{"id":316,"date":"2009-05-14T12:10:20","date_gmt":"2009-05-14T20:10:20","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.mxi2000.net\/mudworm\/?p=316"},"modified":"2010-03-25T11:32:13","modified_gmt":"2010-03-25T19:32:13","slug":"perfect-bike","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.mxi2000.net\/mudworm\/2009\/05\/perfect-bike","title":{"rendered":"MTB: In Search of the Perfect Bike"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Update: After the searches described below, check out <a href=\"http:\/\/www.mxi2000.net\/mudworm\/2010\/03\/titus-ftm-carbon\" target=\"_blank\">what I bought in the end<\/a>. <\/p>\n<p>My List:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"text-decoration: line-through;\">Ibis Mojo<\/span><\/li>\n<li>Specialized Safire FSR Expert Carbon<\/li>\n<li><span style=\"text-decoration: line-through;\">Yeti 575<\/span><\/li>\n<li>Santa Cruz Blur LTc (current favorite)<\/li>\n<li><span style=\"text-decoration: line-through;\">Pivot Mach 5<\/span><\/li>\n<li>Turner 5.Spot DW (have not tried)<\/li>\n<li>Trek Fuel Ex 9.8 (have not tried)<\/li>\n<li><span style=\"text-decoration: line-through;\">Titus Moto lite<\/span><\/li>\n<li>Giant &#8217;10 Trance X Full Carbon (have not tried)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>I have a small Specialized Stumpjumper (maybe &#8217;05 model). When we bought it two years ago, we didn&#8217;t know if I would ever get into mountain biking (I was only taking a break from rock climbing due to <a href=\"http:\/\/www.mxi2000.net\/mudworm\/2006\/06\/ha-im-back\" target=\"_blank\">a broken finger<\/a>), so Erik found this bike used for me on Craigslist. For the same price, it would provide a better riding experience than a new bike of lower quality. He was right, and the bike served me very well during the last year when I rode extensively. However, the bike is getting old. Actually, now the drive train is completely shot and it skips all the time. (Update: I&#8217;ve gotten the drive train replaced, so I can take my time to find the perfect bike.) I&#8217;m not sure what is the travel in the fork (update: just found out it says &#8220;100RL&#8221;) or in the shock, but I probably don&#8217;t get more than 3&#8243; anyway, so it feels bouncy. I would like to get a bike with 5&#8243; travel. However, being a climber in the core, I want my bike to climb well. My search for the perfect bike has begun. Following are the bikes that I&#8217;m considering. I&#8217;ll update this post as I get to test ride them.\u00c2\u00a0 It might be a long journey because it is very hard for me to find a demo bike of my size that I can take out riding on some real dirt trails.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong><a href=\"http:\/\/www.ibiscycles.com\/mountain\/mojosl\/\" target=\"_blank\">Ibis Mojo SL<\/a> <\/strong>small<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Ibis Mojo in my mind, and many would agree, is the sexiest looking bike on the trails. I can&#8217;t tell you how many people I know own one and love it. I remember test riding one last year in October and loving the experience. The bike felt very stable and smooth going downhill. Climbing? Oh, there were a couple of very short steep climbs that I could not get on my own bike, and I was able to clear them on the Mojo. That totally wow&#8217;ed me. Although ever since then, I have long conquered those two sections on my own bike, I still believed that there was magic in Ibis Mojo.\u00c2\u00a0 So, when I started thinking about buying a new bike seriously, I thought Ibis Mojo would be the answer, but I just wanted to try a couple of other bikes just to confirm that, and it would make me feel that I had made a diligent decision. The Bike Works at Half Moon Bay was very kind to let me demo an Ibis Mojo small (&#8217;08 model I think with XT kit). It&#8217;s as beautiful as expected. However, it felt heavy. At 27 lbs, it <strong>felt heavy<\/strong> in my hand and it felt heavy when I was climbing. It might not be the weight, but how the bike was setup, and I knew I could upgrade many components to get a lighter build, so I tried not to let that bother me. It was still <strong>stable <\/strong>when I rode downhill; however, I noticed a couple of times that there was some <strong>front dive<\/strong> going on. Okay, that might be in how the fork was set up. Then, the <strong>stand over height<\/strong>. It is very high with a small Ibis Mojo, much higher than my current bike. It&#8217;s not a good feeling that every time, I stand over the bike and the top tube is right there where I can feel it. The <strong>horizontal distance between the two peddles<\/strong> also felt wide as if the bike was meant for someone with much wider hips.