Both. Neither. The Strive is definitely intended for serious Enduro racing, and therefore for riders who have similar demands to the team. Easier to think of this the way you'd think of a DH race bike being sold to the public, like Canyon's Sendr or a V10. For the buying public that doesn't like this package, I'd argue either Canyon's Torque (170mm travel, three wheel size choices, different geo) or Spectral (150mm, same slew of options) are both excellent choices.
Keeping everyone happy with geo is impossible. Shorter or taller people will always be unhappy - in this case at least one end of the spectrum has something going for them (wheelbase issue notwithstanding, but whether you agree or not, it sounds like there was at least a reason behind that decision).
Bike costs...well, we've been told for a few years they were going to go up to the tune of 15-20% so if you apply that to what we're seeing now, it makes sense, even though it sucks: fuel and shipping/logistics costs are driving prices up, plus we have inflation at levels higher than we've seen in decades, plus international bike co's like Santa Cruz and Canyon have to hedge against foreign currency fluctuations. It sucks, but it's not brand greed so much as it is 'good' business practice that will keep them afloat, albeit at the cost of irate customers. The consumer feels the squeeze and the brands know that. Maybe we'll see an accelerated rearrangement of the bike industry supply chain: I imagine the levels in between brands and consumers (ie. shops and distributors) will feel the squeeze the most. Remember to support your shop when you can - we need those folks to keep our good times rolling.
April 20, 2022, 9:34 a.m. - Pete Roggeman
Both. Neither. The Strive is definitely intended for serious Enduro racing, and therefore for riders who have similar demands to the team. Easier to think of this the way you'd think of a DH race bike being sold to the public, like Canyon's Sendr or a V10. For the buying public that doesn't like this package, I'd argue either Canyon's Torque (170mm travel, three wheel size choices, different geo) or Spectral (150mm, same slew of options) are both excellent choices. Keeping everyone happy with geo is impossible. Shorter or taller people will always be unhappy - in this case at least one end of the spectrum has something going for them (wheelbase issue notwithstanding, but whether you agree or not, it sounds like there was at least a reason behind that decision). Bike costs...well, we've been told for a few years they were going to go up to the tune of 15-20% so if you apply that to what we're seeing now, it makes sense, even though it sucks: fuel and shipping/logistics costs are driving prices up, plus we have inflation at levels higher than we've seen in decades, plus international bike co's like Santa Cruz and Canyon have to hedge against foreign currency fluctuations. It sucks, but it's not brand greed so much as it is 'good' business practice that will keep them afloat, albeit at the cost of irate customers. The consumer feels the squeeze and the brands know that. Maybe we'll see an accelerated rearrangement of the bike industry supply chain: I imagine the levels in between brands and consumers (ie. shops and distributors) will feel the squeeze the most. Remember to support your shop when you can - we need those folks to keep our good times rolling.