Airdrop Bikes (United Kingdom) - Callum's a freelance sports & adventure photographer based in Queenstown, NZ. He's also a good friend. With a bit of help from Vertigo Bikes, we hooked him up with a sweet Edit v3 custom build.

Callum's a man of few words, but that's OK: we'll let his pictures do the talking. And I'm sure you'll agree, he's put together a nice looking bike. The build was done at Vertigo Bikes in Queenstown but the spec's not far off the Edit v3 Works build we offer here, with a couple of personal twists to make it perfect for Callum. Anyhow, take a look and see what Callum's got to say about it... 

Callum's Bike Spec:

• Frame: Airdrop Edit v3 size Medium
• Colour: Matte black with matte black rear triangle & chrome decals
• Forks: Rockshox Lyrik RC2 in Boxxer Red
• Rear Shock: Rockshox Super Deluxe Ultimate Coil with 350lb spring
• Headset: Cane Creek 40 Series ZS44/ZS56
• Stem: Burgtec Mk2 Enduro 35mm Reach, 35mm Clamp
• Handlebars: Burgtec Ridewide Josh Briyceland 35mm clamp, 38mm rise, 800mm wide
• Grips: Burgtec Bartender
• Seatpost: Rockshox Reverb Stealth B1 170mm with 1x remote
• Seatclamp: Airdrop CNC Bolt-up
• Saddle: WTB Volt Race
• Brakes: SRAM Code RSC
• Rotors: SRAM Centerline 200mm front, 180mm rear
• Wheels: DT Swiss EX511 rims on Hope Pro 4 hubs
• Tyres: WTB Vigilante 27.5x2.5 tough high-grip front & WTB Judge 27.5x2.4 tough high-grip rear
• Rear Derailleur: SRAM GX 1x11
• Cassette: SRAM XG-1150 10-42t
• Shifter: SRAM GX 1x11
• Cranks: Truvativ Descendant DUB 170mm
• Chainring: SRAM 32t
• Pedals: Burgtec Mk4 Penthouse Flats
• Chain: SRAM GX
• Bottom Bracket: SRAM DUB
• Modifications: James Crossland signature Peng decals
• Weight: 36lb with full water bottle

Tyre Choice & Pressures:

Went all in on WTB which was a first for me after the guys at Airdrop recommended them. A 2.5" Vigilante upfront and a 2.4" judge out back both in the soft compound. After being partial to a yellow sidewall sticker for the last few years and having had my fair share of sidewall cuts, the WTB’s have been a welcome change; traction for days, no issues with tyre damage. Spot on.

Fork:

It's red, love it. Big improvement over the previous generation Lyriks on my older bike.

Shock:

First coil on my trail bike and I'm sold. I feel so much more confident on the bike in the rougher stuff. I even feel slightly less slow...

Suspension Setup:

Honestly I don’t know a great deal regarding suspension setup! High speed this and low speed that, for others it’s the Holy Grail… Everything happened to feel so good out of the box so I kinda just left as is other than an extra token in the fork and around 70psi. ish.

Cockpit:

I've gone for the full Burgtec setup up-front. 38mm rise Josh Bryceland Limited’s (big fan) which feel good on the wrists. And a 35mm Enduro stem to keep the steering snappy.

Wheels:

I wanted a solid wheelset and it was a bit of a struggle finding a factory built set that met all my criteria without costing the earth. So I decided to get the lads at Vertigo Bikes to build me something up. Went for DT Swiss EX511 rims on Hope Pro4 Hubs. If you’re after a solid wheelset that doesn’t break the bank I reckon this is where it’s at. Sure there are lighter options out there but I wanted something that would last and could deal with me casing jumps and taking all the wrong lines for the foreseeable future. I'm 6 months in now and not touched them - bearings are perfect and never had to get the spoke key out so great success.

Drivetrain:

In a time of Eagles and Seagulls i went for a prehistoric 11spd SRAM GX setup. I had X01 Eagle on my last bike and never really found myself getting up in to that overdrive gear, even with a 34t chainring up front. I also have a bad habit of riding into things so 12 speed's finer tolerances and bent derailleurs aren’t exactly a match made in heaven. So splashing the extra cash on a extra gear I would rarely use and a expensive mech I would no doubt bend out of shape pretty quick seemed daft. Long live 1x11!

Brakes:

SRAM Code RSC’s, 200mm rotor up front and 180mm rotor out back. Struggling for what to say about these great brakes. Plenty of power on tap, good modulation, no reliability issues. Sweet As.

Flats or Clips?

Burgtec Penthouse Flat Mk4. Simple and elegant.

Anything You Would Change?

I’m really not sure there is a anything I would, its certainly isn’t a weight weenie build but i don’t feel that when uphilling (that seat angle helps for sure). Maybe a white frame ;-)

Favourite Components?

Super Deluxe Coil. Burgtec 38mm rise Ride wide bars.

Any Secrets or Setup Tips?

Whittaker's 5 Roll Refined chocolate before every ride.

What Was Your Last Bike? How Does The Edit v3 Compare?

My last rig was a plastic Kona Process, a good bike for sure but I always felt like I wanted something a little more planted and the Edit v3 delivered in that way and much more. Felt good to get back on an alloy frame too, I'm not really sure why but I definitely prefer it, I think with my previous carbon bike I always had a little bit of paranoia about impact damage and that’s the last thing you want to be thinking about when you're busy riding into blunt objects.

I really can’t say enough good stuff about this new Edit, I felt at home instantly and it has given me a new lease of confidence. It’s a planted but snappy ride that gets on the gas with ease, cliché I know but it’s the truth!

Bravo Fellas!