Unlike Anything Else - The 2021 Pipedream Sirius Review - A Short-Travel Hard Charger

The 2021 Pipedream Sirius S5 is unlike any other bike I've ridden. It's completely unique. This is a short travel steel hardtail from the future. Nobody's doing bikes like this, and it rides completely different from everything else I've tried. Slack, short travel, steel, long, and low, it's got some really exciting features. I like the approach Pipedream takes to their bikes, and I'm a fan. Today we take it out on the trail to see what it rides like, and we compare the longish size vs long size on my home trails in Sedona, AZ.
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[@pipedreamcycles]

Thanks for such a great, indepth review. The level of detail, quality of information and care you take in your reviews is exceptional. Thank you.

[@politan83]

All of that thoughtful, subtle analysis while barreling down rowdy trails! Legendary.

[@douglawrence4066]

Thanks again for a great review, but I really appreciate the fact that you leave your public interactions in the videos. They are great examples for less experienced riders to emulate 👍👍

[@edlorenz1552]

This bike is a missle. I'm 5'9" with 32 inseam riding a 200 mm dropper on the Longer. Like Steve says, I won't be able to go back riding other bikes without this type of geometry. If you can ride this over the front with your body and not the handlebars you'll thoroughly enjoy this bike. Great job on the review Steve!

[@dev_IL666]

I'm 5"10 I should get a longer ? With a 485 reach ??

[@edlorenz1552]

@@dev_IL666 I'd say yes.

[@shawnbenson3873]

What a thoughtful and thorough review! Between Hardtail Party (Steve) and Trail Boss (Jeff) I feel like we are really seeing the broad range of hardtail riding captured. Steve, you are truly doing great things with your channel. 99% of channels regurgitate whatever they have been told. You truly test and question with on ground experience and open rigger. And it’s great to see you taking the production to the next phase. 🤙🤙

[@smithcreekcycle]

My first time riding mine I rode it with the same aggression I rode my Deviate Highlander with. Instantly fell in love. Some customers as you mentioned take a bit to get use to it. Glad you loved it!

[@hardtailparty]

Thanks again for making this video possible, I really appreciate it!

[@jobyparkes5442]

Great review Steve. I’m 5’10” and ride a longer size on 130mm forks, 35mm stem and 40mm Fatbars. Make of that what you will, I don’t know if it will help any prospective buyers, but it’s an absolute monster!

[@christophercolville9070]

Just took my freshly built Sirius for the first ride and it is incredible. Wasn’t sure how the geo would work for a single speed standing pushing a big gear on steep climbs, but it is brilliant. Different than anything I’ve ridden before and leaning way over in corners feels great! I do need to learn new technique for super tight slow switchbacks. Love this bike! And a shout out to Smith Creek Cycle, Brian was patient and answered all my questions. It was a pleasure ordering from them. Great Shop!!

[@hardtailparty]

Congrats on a rad bike. I'm stoked you love it.

[@tomtom3420]

Thank you Brian at Smith Creek Cycles! Your contribution to help these videos come to fruition is much appreciated!

[@ollilaine3265]

Thanks man, another very inspiring review. I like your style being polite with other trail users, good job!

[@billw_mtb3220]

That low sun angle for the second half of the video cast your shadow so that you could see how much you are moving around on the bike. Very cool.

[@jamedarr]

I’ve been looking at this frame for a few months now and couldn’t wait to see a really in depth review. Even with your disclaimers, I’m still pretty stoked about it.

[@pauls3616]

What a great review. Thanks so much Steve.

[@wolfiesmith7674]

Glad you did this vid, I’ve been looking at this for my next frame.

[@junglejim3433]

I love seeing the trails in Sedona! I used to ride some of the same trails twenty years ago and remember them well. Good stuff. Great review.

[@ryanmiskin]

Thanks for the video. Great stuff as always Steve!

[@JanPippel]

Absolutely amazing…exactly what i want from my new bike 🥰🤙😜 Many many thanks for that review Steve!

[@epicmtbtrailz8234]

What an excellent review, makes me want a hardcore hardtail again 🤟

[@tomerg2]

Man this is such a good review Steve🍻 you literally answered every question mark I had regarding the bike's handling & sizing 🎉🙌 Keep on with the amazing job your doing with these hardtail reviews! 💪

[@A.T.TrailWorks]

Excellent review! I think in many scenarios I'm the only thing preventing this bike from truly singing. Gives me room to improve my skills without having to buy a new bike, haha.

