What a great bike review, this looks like an awesome bike! Some of the fastest people I know ride hard tails. It will be interesting to see the difference in your rides between this and a hard tail. Looking forward to seeing your new videos.
just came across your channel as I am getting back into MTB, and I really like the videos, the narration style, and good camera work. Cant wait to see videos about you racing the fully! Hope its already in the works
I just built an Epic frame with Xt. Shifts amazing and the 4 pot brakes are the best by far Ive ever used. None of the wandering bite point Ive heard about. Firm with great modulation and power. When I jump back on my Deore bike I have to remember to pull the brakes a little harder😅
Seriously eyeing the Superior XF979 for the Tour of Karamoja (a 570km epic cycling safari in Northern Uganda in October 2024) after originally having the Polygon Syncline C5 at the top of my list. Great video, Fabulous first review. Appreciate the channel. Looking forward to more videos💯🚵
Sounds like a great bike for the price👍🏼 and looks incredibly similar to my Scott Spark Exper 29 2012 except for the more modern Geo 😃 there weight is also just below 12kg
That bike is sick i've been interested to see how this bike performs nice review. If you are looking for some different wheels for a faster and more comfortable ride, I suggest getting some Bontrager Kove Pro 30 wheels they are lightweight, quality, and not too expensive.
Whoa 😮, so we both moved up from our beloved hardtails. Will you be moving up to sport class this year sac well?🤔 I’m feeling a little under biked now😬…knowing how much faster I got with the full squish I can tell you, your times will greatly improve!🤙🏼
I probably will. I've been racing Sport in races outside the Cambr series. I may not race this year (maybe just the Meltdown). I haven't been able to train this year, and I'm in bad shape. 😕
Hi there brother. An experience rider told me that for the age is better go for a full sus. I don't know what's your age. I'm 51. The full sus is more gentle on your body as he said, compared with the hardtail. One other thing. I'm more a roadie than a mtb'er. But I'm looking for a reliable mtb yet affordable to hit some trails. I'm 1.73m. Do you think a medium will fit me? I was also planning to go from 175mm cranks to 170mm. Your 36T front is huge. I currently rising a Giant Advance 3 mtb ("26) 1x11 34T front. Will go to 32T sooner or later. I've ridden and races mtb in the 2015's I'm from an Island called Curaçao 🇨🇼 situated in Caribbean. We don't have seasons her. But I go for mtb as soon we enter October. Cuz it's rainy season here. What do you recommend me? And one thing 😂 You need to do the same test (the one you did on the Polygon) to see if you are faster on this one Thanks for sharing 👍🏽
I am very close to your height. At 173cm, you'll fit a medium, but the dropper is a bit long if your legs are short. I switched to 170mm Cranks and a Oneup dropper which gave me a bit more room on the bike. It's a very good bike. I highly recommend it. I do plan to make a head to head video of the Superior and the Polygon.
I have a Syncline C3 (XL), and was drooling a little bit over the XF 979 RC. Full suspension would be nice on occasion (but I wouldn't get rid of my hardtail), and thanks to the Polygon, I am now addicted to carbon. Everything looks wonderful, except the stack height. The stack height on the XF 979 RC (XL) is over 2" less than on my C3. I wouldn't think twice about 10-15mm, but the difference is more like 60mm. Did you find this to be a drastic change? or is it something you like? I'm tall enough the stock seat post is only about 1" below minimum insertion, so maybe I'm more sensitive to stack height than most?
The stack height difference is noticeable between the two. The Superior has a very aggressive riding position. The Syncline is more upright. You could raise the stack somewhat by going with riser bars, but I think the bike is at its best in that aggressive riding position.
I'm between this and the Superior xf 999 TR which is the trail variant. A part of me wants to get into XC really hard but I worry that I won't have as much bike as I need to if I wanted to take the bike to something just a bit gnarlier. Do you think this could work somewhat as a down country rig? How gnarly can this take? Great video!
Thanks! The RC feels like a pure XC bike. The ride position is very aggressive. I've taken it down some steep chutes and chunk and survived, but I prefer a trail bike for those situations.
