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Pistola: Plush mode with 29er wheels?

4K views 28 replies 10 participants last post by  captkirky 
#1 ·
Hi,

First post in the GG forum :)

I’m considering a Trail Pistol(a), and I’m looking for experience with using big wheels in Plush mode (even though Plush is meant for 27.5+).

Climbing/descending vs Crush mode?
How plush is the 130mm of travel?
Coil or air shock?


Thanks!
 
#2 ·
Hi,

First post in the GG forum :)

I'm considering a Trail Pistol(a), and I'm looking for experience with using big wheels in Plush mode (even though Plush is meant for 27.5+).

Climbing/descending vs Crush mode?
How plush is the 130mm of travel?
Coil or air shock?

Thanks!
My trail pistol is setup with a 55mm stroke shock (130 travel vs 120 with the 50mm) and a 150 fork. I only run is plush mode. I used plush vs crush to adjust the geometry to my liking. If I ever drop the fork to 130 or 140 I would go back to crush as I do like the extra support mid stroke but the head angle is just too slack for my trails in crush with the 150 fork. I also don't run any larger than a 2.4 tire in back and have had no issues with tire to seat tube contact. I've run a nobby nic 2.35 and an ardent 2.4.

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#3 · (Edited)
One of the hot setups before The Smash was to run a Pistola in Plush mode with a 140-150mm fork, using an offset shock bushing to bring the geometry close to where it sits in Crush mode. The offset shock bushing will slacken the head-tube angle and lower the BB.

This setup rides really similarly to The Smash in Crush mode, just with a little less travel.
 
#4 ·
I have a TP with the standard rear shock and my MRP fork set to 140mm. I love the way it rides. I leave it in Plush mode most of the time. I have never felt that I needed the extra 10mm in the rear. Also, moving to a Pistola forces you into a coil or very expensive Fox. I'm not a fan of either.
 
#9 ·
Hi,

First post in the GG forum :)

I'm considering a Trail Pistol(a), and I'm looking for experience with using big wheels in Plush mode (even though Plush is meant for 27.5+).

Climbing/descending vs Crush mode?
How plush is the 130mm of travel?
Coil or air shock?

Thanks!
I had a Pistola (130mm) for about a year and a quarter, I loved it. One of the reasons I wanted this particular frame is I'd never tried "plus" wheels and I wanted to try both 27.5x3" and 29x2.6" tires, so I bought both wheel sizes and away I went. In the end I found I preferred the 29" wheels plus I wished I'd bought an XL frame rather than the large TP that I'd bought, so I sold the large Pistola and ordered an XL Smash frame to transfer parts to. Although I never wanted/needed another 10mm of travel, I thought what the heck, I'll try the Smash. Besides, my Pistola had enabled me to love (read: not fear) leaping, rapid descending and alt line picking in a way that I previously never believed I could; Smash simply seemed like logical progression.

Anyway I always ran my beloved Pistola in Plush mode largely because I ran 185mm cranks and valued the extra BB height. But I liked the way the bike handled and landed in plush mode so I saw no reason to switch to crush. I never knew that plush mode was intended for 27.5+ -- I employed plush mode for both wheel sizes and the bike's handling in plush was ideal with wagon wheels IMO. (FWIW I found that 3" tires like to self steer to some degree. Handling with the 29x2.6" wheels felt neutral.)

My bike was equipped with an air shock and I wasn't disappointed with it although I've ordered my replacement frame with a coil because I want to find out what that's like. I hear the coil is a little softer off the top and although I absolutely loved the performance of my air shock on my Pistola, I wouldn't call it extremely sensitive to small bumps. The faster and harder I rode that bike, the better it performed. To call it confidence inspiring is an understatement. It took me to new levels.

I've been mountain biking for over 30 years and discovered early on that in order to love this sport, one must learn to love climbing, so I did. Decades ago. During this time I've owned many bikes and can say without question that the TP is an excellent climber. While riding the Pistola in plush mode I never felt like I was giving up energy to the suspension. The steep STA contributes to the ability to climb in a spirited way on several fronts. In addition to lessening the need to slide forward on the saddle, it helps keep the front wheel in contact with the ground while it maintains rear wheel traction. I ran a 160mm fork (think uber slack) but never felt like this bike wandered even on 20%+ grades.

Soon I'll have my second GG bike. My girlfriend, boss and 3 or 4 friends are on GG frames now, too. They're that good. Hmmm, I wonder what my third GG bike will be like?
=sParty
 
#11 ·
I have a regular 120 mm travel TP and I pretty much always run it in Plush mode with 29x2.5 tires. I like the higher BB height and the slightly more supple suspension feel vs. Crush mode. Plush mode seems to work better for the trails here in Michigan, which tend to be pretty tight and rooty. I haven't really noticed the difference in head angle between the two modes.

