Fezzari La Sal Peak, anyone have one?

PB Forum :: All Mountain, Enduro & Cross-Country
Fezzari La Sal Peak, anyone have one?
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flag sdken
Posted: Dec 25, 2018 at 14:33 Quote
jeremy3220 wrote:
mtbenthusiastsofutah wrote:

At 6’5” that could be an issue with any bike or seat tube?


No, I have two bikes with a similar reach but slacker seat tubes (Hightower LT w/73.7 and Pedalhead w/75). I run the seat slammed forward on the HTLT but pretty far back on the Pedalhead. I couldn't ride the Pedalhead if it had a 78 degree STA. The steep seat tubes work on progressive bikes because typically they're longer. I'd probably be fine with a 78 degree STA but I'd need about 520+mm reach. You can't just keep moving the seat forward and expect it to fit ok without compensating with a longer reach.

Funny you mentioned that, I've always been curious about the steep seat angles and recently read a review on the Yeti SB130 on competitivecyclist.com, the guy mentioned that is too steep !
flag yungj
O+
Posted: Dec 26, 2018 at 6:37 Quote
mtbenthusiastsofutah wrote:

Nope, that's not true at all. I would consider myself an extremely serious rider, with over 4,000 miles clocked this year. I have owned almost every super bike there is out there in the past 4 years. Yes owned them. I'd put the La Sal Peak up against anything out there today.

Also, yes, they own their own molds and have designed the La Sal Peak from the ground up. This is not a catelog bike. Give it a try sometime... any serious or even pro rider out there would be absolutely stoked. It's amazing.

Have you ridden a Scott Ransom? Debating between the two. Everyone I have talked to locally (Colorado) absolutely loves the Ransom and it crushes around here, there's also a lot of them around here.
flag mtbenthusiastsofutah
O+
Posted: Dec 26, 2018 at 17:37 Quote
jkelm wrote:
mtbenthusiastsofutah wrote:

Nope, that's not true at all. I would consider myself an extremely serious rider, with over 4,000 miles clocked this year. I have owned almost every super bike there is out there in the past 4 years. Yes owned them. I'd put the La Sal Peak up against anything out there today.

Also, yes, they own their own molds and have designed the La Sal Peak from the ground up. This is not a catelog bike. Give it a try sometime... any serious or even pro rider out there would be absolutely stoked. It's amazing.

Have you ridden a Scott Ransom? Debating between the two. Everyone I have talked to locally (Colorado) absolutely loves the Ransom and it crushes around here, there's also a lot of them around here.

I haven’t, but have heard it’s pretty amazing! 170mm 29er is quite big bike though, even with the lockout, not sure its necessary for what I ride.
flag Shane-C
Posted: Jan 12, 2019 at 19:40 Quote
Well I decided to order the La Sal Peak. I ordered it last Wednesday and it showed up this Thursday. I was surprised to get it in 8 days.

I was able to take it on a short ride today. The trail is about a 6 mile loop. It's a 3 mile climb up with about 1,100 ft elevation gain. The trail coming down is a fast flowing trail with plenty of berms and jumps with a few small rocks gardens mixed in. The climbing on this bike is great. The seat tube angle in my opinion is perfect. At least for me, everyone has there preferred position on a bike. For me, it is just the right amount of upright position. It keeps me over the cranks and the way my weight is balanced on the bike keeps the front end glued to the ground on the uphill switchback's. Unlike my Trance which would lift the front tire and was much harder to manage on the climbs. Even though the La Sal is 2" longer it climbs better than my Trance.

Well, it pretty much does everything better than my Trance. The descending was great too. Put the seat down and let it go. I probably should have bedded in the brakes better because these 29's like to go fast. It handled the berms and jumps better than my Trance too. It's really easy to put this bike where you want it. It is actually pretty playful if you want it to be. Really easy to pick your line and change lines. Pops off of trail features and jumps well also.

Some guys say the seat tubes are getting to steep, not for me. This is a very welcomed change. My Trance's 73.5 degree STA gives my lower back grief, even with the seat slid all the way forward. For me I really like a more upright seating position. My XL La Sal has a 495mm reach which is really comparable to other bikes in it's category. For me the shorter effective top tube doesn't feel cramped for seated riding. Put the seat down for the descents and let it rip down. Feels just like other bikes with similar reach for the downs. For an example, an XL Sentinel has a 650mm top tube and the Ripmo is 655mm. The La Sal is 622mm. That's just over an inch. That could nearly be made up by sliding the seat back on the rails if one felt cramped.

