Airborne Goblin Final Review

After putting over 300 tough, dirty miles on my Airborne Goblin, I finally feel confident enough to write an authoritative review. Most of my first impressions of this bicycle were spot-on, but I want to take the time to talk at more length about this amazing mountain bike!

Climbing

As I mentioned in my first review, coming from a heavy dual suspension bike to the Goblin heralded a night-and-day difference in climbing ability. I felt like a rocket when I jumped aboard the Goblin! In fact, the Goblin is so much fun to ride that I've only done one or two rides on my 26er dually since I got my new rig. Of course, that does have something to do with the fact that I needed to pile up the miles in order to review it, but the speed with which I've been able to power through the singletrack has been refreshing!

Of course, this isn't the lightest of mountain bikes. I put it on the scale and my 16" frame with a completely stock build, a pair of pedals, one water bottle holder, and some mud weighed 28.57 lbs. But when looking at this weight, you need to be aware of two things:

1. This bike only retails for $1,200. That is a pretty respectable weight at this price point, especially considering the large wheels.
2. If you want to spend some money to upgrade, you can drop weight fast!

Really, I have no complaint where the weight is concerned. This bike just climbs well, and does so at an affordable price.

Descending

As I mentioned in my initial review, a true test of the Goblin's descending prowess would have to wait until I got home and on some gnarly, nasty trails. Well, I can safely say that I have put the Goblin through the ringer, and it has truly outperformed my expectations!

Coming from a 5.5" trail bike, it did take me a little while to adjust to riding a hardtail again. After my initial adjustment period, though, I was railing the downhills in style! The big wheels are super stable at speed, and the Goblin's geometry is confidence inspiring in challenging conditions. Due to the lack of serious suspension, I had to be a little more precise with line choice and slow down more through some sections, but that's simply due to the nature of this style of mountain bike.

After I'd been riding it for a while, I found myself ripping through berms at top speed, blasting through rock gardens, and popping off every roller and little drop off I could find! Landing on flat ground from drops 2 feet or greater was kind of painful, but that's just because it's a hardtail.

I've long heard about how 29 inch wheels feel like they have an extra inch of suspension, and now I can definitely attest to that as well. The big wheels did a fantastic job of soaking up small bumps and trail chatter!

One of the only downfalls in the Goblin's descending abilities is due to the fork, which I'll talk about in just a second.

Component Breakdown

RockShox Reba RL 29 Dual Air w/Lock-Out, 80mm

This RockShox Reba RL sports 80 mm of travel, complete with lockout. The lockout is a great touch for the extended climbs, and the action of the fork is very consistent and predictable. This is a great little fork that offers excellent performance!

However, in my opinion that's the issue: it's a little fork. I will admit, 80 mm might be enough in some parts of the country, but around here it feels woefully small on the rooty, rocky, washed-out high-speed descents that I frequent on a daily basis.  All of my hardtail 29er riding compadres are running forks that are at least 100 mm, if not more.  But, my LBS did mention that the Reba RL 80 mm can be converted to 100 mm of travel, but it is a rather in-depth repair requiring the fork to be disassembled, which of course costs $$. I haven't had the cash to throw at it, but one of these days I may get this upgrade done. 

SRAM X7 2x10 Drivetrain

Someone recently posted a topic on the Singletracks.com forums and simply asked: "What did we do before 2x10?" And now I ask you: what did we do before 2x10? 

I have absolutely loved my 2x10 drivetrain: it's simple and intuitive, and it just plain keeps on working. I wrote a full review a few months back after my first 2x10 experience, and I have to honestly say I still feel the same way about this drivetrain. The only change may be that I am even more in love with it! All of my drivetrain components have held up very well during the last 300 miles, and I couldn't be more pleased!

Avid Elixir R Brakes

The Avid Elixir R hydraulic brakes are paired up with 160 mm rotors to provide reliable stopping power, no matter the condition. I have been impressed by every brake I have used from Avid, and the Elixir Rs are no exception. They provide excellent modulation as well as brute force when needed. Airborne made a great choice when they speced these brakes! 

WTB Trail 29 Wheels

The WTB Trail 29 wheels aren't the lightest hoops on the market, but they are a super reliable choice for a $1200 rig. They are right at home on any 29er in the sub $2000 category!

Airborne Alloy Flat, 640 mm wide, Handlebar

At first I had a hard time adjusting to a narrow flat bar, but after riding it for 300 miles I can say that I've readjusted well to the narrowness. It has provided very precise handling in all conditions.

