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PDC eight2five reviews

scottishmark

scottishmark

Turbo Monkey
May 20, 2002
2,121
22
Somewhere dark, cold & wet....
I've seen piles of info of what works and what doesn't and even more photos of these frames/bikes but haven't seen any kind of review from anyone yet.

Edge mag did a review but i'd like to hear some feedback from folk here that own or have test ridden one. Basically i'm hunting for a new frame, the eight2five (as everyone seems to agree) looks sweet but i'm worried it wont suit someone with a plougher(ish) style.

Any Monkeys got any info?

Cheers, Mark

EDIT: meant to put a ? in the subject line, apologies to anyone who thought they were getting to read a review
 
xy9ine

xy9ine

Turbo Monkey
Mar 22, 2004
2,940
353
vancouver eastside
great all round bike. pedals really well, doesnt wallow in it travel (maybe not as 'supple' as some single pivots that tend to bob a bit more), but sucks up the knarl really well. low bb (mines @ 13.5" with an 8" fork) makes for great stability & a fantastic cornerer. short chainstays (16-7/8") = works great in the tight stuff. not a plow bike by definition, but i can't complain about its ability to straightline the chunder. a really fun & flickable chassis. i like it lots.
 
jonKranked

jonKranked

Detective Dookie
Nov 10, 2005
86,030
24,567
media blackout
thats pretty hot. can we get a build spec and weight? maybe some closer shots of the linkage? also is that a manipoo shock i see?
 
Zark

Zark

Hey little girl, do you want some candy?
Oct 18, 2001
6,254
7
Reno 911
xy9ine said:
low bb (mines @ 13.5" with an 8" fork)
Click to expand...
Really? I checked the PDC website and they indicated 14.5" with a 7" fork.

Are you measuring to the center of the axle or to the bottom of the shell? Center of the axle is the "standard" point of reference (at least I think so)
 
Bicyclist

Bicyclist

Turbo Monkey
Apr 4, 2004
10,152
2
SB
Mmmmm, one of my favorite frames!

That white one is sick. That and the Comencal are so clean and pretty!
 
Bicyclist

Bicyclist

Turbo Monkey
Apr 4, 2004
10,152
2
SB
And yes, BB height is ground-2-center. It's a pain to measure accurately because your bike can't be tilted at all.
 
Sir_Crackien

Sir_Crackien

Turbo Monkey
Feb 7, 2004
2,051
0
alex. va. usa.
not to mean but it looks like that is a pretty long chain stay to me. i could beleave that is was a 17.875cs but 16.875 would cause more bashring tire over lap (that way it looks) and there is none in that pic.

very sweet bike though
 
xy9ine

xy9ine

Turbo Monkey
Mar 22, 2004
2,940
353
vancouver eastside
Zark said:
Really? I checked the PDC website and they indicated 14.5" with a 7" fork.

Are you measuring to the center of the axle or to the bottom of the shell? Center of the axle is the "standard" point of reference (at least I think so)
Click to expand...
just double checked; its actually 13-5/8" (to center). i've got a flush reducer headset, 2.2 tires, and the boxxer is slammed - probably makes up the difference.
 
jonKranked

jonKranked

Detective Dookie
Nov 10, 2005
86,030
24,567
media blackout
wicked. have you considered putting a diff shock on there? Right now I'm not sure if the frame I want is going to come through or not, so I'm exploring alternatives. I like this bike and the Commencal supreme as well. did you compare this bike with the PDC solaris at all?
 
xy9ine

xy9ine

Turbo Monkey
Mar 22, 2004
2,940
353
vancouver eastside
Sir_Crackien said:
not to mean but it looks like that is a pretty long chain stay to me. i could beleave that is was a 17.875cs but 16.875 would cause more bashring tire over lap (that way it looks) and there is none in that pic.

very sweet bike though
Click to expand...
thanks! just double checked the cs - its actually 16.75". thats only a 34t guide ring on there - probably makes it look longer.
 
