Editor’s Note: For the last posting on these wheels with an interview with American Classic’s Bill Shook and more, go here.

The new wheels quite likely will get moved around across a couple of bikes for testing, but right now they are on the resurrected OS Bikes Blackbuck.  Sporting a few new goodies besides the wheels, here is how it looks for now.

Besides the new 101/Dirty Flea wheels, the hoops are shod with some 2.3 Specialized Ground Controls running tubeless and for now, a slightly low 32/21 gear combo using a Stylo crank and a very nice quality spacer kit from Spot Brand bikes.  It makes all the other aftermarket kits I used seem kinda cheesy.  The bars are the new Answer Pro Taper SL bars and Rove G2 stem.  The new Pro Taper carbons are good looking with textured clamp area, cut marks, etc, and come in flat and rise versions.  These are the flat, 8* sweep, 720mm wide ones and weighed 208g.  The Rove G2 stem looks robust enough to do the job of keeping the 720mm wide bars in check.  The stem is 151g in the 100mm version shown here.  Keeping with the Answer Products theme, I slipped on a set of Fall Line XC grips.

For front suspension duties, I installed a Manitou Tower Pro, 15QR in 100mm travel.  The Tower series has always been a strong performer and it looks great on this build, is very tunable, and stiff.  A WTB Pure V saddle on a 27.2mm carbon Syncros seat post keeps my backside happy.  The brakes are a new set of Avid XO Trails with 160mm rotors front and rear.

Of course the wheels are the stars, but a bike is the sum of its parts.  The wheels look good on here, very understated, and the entire package has gotten a lot of compliments.

On trail with the new wheels so far has shown no signs of unwanted flex or anything bad.  They spin up well and seems to accelerate with a nice pop forward.  The hubs are fast engaging enough for me in the present set-up and they seem to roll well, holding momentum.  The Pro Taper SL carbon bars and stem are giving me a great feel at the helm so far.  Once you get used to carbon bars, it is hard to go back to alu.  The good ones seem to dampen shock well and still not get all mushy when you pull hard on them.  The stem seems resolute so far under hard torque.  The fork is what all Tower forks have been for me so far.  Smooth in its travel, it goes where it is pointed.

The Blackbuck is an interesting bike.  It has a close-between-the-wheels feeling and even with the 100mm fork on there, is very agile and a killer singletrack scooter.  The geometry is interesting in that it has parallel seat and head tube angles.  So I am right at a calculated 70.4* HT angle (unsagged) but also with the same ST angle and that keeps me back behind the crank quite a bit.  I ran the saddle up forward in the non-offset seat post clamp and that helped.  I actually think I liked this bike better with an 80mm travel Manitou Tower Pro on it over the 100mm version.  It is interesting getting back on a steel frame now after being on alu and carbon for an SS bike and recently Ti in the geared hard tail.  I have to admit that the carbon Stumpjumper SS frame has spoiled me.  If I cannot get in the groove with the Blackbuck, I will move on.

Regardless of that, for comparison’s sake I think I will run these wheels on the Stumpy SS after a while, replacing the AC SS wheels on there now.  That will be an interesting swap, I think.  I have a set of Maxxis Ikons that look plump, fast, and ready to hit the dusty trails of So Cal summer so they may end up on there too.  As the miles add up, we will report back.

Note: Sun Ringle’ and American Classic sent over their products at no charge to Twenty Nine Inches for test and review. We are not being paid, nor bribed for these reviews and we will strive to give our honest thoughts and opinions throughout.

Twenty Nine Inches - 29er Bike Reviews, Rumors and News

[Note:  This is a ride impression, not a full review and as such we will need to take into consideration that the set-up of suspension and bike fit may not have been optimized as it would have been during a longer review period.  Just for perspective's sake, etc.  Editors.]