\u00c2\u00a0 Over all, it offered me a plush ride and <strong>tracks its line very well<\/strong> on steep climbs, but it did not wow me as much as last time.\u00c2\u00a0 I guess, now I really should try out other bikes to look for the perfect one.<\/p>\n<p>Update on May 14, 2009: The more I think about it, the more I suspect it was a Medium Mojo that I demo&#8217;ed from the Bike Works. I looked all over for the size sticker on that bike when I had it and couldn&#8217;t find any. I just cannot believe a small Mojo would feel that tall. I need to find a small Mojo to try out again.<\/p>\n<p>Update on Oct 27, 2009: All three of us, Derek, Erik and I, rode an Ibis Mojo at the Passion Trail Demo day. We all felt that Ibis Mojo was a little twitchy compared to other bikes we demoed. I&#8217;m officially crossing this bike out now.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong><a href=\"http:\/\/www.specialized.com\/us\/en\/bc\/SBCBkModel.jsp?spid=39958&amp;eid=95\" target=\"_blank\">Specialized Safire Expert Carbon<\/a><\/strong> medium<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>In April, Mike&#8217;s Bikes organized a Bike Demo day at Skeggs. It was a beautiful day, so I went and met up with my friend Jeanne. I test rode a Specialized Safire Expert (non-carbon) medium. For some reason, I felt <strong>a bit cramped<\/strong> on the bike; however, it did not seem to affect my riding. I was pleasantly surprised to see how <strong>stable <\/strong>it felt going down Steam Donkey, and it climbed well too. It seemed to <strong>absorb bumps very well<\/strong>. At times, I was shocked how it rolled over stuff that I did not think it would. At the time of typing, there was a $1600 combined discount offered by a bike shop, but Erik reminded me that I was not buying a bike for its discount and I should take my time and find one bike that I would feel happy about riding for a decade. Point taken.<\/p>\n<p>BTW, on the same demo day, I rode a Cannondale Rize One (carbon). Being Cannondale, it was a lefty, and that was the first I got on one. It was a very nice ride too, but because I still liked the experience on that Specialized Safire better, I am not going to pursue this option further.<\/p>\n<p>Update on May 14, 2009: I rode one at Santa Teresa Park during Tail Head Cyclery&#8217;s bike demo last weekend. I felt that this bike fit me the best. However, my friend Jeanne thought it felt slower than other bikes; in other words, it sticks to its line so well that it is not as easy to make sudden manuvers. She is a lot more experienced in riding than I am, and when I see in data sheet (bottom) that it has a longer wheel base than other bikes, it explains Jeanne&#8217;s observation. I guess that could be a concern. Another one is it&#8217;s a 120mm travel bike. I don&#8217;t know if in the long run, I would prefer a longer travel bike (e.g. 140mm). However, what impressed me was when I took a corner fast coming down hill and ended up hitting straight to a rock extruding on the side of the trail that was hidden in the grass, I thought for sure the bike would stop cold, but it rode right over it very smoothly.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.specialized.com\/us\/en\/bc\/SBCDemoPages.jsp?pageName=demoWest\" target=\"_blank\">Domo Schedule<\/a><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.pivotcycles.com\/mach5w.php\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>Pivot Mach 5<\/strong><\/a> small<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>I admit I did not know much about Pivot and had not heard that much about it until recently. However, once I started looking into it, I found more and more arguments in favor of it. For example, the man behind Pivot now, Chris Cocalis, founded Titus. Erik, riding a Titus Switchblade, is a big fan of his innovations. I also heard comments about how well this bike climbs. In the beginning, I had a hard time finding one of my size to demo, but Chris from <a href=\"http:\/\/www.roaringmousecycles.com\/\" target=\"_blank\">Roaring Mouse<\/a> in the city heard my frustration and offered to build me one so I can test it out. I&#8217;m anxiously waiting for the bike to be complete.