I feel that finally after almost 40 miles of riding on this bike I can give it a good review. I have rode around town with the family, and have done some good off-road riding on my own to break it in.
Frame | 6061 Hydroformed Aluminum Hardtail 29" |
| Fork | RockShox XC28 TK Mg29 with Preload Adjust, Rebound Adjust and Lock-Out, 80mm |
| Headset | Ahead Sealed Cartridge 1 1/8" |
| Brake Levers | Tektro Auriga Comp |
| Brakes | Tektro Auriga Comp Hydraulic Disc |
| Rotors | Tektro 160mm Rotor |
| Shifters | SRAM X-5 Trigger 9-Speed |
| F Derailleur | SRAM X3 |
| R Derailleur | SRAM X5 9speed Long Cage |
| Cassette | SRAM PG-950 12-34T 9-Speed |
| Chain | KMC X-9 |
| Crank | Truvative E400 22-32-42T |
| Bottom Bracket | Powerspline Sealed Cartridge |
| Pedals | NONE |
| Rims | Weinmann Disc Bull Double-Walled with Eyelets, 32H |
| Hubs | KT HiFlange 32H |
| Spokes | Black 14g Stainless |
| Tires | KENDA Small Block 8, 2.1" |
| Handlebar | AIRBORNE Alloy Flat, 640mm width |
| Stem | AIRBORNE Alloy +/- 7 Degree Rise, size specific |
| Saddle | Selle San Marco SPID White/Black |
| Seat Post | AIRBORNE Alloy 31.6mm Diameter, 350mm Length |
| Extras | Owner's Manual, Clear Coat, H20 Bottle Mounts |
This comes straight from the Airborne Website. Go to Airborne Here
First off the frame. I look at how the welds are lined up(almost artistic, which also means they are a good bond). The frame looks rock solid and feels rigid. My guess is this frame will last me a long time and that is always a good thing on a mountain bike. Change the components, break some stuff, and just keep on riding. Airborne has a lifetime warranty on the frame and that makes me happy knowing I can ride without worry that I am not going to have to buy a new bike any time soon. Frame 10/10
Fork:
The Rockshox delivers some great absorption, I rode a rigid Trek 950 for years and so moving to a front suspension takes a little getting used to but I can feel the front end is planted and connected. It eats up the little bumps and makes riding that much easier. When I break down and upgrade I'll then do a comparison but as for first fork I am impressed. I can pick a line and stick to it without hopping off a rock or jostling from a rough trail. This fork gives my riding confidence. I did play around with the rebound adjust and am glad I can lock it out if needed. Those were some features I was looking for when I bought this 29er. I know there are better shocks out there but for this price point I am happy. 9/10 (ignorance in not knowing better)
Headset: No complaints here. Allows the bars to control the wheel and the shock to work well. Smooth. 10/10
Brake Levers: I have never been real picky about small or large levers. I have large hands and am able to adjust my grip placement quite easilty. The levers are on the longer side so if I were to actually care I would get shorter levers. They work well in the fact that I can grab hard and lock up the brakes or modulate for just the right amount to slow or scrub some speed. 9/10
Brakes: I have gone down some very steep descents and been able to control the bike and felt comfortable doing it. These have been really steep short hills and longer higher speed bumpy hills. These are the first disc brakes I have ridden hard, but I would say right now there is no need to pay more. The ability to lock up the wheel or modulate the brake pressure is there. I am at the point now where my cables have stretched and I need to tighten them but so far nothing but perfection from these. A huge upgrade from cantilever or v-brakes. 10/10
Rotor: Goes with the brakes, no problems with these. I have yet to try em really muddy or wet so I can not yet comment on that. 10/10
Shifters: I am still learning these even after 36 miles. I really liked my rapid fires and its taking just a little getting used to making my thumbs to both up and down shifting. They fire quickly and the pressure you need to shift is a good "feel." Not too hard, yet crisp so you know you made a shift. A nice audible click as well to complete the feedback. 8/10
F Derailleur: This and the crank would probably be my least favorite parts on the bike. Nothing really against them except at some point I will probably change these out. They work fine and I have no real problems its just that I would rather have a 2x10 or 2x9 set up. I hardly every use another gear other then the middle front rung. The front derailleur is a little slow in shifting and I did have to adjust it out of the box because the chain dropped down onto the BB housing. 5/10
R Derailleur: No problems at all, shifts very crisp. I probably wont ever touch it unless I wear it out. Perfect shifting out of the box and no problems missing a shift after 40 miles. 10/10
Crank: As far as the crank working it is wonderful. Power goes hard to the chain and rear tire and I dont feel like I am losing anything as I pedal. One big problem that has yet to be remedied is that I am missing a spacer on the right side of the BB. So I am able to power the crank enough to hit the rear frame, only about a mm or less of a gap right now. I have contacted Airborne and they said they would get the part out to me, yet I am still waiting so I can get that on my bike. As far as cranks go I can not complain, seems light and responsive. 9/10
Bottom Bracket: As with bottom brackets I usually wear them out. This one feels smooth and tight. I wonder if it will still feel that way after a few hundred miles. No problems with the BB. As with all bottom brackets its really how long they last. 8/10
Rims: I like these rims. They look great on the bike, and roll really good. Maybe this is just the difference in 26 to 29 inch diameters? Not quite sure but I changed out the factory tube for a slime after some thorns gave me a leak. Easy to change out, a little heavy but love how they roll and ride. 8/10
Hubs: At of the box I have had no problems. Again there are probably better nubs but the bike rolls great. It climbs well and descends like a champ. 9/10
Spokes: If only I had magnesium composite light as air spokes on a $600 bike......(what can you really say about spokes?)
Tires: These tires are very cross country tires. I have always liked very aggressive tires and these are far from aggressive. They give adequate grip, but I have spun them out on a hard-pack climb. More likely technique then tire grip. So I cant knock these tires in how they perform. Its more likely just personal taste of why I will change them. They have done an admiral job of getting me out and riding without any problems. 8/10
Handlebar: If I can turn, climb, descend, and go in a straight line then to me the bars have done their job. Just like the brake levers I am not very picky and my preference is is actually a straight bar so I really like these. I will probably add some bar ends just for comfort but have been happy with position and style of these bars. 10/10
Stem: Fits the bike well, looks good! I feel like the bars are in a great position for riding and so the the stem works for me. Again the price point of this bike means there are better stems out there but I don't think this would be something I will change because it works great as is. 10/10
Saddle: I enjoy this saddle. I love the look and I found it to be pretty comfortable for the shorter rides I have done. Not sure I am ready for a long journey on this saddle yet but I think it works great on this bike. Looks phenomenal and is a good place to sit for a good ride. 10/10
Seat Post: Love the white post and it feels really solid and yet pretty light. I did have a creak in either the seat post or the saddle but a little grease on the post and screws fixed it really fast. 10/10
153/180 or 8.5/10
This review is completely my opinion. I am not an employee or have any affiliation with Airborne Bicycles as I have written this review. I am reviewing this for the price point of $600 and know that there are lots of better parts that could go on this bike. If you added those better, lighter parts you would increase the price and then the bike would not be affordable to me or many others.
In high school I rode a Trek 950. I still have it! I rode many miles with that bike and beat it up over the years. I am now in my 30's and wanted to get back into riding so I can teach my son and daughter about the wonderful sport of Mountain Biking. While on the 950 I taught mountain biking to summer campers and we rode a ton. I have never raced but really enjoy the technical riding aspect of singletrack with some tight corners, rocks, roots and what many other obstacles that can be thrown at a mtb rider.
Hope you come back for more adventures as I get back into the sport and enjoy my rides.
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