Captkirky, I'm 6'3" with a 36" inseam and 6'7" wingspan. I ride an XL with a 40 mm stem and the sizing is perfect. I'm really glad I went with an XL over a L. The large would definitely be cramped.
 
#14 ·
Thanks for the replies, I'm right at the edge but similar dimensions 6-3 36" inseam but shorter wingspan at 6-3 as well. More worried about the longer wheelbase but have always wanted to run a slammed stem but never been able to. Probably should test ride both but want to go ahead and pull the trigger. Also still torn between the smash and pistol but leaning towards the smash as I have a fun hard tail

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#15 ·
Thanks for the replies, I'm right at the edge but similar dimensions 6-3 36" inseam but shorter wingspan at 6-3 as well. More worried about the longer wheelbase but have always wanted to run a slammed stem but never been able to. Probably should test ride both but want to go ahead and pull the trigger. Also still torn between the smash and pistol but leaning towards the smash as I have a fun hard tail
My TP has a wheelbase that is four whole inches longer than my old XC hardtail. Some of the trails that I ride in SE Michigan are about as tight as they get. Honestly, the increased wheelbase has not made it any more difficult to navigate tight corners. I just notice the improved stability when things get fast and crazy! Haha
 
#17 ·
Thanks to input from Laj.tuxmex and sparticus, just pulled the trigger on a Smash today. I went with what I'm calling a "large plus" I'm sure you've read about extra mediums and same concept but with the XL top and down tube but I wanted to run the big bike yoke dropper so L seat tube. Was tired of being at the top end of bike sizes and want to try to run a super short stem so it made sense

Was torn between the TP and smash but I have a fun hard tail 29+ so thought the gap with the smash was better.

Got the MRP ribbon and curious if anyone has ran the air vs coil side by side and thoughts? Planning on switching from 14-160 somewhat often as I live in Florida but make yearly trips to Colorado and Pisgah

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#18 ·
Thanks to input from Laj.tuxmex and sparticus, just pulled the trigger on a Smash today. I went with what I'm calling a "large plus" I'm sure you've read about extra mediums and same concept but with the XL top and down tube but I wanted to run the big bike yoke dropper so L seat tube. Was tired of being at the top end of bike sizes and want to try to run a super short stem so it made sense

Was torn between the TP and smash but I have a fun hard tail 29+ so thought the gap with the smash was better.

Got the MRP ribbon and curious if anyone has ran the air vs coil side by side and thoughts? Planning on switching from 14-160 somewhat often as I live in Florida but make yearly trips to Colorado and Pisgah
Congrats, sounds awesome. Having owned a size large TP, I think the "large plus" size makes a ton of sense and might have been the way for me to go too but I ordered a regular XL Smash frame. Think I'll be okay as I've already thrown a leg over the XL and had no problem with fitment. :)

But honestly the large plus sounds even better.

I haven't owned a coil fork but did run a 160mm Pike in my TP and recommend it. Your call but personally I don't see a reason to shorten the fork between out of state trips, these bikes handle really well with a 160mm fork. I'm even considering a -1° AngleSet in my new frame... whenever it arrives. :)
=sParty
 
#20 ·
Oh man, I just put a XL Trail Pistol on order.

I...like everyone else, apparently...am 6'3". But I'm even a little past the most-apish guy above, at a wingspan of 6'6" and a 34" inseam.

Does anyone know what the magic number is for fitting the 160mm BikeYoke post? I may or may not have to run a 125mm post with the XL frame.

But damn, it sure sounds like I'm a prime candidate for this Lesser Extra Large size...
 
#24 ·
I literally just put in the order on Friday- I'm sure there's plenty of time before it gets started. They said lead time is 6 weeks right now, and I'm sure that could grow with a custom request. I'll see what they say.

Would you mind taking a seat height measurement (or maybe you know it off-hand?) I got 27.5" for bottom bracket center to seat rail on my current bike. I feel like that's gonna come up significantly shorter than a lot of you other dudes around my height.
 
#25 ·
When I got mine I started with the center of the BB to the center of the seat rail. It was way too long. It was comical. In the end I think I came down almost 1.5in. That got me to the correct extension with a stock crank, Crank Brothers Candy pedals and Northwave shoes.

We are Crested Butte rocking the single track and I don't have a tape measure. The 27.5in rings a bell but I can't remember if that is where is started or ended.

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#28 ·
They said the minimum was about 29", so that makes sense given where your post seems to be. I could probably ride at 29"...like, my legs would physically be long enough. But I would be totally maxxed out and basically would just end up never putting the post all the way up. And nobody likes that.

I went for the L/XL frame, which should be just right for the 160 seatpost.

Can't wait. (...but gonna be waiting a bit)
 
#29 ·
How long did they quote you? Mine is right around 31.5 as well but I wanted to make sure I could run the 180 dropper without it being slammed. Sounds like you made the right move and that extra couple of weeks won't matter once you have the bike and it's dialed

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