I rode the Wildcat again today, probably only the third ride on it so far, first one where my body would let me be a bit more active on the bike.
Modern geo and short travel with big wheels is pretty fuckin rad.
I wouldn't call Walt V2 a "little bike" - it's a bad ass montertruck that just happens to be rigid. It would probably slay most bikes short of an full on enduro rig.
Back to topic tho... I'm on 160/140 29 and a rigid 29. Both are fun and complimentary. I can pretty much ride the same trails on both bikes but one is a whole lot faster. I find if I'm riding hard I get beaten up on both.
Posted by: fartymarty
I wouldn't call Walt V2 a "little bike" - it's a bad ass montertruck that just happens to be rigid. It would probably slay most bikes short of an full on enduro rig.
I take "tiny" or "little" to refer to taking on a handicap vs. the typical enduro-esque bikes most commonly used on the challenging terrain we are talking about. You can handicap yourself a bunch of different ways, but I think riding a rigid SS bike would certainly count even if it has really aggressive geo.
Vik - my take is that geo trumps travel anyway. I would take a Doctahawk or Hello Dave anyday over a 150mm 20er from 5 years ago. But it is an interesting question as to what constitutes a "little" bike. I'm guessing the OP meant a short travel bike with reasonable geo.
Posted by: fartymarty
Vik - my take is that geo trumps travel anyway. I would take a Doctahawk or Hello Dave anyday over a 150mm 20er from 5 years ago.
I don't disagree with you. My winter hardtail has Docta-esque numbers. :-)
Posted by: Vikb
Posted by: fartymarty
I take "tiny" or "little" to refer to taking on a handicap vs. the typical enduro-esque bikes
if your up is as important as your down, then a tiny/little bike is not a handicap
Posted by: taprider
if your up is as important as your down, then a tiny/little bike is not a handicap
That depends. A rigid/HT bike on steep wet/slippery tech climbs is not an advantage vs. a FS bike for example.
Posted by: Vikb
Posted by: taprider
if your up is as important as your down, then a tiny/little bike is not a handicap
That depends. A rigid/HT bike on steep wet/slippery tech climbs is not an advantage vs. a FS bike for example.
Posted by: kenny
Kenny said in the first post "something a bit non-typical for the shore like a 5010 or a mojo 4"
I guess we have different definitions of tiny.
I am thinking lighter weight, shorter wheelbase, shorter travel dual suspension.
I think my 120/100 bike is both shorter and lighter than your Waltworks.
My own handicap is losing power and becoming more fragile each year
This is a good read, the anti-Grim Donut. They got their hands on a few actual EWS race bikes to test and were stuck by how small they were in sizing. They came away liking the medium SB150, even for taller riders.
^the summary is
EWS professionals ride surprisingly short bikes – for good reason
Narrow handlebars are awesome!
here is a cut and paste of the juicy parts
EWS professionals ride surprisingly short bikes – for good reason
The development of innovations always follows certain trends. Often the pendulum swings far in one direction only to level off somewhere in the middle. This seems to be the case with modern geometry. If you check out the race bikes on test, you’ll probably be asking yourself how Richie Rude, who is 180 cm tall, can be so fast on a bike with a reach of only 460 mm. Jack Moir is 1.91 m tall and rides a size L Strive, which, due to the extremely tall cockpit, is guaranteed to have a reach under 460 mm. The mullet conversion on the GT Force Carbon that Martin Maes rides has also shrunk the bike down to less than 460 mm in length. The reason for this became clear during the course of our test. Not only did the shorter bikes record faster times, they also allowed our test riders to change direction more quickly and position themselves better before corners to carry their speed through them. On top of that, the agile handling of compact bikes is usually more fun. Anyone who thinks that these bikes aren’t composed at high speeds can rest assured: handling stability is heavily determined by the suspension and all the bikes on test performed brilliantly in this regard.
Narrow handlebars are awesome!
Another trend that is swinging back is extra-wide handlebars. The professionals on the EWS circuit ride astoundingly narrow handlebars. The Renthal bar on the Yeti measures just 750 mm, the one on the Canyon is 765 mm wide and the Lapierre had a 755 mm model fitted. After taking a little while to accustom themselves to them, four of our five test riders found the narrow models better overall. They found them to offer more direct steering and increased freedom of movement, reducing tension on the bike with arms spread less wide. After the test, we ended up shortening the bars on our private bikes, starting at 770 mm. In any case, the fact is that 800 or 810 mm, as some manufacturers fit on their bikes these days, is too wide for most 180 cm tall riders.
Did Richie Rude only win in Canazei last year because of his bike? Unlikely, but after our test, we can at least confirm that his Yeti SB150 certainly will have helped him. On our test track, the Yeti was by far the fastest bike with an average time (all runs, all riders) of 2 minutes 22 seconds – on a size medium! Many riders will have asked themselves why Richie Rude, who is 180 cm tall, chooses to ride a medium frame and we have to admit that we also had our doubts. However, when we were done with our testing, we knew that on technical enduro stages, the deciding factor is the speed at which you exit the corners. It is essential to be able to set the bike up with precision and change direction as quickly as possible. The key word here is balance! It’s about finding the right balance on the bike and thus the perfect distribution of grip across the front and rear wheels, as well as the balance in handling between sufficient composure and lots of agility. The Yeti is fast, agile and demands little effort to manoeuvre. The heavy downhill tires, including a CushCore insert, provide plenty of grip and keep the bike safely on track. The suspension is sensitive and offers a lot of traction yet it responds to rider input immediately, allowing you to carry a lot of speed. Overall, the medium Yeti SB150 impressed us and left the competition behind
That doesn't surprise me regarding the Pro's bikes.
My main bike right now is a medium Yeti SB5c that I was able to build up cheap. I typically ride a Large, so I didn't think it would work for me. But it seems to fit me great. The only thing I don't like about it is that the largest dropper I can seem to run is a 170, I really need a 200 (long legs).
Sold the big bike a few months ago and have been solely riding a short travel. Main limitation I've found is on big sketchy roll-ins when you run out of suspension at some point and basically rely on geometry alone to keep you alive.
Recently sold the stock noodly 34 and picked up a used Pike Ultimate with a low speed compression knob. Made a dramatic difference in stiffness and survivability on steep tech. I think a proper fork is key to running a bike like this.
Agreed. Even at “only” 140mm a stiffer fork seems to make a big difference when you start slamming around.
Forum jump:
