First ride was not on a fully stock bike. Drivetrain, rear wheel are stock as well as the tires, tubes  hydraulic brakes are unchanged. 

What I changed. Stem, bars, grips, front wheel Giant XCT, pedals and Marzocchi air 150mm fork up front. 

Now the ride. Fort Ord had a race going on so my usual route had to be modified a bit to stay out of the way as much as possible. Did 11 miles and 800 ft of elevation change. 

What I noticed after riding so many different bikes out here. The XC tires are fine but I prefer a beefier front tire 2.5. The rear stock wheel felt heavy and slow as if it was dragging me down but was expected. I initially had issues with the shifting but got it dialed in on the ride. Pulled the barrel adjuster back and moved the low screw just so my drivetrain lines up. Have to adjust the high just a tad bit more but I think as a loaner, it will work just fine. Brakes are very similar to MT200’s and I think I prefer the levers on the MT’s but not horrible. I didn’t ride as fast due to bedding in the brakes on down sections as much as possible. They had enough stopping power and I’m in around 250lbs. 

These bars are temporary as I just ordered some trail 1’s along with black grips. Front suspension and lighter wheel livened up the front end. We will see how much I upgrade it but it may just get upgraded by hand me downs as I keep modifying my GT. 

IMHO opinion, bike is a solid 7.5 out of 10. Geo is fantastic and things like touch points and upgrades happen as many riders prefer certain components. I thought I would miss my standard 150mm dropper but it was hardly an issue. Is it ready to hit black trails out the box? I mean that’s mostly on the rider  I think this bike can breeze through the darkest of blue trails with ease. 

Ozark Pro, first ride and impressions.