[@51249ca]

Excellent, full review. Cheers from the North Shore, BC

[@johnybrokeit]

Mannnn this was such a cool video to watch! I learnt so much and absolutely loved riding with you! Been binge watching your videos :) Thank you for such an awesome channel and for helping me see what these new current gen bikes are like. Im a 44 year old who rode a hardtail more than he walked all through his young years. Will be looking up your video about technique required for these slacker bikes next :)

[@shaunroach7829]

Another outstanding review!!!

[@nathanb101]

Yeah boi been waiting for this…thanks Steve

[@fenum_design2461]

Learning a lot from this review! The geometry really has so much character than any other bikes, and it clearly is designed for the advanced riders. Really interesting the bike world is. There are bikes designed for making things chill and easy or helping to tackle the rough terrain, and there are bikes like this made for chargers to make the terrain extra spicy. From the look and it's attitude I really want to call it the cafe racer of hardtails.

[@robdh88]

Love my Sirius! It’s a great bike for UK riding, so much so that I’ve almost stopped riding my full suspension...

[@hardtailparty]

I know the feeling!

[@sixate]

Great review as always. I would love to try a bike like this out. Their longest frame is way too small for me though. Maybe a few years down the road there will be more options. BTW, amazing climbing skills, you were just showing off. 😆

[@neilt7490]

A bike way over my head but what a great in depth review as usual.

[@brettstenson]

Just got one of these this year as my first MTB ever! Super fun bike, and Pipedream is a great company - highly recommend!

[@josephfarrugia2350]

How tall are you please & what size did you choose? Thanks in advance.

[@brettstenson]

@@josephfarrugia2350 I am 5' 11" and I have the Long

[@William.N]

Nice job on the reviews! While you may have made a mistake on the initial sizing, this was to our benefit. I was hoping you would have the opportunity to review different sizes and this seems to have been a great bike for that.

[@andrewhayes7055]

That looked one scary trail, you have good skills man.

[@atvridernc]

Awesome review! Highly recommend you checking out the Moxie. I love mine. Great as my only MTB for whatever I want to ride.

[@RayHowrad]

I put the published sagged numbers in a geometry calculator to get static numbers and here’s what I got: Size Longer with 120mm Pike Ultimate (531 A-C) Static / Sagged HA 63.5 / 65 SA 76.2 / 77.5 TT effective 620 BB drop 56 / 65 BB height 320 / 309 CS 425-441 WB 1214 / 1201 RE 472 / 485 Stack 605 / 594

[@robbchastain3036]

O my goodness, those trails and all that natural light, awesome. And if the stack is too low, there's always an upgrade with old Sting-Ray bars. :)

[@11dhillons]

Watched this video, immediately ordered myself a green longer frame from Smith Creek Cycles.

[@bigmikeshooter]

Very interesting Steve. Cheers from Greece...

[@guipol112]

Looks like a great short Travel bike! Absolut agree with modern technic : very Closer with skiing/ snowboarding or surfing, similar sensations.

[@mountainfrog1932]

I love my Sirius. I got it in mid October. Rode it geared for a couple weeks and now its set up single speed. I am 5'10" and got the Long / Medium. You've got me curious about the Longer, hehehe. I also ordered a Moxie along side it since they only had two left and I was a bit torn between them. The geared drivetrain is going to go on the Moxie, hope to get that one built up in a couple weeks. Coming from a FS Santa Cruz Blur this thing gives up very little in the downhill department, only in the rock gardens does it need a tamer line. I am selling the FS, hardtail convert for now!

[@C4RV3]

This bike is high on my list, and I'm about the same height as you. I was looking at the Moxie, but it seems a little too hardcore for me. I like my SS, and my current bike has 150mm with 67 degrees. Not sure I'd like the lower stack, but I wouldn't write it off. Awesome review video. Thanks heaps

[@isaacbrooks5999]

Those trails are so different than what I ride out here in TN. Brutal tech. I'd die.

[@buckroger6456]

That's AZ for you. Place also chews up tires pretty fast.

