I rode somebody else's bike(s) today.

Life is good when there is a pivot demo trailer setup exactly 1.8 miles from your doorstep on a nice fall Saturday morning. I completely blew it and didn't follow the hell ride postings until it was too late so I had to take advantage of this especially since I'm bike shopping.



Demo started at 9 but I was amped to ride today and decided to turn a few miles on my own bike for a baseline before riding several other bikes(in case you're wondering this is a bad idea as my legs were toast by the 3rd bike of the day).

Disclaimer just to be fair to all the bikes: I drank far too many beers last night and was not quite firing on a all cylinders this morning. In no way do I intend to bag on any of the bikes as they are all fantastic for the right person and application.

So I show up to the demo trailer early hoping to ride a 429 trail and a Mach6 carbon for the day but all the mediums are out already. Demo dude says the only medium he has a Mach4 that looks hammered but has a nice xt/xtr build with carbon wheels & dropper(24 lbs ish). This was the last bike on my radar as I want more Trail/AM rig and don't like the way this bike and it's super curvy swoopy tubes look. This bike absolutely rocked for me and my style of riding. Fit like a glove, climbed great and railed on the downs. Was 3 seconds off a pr on a big climb that I've done dozens of times and set pr's on the way down even with trail traffic. Dammit why did I ride the mach4.



Hold my calls please I'm about to try something...


Back to the demo trailer for for a Mach6 carbon to test but once again my size is out. They do have a new mach6 aluminum though so once again let's try it. All I'm going to say is this bike is not for me and the geometry was very different and I think I set records for slowest climbs ever. Pointed downhill it was good but would take some tuning for me to get used to.



Back at the demo trailer I waited a bit for a shiny new mach429 trail to return. Legs were completely shot at this point and I wish I could ride it again when I had more steam and a clearer head. Four climbs out of g-out proved to be too much for this wanna be MTB'er today.

Conclusion = Demo events are fun and I would recommend everybody to attend them every chance you get. It really amazes me how bikes that look good on paper and get fantastic reviews sometimes just aren't for me and I would hate to spend a boatload of money on a bike that doesn't rock my world.

 

Oh my! You had quite a day! What an excellent report Voodoo Tom!

 

I demo'ed the Yeti SB6c - hated it to my surprise. It was too twitchy/squirrelly for my liking.

I like solid feeling bikes, maybe that's why I like DH bikes as long as they're not tanks.

 

Demo-ing is fun. Demo-ing before you buy is essential! I agree that some bikes look great on paper and in the reviews, but just aren't a match. One thing to keep in mind though is how hard it is to get your suspension and tire pressure dialed on a quick, one-lap demo ride. Both of those items make a huge difference in bike performance to the point where plus or minus 10psi in shock or fork pressure, or a couple of clicks rebound damping could make the same bike completely awesome or completely awful. Thanks for posting, and happy hunting.

Oh and, speaking of Yeti, their demo fleet is on its SoCal tour in a couple of weeks. Dana Point on Nov. 14, Ridge Park on Nov. 15 and elsewhere in the Southland after that: http://www.yeticycles.com/demo

 

The Hub Cyclery now offers Rocky Mountain. This is what I like to demo next. The Sherpa. It is sexy as F!!

 

I ride a rocky mountain altitude carbon. This bike suits me well, and I really like it. They aren't on too may peoples radar, but being a BC bred bike they are made to climb well and descend even better.
One thing too note, on their longer travel bikes the "climb" mode is necessary on our So Cal climb filled rides. Luckily the lockout is on the bars so it becomes second nature to snap it on and off as needed. No other bike I've ridden or demo'd since has this feature, and for me it's now a deal breaker.

Heading down and forgot to flip the switch? No worries, the thumb can do it . Screaming down a trail that then goes to a fast uphill transition? no worries, your thumb has it!

Now the Pivot 429 Trail, and the new Mach 4, those are bikes I'd like to try. but do the 's have it?

 

Good nutshell assessment under real-world conditions (urp).

Pivot has always had great XC rockets with solid trail manners. I had two 429 bikes and loved them both. The 429T sounds intriguing. Not overwhelmingly impressed with the M6, only based on what I've read (in fairness, some issues were addressed with the latest release). The DW Link on the bikes I owned was super efficient and overall stiff and playful. It took a while to warm up to VPP after that, but now that's what I prefer.

'Tis the demo season...

 

JRA will have Ibis' demo fleet Thanksgiving week. I intend to take out the Ripley LS for a day.

 

Thanks Tom for bringing the Demo season to mind.

All, please post up Demo's and place them on the Calendar. I would like to hit up a couple of Demo's although I am quite content!

 

Let's hit up one of the upcoming Yeti demo's,hopefully before I run out and buy a new Mach4 carbon...

 

I'm off that week, and half the week before. Sign me up for one also!
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M or L?

 

L pls.
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Thanks!

 

I love demoing new bikes, even if I'm not in the market, but demoing tends to put you into the market especially if your current ride is that much behind on the latest tech.

With the latest demos, I confirmed that Fox suspension for 2016 is a huge step forward. They are well worth their price now, IMO; their performance is at least on par with the best I've ridden or better. On the drivetrain side, I concluded that the GX cassette combined with Shimano 11 spd XT RD and XT 11spd shifter is the cheapest way to get decent gear range while dropping the FD. Still inconclusive with wide carbon rims, despite riding Ibis 41mm rims on 2 different occasions.

