It has been awhile since the Misfit Psycles Dissent has been written about by me, (you can find that here), and the last words on this rig were actually written by Captain Bob as his final review for Twenty Nine Inches. (A darn fine review, if I say so myself!) So, what in the world do I have to say after all of that? Well……………….the following:
I’ll try not to cover the same ground as the others who have written their thoughts on this black aluminum beauty. I will say a few words about the frame and the way I felt it rode and handled. First off, if you are thinking the typical “aluminum is harsh” thing, the diSSent isn’t that at all. I would put it on par with the stiffer steel frames I have ridden. Sure, it will buck at you and send a sharp shiver up your spine if you are not careful, but it is a hard tail after all. Don’t expect “plush” to be part of the adjective pool here in this review! It just rides nicely, with a great response to pedal input, and not at all flexy. The front triangle is well dialed. Almost to a fault. It is stiff to the point that unless you have a forgiving combination of bar, fork, and tire, you may want to seriously consider a suspension fork. The diSSent’s gusseted front end doesn’t give much, but I feel that is a great attribute of this frame.
Because you have such rigidity in the front triangle, the diSSent goes where you point it. Leveraging the bars doesn’t get lost in a twist of the three front frame tubes, it goes to the rear tire, just like it should on a great single speed. Those two attributes are good in a single speed 29″er, and the diSSent has not disappointed me in this area.
The single speed specific nature of the frame design is a good thing as well. You can set it up as a geared rig, but only with full run housings. I like the commitment to a single speed only look though. The only nit I have with the frame is that the range that the sliders can move doesn’t quite accommodate a two tooth swing in rear cogs. It comes up just shy, and a bit of extra travel room for the sliders would be welcomed. Of course, a half link solves all the issues, so that is an easy solution.
The fork offered for the diSSent is outstanding, and I was quite surprised by the performance of this lightweight aluminum piece. It had excellent ride qualities, not unlike the better carbon forks I have ridden. No lateral flex to bother mentioning, and steering precision was top notch. Again though, you should consider a big, fat tire as an ally in warding off bigger trail hits with the diSSent. The fork is good, but not that good! I think it matched up very nicely with the diSSent frame in terms of handling and geometry. The combination being quite easy to get to turn, and it wasn’t at all nervous in rougher terrain.
In Conclusion: The Misfit diSSent is a great package for just about any single speed build. It can definitely be raced, be a trail rig, or even an urban commuter. It is decently priced, and doesn’t have any glaring faults. Yes, it is aluminum, but that shouldn’t scare off anyone, as the diSSent rides quite nicely, not unlike a high quality, stiff steel rig. I recommend it and I feel it is a great value in a frame and fork.
Hi GT. If someone was considering this frame and the new Bontrager carbon fork, what offset would one choose; 46 or G2?
I have been extremely interested in this bike and fork. I’m hoping to get one of these in the next year. I understand that Misfit has been making steel bike frames of the same design. Is there any chance that twentynineinches.com will be getting a hold of this frame to test?
Also, about the fork, there doesn’t seem to be many aluminum forks out on the market. How does the the diSSent rigid fork compare against a steel/carbon fork with the same rake/offset?
I know it is light, but at what cost? Will it fail catastrophically with a huge bend and leave the rider with one less kidney? Or will it comply (flex) like steel or shutter like carbon fiber?
I just got my diSSent in the mail yesterday. I will be running the aluminum fork as well. I have read and been told so much about this bike, and it has all been good. Yes it has its minor quirks here and there like all bikes, but out of all I have read in the end it gets 2 thumbs up. I will find out here in a day or so!
bikedaddy: Get the 46mm offset. It will behave much better with that fork.
Dust: On the diSSent Fe: Ask Peee-taah. Misfit Psycles Dark Lord. Only he knows…..
On the fork: I haven’t read or heard of any catastrophic failures with this fork. That said, anything can and will break. My feeling is that ridden with common sense applied, the diSSent fork will be trouble free. Performance-wise- Again, I will say that it is uncannily carbon-like in feel and performance. Great compliance fore/aft, but little to no lateral flex was detected in my tests. I felt totally confident running it hard into corners.
UnitedWeRide: Awesome! I think you’ll love the bike for sure.
How would you compare this to the Salsa Selma? I know they are totally different price points. I’m looking for a singlespeed-specific 29er with a geared option and good standover clearance, however, which is a fairly small category. Obviously I”m also considering the Dissent FE.
Huh. You almost have me talked into trying the diSSent again. Almost.
GT: Don’t take this the wrong way, but a negative review here and there would lend a little more credibility. In my world, products suck from time to time, and I want to know about it before I buy them. If every frame out there is “great” in conclusion, I don’t really need to read your reviews.
Thanks GT. I have been interested in getting this fork to retro fit one of my bikes with the old G1 geometry. But I’ve also been thinking about purchasing this bike as a dedicated single speed. If I didn’t like to eat so much I’d have this bike yesterday.
@hammermill
Not that GT needs me to jump up and defend him, but…
I was the ‘dissenting’ opinion on the diSSent in that mine was the most negative review of the three of us that have ridden the diSSent. My final conclusion was that the frame was not as smooth as the steel bikes I had ridden. However I agree on all the other conclusions that GT had on this frame and if you read the MTBR postings from other owners, I think that you will see agreement with Ted’s findings.
I know that GT will call it like he sees it. There is not a lot of junk out there right now IMO, and if there is, they likely don’t want it tested by sites like this.
For the money, the diSSent is well thought out, handles very well, and is a good product. For twice the money it would be better…nicer sliders, better finish, maybe lighter. But that is true of most frames.
Okay, so you want a negative review? How’s this: The GT Marathon 9er, easily the worst 29″er I have ever ridden. Suspension geometry was waaaay off, and it steered worse than a wheel barrow.
There, how’s that?
p.s. The Raleigh XXIX+G in stock form from 2007 was another clunker.
Hammermill
The reason I follow Ted’s postings is because he always gives a balanced opinion.
He is negative at times but not in an overt manner. He is not a thumbs up or thumbs down kind of guy.
He just tells how it felt to ride with out all the hyperbole.
As far as his credibility goes I say good day to you sir.
GT: Point taken
prphoto: Thank you, and good to you as well.