Depending on your trails a HT may be faster. Those trails look much more tame compared to the sharp, rocky steep terrain we have here in Utah where FS is king. I'd stick to the HT too!
@edutechnic9621 There is a mix of trails in the area ranging from smooth to rocky and technical. Aside from a couple of races on the fringes of the region, smooth to moderately bumpy is the typical terrain.
@@AdrenalineIsLife Yeah from your videos (and a recent visit to family west of Detroit) I'd say you're sitting good. Modern full sus XC race geo is so good and efficient though
Bike looks great and seems to be a great deal. My only concern would be servicing the forks since DT Swiss suspension isn’t something you see very often. Any concerns in regards to LBS being able to service it?
DT Swiss has a service center in Colorado that services their suspension. So I think any DT Swiss dealer should be able to help, or you can deal directly.
@AdrenalineIsLife If run dry. By adding sealant, you're adding possible more weight, and when rotating, centrifugal forces will push sealant to one side of the tire, causing imbalance. Still very nice bike.
@gianenriquez1458 you can use less grease or a thinner grease. The DT Swiss 370 hub can be loud when you need it to be. You may also be able to upgrade it to the star ratchet. But do your research as I've never done it before
27 lbs . Not what i was expecting. I have an older xc bike, and I've been wanting to get a newer geometry frame but I guess I'll stick to that bike for longer. Currently its sitting at 24.3lbs. Switching to all new components and then upgrading to lower the weight will take away precious $$$ and training time. I dont think it's worth it for me.
The Superior Team XF is ~22lbs with carbon wheels and bars, full XTR $4,999. I would've bought that one, but I already have upgrade parts laying around.
@@AdrenalineIsLife I did see that the women's team bike setup has it down to 20lbs. That's very impressive but again. I don't want to spend my time upgrading. I want to spend it riding. Bikes are still over priced for what they're worth.
Awesome bike!!! Here in Croatia, the Superior bikes are not exactly cheap! They are slightly cheaper than Kona, for example... But, they do offer better stuff for the money,than the Gig Bike Cartel 😅 Greetings from Croatia from Kris (that's very close to the home of the Superior bikes, Czech republic)😎
@kris8165 Welcome! Thanks for watching. 🙏 I expect the prices on these bikes to go up in the USA once the brand is more recognized here. I'm excited to see how this bike performs long term.
@@AdrenalineIsLife Over here, they are being sold in the brick and mortar shops! I honestly don't know about direct sale! My sister was two minded about the Superior,and Kona(being sold in the same shop) she eventually went for Kona! I told her that Kona's frame is simply better,and the only difference between the 2 brands was like 5 % higher price of Kona,and Superior was equipped with the tiny bit better brakes!😅 It's a different story pass 700€ For 890€ You get boost spacing on the frame on the Superior,and the fork with the through axle! Kona is nowhere near that!
@@AdrenalineIsLife Seriously??? I always loved Kona's! Never owned one, but the guy that worked with me, owned one! Great geometry and ride! Kona Honzo DL is my dream! But I honestly can't afford one! My salary sucks 😔
That's a nice looking bike with GREAT specs from DT Swiss. I'll put this on my radar if I ever give up my beloved 2018 Specialized Epic. I'm not opposed to spending serious coin on bikes but it just doesn't make any sense to do so when you have value plays like this.
@@AdrenalineIsLifeptob better if you shortened the cables up a bit. Factory cables usually have a lot of extra slack so people can make adjustments. Once you get the position of everything to your liking just shorten them. You will get cool points for looks then!😂
What a great bike review, this looks like an awesome bike! Some of the fastest people I know ride hard tails. It will be interesting to see the difference in your rides between this and a hard tail. Looking forward to seeing your new videos.
Wow, that’s a nice looking bike
🎉
just came across your channel as I am getting back into MTB, and I really like the videos, the narration style, and good camera work. Cant wait to see videos about you racing the fully! Hope its already in the works
Representing So. California with mine. Quality bike!
