[FredCoMTB]

Bike Dr in Frederick does SC. You might be able to rent/demo one.

I think i might have seen one there the other day it was either gray or tan. Definitely a medium travel bike with low shock placement. I didn't check it out because there was a line at the door. You might wanna call ahead if you go on a weekend. They only let a few people in at a time to keep people spaced out. For good reason... not a complaint.

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[RossLo]

Great thread! I have a V4 Ripley and get a lot of pedal strikes and can't get the DPS shock dialed no matter what I do. It's an excellent pedaler but in the rock gardens, roots, etc it strikes a lot so the shock is either to poppy or it bottoms out. I'll hopefully figure it out...

On the bike front. I was thinking about getting the Orbea Occam at 140/150. I haven't been able to test it but it seems to check many boxes that we need on the East Coast. Any owners or folks that have tested them have an opinion?

 

[Cerberus75]

Orbea has really high antisquat on their bikes, like over 120%. I personally don't jive well with single pivot and high antisquat. They tend to hang and give a lot of peddle kick. This isn't much of an issue with multi link bikes with high antisquat. My wife has a Wreckoning which is a fancy single pivot and with a 30t chainring it has kick back. But its barely noticeable with a 32t, and doesn't hang as bad. Gorilla Gravity sits around 100% and works really well for a single pivot. So do Kona so not all SP bikes are bad.

 

[RossLo]

Thanks for the feedback. I really wish I could demo one around here...

 

[lovemonkey]

Gorilla Gravity sits around 100% and works really well for a single pivot. So do Kona so not all SP bikes are bad.

GG bikes are a multi link, the lower link is just really long. I never have figured out how Kona does it though.

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[mtnbikerva1]

I am looking into the Brand new Giant Trance X pro 29, Pivot Trail 429/ SWITCHBLADE, Spec. Brand new Stumjumper, Intense Primer, Norco Optic.
The wheels seem to be of low quality on even the top cost bikes on most if not all of these. Poor quality hubs, Crap engagement, heavy, etc.
I am a little concerned about the overall experience/performance of suspension/flex carbon seat stays on the new Stumpy.
Is the Primer too sluggish long and low? I guess I wonder that about all of them!
What companies have great or terrible customer service? Crash replacement cost and handling? Quality control? I read where a couple people complained about Specialized lack of customer service.
I get the impression PIVOT has the best quality and quality control. But super boost makes it hard to find wheels! And with my size 11.5 shoes does that equal seat stay or chain stay rub?
My thumbs are messed up so I want SRAM on my bike. I have the new XT 12 speed and it WEARS OUT my thumb!!! Way to much force to down shift! I was amazed at how light and buttery smooth my friends 2 bikes with year older SRAM X01 are!

 

[mtnbikerva1]

Delete please

 

[mtnbikerva1]

Not at all. On one and still own 2. Should I not share my experience when someone asks? I've even said the V4 may have worked if I sized down, would have been very close to my Riot.

Why do you think so many similar threads pop up? I just share my experience as a counter to all the people that say the new geo is perfect everywhere and it's you, you just need to get used to it etc..

Not everyone is on here as much of some of us, so they don't see other threads where people have had similar experiences. He asked about a ride everywhere bike- I disagree as obviously some others in this thread and others do, that the new geo trend isn't a good ride everywhere bike.

My head is in a totally different outlook for my next bike. I thought I wanted a Pivot Switchblade.

I tried a Yeti SB115 and a Pivot Switchblade, yesterday. Everyone raves about how great the Switchblade is. Not for me at this point, felt too heavy and sluggish. I liked the sb115 but no iscg 5 tab to mount a bash guard. I think any bike I buy needs frame protection of some sort to keep from taking chunks out of my bb area on big rocks, especially And logs. What do you folks do?
Is the Pivot trail 429 too heavy and sluggish feeling compared to the sb115?
Also pedal strikes are a pet peeve, I hate too low bikes that pedal strikes or you have to put midget crankset on.

I am trying to figure out the best bike for my area, and something quick, light, responsive, and efficient, that does not jack hammer my back.
I ride a xl 2016 trek remedy 9.8 29r now, a little sluggish for what I am looking for.
I am 6ft and 3/4 about 165 with no gear.
Thank you.

