eriksg profile

I know lots of people who love the old Xterra. My high school best friend had one, in yellow no less, always thought it was a cool rig. I hope it serves you well and reliably. (Disclaimer: I work for the company now, but didn't when that model was last produced.)

I have a V1, so I guess that's something that has been improved in the new version. The actuator in mine is the old style with an O ring coupling two metal parts.

Thanks for the info, I don't mean to spread FUD about things that have been fixed.

I don't know that the PNW is better since I haven't used one yet. I'm just looking for an alternative. On the OneUp, the little disc inside the actuator head that transfers pressure from housing to the actuator pin likes to get misaligned. And any drag of the housing against the frame during install (I have a tight bend between two frame ports) means you end up with too much housing or a gap and the post doesn't work.

9point8 is the option that might really solve that, with firmly attached housing at the actuator.

You make a great point on adjustability and design. I'm chewing on the question of PNW or OneUp right now for my wife's bike, and it makes about a 10mm difference in total drop. But we're talking about a 170 lowered to 160 vs. a 180 lowered to 170, which is firmly within the realm of luxury either way. Once you're down to barely squeaking in a 120 post it really matters. I find the OneUp actuator a real pain to fit and live in dread of removing my seatpost for any reason, but they really optimized length on those.

I also picked an SQLab saddle in part because of their low saddle stack height. I find them great for comfort myself, but I'd be curious to know what else is out there that has really compact rails.

I've had different experiences personally. I have MT7s on my main bike and MT Trail Sport on my backup. The trail brakes have shorter free stroke and a much firmer feel. The MT7s have bigger free stroke and feel more rubbery. Absolute power maybe goes in their favour, but I find the action a bit sloppier overall (even after many many bleeds, and remains consistent over months of use). It is enough of a difference that it bugs me when I switch back and forth.

Furthermore the 'BAT' adjuster that supposedly changes free stroke on the MT7s appears to do nothing at all in my experience.

I like the brakes for power + lower price + mineral oil, but I'm not sure if I got a bad set or if that's just how they are.

I believe the issue is less that it won't stop you when the lock ring comes loose that first time. The splines will transmit the braking force just fine. The issue is that any slop left unattended will wear away the centerlock interface to eventual failure, trashing your potentially expensive hubs in the process.

This 50mm "2.3" thing (which I've heard repeated elsewhere) does make me wonder whether sizing has changed substantially, and whether other brands had similarly optimistic numbers.

Are 2.3s across the board wider than they used to be? And does the expansion of the 29er segment mean even if they aren't wider, they have more air volume and contact patch and thus are closer to 27.5x2.6s of yesteryear in certain performance metrics?

(Asking as someone who has only ridden 26x2.0-2.2 and 29x2.35 and for whom the latter is therefore a big tire.)

I'll have to check those places out some time when I'm back east. Hopkinton State Park and Callahan were my home trails.

As someone who pretty quickly graduated to and rode full suspension bikes when I was starting out, a K2 Attack and then graduating to a Specialized FSR, it's interesting to consider that maybe I enjoy hardtails so much now precisely because I had the experience and developed the skill. Maybe it's also that a modern hardtail is still a huge step up in grip and confidence from mid/late 2000s era full suspension XC bikes, due to brakes, tires and geo. But I've recently loved razzing an old rim brake hardtail too, a bike I hated 15 years ago. That has to be a change in skills and perspective.

I talk up the hardtail for sure. I also don't try to dissuade my friends who buy carbon full sussers as first bikes. But I think my honest advise on what to do would depend a lot on the person's attitude. Are they looking for fast and fun quickly? Or are they going to be committed in the face of difficulty or even want to be pushed to learn skills in that way? Interest and aptitude (and income) to do maintainance would come into it, but I think the perspective the person has is critical. And honestly fast and fun quickly is probably the majority of people, and there's nothing wrong with that.

Well most steel bars I've seen out there are heavy. But Ti ones aren't, albeit at a price premium. So far this material alternative hasn't come up.

Stanton is apparently making some now. And the Roost Ti bars I put on still came in under 300g, exactly 50g heavier than the carbon Nukeproofs I took off.

Off topic, but where north of Boston do you ride? I grew up in MA, riding hiking trails around Framingham.

Squeaking in just in time for the year to end, I finally got the new hardtail built up for my wife last month. She has one ride on it so far and I took it out for a spin as well, but we need to get her more/better gear for winter riding.

Rolling chassis

Built!!

I need to get some more comparison testing in switching out with my wheels etc. but so far I'm super impressed with the work Rafi Richardson is putting out. The super low BB got my pedals hitting things in my one test ride but I'm sure I'd adjust. And it tips into corners very easily. The tall stack makes it very comfortable, good body position on the downs, and I haven't noticed an issue with front wheel grip. Power transfer feels very direct and spritely compared to my Stanton.

I'm stoked, my wife is stoked, and though I'm biased having put down my own $ and have limited experience as a bike reviewer I think Rå is cooking up some great stuff.

Posted by: fartymarty

Posted by: Blofeld

machine made blue trails as “cart paths”.

