| REVIEW: 2007 Brodie Zealot |
My first bike was a Brodie Espresso. It came with the elastomer RockShox Quadra fork, which lasted until I upgraded to the Judy. The eggplant bike still lives on, but it has been relegated to life as My husband Lee's commuter. Brodie has come a long way since those days back in the '90s when a ride meant climbing up technical single track that is now a West Vancouver subdivision. They've even been part of the trend towards big travel, so it's nice to see Brodie embracing its roots with the Zealot, a 6-and-6 bike that's able to climb and descend - with skills that my little Espresso couldn't quite match. |
 The eggplant Espresso at the start of the Cheakamus Challenge 1994 |
The Zealot frame
I ride an 18" frame so I chose this same size for the Zealot, and at first
glance, it seemed a bit big. The standover is tight for me at 5'9", but
that could be the 160mm RockShox Lyrik fork that set the front end pretty high.
It also gave the bike a beefier look. The heavy gussets and nice welds also
lent to the bike's beefy demeanour. At 37 lbs., the Zealot can't really be classified
as svelte. It came with a 100mm 10° stem. Swapping this out with a 0°
rise or shorter stem would easily shorten the cockpit. I would have liked a
90mm stem on this puppy, but I adapted to the 100mm.
The Zealot - 6" of front and rear suspension just waiting to do their thing
Front end The Floodgate platform damping setting is easy to turn on and off, but I didn't use this feature very much. I ended up leaving the compression and rebound set up stiffer for a more all-mountain (i.e. climbing) set up. I'd prefer to have the rebound dampening more accessible since I play with this adjustment more then compression. There is no travel height adjustment on the Lyrik Air Solo, so if you want adjustability, you will have to go with the Lyric 2Step or U-Turn, which are slightly heavier forks. I found that the bike sat rather high in the front with this fork, making technical climbing more challenging. A travel adjustable fork would be a better choice if you plan to use this bike for more climbing applications then descending. The best part of the fork was the Maxle quick release thru axle. It's great, and makes taking off the front wheel as easy as it used to be back in the old days. |
 The Lyrik is stiff and plush, but some riders may find it tall without travel adjust |
 The Pearl 3.3 kept the rear end of the Zealot plush |
Rear end Again, I didn't end up using the Floodgate setting on the shock. The Pearl was very plush, and it didn't bottom out when a rider 50 lbs. heavier than I am tested it at the pressure settings for my weight. |
Miscellaneous
This isn't your standard nsmb bike review. I shared this bike with Dan Gronross to give a 'she said, he said' review. Here's the way it worked out.
About Sharon
I am 5'9", weigh 150 lbs, and have been riding for 15 years. As mentioned above, I come from an XC hardtail background but have moved with technology and ride a Titus RacerX for XC, a Turner 6 pack for DH and Shore riding, and a Norco Team Ti set up for more freeriding/shore/technical XC riding.
About Dan
I am 6'1", weigh 185lbs. I have been riding for 9 years. I come from Ontario so XC was the first passion, with “Freeride” being the eventual outcome of moving here to British Columbia. I ride a 2004 Norco Shore and have a 2006 Devinci Coyote as a bike to ride around the streets on.
Sharon says:
- A well spec'd bike where everything worked well together.
- The Syncros seat is larger than I'm used to, but didn't affect the taint in a negative way. Adjustments on the seat were easy thanks to the microadjust Syncros seatpost. This was a great feature since I shared this bike with Dan, who changed the seat position each time he rode it so I had to change it back.
- The Avid Juicys are fantastic, reliable brakes. They modulated really well and I could very comfortably use one finger breaking on most Shore trails. They were squeaky initially, which went away with wear.
- The Syncros tires were sticky and performed well in wet conditions. The rear tire did slip on technical steep pitches that required a bit more grip i.e., in the wet, which could be due to its higher durometer ( 55 vs 50 for the front). The rims are flashy and are holding up well so far.
Dan says:
- A complete “turn key bike”, that was very well spec’d for my intended use.
- SRAM X-9… I am a Saint guy, but these components were great. They shifted with ease and were very precise. Of course as the bike got use, they needed a bit of adjustment to keep them shifting properly. Oh yeah, Sharon, they need to be adjusted!
- Yeah I changed the seat, but I weigh in more than Sharon and well I guess even when I had the seat cranked, it would move a bit. Plus, I just plain neglected to change it back, Other than that, the seat and adjustable seatpost were really good. I did find that the Syncros seat was a bit wide on the climb up Eagle, but as Sharon has noted, it was super easy to adjust the seat when I got it from her each weekend.
- The Avid Juicy's were better than great, they were amazing. They gave me confidence (while one finger braking) that when I got in over my head, I had the ability to stop. They had a squeak that I found would ramp up and then disappear on climbs. But I got use to it and I am guessing that with a little tech help, they would stop that.
- The Syncros tires were sticky and performed well in wet conditions. I rode Eagle in a Biblical flood and they stayed true to the line that I choose. I did find, however, that when I dropped the pressure a bit, they tended to roll over very easily. But trusting the bike more and its abilities allowed me to forget about dropping the pressure and the tires continued to roll great. I loved the rims both for the way that they looked and the way that they held up. There were times when I landed or rolled over something that was kind of ugly, and I could rely on that fact that they remained true and strong.