Been drooling over this....
I’ve never seen someone on a unicycle out there! I would turned around and followed him.
@@HUKIT. Those guys always bring a smile to my face.
I would need that, typically on a long boring climb 😄
Great review! Hope you have many miles of enjoyment with the new addition.
Great review. And slow-mo Tony at the beginning cracked me up.
what a dream bike 🔥
Super nice XC bike and great review video!!
@44Paulbowman Thanks Paul!
I just built an Epic frame with Xt. Shifts amazing and the 4 pot brakes are the best by far Ive ever used. None of the wandering bite point Ive heard about. Firm with great modulation and power. When I jump back on my Deore bike I have to remember to pull the brakes a little harder😅
@@johndef5075 The XTs definitely have all the power you could need! I used to run them on my enduro bike.
Seriously eyeing the Superior XF979 for the Tour of Karamoja (a 570km epic cycling safari in Northern Uganda in October 2024) after originally having the Polygon Syncline C5 at the top of my list. Great video, Fabulous first review. Appreciate the channel. Looking forward to more videos💯🚵
Thank you! That race sounds amazing. Good luck to you!
Great overview, interested to see how it shakes out.
Interesting weight / price ratio for full suspension. Great video. I’ll be looking out for your updates😎
Thanks! Definitely more updates coming.
New bike, & very good price, well done 👍🏾😊
Great review. I want 1.
The cable setup is unhinged. I'd prob just take off the lockouts. Looks like a very nice bike though.
I did that. It looked cleaner to me with the extra cables for the lockout. . You can run it the normal way no problem.
Sounds like a great bike for the price👍🏼 and looks incredibly similar to my Scott Spark Exper 29 2012 except for the more modern Geo 😃 there weight is also just below 12kg
Awsome review
I never thought you believed in race theory, but if you ride a bike like that you are definitely part of the stronger race
@@dom633 😄
That bike is sick i've been interested to see how this bike performs nice review. If you are looking for some different wheels for a faster and more comfortable ride, I suggest getting some Bontrager Kove Pro 30 wheels they are lightweight, quality, and not too expensive.
Thanks. I'll check those wheels out.
You gotta try the Elite Wheels XC carbon wheelset. I just got some and they are AWESOME, period. For only $630 for the set, they're unbelievable.
Wow! I'll look into them. Thanks!
I have the Elitewheels pro 36 on my Stumpjumper. Amazing, and the spin do fast. Paid 550 euros.
There are 15% off codes out there on RUclips
Whoa 😮, so we both moved up from our beloved hardtails. Will you be moving up to sport class this year sac well?🤔 I’m feeling a little under biked now😬…knowing how much faster I got with the full squish I can tell you, your times will greatly improve!🤙🏼
I probably will. I've been racing Sport in races outside the Cambr series. I may not race this year (maybe just the Meltdown). I haven't been able to train this year, and I'm in bad shape. 😕
Hi there brother.
An experience rider told me that for the age is better go for a full sus. I don't know what's your age.
I'm 51. The full sus is more gentle on your body as he said, compared with the hardtail.
One other thing. I'm more a roadie than a mtb'er. But I'm looking for a reliable mtb yet affordable to hit some trails. I'm 1.73m. Do you think a medium will fit me?
I was also planning to go from 175mm cranks to 170mm. Your 36T front is huge. I currently rising a Giant Advance 3 mtb ("26) 1x11 34T front. Will go to 32T sooner or later.
I've ridden and races mtb in the 2015's
I'm from an Island called Curaçao 🇨🇼 situated in Caribbean. We don't have seasons her. But I go for mtb as soon we enter October. Cuz it's rainy season here.
What do you recommend me?
And one thing 😂 You need to do the same test (the one you did on the Polygon) to see if you are faster on this one
Thanks for sharing 👍🏽
I am very close to your height. At 173cm, you'll fit a medium, but the dropper is a bit long if your legs are short. I switched to 170mm Cranks and a Oneup dropper which gave me a bit more room on the bike. It's a very good bike. I highly recommend it.
