The MTB Thread

[g-m]

heh ymmv but depends what trails you ride. I ride mostly park and more DH/tech oriented trails so I'm 170/170 and it doesn't feel too big

edit: along with being loose everything is getting absolutely blown out with bomb holes. I'll be sure to donate to the trail crews more than usual this year.

[benyl]

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There is very little at Moose/west Bragg/COP that I would avoid… on my “down country” 120mm Rocky Mountain… at 200lbs. anything 160mm+ is completely overkill

Yup.

Mentioned this before. Have a 170/170 Nomad that is simply too big for anything outside the bike park. It just allows for more margin of error at Moose.

My 140mm (fox 36 that was shortened from 160mm) / 120mm Tall boy is all I ride now.

Modern Downcountry is where I would be if I buy a bike tomorrow.

[dimi]

You sound confused, so the best advice I can give you is go to Bow and rent a Sight (same travel as an evo) for the day. Then the next weekend, rent a switchblade which is much closer to the regular stumpy. You’re coming off an antiquated bike, you need to ride a few modern bikes, so you know what you want. Reviews and geo charts will only take you so far. $80/day and if you buy a bike there, I’m sure they’ll give you a credit.

Based on what you said you ride, the regular stumpy is what you would want. If you're concerned about a 34, you can always swap to a 36 for a few hundred $ (plenty of brand new takeoffs on buy/sell) and you'll retain the light/lively feel while having a bit more rigidity.

[Mitsu3000gt]

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How much do you weigh?

In my experience rider weight has a big impact on how squirrelly the fork feels, and I prefer the biggest front fork I can get without going dual crown.

160mm is perfectly fine for almost anything out here. With modern bikes, the tech and performance is so good, most people are rider limited, not bike limited in terms of what they are doing.

Horst link is fine, especially with the shorter rear ends on some of the new bikes. It's also why looking for a mullet might be a good idea.

Thanks. I'm about 5'10" 170lbs. I'm probably a frame size medium/S3 just looking at most of the guides online. I like to ride pretty hard on the descents as I do have a DH background but I don't think I will be doing much dedicated DH riding in terms of lifts & shuttles. I live close to COP though so it would be nice to be able to go there once in a while without having to rent a beefier bike, if possible. The flip side of that is I don't want to buy too much bike for the 2 times I need it and pedal around something sluggish the rest of the year.

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There is very little at Moose/west Bragg/COP that I would avoid… on my “down country” 120mm Rocky Mountain… at 200lbs. anything 160mm+ is completely overkill

I read this a lot, and I also read that more travel is also good as long as there is no significant penalty for it. Clearly it's a very personal thing and also bike model dependent, I'm just trying to get the best idea I can before putting down a deposit (will probably be a 2022 whatever I order). When I'm watching the reviews on the short-rear-travel bikes like the Optic or the Spur, the comments are often along the lines of "it's more than enough travel...until it isn't". My current bike has 120mm and it's definitely not enough for me, though I realize moving up to 29" wheels and modern geo/components changes things a bit. That's kind of why I was drawn to the Stumpy Evo because not only is the geo very adjustable, but 160/150mm is still in the "trail" range of things and there doesn't seem to be much of a weight penalty as Fox's 36 forks are apparently lighter for 2021. That said it could still be too much bike. I think a 150/140 bike would also be fine as long as it didn't flex too much with the 34mm fork, and the regular Stumpy gets the Fox 34 with the grip damper which is apparently very close to the factory level fork minus the fancy coatings. I also am partial to piggyback rear shocks, which come on the Evo, Optic, and Troy but that's not a deal breaker.

At the end of the day I think I would rather have a 34mm bike from both a cost and weight perspective, but only if it didn't hold me back on the descents. My current bike is 120mm front/rear with a 32mm fork and 26" wheels so regardless it's going to feel a lot more substantial than what I'm used to.

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heh ymmv but depends what trails you ride. I ride mostly park and more DH/tech oriented trails so I'm 170/170 and it doesn't feel too big

That's the thing - I want a "do everything" (except all out DH), bike that is the least punishing on the climbs. Something at least one notch below the "Enduro" category. I know I will have compromise somewhere without doubling the budget. Sounds like I need an e-bike - but I need prices to come way down before that happens.

[g-m]

Nomad with a coil or an X2 I also live really close to COP and ride east lands a fair bit in the spring and early summer. I have a 2015 Trek Remedy 9 that I use for that and riding to Starbucks during WFH but everything else I use my nomad. On park laps (BC) the nomad feels 10x better than the remedy. The remedy is not enough and I think its 140mm.

They've dumbed down COP so much that you can ride everything on a road bike now basically.

edit: The remedy is enough if you want it to be, you can be picky about line selection, speed, all that but it just isn't as fun, which is why I say its not enough. Just with respect to the comment that you don't need longer travel bikes. You don't, its just way more fun.

[vengie]

Buy a long travel enduro with front/ rear lockouts + 1x12 drivetrain.

Best of all worlds.