In the future, I might step up to a wider bar mainly due to my personal tastes. I have had some minor issues with hand numbness during long, rough descents; I attribute this to the short travel of the fork and the stiff, short bars. But again, in a different part of the country, this is probably a non-issue. For extended use, I'll probably make a few adjustments to fit my personal preferences and local terrain, but no big deal.

Kenda Small Block 8 2.1" Tires

The Kenda Small Block 8 is an extremely fast-rolling tire, and hooks up wonderfully in the right conditions. However, they do not perform well in wet, loose, or chunky conditions (or any combination of the above). Unfortunately, we have an abundance of all of those conditions here in the mountains of North Georgia. With natural springs and perpetually running streams and rivers in every low area, sections of the trail are chronically wet with sticky globs of clay even in drought conditions. Loose patches of sand, gravely stretches of singletrack, larger rocks lying loose on the trail, and gravel roads can be found around every corner. 

In order to better handle these conditions, I've recently switched over to a 2.2" Kenda Nevegal. The large knobs grab well in all of the conditions listed above and have significantly increased my confidence in the Goblin's handling. They are definitely heavier and I can especially feel the weight difference when accelerating out of a corner, but I personally would rather have increased traction and rock-solid handling than sheer speed. 

Tires are naturally a very personal thing, and I do think the Small Block 8 is a decent stock tire choice, and would be excellent for long-term use in some areas of the country (including on trails just 30 miles south of where I live). I just thought I'd share my personal tire choice for my local conditions.

Video

Final Thoughts

After thinking back over the last 300+ miles spent on the Goblin, I have enjoyed every single minute of it! I've just received a new prototype in the mail to test, and while it's designed more along the lines of my traditional riding style, the thought of leaving my Goblin sitting in the shed makes me feel so sad on the inside. This is an excellent mountain bike and performs just like a quality hardtail 29er should! 

It's even better when you consider that, at $1199.95, it matches or bests all of the components on bikes such as the $1619.99 Trek X Caliber. The Goblin truly fulfills Airborne's mission to build mountain bikes which provide quality performance at a a price the average Joe can afford!

Your Turn:
Do you have any questions that I can answer about the Airborne Goblin?

Read more...

Trying to Ride a Counter Steer Bike

I was hanging out at the bike shop the other day, and a motorcycle parts rep stopped by to drop some gear off. In addition to bringing along his goods, he also had a bicycle in tow... a very interesting bicycle.

He had welded an additional head tube on in front of the one normally on the bike, moved the handlebars up to the forward one, and connected the bars to the fork via two gears. By doing so, he effectively reversed the steering of this bicycle.

When we saw it, of course we all decided to give it a try... and we failed, one after another. While the concept looks so simple, it is incredibly difficult to overcome the decades of time we've spent on bicycles to turn the opposite direction when you want to steer.

What, you don't believe me when I tell you it's crazy hard?

Check out these pics and video for proof:

The counter steer mechanism

It's not as easy as it looks

The helmet and goggles didn't help after all

Read more...

Thrifty Thrashing Tips: New Column from Greg Rides Trails

Ever wondered how the heck you can afford to keep mountain biking? I know I have. It's a pretty expensive sport that we're all addicted to.

First, there's the initial big investment of buying a bike. Then, there's all the gear that goes along with being a mountain biker. Some things like tires and inner tubes and chains wear out on a regular basis, and some things need regular maintenance. Sometimes when you crash, a part bends a way it wasn't ever supposed to bend, and then you need to buy a new one....  Or what happens when the bike you bought a couple years back just isn't "good enough" anymore?

Yeah, mountain biking costs money... and sometimes it can cost some serious $$.

But, I'm here to tell you that it doesn't have to break you--mountain biking can be an affordable sport!

Over the last 6 years I've been a mountain biker, I've been in high school, college, or just working to pay the rent, and I have never had what I would consider spare money floating around. In order to keep my mountain biking habit alive, I've had to create my own arsenal of tips and tricks to keep this sport affordable.

And now I am going to share them with you in a new column called"Thrifty Thrashing Tips," exclusively here on Greg Rides Trails.

I'm planning on publishing one short "tip" each week to help you save money and keep mountain biking, even if you're on a tight budget. These tips aren't going to be long thousand-word blog posts, but hopefully some of them will help you consider ways to keep pedaling singletack, even if money's tight.

If you haven't already, "Like" Greg Rides Trails on Facebook, grab the RSS feed, and get ready for some Thrifty Thrashing Tips!

Read more...

Ryders Seeker Sunglasses Review

Sunglasses are an absolutely essential piece of mountain bike gear, but they are often overlooked, or at least misunderstood. With prices ranging from $15 at your local convenience store to well over $200 for a pair of name-brand shades, it can be difficult to decide what you really need in a pair of sunglasses.

Read more on Singletracks.com...

Read more...

Getting Cussed Out by a Fat Redneck

In case you haven't noticed, I published a blog post last week about a run in I had with a redneck on my 2nd ever road ride. Quite a few people have responded, and there has been tons of great advice given on how to respond to people, why you shouldn't respond violently, how you should respond physically if you need to...

If you haven't yet, I recommend you take a few minutes and read through the comments section, as so much great advice has been contributed.

One of the best comments I received (though all of them were good) was from Jesse Turk, a good friend of mine. He writes:

Greg,

As troubling things like this can be I strongly recommend to never react to people at all when they do stuff like that. Despite what the law says about cyclist, a lot of motorist (including motorcyclist) do not feel like you should be allowed to ride in the road. The reason I recommend not reacting is not particularly for that exact moment but for the riders that this motorist will come in contact with in the future. His anger will be even greater if the next rider reacts similarly which could result in actual harm to someone. It like if you are driving your car and a person driving a particular color, make, and model of a car does something very rude and/or dangerous. Every time you see that type car you will be fighting those similar feelings you had the moment it happened initially. So in essence every time he see a cyclist he will see you. This is the only way I can curb the emotional response. It's for the next guy...and we are always the next guy to someone else.

In reference to the knife: Carrying a knife is wise on and off the road. Not particularly for self-defense but just in case you need to free your arm from a misplaced rock. However if packing a blade in your jersey you are at great risk for it coming open during a crash and injuring you during that process. Especially if it is open assisted. Your best defense is your cell phone for people that are inconsiderate and just quickly send a text to yourself of the tag number and then call the police.

Love ya brother.

Be sure to hit up the comments section and read all of the other great advice that people have offered!

Read more...

The Joys of Road Biking **Insert Sarcasm Here**

Nearing Woody's Gap
(Road pictured is not where the
incident occurred, but is a popular
Dahlonega area ride.)

Today (blog post written yesterday) marked my second road bike ride ever. My first ride was an amazing experience, conquering some of the high gaps in the mountains outside of Dahlonega with my good friend Matt. The beautiful countryside, challenging climbs, and crazy downhill speeds got me hooked! I knew that I needed to try it again.

This morning, I decided to get out for a quick ride before school on my borrowed road bike. I mapped out an easy 18 mile loop from my house, utilizing as many rarely-traveled backroads as possible. I figured that it would take no more than an hour to knock it out, so I kitted up and started riding.

The first 45 minutes were so refreshing! The air was still cool, as the sun had yet to bring the Georgia humidity up to a painful boil. The wind was blowing just enough to keep the sweat down, but not enough to be a force to reckon with when riding into it head on. I was thoroughly enjoying watching the countryside roll by at a slower pace, and I noticed cool houses and abandoned stores that surely had stories to tell that I've never noticed while whizzing by in my pickup.

The first 45 minutes were amazing, yet this ride still managed to sour the rest of my day.

I was on the home stretch, with less than 5 miles to go until I reached home. I had the road to myself, and I was thinking, "Hmm, maybe all of the reasons I had for not road riding exist only in my head. I haven't had much traffic to deal with, and the cars that have passed me have all given me plenty of room and have slowed down." I was thoroughly enjoying my ride: it was the perfect way to start the day!

No sooner had these thoughts run across my gray matter, then I heard a motor coming up behind my. I scooted over to the right side of the road, just to give him plenty of room. It was a pretty long straight away, and no one was coming the other direction. We were the only two people on the road, nothing to worry about, he had plenty of room to pass.

Suddenly, the engine revved up, and a white pickup truck flew by me at over 50 mph, mere inches from my elbow! I was shocked. If I had picked that moment to accidentally swerve just a smidge, he would have clipped me with his mirror, or much worse.

He had the entire road to pass me with, there were no turns coming--there was not one single reason for him to make such a dangerous pass.

Lacking a car horn, I gave him the one finger salute to express my gratitude for his accomplished passing skills.

I know I shouldn't have done it. I'm a little ashamed of my reaction, and I know I should really not have responded at all and just kept riding. Nevertheless, that's what happened.

He must have been watching me in his mirror, as he returned the salute. I just thought, "Whatever, buddy," and kept pedaling.

Suddenly, the front of the truck dove and a cloud of burnt rubber filled the air as he slammed on the brakes and came screeching to an abrupt halt about 50 yards ahead of me. The driver side door flew open, and a large man vaulted out, throwing his arms back, and screamed:

"What the fuck do you think you're doing, you little mother fucker?"

A number of thoughts instantaneously coursed through my head:

1. What the heck just happened? I thought he was going to just keep on driving.
2. He must have decided that since I was alone and the middle of nowhere, he could pick on me.
3. There is no one else around
4. Compared to him, I guess I am little. He appeared to stand a full 6" taller than me, and weigh at least 100 pounds more. Judging by his truck and his dress, he's a manual laborer, meaning he's probably got serious guns. 

Obviously, this wasn't the response I had been expecting, and I didn't care enough to make a scene, so I tried to defuse the situation:

"Hey bro, you could just give me a little room."

At this point, his beer belly had finally stopped jiggling from his initial dismount from the driver's seat.

My logic and reasoning seemed to go over well, and he responded with an appropriate:

"Get your ass out of the goddamn road!"

He was still standing with his arms flung back in the "You want a piece of me?" pose, and while I did want a piece of him, I knew this was probably a fight I wouldn't win. He was definitely a manual laborer, and as such he was probably strong as an ox.

Now, I have nothing against people that work hard with their bodies to make a living. I have several friends who are contractors, and I myself have spent several years working hard and sweating a lot. Many of my friends in those professions are smart individuals, and I have the utmost respect for them. However, this exhibition clued me in to the fact that this person was definitely a redneck, and that he wasn't smart enough to aspire to anything other than digging holes and picking fights with strangers. I knew that no reasoning I could employ would make any difference.

I stood there for a couple of seconds, and neither one of us moved. I was on the homes stretch of my ride, and while I didn't want to pick a fight or attempt to ride past him, there was no way in hell I was going to turn tail and retreat.

I decided to simply click into my pedals, and ride in circles and ignore him until he decided to keep on driving. As I turned to make my first circle, he shouted a falsely victorious:

"Yeah, that's right bitch," as he climbed back into his truck.

I turned around, pedaled back up a little bit, swung around again, and kept making tight circles. The truck didn't pull away immediately, so I know he was watching me. I just kept riding circles, letting him know that there was no way I was going to turn around, but that I was just going to wait. After about 30 seconds,  the engine revved up, and he burned more rubber as he pulled away down the road.

I pedaled for a couple of seconds, and considered if I should actually keep heading that way. It was definitely the quickest way home, but what if this pot-bellied moron decided to wait for me up ahead and jump me? Well, I decided that if he was really that stupid, I might actually stand a chance with him in a brawl, but that hopefully he'd just keep going wherever he needed to go.

In retrospect, I don't think he would have thought of starting something if I had been riding in a pack. At first it looked like he would just be content by saluting me back, but then he slammed on his brakes and decided to make a scene.

Anyhow, I have learned a few key lessons for my next road riding adventure :

1. Next time I probably won't be flicking anyone off.
2. Riding in a pack is a good idea.
3. Oh, and I'll probably be slipping my folding buck knife into my jersey pocket.

Your Turn: Sound off. I'd like to hear any thoughts you have.

Really, I could just use some comment love...

Read more...

MTB Videos: Simple Editing Techniques

Hey guys, part 2 to my MTB Videos how-to mini series is online at Singletracks.com!  This second installment focuses on how to edit your videos in order to make them fun and entertaining to watch.

Missed the first post? Click here to catch up!

Read more...

Airborne Goblin Photo Shoot

A quick photo shoot with my Mountain Dew green Airborne Goblin!

Read more...

Flight Crew Vids

The Airborne Flight Crew has been hard at work this year producing some amazing mountain bike content! I wanted to take a moment to highlight just 3 outstanding videos:

This first video was shot by Jerry Hazard of some of his local terrain at Log Chutes in Durango, Colorado. As you will see from the vid, he put in a ton of time and effort to collect all of these fly-by shots. Enjoy!



