Yeah, the bikes that seem to occupy entire car traffic lanes seem completely unwieldy, until they're up to speed, and then it's everything you can want. The challenge becomes moving back to other bikes, because their nimble precision at low speeds is great compared to long low sleds, but I've long since concluded that my riding style is very much based on those 'moments' you spoke of, which completely means I'm willing to forsake sanity for those few moments on trails that I like where I am happiest.
This means taking a 150/130mm trail bike at stupid speeds over moderately rough terrain, but looooong bike is still the answer. I totally get what you mean about compromising almost everything else about the experience to put a larger exclamation point on that one moment of brilliance.
Feb. 10, 2021, 3:06 p.m. - Tehllama42
Yeah, the bikes that seem to occupy entire car traffic lanes seem completely unwieldy, until they're up to speed, and then it's everything you can want. The challenge becomes moving back to other bikes, because their nimble precision at low speeds is great compared to long low sleds, but I've long since concluded that my riding style is very much based on those 'moments' you spoke of, which completely means I'm willing to forsake sanity for those few moments on trails that I like where I am happiest. This means taking a 150/130mm trail bike at stupid speeds over moderately rough terrain, but looooong bike is still the answer. I totally get what you mean about compromising almost everything else about the experience to put a larger exclamation point on that one moment of brilliance.