Roll on Summer

I came across some piccies I took in the summer of the Saturday freeride ride & felt, as it was the only day that the sun was shining last summer, I should put them on the blog to remind us of things to come..... we hope!

Lapierre Zesty 514 Review

In December Nirvana got itself a Demo Lapierre Zesty 514 and since then I've been waiting for a dry weekend to go and shred some trails. Finally last weekend, the sun was out, the sky was blue, the wind was blowing in the right direction and my riding buddy Sam didn't have a hang over. I took a little time setting the fork and rear shock up which is made very easy on the Lapierre as they have a little pointer which is attached to the seat tube. This shows the correct set up as when you sit on it, the pointer comes into align with a sag diagram that is on the seat stay. 

We set off from Peaslake heading towards Winterfold. Just sitting on the bike I felt at home, there was nothing unusual, not too stretched, not to upright, everything was right there where I'd want it. Straight away I noticed how stable the shock felt which is a straight forward Fox Float R it has propedal built into the shock and it seems to be valved spot on as looking down on the shock it was static, no bobbing at all. It would only move with bumps in the trail. I would easily say that this is one of the zippiest climbing bikes I have ridden, more so than some race designed frames. Went and hit orange claw hammer and then headed onto Pitch and Holmbury Hill. Flowing through these trails you can really fill the shocks working, just floating over all those roots and bumps almost feels effortless as your on a cushion of air. It is a very confident inspiring bike to ride, feels like you just want to go bigger and faster. I'm not the the type of rider who has the a tattoo saying "go big or go home" but I feel like I can take a lot more on riding this bike.

We tried to get some action shots jumping through the trees, but it was proving a little difficult to hold myself static in mid air, so they came out a little blurry. I'll learn that trick next time.

Flying down steep decent with small stepped drops in I found myself off the brakes more than normal. The suspension seems super plush yet progressive. It soaks up the the bumps with what almost seems like endless travel and yet is very small bump sensitive. Some of this is down to the Horst link being further away from the drop-out which has more effect on the line that the rear wheel takes as it goes through its stroke. A lot of Horst link bikes have it close to stop the rear mech banging into all the time, not a problem here as it has a Shimano XT shadow which can't come forward. I was getting full travel out of both shocks, and not once did I feel them bottom out.

Technically the frame is very well thought out.  Looking at all the chunky pivots makes for a very stiff durable rear end. The cable routing is continuous which means you won't be changing clogged gear cables every 5 minutes when its all muddy, so that was most of 2007 then! The rear mech dropout is replaceable but on the disc side there is a steel plate which bolts onto the inside of the frame. This is here, because on a lot of aluminium frame it is possible for this area to flex and become worn. This is when you get a little concave on the surface that will effect the alignment of the disc into the calliper.Bottom line is that its stiffer and more durable. This year a lot of high end bikes are doing away with standard thread bottom brackets in favour of push fitted bearings. This gives a better chain line and is a fraction lighter. There is a replaceable carbon fiber plate that protects the rear mech from being hit of if you drop the bike it won't bend the mech hanger. All the tubes on this bike are hydro-formed (apart from the seat tube which is contentious) This cuts down on the weight and makes it very stiff.

The spec on the entire range of Lapierre's is mind blowing. Before we got a price list we where guessing prices almost £500 over what they retailed for. Its nice to see loads of Shimano parts right from there cheap bikes through to there top end models. The Zesty 514 comes with almost a full Shimano XT groupset, yes it even has a XT chainset which is pretty rare to find on a new production bike. The Lapierre branded post,bar and stem on this model are really nicely made. Formula brakes where predictably good, having modulation with loads of power when needed.There is nothing on this bike which makes me think why have they done that or what is that part doing on there. It is the kind of groupset you might build this bike with if you got it frame only. The more you look at these bikes the more cool features you will find.