 

[SqueakyWheel73]

I am looking into the Brand new Giant Trance X pro 29, Pivot Trail 429/ SWITCHBLADE, Spec. Brand new Stumjumper, Intense Primer, Norco Optic.
The wheels seem to be of low quality on even the top cost bikes on most if not all of these. Poor quality hubs, Crap engagement, heavy, etc.

This is absolutely the rule now. Nobody is spec'ing anything resembling a high-end wheelset on their $5K- $6K builds. It seems insane, but it is totally true.

What companies have great or terrible customer service? Crash replacement cost and handling? Quality control? I read where a couple people complained about Specialized lack of customer service.
I get the impression PIVOT has the best quality and quality control.

Actually, I've always heard that Specialized and Trek both have very good customer support. Same with Santa Cruz, Ibis and Pivot. A friend's son just cracked his 2018 Pivot Switchblade frame - I don't see that as a sign of bad quality - he rides hard. Switchblade required him to send his bike back to them for inspection before they replaced it. Another friend cracked his Santa Cruz Chameleon and Santa Cruz required only that he show photos of the bottom bracket cut off the frame before they sent him a new one. I'm not sure this is indicative of how each company handles every warranty; it's just the data points I have.

My thumbs are messed up so I want SRAM on my bike. I have the new XT 12 speed and it WEARS OUT my thumb!!! Way to much force to down shift! I was amazed at how light and buttery smooth my friends 2 bikes with year older SRAM X01 are!

The 12 speed SRAM gripshift works really well. My only complaint is that it forces your hands further into the middle of the handlebar then I would prefer, but if your thumbs bother you this is definitely the way to go. You'll have to negotiate with a shop though - I doubt you'll find a bike that comes with gripshift stock.

 

[SqueakyWheel73]

My head is in a totally different outlook for my next bike. I thought I wanted a Pivot Switchblade.

I tried a Yeti SB115 and a Pivot Switchblade, yesterday. Everyone raves about how great the Switchblade is. Not for me at this point, felt too heavy and sluggish. I liked the sb115 but no iscg 5 tab to mount a bash guard. I think any bike I buy needs frame protection of some sort to keep from taking chunks out of my bb area on big rocks, especially And logs. What do you folks do?
Is the Pivot trail 429 too heavy and sluggish feeling compared to the sb115?
Also pedal strikes are a pet peeve, I hate too low bikes that pedal strikes or you have to put midget crankset on.

I am trying to figure out the best bike for my area, and something quick, light, responsive, and efficient, that does not jack hammer my back.
I ride a xl 2016 trek remedy 9.8 29r now, a little sluggish for what I am looking for.
I am 6ft and 3/4 about 165 with no gear.
Thank you.

Sounds like you need to keep demo'ing bikes. What trails do you typically ride the most? In general bikes are getting longer with slacker headtube angles - I'd guess you are going to have to go towards the XC end of the trail bike spectrum to start finding quicker handling bikes. You also might seriously want to consider 27.5" tires to liven things up a bit.

You also didn't mention what tires were on the Switchblade that you rode. My Hightower came with Minions (DHF front, DHR rear) - they were very sluggish. I've swapped out to more trail-oriented tires and am very happy. The Ibis Ripley has a reputation for being a very lively bike. I'd expect the Pivot 429 SL to be along the same lines. I don't have any experience riding either of them, so I can't personally speak to it.

I think I posted earlier in this thread about my experience with getting my bottom bracket raised higher to minimize pedal strikes. Finding a bike with a high/low setting is definitely helpful - this seems to be more common with bikes that can run either 29 or 27.5+ tires. You also might have the option of extending the travel of the fork, although this does have the downside of affecting the overall geometry of the bike as well. Another thing to consider is modifications to the fork to keep it riding higher in its travel.

With the trend towards lower bottom brackets, I'm not sure you are going to find any new bikes that are not going to have issues with pedal strikes. Honestly, if this is a total deal breaker you might consider looking for a bike from a couple years ago. Even now, I still get pedal strikes - I've gotten reasonably good at avoiding them, but it still happens from time to time. At some point you will have to learn to modify your riding a little bit to adjust.

 

[bloodninja]

It's a little less travel than you're asking for, but look into the 2020 or 2021 Trek Top Fuel. I ride mine all over VA and also WNC and love the way it performs. The BB drop is 29mm in the high position, so pedal strikes will be less often than most modern bikes.

