Ha. Same. Seems to tick all the boxes and not badly priced.I bin looking at the Aether 9C on their website just now. Looks/sounds like it's a ripper of a bike
Ha. Same. Seems to tick all the boxes and not badly priced.I bin looking at the Aether 9C on their website just now. Looks/sounds like it's a ripper of a bike
Yeah the price is quite reasonable for a full boutique bike, I may have spent some time on their site since seeing this thread...Ha. Same. Seems to tick all the boxes and not badly priced.
The only bit I don’t like is the under BB cable routing. I too have spent some time on the website because of this thread.Yeah the price is quite reasonable for a full boutique bike, I may have spent some time on their site since seeing this thread...
It's got a decent amount of anti squat built into it, so it pedals very well. I'm running a bit too much rear tyre pressure at the moment (not the final wheels for this bike) so rear grip wasn't great, but the climbing traction probably isn't as good as my Norco was. But climbing overall it's chalk and cheese, the Bird has a really snappy feel to it. It's only on very steep, pinchy and loose climbs that the Norco has an advantage. For those who know Smiths Gully, it's only when climbing Marsben (apparently I do it backwards) that there's any descernable lack of traction but that's a very loose and steep trail. I haven't noticed any pedal kick back, but I'll go for another spin tomorrow and focus a bit more on that.The only bit I don’t like is the under BB cable routing. I too have spent some time on the website because of this thread.
@komdotkom hows the climbing? Is it very bobby or pretty controlled?
Weren't you on a medium optic?View attachment 379208
When you look at the two bikes on a comparison website like Bike Insights there's almost no difference, but on the trail it's night and day.
Am I off the hook?Also I'm holding you personally responsible if the Bird is NFG
I've been riding bikes with relatively high anti squat values since 2014, so when I got the Optic in late 2019 I was a bit shocked at how low it rode in the travel; particularly when you consider that it's only got 125mm at the back. As most of the reviews state, the Optic rides more like an enduro bike than a trail bike. Running a Minion SS you could ride the Optic up nearly anything out of the saddle and not worry about rear end traction, wet roots, mud, loose over hardpack no problem. The downside to this amazing traction was that it wasn't very poppy on the trail and it feels a bit dead when you mash the pedals. Downhill the Optic was really good, but I could never quite get the shock to feel 'right'. The Super Deluxe whatever was a bit short on adjustments and like many RS shocks, they did fuck all. I found it plush off the top but less so through chunder and square edges, but I thought that's pretty good considering it's 125mm travel.Awesome to hear that you like it. I'm curious what differences you found to the optic. Snappier pedalling and a more centred feel for descending?
Am I off the hook?
That's interesting, I have similar thoughts on my bird. I really think they do a good job getting the suspension kinematics sorted for bikes that really balance the pedalling, descending and keeping the bikes poppy and playful even though they have lengths and angles that most people assume makes them ride like a bus (they don't).I've been riding bikes with relatively high anti squat values since 2014, so when I got the Optic in late 2019 I was a bit shocked at how low it rode in the travel; particularly when you consider that it's only got 125mm at the back. As most of the reviews state, the Optic rides more like an enduro bike than a trail bike. Running a Minion SS you could ride the Optic up nearly anything out of the saddle and not worry about rear end traction, wet roots, mud, loose over hardpack no problem. The downside to this amazing traction was that it wasn't very poppy on the trail and it feels a bit dead when you mash the pedals. Downhill the Optic was really good, but I could never quite get the shock to feel 'right'. The Super Deluxe whatever was a bit short on adjustments and like many RS shocks, they did fuck all. I found it plush off the top but less so through chunder and square edges, but I thought that's pretty good considering it's 125mm travel.
The Bird has much higher anti squat built in and on really steep pinch climbs it demands more careful attention to weight balance and pedal timing to make sure that it doesn't break traction at the rear or lift the front. I think if it was shorter and my weight wasn't placed as far over the front this would be a problem, much like my Intense Carbine which was a great bike but shit on the steep stuff because you couldn't keep the front on the ground. Pedalling is really snappy and the seating position is very comfortable, althought the reach is much longer than the Optic it feels great without feeling too big.
Descending the Bird feels like it's stuck to the ground when you need it and ready to fly (see what I did there) if you want it to. While it's easy to attribute this to the frame, I suspect that the shock has contrbuted significantly to this and the rear end grip and compliance is night and day compared to the Norco. The rear wheel feels 'controlled' as in the damper is performing as intended and controlling the rebound effectively. I assume it's this really stable and planted feel which gives you the confidence to back it into corners like Ari Vartanen.
Take all of this with a grain of salt beacuse of
I've got a few more tasks than need to be done before I'll be 110% happy with it though.
- Confirmation bias
- I'm coming from a nasty break up and am on the rebound
- I was over the Norco and just didn't love it
- I've been on a hard tail for ages
- Find out why the NDS crank arm fell off
- Fix rattle, I hope it's not the cables in the frame
- Fit final set of wheels and tyres when they arrive
- Frame skin for heel rub
I suppose it's just personal preference, I don't rate my young blokes Meta much either but he loves it.I was very happy and even more so after riding a friends meta am, the Bird is so much more versatile and fun to ride despite the longer slacker geo (in line with the current meta am).
Look at you, photo bombing all of your tasty morsels in one photo.Wheels arrived, final tyres are still weeks away
View attachment 379920
Yes..... what's that red reflection there? Looks a bit TVR-ish or Jenseny?Look at you, photo bombing all of your tasty morsels in one photo.
Sent from my SM-G970F using Tapatalk
Triumph TR7 Convertible?Yes..... what's that red reflection there? Looks a bit TVR-ish or Jenseny?