Any YT Jeffsy Owner’s in North Jersey?

Paul H

Paul H

Fearless OOS Poser
Man... I so sympathize with the OP after going thru the same a month ago.
I think the OP and I have similar personalities and thought processes. I can't offer any useful advice as I certainly had also get things vetted before pulling the trigger.
But the OP has my moral support and hope that he will be on the trails on the new bike sooner than later.
 
JohnnyWestood

JohnnyWestood

Active Member
JerseyPete said:
You mentioned the 5.5. I have been eyeing up the 427 and Switchblade. For me it is the DW link that has my attention. What feature is it that is driving you on the bikes you are considering?
Click to expand...
What I like about the Mach 5.5 is that it is the first full squish bike I’ve ridden that felt plush. I had ridden shorter travel bikes and while better than my old hardtail, they didn’t give me that feeling of being able to conquer anything like the Pivot. The reach and B.B. height and wheelbase are all where I like them, not too extreme either way. And the Fox 36 was so confidence inspiring. I was having a really bad day when I demoed it and I quickly forgot about all the bs and had a smile for a week.

The DW link is phenomenal. I don’t have a ton of experience with other platforms, but it felt great to me. It set the bar high for the bikes that I will ride after it.
 
JohnnyWestood

JohnnyWestood

Active Member
jdog said:
The big guys rely on marketing and their large presence and history to sell bikes. The little guys rely on demos.

Get what you really want. If you can't afford it now, wait. I don't sell pivot, but from what I've read thus far, you likely will have one next year.

Almost daily I see customers who are replacing bikes they bought a year ago.

You may not see it this way, but you are indeed buying a shop as much as a bike when you shop local. On a daily basis we go to bat for our customers in ways that they never understand or see. SO many warranty claims would be flat out rejected are covered w/o a little nudge that we often give.

I can't begin to tell you how often a warranty guy says "is he a good guy", which basically means, do you have a good reciprocal relationship and are they easy to work with? We say yes, and they send new part which likely shouldn't' or typically wouldn't have been covered. (this happens so much!)

Be picky and careful with sizing, wheel-size and travel. (in that order) Most large guys buy bikes too small and many small guys buy bikes too big. I've sold way more xxl higtowers of late than I ever though I would. This is because most guys over 6-4" have never even sat on a bike that actually fits them.

Speaking of SC, the thing that i'll chime in with is this. We sell a LOT of brands, and they honestly have the lowest warranty count of any brand I've dealt with in any way, Their bikes are a little heaver than some but tougher. They also offer lifetime warranty replacement on pivot bearings. (With such a wet year, this could save $100's)

If you are on the fence about the sizes, you might try and reach out to these companies directly about their sizing scales. Bikes are way longer than they were just 5 years ago and in many ways this makes them a lot different to ride. If you go too short on the reach numbers and end up running a long stem, you are fighting the natural geo and ride of the modern bike design. The new bikes center your weight between the wheels more than the old bikes did. Older bikes has you more over the front wheel.

Good luck!
Click to expand...
This! I really am focused on the shop as well as the bike. The place where I demoed the Pivot from really have gone above and beyond to make it happen. I would love to walk in there with $5k and buy it today. They do not offer financing though. Which for me, already stretching my budget further than I probably should, is a big deal. Instead of 6 or 12 months at 0% I will be accumulating interest on top of it as well.

In all I’ve visited 7 shops. 4 of them were not good experiences. The other 3 have been great, but the limited selection of XL bikes among the shops prevents me from really creating a broad knowledge base from which to decide.

Do you have any bikes in my size? You have replied to other posts I have put up on this forum, and seem like a solid guy. I am sure you’d be on the list of good shops to work with.
 
JohnnyWestood

JohnnyWestood

Active Member
C8N said:
Man... I so sympathize with the OP after going thru the same a month ago.
I think the OP and I have similar personalities and thought processes. I can't offer any useful advice as I certainly had also get things vetted before pulling the trigger.
But the OP has my moral support and hope that he will be on the trails on the new bike sooner than later.
Click to expand...
Thanks bud! It’s a “problem” only for people who don’t have real problems I guess. Feels a bit narcissistic, but I like to research before the wallet comes out. What did you wind up with?
 
