Jimster said:
AH the Wolf Ridge. R£ACT suzz. It's about £6K here. Completely off my cost radar.
Not sure about the looks (it's that rear arm) but tell me what it do.
It's a little weird looking in 2017, but high chainstay bikes are old as dirt and I kinda like the look. So I'm cool with it. But you can't see the swing arm when you're riding it, so don't even trip.
I don't have too much time on 29ers, especially long-travel ones. I've watched a couple friends disappear down the trail a little faster, but it's hard to gauge until you ride one. I guess.
The thing is just better at anything you want your mountain bike to do. It climbs with no pedal bob--it's so chill they don't even spec shocks with lockouts. It absolutely mashes down. I definitely felt like I was in it, not on it. AYO.
I spent my first few days on some swoopy trails in Bellingham, and the thing jumps. My tendency to brake check (AKA preservation instinct) was counteracted by the mathS, and I had speed by the time I hit the lips. Chill in the air. Doesn't feel 29ery at all. Every person who rides one is smiling at the end, with a few seriously doubting it's a 29er. um LOL
Got it back into town and have been hitting my local trails. It's murdering them. I have discovered it takes totally different lines than my 27.5" bikes, just gobbling up roots and all the dry chunder we're dealing with this summer.
Dude forrealsrsly it is the greatest. Did a beastly ride yesterday with everything: long climbs, raw gnar, and swooptown's 357 flowzone jumpy berm sections. Kinda schizophrenic route that eats up big bike dudes (fitness) and spandex squids (skillz / travel). This mofo crushed all of it. 30lb DH bike that climbs and absolutely lays waste going down.
And it's all silent--no chain slap with those high stays? Just schmobbing through ridiculous shit.
I'll have to revert back to my own bikes next week, not sure how I'm gonna do that. I've never had a bike make me want to ride more than this one. SO HYPED!
...buddy gets 325 day terms on sample orders, I should probably tell him to pull the trigger...