[@isaacbrooks5999]

@@buckroger6456 I bet. Gnarly terrain. But the views look amazing!

[@dolphin-studio]

@@buckroger6456 I live in Sonora so I know what he is talking about but still in my hometown there are very few tracks to ride unfortunately.

[@nmnate]

@@isaacbrooks5999 Yeah that's a gnarly trail in this video. But, if you ride these types of trails in the southwest, you'll adapt fairly quickly if you work at it. Some of it is comfort level, trails with large exposure can be more risk than folks are willing to take. Other trails just require sheer skill to finesse (drops to off camber chunk, varied traction, etc). Now, if you really enjoy the learning process...these types of trails can be fantastic to build your skills (or test the patience of your riding buddies haha). It's literally a playground, just don't expect a 5 mile loop to be a short ride if you spend half your time trying to tackle intensely technical climbs, etc.

[@buckroger6456]

@@dolphin-studio I live down in Tucson, and some of these trails just eat tires up. Someone else told me I just ride too hard and way too much lol.

[@S.Mallard]

I'm about to receive my full sus frame from pipedream, can't wait, seems like a monster, make me think of pole bikes with their geos.

[@billw_mtb5333]

Nice review! I really like what they have going on with this bike. However, it probably is too modern for me and the trails I tend to ride (Missouri and NW Arkansas). The Paradox and new Chameleon are about as modern as I should go.

[@JD-oe5uc]

Very nice and interesting review! And based on your comment I made the right choice for the Sherpa. I was a bit in doubt, since I am riding a Pipedream Scion (26inch) right now. However, the stack/short seattube seems a bit tricky for someone of 1.90 m with no experiences with modern geometry. Plus I live in a flat country and do more longer trails (a lot of 'boring" trails to connect the more interesting, technical parts). I might be ready for a Sirius in 5 or 10 year and after I have moved to a place with more technical trails ;)

[@austindean4035]

More great content!

[@musicjnky1982]

Looks like I found my next bike. I ride a sportbike and the way the Sirius 5 rides sounds interesting to me.

[@MrChrisdw2110]

Top review! Be very interested to hear your view of the Moxie compared to the Sirius!

[@Gdownification]

Awesome review, as always. I'm looking really hard into this and a few others (switch9er, solaris max, moxie, blue pig) as a potential replacement for my Commencal Meta HT. I have the Meta HT built up for enduro riding with a huge fork, and I'm thinking I'd rather have my hardtail feel more playful and trail oriented. I have a 150mm full sus for hard riding.

[@manzanitacycles]

The geo is similar to the hardtail I made for myself last year. Short travel hardtails are super fun to ride!

[@martinshortt7750]

It's similar to my Solaris Max with a -2 headset and 120mm fork.

[@tactical395]

I actually did the opposite and sized down on my Moxie. At 6' the pipedream chart showed I could either run long or longer (closer to longer size), so I went with longer. It was great but just couldn't click 100% so recently replaced with the long size. Works much better for me which is more the playful size. Great review of the sirius!

[@lukasalberter9886]

I´m 6´ as well and just ordered the Moxie in long. I don´t like to be bend forward too much when riding and want to be able to bounce around a bit on lighter trails. I was very unsure about the sizing, but I found a couple of posts from people that are our size which said they are happy with the long bike. So thanks for reassuring me even more :D Can´t wait for it to arrive! By the way...what fork do you ride? I got a Yari with 160mm super cheap but that seems like a but much :D

[@tactical395]

@@lukasalberter9886 I find leaning forward too much strains my wrists so happy with long. I run a dvo diamond at 160mm. Pipedream have good deals on the dvo when you buy a frame.

[@refo1977]

I measure 5.6 or 171-172 cm and I doubt what size would be better for me to buy the Moxie Mx3, Long Reach size 470cm I don’t know if it feels excessive. What do you think? I want a great climber and descend safely. Thank you!

[@lukasalberter9886]

@@refo1977 I´m 1,83 but I dont have the longest arms :D I ride size long and I´m super happy! After riding it for a while I came to the conclusion, that size long is the right one for me but I could also get happy with size longer. If you sit between sizes like I did check your Ape index. It´s basically if your arms stretched out to the sides are longer than your body from head to toe or not. If they are longer you can size up if they are smaller maybe size down.