Zark

Zark

Hey little girl, do you want some candy?
Oct 18, 2001
6,254
7
Reno 911
xy9ine said:
just double checked; its actually 13-5/8" (to center). i've got a flush reducer headset, 2.2 tires, and the boxxer is slammed - probably makes up the difference.
Click to expand...
I wonder what height difference an 888RC with flat crowns and 2.5" tires would put it at?
I could deal with 14.5" BB height with an 8" fork, but the specs on their site scared me away.

One more question: how is the suspension suppleness under braking?
 
xy9ine

xy9ine

Turbo Monkey
Mar 22, 2004
2,940
353
vancouver eastside
jonKranked said:
wicked. have you considered putting a diff shock on there? Right now I'm not sure if the frame I want is going to come through or not, so I'm exploring alternatives. I like this bike and the Commencal supreme as well. did you compare this bike with the PDC solaris at all?
Click to expand...
i wouldn't mind trying a different shock out of curiosity - not that i have any complaints with this one (i also know a manitou tech that can work magic). i've been an a 5th for the last 3 years, so i guess i'm used to the 'deadness' that most people complain about with these shocks. fitment seems to be restricted on this frame, however. the 4-way air i looked into doesnt work. nor does a dhx, apparently. avy's & romic fits, and it looks like roco's may work.
 
freakrock

freakrock

Monkey
Aug 19, 2005
431
0
Santiago de Chile
Sir_Crackien said:
not to mean but it looks like that is a pretty long chain stay to me. i could beleave that is was a 17.875cs but 16.875 would cause more bashring tire over lap (that way it looks) and there is none in that pic.

very sweet bike though
Click to expand...
it IS a 16.875 CS... (i measured it 30 seconds ago)
 
xy9ine

xy9ine

Turbo Monkey
Mar 22, 2004
2,940
353
vancouver eastside
Bicyclist said:
Sounds like some sweet geo! I love low bb/short stay/slack bikes a lot.
Click to expand...
i've always liked shorter stays, but never had a low bb before. have to say i'm a convert - low bikes rock. i've had to drop the front a bit (1" riser, low stem, flush h.s.) to get a normal feeling hand to foot relationship, but the result is killer.
 
R

Red Bull

Turbo Monkey
Oct 22, 2004
1,772
0
970
xy9ine said:
i've always liked shorter stays, but never had a low bb before. have to say i'm a convert - low bikes rock. i've had to drop the front a bit (1" riser, low stem, flush h.s.) to get a normal feeling hand to foot relationship, but the result is killer.
Click to expand...
Me too. I went from a 15" Demo 9 to a DHR with a 13.6 bb and i couldent tell you how much i love it.

Id rock one of these bikes so fast... :love:

xy9ine- such a sick build. :cool:
 
R

Rabie

Guest
scottishmark said:
i should've known this thread would've quickly turned into another drool fest :mumble: ;)
Click to expand...
I noticed the lack of many substantive reviews when I was looking into buying mine. Seems that besides a few posts by xy9ine and vitox, there's not a whole lot. I've got a good bit of time on the bike now, and can tell you that whatever praise and drool there is out there is very well justified. I'm not sure if I'd say it plows well, but I've ridden it back to back with a friend's Turner (anti-plow), and it definitely felt smoother through chop and on square-edge hits. Braking was noticeably better also, and that's not nomally something I think about. There's a section on a local trail where you come pretty well flat out down a long chute into a sweeping left turn coming into which I always manage to touch my brakes. It's not at all a rough section, but there's definitely some chatter coming into the turn. While the pdc holds the line dead straight, the Turner would let you know just when you got on the brakes as the rear end immediately started to skip about. I'm not sure which was actually faster, and I actually like to skip/slam my rear end through turns sometimes, but the pdc was definitely more active under braking. No complaints about wallowing or bobbing under pedalling. The bike just hits a spot into its travel and stays there even when you're mashing pretty hard. The short rear end and low bb (numbers posted earlier sound about right --I think my bb is right around 14" with a 22.5" a-c fork) make snapping through/out of turns unreasonably fun. So yeah, if you need any more specific info, let me know, but again, the bike is really, really good. If you're considering one, I can't imagine you'd be disappointed.

And here's a picture. People seem to like those.
 
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