While over at the Enduro Jura By Julbo, Hannah caught up with Mason Bond from the Pivot/Reynolds Enduro team for a quick bike check. Here’s how he had his Pivot Switchblade set up for the event. If you want to know more about the Switchblade, check out the Bike Test in Issue 113.
Mason is 178cm/5’10” and rides a Large Switchblade. He weighs 155-160lbs (70-72.5kg) depending on how many baguettes he has eaten.As a Julbo sponsored athlete he got to choose some shades for wearing, and made sure he had these retro ones.Fox X2 shock is not as per factory spec. He’s packed it with the maximum number of volume spacers (4) and has set it up with 150 psi.Up front Mason has 50 psi in the fork, with 2 orange volume spacers and 12 clicks compression.Shimano Saint Brakes – not factory spec.Di2 – also not as per factory spec. WTB Padloc grips, however, are, and they use a soft rubber wedge on each end (that’s the blue bit) to provide more damping for the outside of the rider’s palms.Custom saddle from TDS – The Dirty Sanchez – a local race for Mason.Being sponsored by Shimano, Mason is running a Shimano groupset……and the Switchblade has ‘Super Boost Plus’ geometry with a 56mm chainline……which makes things pretty tight with a 32T chainring, since Shimano don’t currently do a crankset with a 56mm chainline suited to the Switchblade’s Super Boost Plus 157x12mm rear hub spacing.Tyres are Minion DHF up front at 25psi, High Roller II at 28psi on the rear, both with double down casing and 3C Max Terra compound – he’s running the Switchblade as a 29er.Mason rocking the Julbo shades while riding a non-team issue children’s bike, complete with dolly seat!
Disclosure
Julbo and their UK distributor Lyon Outdoor paid for travel, accommodation and race entry costs for this trip.
I came to Singletrack having decided there must be more to life than meetings. I like all bikes, but especially unusual ones.
More than bikes, I like what bikes do. I think that they link people and places; that cycling creates a connection between us and our environment; bikes create communities; deliver freedom; bring joy; and improve fitness. They're environmentally friendly and create friendly environments.
I try to write about all these things in the hope that others might discover the joy of bikes too.
