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another bike review
Well couldn't help it,sold a bike then bought a bike,the bike I got was 2014 giant trance sx(non carbon,carbon is for wankers;-)),its got bigger wheeels and longer fork than me old bike
Descending: yep it rolls over stuff easier than a 26inch,builds up momentum quicker than me old 26 inch,feels planted and is less fazed about me pickin the wrong line,handles cack landings better than me 26 inch,generally dumbs down the trail a bit compared to me 26 inch,but... It is faster and more stable,grips better and breaks better than me 26 inch,but...turns wider and not as snappy as me 26 inch,still this bike has heaps of potentioal and is fun to ride,the angles ,bb height and frame size/cock pit are spot on for me,a fun bike
The ups: yep pedals well,eats small bumps,holds momentum over the bumpy shit,turns well around tight switchbacks and makes the chore of climbing less a burden,its easier too when the fork is dropped(140mm),has a nice long cock pit and is comfortable on long climbs.
The flat stuff: snappy from first peda land builds speed quick,ddoesn't bob and steam rolls eveything in front,
All up does wot they reckon and I can see why so many people like 650b.
The bad: cheap brakes n shifters for the cashola,fox talas ctd not great but better than last year and it turns wider into corners than me 26 inch,something I will overcome with more practice,
All up good bike for the money,good spec and pretty good handling 7.5/10
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Breaks better? I thought aluminium was supposed to be less fragile than carbon?
Or ... are you talking about brakes?
Yeah, and it's got a nice long cock pit too!
Come on guys, cut the bloke some slack. At least he's took the time to write a review and add some content to the forum.
You can call it The Revenge of The "Carbon Wankers"!
He brought it on himself so he's just got to cop it on the chin now!
Doesn't mean the review wasn't appreciated though. Seriously, I found it interesting, particularly because it's easier to identify with his impressions and feelings than when reading "pro" reviews, which often dissect bike performance over-subtly. Bit like reading wine connoisseur blurb about hints of this and aromas of that, when most of us just find it an enjoyable drop of plonk that didn't leave us with too much of a headache the next day.
So keep it up Bad Chef, and don't let Carbon or 29ers (especially the Bearded ones) upset you
Yes I was quite pissed when typing this on my phone,suprised the spellin n gramma so good,my mate's just got a carbon trance recently so the reference was for him,and anyone who can afford $2k extra for half a bike,all puns were inserted for shits n giggles,all bearded freaks on clown bikes need not fear the badchef,at times I have a beard and once rode a 29er,I know what you are goin thru,I have 6 other bikes Iown ican review if anyone is interested ,happy easEaster,ride safe people
Yes the review was appreciated.
I've been a carbon sceptic for awhile, although last year I took a risk and bought a carbon Crackenfale. In the inevitable oopses you have on a mtb the first thought always seems to be to get the body between bike and ground!
It is light though. Climbing hills feels like cheating.
Interesting that you noticed the improved rolling with such a relatively small change in wheel size. I found with the 29er Ellsworth I rode for awhile that it didn't *feel* faster, but riders on smaller wheels had to work harder to keep up. It seemed better able to cope with loose surfaces on steep climbs and rolling down rocky steeps to flat the bigger wheel gave some of the benefits as a slacker head angle.
When i had to give the Ellsworth back I did notice the rolling difference more when I went back to my 26er, which also felt super twitchy on fast descents for a few weeks until I settled back into it.
Keep it up. Maybe change the title to include the name of the bike you are reviewing.
I enjoyed the review. It came from the perspective of a rider rather than someone trying to sell a magazine or please a sponsor.
The price of quality bikes seems to be dropping every year which can only be a good thing for the sport.