Sled,
Original sled, 146M with E start, Rode it twice with the 146 2.6 before swapping it to a 154 2.6, it is an absolute blast as a 146 and I plan to swap it back to a 146 for the spring time. Wheelie monster but it is to short for the fluffy December/January Alaska snow.
Last 3 rides have been with 154 2.6 swapped into the sled. This sled is extremely capable. It handles better than the Ascender in every way (I've had twin rail, Alpha, and Alpha elevated ascenders)
Pros
-It's extremely light feeling while riding.
-The Alpha rail works 10X better in this chassis and doesn’t randomly try to eat your lunch like it did in the ascender.
-Intake and plastics are awesome, rode in 3' of blower pow yesterday with no issues. My buddies boosts were falling on their face all day from snow on the belt and powder bogs.
-It's dang near impossible to get this thing stuck with a 154 and the 146 tunnel. Just pin it and pull it over backwards.
-Track swap is 10X easier than Ascender
-I’m getting 46/47 MPH track speed on climbs with some clutching and a Speedwerx l2 can which surprised me. this is similar to my 2019 ascender 800. 2,500' elevation
-Removable hood is very nice, I’ve had the hood off 10-15 times and it's great
-Overall the sled is easier to work on and pretty much everything seems more accessible than on previous cats.
Cons
-The plastic running board gussets in the back aren't going to cut it for mountain riders. I would break 3 or 4 of the cast ones on the Ascender a season, I've broken 5 of the catalyst ones... They are cheap and very simple to replace. If you are an aggressive rider that does hop overs buy the Hardcore boards until someone provides us an aftermarket rear gusset option.
-The stock shock valving is setup for someone that weighs like 150 lbs. geared up... Very soft, and if you try to compensate with spring rate you get bucked because the rebound is way too fast. Big step backwards from the QS3 floats or coil overs on previous sleds. I used to revalve those as well but they were much better stock for stock
Overall this sleds a win for cat. the cons are easily remedied. If I still had my elevated 800 ascender I would never ride it. This chassis with an 858 will be the best sled on the snow in my opinion.
Here's a video of it through the trees.
Original sled, 146M with E start, Rode it twice with the 146 2.6 before swapping it to a 154 2.6, it is an absolute blast as a 146 and I plan to swap it back to a 146 for the spring time. Wheelie monster but it is to short for the fluffy December/January Alaska snow.
Last 3 rides have been with 154 2.6 swapped into the sled. This sled is extremely capable. It handles better than the Ascender in every way (I've had twin rail, Alpha, and Alpha elevated ascenders)
Pros
-It's extremely light feeling while riding.
-The Alpha rail works 10X better in this chassis and doesn’t randomly try to eat your lunch like it did in the ascender.
-Intake and plastics are awesome, rode in 3' of blower pow yesterday with no issues. My buddies boosts were falling on their face all day from snow on the belt and powder bogs.
-It's dang near impossible to get this thing stuck with a 154 and the 146 tunnel. Just pin it and pull it over backwards.
-Track swap is 10X easier than Ascender
-I’m getting 46/47 MPH track speed on climbs with some clutching and a Speedwerx l2 can which surprised me. this is similar to my 2019 ascender 800. 2,500' elevation
-Removable hood is very nice, I’ve had the hood off 10-15 times and it's great
-Overall the sled is easier to work on and pretty much everything seems more accessible than on previous cats.
Cons
-The plastic running board gussets in the back aren't going to cut it for mountain riders. I would break 3 or 4 of the cast ones on the Ascender a season, I've broken 5 of the catalyst ones... They are cheap and very simple to replace. If you are an aggressive rider that does hop overs buy the Hardcore boards until someone provides us an aftermarket rear gusset option.
-The stock shock valving is setup for someone that weighs like 150 lbs. geared up... Very soft, and if you try to compensate with spring rate you get bucked because the rebound is way too fast. Big step backwards from the QS3 floats or coil overs on previous sleds. I used to revalve those as well but they were much better stock for stock
Overall this sleds a win for cat. the cons are easily remedied. If I still had my elevated 800 ascender I would never ride it. This chassis with an 858 will be the best sled on the snow in my opinion.
Here's a video of it through the trees.