<\/p>\n<p>Update on May 14, 2009: I rented the bike that Chris put together for me and took it to Santa Terasa Park last Saturday where Tail Head Cyclery was having a bike demo. I rode it back to back with a few other bikes. How did I feel? It is a sweet ride &#8212; light weight (Chris built the ultralite version &#8212; $6000+) at 26.5lb and does feel light on the climbs. However, in general, it did not stand out. I had nothing negative to say about the bike, but in the meantime, there was not really any specific thing that won me over.<\/p>\n<p>Update on June 7, 2009: This is a nice bike, but I&#8217;ll pass it because I think I&#8217;ll like a carbon frame better.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong><a href=\"http:\/\/www.santacruzbicycles.com\/blurlt\/\" target=\"_blank\">Santa Cruz Blur LT\n<p><\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>I don&#8217;t know much about this bike except that Erik says I should try it out. But where and when?<\/p>\n<p>Update on May 14, 2009: Santa Cruz showed up on Saturday at Santa Terasa Park. Unfortunately, they did not have &#8217;09 Blur LT small, so I got on a Blur LTc Medium. One thing I can say is those guys got their demo bikes dialed &#8212; their bike was the smoothest and quietest one I rode that day, and Erik and our friend agreed. As a matter of fact, the Blur LT was both their favorite of the day after having ridden half a dozen bikes. Oh, I only wish I could find a small I could try out.<\/p>\n<p>Update on June 6, 2009: I demoed a small Blur LT2 at Saratoga Gap. In the beginning, the bike geometry felt weird &#8212; I was sitting really upright, but I grew used to it. Then I started liking the bike. It felt very smooth when I pedaled out of the saddle. The carbon version is supposed to be out late June. I look forward to getting on one of those.<\/p>\n<p>Update on Oct 27, 2009: I had demoed the Blur LTc three times so far including one long ride (24mi) at Henry Coe and it&#8217;s absolutely my current favorite (see my post <a href=\"http:\/\/www.mxi2000.net\/mudworm\/2009\/10\/santa-cruz-blur-ltc\/\" target=\"_blank\">here<\/a> and <a href=\"http:\/\/www.mxi2000.net\/mudworm\/2009\/10\/post-henry-coe-fall-circus\/\" target=\"_blank\">here<\/a>).  Our friend Derek also considers this bike THE bike after he rode it back to back with an Ibis Mojo and a Specialized Enduro. The pedal efficiency on this bike stands out. And it&#8217;s very stable going downhill which really inspires confidence for me.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong><a href=\"http:\/\/www.trekbikes.com\/us\/en\/bikes\/mountain_full_suspension\/fuel_ex\/fuelex98\/\" target=\"_blank\">Trek Fuel Ex 9.8<\/a><\/strong> (Carbon)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>I heard good things about Trek Fuel. Not set on 9.8 yet, but the main challenge is to find one I can take on the trails.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.trekfactorydemo.com\/region.php?region_id=5&amp;type=7\" target=\"_blank\">Demo schedule<\/a> (note: May 17 at Whiskeytown. Many that&#8217;s far. Is it worth the drive?)<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong><a href=\"http:\/\/www.turnerbikes.com\/09fivespot.html\" target=\"_blank\">Turner 5. Spot DW\n<p><\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>I know two guys (bike shop employees or close affiliates) own a Tuner 5. Spot and love them. I was told that before I make my decision, I should at least try one. But even the biggest Turner dealer in the area does not carry a small!<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong><a href=\"http:\/\/www.titusti.com\/titus09\/bikes\/trail_motolite.php\" target=\"_blank\">Titus Moto lite<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>I already said that Erik was fond of Titus. He suggested I try a Titus Moto Lite. I&#8217;ll see if I can make it to the demo day.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.titusti.com\/titus09\/demotour.php\" target=\"_blank\">Demo Schedule<\/a> (Note: May 16 and 17)<\/p>\n<p>Update on May 14, 2009: Chris at Roaring Mouse kindly let me checkout a Moto Lite when I got the Pivot bike from him. Riding back to back, I knew that Moto Lite was not the bike for me. It did not feel as nimble as the other bike and did not climb as well as others. Crossed out.