I do plan to make a head to head video of the Superior and the Polygon.
I have a Syncline C3 (XL), and was drooling a little bit over the XF 979 RC. Full suspension would be nice on occasion (but I wouldn't get rid of my hardtail), and thanks to the Polygon, I am now addicted to carbon. Everything looks wonderful, except the stack height. The stack height on the XF 979 RC (XL) is over 2" less than on my C3. I wouldn't think twice about 10-15mm, but the difference is more like 60mm. Did you find this to be a drastic change? or is it something you like? I'm tall enough the stock seat post is only about 1" below minimum insertion, so maybe I'm more sensitive to stack height than most?
The stack height difference is noticeable between the two. The Superior has a very aggressive riding position. The Syncline is more upright. You could raise the stack somewhat by going with riser bars, but I think the bike is at its best in that aggressive riding position.
I'm between this and the Superior xf 999 TR which is the trail variant. A part of me wants to get into XC really hard but I worry that I won't have as much bike as I need to if I wanted to take the bike to something just a bit gnarlier. Do you think this could work somewhat as a down country rig? How gnarly can this take? Great video!
Thanks! The RC feels like a pure XC bike. The ride position is very aggressive. I've taken it down some steep chutes and chunk and survived, but I prefer a trail bike for those situations.
nice bike
Depending on your trails a HT may be faster. Those trails look much more tame compared to the sharp, rocky steep terrain we have here in Utah where FS is king. I'd stick to the HT too!
@edutechnic9621 There is a mix of trails in the area ranging from smooth to rocky and technical. Aside from a couple of races on the fringes of the region, smooth to moderately bumpy is the typical terrain.
@@AdrenalineIsLife Yeah from your videos (and a recent visit to family west of Detroit) I'd say you're sitting good. Modern full sus XC race geo is so good and efficient though
Bike looks great and seems to be a great deal. My only concern would be servicing the forks since DT Swiss suspension isn’t something you see very often. Any concerns in regards to LBS being able to service it?
DT Swiss has a service center in Colorado that services their suspension. So I think any DT Swiss dealer should be able to help, or you can deal directly.
That’s good to know, will be curious to see your follow up videos on the bike. For the price it seems like a steal.
that cable routing is a fashion faux pas
Hi! Great video, thanks! What do you think, for a height of 170 centimeters, which size is better, S or M?
I would say size small. I'm 175cm and the bike was slightly too tall for me. I changed to shorter cranks and dropper to get a better fit
If you are riding on a track with punchy ups and downs, I would go to an XT shifter.
@tonyhruzek4250 An XT shifter is on my list of future upgrades.
I want one
Great video and review, but please fix the shifter, rear brake routing from behind the stem to in-front where it should be.
Thanks. I'm planning to put it back to normal. I was trying to make the routing look a little cleaner. There's a lot going on up front on this bike.
Check out super team wheel swap! Affordable lightweight carbon wheels
@@Rzagski I'll check them out. Thanks!
Go with Elitewheels pro 36
I just picked up an ibis exie supposedly it’s 26lbs. I bought a Vietnam version. But that’s a tad bike for the price.
I really like the Exie. I didn't know they had a non US made version.
@@AdrenalineIsLife yeah and some deep discounts right now 25% or more
Holy shit that cable routing 🙈
How tall are you? I'm inbetween a Large and a XL and trying to weigh it up
@rip.tear. I'm 5'9" a little short in the legs.
Bicycle looks rely good, like that comes with Shimano components but I don't see how tubeless will make the bicycle faster.
Running tubeless reduces the rotational mass of the bike, which improves acceleration and fatigue over time.
@AdrenalineIsLife If run dry. By adding sealant, you're adding possible more weight, and when rotating, centrifugal forces will push sealant to one side of the tire, causing imbalance. Still very nice bike.
Is that Gravity Cavity in Palos at 0:31?
@@scottsheridan278 Yes
Can you change the free hub body to make it louder? If so, which freehubs would fit on it?
