I was riding a 26" hardtail with a 110mm stem and no dropper post up until two years ago, so that still feels like kinda minimum-viable to me.
I'll say this: the metric we hold ourselves to plays a massive role in what minimum viable is. If you're racing- or, I suppose, generally interested in competitive rides- that's going to reward a certain kind of thinking about gear. If you're interested in "pushing the boundaries" of the sport, that's going to have a different kind of impact.
Neither of those are me- I'm interested in riding alone on janky technical and (typically) low-speed trails. I'm not chasing Strava segments or trying to keep up with riders 20 years younger than me. My only metric is having fun and continuing to progress as a rider- and that informs my choices.
To be specific: I won't cheap out on tires or rims. I've usually run high-end drivetrains (XT has been my go-to for years, but that's mostly about longevity of the parts), but I'll happily ride lower end (while knowing it won't last as long). I want really good brakes- but I've found that a good combination of the correct pads, bleeding, and rotor size make massive differences, so the (several) sets of M755 brakes I have are (still) MV for me.
Feb. 14, 2022, 6:04 a.m. - nothingfuture
I was riding a 26" hardtail with a 110mm stem and no dropper post up until two years ago, so that still feels like kinda minimum-viable to me. I'll say this: the metric we hold ourselves to plays a massive role in what minimum viable is. If you're racing- or, I suppose, generally interested in competitive rides- that's going to reward a certain kind of thinking about gear. If you're interested in "pushing the boundaries" of the sport, that's going to have a different kind of impact. Neither of those are me- I'm interested in riding alone on janky technical and (typically) low-speed trails. I'm not chasing Strava segments or trying to keep up with riders 20 years younger than me. My only metric is having fun and continuing to progress as a rider- and that informs my choices. To be specific: I won't cheap out on tires or rims. I've usually run high-end drivetrains (XT has been my go-to for years, but that's mostly about longevity of the parts), but I'll happily ride lower end (while knowing it won't last as long). I want really good brakes- but I've found that a good combination of the correct pads, bleeding, and rotor size make massive differences, so the (several) sets of M755 brakes I have are (still) MV for me.