So I received some devastating news the other day; the black/gold colour scheme is no longer available from Santa Cruz and the new colours are also accompanied by a stiffer rear end 142x12 axle. I'd even bought a Fox Rampage Rockstar full face helmet on the basis of the black/gold theme!
So, current thought is get a frame, take it straight to an airbrush artist and get a custom paint job done. Only thing over the original I'd really like is a Union Flag (better known as the Union Jack) all in gold behind the seat tube ala Steve Peat's 2012 world champ v10 Syndicate bike.
Also, bars are going to be Boobars me thinks...
All this is really for my own memory so is subject to change!!!
Saturday 22 September 2012
Friday 14 September 2012
Testing the Santa Cruz Nomad C
Where to start?! Another Thursday, another bike demo! This time, we headed over to Kielder Forest to try out the Santa Cruz Nomad C (for Carbon) on the Deadwater Trail. This type of riding is more akin to our usual, so I was expecting to instantly fall in love with the Nomad, partially because of the terrain.
As we arrived, I saw the bike sat in the shop's van and it really is as breath taking as a bike can be! The carbon is not the square patch carbon you may imagine, but indistinguishable from a car painted with a kind of pearlesant black paint. It seems to sparkle somehow, without being glossy like a painted/powder coated bike. What is clear that the carbon frame is special! This demo was fitted with Fox 36 Talas 160mm, a non-Kashima RP23 shock, Easton Haven bars (same as mine) and some DT Swiss wheels. The drive train was Shimano XT 3x9 or 3x10 (I didn't count!).
As I'm somewhat heavier than your average trail rider at around 205lb/93kg, setup took a little time. Even as I pedaled up to the trail head, I wasn't convinced it was right. Nevertheless, we headed out for a circuit of Deadwater to try it out. On the skills loop, it felt excellent. It had grip, the acceleration was fantastic, but I was climbing hills as quick as my buddy who is usually way ahead. I'm sure many factors will have played a part in that, but the stiffness and lightness of the bike was impressive.
A little way into the trail, I had a nasty crash, caused by what I believe was soft front end suspension. On a berm, there was a small ditch. The wheel dug in, the 160mm maxed out and I kept going, hitting my head and scraping my now bloody leg along the ground. Obviously this had knocked my confidence, but we finished the trail on a high - the last sections of Deadwater, straight after Superbowl are great fun.
Up to this point, I would have chosen the Yeti over the Nomad - no doubt at all.
Back at the car, we changed the suspension pressure and tried again. This time, I was able to trust in the bike to soak up the worst the trail had to offer, allowing me to go faster and faster, ultimately ending in a super fast run though the last sections! It felt so planted but man, this bike can fly too!
Flying, brings us nicely onto the Orange graded tabletops - it had to be done! The Nomad was effortless in the jumps and was easily clearing them (and more on a couple of occasions). My only problem with the jumps, and this is by no means limited to the Nomad, is that you have less feel on the face of a jump with a full sus bike. With the hardtail, as you push against the face of the jump, you can feel the opposite force pushing directly against your feet - not so with the Nomad (and I assume any full sus). Even so, the same technique seemed to work just as well.
I will mention that the Talas forks were mightily impressive as they were on the Yeti but I felt like the 36mm stantions were overkill for the riding we were doing. The bike felt front end heavy as a result so it might benefit from carbon bars and 34mm forks. The Pro Pedal feature on the shock was broken on the demo bike, and whilst the pedal bob was more noticeable than on the Yeti, it never felt like it hampered my progress. On the contrary, my climbing was quicker than it's ever been.
I've struggled to write this review, because it ultimately means I have to make my decision off the back of it. The big question is, is the Nomad worth £600 more than the Yeti SB-66? It is a question I'll be pondering for a while yet.
What I have learnt is that the Carbon-phobia is ridiculous and just shouldn't be worried about. Carbon and Aluminium have different failure modes - Carbon will break, rather than deform, but it will do that at far far higher loads. Stiffness is the amount of force that can be applied to a material whilst it can still return to it's natural form, which is very different from strength which will apply force until a material breaks. Bikes are measured in stiffness, because who wants to ride around on a mangled Alu frame?! In that respect, carbon makes a lot of sense and I truly believe it will be the norm for trail bikes.
Size to choose: X-Large
As we arrived, I saw the bike sat in the shop's van and it really is as breath taking as a bike can be! The carbon is not the square patch carbon you may imagine, but indistinguishable from a car painted with a kind of pearlesant black paint. It seems to sparkle somehow, without being glossy like a painted/powder coated bike. What is clear that the carbon frame is special! This demo was fitted with Fox 36 Talas 160mm, a non-Kashima RP23 shock, Easton Haven bars (same as mine) and some DT Swiss wheels. The drive train was Shimano XT 3x9 or 3x10 (I didn't count!).