Will be getting out more now that SoCal's low land mtb riding season is starting, and demo events are a great way to get a fresh new experience.

 

Demo'd them when The Path @ Live Oak hosted, at O'Neil, riding the vista loop. I made it a point to ride with others to not only get a feel of the bikes myself, but also observe how others handled them. The Path had young racer types riding them and hammering up hills, and I was surprised by the lack of movement on the Altitude on a short steep fireroad (the one after the bench, after dropping down and turning right, climbing to the cell tower). I expected the fork to at least bob. Perhaps he locked them out. I was on the Instinct at the time, so I wasn't really struggling at all to keep up, as it takes advantage of the 29er wheels very well, so I believe I got a good look.

That Sherpa definitely didn't give me the impression that it was a trail bike; it was more like a light fat bike. It had some odd quirks, including its tendency to straighten itself out and upright itself. I'd say it was like a gimbal, trying to level everything including itself. Had to be more forceful with it to get it to do what I wanted it to. The Thunderbolt was more of a natural.

 

The Mach 4 with that crazy sloping top tube. Looks kinda of strange with the saddle extended. Looks more off on large sizes and tall riders with a bunch of spacers under the stem and saddle hella high.

429 Trail is mighty fine looking.

 

Dig the fender! And Pivot makes a Fat bike.....without pivots?
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Lol...thats why they call it the Pivot-LES!

 

hey Voodoo Tom,
What did you end up getting? I ride the exact same bike.. Kona Hei Hei 2014/15.. love that bike.. then I just happened upon a demo of the Pivot 429 trail...after finishing up whiting and Luge... would call it a day after that but on the Pivot, did Whiting again... thought it made it seem like I was on asphalt ..that smooth.. so did the luge to really test it out... flew down Luge... what can I say.. I got the PIVOT 429 trail medium w/ 1 x11 XT/XTR set up at the Path.. (they're great)

Been riding it now for about two months...three months.. at Oaks, Trabuco, Aliso, El Moro.. etc... it can handle all the downhill and still climb great (not as fast uphill as our Kona Hei, but so much more forgiving on the downhill.. .. chutes feels like a flat section w/ the Pivot)...

love the Kona, but the Pivot is saving my wrists and back... haven't ridden the Kona since....

 

First off congrats on the 429T, that's a great looking bike and I can see where that would be a great choice for your riding.

In an effort not to break the bank I just recently bought this decked out Ibis Ripley. Kind of in the same boat as you I love my hei hei and it has done everything I've asked of it and then some but I wanted something a little more forgiving and comfortable for the all day adventures. While I don't have much time on the Ripley it has proven to be a very capable and fun bike. Pedals uphill just as good as the Kona and rips on the downs. Only problem is I let my wife ride it as documented here and now she is in love with it and wants to claim it as her own. She even went as far last night as telling me I should get an orange ripley ls so she can have the blue one.

 

Sorry, I can't read a problem in there anywhere. Your wife gave you the green light to buy a new bike. I would have been at the bike shop already!

 

Yeah but darn it I still have to pay for it ...

 

That's a decent problem, VT : )

konakc, congrats on the new addition. Pivot has the 29er thing pretty well down IMO. I've had two, but not since they split the line into Trail and SL. Wondering if your der hanger is the same as the previous-gen 429 carbon. If it is, I have a spare lying around that you can have if you want it. Cheers...

 

The rental beach cruisers at the hotel. Epic path from the hotel to the harbor. Half moon bay. Wifey ride.

 

Nice looking bike path. Could you see how Mavs was lookin?

 

Isn't that Pillar point at the top left of the photo? I see waves!

And those two need to get a room! Oh wait, they have one.

Fore!!!!

 

Yup. That was pillar point. Mavs was sloppy. The beach breaks just north of the hotel, 4-7 foot glassy AFrames.

 

@konakc congrats on the Pivot! I've got the SL and can't believe how long I can go on that bike ... And then drop steep tech. So fun!

 

Another day another demo. JRA was hosting another demo so with no firm plans to ride today I decided to go check out the Ibis Mojo 3 and Salsa's new Redpoint. The Redpoint is another 150mm AM offering. The Salsa is a great enduro bike. It climbed rather well and descended just the same. Not really a one bike that does it all but definitely a strong contender for the enduro crowd.
http://salsacycles.com/bikes/redpoint/redpoint_carbon_gx1
Since Max from Jamis decided to join the show I decided to take out the Defcon 1 again. It was nice to ride it back to back with the Redpoint as I believe they're targeting the same type of rider. Overall the Defcon wins even with the Fox suspension. The EVOL shock was great but the Fox 36 fork needs some work. The Defcon 2 comes with a Pike fork and a Monarch Debonair shock and is $1100 cheaper. That would definitely be my choice of the two.
http://www.jamisbikes.com/usa/defcon1.html

The Mojo 3 is Ibis's FS plus bike. 140 front and 130 rear w/2.8 tires. It's pretty cool because you can run 2.3 and 2.5 tires on the same wheelset. It climbed really well and descended like a monster truck. I had already climbed 3K' on the other two bikes before I hopped on it so I don't feel I got a true reading of the bike. I plan on taking it out again one day this week for a longer ride.
http://www.ibiscycles.com/bikes/mojo_3/
Ended up with 18.4 and 3474'. No wonder my legs hurt.

 

No Ripley LS Ed?