One reason why the Zealot rode so well in a variety of different conditions is the four-bar rear linkage
Performance - Riding on the Shore
Sharon says... The technical descents are also easily tracked and when I have to slow down and make a move, the bike reacts predictably. The Lyrik and Pearl are plush and again predictable, offering a confident ride. Having ridden the go-to Shore trails - 7th, Corkscrew, Pingu, Pangor and Ned's - it was now time to go out on some more challenging terrain where I can open it up. The Lyrik saved me a few times on the steep drops of the old school Cypress trails. |
 Classic Shore riding, on a medium sized bike |
The bike deserves particular kudos for the way it rode down Ned's. I have ridden the Shore since 1992 so I know what Ned's used to be like, and I try to avoid this kind of chunder if I can. For a bike to make this trail bearable for me is an endorsement in my books and the Zealot did just that.
Dan says...
As a person that dislikes the crowds and feels that one must earn his/her lines, I prefer to pedal up. That makes Fromme my favourite mountain. I took the Zealot down the standard Fromme and Seymour lines and it handled all the trails with ease. Riding up was no issue at all, and I even enjoyed the ability to pedal and maintain a decent speed going up.
The bike handled very well on the tight techy old school stuff such as Grannies. While you can feel the serious head-down-and-hammer XC roots in the bike, the simple fact that I could still have fun on it made for an enjoyable ride. A buddy calls me a grasshopper when I am having a good day because I hop all over the place. The Zealot handled my springboard riding with ease and allowed me to ramp up into jumps and maintain the stylie composure in the air, and land without a sound. Okay, without a sound bit might be a stretch! At high speeds, the bike tracked well and stayed true to my direction.
I also rode some more challenging high-consequence trails offered at Eagle Mountain. As Sharon mentioned, the higher front end made climbing the really steep stuff a little bit difficult, but getting off the bike on the likes of the Dentist is necessary anyways. I also found the seat a bit wide, so long times in the saddle were a bit uncomfortable.
The male component of the equation - Dan Gronross gets to experience the Zealot and report on his findings
I found that the bike handled well on the really technical descents, and while it started to get a bit squirrelly on the high speed descents, that was the only place. When I pointed it around a tree/log/root, the bike took it.
When I first got on the bike and pointed her downhill, I found the stem ridiculously long. While I never went over the handlebars, there were a few very close calls. After getting use to the geometry and the long stem, however, I found the bike very precise in tracking. When I wanted it to go somewhere, it went when instructed. The Lyrik and the Pearl are an incredible combination. They both performed well without being too technical to set up.
Overall, the bike handled well and stayed true to what it was built for - a true Vancouver-designed all-mountain bike.
Pemberton and Squamish rock face riding
Sharon says...
Pemberton and Squamish offer different riding conditions and challenges than the technical trails on the North Shore. You can open it up on these trails, which are punctuated by steeper rock faces that can be aired or rolled. The Zealot was really comfortable opening up and would soak up pretty much everything I pointed it down. This bike likes flowy trails.
Sharon showing just how well this bike can do in the steeps, when it's given a chance
Cross country riding
Sharon says...
I didn't have a chance to take it out on a real XC ride. If you consider Bridle/Old Buck/Severed route XC, then I'd say this bike rides well. It is a bit heavy for longer epic rides where you don't need the comfort of the increased suspension, but overall, it's a comfortable ride and climbs well.
The Brodie was fun for mellower terrain, as well, and made getting to the top a relatively simple task
Summary
Sharon says...
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Dan says...
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I don't know whether to put this in the Pro/Con area, but the only real issue that I had was the positioning. The bike rides down like an XC in the tight techy stuff. At first, I found the long stem and the response of the bike to be a hindrance, but as I got used to the bike riding like that and in the end I feel that it has made me a better technical rider.
For 2008 - Some changes in components will be made to the 2008 Zealot to shave off a few pounds. This will make it a lighter, but still worthy burly all-mountain machine with a colour to match its new, faster build.
Detailed Specifications - from Brodie
Suggested retail for the Zealot is CDN $3,699.
Frame Set - Frame 7005 Aluminum, 6" Travel
Fork - Rock Shox Lyrik Solo Air 160mm
Shock - Rockshox Pearl 3.3
Sizes - XS, S, M, L
Color - Purple
Wheelset - Syncros DS28 All Mountain
Tires - Syncros BHT 2.6 Tires
Stem - Syncros DH Race Stem - 100mm on 18inch frame
Bar - Syncros Bulk 20mm Riser bar
Post - Syncros Derived seatpost/ 'flip-flop' clamp
Grips - Velo Dual Density DH style lock on grips
Saddle - Syncros FRDH Race Leather with elliptical rails
Headset - FSA No. 18 AHEADSET
BrakeSet - AVID Juicy 5 with 8" Rotor
Crankset - Truvativ Stylo 2.2AM 24-36T
Pedals - Shimano PD-M545 with cage ( I used flat pedals)
Chain - SRAM PC 971 Powerchain
Front Derailleur - SRAM X-7 Top Pull
Rear Derailleur - SRAM X-9 Med. Cage
Shifters - SRAM X-9 Trigger Shifters
Geometry for a medium Zealot is as follows:
Seat Tube Length - 457mm/18"
Head Tube Angle - 68.0°
Seat Tube Angle - 73.0°
Top Tube Length - 590mm
Head Tube Length - 125mm
Bottom Bracket Height - 20mm
Chainstay - 440mm
Want to get over zealous about the Zealot review? Unload here.
