[Alan-S]

Enlightenment is FAST!

Finished my Enlightenment build this past friday and had two 3-4 hr rides this weekend on some fast singletrack with short vicious climbs. It was the most fun i have had on a bike since I rode my HT singlespeed that inspired me to build another HT in the first place. IMHO the enlightenment is very smooth for an AL HT. The only time I was reminded of the rigid frame was on fast rooty downhills and everytime i spun the peddals. I dropped to my smallest ring maybe once or twice all weekend, which is very rare for me, the bike just goes. FYI I am coming from a 26 lb. Specialized FSR. The build was not cheap, but it was fun, and cant wait to put lots of miles on her. Total weight came to 21.92 lbs (shop scale). I will post some pics soon.

 

[LowCel]

Congrats on the bike. The bike is definately fast and turns extremely quick. The only thing I had trouble getting used to was the low bottom bracket. Have you noticed yourself hitting more rocks with your pedals since switching to this bike?

 

[osokolo]

i certainly have...

Congrats on the bike. The bike is definately fast and turns extremely quick. The only thing I had trouble getting used to was the low bottom bracket. Have you noticed yourself hitting more rocks with your pedals since switching to this bike?

that is the only thing i dont like about enlightenment...

 

[Alan-S]

Oh yea, I had forgotten about that, I noticed it in the specs when I ordered the frame. I have been riding some local trails lately that have lots of log pyramids and my 44t has not touched a thing yet. It may be because I am running the Reba Team 100mm, that should raise the BB about 7-8 mm from an 80mm fork (that is recommended.) Otherwise I feel myself bounding over things faster and with more finesse than on my FS bike. I am going to let my cousin ride a few miles on it on saturday, we will see if he notices, he rides a Klein Attitude.

 

[xcjez]

Finally got my Enlightenment delivered at the weekend as well. First impressions are that it is very quick, although probably not as "damn that's light" as say a Scot Scale. I thought that it gave a fairly compliant ride, but a friend who also got his Enlightenment at the weekend thought that it was noticable stiffer than his previous S-works hardtail.

Off to ride in the snow and sleet this weekend in the UK's Peak District, so shoud get an idea of how it goes over rocky trails - I have an 80mm fork set-up. I'll post full details of the build up and hopefully a pic shortly.

 

[Trevor!]

Congrats on the bike. The bike is definately fast and turns extremely quick. The only thing I had trouble getting used to was the low bottom bracket. Have you noticed yourself hitting more rocks with your pedals since switching to this bike?

What is the BB height exactly?

 

[LowCel]

To the center of my bottom bracket it is 11.75" (29.84 cm) high. As a comparison, the bottom bracekt on my truth (without any sag) is 13.5" (34.29 cm).

 

[Trevor!]

To the center of my bottom bracket it is 11.75" (29.84 cm) high. As a comparison, the bottom bracekt on my truth (without any sag) is 13.5" (34.29 cm).

Thats particularly low. In fact thats a bit of a turn off for me!

I think BB height on XC bikes tends to be around the 12.5" mark.

 

[LowCel]

I should probably mention that I am a SID team fork on the Enlightenment. Using an F100x on the Truth.

 

[XCSi]

Finally got my Enlightenment last week, I've ridden it four times now and am seriously happy with it!

As Jez said at first I thought it was quite harsh (but I've not ridden a HT for over two years), but after our weekend in the Peaks I totally convinced it's the opposite. We crashed them around over some pretty rocky terrain and she behaved impeccably, the back end tracking nicely, giving great grip on the rocky loose steep ups and not bucking me off on the rock garden downhills.

I didn't hit the BB once - but I'm running Fox 100RLTs. Jex clattered his big ring once with his 80mm set up - but he should have taken the drop off faster!

Very happy my Truth has a worthy stablemate

 

[Alan-S]

Hey Lowcel

Did you measure your BB yourself or get that number from Ellsworth? I just measured mine at 12 7/8". The only bike in my garage that was higher was my GF fully at 13"

 

[LowCel]

I measured it myself.

*edit* Just looked at the Ellsworth site, didn't even realize that I came up with the same measurement that they did. I guess they did their measurement with an 80 mm fork as well. They used to have the bike on their site pictured with a Fox F80x, they probably did their measurements with that fork (just a guess though).

 

[chad1433]

Wow, how exciting to see all the HT riders! Who says the HT is dead?

 

[xcjez]

I just measured my BB height with an 80mm fork (SID World Cup), and I'm getting about 12" to the centre of the BB...

As Si reported above we had a great weekend ragging our Enlightenments (the only ones in the UK?!) up and down the rocky paths of the Peak District. I didn't bash my pedals as much as I occasionally do on my Truth, so certainly wouldn't class the lowish bottom bracket as too much of a draw back, and the upside is that the bike is amazingly chuckable through tight singletrack. I'm certainly going to enjoy riding the Enlightment while my Truth rests up through the Winter.