Background
I've been riding for 13 years and riding and racing DH for 10 years.
I've never been much of a hucker or jumper, I just ride and race DH when I get the itch.
The local trails here are straight brutal. 20 minute descents, dropping 2,000' of vertical over broken sandstone.
In that time I've had a few DH bikes, a '98 Specialized FSR pro w/ a lot of MRP goodies was my first real gravity whip.
2000 Giant DH team, a 2002 Spec. Big Hit DH, and a 2003 Intense M1. The M1 was by far my favorite DH I'd owned, and will be my benchmark for comparison.
It pedaled good, cornered great and fit me well. It had a bit of an issue on square edged hits and small bump performance.
I've spent about two months now on the Shocker and here's my feedback to this point, I'll probably update this at a later date when I've had some more saddle time.
Construction.
This frame was made to last. Easton RAD tubing, massive wrap-around gussets and welds that define "stack of dimes".
The beefy and replaceable dropouts are a nice touch. The maxle rear end makes removing the rear wheel a tool-free operation.
Geometry.
Headangle, 65.5
BB height, 14.5"
Travel, 8.75"
Wheelbase, 46" (Medium)
Chainstay, 17.6"
Toptube, 22.6" (medium)
Fit.
I'm 5'10" and around 165lbs.
I ordered the medium, which is a 22.6" top tube, which is on the short side. My buddy quickly called the size "smedium"
I like a pretty compact bike, so this worked out pretty well. My knees aren't encroaching on the top crown and it doesn't feel tiny.
I put a layback seatpost on it to give me a bit more room. If you are any taller you might want to look at the large.
Build.
I'm a fan of riding my bikes, not wrenching on them constantly, so the build is on the reliable/heavy side.
Build weight is 45lbs and change.
'05 888 RC with low crowns
Hadley hubs, Mavic 729 rims, 14-15 DT spokes
Avid Juicy 7's on 203 rotors
Saint cranks
Shimano lx shifter, 105 short der. 11-32 lx cassette.
Stans No-tubes kit.
Suspension Setup.
I set the shock to sag about 35% into the travel with minimal propedal or bottom out.
The rear end is very progressive, There is no need to add a lot of bottom out to the DHX.
Ride.
Pedaling. This thing pedals great. The initially rearward axle path gives a little chain tension, which doesn't seem to be a bad thing.
In the saddle its smooth foward acceleration. Out of the saddle its a bob-free experience (a nice change from the M1 which seemed to bog down out of the saddle).
This firm pedaling feels great when jamming on the pedals out of a corner.
Small bump performance is worlds better than the 5th element/M1 I came off of.
The small stuff dissappears in the background noise of the trail. Square edged bump performance was also much improved.
On Tunnel trail, where its relatively flat and littered with harsh hits, the bike is much easier to carry speed and stay at critical momentum.
On Big hits the progressive linkage helps prevent any real harsh bottom outs, even with my "soft" setup.
This bike loves speed. The faster the trail, the better. Big sweeper corners & high speed straights are a blast on this bike.
It has a nice comfortable feel at mach, not twitchy at all.
Steep, rocky, technical terrain is not a problem, its point and shoot affair.
It is neither a plow bike or a finesse bike, you can approach rock gardens any way you see fit.
The 14.5" bb seems a good compromise for cornering and clearance here.
This bike is very lively, it likes quick direction changes, hopping over chunks of trail & jumping around.
The frame is quite low slung with plenty of standover height
Tight switchbacks are a bit tougher than on my old M1, you can feel the longer chainstays in these situations.
You can manage though, it just requires non-IMBA approved cornering techniques
Problems.
The paint. Total crap. It scratches really easy. Its a really thin coat, you can actually see the Easton logo stamped into the tubing.
I'd expect a nicer powdercoat finish for a bike at this price.
The maxle, it likes to come loose. Crank it tight and make sure the lever is snug. The Maxle rear end also means no Saint der. compatability.
Cable routing is very clean looking but it can cause headaches since its routed through the linkage.
Removing and installing a disc brake requires removing the shock entirely and half the swing link...a small thing but worth mentioning.
Overall.
This bike rocks. It suits my casual racing and serious riding needs. It pedals great, charges the technical sections & loves speed. The frame has enough beef to withstand some serious abuse, but itsn't a total pig. Best of all, its really fun to ride, its playful and responsive. I'm happy with my bike and look forward to pushing it all season
I've been riding for 13 years and riding and racing DH for 10 years.
