I don’t lock out very often. At the moment I have the Twistlock grips on - but will replace those with ESRs - just need to cut the left one to size.
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Supercaliber is still the best looking full suspension bike out there.
Very pleased with mine.
Not much racing this year - but planning a full 2022 off-road season.
Hi @andymott
Did you manage to get hold of a Supercaliber in the UK yet? I’ve just received an email telling me mine’s not due in till Dec 21 now😢
@Bullseye
Yeah, I called up my shop and was told mine was delayed until late October. Given that had been mid-late July a few months earlier I realised it was likely I wouldn’t see the bike this year.
Luckily my shop had a medium in that I could try, and I’ve taken that. It’s the same reach as my Procaliber, so I’m possibly losing out on ‘modern’ geometry by 15mm but I’ll pop a 10mm longer stem on (from 70 to 80), or widen the bars - the new integrated RSL bars are 750mm and they look nice 
Even without the longer stem (not available immediately; I’m after a lighter one if I have to upgrade), I find the bike handles really well. I did a 10km shakedown/setup ride the day after I collected it, then found it comfortable enough on a 65km ride the next day. Longer isn’t necessarily better; it’s more about how the bike feels and I’m very happy with this one!
Good luck finding one, but speak to your shop and see if they can find another size for you to try. I was right in the middle on the M/L and at the top end of the M, so there’s some wiggle room if you’re willing to test it.
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I took my Supercaliber out to Leadville, CO for the first time last weekend. Up to now I’ve ridden it mainly on singletrack in Ohio and Indiana, and also on a lot of long gravel rides on rolling terrain.
I’ve got to say on the Leadville LT100 course, I couldn’t think of a better bike. I had only ridden a hard tail Niner Air 9 RDO on the course in the past (with the same Enve M525’s as I have on my SC). The SC caliber was significant faster on all the major descents. On the Sugarloaf descent, which is super rocky and covered with baby head rocks, I was able to just open it up and let it fly down. I sort of slalom’d my way down picking areas to jump over or go around. So much fun! On the long Columbine descent, it also soaked up the chatter well, handled the upper goat trail with no issues, and was stable in the hairpin/sweepers. Over the full descent I shaved about 2 min off my prior PR on the Air 9 RDO.
The lockout was great on the smooth portions, but I left things open on the rocky climbs, such as Powerline after the graded section. Although fitness was a factor, I found the long 3+ mile rocky climb after the Powerline grade section much easier to handle on the SC versus previously on the hard tail. I could hold a steady effort and just pedal over everything at a steady cadence.
I did run an AXS dropper and used it extensively. Despite not being a “technical” course, there is lots of opportunities to use the dropper at Leadville. Getting more aero with it on the descents and just getting it out of the way on the rocky parts was nice. Definitely going to leave it on for race day.
I continue to be impressed just how versatile this bike is. I’ve got a season and a half of riding on mine and its holding up great. I did have a creaky bottom bracket earlier this year, but it was replaced with a new SRAM dub one at the start of the season and so far its been silent. Everything else has been rock solid.
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Really glad you’re all set up and glad to hear you’re happy with it😀
I’ve got a small on order. Being under 5 feet 4" and used to 650B I think a medium would just be too much for me.
Can I ask which shop you bought it from? I get the sense that the one I’m dealing with doesn’t have any of any size in stock…I wonder if yours has a small …
Thanks - can’t wait to get more time on it, make a few more tweaks to get it set up just right then race it!
The size guide for a medium is from 5’3" so you might find one works well enough. You could always try with a 60mm stem, or bars with more backsweep too. Might still be too much, but if you can find somewhere with one then at least sit on it or ride around the car park and see.
I got mine from Ride Bikes Wales in Talbot Green, South Wales. They often have stock, but not many Supercalibers. In theory they’ll have a M/L coming in later this year though… Could be worth asking, see if they have a small or medium in?
I hope you find something. If not, then it’s worth keeping the order in as the 2022 9.8GX models are £700 more, although they do have a few upgrades (like the RSL integrated bar/stem and SRAM brakes if you think they’re better).