At Sea Otter 2103, Yeti showed the two new carbon 29″ers…the SB95c 120mm FS and the ARC Carbon hard tail. Beauty!  Then I heard that the Yeti Demo van was going to be back at my local backyard trails and they would have a selection of the latest goods with them.  Well, it can be quite a while before a ‘little guy’ like us can get a real test opportunity on a bike(s) this hot as the competition is fierce and the supply is limited, so I suited up and signed on the dotted line to get on a couple of demo samples.

To begin with, I had to deal with a less than full selection of sizes.  In the Yeti ARC Carbon hard tail I only had a Medium to ride.  Hmmm…not the best, although the saving grace is that Yeti builds with a long top tube.  The Medium with the seat slid back on the barely offset Thomson post and a tweak or two to the bars/stem gave me a compressed but OK fit.  I would ride a LG in this bike if I had the choice.  I did end up with the seat post extended about a half inch above the warning mark.

The naked carbon look is not as purty to my eyes as the turquoise version, but it still it has nice lines brought about in shaped carbon tubes.

Hefting the XTR equipped ARC was pretty easy.  Light bike.  No scale, but it was competitive.  Maxxis Ikon 2.2s, DT Swiss wheels, Fox fork, WTB saddle, carbon Easton bars…good to go.  I barely got down the open fire road and my impression was that it was a firm ride.  But I have been spoiled by 27.2 carbon or Ti seat posts lately and that oversize aluminim Thomson, even at beyond max extension, was hardly giving at all.  Ok.  Get on the pedals hard and it just takes off.  I can look down at the bottom bracket area and see barely ANY deflection or wind-up in the seat/chain stays.  You just shoot forward.  Out of the saddle is the same.  Zoom zoom.

I can look ahead at the front axle and see that it is out ahead a bit more than you would expect for such a small frame, owing to the moderate 70° HT angle no doubt.  That feels very good to me; very ‘momma bear’…not too quick, not too slow.  The trails I selected are the same ones I rode the Ibis Ripley on.  I did that mostly to compare the SB95c to the Ripley, but it will do for the ARC as well.  The trails are pretty tight in places with loose dirt and small stumps in awkward places like at the apex of a turn, so you need a bike that can turn well or you will sample some Yucca plants.  Add in some high ‘G’ compression dips and rocks and it is a good place to get a feel for a bike under moderate to slow trail speeds and if the bike cannot turn well, you will find out here.

Dropping into the first of two trails, I am once again reminded that the ARC is not a smoothie.  No soft tail here.  I am feeling every bump in the trail through the back end of the bike and I stopped a couple of times to drop the tire pressure a bit.  At the end of the ride I measured the rear tire pressure at 23.5psi and it still did not feel that compliant, but at least it was not kicking up on sharp impacts.  I am running a set of 2.2 Ikons on another carbon hard tail (the Specialized Stumpy SS) at 26-28psi and it is not harsh like this, but that Stumpy is the nicest riding carbon frame I have been on yet.  To keep perspective though, the Stumpy has a lot more twist/flex in the frame compared to the ARC.  However, the handling of the Yeti ARC was making me very happy.  Loved, loved, loved the way it steered down the trail.  That ‘momma bear’ 70° front end and short 17″ chain stays allowed me to drive the bike around a corner with the back wheel right under my hips and the front wheel keeping it right on track.  What is it about Colorado bike companies that seem to have a certain trail feel (thinking of Spot Brand too)?  Maybe it is the trail conditions they ride, but it feels pretty good to me in So Cal as well.

Back at the demo tent I reflected on the ARC.  Yes, I wish I had a longer bike that was more my size but it was not tragic and it did not interfere with the impression as far as I am concerned.  I absolutely loved the steering.  I wish all my hard tail 29″ers drove down the trail like this.  I was not a fan of the ride quality but I have been spoiled by carbon that does more for taking the sting out of the trail than this bike does.  Even the oversize tubes in my Lynskey Ti frame ride nicer than this and pedal almost as briskly.  The Stumpy absolutely kills it for ride compliance although it is not nearly as stout pedaling a frame and yet the Stumpy does not feel any slower by it.