Monkey Soup

Monkey Soup

Angry Wanker
JohnnyWestood said:
What I like about the Mach 5.5 is that it is the first full squish bike I’ve ridden that felt plush. I had ridden shorter travel bikes and while better than my old hardtail, they didn’t give me that feeling of being able to conquer anything like the Pivot. The reach and B.B. height and wheelbase are all where I like them, not too extreme either way. And the Fox 36 was so confidence inspiring. I was having a really bad day when I demoed it and I quickly forgot about all the bs and had a smile for a week.

The DW link is phenomenal. I don’t have a ton of experience with other platforms, but it felt great to me. It set the bar high for the bikes that I will ride after it.
Click to expand...

I've ridden just about every suspension design over the years, and the DW Link by far is the best I've experienced. Once you set it up, it delivers. Great initial and mid-stroke, excellent pedaling. I never have to hit the compression level on the rear shock unless I'm grinding up a road. You want to leave it wide open on the tech climbs so the rear wheel tracks. From what I've heard from owners, the Giant is a close second with their Maestro. The Switch on the Yeti is polarizing, some guys like it, others hate it. I also don't like bikes with super-short rear stays, this is a result of the trend towards long-reaches, not letting the bike's wheelbase get truck-like. For me and my body size, its hard to properly load the front wheel in a corner when its a mile away. Sure you get more stability when you're straight line high-speed monster-trucking through the rocks, but my observations of other riders on long bikes (probably too long for them) is they struggle through corners, both up and down. Even on smooth, high-speed flow trails like in bike parks, you need to be able to weight the front wheel. I'm 6', and I prefer a reach in the 435-445mm range, a medium on newer bikes, and with slightly longer stays (longer than the current average of 425-350) for stability. I've ridden alot of bikes to come to this conclusion, so if I were you I'd demo, at the place you will most often ride.
 
JohnnyWestood

JohnnyWestood

Active Member
Monkey Soup said:
I've ridden just about every suspension design over the years, and the DW Link by far is the best I've experienced. Once you set it up, it delivers. Great initial and mid-stroke, excellent pedaling. I never have to hit the compression level on the rear shock unless I'm grinding up a road. You want to leave it wide open on the tech climbs so the rear wheel tracks. From what I've heard from owners, the Giant is a close second with their Maestro. The Switch on the Yeti is polarizing, some guys like it, others hate it. I also don't like bikes with super-short rear stays, this is a result of the trend towards long-reaches, not letting the bike's wheelbase get truck-like. For me and my body size, its hard to properly load the front wheel in a corner when its a mile away. Sure you get more stability when you're straight line high-speed monster-trucking through the rocks, but my observations of other riders on long bikes (probably too long for them) is they struggle through corners, both up and down. Even on smooth, high-speed flow trails like in bike parks, you need to be able to weight the front wheel. I'm 6', and I prefer a reach in the 435-445mm range, a medium on newer bikes, and with slightly longer stays (longer than the current average of 425-350) for stability. I've ridden alot of bikes to come to this conclusion, so if I were you I'd demo, at the place you will most often ride.
Click to expand...
I was lucky enough to demo the Pivot at Ramapo. A place that kicked my butt last year on my hard tail. I think that def contributes to the feelings I have for the bike. Not to say some other bike wouldn’t blow me away as well. But I know for sure that bike delivers on my home turf.
 
kidzach

kidzach

Well-Known Member
Do not concern yourself with your new bike being "out of date". This will happen very soon after your purchase no matter when you buy. I seem to be in the same waiting cycle as yourself. I am also looking for an XL. My biggest criteria is "lifetime warranty" on the frame. I have cracked 2 frames over the years and both times Giant has replaced the frame. Not many bike companies have this warranty and not sure of the others. I am waiting for a giant demo day, but most likely I will purchase the Trance. I highly recommend Town Cycle. Mike and Phil know their stuff and are extremely helpful. Keep us updated on your purchase and why.
 
