Ride update number 2
I’ve had a couple of rides on the 29” wheels now and starting to get a better feel for the bike. It was comfortable straight away but I was only going at seven tenths. Still not 100% dialled but my final run today at Red Hill had a massive grin on my face and was feeling close to 100%.
That grin was mostly because I’ve found what this bike was made for - fast chunder. For those that know it, my final run was down Fall Line at Red Hill. For those that don’t know it - it’s pretty fast with good flow. It’s also ABSOLUTELY BEAT. The sandy soil out that way seems to wash away easily and leave a lot of ruts, exposed roots and rocks waiting to grab a wheel and throw it 5cm to the left or right. It dares you to go faster until you bin it (which happens eventually).
In the past, its been fun but threatens to rattle my teeth loose. The Sentinel is feeling really nice after some time setting up the DPX2 shock and the Durolux fork. There is a really nice balance now. Both getting close to full travel when they should and both feeling nicely damped. Even in wet conditions today - it felt like the most grip and control I’ve ever had on Fall Line.
Last week I rode Lysterfield and sessioned Follow Me which I find is a good trail to get suspension right. It has a couple of reasonable sized drops to flat to test deep compression and has a section of fast root-infested flowing trail to test high speed smaller, repeated compressions. Also has a couple of small lips to boost of and a couple of small berms to get rebound and slow speed compression set up.
After a few runs down there, I realised I needed a couple more clicks of high speed compression on both the fork and the shock. Still only 2 clicks (of 5) on the fork and 3 clicks (of 10) on the shock. I also added a couple of clicks of slow speed compression on the fork and opened up the rebound a click on each.
It really settles in to landings now and even has enough in reserve that I’m not so concerned landing among roots as I know it can absorb the landing and still track over the roots as well.
I’m still loving how well this things turns into berms and holds a line. Bit surprised by that. In fact I’ve noticed that the slack head angle and short stem seem to make the wheel sort of ‘flop’ over into a turn. It means that it is really easy to initiate an aggressive turn. You just have to be deliberate about it.
The other thing I noticed today was how well the back end comes around when you want it to. I’m not sure if it’s the geo, the suspension, the fact that I’m a bit ‘under-tyred’ on the back compared to the front or if it’s my ham-fisted braking technique but as I was riding down some of the slower, steeper and more tech trails - or even when charging hard but coming into a slower, tighter corner - the back end would easily oversteer just enough to open up the corner while still staying in control. Given the bike is a bit of a limo, it’s a handy trait to have.
In terms of some of the components, here is a quick snapshot:
Durolux - really impressed with stiffness and damping. I can’t compare to 36 or Lyrik but this is streets ahead of my old Marzocchi in terms of the damping feel. I like the integrated mud-gaurd and the axle system too. It’s a winner in my books.
PNW Bachelor and Loam lever - I’ve gone from 150mm on my old bike to 170mm now and really appreciated it today on the Deadwoods trails in the steeper, more tech sections. The other part of the equation is the really low top-tube of the Tranny. Leaves stacks of room to move around. The post itself is fine. Not sure there is much to say when a dropper works well. It’s not quite the smoothest in the world - but close enough. There is a
tiny bit of side to side play but still feels solid. Return speed is fine and can be adjusted with more air pressure. I like it at the moment as it drops easily and with only a little weight on it. The lever is great and deserves all the accolades it gets.
Hunt Trail Wheels - I’m going to reserve judgement for a while. They are really good so far but I want to go over them with a tension metre in a couple of months and see if they have held up. I LOVED my previous wheels (Flow MK3 on Project 321 and Hope Pro4 hubs) so these have a lot to live up to...
On a related note, I had to send my rear brake (Magura MT8) off to Eurocycles to fix a slow leak where the hose enters the caliper. It’s pretty crap that they have been leaking there but I have to say the communication and service from Eurocycles was top notch. They’ve been fantastic.