First Impressions:
-Burly looking (more so than I expected)
-Really solid feeling (even just tooling around the parking lot)
-Good looking color scheme
-Geometry felt comfortable right away, medium is good fit (I'm
5'9")
Standout components:
-Fox 34 CTD 130mm fork with 1.5 steerer- solid
-Fox Dyad Dual shock- 130/80 mm- will be interested to see/feel this in
action
-Hans Dampf Tubeless ready tires good spec, beefy
-Also excited about X9 type 2 rear derailleur
-Good to see 36/22 chainring setup in front for this bike
Weighed when I got home out of box w/o pedals- 32.4
Adjustments:
-Went tubeless on both tires- nice that rims were taped already,
tubeless setup was really easy
-Slapped on Rockshox Reverb (nice that I already had a 31.6)!- I like
the cable routing on the top tube for the dropper post
-Put on Shimano XT Trail pedals
-Installed bottle cage- was glad to have the ability to carry a bottle
on the frame for energy drinks on longer rides
-Checked shock pressure- I noticed there is a fairly large discrepancy
from the Owners manual supplement to the Cannondale iPhone 'Tune Your Ride'App,
by > 50lbs. After reading some feedback from another Trigger owner on the forums, I went with lighter of the two(owners manual)
The final weight-
32.3 (going tubeless pretty much canceled out the additional weight of the Reverb)
The Rides:
I’ve ridden 1)
Blackstar Motorway Maple Springs, and 2) San Juan with the back loop and Viejo
Tie.
Climbing:
This bike
climbs way better than I thought it would at over 32 pounds. I definitely feel
the added weight (+6 pounds vs. my Spearfish), but the pedaling feels very
efficient, especially with the suspension firmed up and set to 80mm. On the steeper climbs of the Main Divide, the
front didn’t wander, and traction was good.
It was nice, however to have a 22 small chain ring up front and be able
to spin a lower gear when the grade approached 15-20%. On San Juan, it was no trouble negotiating
the switchbacks, and the bike got up and over some of the rock gardens on the
back loop nicely. I feel like I can
climb nearly as fast, which is a surprise, but I do feel like the weight
catches up eventually in terms of sapping my energy.
Here's a pic at the top of Motorway:
Descending:
This is the
burliest bike I’ve ridden, and I definitely noticed a big difference in stiffness/stability
on high speed, bumpy descents. I plowed
through the roughest sections of the Motorway like I never have before, and did
a PR despite bobbling a few turns. The
bike did feel big, a bit heavy, and I felt I had to be more aggressive to move
it around turns, but I think I also just need to get used to it. It already felt better on the second ride
down San Juan. The bike was confidence
inspiring on some of the steeper technical areas, and with the seatpost
dropped, I never felt in danger of going over the bars.
Surprise
component: the Magura MT2 brakes feel smooth and powerful. I know these are lower end Maguras, but I’m
impressed.
Cons:
The Trigger
climbs very well for its weight, but it’s still a 32 pound bike. The wheels feel solid, but I know Formula
hubs are a little heavy, so a wheel upgrade might be in order. The bike also requires more effort to
maneuver, loft the front wheel over rocks, etc.
Will definitely have a great deal of fun continuing to see what this bike can do. Can't wait for Summer and Fall to try Mammoth and Kernville!
Funny story: a hiker on the back loop of San Juan thought
the Dyad shock was a built in radio for the bike. Here's a pic. It is kinda crazy looking but seems to work!