OK, here we go. Knucklebuster joined me for a fun morning of test biking. Aliso - of course. 3 climbs, 3 descents Rock-It, 5 Oaks, Lynx.
OK first - the title of the thread is misleading. It's the Pro kit on the bike, not a Pro review.
So - short answer - Great bike. Maybe the best I've ever ridden - but that's not saying much, as it's only the second carbon 27.5 I've ever test-ridden (Ibis HD-3 being the other).
Set-Up: I was right. The fork had 170psi in it. The recommended pressure for me is 85-95. I started with 80psi. Perfect. The shock had almost 300psi. I couldn't find a recommended pressure, but I read about a guy who loved 210psi, so I started with 215 psi. I bumped it to 220 early into the ride, and that was great. Of course, I adjusted the rebound damping accordingly. That setup was damn near perfect on all of my suspension set-up test drops. Never touched it again. I dropped the front tire from 40psi to about 26, and ran about 28 in the rear.
Build: Pike RC3T LMNOP Solo Air. Rock Shox Monarch Plus rear. Maxxis High Roller IIs front and rear. DT Swiss Spline 1700 wheelset. Guide Brakes. 1x11 32t front, 10-42 rear.
Climbing: There's no denying that a VPP bike (or DW Link, or Maestro) is likely to be a more efficient climber than a wide open Knolly 4x4 suspension (think Horst Link, with an extra linkage). So it stands to reason that the Intense was easier to climb than my own bike. I cleaned all of the little techy sections (which I usually do on my own bike as well). The rear is laterally stiff enough to allow precise lines on off camber climbs. VPP allowed plenty of power to be transferred to forward motion, while allowing the suspension to hook up as needed. I climbed with the shock in the "medium" setting - think Trail on a CTD. Of course, the bike is also about 1.5lbs lighter than my bike. The 32t front was challenging, but with the light-ish bike and the VPP, it was doable. I am reasonably sure I set some personal (recent) bests up Cholla - not because I wanted to, but because I was forced to run a harder gear than I normally use.
Descending: The bike was a blast down the hill. It wasn't necessarily better than mine, but it was very good. I had the suspension and tire pressure pretty dialed for the first ride on a demo bike The front end felt a little light at times down hill, but it was pretty danged precise. The Pike was the real deal.
Turning: Fun. Laterally stiff. Predictable. Great body positioning for me. I liked the bb height (13.5" unsprung). That's kinda tall by today's standards, but it felt good to me, although my test runs were mostly straight and not a series of linked turns where a low BB puts a big grin on one's face. It seemed pretty quick left-right-left. And like the Ibis - the harder you flog this bike, the better it rides.
Parts is Parts:
Fork: This was my first real ride on a Pike, and I was impressed. It was every bit as plush on the little trail chatter as my new Marzocchi, and ramped up very predictably. My Marz has a slight advantage at high speed repetitive hits, but I am sure there is room to dial in the Pike a little more to make them every bit as good as my Marz 350. I liked the three position switch for climbing (think CTD again). The middle position was great for Cholla, and the "locked" position was great for climbing the pavement to 5-Oaks. My own fork has a 28 position dial - which is effective but quite inconvenient - and a lockout - useless on anything but pavement.
Shock: No complaints. The rear chattered a bit here and there, but I've never been on a 5-6" travel bike with air suspension that doesn't. It was great on bigger hits. I wonder if either Cane Creek product would tame it just a smidge better?
Wheels: This DT Swiss set is probably my favorite wheelset I've tried. The Ibis 741 on DTSwiss 350s were a sweet wheelset too, but there are no tires available yet that match the profile created.
1x11: After five total days aboard a SRAM 1x11 (32t) on 3 different bikes, I am getting used to it, and I kind of like it. I'm not sure I could continue to push the 32, but I like it. I don't like SRAM derailleurs or shifters though. Compared to Shimano, they are clunky and crude.
Guide Brakes: This is my second demo bike with Guides, and my response is meh. I like my XTR Trails better.
Is it better than my bike? Sure - it's 27.5 and carbon. Is it $4000 more fun than my bike? Once again - nope.
not a bad thing)
