So.. z1ppy requested a build / review thread on my new bike – here’s part 1..
I am in the very lucky position to have a wife who works in the bike industry, and to know some people at a certain halifax based fruit company.. so some begging and some very favourable deals made means that I get a new bike to build 😉
It is:
Large Orange Segment with the standard monarch RL (cue filing cabinet jokes..)
Plus their carbon freeride pack of the 35x800mm RaceFace sixc bars, 35mm atlas stem, renthal lock ons and the orange branded SDG Falcon ti saddle.
Hope headset + QR
Then the big SRAM delivery turned up with a full X1 Groupset, 185mm XO Trail brakes, Reverb, and Revelation Dual Position Airs. The box also contained some unexpected bonus items: a truvativ stem and 750mm Jerome Clementz carbon bars.. Will be good to be able to try these vs the fat raceface combo.
I had ordered Pikes, but they were out of stock.. but being as SRAM are very nice people, they’re loaning me the Revelation for a couple of months. Like I said above, I am very lucky. And now I get the chance to try the bike out with a longer than recommended fork for a bit. Will be interesting to see if I ride it mostly in the short travel position or not.
SRAM roam 50 wheelset is also on backorder, so I will have to ‘make do’ with a set of Easton XC70s from my other bike. And a set of Racing Ralph tyres are going on for the XC oriented riding around here (Dijon, France). Hopefully the Pikes and Roam wheelset and some more suitably chunky tyres will arrive in time for a trip to Molini / Sospel in October (doubtful) or our bikepacking adventure to Morocco in November (fingers crossed)..
Looking forward to building it tomorrow and riding it on Sunday if all goes to plan. Will post updates here!
Bon Weekend.
p.s. the eagle eyed amongst you will have noticed more than one set of forks in the pic (in fact, there’s two of everything in these boxes) they’ll be for the missus for her new Lapierre Zesty AM due to land in January..
Not tried a Gyro.. but did have a Five for a couple of years. Currently on an SB66 and a Lapierre ProRace 729 – plan is that the Segment might replace both. Leaving some room in the bike shed for a Tripster ATR or a CX bike..
I think the Segment is a slacker Gyro, but will undoubtedly have some more tweaks than that. It’s got a 1.5 headtube for starters.. not sure what else, as the Gyro has gone from their website. I think Chipps runs a longer fork on his Gyro. The Segment is designed for a 120 fork. So will see what happens with the 140 Rev on there for the next few weeks.
Just had a look at the geometry side by side. Hadn’t realised they’d stopped making the gyro.
Gyro also has a 1.5 head tube.
Seems the Segment is a bit longer in the TT, a smidge shorter head tube and shorter seat stays by a gnats wotsits. The 2 deg slacker HT angle seems to be the biggest difference.
I’ve been running revs on my Gyro for a while now. Feels great. Would like to try a slackest to run it with a slightly slacker front just to see what it rides like. I suspect you’d lose a bit of the map crossing potential, but gain some capacity for better handling when it gets very fast/steep/techy. Not that its rubbish at those things. Segment looks like a progression on the same lines, slacker longer front centre/shorter back end. Never found the longer CS a problem TBH.
While we wait for ride reviews on the new Segment I just wanted to pick up on this one. The biggest turn-off for me with the Segment (and the Gyro before it) is the longer chainstays (compared with, say, a Whyte T129 or a Kona Process). People who ride 29ers with short chainstays always seem to say that short chainstays are the key to a good 29er. But folk who ride 29ers with longer chainstays generally claim that it’s not a problem, which is confusing.
s the longer chainstays (compared with, say, a Whyte T129 or a Kona Process). People who ride 29ers with short chainstays always seem to say that short chainstays are the key to a good 29er. But folk who ride 29ers with longer chainstays generally claim that it’s not a problem, which is confusing.
Do any of those riders know what difference long/short stays make to a bike?
There could be a difference in ride style? Some may like sprinting up a hill and prepared to accept a “lively” bike on the descents. I am happy to slog up hills and have a more “planted” bike on the downs 😆
Not that I have owned many bikes but I go by feel on a ride rather than studying a manual for angles and stuff 🙄
I’m really interested in knowing how this rides. Im caught between a race orientated 29 FS replacement for an asr5 such as the whyte m109cs, or something like this. Seeing as I’d only use it for 2 or 3 24’s and maybe HONC, the rest of the time it’d be my woodsy bike/trail centre bike so a Segment looks attractive in terms of what it appears to be designed to do and a winter maintenance perspective.
If Guy Martin can almost win the Strathpuffer on an almost stock Gyro…
Anyone know / guess at how much a Segment pro would weigh?
Do any of those riders know what difference long/short stays make to a bike?
There could be a difference in ride style? Some may like sprinting up a hill and prepared to accept a “lively” bike on the descents. I am happy to slog up hills and have a more “planted” bike on the downs
Not that I have owned many bikes but I go by feel on a ride rather than studying a manual for angles and stuff
+1 it depends how you ride to an extent but short chainstays are just this years slack head angle, year before that it was low BBs, before that it was pivot positions on the downtube. The magazines like to obsess over details, in reality they all handle like bikes.
First ride done. Nothing fell off – not even the rider. No hard conclusions except that it handled much like a bike. Although I did get down a particularly steep and rocky shute with a lot less hesitancy than when I ride it on my ProRace – in fact, I tend not to ride it on the ProRace if I’m out on my own.. so that’s got to be a win.
Also rocket rons and wet roots aren’t a great match, no suprises there – some non intentional double tyre drifts going on. Fingers crossed the DHL man delivers some chunky michelin rubber this avo.
I did get down a particularly steep and rocky shute with a lot less hesitancy than when I ride it on my ProRace – in fact, I tend not to ride it on the ProRace if I’m out on my own
A good bike for cowards then? I’d better get my order in 🙂
so.. 7 days and 7000m of climbing (and associated descending) in the sunshine of the italian riviera and I have some conclusions for you..
1: This bike is fun.
2: This bike can handle slow, technical trails as well as fast and flowy.
3: Michelin Wild Rock’r2 2.35 Advanced Reinforced Link are big, heavy tires with loads of grip, and roll surprisingly well.
4: 800mm bars are overkill.. got the 750mm blackbox bars on now.
5: 35mm stem/bar interface makes zero difference (to me)
6: 140mm forks on a Segment aren’t much fun. much more fun/grip/climbing ability in 110 mode. 120 pikes will be great when they arrive I reckon.
7: A 34t chainring is a touch too big.
8: Pizzas are cheap!
9: 1 Large Yeti SB66 will be for sale shortly!
Any problems lifting the front with those “long” chainstays?
it’s a bit harder than my road bike for sure 🙂 but if you put a bit more effort in, it’ll come up no worries – just do a few push ups and it’ll all be fine. The SB66 is a long bike as well, so I guess it’s about the same.
I like that you say it rides like a bike and the stem makes no difference This means you aren’t a follower of fashion and the associated bollocks.
damn.. i thought roughty toughty 29ers were all the rage this month.