Neal Bryant is a professional videographer at his day job, so naturally he brings some serious video shooting and editing skills to the table. Check out this uber professional video review of the Airborne Marauder:



Last but not least, Marty Tank was enlisted to film a behind-the-scenes video of a photo shoot that some of the Crew did before the Sea Otter Classic with Ian Hylands of www.Pinkbike.com: (Be sure to hit the full screen button)

Read more...

Dirty Dog MTB Brake Rotor Review

New gear review of the Dirty Dog Web rotors online now at www.Singletracks.com!

Read more...

Mountain Biking Action Shots

Action Shots from the Singletracks.com Group Ride at Blankets Creek:

The New Wall Ride
Rider: Greg (me). Photo: Jeremy

Log Ride
Rider: Greg. Photo: Jeff.

Table Top
Rider: Wyatt. Photo: Jeremy.

Rider: Greg. Photo: Jeremy.

Rider: Wyatt. Photo: Jeremy.

Blurry shot of Jeff on the log.
Photo: Greg.

Rider: Greg. Photo: Jeremy.

Your Turn:
Have a cool action shot? Feel free to share a link to it in the comments below!

Read more...

Crank Listed Results: We Did It!

Back on the 17th of May, I wrote a post to let you know that the Crank World Cycling Blog Honors were on again for 2011 and that this year--this year we could take first place. And while I definitely believed that, I knew that it would also be a challenge.

But guess what?! We grabbed the bull by the horns and we did it!

Greg Rides Trails has been voted the "Favorite Mountain Biking Blog" in the 2011 Crank World Cycling Blog Honors!

A banner with a link to Greg Rides Trails is now posted permanently on www.CrankListed.com, thanks to all of your effort!


I'd like to emphasize the "we" and the "your" above. This isn't something that I did. This is something that we did. This would not have been possible without all of you taking a little bit of time every day to head on over and click the link to vote up GRT. Without your work, this would not have happened!

I want to thank each and every one of you for being a fan of Greg Rides Trails, and for helping us accomplish this goal!

Cheers!

Read more...

Airborne Goblin 29er Video

My new Airborne Goblin 29er video from the Fort Ord Trails in Monterey, California is finally live! I hope you enjoy it!

Read more...

Testing Expensive Bikes: Ibis Mojo HD Review

Sometimes I think it's a really bad idea to go out and test ride mountain bikes when you have no intention of buying.

Why?

Because you then try to justify why your current bike (or bikes) just aren't good enough and why you need to invest $5k in a new rig.

Of course, since I don't have a spare 5 G's lying around, my recent test ride on a tricked-out Ibis Mojo HD only made me long for something that I know I can't afford... for now.

Ibis Demo

Comparisons
Nevertheless, I've been trying to get my hands on as many high-end mountain bikes as I can over the last several months to see if there are actually very real differences between how higher-end bikes handle. So often I read reviews in magazines such as Bike and wonder how these testers can pinpoint minute differences between bikes.

I've decided that part of it is probably commercialized BS, but that the rest of it is probably that these bike reviewers have ridden dozens of different mountain bikes, and that some of them have been riding bikes for longer than I've been alive. I well understand the first half of the equation from all of the pointless essays I have written for English classes over the years, but in order to address the second half of the formula I'm trying to ride as many bikes as I can.

And you know what I've found? There actually are differences between these bikes. They may not be as profound as some writers want you to believe, but they are definitely there.

Review

Ibis Mojo HD

Specs
I demoed a Mojo HD complete with a full XT build kit, Fox Talas fork with an insane amount of options, Joplin seat post with infinite adjustability, and a pair of Crank Bros wheels, set up tubeless. The frame complete with XT build kit rings up at $4999.99, and the Crank Bros wheels are an upgrade on what normally comes stock at that price.

The HD ups the ante that the original Mojo SL set by increasing the suspension from 5.5" up to a much more aggressive 6.3"

According to my research, this build tips the scales at an attractive 26.5 lbs, but with the Crank Bros wheels and tubeless setup it may even be less.

I've been spending most of my trail time over the past couple of weeks on an aluminum hardtail 29er, and crazy as it sounds, the Mojo HD boasting a full 6.3 inches of suspension weighs over a full pound less than my hardtail! Of course, these bikes aren't on the same playing field whatsoever: the 29er retails for only $1200 -- that's a full $3,800 less than the HD.

