Airborne Goblin 29er: Thoughts from my First Ride

It was so satisfying to see the Airborne Goblin in real life and in its completed form. The Goblin is the first bike that the Flight Crew has had a hand in designing. We all gave our input on what we thought would be good for this bike, and what we didn’t want to see. Some people were more influential than others, but we all got to be a part of the design process… it was truly a unique opportunity!

Not only did I get to take a look at it while out at Sea Otter, but I got to take it out for a nice long ride on some beautiful California singletrack. Here is my “first impressions review,” but I will post another, more detailed, review once I have spent a few months riding mine (which should arrive this week).



Climbing
The first thing I noticed is that the Goblin climbs like a beast! Coming from a heavy dual suspension bike with over 5 inches of travel, I felt like a rocket flying straight up all of the climbs on this light hardtail! The lockout on the fork is definitely a great touch for those long gravel road (or paved) climbs, and I definitely made use of it.

Even on the steep, dusty singletrack climbs, I didn’t feel like I suffered from the reduced traction that I have heard some 29er riders complain about.

Descending
This is a hardtail, so the descents were all much harsher than I’m used to. But with a little acclimation, I was shredding the descents at nearly the speed I would on a FS. The trails at Fort Ord are largely smooth and fast, so there weren’t really any technical areas to worry about. In short, these trails were perfect for a hardtail 29er. A better assessment of the Goblin's descending prowess will have to wait for some gnarly East Coast singletrack, but based upon my initial assessment I am confident that it will perform with excellence when compared to other hardtails.

If I rode these gorgeous trails everyday, a hardtail would definitely be my go-to bike!

One of the other things I was curious about is how the big wheels would perform in the corners. I could definitely feel the size of the wheels as I navigated the trail, but I never felt seriously hindered in the sharp switchbacks or even in some of the big bermed turns. Again, the tight, twisty trails of my local Appalachian forest will be a much harsher test environment for these big wheels.

Components

The component spec on the Goblin is stunning for the $1199 price point. I’ll delve into the individual components and such in much more detail after I’ve put more use on my own rig, but for now be sure to check out my review of the SRAM X7 2x10 drivetrain. The rest of the components include Avid Elixir R brakes, a Rock Shox Reba fork (with lockout), a Selle San Marco SPID saddle, WTB Trail 29 wheel set, and Kenda Small Block 8 tires. The white Airborne branded bars and seatpost are also a great touch, rounding out the Airborne image and helping to draw the white component color scheme across the whole bike.

Video



Summary
As I mentioned above, the trails at Fort Ord are definitely 29er hardtail territory. I am very interested to see how the Goblin performs on my home terrain. There are many, many more rocks, roots, and drops, and we have an abundance of sharp terrain changes and tight trails that require precision handling. After I have been able to put a few hundred miles on this steed, I will report back with my final verdict!

But for now, it is all thumbs up!