If you really need more travel, I'll say I'm looking into a Fezzari Delano Peak to add a bigger bike to my stable. It's 150/135mm travel, and long and slack but NOT low with something like a 26mm BB drop. Only thing is it's like 30-32 lbs depending on the build I'm looking at and I think will feel much more sluggish than my Top Fuel. That thing accelerates like a rocket.

 

[RacerLex]

Pedals strikes were a concern when I was building my Ripley V4. To offset the strikes I equipped the Ripley with a 140mm fork, 29x2.6 tires, and 170mm crank arms. It works decent for our area but I still get an occasional pedal strike. And this occurs with me being conscious of the possibility of a strike. If I was building this bike today I would definitely go with 165mm crank arms.

 

[RacerLex]

Great thread! I have a V4 Ripley and get a lot of pedal strikes and can't get the DPS shock dialed no matter what I do.

I did not like the Fox/Ibis tuning recommendations for the Ripley's DPS shock. Try using Pivot's Trail 429 DPS tuning recommendations. It performed so much better in my experience.

 

[mtnbikerva1]

It's a little less travel than you're asking for, but look into the 2020 or 2021 Trek Top Fuel. I ride mine all over VA and also WNC and love the way it performs. The BB drop is 29mm in the high position, so pedal strikes will be less often than most modern bikes.

If you really need more travel, I'll say I'm looking into a Fezzari Delano Peak to add a bigger bike to my stable. It's 150/135mm travel, and long and slack but NOT low with something like a 26mm BB drop. Only thing is it's like 30-32 lbs depending on the build I'm looking at and I think will feel much more sluggish than my Top Fuel. That thing accelerates like a rocket.

I agree. I have spent the last few days reading and looking at vids of the the Top Fuel. I have not yet been made aware of pedal strikes being a issue yet, on the TF.
It seems to be very difficult to get a TF though.

 

[gdg1]

Where did you find a demo SB115? I didn't see any in the area on Yeti's site?

My head is in a totally different outlook for my next bike. I thought I wanted a Pivot Switchblade.

I tried a Yeti SB115 and a Pivot Switchblade, yesterday. Everyone raves about how great the Switchblade is. Not for me at this point, felt too heavy and sluggish. I liked the sb115 but no iscg 5 tab to mount a bash guard. I think any bike I buy needs frame protection of some sort to keep from taking chunks out of my bb area on big rocks, especially And logs. What do you folks do?
Is the Pivot trail 429 too heavy and sluggish feeling compared to the sb115?
Also pedal strikes are a pet peeve, I hate too low bikes that pedal strikes or you have to put midget crankset on.

I am trying to figure out the best bike for my area, and something quick, light, responsive, and efficient, that does not jack hammer my back.
I ride a xl 2016 trek remedy 9.8 29r now, a little sluggish for what I am looking for.
I am 6ft and 3/4 about 165 with no gear.
Thank you.

 

[mtnbikerva1]

Where did you find a demo SB115? I didn't see any in the area on Yeti's site?

A-1 cycles in Herndon, Virginia. It is a large. I don’t know if they had others to demo.

 

[gdg1]

Thanks, I'll give them a call.

 

[smartyiak]

It seems to be very difficult to get a TF though.

What size? My local Trek store (Newark, DE) had a number of them on the floor when I was there two weeks ago. Give em a ring or I can check and get back to you.

I demo’d the TF for three days when COVID first struck. It is a FAST bike and I had no pedal strikes. I also liked the lock out. I would definitely buy one...I was just waiting to test a Hei Hei and a Spur, but....COVID.

 

[Undescended]

A local bro took 2nd place at the Steel City Enduro on his YT IZZO. He says it’s an Absolute Beast on the ups and downs, enjoys the shorter travel with the aggressive geometry for around here.

 

[DGUSMC]

Have a Switchblade Alloy but my suggestion is to look at the aggressive hard tails. I have a Chromag Rootdown and there is no trail (Bear Wallow, Shed, Carvins Cove, Bike Buster at Patapsco or the BROT, etc) that I don’t love it on. Blade is faster on really rough sections but the slack, steel hardtail with 2.6 tires seems just about perfect for most of what we have around here.