrow with a 30-mile backcountry XC race. Stoked.
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What is the race you're doing?
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Bear Springs Trap
All, I'm pleased to announce that the classic and epic Bear Springs Trap XC is ON! 5-3-25 UPDATE: Hi, everybody! I hope you can make it to the race tomorrow. This is one last request to pre-register online and race or ride! The weather looks to be sunny and cool, with a high of ~60^! But if you...
sellwoodcycle.com
Its a good one — a bit rowdy and janky.
Like your build!
Do you have the SL or the GripX version within the 34SL fork?
Same here. I am chasing for the light trail or call it downcountry bike. 130 34 or 36 SL. A lot of people say that the Pike transformed the bike in a good way. Pike ist heavier than the 36 SL. Maybe that’s the route I am going.
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SL damper. Raced it yesterday and really enjoyed how easy it was to move from open to trail to locked out while I was bleeding from the eyeballs! Super composed in hard braking around steep switchbacks. I rode a GripX 34 recently and the GripX is probably a better choice for big mountain riding versus racing, but much harder to set the compression while riding.
The bike was awesome. I just spent 4 days straight riding my 32-pound trail bike in Moab, so ripping around some PNW loam, moto tracks and steep janky sketch on the Element was a blast.
I'm currently on a XL sb100 and deciding between the new element and the asr for general xc riding and some marathon races in Aus. At 188cm the ASR in XL seems bang on for my size, but the element seems very long. Even when accounting for the much steeper seat angle, would be more leaning towards the large. I do like the idea of the adjustable geometry and the 130 sl fork capabilities for future proofing, compared with a 130mm on the ASR which does slack the seat angle a bit much. I can't test ride either so I'm interested to know if you tried the ASR before deciding on the element and after your race do you feel its just as race competitive when specced appropriately?
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Both really good bikes -- hard to go wrong as this 120mm flex-stay category is pretty stacked these days.
I'm a bit biased as I've always had a soft spot for Rocky since I was a kid watching North Shore videos, and I think the current RM lineup has some of the best bikes-for-category that we've ever seen in the industry. (Market downturn and industry chaos aside, I think bikes are as good as they've ever been, with the caveat that e~machines are taking too much bandwidth for brands.)
However, I do think Yeti has phenomenal engineers thinking through their products and they wouldn't enter a new category unless they had a true standout product. (Nor would Geoff Kabush be having such a notable run of form unless the ASR really could go fast.) I came decently close to buying an ASR on impulse after the release, just because I trust Yeti's engineering and testing. Then I test-rode the bike a few months later, and had a couple issues:
--STA on the XL felt uncomfortably slack at my height/inseam (6'2.5"/189cm, 918mm cycling inseam, 757mm center of BB to saddle rails with 175mm cranks). Scooting the saddle forward it was....OK, but not great. The 130mm fork would definitely exacerbate it, as you mention.
-- Rear end had great traction at high(er) speeds on descents, traverses and when pedaling hard, but when winching up techy climbs in a low gear the suspension felt both bob-prone and not great on traction. (This was with a Sidluxe; could be improved with a properly valved DPS.)
-- With alloy wheels, the stiffness under a 195lb. rider wasn't terrible, but it was a little bit of a throwback to the days when XC bikes were more about comfort than riding hard. I would prefer a little more burly chassis even at the cost of a few grams, personally.
-- The stock 55mm stem wasn't quite long enough for my preferred pedaling position; would likely need a 65-70mm for that bike.
To make a long story short, I ended up getting an XL Element right when that bike came out last fall, and it works great. Particularly, it's a standout in generating phenomenal rear traction while still staying high in the travel. I wasn't totally sure about LG vs. XL Element, or just getting a less-long XL like the Epic 8 or ASR, but super glad I chose what I did. I wrote the following to a rider who was asking about LG vs. XL on this generation of Element:
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I did not get a chance to test ride the ASR, but the one guy I know racing one loves it. Re race competitiveness, I don't have enough experience on the Element to be firm on this, but I think it depends on the course if the geometry differences matter at all. I think the ASR is a great choice and would have been happy on it I'm sure.
