New Bike Day!

Sure I get ride of mine and now everybody's buying em WTF:confused:? You guys both suck @UPSed and @Faust29 , not cause you got new bikes but cause I just sold mine:mad:. Steve I have a soft spot for Kona's. They build great bikes and I dig those skinwall tires. Ed those things look light & fast just sitting there. I should give you crap about getting matchy bikes with your wife but I can't cause I think it's awesome. Gongrats guys.:thumbsup:
 
herzalot said:
Here's the story:
I spec'd all the parts for the Hightower frame. Some were upgrades I pulled off the Pivot (brakes, handlebar, cranks). Others were simply my preferences. The Path obtained all of the parts, but they could not got any response from Santa Cruz regarding my Hightower frame/shock. From Dec. 17 - Feb 7 - still, not shipped. Meanwhile, a few weeks ago, I spied what appeared to be an XXL Megatower frame hanging from the rafters. Hmmmmm....

So the next time I heard "Santa Cruz said your Hightower should ship the week of Feb 10" was the last straw. Build the Meg. I'll take it. They are virtually the same bike, except 20mm more travel. I gave them the "green light" on Friday morning and picked it up Friday evening.

Wheels: DT Swiss 350 laced to Race Face Arc Offset 30 (alu)
Tires: Maxxis Minion DHR II 2.4 exo dual compound in back, Minnion DHF 3c exo 2.5 WT in front.
Fork: 2020 Lyrik Ultimate RCT3 Charger 2.1 42mm offset 160mm travel
Shock: Rock Shox Super Deluxe Ultimate
Transmission: 2020 Shimano XT 12 speed. Shifter, chain, cassette, derailleur
Brakes: Shimano XT 8120 4 piston, XT rotors 203 f, 180 r
Cranks: Race Face Turbine (w Turbine BB and 30t chainring)
Dropper: One Up V2 - 210mm
HBar: One Up Carbon, 35mm rise
Grips: ODI TInker Juarez (think ESI chunky with one-sided lockring)
Stem: Race Face Aeffect, 50mm
Saddle: WTB Silverado

So basically I shifted from a 160/160 travel 27.5 to a more modern 160/160 29er.

Today's big surprise? Damn thing climbs really well - better than my Tracer by a fair bit. Feels the same as the Hightower to me. Never needed the lockout switch on the shock. I'm told the Ripmo and the Yeti are better climbing bikes. Well, the Ripmo doesn't fit me very well, and it's hard to get a test ride on the Yeti SB 150 XL. I'll let you know next Saturday.

A huge shout out to The Path. They didn't have to take in my Pivot after I owned it a month, rode it a dozen times and modified it. And they certainly didn't have to give me every penny back in store credit, making it almost a straight trade. Thanks Tani and Brandon!
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Nice bike. Are you keeping the Tracer?

I bought my first bike at The Path five years ago and Santa Cruz took forever to ship it (ordered in early July and arrived the end of September). Seems like nothing's changed. The Path offered to build one for me also, but I declined. I probably could have had a better build for the same money had I let them. :bang:

I have the same OneUp V2 210mm dropper on my Tracer. It worked great until very recently, but now it does not go up all the way on its own. No sag though. It is at The Path right now. They said it might just be air pressure, but if not warranty will cover it.
 
Obsidian said:
Nice bike. Are you keeping the Tracer?
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Thanks! I don't intend to have two bikes. I am sure I will be selling the Tracer eventually, unless I decide this whole long-travel 29er thing is not for me.

One thing I know for CERTAIN through all of this - I do not want a Tallboy. Climbs great, but not my style on the downs. I will not purchase a bike with less than 140mm of rear travel. :cool:
 
It lives. Originally I was going to put this together myself as a project, but got confounded pretty quickly by headset parts, and a dropper cable that seemed bound up, so I ended up taking it to the LBS for final assembly. I still need to switch out my saddle, grips, and make final adjustments. Pedals would probably help as well. I did do a couple laps of the Pedalers Fork parking lot, so technically, I rode my bike today. From what little feedback that provided, the cockpit felt very comfy. And boy is she light. And it least I have confirmation that I can comfortably mount, pedal, and dismount a bike. Woot.

B796B996-74B9-4799-92DA-736A2043DCCA.jpeg
 
buggravy said:
It lives. Originally I was going to put this together myself as a project, but got confounded pretty quickly by headset parts, and a dropper cable that seemed bound up, so I ended up taking it to the LBS for final assembly. I still need to switch out my saddle, grips, and make final adjustments. Pedals would probably help as well. I did do a couple laps of the Pedalers Fork parking lot, so technically, I rode my bike today. From what little feedback that provided, the cockpit felt very comfy. And boy is she light. And it least I have confirmation that I can comfortably mount, pedal, and dismount a bike. Woot.