Blue flow trails bore me and they're way more risk than red / black (black / double black in north america) tech trails. Give me steep, slow and techy any day on any bike (rigid or suspended).

I was riding in Blue Lake CA the other day while visiting family, and I happened to run into some California Conservation Corps folks being given a tour. They stopped at a point where two trails split off, one's a machine built blue flow trail, the other is hand built and narrow (still blue). They walked down to look at the berms and jumps and I heard the guide talking with pride about all the investment that went into the trail, they got a builder to come out from Tennessee apparently to build it. It struck me in a new way that maybe that's part of the point: "look how much money we spent on this trail system."

Posted by: Kenny

Posted by: Vikb

Read some interesting comments on the RM Element review. Essentially people were saying you shouldn't put aggressive tires/fork/brakes on a 120mm bike because "The (excellent if I do say so myself) geometry is cashing cheques the 120mm travel can't always handle when things get really rough, and there will be instances where the rider forgets that." Of course there are lots of folks on 0mm rear travel bikes with aggressive geo/tires/inserts/brakes and even some on 0mm/0mm travel double hardtails. I can't recall any times in the last few years of dedicated hardtailing when I've just lost my mind and thrown my bike into stuff on black diamond+ trails and had my Bank Manager call to talk to me about bounced Geo Cheques. ;-)

Heck my last few FS bikes have been 130mm-140mm with burly parts/aggressive geo and no Geo Cheque bouncing has occurred either. It seems like one of the fun things about riding any particular bike is learning what it does well/poorly and figuring how to get it down the trails you want to ride with the most smiles.

Is this concern actually a valid one? It sounded kind of odd to me.

If that comment sounds odd to you, it's probably because it requires context. 

All else being equal (ie the rider) every bike has a limit with respect to terrain vs speed, basically. 

Better Geo ups the level of terrain but not necessarily the speed at which you can ride it. 

That's where the cheque cashing comes in, as soon as speed increases, and in some terrain there's just a minimum speed at which you can even maintain, at which point sketchiness in unavoidable. 

It's entirely possible for someone's particular terrain, riding style, and skill set to make it seem as though suspension does not mean a lot, sounds like that's you. 

Obviously not the case for everyone. 

Take a rigid, hard tail, or 120mm bike for a few cypress laps at speed. 

You'll either ride slower or feel more stressed (psychologically and physically), or both. I guarantee it. And that's ok. But it's a thing, and it'll happen no matter how slack you are. 

There's a point at which suspension definitely matters. 

I'm not hating on rigid/HT, have one and love it and my main FS is only 130mm, but these posts that basically imply suspension travel is universally irrelevant are just wrong. Maybe it's largely irrelevant for how and where you ride. 

I was up on Seymour yesterday and came across a trail that starts with what is basically several six foot drops a couple bike lengths apart with landings that are just loose chunky gnar and thought of this thread. If anyone could look at that entrance in person and tell me with a straight face that it's be fine a a rigid bike as long as it had good geo, they're either delusional or a super hero. Just no way. There comes a point where suspension matters. Maybe not for you, but it does exist.

So, this is actually an interesting example. Because I absolutely agree that in that case suspension matters a lot. Barring the simple fact I'd probably not ride that with any gear, which is my own personal limit, I'm not going to forget that I'm on my hardtail or XC bike and just plunge down it. I'll take a different path and have as much fun within the limits of my particular equipment, at least that's the way I see it. The urge to always ride bigger and faster sells a lot of big bikes I'm sure. But after a point I don't get it, personally. And I think managing risk and managing your gear is a key aspect of the sport.

Posted by: RAHrider

Posted by: Vikb

Read some interesting comments on the RM Element review. Essentially people were saying you shouldn't put aggressive tires/fork/brakes on a 120mm bike because "The (excellent if I do say so myself) geometry is cashing cheques the 120mm travel can't always handle when things get really rough, and there will be instances where the rider forgets that." Of course there are lots of folks on 0mm rear travel bikes with aggressive geo/tires/inserts/brakes and even some on 0mm/0mm travel double hardtails. I can't recall any times in the last few years of dedicated hardtailing when I've just lost my mind and thrown my bike into stuff on black diamond+ trails and had my Bank Manager call to talk to me about bounced Geo Cheques. ;-)

Heck my last few FS bikes have been 130mm-140mm with burly parts/aggressive geo and no Geo Cheque bouncing has occurred either. It seems like one of the fun things about riding any particular bike is learning what it does well/poorly and figuring how to get it down the trails you want to ride with the most smiles.

Is this concern actually a valid one? It sounded kind of odd to me.

Agree. Not a concern. All my bikes get aggressive tires until one day I think, how much faster could this bike be with lighter tires and then put on some fast rolling thjn walled tires. And then I head into a corner with speed and realize I am cashing cornering checks my tires can't handle 😮 at this point I'm in a full on two wheel drift and I realize how hard my geometry cheque is bouncing. When I get through the corner in one piece. I say I'm never going to corner that hard on such gripless tires again. And then I head into the next corner too fast......my bank manager gave up on me years ago and closed my account. Now I just go trying to cash bad cheques everywhere.

