"_Oh man.. a revamped Dirt Rag would be amazing! Though I think the culture has changed too much, but us dirt bags at heart can dream!_"
So I've got a couple of things to say on this topic. First off, if you haven't made the effort to track down a copy of the BALANCE magazine that SRAM put out this year* then I'd highly recommend it. It's honestly a package that matches how I remember - in all my nostalgia - bike magazines like Dirt Rag "back in the day." The sort of photos that belong in print, long and longish narratives, make-your-own-trail-snack recipes.
*\[I want to note there is ZERO advertising inside and zero "I could only accomplish this epic ride thanks to my AXS drivetrain and CODE brakes" type crap in the narratives. There is a SRAM logo on the front, a SRAM logo on the back, and the odd page says SRAM in small font at the top\]
Also, I love busting folks about "the sh*t they can _now_ ride on their $15,000 carbon-everything Megaforbiddengeoslashenduroslayer... X... rigs when I've seen them ride the same features for 20-years - some of those years on bikes that they wouldn't let their worst enemies ride today.
Were they slower up and down? Yeah, whatever. Did they have less fun? I mean, they were probably more terrified at times.
I very seriously think that there's a lot of folks who should save the money they were going to spend on fresh carbon hoops and buy a sweet basic hardtail with modern geo like the [**Growler 20**](https://nsmb.com/articles/2020-rocky-mountain-growler-20/) I tested. Put some better tires on it (for 2021 Rocky put on a clutch rear derailleur - YAY! and some shitty Kenda tires - BOO!) and shred that dropper-post-less rig for even just a month or two.
I think Growler-rider would come away with enough fresh perspective to cover the difference between the cost of the bike and what they sell it for after such limited use. Hell, I know a fair few folks who could turn around and donate it to a deserving high school mountain bike program and still get massive value-for-dollar on the experience.
I actually wrote a little rant on a related note about dads (always dudes) with their superbikes saying things like "the rock face rolls totally smooth" to their kid/friend on a clapped-out contraption made of recycling that doesn't know it's recycling yet if you're interested: [**"Sir, you have a f_ing MEGAtower" (N+1+1 Justified)**](https://meatengines.com/f/sir-you-have-a-fing-megatower-n11-justified)
Feb. 24, 2021, 9:02 p.m. - Andrew Major
"_Oh man.. a revamped Dirt Rag would be amazing! Though I think the culture has changed too much, but us dirt bags at heart can dream!_" So I've got a couple of things to say on this topic. First off, if you haven't made the effort to track down a copy of the BALANCE magazine that SRAM put out this year* then I'd highly recommend it. It's honestly a package that matches how I remember - in all my nostalgia - bike magazines like Dirt Rag "back in the day." The sort of photos that belong in print, long and longish narratives, make-your-own-trail-snack recipes. *\[I want to note there is ZERO advertising inside and zero "I could only accomplish this epic ride thanks to my AXS drivetrain and CODE brakes" type crap in the narratives. There is a SRAM logo on the front, a SRAM logo on the back, and the odd page says SRAM in small font at the top\]  Also, I love busting folks about "the sh*t they can _now_ ride on their $15,000 carbon-everything Megaforbiddengeoslashenduroslayer... X... rigs when I've seen them ride the same features for 20-years - some of those years on bikes that they wouldn't let their worst enemies ride today. Were they slower up and down? Yeah, whatever. Did they have less fun? I mean, they were probably more terrified at times. I very seriously think that there's a lot of folks who should save the money they were going to spend on fresh carbon hoops and buy a sweet basic hardtail with modern geo like the [**Growler 20**](https://nsmb.com/articles/2020-rocky-mountain-growler-20/) I tested. Put some better tires on it (for 2021 Rocky put on a clutch rear derailleur - YAY! and some shitty Kenda tires - BOO!) and shred that dropper-post-less rig for even just a month or two. I think Growler-rider would come away with enough fresh perspective to cover the difference between the cost of the bike and what they sell it for after such limited use. Hell, I know a fair few folks who could turn around and donate it to a deserving high school mountain bike program and still get massive value-for-dollar on the experience. I actually wrote a little rant on a related note about dads (always dudes) with their superbikes saying things like "the rock face rolls totally smooth" to their kid/friend on a clapped-out contraption made of recycling that doesn't know it's recycling yet if you're interested: [**"Sir, you have a f_ing MEGAtower" (N+1+1 Justified)**](https://meatengines.com/f/sir-you-have-a-fing-megatower-n11-justified)