I would ride this bike with something like a Niner RDO carbon seat post (with the decent flex even in an over size post diameter), a WTB Pure V saddle for some extra padding and width, and the highest volume rear tire I could stuff in there running at the lowest pressure that kept it off the rocks.  I cannot help but think that there could be some more ‘give’ engineered into the frame that is not there now.  I would not change a thing about the handling though.  That part Yeti nailed.

Twenty Nine Inches - 29er Bike Reviews, Rumors and News

After the OOB and the Midterm, the first ride I had on the Stache 8 was over a few miles of multi-user, technical single track that climbed and dropped through the course of three canyons in the Santa Monica Mountains of SoCal.  It set the stage for me for the duration of the test of the Stache, for if this bike were only ridden on smooth fire roads and buff trails, it would be a shame.  That first ride was a few hours of steep on-the-nose-of-the-saddle climbs, switchback turns, rocky creek beds, and swoopy blind turns on scrabbly dirt.  From the very beginning to the very end of that ride the Stache was balanced, composed, and fun.  And ‘fun’ was a word that I used a lot whenever I talked about this bike to others and within my own fevered little brain.  This is a fun bike to ride.  This is why, or at least, why I think it is so.

Bikes have become pretty well niche these days.  There is something for everyone no matter what you like to do or aspire to be.  From full on XC race to All Mountain work, the 29″er hard tail is a pretty versatile beast and those big wheels can do a lot to make you wonder if you really need full suspension.  But at the extremes…say a stiff carbon, steep angled race bike book ended by a 140mm fork equipped, short stay-ed steel beast of an AM hard tail, lies a broad range of uses that just requires a bike.  Nothing fancy or dramatic in intent…not niche.  That middle section between the bookends is a fat cut of the trail riding pie and that is where the Stache sits, topped with a nice dollop of Cool Whip.

Ed The Tall on some buff trail, high in the backcountry of So Cal.

From the beginning I liked the way the Stache was on-trail.  My weight was back off the front wheel and yet I was not feeling like I was balancing over the rear wheel either.  It was cockpit rear-ward if that makes sense but it felt better to me than anything I had been on lately.  Picking down techy sections was a notch above what the ‘normal’ 29″er hard tail would be in the same situation.  In the past, I have not been particularly impressed with G2 ‘equipped/designed’ Fisher bikes.  The Hi Fi left me cold and the Rumblefish was so so.  But I suspect that the G2 approach with the 51mm fork offset is a good part of why this bike comes together for me.  I am becoming a fan of slacker head tube angles if you can keep the bike from getting too long and keep it from flopping around when speeds are slower.  The 68.6° HT angle on the Trek combined with the 120mm G2 fork, and, with the stock bars and 100mm stem, seldom gave me anything but good results and when speeds came up, it was calm and fun.  There is that word again.  A 72° seat tube angle helps pull the front center in a bit so even though the wheelbase on the 21″ is getting a bit long at 45.71″/116.1 cm, it was an easy bike to get around tight turns and felt good at slow speeds as well.  The only time I felt the rearward weight position and the slacker front end working against me was on very steep uphill switchbacks where, if the soil was loose, the front tire would want to push.  It took a more aggressive position on the nose of the saddle to combat that.

So while any skilled rider can ride a trail on a ‘typical’ 29″er hardtail (71°/73° head tube/sest tube angles, 100mm fork etc) just as fast as they can on the slacker Stache, the Stache gives you a bit of grace and feels just great when the ruts come along, the whoops get deeper, or the grade gets you off the back and past the dropper post.  The 120mm fork pays off and sucks up a lot of trail nasties.  So while both riders may be riding the same trail at the same speeds, the Stache ride is not working as hard to do it.  I am willing to bet that means more fun.