[Buster]

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Thanks. I'm about 5'10" 170lbs. I'm probably a frame size medium/S3 just looking at most of the guides online. I like to ride pretty hard on the descents as I do have a DH background but I don't think I will be doing much dedicated DH riding in terms of lifts & shuttles. I live close to COP though so it would be nice to be able to go there once in a while without having to rent a beefier bike, if possible. The flip side of that is I don't want to buy too much bike for the 2 times I need it and pedal around something sluggish the rest of the year.




I read this a lot, and I also read that more travel is also good as long as there is no significant penalty for it. Clearly it's a very personal thing and also bike model dependent, I'm just trying to get the best idea I can before putting down a deposit (will probably be a 2022 whatever I order). When I'm watching the reviews on the short-rear-travel bikes like the Optic or the Spur, the comments are often along the lines of "it's more than enough travel...until it isn't". My current bike has 120mm and it's definitely not enough for me, though I realize moving up to 29" wheels and modern geo/components changes things a bit. That's kind of why I was drawn to the Stumpy Evo because not only is the geo very adjustable, but 160/150mm is still in the "trail" range of things and there doesn't seem to be much of a weight penalty as Fox's 36 forks are apparently lighter for 2021. That said it could still be too much bike. I think a 150/140 bike would also be fine as long as it didn't flex too much with the 34mm fork, and the regular Stumpy gets the Fox 34 with the grip damper which is apparently very close to the factory level fork minus the fancy coatings. I also am partial to piggyback rear shocks, which come on the Evo, Optic, and Troy but that's not a deal breaker.

At the end of the day I think I would rather have a 34mm bike from both a cost and weight perspective, but only if it didn't hold me back on the descents. My current bike is 120mm front/rear with a 32mm fork and 26" wheels so regardless it's going to feel a lot more substantial than what I'm used to.




That's the thing - I want a "do everything" (except all out DH), bike that is the least punishing on the climbs. Something at least one notch below the "Enduro" category. I know I will have compromise somewhere without doubling the budget. Sounds like I need an e-bike - but I need prices to come way down before that happens.

I'd still take a beefier fork, regardless of travel.

I just went to the Fox 38 this year, and it's way better than last year's Fox 36 that I had on my Yeti. Way better.

[Mitsu3000gt]

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I'd still take a beefier fork, regardless of travel.

I just went to the Fox 38 this year, and it's way better than last year's Fox 36 that I had on my Yeti. Way better.

All the bike shops I talked to also immediately pointed me towards the 36 bikes as well (Instinct, Stumpy Evo, etc.) I'm thinking that is probably the sweet spot but I will see if maybe I can even rent something before I make a decision. I was talking to TheBikeShop and they said I could leave a deposit on a bike and change my mind next year as well, so that seems like an easy way to go.

The Fox 38 looks awesome - is it on the same Yeti or do you have a new bike as well?

I had the old Fox 40 RC2 on my Glory and absolutely loved that thing - I imagine these days the 38's do the same job as dedicated DH bikes seem to be extremely rare with the rise of Enduro.

[Buster]

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All the bike shops I talked to also immediately pointed me towards the 36 bikes as well (Instinct, Stumpy Evo, etc.) I'm thinking that is probably the sweet spot but I will see if maybe I can even rent something before I make a decision. I was talking to TheBikeShop and they said I could leave a deposit on a bike and change my mind next year as well, so that seems like an easy way to go.

The Fox 38 looks awesome - is it on the same Yeti or do you have a new bike as well?

I have my Yeti SV150, which is now collecting dust.

It came stock on my 2022 Levo Turbo Pro

[mr2mike]

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Buy a long travel enduro with front/ rear lockouts + 1x12 drivetrain.

Best of all worlds.

Or this.
Should come around $5k all in.

[ercchry]

… to add more confusion/options. Anyone ride a high pivot bike yet?

[Buster]

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… to add more confusion/options. Anyone ride a high pivot bike yet?

No but they are going to come big time

[BavarianBeast]

You can do anything on a trail bike if you send hard enough.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=oaTinxjg5Ig

Done on a Transition Patrol https://m.pinkbike.com/u/momo-noriak...nie-drop2.html

I’m still loving a DH & trail bike combo. Nice to have something I can abuse hard in the park and than something to keep in good shape for the long days of pedalling.

[zipdoa]

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… to add more confusion/options. Anyone ride a high pivot bike yet?

Looks like an old favorite:

[SkiBum5.0]

I want a Forbidden Druid for next year. Sold my Instinct BC C90 for 25% more than I paid in March 2020.

[BavarianBeast]

Get the new norco range of you want high pivot enduro bike, forbidden isn’t great from what I’ve heard from many.

[SkiBum5.0]

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Get the new norco range of you want high pivot enduro bike, forbidden isn’t great from what I’ve heard from many.

Bursting my balloon again - I’ll be test riding the Optic for sure - I found I didn’t need the full enduro rig setup most days

[ercchry]

Anyone ride Keystone Basin (just north of revy)? Contemplating if the GF will enjoy, or hate me… black rating due to the climbs, or are the descents also black?

[Mitsu3000gt]

How hard is it to get a YT or Orbea bike in Canada? Does shipping/taxes etc. ruin the value proposition? The Jeffsy and even more so the Occam look like they might be good options for me.

[BavarianBeast]

Trail bike or DH bike for revy? I see there is a 6km climb to the top of the blue flow trail.