Today I loaded up the rig and headed to one of our local trails...Gateway Park..I chose this trail for several reasons...one it is close to the homestead...two the most technical part of the trail is unloading the bike when you get there..my thinking was I could put the bike through its paces without worrying about rock gardens and such..kinda of break the new off of here...I must say the Geax tires that I sat up tubeless Saturday where still aired up today and had not lost any air overnight..that is a first with any tire that I have set up tubeless...usually takes a few days for everything to seal up and finally hold air.....
I went ou there today and did several laps with the new Goblin...there are several things I noted and several things that seemed to contradict what I have read..
-The larger wheel smoothed out the ride on the trail
-The Goblin though some say it is heavy rides like a bike a lot lighter
-If you want to go fast the Goblin will go fast..just put the power down on it and she scoots
-The bike is stiff but still delivers a comfortable ride
-The gearing is spot on..I never had to use the small chain ring up front...so good in fact I am considering running this bike as a 1x10 setup
-What i was expecting was slow turning in the twisty stuff as I have read..never happened...I was still able to carve through the stuff and hold speed...maybe it is from years of ripping around on a 26er and hucking the bike when I can or from riding by cross bike on single track..not sure but I never noticed the 29 inch wheel getting in the way of carving through stuff on the bike
-29 inch wheels roll...and roll..and if you carry momentum through stuff the wheels just roll over things...
-The Reba fork performed great as well as the X7 stuff on the bike...I though the saddle may be a bit cheese factor but it seemed solid and was rather comfortable..
-The Avid brakes worked great as well
-The Goblin seems like a solid rig and though some may consider it a little hefty it seems built for the long haul..which I find good...after going through to carbon frames I am beginning to rethink carbon and lightweight for mountain bikes...at least for me..if I was racing hard core no doubt I would be choosing the lightest stuff my wallet would allow me to purchase..
Overall so far I am pleases with the Goblin and it was a total blast to ride today...after hearing the hype about 29ers I can see many things where a 29er is a great choice..but one thing that really stood out to me was when you let off the gas and just wanted to cruise around it seemed so much easier to keep the momentum going forward than on my 26 inch wheels and also seemed a lot more comfortable...I am not going to be one of those dudes who starts doing back flips and proclaim that the 29er is the thing to have....I will never give up my 26ers because there is a lot of things they do well and they do it great..but having a 29er in the stable is for sure going to add some fun factor and allow me to enjoy the same trails I do on my 26ers....just in a different way..
As far as the Airborne Goblin goes..for the money..it is a excellent value..a quality bike..good specs..excellent ride..I had several people check it out today and they all seemed impressed with the bike and the looks of it...I have had a lot of bikes..good and bad...if you are one those that are stuck on big brand name and are brand loyal then this bike may not be your cup of coffee..but if you are a riders who wants the best bang for the dollar...wants a quality product that performs great and wants to be just a little different...then the Goblin will fit your needs perfect!
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