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Wow, she’s a beauty! I had no idea that those were available in white?!
 
buggravy said:
It lives. Originally I was going to put this together myself as a project, but got confounded pretty quickly by headset parts, and a dropper cable that seemed bound up, so I ended up taking it to the LBS for final assembly. I still need to switch out my saddle, grips, and make final adjustments. Pedals would probably help as well. I did do a couple laps of the Pedalers Fork parking lot, so technically, I rode my bike today. From what little feedback that provided, the cockpit felt very comfy. And boy is she light. And it least I have confirmation that I can comfortably mount, pedal, and dismount a bike. Woot.

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Nice bike! Compared to the Smash it's a light one for sure. I dont see how you pedaled it that way though, missing a couple important parts.
 
Faust29 said:
When you already have two great bikes, how do you add something else? Go skinny! Sorry, @mike . :p

I like the occasional road ride... But the last couple times I took the road bike out, I ended up doing stupid things- like going down Waterworks with my 700 x 25s. And riding in the Arroyo. :facepalm: I also have my old 80s Schwinn, but the rim brakes scare me... I've been reading for some time, and I did the parking lot test with several bikes for fit and feel. Although carbon would have been lighter, steel just felt right. I quickly ruled out aluminum and anything in a size 54. The ability to run 2.2 mountain tires sealed the deal... As did the fact that it's last year's model and the Path had it marked down nicely. Mountain cranks, mountain drive train, thru axles, hydraulic brakes, 700x45s tubeless, lots of spots to attach stuff, etc... I may have to do the Redlands Strada Rossa 90 miler instead of the 60. :thumbsup:

I've since added my sealant... The Path was going to do that, but they no longer carry the sealant I prefer. I also added a bottle cage, pedals and my funny saddle. That saddle has been on 7 or 8 bikes now... It's getting pretty beat up.
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@Faust29 I forgot to ask earlier - did you go with the stock 36t chainring or bump it up to a big boy ring? Nice rig. ;):cool:

I'm still using the 36 on mine.
 
buggravy said:
It lives. Originally I was going to put this together myself as a project, but got confounded pretty quickly by headset parts, and a dropper cable that seemed bound up, so I ended up taking it to the LBS for final assembly. I still need to switch out my saddle, grips, and make final adjustments. Pedals would probably help as well. I did do a couple laps of the Pedalers Fork parking lot, so technically, I rode my bike today. From what little feedback that provided, the cockpit felt very comfy. And boy is she light. And it least I have confirmation that I can comfortably mount, pedal, and dismount a bike. Woot.

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Nice! :thumbsup: Looks like fun could be had on it. :sneaky:
 
buggravy said:
It lives. Originally I was going to put this together myself as a project, but got confounded pretty quickly by headset parts, and a dropper cable that seemed bound up, so I ended up taking it to the LBS for final assembly. I still need to switch out my saddle, grips, and make final adjustments. Pedals would probably help as well. I did do a couple laps of the Pedalers Fork parking lot, so technically, I rode my bike today. From what little feedback that provided, the cockpit felt very comfy. And boy is she light. And it least I have confirmation that I can comfortably mount, pedal, and dismount a bike. Woot.

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So I guess this means @SnakeCharmer & myself are in trouble the next time we all hit Backbone...?:rolleyes:
 
buggravy said:
It lives. Originally I was going to put this together myself as a project, but got confounded pretty quickly by headset parts, and a dropper cable that seemed bound up, so I ended up taking it to the LBS for final assembly. I still need to switch out my saddle, grips, and make final adjustments. Pedals would probably help as well. I did do a couple laps of the Pedalers Fork parking lot, so technically, I rode my bike today. From what little feedback that provided, the cockpit felt very comfy. And boy is she light. And it least I have confirmation that I can comfortably mount, pedal, and dismount a bike. Woot.

View attachment 61912
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Grats! I hope it fulfills your wildest dreams!

The new IMTB trend is in full force. Everybody get your hardtails! DV9s are leading the pack!

Personally, I would prefer a DB9
 
buggravy said:
Thanks! I would have preferred the black frame, but beggars can't be choosers. The color is called "bone", but in person it looks like white plastic that's been yellowed by the sun. But I'd seen one in person before, so I knew what I was getting.
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Yours looks WAAAY better than their offering in black. In white, it has a warm/bright personality. I'm actually envious!

And, our HTs will match. :cool:
 
Voodoo Tom said:
Careful that thing has skinny tires and really bent handlebars...:confused:
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I keep telling myself that yet it doesn't seem to matter. I'm continually amazed at how much traction those skinny tires have.
SnakeCharmer said:
I wonder how far over @UPSed's new gravel roller can be leaned in the berms before it gives up?
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Pretty damn far. I was dragging my knee going down Yerba Buena. :whistling:
 
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