Age: 36 | Vitals: 5’’10” 165 lbs | Years biking: 31 | Current Residence: Gunnison Valley, Colorado
Background
I grew up in small-town Vermont, and was encouraged to get outside from a very young age. My first bike was a 20” BMX bike that our USPS Delivery Woman gifted to me and that I rode the rubber off of. And my first “real” mountain bike was actually a women’s-model Mongoose (with a slanted top tube), so that I had the standover clearance to touch the ground.
I came to fully develop my love for bikes by riding to and from my elementary school on our local trails, and from reading issues of Mountain Bike Action on long, scenic car rides.
The aesthetics of bikes and the opportunities they afford keep me captivated to this day. Early on I tried my hand racing Cross Country, but lost enthusiasm after moving up to Elites and getting stomped. From there, I found my way to Downhill bikes and racing, and enjoyed traveling and racing for years. Killington, VT was in my backyard, and it was a great location to build skills and stay pinned. I’d also claim to be an early adopter of snow / winter biking (3.0 Gazzaloddi was as fat as it got then), creating tracks in the hills behind my house during the winter months in the snow and railing ruts.
Upon moving to Colorado to complete my undergrad work, I continued to race competitively on the collegiate team with the opportunity to travel nationally, and generally had far too much fun. Over the last decade or so, I now mostly focus on self-improvement, lowering lap times, and harboring a mild Strava addiction rather than outright competition. But I still enjoy a solid weekend of Enduro racing from time to time. Gunnison and Crested Butte have over 750 miles of amazing singletrack, and I’m still enjoying finding my own limits of speed, distance, and stamina.
Bikes have allowed me the opportunity to compete, work with some amazing photographers and videographers, and in general, meet people and see new places. I’m so grateful.
Some Favorite Bike Equipment:
DT Swiss 240 hubs, ESI grips, Renthal Fatbars, Troy Lee Designs Speed pads, cheetah print, single speeds.
Hi Eric,
I’m interested to hear your opinion / comparison between Pivot Switchblade v2 vs Yeti 130LR vs SC Hightower vs. Ripmo V2?
Your, Ben Sim’s and Dylan Wood’s review of the above bikes are awesome. You’ve compared them a bit to each other but not directly so I thought I’d ask for your opinion in context of my specific riding below. BTW – I’ve posted this question on Ben and Dylan’s bio’s too…Also a side note .. I’m an east coast transplant too … grew up in New Jersey but spent most every winter weekend in VT in East Middlebury.
Reason is that I’m getting a new bike and looking to demo the above bikes. I’m be interested in getting your, Eric and Dylan’s opinions as it’s not the easiest to get demo rides in with Covid…
To put context around me and what I’m looking for: I’m a 6′ / 175 lbs / 55 year old guy who rides 3 to 4x a week (road x2 and mountain x2). I’ve got a 29er hardtail (Moots RSL) for XC longer days and am looking for a full suspension that gives me a bit more travel to “save my a**” than a Tallboy or Ripley. Typical full suspension ride will be 10 to 25 miles with 2 to 4K climbing. I ride SF Bay Area (Northern CA). Last FS bike was a Gen 1 Hightower. I’ve been a long time Santa Cruz VPP rider but open to other suspension design. Majority of trails I’ll be riding are tight single-track in trees with rock garden sections, but more tight off camber switchbacks and roots. I will prioritize “tires on the ground maneuverable” vs “straight line bash through chunky rock gardens”. I am 55 after all and don’t recover from a good crash as quickly as I used to. Efficient climbing is a big deal. The focus on climbing will be on technical steep rocky / rooty climbs. Smooth fire roads are easy for any bike these days. Based on your review of the the Pivot Swtichblade it seems like it fits my criteria the best based, but interested to hear your opinions as your didn’t compare it to the Yeti 130 (I’m more interested in the 130LR Lunch Ride). Also, since Pivot has updated the Switchblade to use the new Float X (like Yeti does) do you think that will change your opinions for the positive as the DPX2 seemed to have some limitations. Thanks for all your help.
BTW – I did demo a Revel Rascal. I liked it, but do want a bit more travel or in my words “get my a** out of trouble” capability.
Hi Rich,
Really sounds like you would benefit from demo’ing these bikes. If the Rascal was not enough travel for you, I’d start with trying to ride the Hightower or Ripmo. Of the bikes you listed, they both skew to the more travel/more “get out of trouble” side of the spectrum.
Rest in peace, Eric. My condolences to your family and friends.