TITUS X CARBON - ULTIMATE BUILD & I9 approx £4,999Custom MTBSpeed machine built for racing but great for anyone that likes light weight, comfort and ease of climbing - Rock Shox SID 100mm
- X0
- Rotor 40/29
- i9
- 22lbs 13oz
The nice guys at Axel dropped of a Titus X Carbon for us (and you) to try. The bike is built up with Rock Shox 100mm SID, X0, Rotor 40/29 oval cranks and i9 wheels. Not bad! It weighs 22lbs 13oz, hefty? I better lose some weight as I don't see how we can get this baby much lighter. Never judge a book by its cover! The geometry would lead you to believe that this is real old school with a worryingly steep head angle. Not the sort of bike that we Brits are used to riding these days. However, you don't ride a brochure. Sure the head angle is steep and the steering quick but as I rode it I could see the front axle nicely in front of the forks and the bike was superbly balanced taking me down the steepest and slippiest slopes safely despite the saddle being high and me treating each descent as if I was racing. Joy! Before I rode it I though that I'd prefer it with a 120mm fork. Now, I'm not sure that that is necessary but I'll try it if I can. [image6]So with my fear of the geometry a non issue how else did it perform? Climbing was remakable. In fact so good that it may be a better climber than the new 100mm Marin (oops, that bike was still supposed to be a secret). I'll arrange a back to back test if I can. I started off with 17% sag, about 12mm. This was pretty harsh so I kept letting more and more air out, the softer it got the faster it climbed. I ended up with 20mm of sag, this may seem a lot for an XC race machine but it uses a 190mm shock. This is a great idea as the shock hardly has to work to deliver a beautifully smooth ride. Rotor 40/29 oval chainset looks tech and I never noticed the oval at all. The bike just seemed very easy to pedal fast up hill. I was sure that I'd feel the ovel chain rings but I didn't. I think that I'd prefer a 42 but the 29, for me, is perfect as a bail out gear on our halowed South Downs steep climbs. i9 wheels are light and stiff and with a 120 point pick they deliver instant power, better than Chris King and light years ahead of Hope. |
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