Airborne Goblin 29er

So I have had the bike for several months now and have had time to put some miles on it and draw some real world conclusions..The only things I have changed on it is upgrading the wheels to Sun Ringle Black Flag wheels and a FSA carbon handle bar and seat post..I have always tried o put carbon on hard tails to help reduce vibration from rough terrain..it does help some but I am not going to say it is one of those things that is an eye opener upgrade..but every little bit helps.

The bike overall has been a stellar performer and at the price point of roughly 1200 dollars I would be hard pressed to find another bike with the components and fork on this anywhere around that was new. I will say once up to speed this thing rolls and on flat and smooth surfaces it wants to go fast and if you got the legs you can scream on this bike..

The larger wheels means more control over rocky stuff...less fiddling with finding the exact line to plow through and more confidence inspiring over certain technical terrain..my experience so fr is leading me to think a 29er is a little more forgiving in the error of rider input..and one thing I have not suffered from yet is the inevitable front wheel stall like a 26er..you know that pint where the fron wheel hits an obstacle and just stops usually forcing you to get off the bike or really power the thing up and over the obstacle...this thing just rolls over stuff like that..

Is it light..hmmm..what is light..race light..like a full carbon with xo stuff...no..then again it would not be fair to compare this bike to a bike in that price range...is it light enough for the budget minded rider or racer who wants a good solid piece of equipment to serve them well...sure is..if I still raced I would have no problems using this bike to compete with...as racers we always change stuff anyway to meet our own personal preference..

Airborne is the only company I know of that is active on forums and talking directly to their customers and people who ride their bikes...they provide accurate and prompt answers to questions asked and seem to be into the biking culture like the riders who purchase their bikes...would I recommend them..YES..my next bike purchase will be another Airborne...they have addressed many of the issues we as normal everyday riders face..quality product...great price..and most of all customer service....try and get that from some of the big names and you will be sending and waiting for a lot of emails or a area rep to decide the fate of your bike..I know as I am currently dealing with a bif name company on an ongoing issue with a bike that I recently purchased...I hope Airborne is here to stay and if you have not decided on a 29er yet..give it a try..as a long time 29er hold out all I can say id there is some credence to the so called hype.