Punta Ala - The trails here can get rowdy (Rockoh) and have seen an EWS and Super Enduros so they have cred, but they still are super fun and in the past we've called Punta Ala hardtail heaven which it without doubt is....but with the Party Stripper feeling very much lie a Vendetta but with an added rear bounce, we felt obliged to push things out a little further this year. Making things a lot faster with a grin factor getting into the high 9.9's the only issue really is remembering we only have 120mm travel when things get fast and rowdy.
The Stripper - We thought we'd put up quick bike check on my XFS PS, second to done my favourite fun bike and ideal set-up but with Punta Ala having some great pedalling it has enough trail strap on's to be worthy of the hideous moniker 'enduro'.
It's been a long time coming this rig in fact 7+ months between our first proto concept bikes and this stripper which has become pretty much my ideal ride. Even with only 120mm of rear bounce it slays all comers and givers me all that is needed to give me the ride of a hardtail with extra bounce and then for the Punta Ala trails 140mm of front coil action.
| SPEC |
| Frame: Medium titanium |
| Forks: Cane Creek helm 140m coil |
| Rear shock: Cane Creek DB Air CS 190x50 |
| Cranks: Cane Creek 170mm eewings |
| Chainring: SRAM direct drive 26T |
| Casette: 7sp DH |
| Pedals: Bugtec composite |
| Gears: SRAM 7sp DH, XO |
| Bottom bracket: Race face BSA30 |
| Wheels: Sixth Element 27.5 on Hope hubs |
| Tyres: Maxxis DHR 2.4 front, Schwalbe Rock Razor 2.35 |
| Brakes: SRAM G2, 180mm and 170mm rotors |
| Stem: Industry 9 A35 |
| Bars: Burgtec 40mm rise |
| Grips: Burgtec |
| Saddle: Fizik Antares |
| Seatpost: Bikeyoke 160mm |
| Headset: Cane Creek Slamset |
Cranks don't get sexier than Cabne Creek eeWings and they top off this build along with a 26T by 7sp DH cassette 'micro drive'.
Sliding dropouts allow for tuning the rear tyre 27.5 clearance and also the ride: long wheelbase = stability or shorter wheelbase = manoeuvrability and fast cornering. Or should you feel the need to wagon wheel it will also take a 29x2.5.
For bike parks, DH and shuttling the lovely suspension wizards at TF Tuned made me a Frankenshock for this bike, but with pedalling and weight saving a key ingredient in the type of riding we're doing we opted for the air and we love the tune-ability of the the Cane Creek DB Air CS.
| Geo + Features |
| Weight: 13.7kg |
| The geo @140mm fork: |
| ETT: 615mm |
| Head angle: 65 degrees |
| Seat ange: 76.5 degrees |
| Chainstay sliding 435-455: 435mm |
| Wheelbase: 1220mm |
| BB drop: 12mm |
| Reach: 615mm |
| Stack: 465mm |
| Offset: 44 |
| Rear axle: 148x12 |
| Head tube: Straight 44 |
| Seat tube: 31.6 |
| Routing: External bolt-on |
| Max tyre 27.5: 2.8 |
| Max tyre 29: 2.5 |
| BB width: 73 |
That's about it for this bike check, but ion you want a XFS Party Stripper for yourself we have one available in size large. Click here to find out more about it and it will be the last one we make this year.