Some bullet points:

• 120mms for fork travel and a slack HT angle on a hard tail 29″er means that you can go pretty darn fast until the amber warning lights start flashing in your brain.  But be careful as the front fork can write checks the back end cannot cash and so you need to ride it like a hard tail or things can get a bit surprising really fast.
• The frame is very nice riding overall.  It never felt harsh to me.  That said, I think that after watching it under a rider of jeffj’s (250+#) weight and size, it may be a bit light for very aggressive riders and they might feel some twist in the chassis.  I did not though and I am 195 with gear on.
• The Bontrager components treated us well (other than the wheels issues jeffj discussed in his review/comments in the midterm).  Both jeffj and I liked the stock Expert 29-3 tires and the 2.3 size was nicely plump.  Overall, in dry conditions, they were solid performers.  The saddle was just so-so.  No one that rode the bike really loved it but no one hated it either.
• Short chain stays are all the rage in the minds of some 29″er hard tail riders and in some cases that is what you need to make the bike work in certain kinds of stuff.  But balance is more important than any one parameter and when you get in that 17″ and under range in the chain stay, you do begin to lose some overall balance in the bike.  17.52″/44.5 cm chain stays  like the Stache has is a pretty good place to be in my opinion.  It allows for a tall rider on a 72° seat tube angle to not get so far back over the rear axle of the bike as to feel like he is fighting to keep the front end planted on seated climbs yet they still allow for agile handling.  It may not be what you need or want for gnarly BC-type trails, but for the majority of riders and as an all around trail bike, it is spot on.
• At 28 lbs with pedals the Stache 8 is no XC race fighter but I rode it on some big loops and fought off the boys on the after-work evening rides and never gave up much in the process to the lighter, faster feeling stuff like Stumpy carbons, etc.  Of course it is not an XC race bike, but neither is it incapable of lining up for an endurance race or some weekend event just for fun.  If Strava KOMs are important to you, then maybe not this bike, but then most likely if this describes you, you already knew that and Trek makes a Superfly just for you.  As a trail bike I never noticed the weight, standing, sitting, moving it around under me…never was an issue unless I was in a fast pack of greyhounds and then, I missed my Ti Lynskey a bit.  Or I just pedaled harder.
• This bike deserves a dropper post.  Increased fun factor here.  The stealth Reverb post from Rockshox was the best dropper post I have used yet as far as smooth and easy operation.  I did have to get used to not having a ‘preset’ dropped position like the Specialized Command post has, but I figured that out and adapted.  The stealth routing on the Stache is a plus and now there are at least two dropper posts that I know of that can use it.  Of course, you can run an external hose/cable routing as well.
• The Shimano SLX suite with XT Shadow Plus rear derailleur was very, very good and while the shifting on the Race Face crank was not quite what I have come to expect in modern 2×10, it was still very good and I would not trade the cool green look for a 5% to 10% improvement in up-shifting.  The SLX brakes are still an industry leader, even in this level of build.
• The Fox 32 fork was solid and the CTD worked well for this bike.  I never bothered to run it in C, (Climb), mode but I also had it set with less sag then you might do if this was on a more typical full suspension application.  That kept the fork a bit higher in its travel and worked well in T, (Trail), mode even if I stood to climb, something I do quite a bit.  I did trade off some suppleness, but on a hard tail, that feels right to me anyway.

I bet that this approach to overall geometry will catch on and makes sense for a lot of riders.  It is a bit laid back, but that is more plus than negative, at least for what I see and it keeps it from being another ‘me-too’ alu 29″er hard tail.  Having sampled the 69.5° degree Spot bikes and this Trek, I have my interest piqued with this slacker approach.  But, for whatever reason, this Stache 8 does it better and feels more balanced over all.  Is that G2?  Could be.  I have noted at least two bikes that are being spec’d with 51mm offset forks this next year, the Turner Czar and the Ibis Ripley.  I sampled the Ripley and it was an XC/Med Trail ripper.  Now that this fork offset is no longer a Trek only option, we may see this trend continue as bike builders seek to fine tune ride/handling characteristics.  The Stache 8 was the first hard tail that I can recall that had me looking for the rougher or techier ‘fun’ lines on any trail.

