new ride

[rocknrollgirl]

I just picked up a new bike two weeks ago, the Giant Lust Advanced 27.5. I am actually scaling down from 29er, which seems odd to some folks, but there you have it. I was looking for a new full suspension bike, and when I asked my trusty bike guy, the Giant Lust was his first recco. He said that when he was at Interbike this summer, all of the women were gushing about the bike. So I did my homework measured up my current bikes, look at all of the reviews and took a HUGE leap of faith.

So far I am in love with the bike. It handles like my 26 inch bike and it rolls like my 29er, well, almost. I think that is the only trade off so far, I have lost a little of my top end rolling speed, but I think it might be worth it for the handling and acceleration. I do know that overall it fits me much better than my 29er, so I am already ahead of the game in that dept.

I will keep you posted on my thoughts as I ride her more.

[Veronica]

Congratulations! Many happy trails!

Veronica

[yellow]

I've been thinking pretty hard about one of those 650B bikes. I'm looking forward to your impressions as you get to know it. A 29er is just too much bike for me (and I realize that won't make sense to a lot of people). Granted, I've only tooled around a little bit on one (29er), so my opinion might be premature. Anyhoo, enjoy it and let us know what you think over time! :-D

[ride4fun]

WOW very pretty, looks like fun.

[emily_in_nc]

Love...er...lust it!

Enjoy!

[thekarens]

Great bike! I've wanted a 650 for a while.

[Owlie]

I like the idea of a 650b, and depending on your terrain and trails, it makes sense.

And it looks sharp! Congratulations!

[Wahine]

RnR, I'm with you. I've never tried a 29er that didn't feel quite right for me and I've decided to build a 650b this winter.

Happy riding!!

[OakLeaf]

Lust is right! Enjoy!

[rocknrollgirl]

Update:
Today we rode the toughest park that we have in a 90 min drive radius. Lots of climbing, not many rock, but lots and lots of rooty, twisty single track with big water bars and washed out logs. It was leaf covered and wet.

It took me a few miles to get my mojo going. From the lot you climb in any direction that you go, so no warm up. But she climbs like a dream. Once we hit the height of land, it is a twisty rooty downhill. I have had to relearn how to descend on the new bike, but I got it all worked out today. I have also had to tweak my climbing because the front end it light and I am used to a larger, heavier wheel, so it feels a bit squirrely. So I just had to readjust my boobs to the tube while climbing and I got that issue settles.

To anyone that is contemplating, I have only good things to say!

[TigerMom]

5ft 1in me got to demo a $8000 Scalpel 29er Carbon TEAM with SRAM XX1. It rode like a dream!! I loved having shifters on just one side and only having just one front ring so that you don't have to worry about cross chaining. I loved the ability to lock out one or both of your suspensions on your handlebar (no reaching needed). Locking out both suspensions definitely made some difference when climbing uphill; but the bike still had a tiny bit of suspension to smooth out the bumps on the ride up. I loved how light this full suspension bike was in a size small (21pounds). The 29er actually "floated" downhill over bumps (I don't know if it was the 29er wheel or the carbon or the suspension....I'm sure that it's all of the above). Yes, I had more difficulty with the handling. But, I tried the 650B aluminum bike and the handling was still a lot more difficult than a 26er.

I think I need to ride more twisty terrain during the bike demos. But, the handling of the 650B vs the 29er was not that different for me, but both bike sizes are harder than a 26er. However, the 29er was WAY better for going over roots/rocks. I think that maybe I am falling in love with the idea of a 29er over a 650B because that Scalpel 29er Carbon TEAM with SRAM XX1 made me feel like a great mountain biker. I was actually less scared of going downhill compared to usual because it was so SMOOOOTH and because it was lighter than my 28pound Santa Cruz Juliana, I felt that I had more control of the bike.

[ridebikeme]

Ah...it's great to have a new TOY... many happy miles and adventures!!

[rocknrollgirl]

I am finding that my 27.5 handles like a dream, super nimble on tight twisty single track. Just as good as my 26er, and way better than my 29er. I do not think I would have gotten that from a demo ride. The more I ride it, the more I love it. She is slowly revealing her qualities.

[Veronica]

She is slowly revealing her qualities.

I can relate to that. The cows are back at our local regional park. They really chew up the trails, especially after a rain. The Mojo just floated over all that. Happiness is a new bike that you love.

Veronica

[TigerMom]

I am finding that my 27.5 handles like a dream, super nimble on tight twisty single track. Just as good as my 26er, and way better than my 29er. I do not think I would have gotten that from a demo ride. The more I ride it, the more I love it. She is slowly revealing her qualities.

You are right about needing more test rides between the 27.5 and the 29er. Afterall, I tested an $8000 Cannondale Scalpel carbon SRAM XX1 full suspension 29er against a $2500 GT Aluminum SRAM X9 full suspension 27.5 bike. I'm really glad that the $8000 Cannondale comes in a Small (which is too big for me - the demo bike's top tube was up in my "hooha" when I stood) but not an XS....so that I can have bike lust without actually buying the bike.