[Closed] 26 BFe to 27.5 Zero Am?

Are you anywhere near Bird HQ to demo one?

I switched from a Soul 26 with 140s (so basically a lighter and less stiff BFe) so a Zero AM. It's a pretty big change in geometry, bottom bracket is MUCH lower, seat angle a lot steeper, reach a lot longer. It's fast!

Thanks for that. The Soul with 140's must be very similar to my BFe, in terms of geometry. Does the Zero climb pretty much the same as the Soul?

I now ride an Aeris as my susser, and I have to admit that the long slack geometry was quite a change, but is pretty ace when coming down steep stuff. I wondered if the Zero with a 2.5" tyre on the back would be kinder than the harsh BFe.

harsh BFe

My 2012 BFe is not harsh but then again I appreciate it's a subjective assessment. I found a Solaris Max more bouncy than my BFe (not surprising) and a regular Solaris pretty similar. Not scientific I know, just feel.

I think the 27.5 tyres add enough smoothness to compensate for the extra frame stiffness of the Zero AM vs the Soul (on 26" wheels). The Soul 26 had the exact same geometry as the BFe 26, if wearing the same forks.

My Bird has been through a couple of iterations and it's about to go to a third (this one mostly caused by the Angleset's annoying creaking, so it'll be getting the Hope headset I had in my Spitfire) and the fork extended to 150mm (back to stock geometry).

http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/bird-zero-am-review-warning-bicycle-content

That's an absolutely outstanding post, thanks much.

I can't add a great deal more than above, but moving from Cotic (BFe and Soul) to Stanton I'd say the geometry is far better handling, given the lower bottom bracket and slightly slacker head angle. Bird I think similar to Stanton, so will be longer/ slacker. A change I don't think you (anybody?) will look back on and regret...

Can't comment on the Cotic comparison but I've just sold my 26' full sus so I can order a Zero Am. Demo'd the TR last weekend and really liked it but wanted to try the AM before committing - had it on demo this weekend and it was absolutely fantastic. Utterly planted on berms, fast, smooth, and it eat up the drops and jumps it pointed it at. And I even pedalled up things! A revelation!