Bodin
GMBC
My mates have been drinking the 27.5 Kool Aid for a couple of years and I jumped on one recently and rode a couple of unexpected PRs (and really liked it), so it kind of put my much-loved 2013 Trek Fuel EX9 (the last of Trek's 26ers) on death row. I was also hating the fact that I race XC on a 29er hardtail and trail rode on a 26er dually and really struggled to adjust my technique between the different wheel sizes.
So I saw this advertised for an absolute steal (thank you BikeForce Richmond) and couldn't resist. Also should mention that I'd had one of the original iDrives back in the early 2000s and have been wanting another GT ever since... it was really heavy (which was why I sold it), but rode absolutely beautifully; totally planted. It's also a brand with tons of MTB history and for stupid emotional reasons, I just love riding a GT. Makes me feel like a kid again.
Stock (taken outside the shop on purchase day):
Now (after a few changes):
Changes: 1X with 32t oval chainring / XT cassette (was HG61) / SL-K seatpost (was RaceFace) / ESI grips (were stock lock-ons) / XT shifter (was SLX and I can't live without multi-release) / Phenom Pro saddle (was originally a Fizik Tundra, but I made BikeForce change that arse-breaker to a WTB Silverado... and then I changed the seat anyway...) / Bontrager XR2 tyres (were Conti X-Kings, which felt a little thin in the sidewall for a tubeless conversion - the XR2s are a favourite on my local You Yangs trails. They just work and I'm sticking with them)
Planned: Matching SL-K bar and stem are already on their way :nerd: / I'll definitely go XT 11-speed with an 11-42 cassette, as my 41-year-old legs are not enjoying pushing 32f/36r up longer climbs, oval ring or not / possibly might go a Monarch XX rear shock and get the "full-sprint" hydraulic front & rear lockout, which would be a very expensive upgrade, but I really like the remote lockouts for XC racing, always use both at the same time and it would be killer convenience to just have 1 button that did both. Besides that, I don't think Fox could have made an uglier remote lock-out if they'd tried.
The Helion is different in many ways to the Fuel, especially not having a dropper post (which I really miss), so it's not a fair comparison, but here's a few thoughts:
- 27.5 wheels work for me. I'm riding good times on long segments that I've ridden and raced a million times (even though I'm not fit right now) and I just like the way the bike rides. The turn in to corners is excellent - much less washy than 26 and the centre of gravity is much better than 29. And I'm saying this having ridden the exact same tyres (Bontrager XR2) on all 3 bikes, so I think the comparison is fair. I'm hitting apexes much better.
- Long top tube, short stem (80mm), wide bars (740mm) also work for me. The handling is brilliant. Although, I'm not looking forward to going to places where there's more squeezing between trees. I used to run narrower bars on my DH bike back in the day and I know I've got some bruised knuckles in my future...
- The GT suspension is taking some time to get used to (I've only had 3 rides). You can really feel the bike lengthen under compression. I'm not saying that it's a bad thing (haven't noticed any downside like slow turning or anything), but it's just really noticeable after the ABP/Full-Floater suspension on the Fuel, which always felt really compact. I reckon it's just something I'll get used to. And before you ask: no, I can't feel the cranks moving backwards and forwards. I couldn't on the original iDrive either. It's a really clever design.
- Bigger wheels *don't* feel like more suspension. The Fuel was 130mm, the Helion is 110mm. On rough stuff, I know clearly that I'm on a shorter-travel bike. It's still really stable (possibly because of the backwards moving rear suspension lengthening the bike), but it doesn't quite eat gnarl like the Trek did. I'm ok with this. I know the Helion is geared more towards XC than Trail. It's why I bought it. Keep in mind, though, that I'm not descending as well as I can due to the lack of a dropper post, which would let me move around and flow a bit more on rough downhills. With that and a proper suspension tune (which is desperately needed), I reckon I'll be descending pretty close to how I did on the Fuel, but just not quite bombing as much reckless abandon as I did on the Fuel.
- Do I notice any difference between carbon (Helion) and alloy (Fuel)? Nope. I have no idea what difference it makes. Both bikes are roughly the same weight and feel roughly the same to ride. I've been told that carbon wheels are where you really notice the difference to alloy, but my budget's never going to stretch that far, so I'll never know.
- Did it make me want to sell my other bikes? 50% yes. I'm struggling to sell the 29er (XTC Advanced SL), because it's always going to be lighter, better-rolling and faster... and for XC racing, that rules. But the Trek had to go, because I needed to move away from 26" wheels. The Helion's 27.5" wheels just feel better in every condition, possibly except jumping, which is not (and will never be) a priority for me. The only way I can quantify the perceived improvement is by saying that I had a really off day today (physically felt crap), but set some Strava PRs on some long climbing segments that I've previously raced on my 29er. It was a huge surprise, but the evidence is that this is a really quick bike. Added to that, I love riding it, so absolutely no buyer's regret at this time.
