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Interbike Dirt Demo - Day 2 |
Words and photos by Stuart Kernaghan
Day 2 at the Interbike Dirt Demo started much the same as day 1 - coffee, a muffin, and a bus ride. Thankfully, Cam had enough sense to by-pass the ridiculously long line of people waiting for the shuttle bus, and we walked right on. Once again, Canadian ingenuity triumphs over poor line management.
There was a bit of cloud cover at Bootleg today, much to everyone's relief. But there was also some serious wind blowing through the expo site. People were holding onto their tent with one hand, and demoing their product with the other. The dirt jumpers were a little reluctant to catch big air, but I was able to talk Hoots Jay into hitting something cool. More on that in a moment...
Day 2 is also a bit more of a freak show at the demo. Everybody has rolled into town, and it's a fight to get the bike you want. Cam and I did have some luck, though, and managed to get our hands on two of the new Specialized bikes that I wrote about last week. From there, it was on to the long, long line for the shuttle truck. Thankfully, the sketchy ride to the shuttle drop spot and 10 minute push is rewarded with some nice technical downhill runs.
The view from the top of the downhill - the expo site is in the foreground, just past the edge of the hill, and Boulder City, NV is in the background
My first run of the day was on the new Specialized Big Hit FSR III. I hadn't spent any time on a Big Hit prior to this, and really liked the way the bike rode. 8.2" of rear travel really took the edge off some of the sharp hits but still worked really nicely in the rolling trails near the bottom of the hill. This bike will be a solid option for people who like the ride of a Horst Link four-bar bike and Specialized bicycles, but don't necessarily have the cash necessary for a Demo.
The Big Hit FSR III - lots of travel to get you through the rough stuff
Cam headed out at the same time on the SX Trail, and was enjoying the bike a lot. He's been riding the '05 version for a year now, so is quite familiar with the SX and should know how to style it out. And thankfully, he didn't disappoint. The trail we were on had a number of seriously rocky, high-consequence drops and Cam hit them like a pro. Which goes to show, once again, that you don't need 8" of travel to ride the technical stuff. About half way down the hill, we switched bikes and I hopped on board the Trail. It was definitely a different kind of ride after the Big Hit, but I can see why Bearclaw - and so many other people - like this bike. Four-bar suspension, middle-of-the-road adjustable head angles, a bit more travel on the front and rear for '06, and a solid parts spec make this a very adaptable bike, and one that's fun to ride on a wide variety of trails. |
 Cam rolling a nasty rock section on the SX Trail |
When we got back down to the bottom, Cam made his way over to Scott Bikes, and I went over to visit the boys from Norco. Ryan Leech and Hoots Jay were hanging in the booth, and they were all over joining us for a loop. After a lot more waiting for the shuttle and that 10 minute push (which Ryan rode up on his big bike with a chainguide), we made it to the top and let 'er rip down towards the expo.
My second lap for the day was on an '06 A-Line, and I had a blast. I was riding stuff that I hadn't done before, and felt really confident throughout the ride. It's amazing what an 8" double crown fork and 9" of rear travel can do for your riding abilities.
The new Norco A-Line for 2006 - lots of travel, and lots of fun (especially when you've spent the summer riding 6" bikes)
The Scott guys had Cam on a pretty tight timeline for the Ransom, so he bailed near the bottom of the hill and headed back to the expo site. Jay, Ryan, and I headed over to a road gap that Jay had nailed earlier in the day to check it out. The wind was gusting something serious, and I really wasn't expecting Jay to hit it. But he did.
And to put a cherry on top of the cake, he threw a no-hander. Nicely done, Hootie.
Jay styling it out, in spite of gusts that were nearly blowing away tents in the expo site
So that's it for the outdoor demo. Two days, eight bikes, a lot of waiting, and some seriously fine dust in areas that just shouldn't be dusty. We're heading indoors tomorrow (Wednesday), and then it will be an entirely different type of freak show.
Stay tuned for reports from the convention floor. Until then...
Words and photos by Cam McRae
I had modest goals for Dirt Demo day 2; I wanted to ride the new Specialized SX Trail and I was itchin' to get on the Scott Ransom. I've since heard that this bike will blow CDN$9500 of your hard earned north of the border cash or USD$6500. Long paper either way and with those kinds of numbers I was keen to see if it would service me in ways a normal bike wouldn't. Maybe the Beatles were wrong - maybe money can buy me love.
The shuttle line was long and slow on Tuesday. But at least the sun was beating down like a blast furnace.
In the morning the Ransom was busy because Thomas Frischknecht was on it doing a photo shoot. I wondered if that was a clue that despite 6+ inches of travel this wouldn't be my kind of bike. Scott USA also sponsors Timo Pritzl so the choice of the grand daddy of XC as the spokesmodel for this bike seemed to indicate Scott is aiming it more toward the leg shaving crowd.
