‘08 TOMAC Snyper 140-1
Fox Float 32 RL
Fox 23 RP W/Pro-Pedal
5“+ travel both ends
Shimano XT & XTR
Avid Juicy Carbon
FSA wheel set
Thompson stem
Monkey Lite XC bar- carbon
Race Face XC Race cranks & Bottom Bracket
Crank Bros Joplin hydraulic remote operated seat post
WTB Pure saddle
The whole thing weighs in right at 29 lbs without tool kit.
After going through a few different bikes I really wanted a good quality x-country trail bike with higher performance components. My ultimate goal was to have my riding performance held back by my abilities, not the capability of my bike.
This bike and set up was ranked ‘Trail Bike of the Year’ for ‘08 and so far I am very happy with it. Having more suspension travel than most x-country bikes and the ability to tone that down makes this a fantastic ‘all-around’ bike to have.
Since Ive owned it I had the Fox fork & shock rebuilt and of course new cables and brake pads now & then but all that really goes without saying. I have installed a new bottom bracket and crank set by Race Face, having destroyed 2 of the charn rings on the original (I can be a bit hard on equipment). I did also develop a crack in the swingarm, and although my address at the time was space 5, McDowell Mt tent campground and Joel Smith from Tomac was on the other side of the planet inspecting new frames coming off the line he had me a new one in under a week.
All the damage really has been slight and superficial, mainly just scratches and dings from my own carelessness. Baring any major accident or incident I can safely say I will be riding and enjoying this bike for a very long time.
I love this bike and am almost convinced it was built specifically for me, that alone is enough to keep me sold on the brand. However the more I get to know the guys at Tomac and the philosophy behind the company the more comfortable with the bike I get.
In an excerpt from a very in depth interview from Mike Levy over on Pink Bike Joel Smith, CEO for Tomac said; ‘
The difficult thing to do is stand against the tide, to make a product decision not because the others are doing it and the journalists are drooling on it, but because it's something you believe in. Coming up with an actual opinion based on your own personal riding experience takes a lot of know-how and guts. Most opinions I hear today are merely a distilled down from someone else's ideas, which have already been distilled down from someone else's idea. To make your own product decisions, and then have the knowledge and passion to defend with data can be very difficult.’
The difficult thing to do is stand against the tide, to make a product decision not because the others are doing it and the journalists are drooling on it, but because it's something you believe in. Coming up with an actual opinion based on your own personal riding experience takes a lot of know-how and guts. Most opinions I hear today are merely a distilled down from someone else's ideas, which have already been distilled down from someone else's idea. To make your own product decisions, and then have the knowledge and passion to defend with data can be very difficult.’
Im sold, and liking the small company, quality vs. quantity idea. There’s not a lot of us Tomac riders out there, but we are devoted.
See you on the trail.