Zesty 514 quick specs:
140mm Travel
4 bar (Horst)suspension link
Aluminium hydro-formed frame
Fox Float R shock and Fox 32 Float RL 140mm fork
Formula ORO K18
and finished off with loads of Shimano XT
RRP: £2100

Zesty's start from £1599.99 

So if your after a eye catching, light and fast trail bike that climbs and descends amazingly, and can handle pretty much anything you come across then this should be on your wish list. 

Happy trails,
Rowan

27.1.08

Giant Trance X 2 review

When Giant brought out an addition to the maestro range in the shape of the Trance X, the hole in their range was filled. Previously there was a Trance with 4.2" of travel & the Reign with 6" of travel, but nothing in between. So as the extremely happy owner of a Trance, when the Trance x came along I couldn't wait to get my hands on one. Not quite sure why really as the only time I felt maybe I could do with a bit more travel was when mtbking in Italy & heading straight down for approx 40mins. But I've come to the conclusion, it's in mountain bikers nature to keep looking for the 'next best thing'

Upon checking out the range I decided to go for the Trance X2 which retails for £1495. The other possible option was the Trance X1 at £1750 with the difference being in the chainset, shifters & a few other components. The other question was should I go for the woman's version which is exactly the same price & spec but with slight differences on the frame. The top tube length is a cm shorter & the head tube is a cm longer. Luckily, coming from my Trance I knew exactly how I like the set up & as I prefer a longer top tube & shorter stem (rather than the other way around)  the men's one would suit me for length. I also prefer to have the head tube shorter & lift the stem with spacers if necessary, as if you can't get enough weight over the front it makes the steering a bit wandery & difficult to keep on the ground up steep climbs.

Component wise it has Fox Float RL forks & Hayes Trail stroker brakes, DT hubs, XT rear mech, Raceface ride xc chainset, stem & seatpost. I have to make a small confession that I transferred my DT240 hubs/wheels over from my previous bike as they are fantastic wheels & one of the best kept secrets out there. From a girlie point of  view I also swapped the saddle to a WTB ladies gel saddle.  

 Helen enjoying the sunshine at the tower.

Well how does it ride? Great. The maestro suspension system works superbly & I love the stability of these bikes. To be honest the difference between this, the 5" travel & the 4.2" travel is marginal. It definitely feels plusher over bumps, but there is no detriment on weight or climbing ability. The only main difference I've really felt, is on twisty singletrack & berms where I feel I can rail it round better without feeling the front is going to tuck under. This is probably due to the slacker head angle. The Fox forks work great as always & the new Hayes brakes work very well.

With the introduction of this 5" travel bike, Giant now offers something for everyone.

8.1.08 Update.... I'm really getting to grips with this bike now & I have to say it soaks up everything going downhill & as I said before it handles very well in singletrack & berms. The trail stroker brakes are also a revelation. Initially, as I use gripshift, I thought the levers may be a bit short but I've got used to that now & the performance is superb with a nice biting point & plenty powerful.

Giant Reign X1 Review

A guest review by Adrian Nash 
 

Bike Wars – Episode 1 – Arise the Dark Lord

After my trusty steed gave in after a couple of years freeriding in Northern Italy it was straight on the phone for the new Reign X1.

Unfortunately due to demand the bike wasn’t available (huge demand) whilst I was in Italy and had to wait a few more weeks, and the magic phone call came on Friday that the dark sith lord had arrived…yay!

Saturday afternoon I was in the shop and there was menace in the air as I was greeted by “Darth Reign”, an all black mean mother that will make all Luke Skywalker wannabies piss in their cloaks.

A change of underpants later it was time for the inspection. Giant now have two models of reign’s, the standard all mountain 6inch travel version and the new beefier X range… 6.7 inches of travel from fox dhx and 36van coil sprung squidgyness,. race face cranks, Easton bits, SRAM X9 gearing and avid juicy brakes. The frame is a work of art , there isn’t a single round tube in sight, its all hydroformed loveliness and with a black anodized finish and very subtle graphics.  Extra features include an ISCG mount , a shock guard and integrated headset. There are no bottle cage mounts, however with this bike intended purpose the bottle wont stay in long anyway.  