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.yeticycles.com\/#\/ourrides\/575\/TEAM\/\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>Yeti 575<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>I almost was not going to consider this bike. However, when we showed up at Santa Teresa Park, Yeti van was there. Their local reps Aby and Areo (spells?) were a very fun couple to talk to and they are very knowledgeable as well. My friend Jeanne got on a XS and she loved it so much that she made the deposit on the spot.\u00c2\u00a0 I did not get a chance to get on one, but hopefully, I&#8217;ll be able to when the bike shop arranges Ibis Mojo S and Yeti 575 XS for Jeanne to ride back to back.\u00c2\u00a0 Since Jeanne is such an experienced rider, she knows what she is talking about. I have to check it out. But of course I know, I need to find the one that I feel the most comfortable with.<\/p>\n<p>Update on June 7, 2009: After riding Yeti and Ibis Mojo back to back, Jeanne decided to go with Mojo. I tried them both, but I was too stretched out on the Small Yeti that I did not have a very positive experience with it. I didn&#8217;t get enough time on the XS Yeti. But I like it that Mojo is lighter for the same configuration, so I&#8217;ll probably cross Yeti off of my list now.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong><a href=\"http:\/\/www.bikerumor.com\/2009\/08\/05\/2010-giant-mountain-bikes-new-full-carbon-anthem-and-trance\/\" target=\"_blank\">Giant &#8217;10 Trance X Full Carbon<\/a><\/strong> small<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>I don&#8217;t think this bike is out in production yet. But I have read really good things about this bike. The frame is significantly lighter than a few others including my current favorite, Blur LTc. I&#8217;ll see if I can find one to demo.<\/p>\n<p>=================<\/p>\n<p>*sigh* why can&#8217;t someone else decide for me? That&#8217;ll make my life so much easier.\u00c2\u00a0 Okay, I was just kidding. I&#8217;m having a lot of fun in this process.<\/p>\n<p>P.S. I must thank Erik for his patience on this journey. For example, this weekend, we were planning to go rock climbing at Pinnacles, which he had longed for for a long time but could not go due to weekend on call schedules, but we ended up staying in town because I got a demo bike on Saturday and I had to return on Sunday. I could see that more weekends like this might come. I&#8217;ll make it up for you some day, honey.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Links:<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/forums.mtbr.com\/showthread.php?t=515164\" target=\"_blank\">http:\/\/forums.mtbr.com\/showthread.php?t=515164<\/a><\/p>\n<p>I put following table together for my own references. I hope someone else finds it helpful too.<br \/>\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"http:\/\/spreadsheets.google.com\/pub?key=rFj17h-VrG6mFX05-Vo6Hwg\" width=\"100%\" height=\"415\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Update: After the searches described below, check out what I bought in the end. My List: Ibis Mojo Specialized Safire FSR Expert Carbon Yeti 575 Santa Cruz Blur LTc (current favorite) Pivot Mach 5 Turner 5.Spot DW (have not tried) Trek Fuel Ex 9.8 (have not tried) Titus Moto lite Giant &#8217;10 Trance X Full [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[21],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-316","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-mtb"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mxi2000.net\/mudworm\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/316","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mxi2000.net\/mudworm\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mxi2000.net\/mudworm\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mxi2000.net\/mudworm\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mxi2000.net\/mudworm\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=316"}],"version-history":[{"count":40,"href":"https:\/\/www.mxi2000.net\/mudworm\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/316\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":319,"href":"https:\/\/www.mxi2000.net\/mudworm\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/316\/revisions\/319"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mxi2000.net\/mudworm\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=316"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mxi2000.net\/mudworm\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=316"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mxi2000.net\/mudworm\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=316"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}