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I absolutely love mine. It started out as a 2021 9.8GX, although I was lucky and got it for the 2020 price.
I put on a Rotor InPower powermeter and the ASX reverb straight away. I have since also upgraded to ASX XX1 (as I got lucky on a good deal) and have changed the lockout to the Twistloc - mainly to clean up the cockpit. I rarely lock out.
For my style of riding - similar to Kuttermax and wanting to do some longer event / possibly stage stuff next year it really suits me.
Not sure if you are still looking @Bullseye , but I saw Pedal On has some stock.
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Jolanda Neff taking the Gold on a Supercaliber on a super technical Tokyo Olympic course is not something to discount. Yes, Neff is an outstanding rider, but this was against the very best in the world and the bike appeared to handle the course really well.
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Thanks @jakobhansen888
Unfortunately Pedal on don’t have any small Supcaliber in stock.
I’m still hoping mine will arrive in December, but I’m going to look out for a second hand one now.
The colours for the Olympics look Awesome don’t they 
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What spec are you looking for?
What I took away watching her but also Anton Cooper was the climbing of the Supercaliber. It looked like it had excellent traction.
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Any thoughts on the 9.7 as a relative value? I’m a roadie looking to get into xc and there actually seem to be a few of these available.
Think I would regret the limited travel this bike comes with as a newbie?
if it has Shimano its a good value. GX or NX stuff is commodity-grade disposable stuff. as a roadie, you’ll love the bike. its nimble and manageable and stiff laterally. travel-wise, i can’t say, but i ride the bike on all the same trails i ride my 145/160mm trail bike on and have just as much fun and i never think “gee i wish it had more travel”. it’s way less compliant but makes up for it in liveliness as long as you have a dynamic riding style. it’s the funnest bike i’ve ever owned. If you want travel the epic evo is probably the way to go (if you can find one), but won’t be nearly as efficient. and the rear end will flex alot more laterally.
if you’re worried about safety put a more aggressive front tire on it so you’re less likely to tuck or wash the front. also, get a dropper post. that should be #1 priority for safety.
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Thanks a lot. The ones I have seen have been specd with NX.
What model do you have?
i did a custom build from frameset.
what is the price on the NX bike? if it’s not too much more than a frameset, it wouldn’t be a bad platform to start with. JMO. alot of folks disagree with my stance on lower-end SRAM to be fair.
one thing i kinda like about the 9.7 is it DOESNT come with the remote lockout (just a shock mounted lever). simpler with less cables and the rear susp doesnt really need it.
9.7
I’m going to strip it down and sell the drive train and fork as new. I have higher, lighter spec waiting to rebuild it.
When I say me… it’s my partner who loves upgrading bikes and a complete rebuild is what he loves most.
It’s at £3650 at the moment, but I’ve heard stories of the price going up on delivery in the UK. Time to hunt on ebay I think…
Yeah, prices in the UK and ROW have gone up - but more in the UK due to the double effect of supply issues and brexit.
Eg the 9.8 I have I paid £4,750, which was the 2020 price. The 2021 price, same bike, is £5,350
There was at least one change between the 2020 and the 2021 - the wheels moved from Kovee Elite to Kovee Pro. There may have been more, but I can’t remember as this was months ago. I wanted the 9.8 GX and had the price at £4750 or thereabouts, and was very disappointed when it increased to £5350 until I realised there were some improvements in spec.
The new 2022 model is over £6000, again with improved spec like the new integrated RSL bars, but from 2020 to 2022 the price has jumped by around £1300 which is significant regardless of shiny new parts!
yes you are right. I got lucky as I payed 2020 price, but got a 2021 model - EG I have the Kovee Pro wheels.
I basically used the saving to put a power meter and a ASX reverb on - so it is not like I payed less 
I also think they changed the lockout from twist loc to the bontrager one.- although I have actually changed back to TwistLoc - although I rarely lock out in reality.
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