Overall I'm pretty happy so far. I know I don't have enough time on it for a legit review, but my first impressions are nothing but awesome. My buddy that I ride with is a far better rider than me. We were talking about my first impressions of the bike and he told me that he could tell I was liking the new ride. He said he's never seen me more confident on a bike before. I think that says quite a bit as I was taking it easy just trying to get used to it today. I will report back as I get some more time on it.
flag mtbenthusiastsofutah
O+
Posted: Jan 13, 2019 at 19:46 Quote
Shane-C wrote:
Well I decided to order the La Sal Peak. I ordered it last Wednesday and it showed up this Thursday. I was surprised to get it in 8 days.

I was able to take it on a short ride today. The trail is about a 6 mile loop. It's a 3 mile climb up with about 1,100 ft elevation gain. The trail coming down is a fast flowing trail with plenty of berms and jumps with a few small rocks gardens mixed in. The climbing on this bike is great. The seat tube angle in my opinion is perfect. At least for me, everyone has there preferred position on a bike. For me, it is just the right amount of upright position. It keeps me over the cranks and the way my weight is balanced on the bike keeps the front end glued to the ground on the uphill switchback's. Unlike my Trance which would lift the front tire and was much harder to manage on the climbs. Even though the La Sal is 2" longer it climbs better than my Trance.

Well, it pretty much does everything better than my Trance. The descending was great too. Put the seat down and let it go. I probably should have bedded in the brakes better because these 29's like to go fast. It handled the berms and jumps better than my Trance too. It's really easy to put this bike where you want it. It is actually pretty playful if you want it to be. Really easy to pick your line and change lines. Pops off of trail features and jumps well also.

Some guys say the seat tubes are getting to steep, not for me. This is a very welcomed change. My Trance's 73.5 degree STA gives my lower back grief, even with the seat slid all the way forward. For me I really like a more upright seating position. My XL La Sal has a 495mm reach which is really comparable to other bikes in it's category. For me the shorter effective top tube doesn't feel cramped for seated riding. Put the seat down for the descents and let it rip down. Feels just like other bikes with similar reach for the downs. For an example, an XL Sentinel has a 650mm top tube and the Ripmo is 655mm. The La Sal is 622mm. That's just over an inch. That could nearly be made up by sliding the seat back on the rails if one felt cramped.

Overall I'm pretty happy so far. I know I don't have enough time on it for a legit review, but my first impressions are nothing but awesome. My buddy that I ride with is a far better rider than me. We were talking about my first impressions of the bike and he told me that he could tell I was liking the new ride. He said he's never seen me more confident on a bike before. I think that says quite a bit as I was taking it easy just trying to get used to it today. I will report back as I get some more time on it.

Congrats man! Glad you are happy with it. I have over 1,000 miles on mine now and it just keeps getting better.
flag Shane-C
Posted: Jan 14, 2019 at 13:01 Quote
mtbenthusiastsofutah wrote:
Shane-C wrote:
Well I decided to order the La Sal Peak. I ordered it last Wednesday and it showed up this Thursday. I was surprised to get it in 8 days.

I was able to take it on a short ride today. The trail is about a 6 mile loop. It's a 3 mile climb up with about 1,100 ft elevation gain. The trail coming down is a fast flowing trail with plenty of berms and jumps with a few small rocks gardens mixed in. The climbing on this bike is great. The seat tube angle in my opinion is perfect. At least for me, everyone has there preferred position on a bike. For me, it is just the right amount of upright position. It keeps me over the cranks and the way my weight is balanced on the bike keeps the front end glued to the ground on the uphill switchback's. Unlike my Trance which would lift the front tire and was much harder to manage on the climbs. Even though the La Sal is 2" longer it climbs better than my Trance.

