I had a nice suprise when the doorbell rang today. Mr. FexEx delivering the goods. It will be a painful week waiting as my hubs are on back order and my rims do not get here until next Friday.
Semi-custom Zeus 16/20
Mercedes Blue matching rear
Cannot wait to get her built up! I have everything but the wheels but I guess I kind of need those. I may have to run with 26ers just to roll! I am sure my El Ciclon won't mind.
"Set the gearshift for the high gear of your soul".
You're going to keep both the Ciclon and the Zeus?
Thanks Stripes. My EC is over 4 years old now but I still love that bike. I actually traded in a 2001 El Saltamontes when I ordered this frame. I will keep the EC for sure as it has been my go to bike for long endurance rides.
"Set the gearshift for the high gear of your soul".
Thing of beauty! What size is and how much does it weigh? I like Ventana's new rear triangle. They look beefy.
This is a size 16inch with a size 20 inch top tube (24inch). My scale is not perfect but I keep coming in at 7.4lbs. That is probably close because Teresa told me the 16inch weighs 6.63lbs and the 20 inch weighs 7.42lbs.
"Set the gearshift for the high gear of your soul".
It has been a long build. Parts on back order, wheel building friend on vacation. It goes on and on but...I can at least now ride. Still waiting for Hope seat collar and I am pretty much there. I am still playing with the headset spacer length before I make my second cut on the fork post. Tomorrow is the first ride on dirt so I will know for sure.
No droper post right now. Still debating based on my rides here in So Cal. Moslty long climbs of 8 miles in saddle, take break, drop post, fun. Maybe some day but for now, post. My build was to get a 6 plus travel bike that I could climb all day in the saddle and have some fun on the downs. She comes in right at 29lbs. Not too shabby. I will post up some ride reports tomorrow after my ride. I will be riding San Juan trail which has climbing, rocks, bumps, and lots and lots of switchbacks. I think it is a good trail to break her in.
"Set the gearshift for the high gear of your soul".
how did you get that "Designed by Sherwood ?" i've asked for that in the past & it wasn't possible.
i'm jealous
Lucky I guess. Not sure if it was because I did a custom build? Funny, the Zeus sticker kept pealing off so I got rid of them plus the rear triangle stickers. I think the less stickers the cleaner the look.
"Set the gearshift for the high gear of your soul".
I was able to get in a solid ride yesterday on the new Zeus. I guess first, a bit about my riding style. I currently have a 2008 El Ciclon, a Siren 29er steel SS, and now the Zeus. I live in SoCal and ride mostly the mountains close to my house. Lots of ups which are sometimes fireroad, sometimes all single track. I tend to beat the living crap out of my equipment not on pupose but by just riding. I love to climb for the challenge of clearing techy sections but really, it is about the downs which we have plenty of around here.
So, when comparing the Zeus to my older El Ciclon, I was very surprised at how much better a climber the Zeus is. Yesterday I rode San Juan which is a 22 mile route with just over 3300 feet of single track climbing. I played with both the "climb" and "trail" modes on the Fox shock for the 8 mile climb. Either setting, there is zero bob when climbing. I was very suprised to see that climbing out of the saddle is very similar to my SS when in the "climb" mode but with slightly more spinning out (more due to our cat litter-like trails this time a year). I also played with my fork settings on the climb in 120mm and 160mm. I found most of the climb was best in 120mm as the front end did get squirlly in 160mm. If i did not have a TALAS I could probably live with 160mm for climbing but it would take some getting used to.
The bike handles switchbacks climbs about the same as the El Ciclon so no issues with the larger wheels. I did notice that on the downs I was able to "carve" similar to the feel I get on the 29er. Both my 29er and the Zeus seem to allow me to lean much more on corners on the downs. The Zeus is definately quicker that my El Ciclon on the downs and corners. Because of the newer shock, through axle fork, newer everything and 160mm travel it was a smoother ride down. I did notice flying through sections that the week before on the same trail I was a bit slower on my 29er. I had the shock in "down" mode for the decent and the bike loves to fly. Like a 29er, the bike does roll over rocks easier, but still keeps you on your toes like a 26er. I like this better personally because the 29er can take the fun out of rock sections making things too easy at times. I like having to hop up on rocks instead of just rolling into them and over.
My only issue throughout the ride was numerous pedal strikes on rocks in tight rock gardens. I did stop at one point and put more air in my shock. It looks like I need to check my sag again but this issues does concern me. Any feedback here would be appreciated. I am using the 175mm crank arms I have always used.
So, I only have one ride on the bike but it was a very tough test. I ride different bikes often and I can tell quickly if I like something. I am a "feeler" type of rider. I am horrible at math so don't ask me about this length or that weight, I just know when something feels right. I have been on friends' bikes and immedialty know if a hub is loose or shock mount is starting to loosen right at the feel. The Zeus is solid and it feels damn good to me. I sure had a blast yesterday. It felt like I took the best of all 3 of my bikes and put them into one. How about that marketing line. You would think I was being paid by the 650b corporation of America.
"Set the gearshift for the high gear of your soul".
That's it, I ordered mine! Semi custom Level 1 20/18, Titanium color.
Your build, photos and review made me jump the fence... Now I am committed, I am counting down the days.....
That's it, I ordered mine! Semi custom Level 1 20/18, Titanium color.
Your build, photos and review made me jump the fence... Now I am committed, I am counting down the days.....
Wow. A 20/18? You are like the opposite of me. I have a feeling V will see a lot of level 1 custom builds with this bike. You must be all legs. Me, short legs longer torso.
For what it is worth, start getting parts today. Rims and tires are hard to come by right now. I am sure it will open up in a month with more options but I sure could not wait any longer. So far, the Pacenti stuff is solid and I am very pleased with the pick.
"Set the gearshift for the high gear of your soul".
Wow. A 20/18? You are like the opposite of me. I have a feeling V will see a lot of level 1 custom builds with this bike. You must be all legs. Me, short legs longer torso.
For what it is worth, start getting parts today. Rims and tires are hard to come by right now. I am sure it will open up in a month with more options but I sure could not wait any longer. So far, the Pacenti stuff is solid and I am very pleased with the pick.
Well, not really, this will be a 20" frame with a 18" seat tube, because I like a longish top tube (so I can use a short stem) but I would not fit much seatpost on a 20" seat tube....
I have been riding a 650B El Ciclon, so I have some spare 650B rims and spare tires (Nevegal front and Neomoto 2.3 rear) that I squirreled away when I thought the 650B trend was not going to pick up. That will allow for a first build until more parts are available....
Thanks for the write-up and photos, Paul. Your build looks great! I'm keeping an eye on this bike.
Thanks! I will be riding in SLO this weekend for some fun stuff. October 27 I will have time to really break in the bike. I will be riding the San Jacinto Enduro and have decided to go with Zeus. If I am going to be in the saddle all day why not have fun! I may consider riding the bike in the 140mm travel mode. I have not played with this feature yet but plan on seeing how different it handles.
Update on ride. Mu dumb azz had way too little pressure in shock. Pedal strikes are gone.
"Set the gearshift for the high gear of your soul".
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Originally Posted by Stripes
