Brigham_Rupp profile

There may have never been a better case made for external routing than this lengthy article!

Nice write up. Seems like a cool bike. A lot of your comments were similar to how I feel about riding my Spire. I guess that’s not surprising given the similar numbers and intentions. We need a straight photo of the bike!

I’m with you on the basic complaint; the throw-away pedals are silly. But it’s definitely an imaginary world your describing— especially one where most people purchase their bike at a shop with the help of a thoughtful expert. My claim would be that every “mountain bike” come with a set of cheap but usable pedals, and I would put that expectation on the brand claiming to sell “capable” mountain bikes. The last thing a kid buying his first bike wants is to find out that his new bike is fundamentally unrideable unless he drops another $100.

I think it could be true for some riders and on some trails and is a very personal judgment call. I’ve definitely purchased bikes in the past that were too much for the bulk of my local riding and they were “dulling” at best and cumbersome at worst. On the other hand if the trails and riding style merit the bike, you may find you can just go faster and bigger on more bike. Is this a good thing? I think I t’s fun but it may not be the safest option! My riding involves long fire-road climbs followed by a consistent downhills. I almost always try to ride the downhill as fast as I can and because I find that the most fun I like a bike that comes alive when it is being pushed hard. Could I ride a less aggressive shorter travel bike? Yes. And I would probably be just a bit slower. A lot of my riding buddies are less worried about riding all-out on the way down and they are all on more moderate bikes. I think it’s more about priorities and trade offs then it is about what’s “good” or “bad.”

I make the same choice personally; faster bike even if it is a bit less agile in tighter corners. I have really long legs and see no reason for the mullet setup but I can see how it would make sense for a lot of riders.

I haven’t had adjustable chainstay length since my TR250 years ago but I could tell a difference and I want to say it was only 5mm. Longer for more straight line stability and shorter for more ease in cornering. After riding an XL Sentinel for a long time, I tried a L Spire which has a slightly shorter reach, chainstay, and wheelbase than the XL Sentinel and I actually felt a bit unbalanced, like I was hanging off the back of the bike a bit more than on the Sentinel. I could corner a touch easier but missed the feeling of being more centered (probably mostly due to the fact that I should be on an XL at my height).

How do you feel about that shorter rear end, vs. something on the other extreme like the Spire?

Agreed. No reason we can’t cater to both ends of the spectrum.

I am sorry for the challenges faced by short folk, but as a tall fellow, I’m so grateful to finally have a whole compliment of bikes and parts that actually fit. It’s been a long time coming!

Oops. One time I was using a compressor to put some air in the tire of customer’s bike who just wheeled it in saying it was low. I was squeezing the tire and it didn’t seem to be getting any more firm as I filled the tube. Little did I know there was a big hole in the sidewall on the other side of the tire; the tube was bulging out the tire as I filled until it suddenly burst. So loud and so surprising! It blasted dust and dirt right into my eyes and I was blind and deaf for a scary minute.