Originally Posted by
smmokan
OK... here are some thoughts on the Druid after a couple weeks of solid riding. These rides were all on the CO Front Range trails, typically ~2-3k feet of climbing with steep, rowdy, rocky descents that I'm very familiar with, so I know how past bikes have felt. I'm definitely not a technical or overly analytical bike reviewer, it's all about feel to me. I made a few adjustments to tweak suspension (more air up front, lighter spring in back) but otherwise the bike was pretty dialed.
- It's super plush and planted on chunky descents and rails the corners... but to be honest, I think that's more the feeling of the coil shock than the suspension. It feels similar to the GG Smash I had earlier this year (which also had a coil). So maybe it punches a little above its 130mm travel? That said, I didn't feel like I was riding better or faster with the bike, and I rode some super rowdy stuff here to test it out. I was trying to get a feel for the suspension and find something different about it, but you really have to dig to find a difference. I think it feels very similar to the Revel suspension (which I like a lot) and a touch more plush than the GG suspension.
- The STA is only 75* - compared to 78* on my Trail Pistol- so it feels sluggish on steep and/or sustained climbs. It just doesn't feel efficient like the Trail Pistol and the Ripley I rode a ton last year. On the trails I ride regularly the climbs are steep and sustained, so I personally want a bike that I can hammer on if needed. Maybe there's a bit of drag with the idler pulley?
- That said, the bike absolutely floats up techy climbs... probably a touch better than the Trail Pistol and Ripley. It's hard to quantify obviously, but it just feels different up those sections and I'm sure it's because of the suspension design.
- The bike feels heavy to me... I don't have a scale, but I bet it's a couple lbs heavier than my Trail Pistol (which is actually built up pretty light for a TP). Granted it has the CC Inline Coil shock on it, but otherwise it's a pretty pimp build. Compared to the Ripley or Ripmo, it's probably 3-4 lbs heavier for a similar build.
Overall, I really like the bike but personally I don't think it's groundbreaking for what it is... a 150/130 trail bike. It's not noticeably better than a bike like the Rascal or Trail Pistol on the descents, but it's noticeably slower pedaling and climbing than those bikes. I feel like the suspension design should be on slightly longer travel applications, where the focus is more on the descents and not as much on all-around riding so you don't care about the climbing deficiency or weight. Deviate is sending me their Highlander demo that's setup as a 160/140 bike, and I'm curious to see how that compares as I think that's more in line with what the bike should be.