So the Stache is heading back to the mother ship but I was smitten.  I played with the idea of outright copying the geometry of this bike, taking it to a custom builder and doing one in titanium.  Just for fun.  But that will have to wait till I have way more free shekels.  And I seriously considered buying this bike from Trek as I would have changed barely anything over the way the bike was being ridden.  Maybe the Team level tires in the same size/tread and a carbon handlebar and that would have been it for changes.  Because even though the custom Ti would have satisfied my ego, the Stache as is would have been just as much fun.  There is that word again.  I even have my ‘fun face’ on in the next pic, can’t you tell?

Note: Trek Bikes sent over this Stache 8 at no charge to Twenty Nine Inches for test and review. We are not being paid, nor bribed for these reviews and we will strive to give our honest thoughts and opinions throughout.

Twenty Nine Inches - 29er Bike Reviews, Rumors and News

Zoic hit me up again with some clothing, this time to wear in warmer weather, and I have a Quick Review for your riding pleasure right here…let’s take a look.

Black Market Shorts & Nirvana Shirt

First up we have the Nirvana Shirt. It is definitely not just a shirt, and it doesn’t look like a traditional jersey. So, what is it? Let’s let Zoic explain that one. (From their website)

Channeling our old school roots, we are bringing back the woven jersey, last seen around here in 1998. Then it was the ultimate shop shirt, now it’s the all-purpose riding shirt: commute across town, shred some singletrack, bomb a gravity run; then leave your bike behind without losing your sense of style.

The Nirvana Shirt features the following things:(Again, from the website)

Features:
-Loose fit with Button Front
-1 large rear pocket with silicone gripper pulls
-Polyester/Nylon fabric wicks and breathes with a soft feel that also stands up to outdoor abuse
-Tagless neck label eliminates itching and irritation

Fabric contents:
-Solids = 100% Nylon
-Plaids = 56% Nylon/44% Polyester

The Nirvana Shirt retails for $74.00 and comes in three plaid colors and three plain colors.

Black Market Shorts:

The Black Market Shorts are cycling shorts with a removable liner- nothing new there. They just do not scream “I am a cyclist“, nor do they have any crazy graphics or patches of fabric. (Not that there is anything wrong with that!) Here’s the lowdown on the shorts from the website:
Fit:
-11″ inseam designed to fall just above knees
-Relaxed casual style for trail, pavement, or any adventure
-Nylon webbing belt with snap buckle offers adjustable sizing

Features:
-Detachable RPL Essential Liner with ZO-Tech chamois pad
-Fusion inseam gusset provides superior range of motion and eliminates seat hang-ups
-2 front hand pockets, 2 leg zip pockets and stealth rear zip pocket
-Tech pocket with special placement for your cell phone or music player
-Headphone cord control grommet and loop
-Flat front waistband with snap and zip fly closure
-Semi-Auto-Lock Zippers with logo tabs easily glides and locks when facing down to stay shut while you ride
-Tagless labels eliminate itching and irritation
-Vents in all the right places to keep you cool
-Microfiber sunglass wipe secured with elastic strap attached inside of pocket to keep your vision clear

Fabric contents:
-Shell: 92% Polyester, 8% Spandex
-Gusset: 92% Polyester, 8% Spandex
-Mesh Liner: 91% Polyester, 9% Spandex

The Black Market Shorts retail for $69.00 and includes the RPL Essential liner.

Ride Performance:

The Zoic Nirvana and Black Market Shorts with the RPL Essential liner are fine enough looking and decently made garments that fit me well, in a casual type way. The proof is in the riding though, and I am glad to report that the look matches the way they ride very well. I found ease of movement, comfort, and even the liner shorts, (which I usually am not a fan of), felt surprisingly comfy, if not a tad on the bulky side. The shorts are kind of stretchy, and they do not bind up, or restrict movement on the saddle. I did not notice any snagging on the nose of the saddle at all either, which is a good thing.