- Conclusion: This is an excellent bike for an XC rider who likes rougher trails. I'm looking forward to getting a proper suspension tune, maybe a dropper post and exploring its full potential in places like the You Yangs, Castlemaine, Bendigo, Anglesea, Forrest, etc. Think it's going to become a favourite.
Thanks for reading! :thumb:
So I saw this advertised for an absolute steal (thank you BikeForce Richmond) and couldn't resist. Also should mention that I'd had one of the original iDrives back in the early 2000s and have been wanting another GT ever since... it was really heavy (which was why I sold it), but rode absolutely beautifully; totally planted. It's also a brand with tons of MTB history and for stupid emotional reasons, I just love riding a GT. Makes me feel like a kid again.
Stock (taken outside the shop on purchase day):
Now (after a few changes):
Changes: 1X with 32t oval chainring / XT cassette (was HG61) / SL-K seatpost (was RaceFace) / ESI grips (were stock lock-ons) / XT shifter (was SLX and I can't live without multi-release) / Phenom Pro saddle (was originally a Fizik Tundra, but I made BikeForce change that arse-breaker to a WTB Silverado... and then I changed the seat anyway...) / Bontrager XR2 tyres (were Conti X-Kings, which felt a little thin in the sidewall for a tubeless conversion - the XR2s are a favourite on my local You Yangs trails. They just work and I'm sticking with them)
Planned: Matching SL-K bar and stem are already on their way :nerd: / I'll definitely go XT 11-speed with an 11-42 cassette, as my 41-year-old legs are not enjoying pushing 32f/36r up longer climbs, oval ring or not / possibly might go a Monarch XX rear shock and get the "full-sprint" hydraulic front & rear lockout, which would be a very expensive upgrade, but I really like the remote lockouts for XC racing, always use both at the same time and it would be killer convenience to just have 1 button that did both. Besides that, I don't think Fox could have made an uglier remote lock-out if they'd tried.
The Helion is different in many ways to the Fuel, especially not having a dropper post (which I really miss), so it's not a fair comparison, but here's a few thoughts:
- 27.5 wheels work for me. I'm riding good times on long segments that I've ridden and raced a million times (even though I'm not fit right now) and I just like the way the bike rides. The turn in to corners is excellent - much less washy than 26 and the centre of gravity is much better than 29. And I'm saying this having ridden the exact same tyres (Bontrager XR2) on all 3 bikes, so I think the comparison is fair. I'm hitting apexes much better.
- Long top tube, short stem (80mm), wide bars (740mm) also work for me. The handling is brilliant. Although, I'm not looking forward to going to places where there's more squeezing between trees. I used to run narrower bars on my DH bike back in the day and I know I've got some bruised knuckles in my future...
- The GT suspension is taking some time to get used to (I've only had 3 rides). You can really feel the bike lengthen under compression. I'm not saying that it's a bad thing (haven't noticed any downside like slow turning or anything), but it's just really noticeable after the ABP/Full-Floater suspension on the Fuel, which always felt really compact. I reckon it's just something I'll get used to. And before you ask: no, I can't feel the cranks moving backwards and forwards. I couldn't on the original iDrive either. It's a really clever design.
- Bigger wheels *don't* feel like more suspension. The Fuel was 130mm, the Helion is 110mm. On rough stuff, I know clearly that I'm on a shorter-travel bike. It's still really stable (possibly because of the backwards moving rear suspension lengthening the bike), but it doesn't quite eat gnarl like the Trek did. I'm ok with this. I know the Helion is geared more towards XC than Trail. It's why I bought it. Keep in mind, though, that I'm not descending as well as I can due to the lack of a dropper post, which would let me move around and flow a bit more on rough downhills. With that and a proper suspension tune (which is desperately needed), I reckon I'll be descending pretty close to how I did on the Fuel, but just not quite bombing as much reckless abandon as I did on the Fuel.
- Do I notice any difference between carbon (Helion) and alloy (Fuel)? Nope. I have no idea what difference it makes. Both bikes are roughly the same weight and feel roughly the same to ride. I've been told that carbon wheels are where you really notice the difference to alloy, but my budget's never going to stretch that far, so I'll never know.
- Did it make me want to sell my other bikes? 50% yes. I'm struggling to sell the 29er (XTC Advanced SL), because it's always going to be lighter, better-rolling and faster... and for XC racing, that rules. But the Trek had to go, because I needed to move away from 26" wheels. The Helion's 27.5" wheels just feel better in every condition, possibly except jumping, which is not (and will never be) a priority for me. The only way I can quantify the perceived improvement is by saying that I had a really off day today (physically felt crap), but set some Strava PRs on some long climbing segments that I've previously raced on my 29er. It was a huge surprise, but the evidence is that this is a really quick bike. Added to that, I love riding it, so absolutely no buyer's regret at this time.
- Conclusion: This is an excellent bike for an XC rider who likes rougher trails. I'm looking forward to getting a proper suspension tune, maybe a dropper post and exploring its full potential in places like the You Yangs, Castlemaine, Bendigo, Anglesea, Forrest, etc. Think it's going to become a favourite.
Thanks for reading! :thumb:
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