Fresh AIR

This is a solid contender to be my Pacifier. Red 5 left such an indelible mark on me, that all future bikes will be held to it's standard.
We're pretty darn close here. Essentially twins, the Scandium frames behave exactly alike. I made a size switch, from XL to L, because that's how I am.
I noticed that the L frame was more "tossable" but prone to being hung up on larger roots. I am willing to concede that I may have been picking stupid lines tonight. Whenever I test a new bike out, I often find the ugliest thing I can ride across, and hit it square on. It was super muggy in the woods, no air was moving, and as the old timers say "you could eat it with a spoon".
Conditions aside, this bike was at my beck and call at all times. I was able to climb over stuff that I have a suspicion I may not have been able to on Red 5, mainly due to gearing.

~I kept the bike in "6" out of solidarity for my SS brother who rode with me~

I noticed the shorter wheelbase right away. This is not a negative, only an observation. I used to ride a 16" '95 GT Zaskar back in the day. I could put that bike anywhere. I had the same feeling with this set up. It will just take time to adjust.

So, to sum up, AIR 9 kicks ass, especially mine. Crash karma came for me tonight. I actually used my helmet tonight. I managed to fall within sight of the exit in a nasty pile of exposed roots, I can't explain why.

If the weather cooperates (not rain) I'll have a good and detailed report on how this little chicken really behaves in the woods.