[@codyclark2471]

great video

[@brycebaker2596]

"It feels more like an enduro bike that you want to pedal all day" - that souds pretty nice to me!

[@chriss8375]

Wonder is feels a tad small and slacker because geo numbers are at sag? Awesone review again!

[@petegowland6201]

I keep looking at these bikes as a replacement for my full sus and I've been looking forward to your review. I love the look of the geo numbers, but at 6ft3, I can't get past that stack height. Such a shame.

[@petesmitt]

I run this frame with a rigid fork and mullet wheels.. great for adventure riding.

[@John.M264]

Very nice I'm very curious about the fork you're running .

[@edinburghnick]

Cool video and nice looking bike. Any closer to a Stif Squatch review?

[@hardtailparty]

It's up to Stif at this point.

[@tomkenworthy2320]

Steve, awesome review- it was enough to make me choose this over the Solaris max due to the adjustable dropouts. I bought it from pipedream with a 35mm SID 120, the complete build is just under 26lb and feels like less than that. I somehow gelled with it on ride one and absolutely love it, you can take liberties with handling. As you said, it’s so easy to manual it’s ridiculous. Alan, pipedream’s owner and designer even messaged me when I ordered it to let me know of other colours that had arrived but weren’t on the website yet, just so I had the choice. Which I thought was above and beyond normal customer service. He even suggested wheelsets to suit the frame’s character. Build quality is amazing too. Geo figures on pipedream’s website are sagged at 100mm!!! So it’s about 63* HA static at 120mm. I considered the longish, but so glad I didn’t get that. I’m 5’8” with 31” inside leg and the long is perfect. It really does feel shorter than 465mm reach would suggest. Thanks for the best bike reviews on KZbin.

[@hardtailparty]

Congrats on a fantastic bike. I haven't interacted with Alan much, but I'm extremely impressed impressed with everything I've heard and seen about him as a human being. His bikes are equally special.

[@vrabcoLM]

What components do you have there? I want also build relative light sirius, but with Marzocchi z2, SLX/XT, without dropper and with two pair of wheels (XC and Trail). But it looks more like 30lbs.

[@tomkenworthy2320]

@@vrabcoLM Yeah sure, quick spec is:- Wheels: Stan’s crest mk4’s on bitex hubs & CX Ray spokes. Brakes: Magura trailsport 180/160 Group set: XT/SLX 12 speed Tyres: Vitoria Barzo 2.25 Post: one up V2.1 150mm dropper (should’ve gone 210 dropper!) Finishing kit: answer pro taper carbon bars (31.8 x 810mm) renthal apex 31mm stem, Pedals: crank brothers Mallet E The light wheels and tyres make the biggest savings here, it’s never going to be a race bike with a 2.6kg frame! I wouldn’t want these rims or tyres for anything too rocky though! Lots of forest trails and big hills to climb and descend here, not many rocks at all. I still may go for heavier wheelset and tyres soon as I have some enduro style forest trails nearby!

[@vrabcoLM]

@@tomkenworthy2320 Thanks. Something similar as I planned, but with bigger frame, heavier fork and wheels and without dropper

[@tomkenworthy2320]

I thought I loved this thing on the first ride but it just gets better! Changed over to some maxxis tyres and went shredding! OMG best bike I’ve ever ridden by such a long way. I threw a 2.4 rekon on the front and a 2.35 rekon race on the back. The more I thrash it the better it gets. I’m pretty sure I’m knocking minutes off of my local trails and hitting jumps like I’m 20 years younger! Lol. Such an important lesson to learn that a great short travel hardtail is better than a good long travel hardtail. My previous 150mm bike was nowhere near as fast, fun and couldn’t manual or jump this well either. The thing is a weapon! Just don’t undersize. I’m very happy with my long, but would consider a longest and I’m 5’8”.

[@JeffreySmith1967]

Three rides on my Long Sirius with a new Pike Ultimate 120. The hype is indeed real, this replaced my Sir9 (the Sherpa that has been on order since September was to replace the Sir9, it is probably 2-3 weeks until delivery), did a couple of loops on my home trails and just finished an urban fitness ride. The bike is amazing. So much more comfy then the Niner, so responsive and it loves to be pedaled and ridden hard. I am not sure if it is the 359 vibrocore rear wheel or what but it is a good amount more supple feeling then the Sir9. Good riddance to that Niner, twitchy AF. Amazing bike.

