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Anyone got an airdrop bike? Quite keen on the idea of a Filter but any info on the Edit would be good as well. Other bikes in contention are Bird Aether and a Privateer. I know theres different wheel sizes but feels like the intention is similar.
Love the look of the Airdrop bikes but being 27.5 only feels like they are swimming against the tide.
What sort of bike are you after?
Ring them up and go and demo them both, they are a good bunch, take a packet of biscuits and you may get a brew as well.
I love my Aether 7, I was also interested in the Filter, they both seem pretty similar bikes.
In the end availability (second hand frame) was the main thing that swayed me.
What sort of bike are you after? The Filter & Aether are trail bikes with sorted geometry, the Edit (and Aeris) are bigger bikes.
Where are you? Try and get a demo if you can.
BillOddie
Love the look of the Airdrop bikes but being 27.5 only feels like they are swimming against the tide.
They've gone for that as their niche. good luck to them, seem to be making nice bikes and doing right by customers.
All I know is that I went to Wharny on Saturday and there were Edits everywhere. They look mint and I can see them being less of a handful on the steeper, twistier stuff than my large 29er.
I've been pricing up parts all weekend.
I’ve got a v4 edit. I’ll confess to swapping bikes a lot but I’ve had this one for 2 years and have no complaints, I love it.
I had small Mk1 Edit followed by a medium Aether 7. Today I just took delivery of a medium V4 Edit (bought on the Earlybird offer) and will be swapping parts across once I get a Lyrik for it.
Both companies have a similar ethos and I would have happily bought a longer travel Bird but wanted to stick with 27.5.
The Aether 7 has been brilliant and does exactly what its supposed to do. Its great on steep trails and handles single hits beautifully but obviously its not as plush once trails get proper rough. It feels very confidence inspiring on our steep Calderdale, woodsy stuff but was equally at home at Dyfi at my speed. I did feel like I was taking a beating on the Reds at BPW though.
Airdrop Edit wise, I've probably done something daft and gone with the longer travel option but I wanted to see how it feels. If it feels like too much I will just buy a different stroke air shock and save the Kitsuma for bike parks and this summer in the Alps.
If it matters to you, the weld on the Bird look prettier to me. The Edit front triangle has sort of smooth welds and the rear triangle has fishscale. The Bird has fishscale all round.
And now that Craig Evans is on one, you'll no doubt see even more at Wharncliffe!
I bought a new V4 Edit in March 2022. I’ve done approx’ 200 miles since I got it. Ridden at trail centres, FoD and Cannock, and on the Quantocks and the Mendips.
The Airdrop guys were very helpful and the bike is fantastic!
I bought a Large (I’m 5’10”) it’s only 13.5kgs, very supple suspension and very nicely designed and built. It’s a lot of bike but it never feels to much.
Possibly not overly helpful so apolagies in advance!
I had a v2 edit and it was by far the most fun bike I have ever had. Every bike since has been a longer travel 29er. I still think about going back to an edit every now and then
It never felt like a lot of bike in any way. But equally it didn’t ever struggle
Had mine with a cane creek coil
The Edits do look nice 🙂
https://singletrackmag.com/forum/topic/wants-new-s-h-bike-cant-justify-but-lusts/
I bought a Large (I’m 5’10”) it’s only 13.5kgs, very supple suspension and very nicely designed and built.
That’s surprising, I’m sure they list it as 15kg?
My Aether 7 is 14.5kg (I haven’t built it light and don’t really worry about weights but weighed it out of curiosity).
I have an Edit V2 and love it, also a great company to deal with. I've never ridden a 29 so can't comment on it being a 27.5 but I know it so much more fun than my old Stumpy which is 26.
I think I want a trail bike that's going too lure/push me into doing dumb stuff. Live on the south coast so not exactly endowed with the gnarliest terrain in the world so a bike that can extract max fun whilst also being confidence inspiring to help me progress.
Privateer 141, Airdrop Filter and both Aethers all seem to fit the bill. Have a 29 hardtail and a gravel bike so have the efficient cross country kinda rides well serviced.
Might see if I can figure out how to get a test ride down here.
That’s surprising, I’m sure they list it as 15kg?
Hmmm may be I've got it wrong - I did weigh it when I first got it but they do list it as 15kgs on the website.
Another v happy Edit v4 rider here. As far as riding goes, it's everything I thought it would be - versatile and stout. I've had it a year now with no issues. One thing to note is that the decals are just stickers, so I had some peel off right out the gate whilst I was applying some frame protection (just the small toptube 'EDIT' ones though, so not too bothered). Can always buy a new set of decals straight from them.
The guys are sound too, went to do a lap of their car park as I was between a medium and large. Ended up with a large at 178cm, but could have gone with either tbh.
I'm a bit gutted I missed out on the early bird frame offers now. I was thinking it would cost a fortune to build it but there's loads of deals on at the minute like half price Lyriks and used 27.5 wheels seem cheap enough.
Well this has got me window shopping at least 😂
Would love to ride an edit again to see how it compares. Last few bike have all been long travel 29ers
I’d imagine the Aether 7 and Filter are quite similar bikes. Having had an A7 that sort of bike would probably do that you are after - will pedal quite decently / be a good all rounder / will manage uplift days etc. I loved that bike - I only changed as my fork was dying and thought 29er would be better going forward for parts and stuff.
I’m on a Sentinel now which is more equivalent to the edit (other than wheel size). In this case I still find it quite poppy - but on uplift days / through longer stretches of chunder it keeps up a higher speed through it and gives your body an easier time.
I did test ride an Edit v2 (I think) and whilst it had a mismatched fork and shock (Yari front end with a coil Cane Creek rear shock - which massively outperformed the fork and made the bike a bit unbalanced) it was really good and swallowing rock gardens etc. I test rode it near Airdrops office - bit of lady cannings for flow - and then up to the moor behind it where there were a few good rocky tracks to try the bike on.
Both Airdrop and Bird seem like very decent companies to buy from.