Alright, I know "Best" is a little ambiguous but I've owned over 20 bikes and this one is the Bee's Knees. I sold both of my trail bikes, SJer HT 29er and Blur 4x to build one do it all bike. I loved the geometry of the 4x but I just couldn't get proper seat extension for longer rides and climbs. I made myself a list of things I wanted in a new frame: Tapered headtube, low BB, short chainstays, 67-68ish headtube angle, ability to run the new 142x12 thru axle, water bottle mounts, and I was looking for the complete bike to be around 25lbs. The ASR5 checked all the boxes and after a new job afforded me a little more discretionary income I sprung for Carbon.
Build:
Large ASR5-C
King Headset
Rock Shox Revelation with 1 piece Carbon Crown/steerer 150mm
Sun Ringle Black Flag Pro wheelset
Formula R1 185/160
E.13 XC/AM crankset with 34T single ring
Thomson Stem 50mm
Thomson Seatpost
Specialized Phenom seat (now on it's 6th bike)
Answer 720 Carbon Bars
X.9 rear Der. and Shifter
Sram 990 Cassette
Schwalbe Racing Ralph tires
Crank Bros Mallets (From my now stolen DH bike)
Bike sits at 24lbs even right now, should be a little lighter when I get different pedals.
The Ride:
Within 10 minutes of riding the bike I knew I made the right choice. I couldn't believe the acceleration, the bike really puts power to the ground. Short bursts up little hills or over rocks/roots felt like I was twisting back on a throttle. Descending is amazing, I found myself taking different lines on old trails, boosting any rock or root and hanging it out a bit more on corners, it's definitely a confidence inspiring frame. Now how about that Carbon? Carbon is Rad, and it's here to stay. The frame was stiff when it needed to be and supple when it needed to be. I did a loop I've done about 50 times that usually leaves me done for the day but when I got back to my truck I wasn't winded at all so I grabbed a second bottle and did another hour and a half of riding. I'm not sure if it was actually the carbon that helped or the simple fact that I was having so much fun, but does it really matter?
One gripe, which was to be expected, is climbing. With the Revelation at 150mm the HT angle is about 66.5 which is definitely caused the front to lift off an wander on some climbs. I had to really get over the front end on some climbs to keep the wheel on target. I think I might lower the fork to 130 to help with climbing and speed up the turning. I'm not crazy about the tires, but I think when the trails dry up a little more they'll shine.
I have the 142x12 kit coming later this week so I'll report back after I get a ride on the new standard.
Possible upgrades: 1x10, dropper seatpost thingy, carbon wheelset
Build:
Large ASR5-C
King Headset
Rock Shox Revelation with 1 piece Carbon Crown/steerer 150mm
Sun Ringle Black Flag Pro wheelset
Formula R1 185/160
E.13 XC/AM crankset with 34T single ring
Thomson Stem 50mm
Thomson Seatpost
Specialized Phenom seat (now on it's 6th bike)
Answer 720 Carbon Bars
X.9 rear Der. and Shifter
Sram 990 Cassette
Schwalbe Racing Ralph tires
Crank Bros Mallets (From my now stolen DH bike)
Bike sits at 24lbs even right now, should be a little lighter when I get different pedals.
The Ride:
Within 10 minutes of riding the bike I knew I made the right choice. I couldn't believe the acceleration, the bike really puts power to the ground. Short bursts up little hills or over rocks/roots felt like I was twisting back on a throttle. Descending is amazing, I found myself taking different lines on old trails, boosting any rock or root and hanging it out a bit more on corners, it's definitely a confidence inspiring frame. Now how about that Carbon? Carbon is Rad, and it's here to stay. The frame was stiff when it needed to be and supple when it needed to be. I did a loop I've done about 50 times that usually leaves me done for the day but when I got back to my truck I wasn't winded at all so I grabbed a second bottle and did another hour and a half of riding. I'm not sure if it was actually the carbon that helped or the simple fact that I was having so much fun, but does it really matter?
One gripe, which was to be expected, is climbing. With the Revelation at 150mm the HT angle is about 66.5 which is definitely caused the front to lift off an wander on some climbs. I had to really get over the front end on some climbs to keep the wheel on target. I think I might lower the fork to 130 to help with climbing and speed up the turning. I'm not crazy about the tires, but I think when the trails dry up a little more they'll shine.
I have the 142x12 kit coming later this week so I'll report back after I get a ride on the new standard.
Possible upgrades: 1x10, dropper seatpost thingy, carbon wheelset
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