It was time for the first tune up and brake bleed on my year old Kona. So off to Tennessee Valley Bikes I went.
While giving the bike their thorough top to bottom lube/adjust/clean, the staff felt my rear derailleur was just not up to spec and suggested a new one (a warranted replacement.) Unfortunately they did not have one in stock so another would need to be ordered.
Since I was going to need to wait a week, I was offered a demo bike to ride while mine was out of commission. They had a many options: full suspension, hard tail, rigid… I had my pick of some awesome bikes. But since I had originally considered buying a 27.5, I was really interested in that wheel size. The only 27.5 bike that was in my size was a new Scott Spark 740.
The bike also had another aspect that I was interested in: the tires. I had always heard great things about Schwable Rocket Rons, and many people in our area run them. But at the prices these things go for, I could not risk buying them on a whim.
I really didn't want a full suspension but my son encouraged (hounded) me. I had heard that once I had ridden a squish bike I would never want to go back to a hard tail. What the heck... I took the Scott home.
After what seemed like forever, the winter weather finally cooperated. I was off to Concord Park. Right away I noticed that fork. I gotta say the Fox Float 32 was noticeably smoother than anything I have yet ridden. It featured two settings for dampening: "Trail" and "Descent”, their terms for soft and softer. Of course, it also has a lockout, they call "Climb". The fork was so nice, I simply kept it on Decent. The remote lockout locked both the fork and rear shock.
While giving the bike their thorough top to bottom lube/adjust/clean, the staff felt my rear derailleur was just not up to spec and suggested a new one (a warranted replacement.) Unfortunately they did not have one in stock so another would need to be ordered.
Since I was going to need to wait a week, I was offered a demo bike to ride while mine was out of commission. They had a many options: full suspension, hard tail, rigid… I had my pick of some awesome bikes. But since I had originally considered buying a 27.5, I was really interested in that wheel size. The only 27.5 bike that was in my size was a new Scott Spark 740.
The bike also had another aspect that I was interested in: the tires. I had always heard great things about Schwable Rocket Rons, and many people in our area run them. But at the prices these things go for, I could not risk buying them on a whim.
I really didn't want a full suspension but my son encouraged (hounded) me. I had heard that once I had ridden a squish bike I would never want to go back to a hard tail. What the heck... I took the Scott home.
After what seemed like forever, the winter weather finally cooperated. I was off to Concord Park. Right away I noticed that fork. I gotta say the Fox Float 32 was noticeably smoother than anything I have yet ridden. It featured two settings for dampening: "Trail" and "Descent”, their terms for soft and softer. Of course, it also has a lockout, they call "Climb". The fork was so nice, I simply kept it on Decent. The remote lockout locked both the fork and rear shock.
After riding for about an hour I started analyzing the ride feel. No doubt, it is a great bike, so soft and forgiving. A good fit for bike for an old man like myself. I could ride this bike all day and not feel beaten up.
Strangely I do have to admit I felt my 29er Kona felt faster but the Scott felt as if it held speed better. Why? In the hilly sections of Concord the Kona would race down and crawl up, where the Scott would keep a more consistent speed. And the change in speed of the Kona added a sensation that was not as pronounced on the Scott. I believe this was due to the Fox suspension soaking up the rough stuff so well. I am no expert but believe the forward energy was not wasted transferring the forward inertia through the bike giving the feeling of a "bump." The energy required to move a fork is much less than moving a whole bike. Many of the rooty areas of the park were no longer a challenge. The bike simply smoothed them out.
Tire design has always interested me. The ideal rubber compounds, lug quantity and design are for some reason intriguing. But so many online "reviews" tend to have generic statements like "they are terrible" or "the best tire I have ever ridden." Hardly analytical statements one can feel confident spending $100 on. When picking tires, my practice have been to ask people's opinions of tires that ride the trails that I ride. Around here Rocket Rons can be seen often. Assuming they were the go-to tire, I was excited to feel them for myself.
Sadly, on the damp, rooty trails of Concord, I was not crazy about them. The Maxxis Ignitors that came on the Kona grip much better, especially in the rear. The Rocket Rons felt loose causing the back end to hang out. It was always minor, never scary or unpredictable, just loose. And when going slow the Ignitors pulled right over the slick roots where the Rons would occasionally spin off. Before counting them out completely I really need to try them on the smoother trails of Meads or in the dry.
After the ride I realized I had soaked up many more miles than I normally would have done. The Scott/Fox is a beautiful combination, and worth the money. The 27.5" wheel did feel slightly more nimble compared to the 29" but would probably have been more evident if comparing rigid to rigid.
During the drive home thinking about what I would say about this bike my brain kept getting sidetracked about stepping-up to better bikes in general. Does the removal of trail challenges remove the fun? Areas of the trail I found challenging on the Kona were not a thought on the Scott. What if I owned the Scott and tested my next lust-worthy bike: a Niner Air 9 RDO? Would Concord Park be boring? If anyone would like to help me out with this test, I would love to find out!
Strangely I do have to admit I felt my 29er Kona felt faster but the Scott felt as if it held speed better. Why? In the hilly sections of Concord the Kona would race down and crawl up, where the Scott would keep a more consistent speed. And the change in speed of the Kona added a sensation that was not as pronounced on the Scott. I believe this was due to the Fox suspension soaking up the rough stuff so well. I am no expert but believe the forward energy was not wasted transferring the forward inertia through the bike giving the feeling of a "bump." The energy required to move a fork is much less than moving a whole bike. Many of the rooty areas of the park were no longer a challenge. The bike simply smoothed them out.
Tire design has always interested me. The ideal rubber compounds, lug quantity and design are for some reason intriguing. But so many online "reviews" tend to have generic statements like "they are terrible" or "the best tire I have ever ridden." Hardly analytical statements one can feel confident spending $100 on. When picking tires, my practice have been to ask people's opinions of tires that ride the trails that I ride. Around here Rocket Rons can be seen often. Assuming they were the go-to tire, I was excited to feel them for myself.
Sadly, on the damp, rooty trails of Concord, I was not crazy about them. The Maxxis Ignitors that came on the Kona grip much better, especially in the rear. The Rocket Rons felt loose causing the back end to hang out. It was always minor, never scary or unpredictable, just loose. And when going slow the Ignitors pulled right over the slick roots where the Rons would occasionally spin off. Before counting them out completely I really need to try them on the smoother trails of Meads or in the dry.
After the ride I realized I had soaked up many more miles than I normally would have done. The Scott/Fox is a beautiful combination, and worth the money. The 27.5" wheel did feel slightly more nimble compared to the 29" but would probably have been more evident if comparing rigid to rigid.
During the drive home thinking about what I would say about this bike my brain kept getting sidetracked about stepping-up to better bikes in general. Does the removal of trail challenges remove the fun? Areas of the trail I found challenging on the Kona were not a thought on the Scott. What if I owned the Scott and tested my next lust-worthy bike: a Niner Air 9 RDO? Would Concord Park be boring? If anyone would like to help me out with this test, I would love to find out!
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