I think around here in the winter it’s fair to say the Aggressor is getting replaced. At least by anyone who is riding greasy trails with my skill set.
Could go back on for summers which reduces the net cost over time (tires wear out / get replaced anyways) but I concede that’s getting replaced up front. $100 at least. Maybe a heavier casing saves going to an insert for some riders.
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Bar-stem is hard - it comes down to what’s fair as a reviewer I guess. The vast majority of riders won’t change them. The vast majority of reviewers would change them - even if noting the ride quality is sub-par, and some people apparently really love super stiff ‘precise’ setups.
The 35mm bars like Renthal’s that aim to mimic the feel of their 31.8 bars are expensive. Replacing the stem & bar to go 31.8 (assuming I wouldn’t be changing the stem anyways for fit) is also expensive.
So, yes, an expense IF they’re getting swapped. But most bikes come 35mm now so probably, in my case, an expense for any bike.
Dec. 14, 2021, 7:43 a.m. - Andrew Major
I think around here in the winter it’s fair to say the Aggressor is getting replaced. At least by anyone who is riding greasy trails with my skill set. Could go back on for summers which reduces the net cost over time (tires wear out / get replaced anyways) but I concede that’s getting replaced up front. $100 at least. Maybe a heavier casing saves going to an insert for some riders. —— Bar-stem is hard - it comes down to what’s fair as a reviewer I guess. The vast majority of riders won’t change them. The vast majority of reviewers would change them - even if noting the ride quality is sub-par, and some people apparently really love super stiff ‘precise’ setups. The 35mm bars like Renthal’s that aim to mimic the feel of their 31.8 bars are expensive. Replacing the stem & bar to go 31.8 (assuming I wouldn’t be changing the stem anyways for fit) is also expensive. So, yes, an expense IF they’re getting swapped. But most bikes come 35mm now so probably, in my case, an expense for any bike.