Ok - I have a mini-review on my Lite build 2, S3 after ~ 55mi and ~8kft vert this weekend in the North Tahoe region. Background/caveats:
1. I have been on SL bikes for the past 5 years (Levo SL gen 1 then KSL gen 1 for most of the last 4 years). So, my experience with the avinox was always going to be "holy crap.. that's powerful".
2. I tend to ride aggressively and consider myself "advanced". I typically have liked my bikes more on the "plush" vs. sporty side, but lately, I have wanted something with more "pop" over my kenevo SL.
3. The trails this weekend in Tahoe were all-time in terms of hero dirt conditions. My rides to-date may be tainted partially because of that. I will update as I ride my more local trails.
4. I weigh ~190lbs, 6'1" tall.
Mini-review
1. Power/Range - right off the bat, I tuned up Eco to 55nm/400w, which feels akin to Turbo in my KSL and detuned Auto a bit (not much). I mostly rode Auto over the weekend, with a bit of Eco when I was pacing my friend riding my KSL. Trail and turbo were used just to try out. I think i will ride Auto most of the time unless I am really pressed for time. The instant torque and max power of even just trail are just so much to what I am used to, and it doesn't really feel like biking (IMO). I am sure that may change over time. Range wasn't terrible, but not great. The ride where I was pacing my friend (in better shape than me) on my KSL was mostly single track climb and descent, ~20mi and 2750ft vert, I used 70% of the battery in my modified eco + some auto. Another ride were I was auto and then trail about equal , we did 11 mi and 2kft vert, I used ~55%. I think if I was the type to do 2hr+ rides regularly, I would want the 800wh battery.
2. Fit/Geo - the bike came setup with 20mm of spacers under the stem on the already tall bike. I rode it that way and actually really liked it. I may add 5-10mm on a stem change, but the position felt great for me, really put me in the center, did not put as much pressure on my lower back, and actually felt roomier most of the time than my S4 KSL which has more reach but shorter stack.
3. Climbing - I mean.. it's the motor. Auto is great for singletrack. The long chainstay, position on bike, and traction control make climbing a breeze. Shock lockout on the road was actually really good coming from Fox.
4. Handling - best handling bike for my style of riding that I have ever ridden. Closest that i can say recently, was the demo S4 Gen 4 Levo, but that was noticeably heavier. This bike corners like it's on rails (read caveats on trail conditions). It never felt cumbersome, and definitely felt lighter on the trail than my KSL even though it's probably a couple of pounds heavier.
5. Jumping - very natural jumper once I dailed in the suspension. within one or two rides, I was already used to the longer CS. The pop was great with the SD shock. Again, it felt like it took way less effort than my KSL. I definitely bottomed out more than I would expect, but that is most likely solved with tokens in the fork. The HBO on the rear was very smooth.
6. Descending - it felt really fast. the bike definitely punches above it's weight. At least on the trails that I was riding, I did not hold back. It's a little harsher than my plush KSL (expected), but the high pivot definitely helps. It never felt out of sorts. I will try it on my chunk now that I am home, but I don't think it will feel limiting.
7. Things I might change - I already threw a gravity albert on the rear which is a great tire. I will probably change the front at some point , but the assegai felt pretty good. Knowing me , I will probably end up with 150mm in the rear via removing the spacer in the SD and 160mm up front. I am not sure i need a "stiffer fork", but I can try my mezzer pro out to see if I like it.
Overall - super impressed. We will see if it holds on my local trails, but it hits the marks that I was hoping for when I originally got in line.
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Core 2 S2. Took about 1 day to deliver from socal to Sacramento.
, we are heading into our riding season here down under, and we are last cab off the rank by all accounts....even our neighbours from the land of the long white cloud have theirs! WTF!!
I had some issues too - since i found out that the derallieur itself wasn´t fastened enough so the chain tension was too loose -shifting was not possible. Since then i just fixed it and micro-adjusted the pulleys to "7" i think. Works fine except that the 1st Gear is making some Idler-Pulley noise. But otherwise its fine. Maybe you wanna check that.
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