In the house? Its probably going to be new bike time for me this year. Currently looking over pretty much every bike out there etc etc and for what i want i just cant see past this bike. The only downer being is lack of any proper long term reviews or being able to sling my legs over one for a day.
Mainly im just looking for any info on how the bike handles, climbs and any quirks really. Cheers all.
How far are you from Sheffield? You could sling a leg over one with a visit to airdrop? I had a v2 edit and it was great, v3 is all things that could have been improved on the v2 so win win right?!
2nd hand thoughts and advice here... a mate tested an airdrop and absolutely loved it. He ended up with an ibis because he could...
I’m looking at a replacement for my pivot 5.7 and seriously thought about airdrop based on his thoughts. What’s put me off is the trunion mount shock. I’m a bugger for running bikes for ages, and these trunion mount shocks don’t appear to be that common or easy to source/upgrade. I’m looking at bird bikes at the mo.. the am160 and the AM9
they seem to be a great mix of “standard” parts and really good VFM.
very happy to be educated more on the airdrops.,, they look amazing bikes!!
I have a V2, (over two years old now) and it has been a fantastic bike. I live in S.Wales and ride natural, steep enduro trails and trail centre stuff and it handles them all really well and is a great all round bike. I found it kind of heavy at first when climbing, but soon got used to the weight of it, It eats up descents but is still fun to ride. I ride a lot, three times a week all year round and needed a reliable bike and it has proven to be that. Original bearings lasted almost a year, frame is still ok, although it has a lot of tape on it to protect from cable rub (cable routing is not the best). I'm changing it soon and I'd happily get a V3 but ordered a Privateer.
Also, you don't see many of them about which is kinda cool, people are interested in them. They are not groundbreaking in their design and are similar to many other bikes from other brands but they are very solid bikes and Airdrop were great to deal with, so customer service is a real positive. You cannot go wrong for the money, if you want a bike that can take a lot of abuse and ride pretty rough, techy trails get one, if you do longer more trail centres, then something with less travel would probably be better as the Airdrops are a bit industrial 🙂 .
We tested a couple and loved them. To give you an idea, they were on the short list against some high end carbon stuff and eventually we went with the ibis just for the tart factor, I don't think they rode any better.
The Edit rides like a classic Horst link design in that it's very active. If you charge up fire roads to gain height, it's not going to be the most efficient feeling, but if your climbs are in any way technical, then it's a great system. I couldn't the Edit gripped and tractors up stuff that a Bronson by comparison, felt like it would hook up and stall on. On road sections the Bronson felt faster, but that's not what full suspension is for. Coming back down, the Edit was so supple and stable - reminded me of how my old Turner 6-pack felt, but with progressive geometry.
Edit is a great bike, and Ed is such a nice bloke, we felt guilty test riding but not buying. Maybe next time 😉
Mac, didn't we have a bike in common before? I loved the way the V4 rode, just had too many QC issues. So that might help give you an idea of the company the Edit can rub shoulders with.
I can't help you with the V3 as mine is still having the spec dialled, but the V2 it's replacing has been my guiding bike since June 2017 and has done 10,000km and 760,000m (the benefits of having to keep a professional log book) of European Alps and BC Canada descending in that time without any issues. Definitely doesn't look like new any more but its still creak free, rattle free, generally feels like it did after the initial running in period 2 years ago. The V3 clears up all the wee issues I have with the V2 (rear wheel clearance, cable routing under down tube, slightly steeper seat tube, slacker head tube) As said above, it's not the best bike for fire road climbs but it's such a barrel of laughs on the way down and the reliability is hard to beat! Being able to fine tune your build from the start is a huge bonus too.Well, until you start trying to decide on a colour scheme...
Awesome, thanks for all the info guys. Lots to think about. Most of my riding is typical Scottish lumpiness with long fire road climbs. I think I may be in Sheffield later this year so a test ride is definitely needed.
Onzadog, I am still running the Turner. Coil both ends with a 1 degree Angleset It's a total weapon. Just had it 5 years now so thinking a change may be in order.
Well, if there is a lot of fire road climbing, all of their shock options come with a climb switch.
Having said that, I never felt the need for one on the well tuned (Avalanches DHXc) on my 6-pack.
If you do test one around the Peak, gives us a shout, might be able to show you around.
I've had my V3 since release and i'm chuffed to bits with it. The steep seat tube angle felt really weird the first time I rode it on the flat but after a couple of rides it just felt normal and you really notice the benefits when climbing. I rode a friends bike recently (2017 Remedy) and couldn't believe how slack the seat angle felt, I really do love the steep seat tube angle! I wouldn't worry about fire road plodding as like Onzadog says, all the shocks come with a climb switch. I have the RS Super Deluxe coil on mine and the only time i use the climb switch is for long fire road stuff and it works like a charm. It's no light weight but I can't ever say it's been a problem or a hindrance, personally i'd always take something sturdy and bombproof over light weight and more delicate. The seat tubes are quite short so you can run a massive dropper post in them too. Handling wise, I'm a more confident and faster rider on this bike compared to my old one so I guess that's a thumbs up. I've had no issues with the bike at all and the guys at Airdrop are really helpful to deal with throughout the whole build/buy/aftercare process. Fickle though it may be, the way a bike looks is important to me and there was a lots of bikes that were in my price range that I just don't like the look of but the Edit really floats my boat. The Edit became even more appealing when you look at the price of some of the competition as I got my custom build with lots of hope bits for the price of a NX/Yari specced Boutique brand. If you have any specific questions mactheknife, just ask!
Why specifically are you looking at the Airdrop?
I looked at them before I bought My bird
The Bird just piped it to finish kit coming in a few 100 cheaper
Bird have a place up north you can get some ride time on and demo
I had a wee shot on a V1 or V2(not to sure what) was a Med frame same as mine but was a wee bit smaller which I wasn’t keen on