Bikes, Geometry And What Works For Me.
Hi, I’m Guy, proudly working in Queenstown for Bikeaholic. I have been on a journey, a journey of multiple parts. First part is being here riding bikes and living in the glorious South Island of New Zealand! The second part is equally as expensive as international flights, Mountain Bikes. Bikes have changed. And I have been on a journey to find out what works best for me……
Before arriving in NZ I spent the vast majority of my riding in the U.K, mostly in the glorious soggy Costa del Wales. Spending the last UK summer season at Dyfi Bike Park it is safe to say whilst I do pedal, I am far more comfortable perched on my behind being driven in a Land Rover to the top of the hill. Being a somewhat tall-ish person (187cm) with a body geometry not too dissimilar to that of a T-Rex, I have found that I sit between the conventional L & XL sizings.
The first bike I purchased in NZ was the Giant Reign SX (Large). Alloy Frame, Fox 40’s, DHX2, 10 speed Deore drivetrain on an MX wheelset. Certainly a refreshing approach to a build with quite a specific rider in mind. Initial thoughts were: was it fun to ride downhill? Yes. Was it fun to jump? Yes. Was it fun to pedal? NO.
Moving on from the gravity focussed Reign SX, I rode a Commencal Meta SX V4 (Large) for a few months. On the trail, the bike had well balanced geometry and felt somewhat neutral. I did find on the odd occasion through larger compressions and steeper terrain I ran out of bike. These feelings were exacerbated when I arrived in Queenstown and rode some of the local spice that is on offer here. Mid chute compressions or big drops felt tricky to stay in the middle of the bike and there were some ejecto-bike moments. Whilst I found the geometry a little wanting on steeper terrain, on big air the bike was surprisingly fun, feeling poppy and lively. After a while I figured it felt a bit small for me.
Feeling a little under-gunned and under-sized (in the bike department, come on!) after arriving in Queenstown I Transitioned (Drumroll please) onto a XL Alloy Patrol in smoking hot Red. Geometry changes were felt from the get go, the Patrol in the biggest size had a hefty 510 reach (High position) and a 0.5 degree slacker head angle than the Meta. The Patrol was immediately a standout on Queenstown’s steeper trails. Having that longer top tube underneath made me far more confident in my ability to huck and hope, resulting in less bush diving incidents and less sphincter tightening moments. This confidence transpired noticeably over to flat out segments of trail, full gas sections at Skyline? No problem, let off the brakes and let it eat! Even though it’s heavy, the Patrol however was a standout for its climbing ability. Although having the same effective seat tube angle as the Meta, I found the Patrol easier to grip the rear wheel on the steeper climbs. It is comfortable without feeling lackadaisical on the longer, sluggish climbs.
Having not given too much thought to the idea of rider focused geometry in the past. I was a little unaware that Transition's “Speed Balanced Geometry” gives their bikes a weight bias to the front. If you like to swing off of the back then you may find it hard to make the front wheel grip, which after soul searching in the mirror I realized is something that I do. Constantly having to tell myself to lean further forward to get the bike to handle in an intuitive way, I often felt somewhat uncomfortable when riding tight technical trails. Ultimately, this, along with it being a big long bike, were the reasons as to why I have decided to part ways with the Patrol, it just felt a little unintuitive to me. This is by no means a criticism of Transitions Giddy Up geometry, it is an honest reflection of my own riding style.
So, it was back to the drawing board for my next bike, and now my current weapon of choice is the revamped Specialized Status 170 (S4). Having been released a few months ago, it was immediately on my radar as a replacement for the Patrol. Having spent a season at Dyfi hammering the previous iteration I was keen to see what changes had been made. Updated geometry and an aggressive spec on the bike are real welcome additions.
Whilst I am trying to remain impartial throughout this ramble, I feel like the Status is the bike for me. The slightly larger S4 ‘S’ sizing works for me as normally I sit between a conventional large and extra large and this sizing just seems to sit in between the two. Clearly inspired from the 2012 O.G. Status, these are by no means the bike for everyone. However, if you are in the demographic of a “do it all” style of bike with a main focus on gravity/freeride, this is a strong contender. With an industrial build quality, this is a gravity orientated enduro bike with a strong ethos on bang for your buck. This bike is built to be ridden and ridden hard. There are some drawbacks, as to be expected, climbing was not at the forefront of the designer’s minds with the bike’s conception. It does struggle on the steep technical climbs, unless you’re willing to put the saddle where the sun doesn’t shine….. Having said that, the bike will go where you take it, just don’t expect to be breaking any world records on the way up.
It is incredible to see how well ‘enduro’ bikes perform these days. These are bikes that can tackle any terrain. If you’re after a one trick pony then looking into a modern enduro bike is the solution. However, having an honest chat with yourself about how you ride and what you ride will put you in good stead for your next purchase. If you are in doubt of how you ride or what is going to work for you, get in touch with us at Bikeaholic and we can discuss. There are soooo many options it’s a little daunting. Thanks for listening to my Bike Journey, if you feel like chatting about which movies I watched or what the food was like on my initial journey to NZ feel free to ask, but my mind is full of geometry numbers now, so you might get a nonsensical response………
Oh and if you are in Queenstown and you see someone swinging real far off the back and laughing, its likely to be me! Cheers! Guy.