My Moots Mooto-XZ 29er
---------------------------------------------------------------------------29er Best of Show - Full Suspension shootout: Ride Impression
Tuesday September 23rd, 2008 at 11:53 PM Posted by: Brian Mullin
I didn’t get to test every full suspension 29er (pretty close though) that was at the dirt demo, but I think I made a pretty decent stab at a bunch of different brands, different suspension systems and obviously some varying geometry designs. I tested the Turner Sultan, the Pivot Mach 429, the Niner RIP9, the Ellsworth Evolve, the Ventana El Rey and finally the Moots Mooto-XZ. I had even tried the Turner Sultan a second time to get some more seat time with the bike. My butt was sore and my legs were beat from all those rides in the hot sunny weather.
It was nice to be able to do so many bikes in a short period so the brain was fresh with each bike ride. Cross comparisons were much easier. None of the bikes did it all. They all had their strengths and weaknesses, some more glaring than others. Sorry to burst anyone’s bubble but no bike will ever be perfect.
I had to go by seat of the pants and gut instinct on each of the bikes and the bike winner had to be well engineered, have a certain feel, the suspension and steering must work properly and in synchronicity, the geometry needs to feel right and work with the rest of the bikes system, and it must have some fun and some personality. Yes, I came up with a Fun factor, call it what you will, but if I find myself humming and sort of singing to myself and not paying attention to the ride that is a big factor to me. Perhaps a “bike personality” might be the wrong word usage but one of the definitions of personality is “something apprehended as reflective of or analogous to a distinctive human personality”. People give their cars personality! The bikes also had to deal with the very rocky and abusive conditions of the Bootleg terrain. If anything about the bike characteristics sounds interesting then take a bike for a test ride. Refer to my more in depth reviews from this year show of the Turner, Pivot, Niner and Ventana for further information. Here are my mini impressions:
Turner Sultan - nice new design with tons of travel, did it all extremely well, neutral and compliant.
Pivot Mach 429 - Fun, a great bike that did most things fine, but it sure was a blast to ride.
Niner RIP9 - great design and very well rounded bike but a bit boring, kind of lacking in personality.
Ellsworth Evolve - to X Country for my tastes, harsh ride in the Bootleg terrain.
Ventana El Rey - a spirited sprinter, this bike likes to be stomped on, would be a great race bike
Moots Mooto-XZ - what can I say, a well designed and engineered bike that does it all well, and it’s Ti. Therefore, the winner for my “Best of Show”…drum roll please…The Moots Mooto-XZ for a second year in a row!
The Moots Mooto-XZ railed down the trails, went right where you pointed it, didn’t get tossed around by much of anything, climbed like a demon, had a stout and solid rear end, had incredible steering and what really set it apart was the Titanium. It added a tad of softness and pseudo suspension to the bike without the usual suspension wallow, the words silky ride is what always comes to my mind. Congrats Moots you still have a winner. As a consolation prize I elect the Pivot Mach 429. It was not the best bike out there but who cares since it was just to darn much fun to ride.
1 comment:
Richard - When I knew I was going to Chicago, I contacted Dottie of let's go ride a bike. That's when I found out that Elisa was going to be in town to visit Dottie, too, after visiting Milwaukee. It all fell into place from there.
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