[gregnash]

Figured I would post up a build thread on this!! Just received her last night and spent the evening building her up and starting the bedding in of the brakes, first suspension tune ride will be this afternoon (4/17/19).

I bought this bike not because my current trail bike (2013 Hammerhead Thumper - think Spesh FSR Clone) was old or bad, rather this year is my 40th and figured there was no better reason to spend a grip of money on something than going with a new bike!!! The original plan was to order a Smash, after demoing them last year, right around the beginning of the year so that I could have enough time to get the bike and get used to it prior to the Epic Rides Capital City Offroad mtb race that happens in my home town. However, GG kept telling me to wait when I was ready to put in the order in January. Good thing I did as they released their new carbon processing and carbon bike at the end of January. You can read all about their new REVVED carbon here and their modular frame process.

So fast forward some nine odd weeks later and I finally have my bike.
I didn't have a huge amount to spend on the bike and wanted to have something ready-to-ride as soon as possible so I decided to go with their Ride 2 build instead of just getting the frame and slowly building up from there. Sure there are things that will be swapped out sooner or later but that is all part of the process of making the bike mine!!! And that's part of the fun of it all!

Here is the basics of the build...
- Fork: RS Yari RC 150mm
- Shock: RS Super Deluxe Coil w/400lbs spring (upgraded from standard package RS Deluxe RT)
- Cockpit: RaceFace 35 stuff
- Wheels: DT Swiss M1900 w/ Maxxis DHF and Aggressor 2.35"
- Drivetrain: SRAM NX Eagle
- Brakes: SRAM Code R
- Dropper: SDG Tellis

I will be adding a few bits to personalize it like a OneUP bashguide, Sensus FatPaw grips (purple lock-on) and other small pieces here and there. Build up was super easy, bike came in two boxes with wheels in their own box with the shock.

 

[gregnash]

And now time for the piktors!!

Everyone loves NEW SHIRT DAY!!!
Untitled by Greg Fisicaro, on Flickr

Untitled by Greg Fisicaro, on Flickr
Untitled by Greg Fisicaro, on Flickr
Untitled by Greg Fisicaro, on Flickr
Untitled by Greg Fisicaro, on Flickr
Untitled by Greg Fisicaro, on Flickr
Untitled by Greg Fisicaro, on Flickr
Untitled by Greg Fisicaro, on Flickr
Untitled by Greg Fisicaro, on Flickr

 

[MarcusBrody]

Awesome. If I was replacing my bike, this would be on my absolute short list, so I'll be watching this with interest.

 

[gregnash]

First tuning ride is done! Lots of stops to adjust saddle and dropper height, couple other small adjustments but everything seems good for the time being. Got to tune the Yari a bit more still. Never had to put so much air in a fork, up to 140psi currently and that is at like 28% sag...

Untitled by Greg Fisicaro, on Flickr

 

[Nurse Ben]

Greg looks happy, all is good in the world, happy fortieth 😋

 

[Millennial29erGuy]

One of the best looking frames out there.... im digging the angular lines on it

 

[Sparticus]

Looks super nice!
=sParty

 

[gregnash]

Definitely a great ride and rides VERY similar to the aluminum version from what I remember. She definitely is a hefty girl though at about 35# unscientific way of me on scale then me + bike on scale. She feels hefty when you pick her up but DEFINITELY does not pedal like it. Going up hill, the only thing that feels different about the ride vs. my old trail bike is the seat tube angle, really that is the most discerning factor, that is until you head downhill.

Gonna take a bit to tweak the fork to be as plush as my Auron PCS RC2 is, or close there of, but the Yari is probably not long for this bike.
Reason for not upgrading the internals of the Yari... well personal preference I guess. To me the ROI on spending $200+ on the Charger Damper, then AT LEAST another $200+ to fix its inherent problems (which they are getting better with the 2.1 but that is a bit out) and then to spend another $200 on something like a Luftkappe or MRP Ramp Control or DSD Runt, well I am looking at close to the cost of a new fork right there.

