Joined
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5,268 Posts
Holy Sh!t.
This is the most fun bike I've ever ridden.
I've never ridden a bike that allowed me to be near the front of the pack on the climbs AND the front of the pack on the descents.
It's not an Enduro bike. It's not a trail bike. It's an effing MOUNTAIN bike.
Up, down, XC, AM/Enduro... It'll do it.
I've only had it for a short while, but have already pedaled it on XC (Buffalo Creek) rides and rowdy, chunky descents (GJ/Fruita; APEX, White Ranch, etc in Golden, CO).
For comparison, AM bikes I've ridden/owned/demo'd in the last 2-3 years:
Specialized Enduro 26
Gary Fisher Roscoe
Giant Trance 26
Specialized Enduro 29
Trek Remedy 9.9
Trek Remedy 9
Kona Satori
Santa Cruz Bronson
Diamondback Mason 29er
Yeti SB5c
Intense Tracer 275c
Giant Reign 27.5
Guerrilla Gravity MegaTrail
I'll admit, I'm a bike snob. And I have horrible cases of bike envy. I'm constantly chasing the newest, latest and greatest. That being said, the 5th Generation of DW is amazing. The mid stroke support is wonderful. The climbing is fast, efficient and somehow full of traction. I can clean super chunky climbs that I used to hang up on. It's not uber plush on the downhills, but it is amazingly controlled, supple and smooth.
To put it bluntly, this is the best damn full suspension bike I've ever ridden. But don't take my word for it...
EDIT:
I do have a complaint with the HD3. I wish it had a longer reach/front center. It's not Bronson short, nor is it Guerilla Gravity long. I ride a large HD3 with 785 bars and a 60mm stem. I rode a Medium GG MT with 45mm stem and 780 bars and had the same cockpit length.
And the head tube angle (IMO) would've been better spec'd at 66.5* with a 150mm fork, 66* with a 160mm fork.
That's it. Those are my complaints with this amazing bike.
This is the most fun bike I've ever ridden.
I've never ridden a bike that allowed me to be near the front of the pack on the climbs AND the front of the pack on the descents.
It's not an Enduro bike. It's not a trail bike. It's an effing MOUNTAIN bike.
Up, down, XC, AM/Enduro... It'll do it.
I've only had it for a short while, but have already pedaled it on XC (Buffalo Creek) rides and rowdy, chunky descents (GJ/Fruita; APEX, White Ranch, etc in Golden, CO).
For comparison, AM bikes I've ridden/owned/demo'd in the last 2-3 years:
Specialized Enduro 26
Gary Fisher Roscoe
Giant Trance 26
Specialized Enduro 29
Trek Remedy 9.9
Trek Remedy 9
Kona Satori
Santa Cruz Bronson
Diamondback Mason 29er
Yeti SB5c
Intense Tracer 275c
Giant Reign 27.5
Guerrilla Gravity MegaTrail
I'll admit, I'm a bike snob. And I have horrible cases of bike envy. I'm constantly chasing the newest, latest and greatest. That being said, the 5th Generation of DW is amazing. The mid stroke support is wonderful. The climbing is fast, efficient and somehow full of traction. I can clean super chunky climbs that I used to hang up on. It's not uber plush on the downhills, but it is amazingly controlled, supple and smooth.
To put it bluntly, this is the best damn full suspension bike I've ever ridden. But don't take my word for it...
EDIT:
I do have a complaint with the HD3. I wish it had a longer reach/front center. It's not Bronson short, nor is it Guerilla Gravity long. I ride a large HD3 with 785 bars and a 60mm stem. I rode a Medium GG MT with 45mm stem and 780 bars and had the same cockpit length.
And the head tube angle (IMO) would've been better spec'd at 66.5* with a 150mm fork, 66* with a 160mm fork.
That's it. Those are my complaints with this amazing bike.