[@hardtailparty]

Yeah, that Sir9 is quite twitchy compared to the Sirius!

[@benjacobson7490]

1:01 that is so true. My buddy swears he needs a XXL because his Scott scale is a XXL and that's what the sizing chart said he needed. Now he's looking for a trail FS and thinks he needs a XXL and that there's hardly any options for him, even though a a large or XL would be bigger on a more aggressive bike

[@jasoniannone9675]

I have about 200 miles on my Sirius. My biggest challenge has been relearning how to turn. Body position and bar length are remarkably important. Positioning over the head tube and weighting the outside grip make turning much more predictable and reliable (and scary af). Shortening the bars from 800 to 780mm had two effects for me. First, it made room to position my sternum over the outside grip so I could weigh the front down. Second, it sharpened the steering considerably. The trade off with quick steering is the potential to get twitchy. I estimate the threshold to be somewhere around 730mm, which would be frighteningly fast and potentially tank slapper inducing.

[@Cotictimmy]

Not the bike for me (I'm old, slow, & timid), but this channel is wonderful.

[@hardtailparty]

I agree, this bike wouldn't be a good fit for what you're looking for.. The good news is that there are lots of great bikes out there for those who want to ride at a more leisurely pace rather than attack the trail.

[@oadslug]

These are great reviews. So helpful to see the bike ridden. Thank you! Question. You never followed up with a playfulness rating? 10/10? 8/10?

[@hardtailparty]

Yeah, I don't do that rating system anymore, I think it oversimplified how the bikes rode. On this one, playfulness is a 7

[@oadslug]

Wouldn’t worry. That’s why I love watching these, because you don’t oversimplify! + watching you pop a ledge or tackle a descent tells its own story. So bravo. The rating is just a nice final overall feeling. But whatever you think, I’ll keep watching. :)

[@wolfiesmith7674]

Just a thought, have you considered doing ‘ahead of their time’ retro bike videos I had an ON-ONE 456 summer season (2007 I think) that was… for the time… longish lowish and definitely slack for it’s time with a short travel fork. It was made of cheap ‘gas pipe’ but what a revelation. It advanced my riding skills and realisation of what a hardtail was capable of. It would be quite interesting to see you compare and give your opinion on how they have influenced modern geometry.

[@ktom300]

6,400 views so far today, that's a lot of hardtail interest. Especially with all the e-bike traffic out there these days. Crazy times.

[@hardtailparty]

The best of times. People are starting to recognize the joy of hardtails.

[@jasonrichardwatts]

This is MY type of hardtail! XC racing background prior to moving into fast gravity on DH and enduro rigs. I want a hardtail that climbs like a goat and eats flow trails like a missile on rails. This is that bike (or a Moxie with a 130mm fork for a bit of added chunder).

[@howardpetty550]

Can't wait to see Tess on the longish.

[@hardtailparty]

Tess is sponsored by Ibis, so we won't see her on a pipedream soon.

[@JimmyRadloff]

They must have been listening to your channel for a while before designing that bike. With the exception of the stack and the suppleness of the frame, it seems to check all the boxes that you've preached about the past few years.

[@MrDavecore777]

Fantastic review, how would you compare the sirius to the longer travel Moxie?

[@hardtailparty]

I haven't ridden the moxie long enough to compare the two

[@Mudncheese]

Well after some research, and due to brexit restrictions in my country I've finally built a Sirius. It's a great Enduro bike that climbs well and steers like a smaller wheels one, with even more stability and control. Super stocked. I've picked a 130 pike and it's great. In my region there are many natural trails so that extra bb height helped a lot, not pedal striking, w.o compromising steadiness.

[@hardtailparty]

Awesome! Enjoy your Sirius

[@josephfarrugia2350]

130mm Fork! What measured Head angle did you end up with I wonder? 61 degrees maybe?

[@monoperative]

I've just taken delivery of a BTR Ranger, and I'd love to hear your thoughts on it as the Sirius seems to be a similar sort of beast. Probably pretty difficult for you to get hold of one to test though, as they're made to order and the current build time is 8 months!

