sweet!
@laine care to share what tested and why you went with the M3?
I wanted a 5"-ish travel bike, so I looked at what fit my criteria. I'm 5'1" - so frame sizing and geometry is not as easy for me as it probably is for you. My inseam is about 28.5"-ish - so standover is important to me. (There is this thing called "clam slam" - but we won't talk about that.)
Criteria list:
- 5"-ish inches of travel
- Low standover
- Carbon frame
- Customizable - I want to build from the frame - I have to change too many things on prebuilt bikes (cranks to a shorter length, stem, bars, grips, saddle, etc.)
- Not a women's bike - unisex only (easier for resale)
- Available for a test ride
That said, I took a look at the bikes that met my criteria and narrowed it down to a few:
- Mojo 3
- SB5
- Transition Scout
- 5010
- Pivot Switchblade
Mojo 3 - The first time I demo'd this bike, it was on 2.8 tires - which I had never ridden before. I really like how the DW Link climbs, in general, and climbing is my weak area. The bike just felt like it fit and it had this combination of stability and nimbleness on the downhill. I just had a smile on my face. Because of the large tires, I found another one locally to demo - it had 2.5 tires - so a bit closer to what I'd ride. And I rode it on my local trails, so I could really get a feel for it. Loved it the second time as well.
SB5 - This was a close second, but I felt the geometry was slightly off for me. I liked the low standover of the XS, but the cockpit felt a bit cramped compared with the Mojo 3. It did feel really nimble on the ride, but I felt the Mojo 3 was a bit more stable (which may have been the tires). It was tough because I wasn't comparing apples to apples - the SB5 had 2.35 tires, so it was hard to compare exactly.
Transition Scout - As is often the case with bike demos, there was just one size small at the demo I went to. There was a wait for it, and I was chatting with one of the women waiting for it. She got it about an hour later, and was kind enough to let me do a quick parking lot ride before she took it out on the trail. It was ok - but the geometry of the Mojo 3 and SB5 both felt better. So I kind of just ruled it out based on that ride.
5010 - The standover was just slightly too high for me.
Switchblade - I really have no need for a 29-er, so don't really need this option on a bike. I didn't get a chance to test ride this bike - but they do have demos by me, so I could probably try to track one down. But I really liked the Mojo 3, so felt like I had found my steed.
-laine
I will write up something shortly but I got on a mojo 3 today and I can't agree more with you in regards to the wheels and tires. The Ibis's, with the 35 ID Wheel sets are on it! I was only able to get on a 2.35" and what a difference. I much prefer the wider for the ease and pure fun factor. Nice choice. @laine I demoed the Trek Fuel EX 9.8 which is the shop owners personal bike and he had the new 30mmID XXX Carbon wheels but it running 2.25 ardents. Even with the same 2.25's as the Intense Primer's amenic 21mmID , the FEX was more stable and rolled better. There is no doubt in my mind the 30-35mm wheel is the way to go and I prefer the 35 ID. I am going to talk to my LBS owner to see if he's willing to put the spec'd 2.8 or even a 2.6 on the demo mojo so I can test it an then decide. I would love to demo the trek with a wider tire as well- long story short, the FUEL EX is close to the ripley but the Ripley is my choice for pure smooth climbing and roll over cush. The FUEL EX was really good though. I do wonder if putting a wider tire on the 30's if it would be as "easy" as the ripley.