Well, it pretty much does everything better than my Trance. The descending was great too. Put the seat down and let it go. I probably should have bedded in the brakes better because these 29's like to go fast. It handled the berms and jumps better than my Trance too. It's really easy to put this bike where you want it. It is actually pretty playful if you want it to be. Really easy to pick your line and change lines. Pops off of trail features and jumps well also.

Some guys say the seat tubes are getting to steep, not for me. This is a very welcomed change. My Trance's 73.5 degree STA gives my lower back grief, even with the seat slid all the way forward. For me I really like a more upright seating position. My XL La Sal has a 495mm reach which is really comparable to other bikes in it's category. For me the shorter effective top tube doesn't feel cramped for seated riding. Put the seat down for the descents and let it rip down. Feels just like other bikes with similar reach for the downs. For an example, an XL Sentinel has a 650mm top tube and the Ripmo is 655mm. The La Sal is 622mm. That's just over an inch. That could nearly be made up by sliding the seat back on the rails if one felt cramped.

Overall I'm pretty happy so far. I know I don't have enough time on it for a legit review, but my first impressions are nothing but awesome. My buddy that I ride with is a far better rider than me. We were talking about my first impressions of the bike and he told me that he could tell I was liking the new ride. He said he's never seen me more confident on a bike before. I think that says quite a bit as I was taking it easy just trying to get used to it today. I will report back as I get some more time on it.

Congrats man! Glad you are happy with it. I have over 1,000 miles on mine now and it just keeps getting better.

Thanks! The write up on mtbeu.com and your replies on here and the other forums have been really helpful. I put about 10 miles on it yesterday on the more x-country type trails I ride regularly. I was worried about it feeling like too much bike for these rides. For me, it's not at all. It seems to ride like a smaller bike than it is in technical stuff. It may be new bike fever, but I just want to go ride it more, haha! Thank you for your input along the way.
flag Artzyblack
Posted: Jan 17, 2019 at 14:38 Quote
Shane-C, Thanks for the review on La Sal Peak and congrats. I was seriously considering this bike but was hesitant after seeing some comments. I've tried Pivot 29er Firebird, Ibis Ripmo, but I really liked Patrol's steeper seat tube angle. STA angle does matter lower back and quads. Climbing switchbacks with Pivot 29er was very cumbersome for me. Did you get fox 36 or Rockshock option? This year it seems like weight is almost same.
mtbenthusiastsofutah, Thanks for your review also.
Did anyone try new YT Jeffsey 29er? It looks very similar to Ripmo geometry.
flag Shane-C
Posted: Jan 17, 2019 at 19:10 Quote
Artzyblack wrote:
Shane-C, Thanks for the review on La Sal Peak and congrats. I was seriously considering this bike but was hesitant after seeing some comments. I've tried Pivot 29er Firebird, Ibis Ripmo, but I really liked Patrol's steeper seat tube angle. STA angle does matter lower back and quads. Climbing switchbacks with Pivot 29er was very cumbersome for me. Did you get fox 36 or Rockshock option? This year it seems like weight is almost same.
mtbenthusiastsofutah, Thanks for your review also.
Did anyone try new YT Jeffsey 29er? It looks very similar to Ripmo geometry.

You're welcome and thanks. The STA was one of the big factors in my choosing the La Sal Peak. It felt comfortable right away. I realize it's not for everyone, but I really like it.

I went with the Rockshox. I was told the Lyrik and Fox 36 were very similar. On the rear shock I was told the X2 is more of a race shock with a planted feel that tends to hug the ground and the super delux was more poppy and playful. I wanted the more playful feel. It is a little more progressive in the rear than I expected. Not in a bad way, just not than what I expected for a Horst Link suspension.

I have never ridden the Jeffsey. The new one looks like a great bike. I haven't checked out any of the reviews on it yet though.
flag Artzyblack
Posted: Jan 18, 2019 at 11:42 Quote
I have both fox and rock shock. Did you get rock shock for both front and rear?
I've heard that Fox X2 is hard to set it up. I personally don't like hsc/lsc set up that has 22 clicks.
I might just get the frame and build it up. Thanks.
flag Shane-C
Posted: Jan 18, 2019 at 12:46 Quote
Yeah, I got the Rockshox front and rear.
flag powderturns
O+
Posted: Feb 15, 2019 at 13:19 Quote
Artzyblack wrote:
I have both fox and rock shock. Did you get rock shock for both front and rear?
I've heard that Fox X2 is hard to set it up. I personally don't like hsc/lsc set up that has 22 clicks.
I might just get the frame and build it up. Thanks.