[@hardtailparty]

Yeah, I've reached out to them a few times, but no luck getting one in for review.

[@ericsundell9978]

I would be curious to try one. The low stack concerns me tho, I LOVE a tall stack....

[@mrupholsteryman]

I'm on a shoestring budget and have been riding my early 90's rockhopper with an upgraded Recon (replacement for rigid fork)... I have a crack in the headtube and am contemplating making a trip to the welder and then putting a 29 straight steerer fork on the front. I'm 5'9" and have dropped off of some 3-4 foot drops as well as I love jumping. Could never do much manuals....but given a slight grade...wheelies are no problem. I ride a 17" medium frame and I don't have a dropper. A 29 wheel would definitely slack it out some more...but I tend to get jarred a bit more with my 26 inch setup (at least on the front) Curious about your advice. Thanks! Gonna check your vid on how to ride the new geometry bikes...😇😎

[@eXaviar]

If you ever learned to ride a motorcycle, you know how to lean into a curve 😜 I bought a Orbea Laufey partly because of your review and I love it. Thanks. Here the new school riding technique from my years on a motorcycle improved my riding so much with the right bike. Now í can take to you saying 130mm is a sweet spot. I got 140mm and added 3 spacers to prevent it from diving to much or bring to hard with more pressure

[@hardtailparty]

I grew up riding Motos, and the counter steering definitely helps, but I've still had to take coaching to get better at MTB corners.

[@eXaviar]

@@hardtailparty i am also thinking about coaching tho I am still sceptical about it, of it will help me or be a waste of money... First I need to sort out, what I really wanna improve one and set a bar for my expectations

[@tonybarisone3731]

I have been trying to decide between this bike and the Sherpa, so your timing with this review is perfect. Based on your experiences and descriptions of the two, I would honestly want a bike right in between, from a terrain and riding technique standpoint. Would a Sherpa with a -1 degree angle set and maybe a 130mm fork do the trick? Thanks so much for your videos - you’re an incredible resource.

[@hardtailparty]

It sounds like you'd be a great candidate for my bike consultation service.

[@ryanmiskin]

It's completely worth the small price for the consultation. Having this specialized knowledge applied to your specific situation is a blessing.

[@davidm2843]

You have me intrigued! It sounds similar in concept to the BTR Ranger. You ever ridden one of those?

[@hardtailparty]

No. They're such s small outfit that it's tough for them to get me one in for review.

[@jtsimaras]

Great review....just curious do you ride full suspension more than hardtails ? 😀

[@hardtailparty]

Not even close. Full sus is about 5% of my rides.

[@jtsimaras]

@@hardtailparty ok love it and thanks for quick reply I have a newish fully xc race bike and just not feeling it ...love my hardtail 😂 happy riding...by the way your reviews are over the top fantastic 👍

[@jamessher6956]

I don’t see how this is much different than my Solaris Max. Cotic size lg has 485 reach, 64 deg actual head angle ,120 travel fork, low stack 40m rise bar,and short seat tube. The difference I see is longer chainstay and slacker seat tube. Great review and I think I would like this as much as my Cotic.

[@hardtailparty]

This has a 63* static hta and sliding dropouts with much shorter stays. It may only look like a few mm here and there but it really affects how the bike rides.

[@roberdiscotres]

I just rode my sirius three times but for doing short rides ,2 hours or less, on rough singletracks with short and gnarly and very steep ups and downs mostly by night is my sweet spot.Also have the moxie, for longer rides with longer downhills. Longer sirius, 130mm fox 34. 35mm stem with 35 mm up bar. Great review.

[@philippbusch1477]

How do you like the Moxie?

[@roberdiscotres]

@@philippbusch1477 longer in longest chainstays with 160mm pike . 35 mm stem and 800mm with 35 mm rise handlebar and on 29r. Now runnig on michelin enduro mud

[@roberdiscotres]

@@philippbusch1477 Is my winter/ mud bike.

[@nathancouse3596]

I know it's not completely up your alley but maybe get your hands on a specialized chisel? Would love for you too review one

[@hardtailparty]

I dog the chisel. Specialized is a really tough comoany to get ahold of.

