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Forgive the dark photos, I would have waited until tomorrow to take them, but I couldn’t wait to share the progress of the Sette Venom.

Here’s the spec sheet so far:

Sette Stumpy stem
Azonic DH riser bar
Ultegra 12-27t rear cassette
Blackspire 38t DH chain ring
MRP Chainguide
Marzochhi Bomber 66 Light with ETA Fork
Shimano LX rear derailleur
Serfas ARC-3 ARC Saddle
Alex wheels with front WOOdman 20mm hub, rear hub is a Shimano Deore (don’t ask me the model-I forgot)
Rear tire: Kenda Telonix 2.2
Front tire: Kenda Nevegal 2.5

There’s more to be done with the bike. I still need to run a chain, derailleur cable and brakes. After that, its time to start testing!

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The Sette Venom just got delivered today to the MtnBikeRiders.com HQ….and boy I tell you whut, this thing is legit man!

Here’s the features of the Venom:

Sink your fangs into any trail and the Sette Venom will deliver. The plush, adjustable 6-7” single pivot suspension will smooth out most any obstacle, keeping those wheels against the ground when you need it the most. Nail those gaps, rail those corners and hold on for some amazing adventure with this super strong 7005/6061 aluminum freeride frame.

Sette chose to equip the Venom with the Rock Shox Vivid 5.1. An excellent coil-assisted shock that features an incredible amount of adjustability, including external ending stroke rebound, beginning stroke rebound, and compression.

The Venom frame comes complete with all of the standard features that you would expect from Sette products; sealed cartridge bearing pivot points, integrated hydraulic brake hose guides that lead to IS standard rear brake mounts, cable guides, seatpost clamp, replaceable derailleur hanger, and a durable powder coated finish.

Rock Shox Vivid 5.1 Coil Over Shock

The site says the color of the frame is red, but upon my first glance of the frame, its almost like rusty-ish red…a lighter burgundy…I actually like it because its a unique color and you won’t mistake it with any other brand.

Just in case you wanted to know, specs:

Material 7005/ 6061 Aluminum
Welding Tig Welding
Rear Suspension Travel 7″/ 177.8mm
Recommended Fork Suspension Travel 7″-8″/ 180-200mm
Headset 1-1/8″ Standard
Front Derailleur 34.9mm Bottom Pull
Bottom Bracket 73mm
Max Rear Tire Clearance 2.5″
Seatpost Size 31.6mm
Seat Clamp Size 34.9mm
Disc Mount IS Standard
Shock Length (eye-to-eye) 8.75″/ 222.3mm
Shock Stroke 50mm
Damping External ending stroke rebound, beginning stroke rebound,
and compression
Available Sizes Small (17″/43cm), Medium (18″/46cm)
Color(s) Red
Weight 11.35lbs (w/ Shock, Small Size Avg.)
Warranty 5 Years

We’re looking forward to testing this frame. We like the fact its a single pivot design, which to me, means its going to be trouble free and reliable. Shoot, many of the world’s best DH/FR bikes are single pivot…but the Sette Venom is a fraction of the cost, at $499.08, that’s a steal of a deal.

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Rl and I hit the loop for a quick short ride to “feel” and do minor adjustments to the Soul Cycles Dillinger. After a few quick saddle and seatpost adjustments, we were ready to hit the trail.

OK, so let’s start with the geometry, the bike felt “big” as in tall, but I was not stretched out. I found this “bigness” to be an advantage on the quick and short steep downhills, I never felt as if I was going to fly over the bars.

Climbing off the saddle, I didn’t feel any flex, the bike was solid. The Reba Race’s poplock remote was very convenient, just a flick of the switch and the fork was almost fully rigid.

At 35 psi, the Geax Saguaro Tires struggled for traction on the loose terrain, especially on the uphills. I will play around with the tire pressure to see if I can achieve more traction, I usually run my 29er tires at 30psi.

The Powercordz brake cables felt amazing, I’d forgotten that I was riding mechanical brakes and not hydraulics! Quick note on the Serfas Tegu saddle… COMFORTABLE, even RL noticed it when he was riding the Dillinger for a bit.

I’m hoping to put a lot of miles on this bike, I really need to get in better physical shape and I find that riding a Singlespeed is one of the fastest ways to do it. I will write a full review of this bike in about 2 to 3 months.

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Dainese provided me the Raptor helmet to test out during the Shimano Winter Series.

Specs:

Full-face downhill helmet with fibreglass external shell and internal shell in dual-density polystyrene with ventilated structure. Band with micrometric quick-release buckle; lining in hypo-allergenic Sanytized® fabric, adjustable visor in transparent polycarbonate that avoids limiting the field of vision in downhill racing position. 14 front and lateral ventilation vents with back ventilation extractors ensure the maximum ventilation. Decals under soft, transparent paint. Exposed fibreglass forms the structure of the helmet while representing an element of design at the same time.

Cost: I’ve seen prices range from $200-$300

Hits: First of all the helmet looks amazing. I love black and white and the Raptor is wicked hot! Team Mate, Kim Finch has the transparent-ish Raptor, basically its not painted so you actually see the material in its true form. But I personally like the painted Raptor way better.

One of the key things I make sure I look for in a helmet is breath ability. The last thing I want is to be wearing a bowl that will cause me to over heat during a ride or race. The 14 vents on this helmet almost felt as cool as a XC helmet. Once you got going on the trail, cool air literally gets sucked into the vents and lowering the temperature by hundreds of degrees.

Another feature I liked about the Raptor was the fact that my mouth was not entirely blocked by the chin guard. Plus, the guard it self has vents on it for quick intake and exhaust of your breath when bombing down a hill. I have a cheap full face helmet that I rarely use anymore because the chin guard’s ability to move air was disappointing. But not the Dainese Raptor, this sucker felt like I was getting air forced into my mouth. Another key note I’d like to make is the visor. If you haven’t already noticed, its transparent. This is super useful when you have to stand up and sprint at the WALL in Fontana. Sometimes you just have to put your head down and mash those pedals and while you have your head down, your eyes need to be looking ahead. Having a transparent visor helps you see in situations where standard painted/colored visors won’t, just think of it as an additional advantage over you competition.

The chin strap doesn’t use traditional D-rings, it uses the same concept as car seat belt buckles. This is awesome because right after a race run, all you want to do is rip your helmet off, and sometimes bulky gloves will slow this process down. But with the Raptor, all you do is slide the button, and pop! The buckle is off!

Misses: Not much to be honest with you. One thing I did find out, the white and black will no longer be available, but a solid black or the original transparent styles will still be up for sale at Dainese.

We’d like to thank our friend Art from Dainese for providing us the Raptor to test and review. Please take the time to visit their site. Dainese Site and check out the other protective gear they offer. By the way, if you’re into motorcycles…they’ve got you covered too.

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At last night’s group ride, we capped off the evening by going to Roscoe’s in Fullerton. It’s a great place for beer and large sandwiches. It was really good to see the team(sans the Animal). Most of the night was filled with conversations about bikes, racing and more bikes!

Good times!

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