Hooking up a ride on the only Ransom that Scott is loaning out was a challenge. After waiting for it to return from the shoot I managed to get myself the new SX trail. The 2005 Trail is one of my favourite bikes of all time. Before now I haven't been a fan of 'do anything' bikes but the SX is the closest I've come to a bike I will willngly take on almost any ride. I've ridden it in bike parks, on the road and on everything in between. It's relatively light, wickedly responsive and tough enough for Darren Berrecloth.
This year's version boosts travel to 167mm or 6.6" and the geometry has been tweaked to distinguish it from the Enduro. The head angle is either 66.5 or 67.5 - adjustable by moving the shock mount with two bolts. This year's spec reflects a more aggressive target for 2006 as well. You'll only find one chainring up front with a Black Spire chainguide (Black Spire is a small B.C. company) keeping the links rolling true. The 36 Van is a perfect match for this bike with 160mm of depth and ample stiffness. Otherwise you'll find a SRAM drivetrain (the bike I tested was flush with a Black Box SRAM XO rear D) and Avid brakes.
Hitching a ride with 40 stinky, hot freehuckers from all over the world. Photo ~ Cam McRae
I spent trail time on five bikes at the Demo and I didn't find a single Shimano stamped product beneath me. The era of total domination in the offroad world appears to be coming to a close for Shimano and to add insult to injury SRAM will be presenting their road gruppo once the party moves inside on Wednesday.
Stuart grabbed one of the new Big Hits and we shuttled up to the top of the mountain. Once the cattle truck arrives there is another 10 minutes of pushing up single track to arrive at the really cherry single track. Looking around on the way up it's so steep and spiny that you wonder if there are any trails at all but once you come over the last ridge several lines open up below you.
The 2006 Specialized SX Trail.
The line we rode wound down into the canyon dropping steeply down some rock features along the way. In several spots you needed to brave off-camber outcroppings leaning over places you didn't want to fall - the dessert equivalent of skinnies. Trails Y off more and more as you descend and the line we chose took us down a spine-like ridge boasting more bold rock lines. Often you are dealing with a scattering of rocks on top of a jagged expanse of bedrock. This is easy enough to naivigate as long as you don't need to slow down in a hurry when it begins to feel like marbles on a dinner plate. After this the trail snakes along the edge of a canyon before opening up near the bottom allowing you to twist the throttle and get a little air. All in all it's a great place to find out how bikes perform on aggressive terrain.
The first thing I noticed about the new SX Trail was the rear shock. The remote resevoir equipped 5th Element spec'ed on the 2005 model never felt good to me but this year's bike rolls out with the Fox DHX 5.0 coil and it felt fantastic without any tinkering at all. Otherwise the bike felt a lot like last year's. It wasn't broke so Specialized didn't fix it. This is a bike that doesn't hold your hand the way a downhill bike does but it rewards boldness. If you are dynamic and you attack the trail it's capable of pretty much anything but if you plant your ass on the saddle and lock your elbows the SX won't encourage you to get off the brakes and pin it.
Lower on the mountain I jumped on the new Big Hit Stuart was riding. The much-loved previous BH was a fantastic bike despite hanging onto the 24" rear wheel until long after that config. had lost favour. The new bike's rear suspension felt great and while I'm not crazy about the lines I think this will be a great ride for folks just getting into the long travel game.
Eventually I got my mitts on the Ransom. I had to wait while Stuart was getting set up with a Norco A-Line and everyone wanted to lift the bike and ask questions. It apparently weighs just under 30lbs but the frame takes up so much volume that everyone is shocked when they pick it up. It feels very light when pedalled as well and while I didn't get much time climbing it had me dreaming of epic back country adventures. This is a bike that would be right at home in the Chilcotins where long climbs are rewarded by thousands of feet of slithering singletrack vertical.
The Ransom did not disappoint.
Off the top of the descent, where things are steep and heinous, the bikes 'all mountain' target became apparent. The head angle is quite steep and I was white knuckling a few sections. Once the trail opened up the bike really started to sing and expose it's playful side. Hopefully the Ransom is a preview of what's to come for freeride bikes and eventually sturdy bikes under 30 lbs with lots of travel will become the norm.
Scott Montgomery, marketing honch for Scott in North America, pointed out that the air shock on the Ransom was a pre-production model. I would have liked to play with it to see if I could make it more lively but for the most part I thought it worked well. Making a rear shock for the first time and then sliding it into a flagship bike is bold to say the least - and maybe a little risky.
That's all for me from the Dirt Demo. Wednesday night we'll be checking out the premiere of NWD 6 Unchained.