As I'm somewhat heavier than your average trail rider at around 205lb/93kg, setup took a little time. Even as I pedaled up to the trail head, I wasn't convinced it was right. Nevertheless, we headed out for a circuit of Deadwater to try it out. On the skills loop, it felt excellent. It had grip, the acceleration was fantastic, but I was climbing hills as quick as my buddy who is usually way ahead. I'm sure many factors will have played a part in that, but the stiffness and lightness of the bike was impressive.
A little way into the trail, I had a nasty crash, caused by what I believe was soft front end suspension. On a berm, there was a small ditch. The wheel dug in, the 160mm maxed out and I kept going, hitting my head and scraping my now bloody leg along the ground. Obviously this had knocked my confidence, but we finished the trail on a high - the last sections of Deadwater, straight after Superbowl are great fun.
Up to this point, I would have chosen the Yeti over the Nomad - no doubt at all.
Back at the car, we changed the suspension pressure and tried again. This time, I was able to trust in the bike to soak up the worst the trail had to offer, allowing me to go faster and faster, ultimately ending in a super fast run though the last sections! It felt so planted but man, this bike can fly too!
Flying, brings us nicely onto the Orange graded tabletops - it had to be done! The Nomad was effortless in the jumps and was easily clearing them (and more on a couple of occasions). My only problem with the jumps, and this is by no means limited to the Nomad, is that you have less feel on the face of a jump with a full sus bike. With the hardtail, as you push against the face of the jump, you can feel the opposite force pushing directly against your feet - not so with the Nomad (and I assume any full sus). Even so, the same technique seemed to work just as well.
I will mention that the Talas forks were mightily impressive as they were on the Yeti but I felt like the 36mm stantions were overkill for the riding we were doing. The bike felt front end heavy as a result so it might benefit from carbon bars and 34mm forks. The Pro Pedal feature on the shock was broken on the demo bike, and whilst the pedal bob was more noticeable than on the Yeti, it never felt like it hampered my progress. On the contrary, my climbing was quicker than it's ever been.
I've struggled to write this review, because it ultimately means I have to make my decision off the back of it. The big question is, is the Nomad worth £600 more than the Yeti SB-66? It is a question I'll be pondering for a while yet.
What I have learnt is that the Carbon-phobia is ridiculous and just shouldn't be worried about. Carbon and Aluminium have different failure modes - Carbon will break, rather than deform, but it will do that at far far higher loads. Stiffness is the amount of force that can be applied to a material whilst it can still return to it's natural form, which is very different from strength which will apply force until a material breaks. Bikes are measured in stiffness, because who wants to ride around on a mangled Alu frame?! In that respect, carbon makes a lot of sense and I truly believe it will be the norm for trail bikes.
Size to choose: X-Large
Friday 7 September 2012
Testing the Yeti SB-66
Yesterday was a fantastic day! I got to test the large Yeti SB-66 aluminium bike in the beautiful North Yorkshire Moors. The night before the test, I had a quick chat with Ian, from Big Bear Bikes in Pickering who was due to take a friend and I on the guided test. We had a chat about skill levels, normal riding terrain and pedals. With that sorted, we arrived to a fully prepped turquoise SB-66 outside their shop. I was bowled over by it's confident look and stature in comparison to my trusted Cube LTD Pro.
Ian is a big advocate of natural off-road riding as opposed to groomed trail centers, so we headed towards Dalby Forest, stopping short at a car park overlooking the rolling Moors. It only took a few minutes to get used to the Yeti, which is testament to it's pedaling efficiency in my opinion. I was soon pinning it down hills and catching air off any bump I could find.
One of the highlights of the bike was the Fox 32 Talas 150mm Kashima forks. Without shadow of a doubt, these are the smoothest forks I have seen. On one occasion, they did dive causing a sketchy moment, but I'm told it's a characteristic I'm going to have to get used to on a long travel bike. The real party trick though, is the Talas feature. The SB-66 was no slouch on the climbs (I was, but that's another story!) but to provide even more of an advantage, a quick turn of the right hand Talas dial on the forks will drop them to 120mm. It effectively steepens the head angle by lowering the front of the bike, allowing for improved pedaling on climbs. When you're ready to descend, turn the dial back again and the forks gently rise back to their 150mm configuration. Very, very slick!
My major concern when moving from a hardtail to a long travel bike has been pedal bob. Through some miracle of engineering, at no point did I feel my energy was being sapped through the rear shock. There was no bob but by keeping an eye on the rather hypnotic rear shock, it was clear that the rear of the bike continued to react to the terrain, keeping traction at all times.
As mentioned, this was not the type of terrain my friends and I generally ride, but I know my Cube so well, I know exactly what it would feel like, so I my thoughts are in comparison to that. On a couple of descents, my head was telling me to pick my way through because my hardtail would kick like a mule, but then came the advice from Ian - "When we reach the next corner, fingers off the brake levers and let the bike go". I'm quite good at mind over matter (or talking myself into dangerous situations if you prefer), so I did as instructed and WOW! what a revelation! The Yeti soaked up all the roughness which allowed me to stay on track at hair raising speeds, but ensuring enough confidence that I was trying jumps en route. It was so poised, and never twitchy. When I've read that this bike or that bike will give you confidence, I always assumed it was over a matter of weeks as you get used to it, but it was instant. Seriously impressive stuff!
