Riding the Transition Spire at Galbraith in Bellingham Washington!!!

[@slick-riq]

I was looking to get a Sentinel, and the bike store had a Spire in stock... so I decided to go for it and sell it later if I didn't like it. I've been really surprised at the versatility. Without even trying I smashed my Strava times for both climbing and descending vs. my very old 2013 26" 160mm Trek Slash which is 5lbs lighter than the Spire. Granted that's comparing against a very old bike, but considering the Spire is a pedal-able DH bike, the climbing efficiency is quite outstanding. I've subsequently sold by DH bike (a Giant Glory) as the Spire really can do everything. I'm 5'7" and the Medium is perfect (was worried it may be too big as I'm usually between sizes and go on the smaller side). This bike is generally overkill for most of the trails in the California Bay Area where I'm at, but it doesn't feel like I'm compromising. I've always been very slow at climbing, if there was a Strava award for slowest climber, I would be the winner. So that was my biggest concern -- I'm ok with being slow, but ideally don't want to make things even worse, as there are some longer loops where my legs just give out by the 2nd hour, and I'm having to walk a bunch... e.g. the Demo Flow trail in Santa Cruz, on my Trek Slash I've never been able to make that climb back to the parking lot without having to walk some of it. Surprisingly this improved my climbing times! I'm definitely not rocketing up the hill... but I'm not getting tired either, just keeping up a consistent pace as I work my way up. And for example that Demo Flow trail I mentioned earlier - with the Spire I've been able to ride the whole way back without stopping or walking. That's amazing for me! And on the down, on the occasion something intense comes up I feel very confident at just going for it. So yea, I've decided I'm going to keep it as my all purpose bike. As Roost mentions, it's a bit more extra work on extremely tight switchbacks due to the length, so I find I have to concentrate a bit more to work tight corners. Considering its size and travel, you'd think it'd be a big boring lumbering tank that you just point down -- but it feels surprisingly light and agile... I've heard people mention this in reviews, and found it to be true, if you really lean into it in an aggressive stance, something noticeable happens. It comes alive, like turning on the nitro, or like in Avatar when the Na'vi people of Pandora connect their hair to those flying dragon things.

[@williamkerr8836]

Did it feel overbiked on Galby? Did you have to ride in a super forward aggressive position all the time? Just asking about the negatives I've heard, because I'm stoked on the idea of that bike.

[@roostcaboose]

I probably would have better suited on the Sentinel or Scout for Galby but I still had plenty of fun on the Spire. As for riding super aggressive and forward, I personally ride more rear ward on my bikes and don’t tend to change my “style” from bike to bike. If I had the time, I would have loved to try a size small.

[@davidodell4687]

That stretched out feeling if you pushed the front end a little more you'll get a better response out of the bike

[@roostcaboose]

It definitely would reward someone who is willing to push the front a bit more. I personally like to hang off the back of my bikes so it didn’t really suit my ride style. Still a sick bike though.

[@Charlotte-ji9se]

🚲💨

[@trevor338]

What size did you get? How tall are you?

[@roostcaboose]

I chose a medium. I’m 5’ 9” or 175cm.

[@davidodell4687]

Kinda ride's like a mondraker

[@roostcaboose]

I’ve never ridden a Mondraker, but I bet you are right.

[@davidodell4687]

@@roostcaboose My mondraker had a extra long top tube and I found when I had mine that if I put my weight into the front wheel a little more than the rear on the corners it really took the corners well

[@pjsanab]

Does is feel plush like DH bike ?

[@roostcaboose]

No. It gives a lot of feedback from the trail. Which makes it easier to pop off small features or make a last minute pull for a gap. You could probably make it feel more plush by changing the shock to a coil.