That's a very interesting point. Look at how bikes are evolving right now... 29r's with big tires and less suspension are "de rigueur" (Spec SJ EVO and ha, just bought a Knolly Fugitive LT). While at the same time they're getting longer and slacker... components like brakes and droppers are getting better and better and making riding any terrain easier and easier. There's even a small but growing vocal group of people wondering why we have so many gears and asking for a light wide-range 5 cog cassette (how about 10, 20, 30, 40, 50?), I know I'd buy one.
As it stands now, 10 years down the road a "MTB" will be single speed, have 2 inches of travel on 32" wheels, a 90 degree seat tube angle, 45 degree head tube angle, 5" wide tires, a 250mm dropper, 1000mms of reach, a 2000mm wheelbase and a 180mm bottom bracket height... we'll fully stretch out and lay down between the wheels while we rocket down the descents then climb like we're riding a unicycle.
That would actually be a great article... based on where we've come from and where we are... where are we going? What will we be riding in 2028? What will my kids be paid to ride (fingers crossed hard) in 2038?
i was actually just thinking about this yesterday while comparing the geometry of my new Fugitive to that of the Specialize Stumpjumper EVO (pictured here)... the geometries are very, very similar except one thing... that evo has a head angle 1.5 degrees slacker than the Fugitive... and you wouldn't call the Knolly steep. Which got me thinking, how slack is too slack? How much slacker, longer and lower are bikes going to get? Have we reached "Pinnacle MTB"?
Nov. 14, 2018, 2:45 p.m. - IslandLife
That's a very interesting point. Look at how bikes are evolving right now... 29r's with big tires and less suspension are "de rigueur" (Spec SJ EVO and ha, just bought a Knolly Fugitive LT). While at the same time they're getting longer and slacker... components like brakes and droppers are getting better and better and making riding any terrain easier and easier. There's even a small but growing vocal group of people wondering why we have so many gears and asking for a light wide-range 5 cog cassette (how about 10, 20, 30, 40, 50?), I know I'd buy one. As it stands now, 10 years down the road a "MTB" will be single speed, have 2 inches of travel on 32" wheels, a 90 degree seat tube angle, 45 degree head tube angle, 5" wide tires, a 250mm dropper, 1000mms of reach, a 2000mm wheelbase and a 180mm bottom bracket height... we'll fully stretch out and lay down between the wheels while we rocket down the descents then climb like we're riding a unicycle. That would actually be a great article... based on where we've come from and where we are... where are we going? What will we be riding in 2028? What will my kids be paid to ride (fingers crossed hard) in 2038? i was actually just thinking about this yesterday while comparing the geometry of my new Fugitive to that of the Specialize Stumpjumper EVO (pictured here)... the geometries are very, very similar except one thing... that evo has a head angle 1.5 degrees slacker than the Fugitive... and you wouldn't call the Knolly steep. Which got me thinking, how slack is too slack? How much slacker, longer and lower are bikes going to get? Have we reached "Pinnacle MTB"?