Thx. How did you know the exact comparison I was hoping for [emoji12][emoji12]
Those generally considered “best in class” climbers so thats high praise indeed.
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They also happen to be the only two short-travel trail bikes I’ve ridden in the last 4-5 years (discounting the Trail Pistol due to weight).
My only real complaint, and this has been mentioned in a couple reviews, is that the chainstay protection is pretty hard and as a result is quite loud compared to what I’m used to. I may end up getting a VHS protector eventually.
After reading some reviews, I was expecting the chain to be louder. Drivetrain clatter seems average-ish to me. My chainstay protector did come with little soft rubber pads on top of the harder plastic thing, but one of those rubber pads has already come off. We'll see if that becomes an ongoing source of annoyance.
Had the Hugene in the backyard washing it off after a ride, so I decided to take a quick picture. I initially thought the pink I-9's might be too much, but I think they look soooo good. It's a sick looking bike.
Attachment 415816
That IS purdy….
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Twinsies
Well not exactly but close enough
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Triplets.
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...e56cf93058.jpg
Edit: the tapatalk uploaded always makes my pictures look shitty(er). Some sort of weird compression.
How many multiples of $4K is one of those Propain builds?
That looks like a pretty decent buy in today's bike market.
Am looking for something shorter travel for Mrs C -- a 140/150 bike isn't going to make her happy.
That Start build at $4k is a hell of a deal especially when you look at a Santa Cruz R build at $5k.
^^ YT Izzo.
Last time I looked they were readily available too.
We’ve got a new Izzo and a new Hugene in the house this year at roughly the same price point (1.3x this $4k discussion, but both also have ~$4.2k builds that are good value). *
The Izzo is 3.5 lbs lighter and noticeably faster and snappier. Big part of that is the stock tires but incrementally the whole package adds up too. Caveat - impression based on round the block pavement shakedown, actual trail ride yet to take place.
* Before I get the usual orthondontist shit they’re replacing 12yr old bikes that we rode into the ground.
Am waiting for the Izzo to come back in stock - leaning toward the Core 2 build, because I can upgrade a ton of stuff for the price difference to step up to the 3.
^^if they will let you preorder don’t wait on the YT - unlike Propain you can usually place order with small fully refundable deposit to secure place in line and cancel later if you change mind. They’ll get in touch couple of weeks before bike arrives for remaining payment
Core 2 vs Core 3 kind of comes down to how you feel about the NX drivetrain.
I just emailed YT to ask about more inventory.
Core 4 izzo vs performance hugene
Without stripping everything I’m still trying to figure out all the bits that add up to the overall difference and therefore where to “upgrade”but ….
Attachment 415866Attachment 415867
My scale might not be calibrated or totally accurate but it is consistent and repeatable. (note both size M w/ pedals but no cage or other extras)
Rear wheel alone is 1.3 pounds difference (5.5 vs 6.8 lb)
Forecaster exo to magic mary/big betty addix super trail is ~ 400grams x2 per manufacturer spec so thats the biggest chunk but cassette (gx vs x01 80g), wheels (newman alloy vs dt swiss carbon 130g x 2), bar (120g) crank (80g), shock (dps vs super deluxe ultimate 200g??). postman vs revive ??? Fox 34 vs pike??? Brakes/saddle.??
All the little stuff adds up fast.
Overall the Izzo is pretty close to YT spec while the Hugene is a lot heavier than Propain’s published number. I'm only a moderately obsessed weight weenie - but telling me a bike is 13.1 kg when its actually 14.1kg is not cool.
YT's response, in case anyone is interested:
Hello,
Thanks for reaching out!
The website shows the most updated availability next to each size and sub model. All bikes available for purchase currenlty will be listed as in stock or display the estimated ship date. Any bikes listed as sold out we do not expect to receive more of.
For bikes listed as currenlty not available we will continue to produce that model but will not post any until they are assembled out of our Taiwanese factory.
I would recommend clicking the "Notify Me" button next to the model and size you are interested in. Unfortuantley we do not have further info on dates outside of what is listed on the website.
You will receive an email as soon as the bike are online and available for purchase.
Interesting. My bike is a little different than the Performance spec and weighs just over 28 lbs. Crazy how a few of those items add up so quickly. When I had a Tyee built up, it was 31 lbs with pedals.
Yeah, propain says my bike, as ordered, should be 12.9 kg / 28.44 lbs. Actual weight (without pedals) is a smidge over 30.
I don't particularly care, and I think their published weight is a bit unrealistic for the build. 30 lbs is still entirely reasonable for that bike. But still, they should get their published weights sorted out.
That said, I don't think the comparison to the izzo really means anything. The hugene has more travel, and it's both slacker and longer. Hugene is more in line with the jeffsy, both in terms of how it's built and how it rides.
^^^ yes valid point re the comparison from a travel/intended use perspective but length/angles (5mm/0.5*) aren’t actually all that much different.
But 30lbs for a 140/150 with an X2 and 36 actually is damn light whereas well over 31lbs for a 140/140 trail bike with super deluxe and pike is not.
I’ll end my thread derailment but I’m a bit chafed about it having just unpacked the thing over the weekend and it feeling like a porker before even pulling out a scale.
Not to keep this off topic, but I’ll try to find frame only weight (or with shock) before buying so I can calculate a reasonably accurate final weight if I know the components I’ll be installing.
Complete builds from the factory make this more difficult. However, it’s reasonable to assume the posted weights are accurate. I total understand being frustrated dropping a lot of money expecting a certain weight, only to have to throw more money at it to get the weight down.
Never weighing your bike is the key to happiness in the modern trail bike world.
One of the best things to happen in the bike industry in recent years is not knowing the weight of anything. Gram counting died about the same time when people accepted Lance was a fraud.
Weight matters a bit if you're 64kg, not riding a moped, and care about how long it takes to get to the top of stuff.
It is a shame that they publish weights that are literally just lies. How can they think that's OK?
This is the way
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Truth. And if weight is a huge concern. $4k bike isn’t going to be where you find the remedy. Spend double that to save a few pounds.
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How's that old equation go? Weight, strength and price. Pick two
lol. My Patrol also has all three.
Always a favorite of Mr. Bontrager
Usually applied for parts but with new ebike standards we see massively overbuilt frames Strength increases reminds me that brands got tired of Internet smear campaigns when a few anonymous dorks had to warranty their Yetis.
What’s dropper clearance like on those Hugenes? I’d be on a L and I’ve got pretty short legs. Transition Sentinel (what I’m leaning toward for my next bike) is just so impressive that their L frame comes stock with a 210 dropper.
The dropper on my bike -pictured two pages back- is a BikeYoke 160mm, I couldn't fit a 185. I've got a ~ 31" inseam and generally can't run longer dropper posts.
I had the same issue with their Tyee- not a big deal on the Hugene (for me), but on a big travel bike I wanted something longer so I went back to GG for my long travel option.