Sussex-MTB

This weekend saw the third Quest Adventure demo day. Unlike previous years the weather was spot on, sunny skies, warm temperatures and more importantly, bone dry trails! The stage was set for a fun day’s cycling.

Scott and Marin / Whyte had their test fleets there and there were a few bikes that I knew I definitely had to try, so it would be a good opportunity to get a good blast on them. It’s no secret amongst the Sussex-MTB crew that I’m a big fan of Marin’s current suspension platform, it’s fairly efficient and strikes a good balance between grip and comfort for my style (whatever that may be) of riding.

Ride 1:

First off for the day was the Marin Attack Trail. This is the longer travel brother of the fantastic Wolf Ridge, though not as hefty as a Quake it’s still quite a big lump. They built this to be a great bike for events such as the Mega Avalanche and as such giving a blast on the South Downs isn’t really a full test of it’s potential. I’m hoping to at least get it up to Pitch hill for a session on some more suitable terrain before it goes back. 

Marin Attack Trai

Back to the South Downs though and the weight was definitely noticeable getting it up to the top of Cissbury Ring although to be fair to it, it still did so without any dramas, they were all coming from the rider! I definitely felt I was over biked, that was until we came to the descent down through the side of Hill Barn golf course. All of a sudden it made a lot of sense and I was soon up the front, being held up by the two riders in front of me. The bike has the kind of indestructible feel that means I was tempted to plough between the two of them and put the hammer down! However caution won out and I suspect they were more worried by the manic laughter I let out all the way to the bottom of the hill. If the freeride / downhill type riding style is your thing you’d be mad not to take one of these out for a test ride……

Hammerschmidt

One feature of this bike is the much hyped Hammerschmidt crankset. You’ll probably agree that the whole triple front ring and derailleur set up works fine, but Truvative have chosen to turn convention on it’s head with this one. The result is a mega compact front ring with a dual speed ‘gearbox’ inside, actuated by a thumb shifter. I have to say it’s an amazing bit of kit, it literally makes you smile the first time you use it. Sure it’s quite heavy and it’s certainly a lot of money, but as this is the first iteration I’m sure we’ll see some refinements as time goes on.

Hammerschmidt

It totally makes sense on a bike like this, keeping all the gubbins out the way, and it just works. Really well. Me want!!

Ride 2: 

Well I have to say I was feeling the strain after riding the Attack Trail, so for ride 2 I took my trusty Cove Hummer, just to give me a chance to recover. It was of course excellent

Hummer lushness

Ride 3:

I haven’t raced XC for a couple of years and I was interested to see how pure race bikes have developed since I diverted down the road of long forks and big tyres. So to that end hooked myself up with a Whyte 19 carbon. This is one seriously lush bit of kit. I’m a sucker for a bit of carbon swoopiness and this is one stylish looking bike. As well as that it’s super light too.

Whyte 19 carbon

After the Attack Trail this bike seemed to actually pedal itself up the hill, I put the hammer down just to see what I could get out of it on the climb and was pleased to get to the top with the front runners with seemingly not too much effort.  

Swoopy

What would it be like on the downhill though? Race bikes tend to have shorter travel forks and steep angles and can seem a bit nervous. I went pretty quick down the hill and the bike behaved itself nicely, although the steeper angles were definitely noticeable after the previous two.

Lushness

The next singletrack section was sweet though, sharp handling, light weight and good power transfer means this bike absolutely flies along when you want it to.

I thought it would be a bit of a back breaker but I was pleased that it actually offered quite a comfortable ride. If I could afford the luxury of a bike for the few races I do a year, this would definitely be a fine choice. I certainly much prefer it over the original Whyte 19, which I found to be a bit harsh on my dodgy back

Ride 4:

Last one of the day and enthusiasm was starting to wane, despite the weather still being great. I opted for the Mount Vision as it was the last of the bunch I hadn’t tried. 120mm travel, slightly slacker geometry to last years model too.

Mount Vision

One thing that was immediately noticeable was just how active the suspension was on the Mount Vision. It always seems to be moving away under you and feels a bit disconcerting at first. Certainly more active than the Wolf Ridge or Attack Trail. Bizarrely though you soon realise this is in no way related to wasted effort. The bike climbs well and absolutely flies along in the singletrack as well as being a confident descender too.

The Verdict:

Well should there be a verdict? I’ve been lucky enough to try a whole slew of bikes from Scott, Marin and Whyte over the last two months, some I’ve loved and some less so. I can only apply what I’ve ridden to my riding, which can be characterised by lots of technical singletrack (up and down) and a love for getting the wheels off the ground too.

If I was forced to choose just one of these bikes I think it would have to be the Wolf Ridge, as I have said in a previous review it does really tame the trail (which was a slight negative for me, as a die hard hardtail rider) but it does everything well and feels like it would take everything I’m capabale of throwing at it. It would be an absolute blast to ride on the North Downs and especially at Trail Centres or in Spain. It climbs well enough that the extra weight would be worth it. 

A muddy Wolf Ridge

That said the bike that was probably the most fun to ride was the Rocky Ridge, I think it may be the cheapest of them too! It was a serious blast to ride and it left me wondering what the point of spending £1600 on a Ti Hummer frame was when you could have this much fun on a complete package that cost about £1200. Not that I regret buying my Hummer at all, but hey, we can all manage to make space for an extra bike can’t we?

Hummerlicious