Mountain Biking - New bike arrived, heres a review! XtC SE3

After what seemed like years;) , the bike arrived today (Tuesday). Well to be honest, it didnt arrive, but there WAS one in store that was sold, and came with a speedo installed, so i took it instead, as the owner doesnt want it until Saturday.

First thoughts
The bike is fast, pretty, light, agile, responsive and stops VERY quickly. Much MUCH faster than my old heap MTB, the tyres are Hutchinson Pythons which are quite nice, as the treads are low enough for road usage, but just aggressive enough for off road trails.
The XT derailer paired with the Deore shifters are VERY nice, the shifts are nice and smooth, and pretty much silent. Brakes, god!, i cant get over how nice these are, SO powerful, and being able to adjust em from the handlebars, on the move really rocks. Stoppies are really really easy, just jam the brake at any speed, and the rear wheel just pops up :) . They made a BIT of noise for a while, but it soon faded.
Forks are actually better than expected, Manitou AXEL Elites, i plan to convert to 100mm and install stiffer springs after a while but they suit me nicely, soft, progressive travel. Basically what i need for the riding i do.

Bad points
The handlebars, these are horrid for me, no rise, if anything they slope down a bit, way too narrow, make the bike a tad twitchy. Some risers shall be on their way. :D
The grips, oohhh, rough, basically too hard, and i thought my Yeti's were slippery when wet! They will be coming off
Paintwork, sadly the paint chips VERY easily, had major chainslap from jumps, bunnyhops, small bumps etc. Id say id need a chain tensioner on there asap, had to actually wrap tape around the chain stay after the cycle into town.
The fact that there is no QR seatclamp! WHY!
The fact that i cant stay off. :D

Possible upgrades.
Marzocchi MX Pro ETA/Rock Shox Psylo SL
SRAM chain, ease of cleaning basically
THE fenders, i hate looking like ive "a bout of explosive diahrrea"
Slicks and Maxxis Mobsters
Chain guide (need help, triple ring i want to keep)
Seat post QR clamp
Some decals
My legs

Springers final thought
Coming off a super soft FS bike, its really a whole new ball game, i kinda have to steer around stuff i usually tank over, but its more than worth it, more speed, i cant see me being able to sprint to 25mph on the old machine! No complaints with the cateye Velo 5 that came with the bike, usable functions, and auto start stop is a godsend :) Really REALLY happy with this bike, best purchase i have ever made. I ultimately wanted the SE2 because black bike are nice, but now that the red one is here, its nice with the contrast of the black componentry, rims tyres etc and the red frame is really rather damn nice :)


Take care of youself, aaaaand each other. :beer::)

sounds nice :) Im getting my new bike in a week or so so i will be able to post my reviews of it after giving it its first good thrashing :)

Yea keep us posted mate, people round here like to see pics too ;) sadly i havent got a digital camera, shall get one for christmas maybe. What bike you thinking of?

I will experiment with the forks tomorrow and see what the 100mm travel feels like. Drop in and get a Lizard Skin for the chainstay too.

Have the day off school tomorrow, so i shall have pretty much all day to fiddle, wanna maybe do 30-35 miles too, break the bike in properly :D

Does anyone know about the chain tensioner/guide?
If i were to fit one, would i have to take off the top ring? Could i take off the smallest, and shift the other, larger two into that position?

There are several Chain Guides that will allow you to run the granny and middle chainrings and a bash guard in lieu of the big ring. I don't know of ANY that will work with all three, I'm guess that's called a "front derailleur". I know, call me crazy.

Sarcasm aside, the two that I know of offhand are the Evil and the MRP. I think Black Spire has also come out with a dual ring version.

L8R

Originally posted by a2psyklnut
There are several Chain Guides that will allow you to run the granny and middle chainrings and a bash guard in lieu of the big ring. I don't know of ANY that will work with all three, I'm guess that's called a "front derailleur". I know, call me crazy.

I believe the old Girvin Rock-Ring allowed you to keep all three chainrings. I don't think the Girvin product is still made but there's also a similar product from Alloy Accents called the Tooth Fairy.

Yea congrats on the new bike, its a great feeling. I finally finished my rocky mountain pipeline, and now i can barely stand at my job at the shop without wanting to ride it. happy trails!
byron

Cheers for the help, what am i to do? I want to keep the three rings, but dont want such bad chainslap, what do you guys reccomend? Would a lizard skin do the job?

Thanks again

Yes, a Lizard Skin will definately help. Regardless of how tight the chain is, there is usally some degree of slap on the chainstay.

However, you may have an unecessary link in your chain. Check the length in the BIG-BIG gear combination. It this combo still has the rear derailleur in a vertical orientaion, you can probably have a link (two half links) removed. This will increase the spring tension in the rear derailleur and reduce the amount of chain slap. Take it to the shop and ask them to check it for you.

L8R

Im getting the new 2004 Specialized Hardrock Disc... Ill post sum pics when i get it :)