[@alexthemtbr]

How accurate is the stack number?! BB height and headtube length are similar to Yeti ARC…. But 59mm different stack height???? For the same reach. I be don’t know

[@TonyPuleo1]

Now I want to check it out..I have short legs but super long arms and prefer a longer bike.

[@dl6860]

ALMOST TO 50K SUBS!!!!

[@hardtailparty]

One day!

[@dl6860]

@@hardtailparty Consider it your Christmas present. You've worked your legs off for this one! Thanks for the great content as always.

[@amc1974]

Sounds like you're describing my '94 Kona Explosif, with its Tange Presitige tubing, long top tube and short rear end. Are XC bikes going full circle (aside wheel size)?

[@nicolasledoux355]

Pipedream needs to sell it with the same colors than the Moxie !

[@mr.steebs5070]

I came REAL close to buying a Blue Pig, how would you compare the Sirius? Thanks for your efforts...

[@nilsbecker1895]

I'd be super interested in a comparison of chainstay length settings. The Sirius sounds quite similar in style to the Cotic SolarisMAX: quite lightweight, slack, low stack, made for short-travel forks. Except for the chainstay! I'd have two questions: Does the Sirius at max chainstay length ride like a somewhat bigger size? Does it become similar to the SolarisMAX in character, which is super composed in the rough but maybe not as playful?

[@jamessher6956]

I have a large Solaris Max 120 fork 2.4 Rekon front and back. I can’t imagine needing a more aggressive or composed bike. The low stack height took some getting used to but I just added a 70mm rise Whisky Millhouse bar which made a huge difference for me. Love this bike.

[@Alex_564]

Great review, thank you. My understanding is that this has a longer head tube than the Sherpa. Wouldn't that make it a close stack to the Sherpa at the same fork length?

[@alexthemtbr]

BB height isn’t that low . So short stack

[@ohiomoto]

This has a longer TOP tube and a shorter headtube than the Sherpa. The headtube and headtube angle along with BB drop affect the stack. The slacker angle takes height away from the HT and fork length. The BB is lower which gets some of that stack back.

[@ohiomoto]

@@alexthemtbr The Sirius has 8mm more BB drop than the Sherpa so it will be 8mm lower if the tires, fork, and headset are all equal.

[@Alex_564]

This has a 110mm long head tube if I remember correctly in the long & the Sherpa is at 100mm.

[@ohiomoto]

@@Alex_564 all Sirius frames have 105mm HT while the Sherpa ranges from 100mm to 140mm depending on size. But the Sirius has 8mm more BB drop than the Sherpa so technically it has 3mm MORE stack than a 17" Sherpa (But the slaker HT probably negates that). Of course the lager Sherpas have more stack.

[@flyingfish555]

Dang, I'm excited to build mine up now! I'm a tall guy with long limbs and a short torso, so I'm thinking the stack could be a little problematic (I run risers even on "normal" bikes. I suppose if my 40mm renthal fatbars aren't enough I could go bigger still!)

[@flyingfish555]

Update on my take for anyone interested: this is quite an interesting bike. It feels way slacker than the geo chart suggests. The steering is just plain lazy feeling (but very steerable, just have to give it more body English). It's ridiculously confident going down ultra steep stuff, yet the low stack keeps weight over the front and makes technical climbing easy. I put 30mm worth of spacers under the stem and used a 40mm riser bar and this was optimal for me. I'm going to change to 20mm worth of spacers and a 50mm riser bar. At 6'1" on the size longer it feels long (longer than my size large Ripley for sure), but still comfortable and not like, absurdly stretched out or anything. Using more rise on the bars and less on the spacers will make it even a bit longer reach wise, which isn't my goal, but I was a bit skeptical of having so many spacers and want to see if it feels better in other ways, like cockpit stiffness... Ultimately I like the bike for hard charging on a short travel hardtail (a fun experience for sure), but I like my other, more playful feeling bikes (Ripley, Honzo) for hitting jumps. It'll probably eventually leave my quiver but I'm going to give it more time to grow on me (though I already rode 400 miles on it and a good chunk of this season)

[@jackpittens796]

The bike looks very intriguing, but for me it would be closer to a home run if it would accept a true 3.0 29+ tire in the back. Thanks for the great review.

