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The looks aes·thét·içs:
(because we all know that’s what counts)
Well, judge for yourself. Personally, I can’t decide whether this bike is the ugliest thing I’ve ever seen or, if it’s actually kind of cool. I definitely think GT have achieved something better than the previous DHi in terms of looks. The overall appearance of the bike is fast, although a little K-Martish.
The Ride per·ƒor´m·ancé:
So I get up to the start line for my first run of the day on a bike I’ve never ridden before, look down at my feet, sunk to the ankles in sloppy Auckland mud, look at the Kenda dry weather tyres on the bike, look back at my feet, look at the tyres and already, I know this isn’t looking good. To add to my problems, the seat post was way to high, after getting some allen keys off a friendly free rider, I discover that the rather long seat post clears the spring by no more than 2mm, so lowering it is out of the question. Hacksaw anyone??
Anyway, enough with the excuses: despite all this and weighing in at a fairly light 36 and a half pounds (about 18kg) the bike felt pretty stable, even in the thick mud at high speed (well, as stable as one can feel is such conditions).
Pedalling: This is where the bike really comes it to its own, as I guess we come to expect from an I-drive based machine. In the flatter sections of the track, as soon as you put the foot down the bike takes off – it’s almost like you’re riding a hardtail, but it’s not slapping about all over the place, loosing traction.
Cornering: Well, by the time I got to the bottom section of the course the tyres were well and truly clogged up, the handle bars were twisted and the derailleur hanger was bent, so… it was hard to really judge how this thing handles.
I think the higher single pivot design (compared to the old I-drive) gives the bike greater stability and better cornering – it holds a better profile when railing a berm and as a result spits you out at a higher speed. |