The Nirvana Shirt was a favorite of many who saw me in it. My two children actually call it my “fancy shirt“! (Either that is a compliment to Zoic’s design, or a comment on my usual attire, I’ll let you guess! ) Anyway…..the Nirvana Shirt is a definite departure from the traditional jersey, but it retains functionality on the bike with the big zippered rear pocket, two snap chest pockets, and a nice vent across the upper back to help keep you cool. Again, freedom of movement here in spades and the loose fit is super-comfy.

Conclusions: The Black Market Shorts have great pockets, a great fit, and even the liner was good for me. I wore them as shorts without the liner on a warm day just lounging around, and they were very nice, and didn’t tell anyone “I am a cyclist“. Ditto on the shirt, which can easily double as a casual shirt for relaxing just as well as it can work for you on the bike. I liked the traditional shirt styling, and although it has a collar, I never felt like the Nirvana was not suited for off road antics. Quite the contrary! Not recommended for XC racing or people wanting to look like they are doing that sort of thing. For everyone else, the Zoic Black Market Shorts and Nirvana Shirt are great alternatives to typical trail gear and function as well as they look.

Note: Zoic sent over the Black Market Shorts and Nirvana Shirt at no charge to Twenty Nine Inches for test/review. We were not paid nor bribed for this review, and we strive to give our honest thoughts and opinions throughout.

Twenty Nine Inches - 29er Bike Reviews, Rumors and News

The "Stumpy Evo" for short!

Ride Feel: The Stumpy EVO is first going to impress you, most likely, with its low weight. It is as if you have a flat bar road bike with ultra-capable tires on it instead of a mountain bike. The sub-20lb weight, (less pedals), is in stark contrast to most 29″ers that come through here. However; there was one bike that struck a very similar theme that I rode and that was the Origin 8 Paladin, seen here. In that review I draw a theoretical comparison between the Paladin and a “bigger companies” bike like it. Does the Stumpy EVO make good on my predictions of a more composed ride? Yes- and more!

The Stumpy EVO with the Chisel fork rides smoother and with more lateral stiffness than the Paladin did by far. I know Grannygear, who tested a similar bike in a single speed flavor here, said he thought I would really like the ride feel of this bike, and he is correct. I will concur with his findings that the carbon fiber hard tail doesn’t have to be something that beats you silly, rides “dead”, or is just not smooth. In fact, I would go so far as to say the ride feel of this bike compares very favorably with fine steel or titanium hard tails. Smooth and and dare I say lively? Yes. I dare say.

I also am going to say that this comes as a bit of a surprise to me. When you stop to consider that Grannygear was riding a suspension fork on his example, the spec of the Chisel fork on the EVO variant had me a bit concerned about stiffness and a harsher ride, what with the massive legs and crown this fork has. However; my fears were put to rest right out of the gate, as the bike is composed and smooth, (as much as a fully rigid bike can be), over the roots and rocks. I feel that there may be a few reasons for this, and not all are just due to the fork.

The bike has some nicely rounded, high volume Renegade 2.3″ tires on it, (which are measuring out to 56.2mm/2.21″ by the way), and they help mitigate a bit of the trail chatter for sure. Then there is the frame itself, which seems to be absorbing some of the roughness as well. Finally, there is a 27.2mm seat post, which is going to be a bit more comfortable than the larger diameter, stiffer posts Specialized used to spec on their carbon hard tails. I will try a few different trails and situations to see if I can confirm my suspicions that the Chisel fork is really working in concert with the rest of this design to yield a surprisingly smooth ride feel for a rigid bike.

So, that is what has really been most impressive about this bike so far, but there is more to say, so look for my next update where I will be tackling the handling aspects of this bike and updating you on my impressions of the ride feel.

Note: Specialized sent over the Stumpjumper Expert Carbon EVO 29 for test and review at no charge to Twenty Nine Inches. We are not being charge nor bribed for this review. We will strive to give our honest thoughts and opinions throughout.

Twenty Nine Inches - 29er Bike Reviews, Rumors and News