Azonic Saber/Xtension
Xplore Bike Review
by Lester Lin
The Azonic Saber (the market name in
the USA) and the Xtension Xplore (the market name for the rest of
the world) continues to woo bikers with a passion for dirt trails,
challenging terrain, roots, rocks and steep chutes and jumps, yet
still have to muscle their way up hills.
About a year ago, I wrote a review about
the Xplore vs. the Xplore. In that
review, I rode the the same Xplore in two different configurations.
The first configuration was in the 5" travel mode, and the
Syntace adjustable neck in the low angle, giving the bike a more
XC oriented geometry. Then I rode the same course with the Xplore
in the 6" rear travel mode, and the VRO neck and handlebars
in the upright mode, giving the bike a more freeride oriented configuration.
Since then, just about the whole group
of my friends slowly started to buy the Xplore frame as their bike
of choice. No doubt about it, I loved this bike. But I had a Giant
XcX, (one of Giant's best trail bikes that never really hit high
on the popularity scale) that I truly loved. Less than 4" of
rear travel mated to a Black 80 - 100 mm travel fork, that was later
changed to a Psylo 80-125mm U-turn. At 13.5 kg's, the bike was both
light and versatile for the abusive trail riding.
On and off, I got to ride the different
improved generations of the Xplore as they were introduced onto
the market. These minor tweaks included a stiffer rocker arm, new
Gussets, and various other improvements. This frame kept getting
more and more enticing. However, I always felt that the frame needed
a front head angle that was just a bit more slack than the relatively
steep 69 degrees. Every time I tested this bike, when the terrain
turned steeply downhill, I found myself wishing for a bit more rake
on the front fork. This feeling was mirrored by a number of Xplore
owners, and riders that I had talked to.
When I was informed that the designers
of Xplore had finally relented, and modified the head angle slightly
steeper, I placed my order for a frame.
My setup uses a Psylo U-Turn fork, a
Shockworks rear shock with a reservoir that has adjustable rebound
and compression dampening, as well as the ability to lock out the
suspension. With the lockout capability, I never feel the need to
use the 5" option on the Xplore. 6" caters to my soft
arse on the bumps, and when locked out, who cares how many inches
of travel is back there??? Using lightweight rims with disc hubs,
and Hayes disc brakes, my bike weighs in at about 14.75 kgs. With
the ability to U-Turn the front fork down to 80mm, and lock out
the front and rear shock, this bike is very comfortable to make
the long 600M elevation climb up Wudz Shan. The geometry and riding
position are just perfect, and the lockouts give a stiff efficient
platform for the long climbs. When turning downhill, the U-Turn
gets extended and both front and rear shocks are unlocked. Then
this baby shines again! Choosing the medium frame gives me a geometry
that is shorter and easier to manoeuvre. It is the perfect fit for
my 5'8 build. Compared to the first generation med. frame Xplore,
the difference is night and day! Before, the medium sized Xplore
seemed to have an unusually steep head angle. I felt terribly uncomfortable
on that bike in steep terrain. However, the new angle makes me happy
to call this bike my very own. I find myself carelessly looking
for more challenging lines, or just letting the brakes loose and
enjoy the feeling of speed while eating through root strewn rocky
trails while letting the capable balance of the front and rear suspensions
do an elegant ballet floating over the rugged terrain.
The extra two inches of rear suspension
compared to my 4” travel XcX allows for an extra 10-15% more
speed at the same given skill level. The biggest difference is that
my feet feel firmly planted on the pedals, as opposed to the bucking
feeling that the shorter suspension allows to escape through. The
ability to drop your seat down the straight seat-tube down to the
lowest levels to a crouching tiger descent position, bolsters your
confidence greatly with the angle that provides. The design that
allows you to extend the seat up high for full leg extension climbing
makes the uphill grind a reasonable exercise in defying gravity.
Try riding a bike that does not allow you to put the seat either
low or high enough, and you will quickly understand what I am talking
about.
The extra 1.25 kg’s extra weight
compared to my old XcX is hardly noticeable with the excellent adjustable
geometry when climbing. The 2” additional travel bonus makes
up for the extra grams 10 fold to the positive side.
Much to my dismay, I had no choice but
to buy the Shimano 2003 Rapid Rise XT rear derailleur, instead of
the standard derailleur. This means that your shift lever works
in reverse to what this old dog is used to. You thumb shift the
gears when looking for the higher gears going downhill, and index
finger the shifters on the road uphill. I quickly got used to it,
however, it always feels good when I get to ride the regular old
style derailleurs It's like putting on an old pair of comfortable
shoes.
Rear Shocks: The old
school rear shocks like the Rockshox Pro, the ShockWorks, and the
DnM (all with reservoirs), allow all the traditional tuning to find
your sweet spot in dampening for both compression and rebound. Locking
out the compression dampening gives you the solid climbing platform
that anyone with a brain wishes for.
Then, releasing the compression dampening
gives you the fluid plush ride you expect from a 6" travel
bike. Generally the rebound adjustment on all three of these shocks
is ample to find your desired sweet spot. You can also opt for a
bit of a stiffer ride with less bobbing and no lockout by setting
more dampening on both the Compression and Rebound. Tune it the
way you like it. BMW firm, or Cadillac plush, you decide.
