Sorry for the lack of introduction. I will hopefully get round to that soon being a new member to the EMTB FORUMS.. Just wanted to get this down in writing before it goes into the must do this later pile......
Picked my new bike up on Wednesday this week and went for it maiden voyage today. More of a shakedown and brake bedding in session than a major session.
Good:
Power. Power Power. After testing a couple of bikes this year with both Shimano and Bosche motors I was left a little disappointed. I only managed a short ride round the block on the Levo but was hooked there and then. Felt so buttery smooth and loads of power. was also noticeably quieter. Propper cheating you could say.
Shocks. I'm used to riding Fox Factory but I have to admit the performance 36 is pretty damn good out the box. didn't take me long to dial the front in. Rear shock, the jury is out still. seems like I need to add a lot more pressure than I'm used to just to get the support I need.
Bike feels relatively lively albeit 7KG heavier than my current Santa Cruz enduro. It's definitely going to take a bit of adjustment. Something that I'm looking forward to.
Bad:
Brakes are terrible. The LBS shop told me to "just see how they go and you may be surprised how good they are". Nope. they are terrible. Did I say terrible. Yes I have bedded them in before anyone asks. Did at least 20 fast runs to a complete stop, even used the water on the pads trick. Not sure if this makes any difference but have done it on my other bikes and seems to work well for me. 10 mile ride with modulated braking, lots of hills with tight switchbacks too. Should have been ideal first run to bed them in.
Dropper. After nearly castrating myself the first ride I have to say I hate it. And the grinding/ ribbed insertion feeling. That doesn't sound that bad come to think of it
. This will be the second thing I change once the brakes have been replaced.
Grips. Not really had any issue with grips in general but my hands started aching after 10 minutes. That can't be normal. In fact i can safely say its never happened before. maybe it's the weight and having to learn new ways of riding. Oh well it's a cheap fix and my first customisation to go on this weekend.
Ugly: I bought kind of blind as I only saw the comp carbon SL in black and was expecting something similar. Well its not. It's a mess or patchwork carbon not even showing a decent weave!!!! For the money it's a disgrace. My mistake so only myself to blame. I guess i will have to live with it for a while and get it painted at a later date. invisiframe didn't help either seems to have made it worse in the light.
LBS experience? Not sure where to add this was hoping to put up a glowing review as I know Rob seems to get amazing service from them all the time. Was it better than getting a box delivered to my house directly? . Not sure what I was expecting but no fanfare. They didn't adjust a single thing to me. Not even the seatpost. That's not to say I wanted them too but I would have expected then to ask. So different from my experience @mountain trax where i left the shop with a bike setup almost perfectly. Will update my experience once they look at the issue I have already. Did I say issue. Well here is the thing, from the moment I got the bike back and managed to ride more than out of the shop to the car park I notice a creaking / cracking noise from the drive train. Under the first stroke of acceleration in trail or turbo it makes sound like the bottom brackets going to explode or the cassette has just lost a tooth or two. I did try and look on the forum to see if this was usual but couldn't find anything similar.
I hope this short review doesn't come across negative. I came back from the ride with a massive grin as I can't remember a time I spent actually enjoying going up hills so much. Can't wait to get out again.
Picked my new bike up on Wednesday this week and went for it maiden voyage today. More of a shakedown and brake bedding in session than a major session.
Good:
Power. Power Power. After testing a couple of bikes this year with both Shimano and Bosche motors I was left a little disappointed. I only managed a short ride round the block on the Levo but was hooked there and then. Felt so buttery smooth and loads of power. was also noticeably quieter. Propper cheating you could say.
Shocks. I'm used to riding Fox Factory but I have to admit the performance 36 is pretty damn good out the box. didn't take me long to dial the front in. Rear shock, the jury is out still. seems like I need to add a lot more pressure than I'm used to just to get the support I need.
Bike feels relatively lively albeit 7KG heavier than my current Santa Cruz enduro. It's definitely going to take a bit of adjustment. Something that I'm looking forward to.
Bad:
Brakes are terrible. The LBS shop told me to "just see how they go and you may be surprised how good they are". Nope. they are terrible. Did I say terrible. Yes I have bedded them in before anyone asks. Did at least 20 fast runs to a complete stop, even used the water on the pads trick. Not sure if this makes any difference but have done it on my other bikes and seems to work well for me. 10 mile ride with modulated braking, lots of hills with tight switchbacks too. Should have been ideal first run to bed them in.
Dropper. After nearly castrating myself the first ride I have to say I hate it. And the grinding/ ribbed insertion feeling. That doesn't sound that bad come to think of it
. This will be the second thing I change once the brakes have been replaced. Grips. Not really had any issue with grips in general but my hands started aching after 10 minutes. That can't be normal. In fact i can safely say its never happened before. maybe it's the weight and having to learn new ways of riding. Oh well it's a cheap fix and my first customisation to go on this weekend.
Ugly: I bought kind of blind as I only saw the comp carbon SL in black and was expecting something similar. Well its not. It's a mess or patchwork carbon not even showing a decent weave!!!! For the money it's a disgrace. My mistake so only myself to blame. I guess i will have to live with it for a while and get it painted at a later date. invisiframe didn't help either seems to have made it worse in the light.
LBS experience? Not sure where to add this was hoping to put up a glowing review as I know Rob seems to get amazing service from them all the time. Was it better than getting a box delivered to my house directly? . Not sure what I was expecting but no fanfare. They didn't adjust a single thing to me. Not even the seatpost. That's not to say I wanted them too but I would have expected then to ask. So different from my experience @mountain trax where i left the shop with a bike setup almost perfectly. Will update my experience once they look at the issue I have already. Did I say issue. Well here is the thing, from the moment I got the bike back and managed to ride more than out of the shop to the car park I notice a creaking / cracking noise from the drive train. Under the first stroke of acceleration in trail or turbo it makes sound like the bottom brackets going to explode or the cassette has just lost a tooth or two. I did try and look on the forum to see if this was usual but couldn't find anything similar.
I hope this short review doesn't come across negative. I came back from the ride with a massive grin as I can't remember a time I spent actually enjoying going up hills so much. Can't wait to get out again.
