On the way back stopped in at the shop on Saturday. It was then finally I had the chance to set up our Double Date with 2 of the new Girls as Cove. Chaz is laid back and eager to have 2 of his regulars giver a go. Stuart on the other had was in the back, on his rocking chair. I thought I saw him holding a shot gun.
I am not an unbiased rider. I ride Cove bikes, exclusively now. Ian is not in the club yet, but is seriously considering going there with the release of the new G-Spot sometime next summer. Here are my impressions of the bike for those few who happen to stumble upon this blog and care.Ian's and my own demo bikes we're equipped almost identically except for the rear shock. He was riding a Fox DXH air and I was using an RP23 with bigger Canister.
We started our Trek up in the usual fashion. A push to the yellow gate and peddle as much as we could to the top. I am currently in winter form(sorta outta shape, although round is a shape) and had ridden yesterday. So I took my time getting up to 7t this time. The climb was good. The granny ring definitely makes a notable difference against my single ring STD.
The current iterations of G-Spot are weighing nicely in the 32-34 pound range. Not the best available weight for a 6&6er out there but solid. When I was riding mine a felt as though a heavier rider would have no problem with this bike. The frame didnt feel weak or creaky or anything.
When we ride, Ian and I usually would rather ride than take pics. So I Took this chance to get a few of Ian on his.
It's not really my place to review this bike. One ride doesn't really give me a fair overall idea of how the bike rides. Just a few innitial impressions tho from a novice rider.The Bad(most of these comments reflect on how the bike was set up, not the bike itself.)
The model I picked up had an under sprung Lyric U-Turn. I endo'ed twice on this ride because of that. I started getting a little nervous after that and took it easy for the rest of the ride. Otherwize the Lyric is the perfect front end for this bike.
I normally ride large size bikes. At first I thought the medium sized frame felt fairly spacious but it closed in on my after a while. Expecially on the flatter areas I felt as though my weight was too far forward. (Thus the comment above about needing to try a large one).
The Good
The G-Spot keeps a lot of my favorite qualities from my Hustler and imports a few over from the STD as well. The G-Spot is nimble, versatile and feels sturdy. She tracks well on skinnies and moves over rockfaces and trannies well. She's got a nice short turn radius and gets through the tight corners on 7th.
I was pretty happy with how the RP23 worked on my ride. I never really felt like I was running out of rear travel.
Overall
I rememeber my first ride on the STD. I had been riding a stiffee previous to that and felt the STD to be totally confidence inspiring right away. A major step up. When I rode the G-spot, I felt myself taking a step backwards in the confidence area. Something I'm sure I could overcome with a few more rides and a frame size that is right for me.
Still the G-Spot does have lots to offer. A fully built one will be more agile than the STD and maybe as much as 8lbs lighter without giving up any real durability.
Predictions
This bike will sell. Lots. It could be to Fromme as the Shocker was to Whistler. Ian even suggested that STD sales may drop when this bike comes out as riders are more and more staying local these days.
This bike will be perfect for riders who want only one bike, or riders who spend most of their time on Fromme or SFU. At the same time, you can definately get away with this bike on Seymour and if you set it up right can be used on XC trips in a pinch. You can even set up this bike with a coil shock, so the possibility of taking it to whistler is there as well.
For me
The option to pick up one of these bikes really isn't there for me. But if I were in the market for another bike I would have to demo a large sized frame, which isn't available at this time. And if I were to go large size then I have the feeling I'd might as well just stay with the STD I usually ride. But if the bike were out earlier this year when I was actually bike shopping, it probably would have been a serious consideration.
For Ian
I'm going to let Ian chime in for himself when he's ready. He has been riding an STD set up with a Dual Crown fork and his little bike is a stumpjumper. So 2 bikes at opposite ends of the spectrum. I don't think he has been that impressed with the Stumpy as he never got the chance to do the XC riding he thought he'd be doing when he bought it. Local rides on the shore and at SFU demand a bit more than a Stumpy has to offer so I think he is looking for something like this. But he can elaborate for himself......
Below are a few clip of Ian and I riding so you can have a Idea of the bike looks.