For those of you that just don't want
to mess with blue and red dials, then take a look at the shocks
with a brain such as the Manitou Swinger. The Swinger gives you
the the amazing platform feel when climbing. On the road, who cares.
However, for off road climbs, you can't beat the shock with a brain
feel. On the downhill descents on the other hand, it makes a 6"
suspension feel like a 3" suspension. Well, not exactly. There
is the element of the "PLATFORM" level ride that the brain
tries to achieve, but definitely at the expense of plushness. Personally,
I prefer the old school shocks. I'll take my rear travel ala Cadillac.
All in all, if all my other bikes were
vaporized, and all I was left with was my Xplore, I could probably
grow old and be happy on my Xplore. It's a bike with multiple personalities.
All of them pleasant, and easy to fall in love with. You can equip
it light, and you can equip it heavy duty. It won't disappoint.
When your riding style changes, change a wheelset, or change the
fork, or change the tires, or change the rear shock. The basic frame
has the right stuff to enhance them all. I've had the joy of riding
the Xplore in many different configurations. For what it's worth,
I'll give you my take on the different hardware that I've tried
on this frame:
Front Shocks: I have
ridden the Xplores equipped with Psylo, Fox Talas, Fox 125mm (non-adjustable
travel) Sherman, and Z1 forks. For my 175 lb. weight, the Psylo
does fine for me. No air to mess with, fully functional rebound
and compression adjustments, 40mm of travel adjustments, and a reasonable
weight makes this a great all around choice. Yeah, it's not the
stiffest. It's not the plushest. It doesn't adjust down the lowest.
It's not the lightest. But it is the cheapest, and does the whole
range of what I want reasonably.
The Fox Talas is definitely the Cat's
Meow with a Doberman's bite on your wallet. The plushest, the lightest,
and stiff. It definitely moves the performance level up a few notches,
But with the anal hassles of messing with air ....
The Z1 with ECC is the ultimate for getting
your front end WAY down for the climb, if you can keep the ECC in
working order. However, you probably need that extra efficient climbing
position to push that extra weight up the hill, and when you have
to carry the bike on your shoulders up those nasty climbs, the added
weight gets heavier by the foot.
For you big strong gorillas though,
you probably don't care, and will appreciate the trademark big M's
stiffness, and spring rate, while begrudging the premium price.
The Sherman is the ultimate in stiffness.
However, the limited range of travel adjustment, and it's tank like
weight leaves me happy to let the big jump boys like Arnold, Rambo,
and General Patton to enjoy the Sherman.
Front Stem: The designers
of the Xplore like to exalt the virtues of the Syntace VRO handlebar
system. By loosening two Allen Screws, you can raise and lower the
handlebars to suit the terrain you are riding. For me, I prefer
to allow the front fork to do that job, and stick with a standard
riser bar and neck. I don't like messing with tools on the trail
if I don't have to.
Tires and Wheels: Our
group uses everything from 2.2 inch tires to 2.5 inch. If all you
ride is downhill, go for the biggest and the fattest sausage tires
you can find! However, for all around usage, my vote goes for those
WTB 2.3 Aqua's, with the Conti Vert Pro as a close second. I was
always well satisfied with the Continental Vertical Pro 2.3's I
had grown to love. However, I got these WTB Aqua tread 2.3 inch
tires for a great price, so that is what my new ride is sporting
now. I absolutely love these tires. They grip well, bite into the
turns, and the Aqua treads hold their own, when in the.....well,
in the Aqua. Actually, in wet terrain, I find them noticeably superior
to the Conti's.
I use a light Xero XC wheelset by Formula
in Taiwan. They are not resistant to folding, but otherwise have
held up to the general pounding that my low level skills can give
them. 517 or 317's would be fine for me as well. However, my heavier
riding buddies have migrated to more Freeride oriented Sun Ringle
rims, and equivalent Taiwan made wheels. As a result, they are packing
more weight, along with their Z1 forks, 2.5 inch tires and Hussefelt
cranks with bash guards. That extra weight becomes quite evident
on long climbs and portages, but to each his own. Those guys are
strong. Despite my insistence on keeping the weight down, a stronger
front rim IS one of the first areas that I would consider beefing
up on my beloved Xplore. On some slow technical descents, there
are times when I bail instead of muscling the torque on my handlebars
to make a turn, for fear of folding my front wheel ....
Brakes: I was able to
get a set of Hayes disk brakes with the Carbon levers on the cheap.
With visions of superlightness at a bargain price, I was really
jazzed to get these. Unfortunately, the hose length on the front
brake was not long enough to work with a 125mm fork. So I had to
migrate my standard Hayes brake from my old bike to my Xplore, and
used the new Carbon lever brake on my rear. My vote is definitely
to recall the Carbon Levers, and vote in a new governor. My advice
is stick with the standard Hayes aluminium alloy levers. The geometry
of the carbon levers tends to pinch your other fingers when doing
one finger braking, and for some reason, they have a very flexy
feel under hard braking. Save your money, pack a few extra ounces,
and stay with the old proven standard.
At the end of the story, no matter how
you equip this stellar frame, you can hardly go wrong. The bike
has so many different possible personalities, and it will be up
to you to determine what unique characteristics you, your creativity,
and your wallet will create. If you are shopping around for an all
purpose bike, I give this bike 5 flamin turds.
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