Spy vs Spy

D3DO said:

Sweet sleds-
It is hard to believe there is that much difference in ride between the two, but will take your word for it-
Would love to hear your thoughts-

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The difference is in their feel. The Black Spy is lighter, zippier, and requires the rider to be more on their toes in techy stuff. It rolls through singletrack like that is its job (it is). It is not afraid of rough stuff, just not entirely in its element.

The Silver Spy just bashes through and over stuff with a comparatively more solid feel and no stress. I was honestly shocked at how much easier it made moves in rough techy stuff compared to Black when I rode them back to back today. Hard to describe, but solid and confidence inspiring come to mind.

The difference is evident within seconds of getting on either bike if you ride them back to back.

I think a big part of the difference is the much stiffer rims and fork on Silver

Having both is overkill, admittedly. Either one could get the job of the other done in 99% of circumstances. It's fun to have both and ride them on the same trails though. Just like single speeding on those same trails is fun, just in a different way. You are enough of a bike geek to get it I think..

I have been riding the Black "XC" lately bike to get a feel for it. Unfortunately, most of our trails are mud and ice right now, so riding has been limited to a rocky technical area with steep, off camber descents, 2-3 ft drops, and rocky chunk you have to bash through.

I think I am starting to get a decent feel for the character and limits of the Black bike. Like I said before, it is quite competent, but is starting to feel outgunned to me in repeated episodes of rolling off big rocks to non-existent transitions. You lean back and hope for the best. Nice if you can get the front up, but that can be hard when pointed nearly straight down. I have lawn darted it plenty, and while the fork and wheel have so far shrugged it off, I don't exactly feel confident punishing the Flow and Manitou in this way too much. It would be better with a WB 135, but that is not really the calling of this bike.

Part of the problem is that the "big" bike gave me the confidence to try many of these moves for the first time. I have come back with that confidence and tried them on the XC bikes. It is a different feeling for sure.

I haven't crashed yet, but get nervous when all my weight is slamming down hard on the fork and wheel just shy of the endo point.

This photo sums up the difference between these bikes the best.



That extra inch of front center, increased travel, beefier fork and wheel make a night and day difference in the chunk. I think the Box will be my preferred bike for this particular trail from now on. Unfortunately, I have not really gotten to try the Moth on the trails I built it for due to all the snow. I have dialed in the cockpit a bit with a swap to a 50mm stem. Unbelievable that a 6'1" rider can fit a medium with a stem this short, but I do, and had zero difficulty climbing some steep, techy lines with step ups. Knees are barely missing the bars. Y'all can keep your long top tubes:thumbsup: We'll see how I like it in sustained climbs. Perhaps not so much