@gianenriquez1458 you can use less grease or a thinner grease. The DT Swiss 370 hub can be loud when you need it to be. You may also be able to upgrade it to the star ratchet. But do your research as I've never done it before
@@AdrenalineIsLife ok thanks for the info!
@@gianenriquez1458 you're welcome!
27 lbs . Not what i was expecting. I have an older xc bike, and I've been wanting to get a newer geometry frame but I guess I'll stick to that bike for longer. Currently its sitting at 24.3lbs. Switching to all new components and then upgrading to lower the weight will take away precious $$$ and training time. I dont think it's worth it for me.
The Superior Team XF is ~22lbs with carbon wheels and bars, full XTR $4,999. I would've bought that one, but I already have upgrade parts laying around.
@@AdrenalineIsLife I did see that the women's team bike setup has it down to 20lbs. That's very impressive but again. I don't want to spend my time upgrading. I want to spend it riding. Bikes are still over priced for what they're worth.
nice bike, but dt shocks with remote will bring you pain brother. it's faulty and will fail on the lockout knob. just a matter of time.
What?!
It's the deal of the year if you want an XC fs ... It's not cheap but it's way cheaper than it should 😂
@@LaurentiusTriarius Cheap is always a relative term.
Awesome bike!!! Here in Croatia, the Superior bikes are not exactly cheap! They are slightly cheaper than Kona, for example...
But, they do offer better stuff for the money,than the Gig Bike Cartel 😅
Greetings from Croatia from Kris (that's very close to the home of the Superior bikes, Czech republic)😎
@kris8165 Welcome! Thanks for watching. 🙏 I expect the prices on these bikes to go up in the USA once the brand is more recognized here. I'm excited to see how this bike performs long term.
@@AdrenalineIsLife Over here, they are being sold in the brick and mortar shops! I honestly don't know about direct sale! My sister was two minded about the Superior,and Kona(being sold in the same shop) she eventually went for Kona! I told her that Kona's frame is simply better,and the only difference between the 2 brands was like 5 % higher price of Kona,and Superior was equipped with the tiny bit better brakes!😅
It's a different story pass 700€
For 890€ You get boost spacing on the frame on the Superior,and the fork with the through axle!
Kona is nowhere near that!
@@kris8165 Kona was being heavily discounted here. Over the holidays, they were offering buy one bike get one free. 😯
@@AdrenalineIsLife Seriously???
I always loved Kona's!
Never owned one, but the guy that worked with me, owned one! Great geometry and ride!
Kona Honzo DL is my dream! But I honestly can't afford one! My salary sucks 😔
@@kris8165 They are nice bikes. MTBs are too expensive in general.
This gotta be one of the best deal out there.
Most definitely! It was an easy decision.
That's a nice looking bike with GREAT specs from DT Swiss. I'll put this on my radar if I ever give up my beloved 2018 Specialized Epic. I'm not opposed to spending serious coin on bikes but it just doesn't make any sense to do so when you have value plays like this.
Totally agree!
What the heck is going on with the routing of those cables? Rear brake, and derailer cable going in front of the stem?? Ridiculous.
@@edlorenz1552 I did that. It looks cleaner to me since this bike has two extra cables. It can easily be run the normal way.
@@AdrenalineIsLifeptob better if you shortened the cables up a bit. Factory cables usually have a lot of extra slack so people can make adjustments. Once you get the position of everything to your liking just shorten them. You will get cool points for looks then!😂
Whats with the right side cable routing behind the stem?
I thought it would look cleaner that way. There are a lot of cables.
Can we get your 175 cranks?
@@smithandshortdogs I have them for sale on Pinkbike.
www.pinkbike.com/buysell/3890992/
Tubeless doesn't make you faster.
😂sick bike
I don’t care what anyone says I like Shimano better than SRAM. It’s way cheaper for the comparable group plus electric shifting is not for me.
They each have their pros and cons, but Shimano is hard to beat dollar for dollar. Shimano also wins on smoothness.
man, xc bikes look so SLOW.
Idk what that means. These bikes climb faster than some people descend.
That cable routing is terrible!