Bit of a muddy one, but absolutely had to get out there this morning to avoid a mental breakdown.
I had the fork and shock set up with the default settings. The coil feels great, but no better or worse than the Fox Float X Factory on my Amflow. The Lyrik however does feel way more plush than my Fox 36 Factory forks on the Amflow. I think the Lyrik works better for my 60kg weight (I have an issue where when I drop pressure on my Fox fork for a more plush ride I lose fork travel).
The bike is VERY quiet! No rattles, the drivetrain is dead silent in every gear and the Project 321 hubs are more quiet and a make a lower note than the Industry Nine Hydra2 hubs on my Amflow (which for this bike, I like!). The bike is very stable over roots and rocks. It climbs really well up tech when out of the saddle but man I can feel the weight of the bike. IE: I’m just not strong or fit enough to get up all the stuff I can get up more easily on my (much lighter) hardtail.
Fit and position is bang on. I feel very centred on the bike. So much grip! The Hope brakes are insanely powerful (and quiet even when wet). Much more powerful than the Magura MT7’s and a much lighter lever feel too (ergonomics wise I still prefer the Magura MT7 levers but those brakes give me arm pump). Absolutely no pedal strikes at all, very happy about that.
All in all I’m really happy with the bike. It’s not playful, but it is stable. I can really feel the weight of the bike once I’m pointing upwards, and on very slight fire road inclines it feels draggy and slow. I think a super light weight set of carbon wheels would help, but I’d like to keep this build carbon free, so for now I’m committed to the silver rims (I’ll just have to get stronger!).