This bike has an interesting back story; RL bought it from Art and then I traded a Harley Davidson for this bike since RL had retired from mountain biking. This was going to be my first full suspension carbon bike so I was really excited to ride it.
I took this bike on its maiden voyage at the World Famous Fullerton loop. My initial impressions were that I felt too tall and the gearing was not “enough” because of the 1X so I struggled on the climbs. The bike did excel on the singletrack, flat terrain and the downhills but it just didn’t feel right. I thought it was because of the PSI on the fork and shock were too high.
I dialed in the air pressures and then I took this bike to Whiting Ranch. I again struggled on the uphills and I also struggled on the switchbacks going downhill because of the big wheels. That feeling of being too tall also diminished my confidence.
I went back to my Giant Trance 27.5 and sadly this bike became my loaner bike. Fast forward a year later and this bike has now gone back to RL since he is out of retirement and is really enjoying the bike.
