This conversation is quite interesting on multiple levels. I appreciate the different viewpoints shared and want to add my 2 cents based upon my own experiences.
I believe that it is of limited importance to determine why people choose to ride a bike, what setup they prefer, or what kind of riding they do. In my book, every biker is a good biker, valuable to our community and our ability to make our society more bike(r)friendly.
I live near Finale Ligure and I use my Canyon Inflite AL 9.0, which I bought in 2019. Despite the FD setup, which I don’t mind, the bike was simply not set up to face the steep climbs we have here. Subsequently, I changed the set-up to an MTB hybrid with a bigger cassette. Still not quite optimal, though. @Cooper Quinn, I’ll definitely will look into the Ratio Technology setup, thank you for creating awareness of this option. I love the versatility of the bike because I often find myself exploring new trails and new areas in the Ligurian ‘hinterland.’ I can simply jump on my gravel bike, explore on fireroads or simply check out what could be a killer singletrack on the side of the road (please note that I ride flats on my gravelbike, too). It beats getting my hardtail in terms of exploring and just expands my possibilities to go out riding. And, yes, I also use it to ride some of the Finale singletracks, albeit the more ‘mellow’ ones (by Ligurian standards), such as around the 24hours course, or some trails on the Natobase and Melogno. It certainly helps with my skill development and there is something to be appreciated on going down trails without any suspension whatsoever. In my humble opinion, it is just another, fun aspect of riding. And please recall the golden rule of how many bikes one needs, the answer is always n+1. Happy trails.
March 23, 2022, 4:53 a.m. - Eurosquirrel
This conversation is quite interesting on multiple levels. I appreciate the different viewpoints shared and want to add my 2 cents based upon my own experiences. I believe that it is of limited importance to determine why people choose to ride a bike, what setup they prefer, or what kind of riding they do. In my book, every biker is a good biker, valuable to our community and our ability to make our society more bike(r)friendly. I live near Finale Ligure and I use my Canyon Inflite AL 9.0, which I bought in 2019. Despite the FD setup, which I don’t mind, the bike was simply not set up to face the steep climbs we have here. Subsequently, I changed the set-up to an MTB hybrid with a bigger cassette. Still not quite optimal, though. @Cooper Quinn, I’ll definitely will look into the Ratio Technology setup, thank you for creating awareness of this option. I love the versatility of the bike because I often find myself exploring new trails and new areas in the Ligurian ‘hinterland.’ I can simply jump on my gravel bike, explore on fireroads or simply check out what could be a killer singletrack on the side of the road (please note that I ride flats on my gravelbike, too). It beats getting my hardtail in terms of exploring and just expands my possibilities to go out riding. And, yes, I also use it to ride some of the Finale singletracks, albeit the more ‘mellow’ ones (by Ligurian standards), such as around the 24hours course, or some trails on the Natobase and Melogno. It certainly helps with my skill development and there is something to be appreciated on going down trails without any suspension whatsoever. In my humble opinion, it is just another, fun aspect of riding. And please recall the golden rule of how many bikes one needs, the answer is always n+1. Happy trails.