Here in Oregon (in theory) the Element may give up something on the flatter courses (Bend area) but it takes it back from the SB100 and perhaps the ASR when things get steep and interesting. That being said my best High Cascades race out of 11 tries was on a Banshee Paradox which is a very long hardtail with a steep seat angle. I do think 130/120 is the new 120/120 and the Element is very competitive on weight. And if you ride and race where things predominantly are steep up and down I think the Element is the best choice -- and we have lots of steep to ride here in the Cascades.
The Element does NOT feel too long in a Large for me. I am 179cm and run a S4 Stumpjumper Evo and my SB100 was a large, just for reference. I wouldn't want the Element's ETT to be any shorter for climbing and like the stability of the longer reach on the descents. For the HC100 this year I'll probably put a 60mm stem and a 760mm bar on the bike versus the current 50mm/780mm combo.
Here in Oregon (in theory) the Element may give up something on the flatter courses (Bend area) but it takes it back from the SB100 and perhaps the ASR when things get steep and interesting. That being said my best High Cascades race out of 11 tries was on a Banshee Paradox which is a very long hardtail with a steep seat angle. I do think 130/120 is the new 120/120 and the Element is very competitive on weight. And if you ride and race where things predominantly are steep up and down I think the Element is the best choice -- and we have lots of steep to ride here in the Cascades.
The Element does NOT feel too long in a Large for me. I am 179cm and run a S4 Stumpjumper Evo and my SB100 was a large, just for reference. I wouldn't want the Element's ETT to be any shorter for climbing and like the stability of the longer reach on the descents. For the HC100 this year I'll probably put a 60mm stem and a 760mm bar on the bike versus the current 50mm/780mm combo.
Appreciate the very detailed response, that's exactly the info I am after. Have followed kabush since his sb100 days and awesome to see him now a true xc bike and still doing well year after year.
Sizing i think you could be right with the XL, it opens up more options too if I later decide to beef up the build with a 140mm fork reducing reach and the shorter stem. I am used the the stability of a slammed 70mm stem on the sb100, with a forward seat which is good for longer distance rides. The 50mm felt twitchy and wandering on the climbs. A longer stem on such a slack xc/trail bike like the element probably doesn't play nice with the feel and geo though. Also for reference my xl ripley v4 40mm stem did feel quite big and is similar in numbers but mainly in the tight stuff.
The 2025 element isn't available in Aus yet weirdly but I might put in an enquiry for an eta. The main drawcard for the asr is its available in a C2 build for just under 7k aud, where the turq frame is 5.8k. A trip to Canada could be on the cards to bring home an element!
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Never a bad time to take a riding trip to Canada, eh! The trails on Vancouver Island, where the BCBR was held two (?) summers ago, have really piqued my interest of late, but that's the whole other side of the continent from us. Other than 2020/2021, I've made it up to Quebec every summer to ride at Sentiers du Moulin / Vallee Bras du Nord / Mont St Anne and surrounds.
My crystal ball isn't too clear on this, but I think the way XC is trending we'll see more and more 130mm+ fork setups on XC bikes for technical races in the coming years. Buying a bike that's designed for a 120mm front end probably isn't too retrogressive, but it seems way more future-proof to go with something like the Element that's designed around 120/130 travel, or roll with the Epic 8 / Spark that has a steep enough STA to make over-forking a fine idea.
Well said! Also, HC100 looks super cool, I hope I can make it out there some year.
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Is there any preload to the flex stay?
Sagged or unsagged?
Do you have to bent the flex stay to line up the shock linkage to assemble the bike?
Can the flex of the stay be used as a pseudo-coil?
Is there enough flex to really make any noticeable difference compared to a standard bearing/bushing type pivot?
Sagged or unsagged?
Do you have to bent the flex stay to line up the shock linkage to assemble the bike?
Can the flex of the stay be used as a pseudo-coil?
Is there enough flex to really make any noticeable difference compared to a standard bearing/bushing type pivot?
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HE'S BACK
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This looks like the old model in a colour scheme that I've never seen before. interesting.
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Yes, and a high-end one too. Flight Attendent and what looks to be a powermeter crank.
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I'm still struggling a bit with which shock I should ride on my 25 element frame. So far a tried a DPS 3Pos and a RS Deluxe Ultimate Medium Compression, Medium Rebound. What does the code for the official recommended Deluxe mean? 0L0 PRL 32SN. Especially compression and rebound wise. Thanks
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