JohnnyWestood

JohnnyWestood

Active Member
kidzach said:
Do not concern yourself with your new bike being "out of date". This will happen very soon after your purchase no matter when you buy. I seem to be in the same waiting cycle as yourself. I am also looking for an XL. My biggest criteria is "lifetime warranty" on the frame. I have cracked 2 frames over the years and both times Giant has replaced the frame. Not many bike companies have this warranty and not sure of the others. I am waiting for a giant demo day, but most likely I will purchase the Trance. I highly recommend Town Cycle. Mike and Phil know their stuff and are extremely helpful. Keep us updated on your purchase and why.
Click to expand...
You are right. The rate of innovation means that the cutting edge is quickly replaced with the next latest and greatest. On the other hand, I demoed an Ibis Mojo 3 today. And that bike is seriously dated in terms of geometry. Many people size up on them, but since I’m already at XL, there is no up for me. We did the longer stem and I pushed the seat back, but for that money I don’t want to have to make those compromises. I know things will change, and quickly. But I want to be as far ahead on that curve as I can be when I plunk down 2+ mortgage payments on a bike.
 
TJYeti

TJYeti

Knows about bikes
Screw being ahead of the curve any more. I've got 7k into my Intense - xtr, chris king etc blah blah blah. 26" wheels still. Go ahead and laugh at my old bike when you see me on the trails. I'll be riding it for a long time to come. I don't concern myself with the latest trends and I can't afford to chase them. I'm still having fun.
 
Tim

Tim

aka sptimmy43
I wouldn't compromise on fit i.e. put on a long stem and slam the seat back all the way. I have had a bike that didn't fit right and it's not fun. The other stuff is far less important. Take boost as one example. There are plenty of bikes out there that still have 142mm rear axles. Hell there are still 135mm rear axles. Those bikes still work great. Look @TJYeti's example. He found a bike with a great frame and upgraded the parts over time. You can replace a 2x with a 1x. You can replace brakes. You can replace handlebars. Etc. Etc. Etc. Or not. Buy a $3k bike and just ride it.
 
ebineezer

ebineezer

Well-Known Member
soundz said:
i’ve seen people do amazing things on a mojo 3
Click to expand...
I’ve seen people do amazing things on a SS rigid
1527424544016.png
 
qclabrat

qclabrat

Well-Known Member
JohnnyWestood said:
You are right. The rate of innovation means that the cutting edge is quickly replaced with the next latest and greatest. On the other hand, I demoed an Ibis Mojo 3 today. And that bike is seriously dated in terms of geometry. Many people size up on them, but since I’m already at XL, there is no up for me. We did the longer stem and I pushed the seat back, but for that money I don’t want to have to make those compromises. I know things will change, and quickly. But I want to be as far ahead on that curve as I can be when I plunk down 2+ mortgage payments on a bike.
Click to expand...
You should have bought a cheapo shack instead of Chateau de Westood...
 
JohnnyWestood

JohnnyWestood

Active Member
Big news. Demoed a Giant Trance 2 for a couple days. Wow. I could say it was a fun bike “for the money”, but it was really just a fun bike.

There was a flaw though, Pedal strikes. But, the bike had terrible cheap pedals that I could easily replace with lower profile ones to eek out a few more millimeters. I am also thinking of swapping out the 175mm cranks for 170’s.

The rear shock also seemed to blow through its mid stroke which amplified the problem. Maybe a volume spacer or more careful setup could help it out. Also I can take the 2.4’s off and put some 2.6’s on.

I still love the Pivot Mach 5.5, but this Tance was probably 90% as capable and fun at around $2k less.

I know people say that technique will help to minimize the pedal strikes. But I need some help beyond that because I was striking a lot.

Has anyone here experimented with shorter cranks?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top Bottom