A benefit I hadn't considered was the lack of pain in my backside at the end of the ride. It was so much more comfortable, so I'm guessing long rides (5-6 hours) would be much more enjoyable.
When trying the scientific weight test (one bike in each hand), I believe my Cube and the Yeti weight almost exactly the same. That's some feat of engineering!
The drive train was XT throughout and I have to say, the gear changes was phenomenal! Maybe it was just that my own setup is getting tired, but the XT was very good. So much so, that I got Big Bear Bikes to give the Cube a full overhaul when we got back!
It wouldn't be fair to write all this up and not give a shout out to the lads at Big Bear Bikes. Their knowledge and willingness to help is unsurpassed. They opted to take us for a guided ride instead of giving us the bike for the day and not making the most of it. In addition, they brought along a Trek Rumblefish 29er to compare against. I was quite excited to try the 29er, but really didn't like it when I was actually on it.
Following the service of my Cube, my buddy and I headed over to Dalby Forest to hit the skills area and first couple of sections of the Black trail. After a few attempts we were clearing the table tops in the freeride section, and believe me when I say these things are BIG! Okay, maybe not Brandon Semenuk big, but big enough for us. It's such a buzz when you take off and make the perfect landing on the down slope instead of catching a wheel on the top.
What a day! And next week, I'm testing the Santa Cruz Nomad C - I can't wait!
Size to choose: Large
Ian is a big advocate of natural off-road riding as opposed to groomed trail centers, so we headed towards Dalby Forest, stopping short at a car park overlooking the rolling Moors. It only took a few minutes to get used to the Yeti, which is testament to it's pedaling efficiency in my opinion. I was soon pinning it down hills and catching air off any bump I could find.
One of the highlights of the bike was the Fox 32 Talas 150mm Kashima forks. Without shadow of a doubt, these are the smoothest forks I have seen. On one occasion, they did dive causing a sketchy moment, but I'm told it's a characteristic I'm going to have to get used to on a long travel bike. The real party trick though, is the Talas feature. The SB-66 was no slouch on the climbs (I was, but that's another story!) but to provide even more of an advantage, a quick turn of the right hand Talas dial on the forks will drop them to 120mm. It effectively steepens the head angle by lowering the front of the bike, allowing for improved pedaling on climbs. When you're ready to descend, turn the dial back again and the forks gently rise back to their 150mm configuration. Very, very slick!
My major concern when moving from a hardtail to a long travel bike has been pedal bob. Through some miracle of engineering, at no point did I feel my energy was being sapped through the rear shock. There was no bob but by keeping an eye on the rather hypnotic rear shock, it was clear that the rear of the bike continued to react to the terrain, keeping traction at all times.
As mentioned, this was not the type of terrain my friends and I generally ride, but I know my Cube so well, I know exactly what it would feel like, so I my thoughts are in comparison to that. On a couple of descents, my head was telling me to pick my way through because my hardtail would kick like a mule, but then came the advice from Ian - "When we reach the next corner, fingers off the brake levers and let the bike go". I'm quite good at mind over matter (or talking myself into dangerous situations if you prefer), so I did as instructed and WOW! what a revelation! The Yeti soaked up all the roughness which allowed me to stay on track at hair raising speeds, but ensuring enough confidence that I was trying jumps en route. It was so poised, and never twitchy. When I've read that this bike or that bike will give you confidence, I always assumed it was over a matter of weeks as you get used to it, but it was instant. Seriously impressive stuff!
A benefit I hadn't considered was the lack of pain in my backside at the end of the ride. It was so much more comfortable, so I'm guessing long rides (5-6 hours) would be much more enjoyable.
When trying the scientific weight test (one bike in each hand), I believe my Cube and the Yeti weight almost exactly the same. That's some feat of engineering!
The drive train was XT throughout and I have to say, the gear changes was phenomenal! Maybe it was just that my own setup is getting tired, but the XT was very good. So much so, that I got Big Bear Bikes to give the Cube a full overhaul when we got back!
It wouldn't be fair to write all this up and not give a shout out to the lads at Big Bear Bikes. Their knowledge and willingness to help is unsurpassed. They opted to take us for a guided ride instead of giving us the bike for the day and not making the most of it. In addition, they brought along a Trek Rumblefish 29er to compare against. I was quite excited to try the 29er, but really didn't like it when I was actually on it.
Following the service of my Cube, my buddy and I headed over to Dalby Forest to hit the skills area and first couple of sections of the Black trail. After a few attempts we were clearing the table tops in the freeride section, and believe me when I say these things are BIG! Okay, maybe not Brandon Semenuk big, but big enough for us. It's such a buzz when you take off and make the perfect landing on the down slope instead of catching a wheel on the top.
What a day! And next week, I'm testing the Santa Cruz Nomad C - I can't wait!
Size to choose: Large
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