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Dirt Rag Articles
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Tester: Joe Whitehair, Age: 38. Height: 6', Weight: 160lbs., Inseam: 34"
Country of Origin: Taiwan
Price: $529 frame and fork, $429 frame only, $129 fork only
Weight: Frame (18") – 5lbs., fork – 2.7lbs. uncut
Sizes Available: 16", 18" (tested), 20"
Contact: www.vassagocycles.com
I guess the 29er "fad" is here to stay since I keep seeing more frames, forks, rims and tires hitting the market. That means more options and options are good for riders. The singlespeed segment seems to have embraced the big wheel world with open arms and Vassago hits this target with their 4130 chromoly steel Jabberwocky frame and fork, made of custom drawn tubing treated with a rust inhibitor.
Starting in California and now operating on the east coast, Vassago is a relatively young company who's quickly found a following with their "Wet Cat" geometry, the name they have given to their long and low approach to fitting the rider on their mountain bike frames.
Vassago outfitted me with their 18" Jabberwocky frame and the segmented, rigid Pitchfork (now renamed the ODIS due to the Pitchfork name already being used in the BMX world). Out of the box a quick inspection revealed clean, even welds and a nice powdercoat finish with clear-coated decals. The parts build was a solid selection that I wouldn't be afraid to beat on: Thomson stem and seatpost, Jones H-bars (heavy-duty model), Salsa Delgado hoops and Kenda Nevegal 2.2" tires to hit some of the highlights. The kind of parts that shouldn't leave me stranded if I'm out in the backcountry.
Assembly was smooth; no frame prepping was necessary for the bottom bracket or headset. The rear horizontal dropouts (track fork ends) with disc brake mount are worth noting. Vassago collaborated with manufacturer Maxway to design the mount such that the rear caliper does not need to be moved when performing wheel changes, a feature much appreciated when it comes time to change a flat. Built-in tensioner screws keep the rear wheel from pulling forward and make remounting the wheel a breeze. The set screws themselves are a bit awkward to dial in with their tiny 2mm allen head, but they will be changed to stainless steel thumb screws in the near future according to Vassago.
For the initial test ride I took it out to the local fast track where the trails are buff, twisty and rolling with plenty of log piles, the perfect place to get acquainted with the new ride. The first thing I noticed was I felt right at home. I was quickly comfortable getting the speed up and railing corners, and proceeded to start looking for that edge where things break away but didn't find it. After a short bit, I proceeded as if I was on a familiar steed, comfortable enough to cross it up and kick it out on dirt piles I was coming across and launching off. After 90 minutes or so of settling in with the bike I was impressed. I came away from the first ride with one big thing I could put my finger on: rider balance and weight distribution felt really good.
I took the bike out on one more ride on similar terrain to confirm the handling with the added bonus of some big technical log rides. Humping up a series of logs that were strung together end-to-end forming a giant horseshoe allowed me to test the ability to get up on two-foot obstacles and then negotiate riding the skinnies around the horn for some real balance practice followed by a wheelie drop exit. After successfully pulling the section off several times I gave the Jabberwocky a passing grade.
From there it was time to really put the bike through its paces on my not-so-smooth home trails that sometimes seem like they are made of more rock than dirt. The steel frame and fork let me point and shoot and pick my way through the rocks but also takes a little edge off of the terrain. Power transfer was solid, but I'm no Clydesdale so I wouldn't expect less. The fork was fairly stiff with a hint of give that steel offers providing me with a nice balance.
I tend to run stiff gearing on my singlespeeds and as a result I'm an out of the seat masher on the climbs. With the longer 44" wheelbase I was worried this was going to lead to me spinning out on steep, loose climbs. I was surprised and happy when it didn't happen. Seated climbing felt good as well.
I repeatedly launched off of jumps throughout the 5-month test period, dropped off 4-foot rocks and took rocky descents at speeds my mother would not approve of. The bike descended stably but I didn't feel handicapped in tight corners and I trusted it in hairy situations. I covered some of the more technical trails in the Mid-Atlantic, traversing the eastern portion of the Appalachian Mountains in VA, MD and PA, making sure to give the bike a thorough beat down in a wide range of conditions. I pushed my limits in the pouring rain and mud at the Dirt Rag Punk Bike Enduro. Despite my many attempts to inflict damage to the bike, the only thing it came away with were some scratches in the powdercoat, which proved to be pretty durable.
When it was all said and done I kept coming back to one thing: my position on the bike felt very balanced between the wheels. Balanced when climbing, balanced when descending and balanced leaning into the corners. The 24.2" effective top tube and 18" seat tube creates a low-slung frame that gives me plenty of stand-over.
So I came away with a lot of positive impressions, but what is the flip side? The long wheelbase made the bike slightly harder to bunny hop and loft. Not much and not enough for me to concern myself with, but I did notice it. I'd love to see canti brake mounts for a bit more versatility, but that's personal preference and I'm probably in the minority on this one. The head tube was a bit short for my tastes and required about 60mm of spacers to hit my target bar and stem set up. With some people needing to run a negative rise stem to put them where they want to be, I'm guessing this may have been part of that design decision.
In my opinion Vassago put together a solid 29er singlespeed offering for the price point. There are a few other steel frame and forks in this price range, so if this is where you are looking make sure to include the Jabberwocky on your short list. The Short Bus yellow color I tested is no longer available but you can get the frame and fork in black, yellow or orange.
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| Comment from Carl on 2009-10-14 |
| After riding some of the niocest bikes during the last 12 years, UI like my jabberwocky best, even better than my custom 26 Ti hardtail. Believe it or not, it just fits me better and is incredibly well-balanced. I can actually turn tighter circles than on my 26 hardtail just due to the balance being better.FYI, my other 29er expericens were not nearly as postivie, usually, handled like trucks----I am a believer! |
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| Comment from Nate on 2008-06-19 |
| I have mine set up as a singlespeed rigid and I LOVE this bike! It does absolutely everything exactly the way Vassago says it will. I haven't ridden my FS geared since getting this bike. |
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| Comment from 53rider on 2008-06-13 |
| Have mine set up 1x9 with a White Brothers Rock Solid Rigid Fork. Sold two full suspension 26er's to build this up. Good decision on my part. Great review. I have never heard a bad one on this bike. |
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| Comment from ac33 on 2008-06-11 |
| nice review riderx. Finally got my jabber short yellow rollin' and that 'wetcat' handling shines. |
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| Comment from euler on 2008-05-28 |
| Nice review Joe. Can't wait to get out on mine today! |
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| Comment from riderx on 2008-05-26 |
| That is a TomiCog (http//tomicog.blogspot.com/) on there. Limited space for the article meant focusing on the important stuff and not getting into the fixed gear setup that I ran for a while during test. I plan on doing follow up thoughts and review on my web site (SingleSpeedOutlaw.com) to cover things I wasn't able to fit in the Dirt Rag article. Stay tuned. |
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| Comment from lil hillbilly on 2008-05-22 |
| no mention of it being fixed. pics show a disc side cog. whats up?
nice lookin bike. funny name |
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