I have lots of moments of getting at least mildly in over my head. But I have always assumed that to be my problem. And my responsibility to manage.

But the point of not mistaking the capability of one bike for another stands.

Make your kid wear a full face and they’ll do the rest of the work for you. My parent’s generation was amazing at explaining away hypocrisy - my dad actually got a ticket once for riding his bike with his helmet hanging from his bar but I had a Bell V1 bike helmet before it was common for kids to wear lids. 

I bought my daughter and my wife both Bell Super lids and my kid took care of the rest. My wife wears hers all the time even if no one else on her group ride has one.

Pro tip! :D

My parents definitely insisted on the full face thing way back when, though they biked around with half shells. But I was the only one sending it off of rock walls and things, so they had a point . . .

Posted by: AndrewMajor

Posted by: cheapondirt

"we all know that how we dress to mountain bike is a form of performance art and a full-face doesn't fit with everyone's chosen character."

But I love it and I feel very strongly that if there were no mirrors - real or imagined - a lot more riders would be hungry to try one. Teeth are expensive and smoking your face sucks.

This is real. I probably wear my Leatt DBX 4.0 for 95% of my riding. It's just my default, I'm used to it, and I've worn a variety of full face or convertible lids for a long time.

My wife is a new rider and I was adamant about getting her a light full face too, was looking at the Kali or Trigger. But she's got bad memories of being the un-cool kid growing up with too much protective gear, so in service of actually encouraging her to come out we went for the more "cool" option. When we have kids I'm going to revisit the issue in terms of modelling for them that it's ok to protect yourself, other people's opinions about what looks good are not important.

Don't think I've seen quite your issue, but I typically track my rides with my phone. I will sometimes get anomalous tracks, like a half mile line straight out and back that registers at like 60 mph, to a place I never went. Can't speak for Garmin, but it hasn't been a degradation, more like occasional blips.

On saddle heights, I typically see the opposite. People of all ages riding around with saddles far too low for good pedaling, presumably so they can touch the ground without getting off the saddle.

I understand the draw for someone who isn't so comfortable starting and stopping, or just doing a trackstand . . . I just can't imagine trying to ride like that for any period of time.

Schwalbe MM/HD Addix Soft 29x2.35, about 22 psi front and 26 rear. No inserts, 30i rims. I weigh about 160 geared up.

Sounds like I should try dropping my pressures. I'm riding PNW woodland so not much sharp rock around to kill sidewalls.

Posted by: Vikb

Posted by: fartymarty

As a follow up to Andrew's latest piece on "The Sad State of..." -

Do we get to the point where the true "core" riders gravitate back to HTs because of the following :

a) They can ride them on any trail because they have the skill level (eg Phil Atwill - Leogang WCDH course)

b) Because they are then instantly distingushable from the latest £10k cookie cutter bike,

c) Why would any nubie into the sport buy a HT when they can buy a long travel enduro bike that smooths out the trails?

Edit - Vik - I think you're at this place already.

So a fair number of people I know who are long time [20+ years] mountain bikers have been riding HTs at least as winter/backup bikes. A decent fraction of them are riding HTs year round or as their main bikes. Now to be clear this is still a small % of the overall number of regular trail riders and far more of these folks have strapped motors to their machines and gone BroPed. Do I think there will be a solid crew of HT riders that grows over time due to all sorts of pressures. I hate to say they are the "true core" riders. That sounds a bit off to my ears, but I think they will be folks that see the beauty in a simple robust machine that rides most trails very well and is a lot of fun. That said let's be realistic these folks have another ~20 years of trail riding in them [if they are lucky] so they are not a long-term part of the equation and so far it does not seem like younger folks are coming up and replenishing them as they leave the group.

Being exposed more to the retail end of the bike industry the last few months I have to say I have a lot less optimism for the future of mountain biking than I did at the start of the year. I think it's headed for niche territory and e-MTBs/MAMBs/BroPeds will take over. Since there are a lot of MEAT machines out there and they don't die quickly we'll have a period that doesn't look so bad on the trails, but as the MEAT machines wear out they either get replaced by motors or those folks will drop out when they face their new $$/tech reality. So the tide will turn sharply when that happens. A small handful will see the light and get hardtails.

I don't know if there will be enough people to replace this contingent you're talking about. But I am pretty confident there will be some. I'm hardly "young people" at 32 myself, but in my circles there is a small set of people who are somewhere in the realm of hardtail or hardtail adjacent riding (ridgid, singlespeed). They also tend to be people who shoot 35mm film, or design and machine stuff themselves in their garages. So it's niche, but I think the through line is the satisfaction of doing difficult things and the celebration of overcoming obstacles. And I'm not sure about people even younger than us, but for myself I see it as a reaction to the digital, trying to find a refuge in simpler things. Thus I think there will continue to be a trickle of such people in every generation, who will just happen to fall in with the right crowd and discover the possibilities of doing things a different way.

But I've always been ok with being niche. If hardtails were too mainstream, I'd probably be singlespeeding or going full Unno or something. I just know I'd still be riding.