NoWhammies

So I finally found some time to take my new (well new to me anyway) mountain bike out for a ride yesterday night. And wow. This bike is FAST! Compared to the other two bikes I rented, this bike descends very quickly. I was shock/surprised at the difference in how this bike descends compared to the other two. This one just flies. Needless to say, I have to keep my wits about me on the descents. Also, it's kind of scary as all get out too!

Bigbus

Glad you're enjoying a new (to you) bike.

BirdsBikeBinocs

When I bought my Giant Talon 29'r 3. I felt the same way. Fast. Me, I go slow. But fast is fun too. Yee.ow.zaa .... And the 29 inch wheels ride very flat. Right up and over whatever is in front of the rider. I love this bike.

NoWhammies

What surprised me @BirdsBikeBinocs is I wasn't surprised for the speed. I was speaking with a friend afterward and he figured the tyres might have had something to do with it. The previous bikes I rented all had big knobby tyres. The tyres on this bike not so much. Due to the changing of the seasons here form dry to wet and slippy, I am likely going to be changing the tyres in the near future.

rumrunn6

what is it & do you have a photo?

BirdsBikeBinocs

Yes. I get it. I have small to medium knobs on my tires and I was very pleased with the low rolling resistance. And I had been riding a Specialized Diverge E5 Comp on the road for 1,000 miles. So not to be discouraged with the speed of the mountain bike was a big surprise to me. The road bike has been gathering dust since I purchased the Talon 29'r ....

Ronsonic 

He's got less than 1000 posts, sorta newb and doesn't know the ultimate rule:

Pics or it didn't happen.

NoWhammies

I have since swapped out the tyres for Maxxis High Rollers. The change in tyre seems to have slowed the bike down ever-so-slightly and increase the grip on some on the gnarly climbs.

Still learning my bike handling skills though.

spokes5678

I just got an alloy rocky man element 2018 nos size small.
It's the first 29er I've had since a disastrous bout with a 2006 Gary fisher 29er'
I'm only 5' 4''/ 5' 4.5'' on a good day and I believe what's made all the difference on this bike is the fact that it
has a 148mm boost rear end.
This means the rear wheel is a crucial inch or so closer underneath me than the old bike whose huge chainstays
on all sizes small to large were the same length which made for very sluggish acceleration.
Also they say the fork and shocks are tuned for each size. The bike has an adjustable chip to tighten or
slacken the front end to vary the front end angle to suit trail conditions.
It's both faster and safer than the old 26er and now I'm a happy old man!

Kapusta

That bike is sweet!

If you want some of the speed of the Ikons and still have the braking and cornering benefits of the High Rollers, you could try running one of the Ikons in the rear and a High Roller in the front.

NoWhammies

Thanks @Kapusta. I've been having a lot of fun with the bike so far. But wow. What a learning curve coming from a roadie background. The words 'fish out of water' come to mind. Still up for the challenge of learning though. Much like @spokes5678 I am happy too.

qclabrat

I love Maxxis tires as well but found they wear quickly in the rear with the 3C compound.
A common trick is buy the slightly cheap Dual compound which wears better and save the 3Cs for the front where the softer gripper tires is more needed.
I run 2 of my bikes with HR2s and love them to death, though they do roll slower, but not Minion slow, but consider either Ardents or Aggressor for the rears.
Good luck with the bike, she's a beauty