The Dirtbag has been THE bike i've been looking for all these years..
I honestly don't know why i didn't step into the "big bike" territory sooner. I was a little timid, thinking that pedaling and throwing around a heavy bike would be an issue, boy was i wrong and confused.
I totally agree, mine weighs 40lbs and handles much smaller. I have a smaller/lighter Giant VT for trail riding, but only use the Dirtbag now!
i'm a bigger dude, 215 or so without gear.. so i have issues with flexing smaller bikes. This bike, however, has no flex anywhere.. Riding a bike this solid simply allows me to forget about the bike itself, and focus on hitting the trail as aggressively as my skills will allow. I have so much faith in the strength of this build, that now i only have my own skill and fear limitations to overcome, which allows me to push my riding that much further.
Yeah, I have done things that I originally would not try for sake of equipment failure or just not enough bike, this bike creates riding freedom!
So yea.. it's been treating me great.. and leaving me tired, dirty and satisfied.. just as it should