I have the X2 and like it. I've been running it nearly wide open and feel like it's still supportive but I ran out of time in the fall to tweak before the snow came. The bike itself is a revelation for me - all these years riding bikes with janky seat angles. This one actually puts you in the right position to climb, which is where 90% of my pedal strokes take place. I push a harder gear than I used to, I'm faster on climbs, I clean more technical sections, and I have more energy at the top and end of rides. It's a great descender as well, which is really the reason most of us ride. It might be a weird bike if you really want to put the power down and have long flat stretches of trail or mellow fast descents you really want to push hard on.
flag Artzyblack
Posted: Mar 26, 2019 at 13:39 Quote
powderturns wrote:
Artzyblack wrote:
I have both fox and rock shock. Did you get rock shock for both front and rear?
I've heard that Fox X2 is hard to set it up. I personally don't like hsc/lsc set up that has 22 clicks.
I might just get the frame and build it up. Thanks.

I have the X2 and like it. I've been running it nearly wide open and feel like it's still supportive but I ran out of time in the fall to tweak before the snow came. The bike itself is a revelation for me - all these years riding bikes with janky seat angles. This one actually puts you in the right position to climb, which is where 90% of my pedal strokes take place. I push a harder gear than I used to, I'm faster on climbs, I clean more technical sections, and I have more energy at the top and end of rides. It's a great descender as well, which is really the reason most of us ride. It might be a weird bike if you really want to put the power down and have long flat stretches of trail or mellow fast descents you really want to push hard on.

Thanks for the review. SO My current bike has head tube angle of 66 and seat tube is 74. and it's little harder to climb compare to XC bike. La Sal Peak is 65 degree right? And are you saying it feels better to ride steeper uphill? I want something similar to Transition Patrol but with 29er wheels. I thought this one had close geometry. Can this bike run with 27.5 front fork or need to buy 29er fork? I have two sets of 27.5 wheelset.
flag powderturns
O+
Posted: Apr 5, 2019 at 12:54 Quote
Artzyblack wrote:

Thanks for the review. SO My current bike has head tube angle of 66 and seat tube is 74. and it's little harder to climb compare to XC bike. La Sal Peak is 65 degree right? And are you saying it feels better to ride steeper uphill? I want something similar to Transition Patrol but with 29er wheels. I thought this one had close geometry. Can this bike run with 27.5 front fork or need to buy 29er fork? I have two sets of 27.5 wheelset.

My personal feeling is that seat angle (actual - not effective/virtual) has probably the greatest impact on climbing. This bike puts me over (or nearer) the pedals on steep inclines, and I can put far more power down. I'm also more stable and composed. Going from prior bikes to this makes me feel like I'm doping, or cheating in some way. This may be more pronounced for me - I'm 6'5", so prior bikes with laid back seat posts were killing me. Others may not find the difference to be so dramatic. (I tell myself, they've been cheating all these years prior...)
Anyway, I don't find the front end wandering or unweighting. I'm composed and just steer the front end wherever I want it to go, so yeah, 65 deg seems fine. I could go 64, but I live somewhere with trails that would suit that. I think they sell a version of this bike as a 27.5+ ?(I think you can make a slight geo adjustment on the frame), but I'm not sure about just throwing a 27.5 front on it with a 29 rear, or whatever you're proposing. Give them a call. They've been responsive and helpful when I've called.

ETA: I'd also add, usually, a longer travel, heavier bike is also going to climb worse than an xc bike, but I guess I'd just say, buy a bike that suits your trails and riding style... This bike is incredibly light, so that with the seat angle has it climbing well, especially for a 150mm travel rear end.
flag Mishtar
O+
Posted: Aug 7, 2019 at 7:22 Quote
I know this thread has died down but if anyone who owns one is still following it I have a question. How is this on trails where you have a lot of ups and downs but no sustained climbing? Does the seat post get in the way a lot, does it prevent you from getting your weight back for a quick decent or do you always have to keep dropping it for ever small DH section?

Thank you

 


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