Test rode a Bionicon Edison today. Interesting ride.
weeksy59
Posts: 2,606
As some who have been paying attention know, i've been debating swapping the HT HArdrock for a FS bike.
So i ride a Stumpy FSR Comp, a Cube AMS 100 over the past few weeks and never really gelled with them.
Today was the neighbours Bionicon. Well blow me, this is a weird piece of kit. Instead of U Turn forks to lower the front, it's all done with a button.
BAsically you put weight on the front, push and hold button and the forks lower. At the same time, the rear rises !!!!! This means basically it climbs hills a lot easier.
I liked the bike, but struggled to get my head around it in some ways. I STILL have this problem that i love climbing out of the saddle. Get the bodyweight forward and get powering up. The Bionicon is the best FS i've tried for this and it almost allows you to climb like a HT. (Not quite though)
Downhill terrain is simply a doddle on it, no thinking about lines, just point downhill and ride. IT goes over anything and everything with ease. This for me is by far it's strongest point.
I was quite suprised that the brakes/gears etc all seem no better than my cheap and nasty stuff on the Hardrock. It still baffles me why people pay £150 for an X0 mech, my £20 CRC special SX-4 do the same job with same ease.
Where i struggled was that my bike feels like my bike. THe Bionicon feels like my 3 bikes. All different and all totally different handling and characteristics.
I'm thinking that the search for a FS may be over... it will be a better/high spec HT when i go shopping.
So i ride a Stumpy FSR Comp, a Cube AMS 100 over the past few weeks and never really gelled with them.
Today was the neighbours Bionicon. Well blow me, this is a weird piece of kit. Instead of U Turn forks to lower the front, it's all done with a button.
BAsically you put weight on the front, push and hold button and the forks lower. At the same time, the rear rises !!!!! This means basically it climbs hills a lot easier.
I liked the bike, but struggled to get my head around it in some ways. I STILL have this problem that i love climbing out of the saddle. Get the bodyweight forward and get powering up. The Bionicon is the best FS i've tried for this and it almost allows you to climb like a HT. (Not quite though)
Downhill terrain is simply a doddle on it, no thinking about lines, just point downhill and ride. IT goes over anything and everything with ease. This for me is by far it's strongest point.
I was quite suprised that the brakes/gears etc all seem no better than my cheap and nasty stuff on the Hardrock. It still baffles me why people pay £150 for an X0 mech, my £20 CRC special SX-4 do the same job with same ease.
Where i struggled was that my bike feels like my bike. THe Bionicon feels like my 3 bikes. All different and all totally different handling and characteristics.
I'm thinking that the search for a FS may be over... it will be a better/high spec HT when i go shopping.
Salsa Spearfish 29er
http://superdukeforum.forumatic.com/index.php
http://superdukeforum.forumatic.com/index.php
0
Comments
-
weeksy59 wrote:I was quite suprised that the brakes/gears etc all seem no better than my cheap and nasty stuff on the Hardrock. It still baffles me why people pay £150 for an X0 mech, my £20 CRC special SX-4 do the same job with same ease.
Set them all up properly and there is a hell of a difference.0 -
Explain ?
Both bikes with high spec parts are almost new, serviced regularly and maintained well.
When you change gear it takes 0. something seconds on either. Explain how the X0 is 'better' ?Salsa Spearfish 29er
http://superdukeforum.forumatic.com/index.php0 -
-
-
and carbon
i went from alivio to slx, so far more snappy shifting, ( with alivio shifters/xtr cables)
my mates remedy 9, feels the same, snappy clean shift, tad better then mine
i know which i would rather replace if it brokeGiant Trance X0 (08) Reverb, Hope Hoops 5.1D, XT brakes, RQ BC, Works Components headset 1.50 -
I like the concept of the Bionicons but they're not exactly pretty and the properitary forks worry me. Not heard of any issues but if it took a company with the R&D budget of Specialized a few years to get their forks & shock right I'm sceptical Bionicon have it sorted.0