The angles are just right too, not too slack as to make it unwieldy for the climbs but not too steep as to deter it from its true nature….freeriding with a bit of XC! This frame is a medium and the fitting is true freeride (short) however it fitted me just right (I am 5foot 11) however taller riders may want to consider the large size.

The reign is not the lightest machine at 34lb but for its intended purpose its just right and comes with a satisfying “thud” when you drop it onto the floor…the chain didn’t even rattle as the suspension took the shock….so what’s it like to ride?

The First Ride

After setting up the sag and rebound characteristics of the dhx3 coil shock I was ready to go. The reign is no tie fighter up the hills but it certainly doesn’t feel like you are lugging a 34lb bike. The maestro suspension does an excellent job at minimizing trail bob to virtually zero. Riding hard out of the pedal the frame stays firm and its very direct, the same couldn’t be said for the Fox Van 36R upfront though as it undulates through its travel, the RC2 model would probably eliminate some of this with its compression control but to be fair this is a bike designed to go along with gravity not against it.

The first test was the jumps at Captain Underpants, a selection of jumps and some little bits of north shore.  I started off with the easy ones, my approach speed was good (the reign accelerates surprisingly quickly) and I launched. The reign felt right in the air, it wasn’t front or rear heavy and was easy to maneuver. On landing , it was silky smooth, I must confess that I am no big jumper but this bike definitely gives me the confidence to grab bigger air as it will forgive your mistakes. The other jumps were no exception and I even did the skinny north shore one for the first time, again stable, direct and off the edge….no problemo amico!

Planted is a term often overused by bike mags when describing the ride of a bike… a bit like the tabloids calling Beckham et al “heroes”.  I have ridden many 6 inch travel bikes whilst they were good in their own right, they definitely weren’t as “planted” as the reign.  This bike is very easy to maneuver around, it is very fast on the tight berms of golden birdies and summer lightning as the low centre of gravity gives it excellent handling.

The steep, rooty and techy widow maker was where it really became apparent of the capabilities of this bike. The reign plowed through, the 36’s here also showed their true purpose…no bouncing around, no wheel deflection and pin point accuracy.

The low centre of gravity also made steep roll ins a breeze, at no point do you feel elevated, the low CoG didn’t give any problems of chain ring strikes (it has a 24/36 and bash guard set up) or any pedal strikes that is common with some bikes (i.e specialized).  This also had the added benefit that I could leave the saddle in a single position.

The Lowdown

There is very little I can criticize but like all off the shelf bikes there is room for upgrading. The Hutchinson tyres, although with a good 2.3 size and grip have a singly ply sidewall and therefore pinch flat easily, this bike goes fast over big rocks therefore I would recommend some heavier duty tubes. The wheels are also a minor niggle, they are unbranded cone and loose bearing types, so longetivity in Uk conditions may be an issue.

Other than that the spec is great all quality branded stuff, the avid juicy 5 brakes took a while to bed in but now offer masses of power and modulation even in 180/160mm disk set up, although I am surprised Giant didn’t spec 200/180mm disk set up given its intended use/capability.

This you have gathered this is not  a bike sloely for XC and you may feel over biked in a lot of scenarios ……for this go for the X0, the same bike but with lighter kit and the new dhx and float 36 air shock….the perfect compromise.

The reign looks expensive and turns heads (pose value is important!!!) and you wouldn’t be the first to mistake the reign X1 for a £3k+ machine when in fact it costs 50 beer tokens under £2k, bargain for this much evilness.

This reign however will spend it’s life in its true habitat, long technical and unforgiving alpine trails…..watch out for a follow up review….

Nasher
www.rivierabike.co.uk

Tech details

6.7" travel
Fox 36 Van R front fork
Fox DHX 3.0 coil rear shock
RRP £1950