[@hardtailparty]

I love 29x3.0, but there's a reason nobody's making short cs with 29x3.0s, there's no room. I have a bike coming that you'll be interested in though...

[@jackpittens796]

@@hardtailparty Well the Trek Stache has 420 CS's and takes a full 29x3.0 and has a standard width BB, and Salsa had a short CS 29+ hardtail as well, so it is possible. It is just balancing priorities in the frame design and deciding who your customers are and what you think they want to run for tire size. I think the problem really is the general lack of love for plus bikes. There are those of use who really like them, but I think the vast majority like 2.4-2.6, so that is what bike companies cater to. I recognize that there is a world of difference between 2.6 and 3.0 when paired with a standard width BB, so it really comes down to limiting tire width, lengthening the CS, elevating the CS, or widening the BB if you want to fit 3.0x29. I'll keep hoping.

[@chriss8375]

@@hardtailparty I cant wait for this bike your working on!. Im really itching to get a newer 29+ with more modern geo!

[@lonewanderer2287]

👋🏼 Tall-stack lover as well. I’m lanky af so shorter stacks have me too bent over.

[@hardtailparty]

Whisky Millhouse ftw

[@bingoberra18]

I havent seen any test of the 2020- GT Zaskar Expert. It also has a very modern geo, would love to hear your view on the Sirius vs Zaskar. I just picked one up now on black friday for $1500

[@hardtailparty]

those 450mm chainstays are a deal-breaker for me. Not to mention GT hasn't gotten back to me.

[@bingoberra18]

@@hardtailparty What do you belive will be the effect of the chainstay length? Is it less playful but more stable up- and downhill?

[@jeffrytomas6196]

It’s so modern you can call it post-modern.

[@jeremyatkinson4976]

Other journos "insane fast". Thanks for an informative breakdown of the bike frame......

[@matthewparker5988]

Any plans to review the Pipedream Moxie?

[@schinagld]

Hi, could you tell me what is the recommended fork offset for the Sirius on the 120mm setup?

[@user-di8wn8ej2i]

hey hardtail party, I am currently building up a pipedream sirius s5 long sized frame like the green pipedream sirius s5 in that video, what dropper were you running on the long pipedream sirius?

[@MikeOnaBike]

How did you set up the suspension? Do you need to fill the fork with volume spacers?

[@hardtailparty]

No. One token and pretty close to recommended pressure.

[@flipper2gv]

I really wish you'd review the Devinci Kobain.

[@hardtailparty]

That's up to devinci

[@ridermtb]

Did you run it with the dropouts at full length? If not, give it a try and add an even higher rise bar. The longer rear end will help balance out the traction and you will not feel like the front end will wash out as easily. Plus benefit you on the downs, and add extra support in the climbs!

[@hardtailparty]

35mm rise bar is the tallest i have. I didn't experiment with chainstay length on this bike, but i have with others in the past. You are correct that a longer cs will weight the nose more, but at the expense of playfulness. Great tip for those viewing who may not want to have to weight the front so much.

[@ridermtb]

@@hardtailparty I would give the longer rear end a try, put the "playfulness" moniker to the side for a moment. I believe 90% of riders would benefit more from the characteristics of a loner rear end vs the Schralping wants of a short chainstay.... and you will quickly adapt and to a longer rear end. Apologies if I am spiting out info you are already aware of but like you I am a long time veteran of riding and very much sensitive to minute changes in bikes.... just trying to help people ride #moreawesome too!

[@aslansalive]

I've been riding long enough that I'm a bit embarrassed I don't know the answer to this question, but.. would running a longer steer tube on your fork and using some spacers effectively give you a taller stack height? 3-4 years ago I remember sitting on a Pivot 429 and feeling like the handlebar was on my knees at the top of the pedal stroke, made it unrideable for me. This Sirius definitely has my attention!

[@hardtailparty]

It won't change the actual stack measurement but it'll change the effective stack as well as the reach

[@stepupcyclery4136]

Have you ridden the Sirius with 27.5x2.8”s? Which wheel size would you prefer on this particular bike? Thanks

[@hardtailparty]

No, just as as 29er. It works extremely well as a 29er. While I love 27.5+, I think 29ers will suit the nature of this bike better.