cannodale claymore
- Thread starter A.France
- Start date
Yarrahappinni
Likes Dirt
Bang for you bucks
No doubt the (Scott) Claymore would ride well, but I can't go past the Polygon AX2 at $2k with fox and shimano. I've ridden the Genius LT and it can go up and down hills just as good as a Reign X, so I would assume the Claymore (designed mostly by the same designer of the Genius) would do the same.
If I had a choice of bikes to take to Rotorua I'd take a Reign X.
No doubt the (Scott) Claymore would ride well, but I can't go past the Polygon AX2 at $2k with fox and shimano. I've ridden the Genius LT and it can go up and down hills just as good as a Reign X, so I would assume the Claymore (designed mostly by the same designer of the Genius) would do the same.
If I had a choice of bikes to take to Rotorua I'd take a Reign X.
The Reverend
Likes Bikes and Dirt
Well, i've got the LT20 and it's taking a little time to get used to. Coming off a Trek Superfly 29'er I find it's really slow actually. The travel is great and interestingly the lock out works very well. You can actually feel the head angle slacken off when you release the suspension.
I've not gone anywhere near the full range of travel and I'm close on 100kg fully laden. If I'm brutally open I think it could do with being a little larger so I might play with the stem to see how that changes things. Also, the Joplin 4 only lets me get so much from the legs, it's right on the limit of what I should extend it to.
Climbing is harder than the 29'er by some margin (to be expected given its geo'). On downhill sections and anything flowing though it's pretty good. The travel is beautiful and it absolutely looks great in the flesh / carbon
)
Brakes are good (if noisy) and the gears are super smooth, probably the best part of the bike.
I need to give it a proper ride on the right terrain to make my mind up on it. Didn't look at anything else. The spec + looks of the LT sold me on it.)
I've not gone anywhere near the full range of travel and I'm close on 100kg fully laden. If I'm brutally open I think it could do with being a little larger so I might play with the stem to see how that changes things. Also, the Joplin 4 only lets me get so much from the legs, it's right on the limit of what I should extend it to.
Climbing is harder than the 29'er by some margin (to be expected given its geo'). On downhill sections and anything flowing though it's pretty good. The travel is beautiful and it absolutely looks great in the flesh / carbon
)Brakes are good (if noisy) and the gears are super smooth, probably the best part of the bike.
I need to give it a proper ride on the right terrain to make my mind up on it. Didn't look at anything else. The spec + looks of the LT sold me on it.
)
floody
Wheel size expert
I have a hard time seeing what the attraction is with bikes like the LT and the Claymore outside US big mountain terrain and the EU Alps, all you seem to get is added heft as they're too tall, tippy and nervous handling to outrun a 160mm bike on most aussie trails. FFS the Claymore is only 10mm longer in the wheelbase and 1 degree slacker than my 140mm bike, that thing is gonna be squirrelly as all hell when you get deep in the suspension travel.
I'd look at more sensible 140-160mm bikes for the vast majority of Australian conditions, I don't think 'the right terrain' for those bikes exists here.
I'd look at more sensible 140-160mm bikes for the vast majority of Australian conditions, I don't think 'the right terrain' for those bikes exists here.
rtd
Likes Dirt
I agree. I sometimes even find my nomad to be a bit too much for the majority of 'all mountain' conditions here.
tasty.dirt74
Likes Bikes and Dirt
Enduro EVO ?
A couple of mates ride them. One has done a lot of varied riding on it, from Mega avalanche to general trail riding. It was built custom for him.Hes a big guy, ex powerlifter big ! He has no issues with the bike..
The other mate does 30k+ trail rides on his. His is top spec, carbon wheels etc.. Under 13 kg no worries..
A couple of mates ride them. One has done a lot of varied riding on it, from Mega avalanche to general trail riding. It was built custom for him.Hes a big guy, ex powerlifter big ! He has no issues with the bike..
The other mate does 30k+ trail rides on his. His is top spec, carbon wheels etc.. Under 13 kg no worries..
Yarrahappinni
Likes Dirt
20mm is the difference
My opinion of up to a 160mm bike is it still based on xc ideology, 180mm bikes come from downhill designs. I don't think the LT or Claymore are real 180mm bikes, more 160 trail bike. There are many 160mm optimized bikes that will handle a lot better.
My opinion of up to a 160mm bike is it still based on xc ideology, 180mm bikes come from downhill designs. I don't think the LT or Claymore are real 180mm bikes, more 160 trail bike. There are many 160mm optimized bikes that will handle a lot better.
The Reverend
Likes Bikes and Dirt
Don't be harsh on the LT. I just needed to get the suspension and rebound sorted properly.
Played with it over the weekend and it has transformed the ride and how It climbs. Loving it now and appreciate what it does.
Transmission and brakes are great as is the handling. I had been comparing it to my 29er and of course it is never going to climb as well or go as fast.
Definitely worth bearing in mind its laid back / slack head tube. Makes downhill great but you do feel it on climbs. It might also be that I am at the top end of what will fit on a large frame. The LT only comes in SML so there's no XL. didn't want the "stock" genius depite it coming in XL though.
Hope you choose the right rig for you.
Big JD
Wheel size expert
at 6.6 - I would suggest a Lenz Mammoth or Moth for 29ers or Yeti 575 as the top tube is longer than the SB66 - or Specialized are nice and long in the top tube for tall bast*rds like you. There ia a real push to run shorter top tubes in XL frames - probably to be more upright but it doesnt help very tall people. There is an new XL Yeti 575 frame in the for sale section - he has fork and wheelset too - perfect.
The Reverend
Likes Bikes and Dirt
Yep, can definitely feel the head angle drop when you release all the travel. It's a nice toy to play with!
also, it's worth putting the "chip" in the high position too.
floody
Wheel size expert
This is the thing;the reality is quite the opposite to this as there are many slack and fast 140-160 bikes you can get rowdy on but in order to get some sort of efficiency out of them the 180 AM bikes are mostly really tall, short and relatively steep which means when you start hitting the sort of stuff 180mm of travel should massacre, it gets sketchy fast. They're not downhill inspired AM bikes so much as big burly XC bikes for long days hitting rugged traverses and half day descents in the Alps/Rockies etc.
I'm not being harsh on the LT, it is a cool bike, the suspension works VERY well, its just that what it does best isn't really something you can tap into here. I guarantee you on pretty much any Aussie terrain I will cover ground faster point to point on an Enduro, Torrent, SB66 etc, I've run the same trails on most of these bikes at some point. Given how close the Claymore is I suspect it would be the same.
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Yarrahappinni
Likes Dirt
Absolutely right. there are plenty of 140-160mm bikes that have downhill heritage, the LT & Claymore are XC derived pretending to be downhill bikes. Look at the Reign & Reign X; totally different bikes with the same amount of "travel". So to quantify the thread (IMO) the LT/Claymore are capable, usable bikes that you can ride around the "track". be it fireroad, track, all mountain or downhill but be prepared for it to not be fast at any of it, but still very able.
allan.taylor64
Likes Dirt
Or just an enduro, either way frigin amazing!