For me a lot of the minimum comes down to what type of trail I'm riding. I've got an older Explosif with a Marz MX comp fork and will happily drag it down trails like FA and have used in the Nimby 50, but I hate the idea of beating the crap out of the bike. Even the old Hayes Nines brakes do the job. It makes for a sketchy (FUN!) ride but I figure why push the bike way past what it's meant to handle. It's happy place is doing something like multi-laps on SFU where something even like the Instinct is overkill. I think the beauty of riding a "lesser" bike is that you have to rely on skills, wit and a bit of luck to get by rather than knowing your superdeluxewunderbike can crush anything in it's path. Some of my funnest rides have been when I'm under gunned for the trail I'm on. I don't think that's a coincidence.
Feb. 14, 2022, 12:19 p.m. - Mark
For me a lot of the minimum comes down to what type of trail I'm riding. I've got an older Explosif with a Marz MX comp fork and will happily drag it down trails like FA and have used in the Nimby 50, but I hate the idea of beating the crap out of the bike. Even the old Hayes Nines brakes do the job. It makes for a sketchy (FUN!) ride but I figure why push the bike way past what it's meant to handle. It's happy place is doing something like multi-laps on SFU where something even like the Instinct is overkill. I think the beauty of riding a "lesser" bike is that you have to rely on skills, wit and a bit of luck to get by rather than knowing your superdeluxewunderbike can crush anything in it's path. Some of my funnest rides have been when I'm under gunned for the trail I'm on. I don't think that's a coincidence.