long term review : Zerode Taniwha trail

discofrank

Likes Dirt
So most of you will not know i have a Zerode Taniwah gbox bike
its actually my 2nd ( after my 1st 1 got stolen just over a year ago :( )
Spec is
Zerode Taniwah Trail 27.5
with a 160 fork :p
and 9 speed box! i dont need 12 gears!
came with a nice fox air shock and cane creek helm air forks
no name carbon wheels, guide r brakes ( 203 front 180 rear,
no name bars and stem
and with the new style under bar shifter

replaced the shock with a can creek coil!
ohh my is is nice! not saying the fox was bad, it was really good
but i wanted to see what the fuss was all about
i even had ns dynamics set it up for the bike as it came off another brand
so after a while i realised the forks where shit :(
in went some nice 160mm pikes with a luftkappe! oh my is it better than the helms by a long shot
Busted a carbon rim on a small drop ( like 15 cms ) so in went some light and strong spank vibrocores
laced to the stock hubs ( factor E ) which are pretty damn loud and i hate the noise !!!
i have had to replace the shifter twice due to a few OTBS, and now have the old style shifter back in as
a, its waaaay cheaper to replace and b, less prone to breakages with an otb,
just don't look as pretty !
ohh have a set of revgrips ( as they do a grip shift set of grips! freaking awesome!

as for the bike and gbox itself
it has performed flawlessly literally
have taken it on 42km flat gravel rd xc spins to the hard trails at linga longa and everything in between,
jumps drops and rough as guts valley rides, im not gentle on the bike either and at 110kgs loaded not exactly a light guy
i have done approx 1200kms on this rig with ZERO issues in relation to the gbox or the shifter that was not my fault
oil changes take around 5 mins and cable changes around 10 or so as its not exactly simple :(
things like chain cleaning and lube are a given as well as bearings and pivots

pinion in their infinte wisdom changed the way the shifter cover mounts from 4 nice allen key heads to a clip style which i have lost 2 of them now :( so i actually was able to drill into the cover and fix the cover to the gbox with an allen head bolt :)

the bike is awesome and will do anything i throw at it, even crashes well :) i have not had to do any warrantly claims
parts that i have had to replace due to damage are from my own fault and none of the bike and have had really good support from zerode
and zerode wa, waiting times are pretty much a few days for parts to come in the post :)
the instant shifting is insane after you get used to, so much so i really dont like a trigger shifter anymore
the box shifts with very positive clicks ( its the gearbox that does the shifting not the shifter ) the shifter just moves a selector ( think gbox in a car )
never had it shift on me unintentionally.
the rear end is sucked to ground on even the roughest trails its insane ( i took my previous one to maydena and damn! soo good )
 

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wkkie

It's Not Easy Being Green
Thanks for the update.

A few questions...
Were the carbon rims / wheels supplied by Zerode?

You prefer the DS1 shifter over the DS2? Is there any difference in function, or is it just the position of the cables that's different?

Did the box / shifting loosen up over time and become smoother or quieter?

Are you running a P or C line box?
 

discofrank

Likes Dirt
Thanks for the update.
A few questions...
Were the carbon rims / wheels supplied by Zerode?
You prefer the DS1 shifter over the DS2? Is there any difference in function, or is it just the position of the cables that's different?
Did the box / shifting loosen up over time and become smoother or quieter?
Are you running a P or C line box?
the rims where supplied by zerode, but i was no really that worried as no name brand and te bike was actually an ex demo
there is no difference in function at all, just where the cables are routed, some nice brake noodles allow you to have a nice smooth curve from the ds1 shifter, they both work equally well
i have a c line box,
defintaley has loosened up the shifts are way nicer now , i never really noticed any drag, i cant tell any difference in noise
which reminds me
pinion in their infinite wisdom changed the way the shifter cover mounts from 4 nice allen key heads to a clip style which i have lost 2 of them now :( so i actually was able to drill into the cover and fix the cover to the gbox with an allen head bolt :)
 

discofrank

Likes Dirt
What does it weigh?
around 15kgs with ally rims and 2.4 wide maxxis tyres and tubeless
pretty much spot on with bikes of this travel etc
i acttually need to weigh this one , i know the old bike 160 front and rear travel with a big ass 2.8 rear 2.5 front and ally rims plus a spare tube and co2 etc was 15.5kgs, which is actually lighter than a kona proccess 153 in 27.5 carbon frame
 
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