With the terrain I ride in, for the bigger hits the Yari does fine no complaints there, but I also have a lot of fast, chundery sections on my daily trails. Yesterday I felt the "harshness" in that small bump compliance and the LSC that everyone talks about. While some say you can fix this to some extent with the above mentioned upgrades or going to an Avy cartridge or moving to the new PUSH HC97 replacement for the Charger setup, well that's just not really worth it to me.

Been a Manitou fanboi for YEARS and been begging them to release a long travel 29er fork as the Tower Pro was always an incredible XC fork and the McLeod, oh the McLeod, has been an absolutely phenomenal shock for my trail bike. Now that they have "leaked" their new Mezzer, I will be holding on to my pennies for that thing! So far looks incredible with IVT, 37mm stanchions, possibly IVA and HBO, plus all their seal upgrades they have come along with from the Mattoc! Ooooooh babby!

 

[Harold]

I've gotta say I'm also not a big fan of Rockshox recent stuff. The only riding I have on their longer travel models is demo riding, but I owned a Bluto for a bit and it was never really right for me. It's no wonder people drop loads on aftermarket dampers and spring kits and whatnot for these.

I am absolutely loving the MRP Ribbon on my Pedalhead, though.

Based on your build details, it certainly doesn't sound cheap to improve on that 35lb weight.

 

[PHeller]

I'm not entirely convinced the bike weighs what you think it weighs, Greg.

My alloy XM Smash weighed 31.6 with no carbon, Deluxe RT, and Fox 34 PLUS. That was also with more trail oriented tires.

Lets say your coil adds 450g, your fork 200g, and your tires another 400g, that's about 1000g.

That's 31.6+2.2 = 33.8

It's AT LEAST 1LBS LIGHTER than you think it is.

haha

 

[Sparticus]

And now time for the piktors!!

Everyone loves NEW SHIRT DAY!!!

Untitled by Greg Fisicaro, on Flickr

When GG first unveiled its new carbon main frame I questioned the "captured" or filled-in seattube/toptube triangle junction as perhaps looking cheapish but it's grown on me and now I feel it not only looks good, it also looks right: well engineered & strong. Your bike looks great, Greg.

Do I see a stack of pancakes holding up a big ol' dollop of butter atop the plastic toolbox on the RH end of your workbench? Yum!

Have fun riding!
=sParty

 

[PHeller]

haha sander discs = pancakes with butter.

 

[gregnash]

haha sander discs = pancakes with butter.

This.... set of DA Polisher/Sander discs with one that for some reason decided to curl up and the white underside is showing. Still need to finish cut n buffing my paint job on my FJ60. Up until recently was too cold to want to go outside and do something like that for more than a few minutes.

And still getting used to that filled in junction. Old bike had it and I constantly used it as a pickup point when moving the bike around. Kept grabbing at it to do the same only to smash my fingers in it. Now it is more of a pinch grip than a grab, still very functional though.

 

[JMac47]

Bike looks great! Bet you cant wait for the high country to open up and hit those trails with it!
Was checking out your FJ project too. Were you able to spray it right at home or was that just prep area?

 

[pjames12]

Do you have any plans to buy the seat stay kit and run it as a Trail Pistol? I'm curious about how easy it actually is to do that conversion.

I love my Trek Fuel EX, but I'm very tempted by the idea of having two bikes in one, USA made carbon, etc. Having a Trail Pistol for my local trails and then converting to a Smash for park riding sounds really attractive to me. Especially since I could buy the TP frame and move parts from my FEX over...

 

[Nurse Ben]

Do you have any plans to buy the seat stay kit and run it as a Trail Pistol? I'm curious about how easy it actually is to do that conversion.

I love my Trek Fuel EX, but I'm very tempted by the idea of having two bikes in one, USA made carbon, etc. Having a Trail Pistol for my local trails and then converting to a Smash for park riding sounds really attractive to me. Especially since I could buy the TP frame and move parts from my FEX over...