I've never been much of a hucker or jumper, I just ride and race DH when I get the itch.
The local trails here are straight brutal. 20 minute descents, dropping 2,000' of vertical over broken sandstone.
In that time I've had a few DH bikes, a '98 Specialized FSR pro w/ a lot of MRP goodies was my first real gravity whip.
2000 Giant DH team, a 2002 Spec. Big Hit DH, and a 2003 Intense M1. The M1 was by far my favorite DH I'd owned, and will be my benchmark for comparison.
It pedaled good, cornered great and fit me well. It had a bit of an issue on square edged hits and small bump performance.
I've spent about two months now on the Shocker and here's my feedback to this point, I'll probably update this at a later date when I've had some more saddle time.
Construction.
This frame was made to last. Easton RAD tubing, massive wrap-around gussets and welds that define "stack of dimes".
The beefy and replaceable dropouts are a nice touch. The maxle rear end makes removing the rear wheel a tool-free operation.
Geometry.
Headangle, 65.5
BB height, 14.5"
Travel, 8.75"
Wheelbase, 46" (Medium)
Chainstay, 17.6"
Toptube, 22.6" (medium)
Fit.
I'm 5'10" and around 165lbs.
I ordered the medium, which is a 22.6" top tube, which is on the short side. My buddy quickly called the size "smedium"
I like a pretty compact bike, so this worked out pretty well. My knees aren't encroaching on the top crown and it doesn't feel tiny.
I put a layback seatpost on it to give me a bit more room. If you are any taller you might want to look at the large.
Build.
I'm a fan of riding my bikes, not wrenching on them constantly, so the build is on the reliable/heavy side.
Build weight is 45lbs and change.
'05 888 RC with low crowns
Hadley hubs, Mavic 729 rims, 14-15 DT spokes
Avid Juicy 7's on 203 rotors
Saint cranks
Shimano lx shifter, 105 short der. 11-32 lx cassette.
Stans No-tubes kit.
Suspension Setup.
I set the shock to sag about 35% into the travel with minimal propedal or bottom out.
The rear end is very progressive, There is no need to add a lot of bottom out to the DHX.
Ride.
Pedaling. This thing pedals great. The initially rearward axle path gives a little chain tension, which doesn't seem to be a bad thing.
In the saddle its smooth foward acceleration. Out of the saddle its a bob-free experience (a nice change from the M1 which seemed to bog down out of the saddle).
This firm pedaling feels great when jamming on the pedals out of a corner.
Small bump performance is worlds better than the 5th element/M1 I came off of.
The small stuff dissappears in the background noise of the trail. Square edged bump performance was also much improved.
On Tunnel trail, where its relatively flat and littered with harsh hits, the bike is much easier to carry speed and stay at critical momentum.
On Big hits the progressive linkage helps prevent any real harsh bottom outs, even with my "soft" setup.
This bike loves speed. The faster the trail, the better. Big sweeper corners & high speed straights are a blast on this bike.
It has a nice comfortable feel at mach, not twitchy at all.
Steep, rocky, technical terrain is not a problem, its point and shoot affair.
It is neither a plow bike or a finesse bike, you can approach rock gardens any way you see fit.
The 14.5" bb seems a good compromise for cornering and clearance here.
This bike is very lively, it likes quick direction changes, hopping over chunks of trail & jumping around.
The frame is quite low slung with plenty of standover height
Tight switchbacks are a bit tougher than on my old M1, you can feel the longer chainstays in these situations.
You can manage though, it just requires non-IMBA approved cornering techniques
Problems.
The paint. Total crap. It scratches really easy. Its a really thin coat, you can actually see the Easton logo stamped into the tubing.
I'd expect a nicer powdercoat finish for a bike at this price.
The maxle, it likes to come loose. Crank it tight and make sure the lever is snug. The Maxle rear end also means no Saint der. compatability.
Cable routing is very clean looking but it can cause headaches since its routed through the linkage.
Removing and installing a disc brake requires removing the shock entirely and half the swing link...a small thing but worth mentioning.
Overall.
This bike rocks. It suits my casual racing and serious riding needs. It pedals great, charges the technical sections & loves speed. The frame has enough beef to withstand some serious abuse, but itsn't a total pig. Best of all, its really fun to ride, its playful and responsive. I'm happy with my bike and look forward to pushing it all season
