Seat_boy...nice blog, man. Digg it.
Well y'all...I just got back from the trail and I'm really satisfied. It performed as expected in some ways and totally surprised me in others.
1. Super Chunk: boulder drops, ledges, trials'y hop-up's...etc... this thing likes to wheelie so much better now with a taller fork. Wheelie drops off ledges, manuals off ledges, bunnyhops over logs, Monster Trucking! This thug will buss a cap on the Super Chunk.
2. The Chop: baby heads, big gravel, rock gardens...etc... As expected...the big steel tubes don't flex like the old spindly Kona Project 2 fork legs...not terribly compliant...but a tad more forgiving than aluminum. As expected...I gotta pick my lines, but the thing handles so well that picking lines is simple.
3. The Flow: winding singletrack, fast high-gear pedaly, smooth flowy...etc... This surprised me. The beginning of this trail is hard pack winding fast stuff. This rigid Freeride / All Mountain bike is 28.1#...I don't expect it to feel like my old rigid '98 Easton RAD tubed 22# singlespeed rocket. I expected it to be slightly quicker than my 28# 10oz Heckler, but this thing motors, man! It is situated such that standing for long periods is easy and asks me to pick a bigger gear and motor. It flows around corners well and just feels plain fun.
I'm really happy with it. It's a fantastic contrast to the Heckler. I wish I had one more identical, but with a 4XWC or something light/tough to fill out my garage. This will be my go-to bike for my "on-the-way-home-from-work" trail rides. Throw it on the rack and motor.