Dump the Fuel and get the Trail Pistol!

I have a Shred Dogg frame coming to replace my aluminum Smash, tempted to get a TP frame for XC/light trail use.

The stays ain't cheap, also gotta get a different shock/fork/lower cup, then it's all gotta be installed...

The new TP is redesigned to be slacker, stiffer in the rear triangle, shorter chainstays, should be killer!

 

[pjames12]

Dump the Fuel and get the Trail Pistol!

I have a Shred Dogg frame coming to replace my aluminum Smash, tempted to get a TP frame for XC/light trail use.

The stays ain't cheap, also gotta get a different shock/fork/lower cup, then it's all gotta be installed...

The new TP is redesigned to be slacker, stiffer in the rear triangle, shorter chainstays, should be killer!

Yeah, the only thing that has me hesitating (besides from an angry Mrs) is the seat angle honestly. Most of my local trails are super pedal-y and flat. The more traditional seat angle on the FEX puts me in a super comfy position for riding that sort of stuff. I demo'd some steeper seat tube angle bikes (like the Kona Satori) and found it a bit uncomfortable for that type of stuff. Probably something I'd get used to though.

 

[gregnash]

Bike looks great! Bet you cant wait for the high country to open up and hit those trails with it!
Was checking out your FJ project too. Were you able to spray it right at home or was that just prep area?

Yeah I sprayed in my driveway. Did all the prep and everything between the garage and driveway. Luckily it wasn't overly windy, just a nice breeze, so spraying did not have the paint going all over the place. Got some touch-up that I have to do in a few areas this year when I get some time but other than that was a neat little project, and dear lord does PREP matter so SOOOOO much.

Yeah, the only thing that has me hesitating (besides from an angry Mrs) is the seat angle honestly. Most of my local trails are super pedal-y and flat. The more traditional seat angle on the FEX puts me in a super comfy position for riding that sort of stuff. I demo'd some steeper seat tube angle bikes (like the Kona Satori) and found it a bit uncomfortable for that type of stuff. Probably something I'd get used to though.

See I thought the same thing too but then got to ride it a bit more. Just like any bike geometry changes, it just takes some time to get used to everything. Really that becomes the extent of what you have to do, real learn your body on where things are in space and make minor adjustments.

No inclination to purchase conversion kit for the TP as that would be moving backwards to what I was previously riding and I decided that I want more travel, just a bit, not much though. Ultimately, the bike is very much suited for the riding that I do, I did test out a similar bike to the TP last year, the Pivot Trail429 and really found that bike underwhelming for the price and the ride for my terrain was at the limit of what it could do. Sure I could push a little hard and clean up my game but then it would not be suited for my bigger rides that really due necessitate more travel.

 

[PHeller]

If the steeper angles scare you off you can always run an offset post.

Thats what I do, along with Vikb.

I was worried that steeper STA would be uncomfortable, but I ended up running my saddle slid forward with a 50mm stem on an Extra Medium Smash, which is equivalent to a Revved Trail Pistol Size 3 Long.

On my new Revved Trail Pistol (can I call it the RTP?) I'll be running the same exact setup. May run a shorter stem and slide the saddle back, may run more spacers or higher rise bar to lift the stem higher. We'll see.

Funny that I went that opposite direction of most GG owners that are moving to the carbon frames. I decided that I wasn't using the travel on my Smash efficiently, so rather than more travel with a "meh" shock I decided to try less travel (Trail Pistol) with a better shock (Avy coil.) If I start bouncing it off the bumper then I'll know I made the wrong decision, haha!

 

[gregnash]

Honestly, when I first rode the Aluminum Smash last year that was the first thing I noticed right away, but seriously after a couple of miles of riding, it just melted away and the bike was just "there."

Don't let the steeper STA scare you, really many bikes these days, regardless of travel, will be moving that direction.