On the Trail
While those two bikes aren't even close to being comparable, it just amazes me what money can buy. After riding this bike, I could conceivably see myself only ever wanting to own just one bike.

It's obvious that you're riding an expensive fork when you flip the lockout lever and the fork actually locks out without even a hint of compression or lateral flex. The Talas does just that, almost turning the extended climbs that would normally be such a chore into a pleasure. The pro pedal on the Fox shock also felt firm under out-of-the-saddle efforts while still boosting traction over that of a hardtail.

The HD really does climb with the legs of a cross country bike!

And when the trail turns downhill, a few lever flicks and the suspension is all the way open, the seat is down, and the Mojo is ready to soar! The suspension was super plush and forgiving, yet firm and snappy coming out of the berms.

There was one rock garden that I chose to session a couple of times in a row. At first, I was plowing through at a reasonable speed, but still feathering the brakes to make sure that everything stayed in control. The second time through, I forced myself to absolutely pin it and aim for the biggest rocks and the nastiest line I could find! The HD blasted through that boulder field without so much as a backward glance to see what it had just accomplished! The suspension performed perfectly, the bike tracked predictably, and the brakes were there in an instant when I needed to avoid the tree at the bottom.

Props for the Infinitely Adjustable Seatpost

This was my first time on a dropper post with what the marketing types are referring to as "infinitely adjustable." The basic idea is that instead of just having an up and a down position, you can adjust the seatpost to either of those spots, as well as anywhere in between. I found this to have real practical applications out on the trail.

Obviously, the "up" position is great for climbing, and the fully down position is perfect for blasting through rock gardens, railing big berms, and catching air off of every lip and roller in the trail. But when would you need a middle position?

Seatpost lever

On one of the downhills I rode during my test, the upper section is pretty gnarly with jump opportunities, rocks, roots, and a series of fast back-to-back berms. The lower section, however, transitions into a smooth, pedally downhill filled with flat switchbacks and s-turns. Through this section I set the seatpost at a mid-level which allowed me to still pedal with ease while still having my weight supported by the saddle. At the same time, it also lowered my center of gravity, allowing me to carve better and rail the turns harder than I normally could with a normal-height seatpost.

While there are definitely some marketing gimmicks bandied around whenever these new posts are discussed, they actually do have some real cool benefits that turn into tangible advantages out on the trail.

Tubeless Wheels

Believe it or not, I think this may have been my first experience riding on tubeless wheels. I immediately noticed the increased traction from the low tire pressure. Cornering on a flat trail almost felt like I was riding a low berm on one of my other bikes. Of course, the suspension and frame design could have something to do with it, but the tubeless advantage was still so evident!

This may be my next upgrade....

Carbon Fiber Frame
After only one test ride, I don't think I've had nearly enough time on the bike to fully understand the benefits of a carbon fiber frame on a 6.3" travel mountain bike. Obviously, there is the weight factor: at 26 pounds, this bike is mind-bending.

In every situation that I put the Mojo HD through on my ride, it felt stiff as a bone and immediately responsive. However, I can't say that an aluminium bike wouldn't have... someday I'll get more time on a carbon fiber dually; maybe then I'll be able to write authoritatively on the topic.

Specialized Enduro Comparison
The only other bike that I have ridden near this price-point is the Specialized Enduro. Naturally, I have to compare them.

The biggest difference that I can pin down with the limited testing I've done is in the cockpit. Both of these bikes have similar suspension and component choices and fall into the same category, yet their cockpits feel completely different. The Enduro had a relatively short top tube with an upright body position very reminiscent of a freeride bike while the Mojo HD's was much longer and lower. Despite the differences in position, both test bikes had a pretty wide set of bars installed.

I appreciated the HD's longer cockpit during the long stints in the saddle while climbing, and I didn't feel like it hindered my handling on the way back down.

Finally, consider the fact that the Enduro Pro with an aluminum frame costs $800 more than the Mojo HD sporting a carbon fiber frame, and Ibis comes out as a clear winner in this head-to-head matchup!

Conclusion
I would love to kit up for a long XC ride on the Mojo HD, and I'd also feel comfortable donning the full face helmet and riding the lifts with it all day. There aren't very many bikes you can truly say that for!

Thanks to Ibis and Dahlonega Wheelworks for sponsoring this demo day!

Posing with the bike in front of the Ibis van

PS This is your last chance to vote for Greg Rides Trails in the Cranklisted blog honors! 

Read more...