spotter profile

Typical Moni… er Terrafirma. Lots of trash talk and nothing to back it up.

How can this helmet be considered enduro when the promo vid/pic seem to depict (correct me if I'm wrong) the oh-so-obsolete 26″ wheel??? HM? I need answers.

Paints a nice picture, but in my experience most of those people would be flipping out or at least giving a dirty look when they see a mountain bike anywhere in or around mountains in europe.

Looks interesting, but $550??? Does it fly itself to the destination as well? I think there's a reason why mostly sponsored athletes and journalists use these things.

How long did it take to pack the bike inside? I can do a bike with gear in a bike box in about an hour, depending on what needs to go in. What does the bag itself weigh? Generally the limit is 23kg total, so if the bag weighs substantially more than a box, then you're losing out on some extra carrying capability.

Also, those carts at the airport will typically carry two bike boxes and some luggage, and are available in the parking area.

A couple of questions:
1. I've read elsewhere reviewers saying that in a bikepark situation they experienced what they could only think of as "bushing bind." When really digging in in a rutty berm. Any signs of this?
2. Creaking. We all know over the last who knows how many years certain single crowns have been developing creaks. Any issues as of today?

Honestly, it sounds like there is little advantage. Everything you described in this article was exactly what happened to me the last time I rode my normal mountain bike in some unexpected snow.

Any thoughts on how something like this would perform on a fully, without a clutch derailleur? Do I need to keep my chainguide? This has been going through my mind for a while now… I believe I could survive with a 30 tooth up front.

I just felt like it was more telling a story about the testers first world plight of not his parts not matching. Maybe it's just a different format of review and I'm not used to it, but it just felt empty.
Also clamp size should have been listed.

This is a review???

Posted by: Kenny

snip

Hope 35W wheels? Don't suppose there's a chance you could do me a small favour and measure those 2.8's lug to lug and the highest point of the tire measured from the rear axle for me? ;)

Asking a lot, I know, but can anyone running 27.5x2.8's give me a measurement in mm of chainstay/seatstay clearance? I bought my Marino frame about a year ago, before I had a job, with the intention of running it with plus tires and I'm curious if the clearance I have will be enough. Here it is with all the parts from my 26" wheeled Trek Scratch...

The now few month old custom steel funthing still using most of the parts from my old Trek..

So I finally decided that for my (now) local trails a hardtail with slightly more modern geo would be better suited than my 170mm travel old beast. Not to mention I wanted something that I could ride in the winter and not beat on the pivots of the fully, with a bit of bikepacking & trailer towing (maybe, because kid) thrown in. I decided, after seeing all the options on this side of the Atlantic, that I would give Marino Bikes out of Peru a chance. Initial impression... wow, it's been a long time since I had a hardtail. Climbs like a rocket and with new school geometry descends shockingly well. Really happy so far...

Posted by: grambo

Thanks ReductiMat for the tip on the fork. I had my bike at the mechanics (cuz I suck at stuff) and he cracked the Pike and it was "very dry", so he topped up oil and soaked foam rings. Definitely worth the $35. No idea why manufacturers do this on new forks, planned obsolescence/premature wear for servicing?

Had a quick rip on her last night and am very impressed. Snappy and responsive on climbs, especially with fork/shock in trail setting, and really fun/poppy on the descents. I need to play with the suspension a bit but I am in the ballpark. The bike feels stiff and tight and it's nice to have a water bottle even if it's only 500ml. The bike weighs 29.5lbs with Race Face Atlas flats. Mods are XT 8000 mech/shifter, SunRace 11-46 cassette, XT brakes + RT86 rotors, tubeless and a Race Face Atlas 35mm stem to shorten the bike a bit (large frame, I am 5'10").

I'm currently still on a Trek Scratch Air 9 from 2011 and this exact bike is on my short list. I'm just a hair shy of 6' so I would assume large would suit me as well... I had a couple questions for you;

Is this your "one bike?" Do you plan on riding park at all with it? I'm from Vancouver and live in Germany and would be visiting bikeparks from time to time (riding everything from jump lines and flow trails to DH tracks, excluding big gaps/drops)

More importantly how is the chainring clearance? A lot of the riding over here has done a number on my bashplate due to some exposed stone and undroppable root lines and the lack of ISCG mounts for a bashguard concerns me.

I'm leaning more toward a Capra but the Alpine climbs (steep and unrelenting) really make the weight of the Jeffsy attractive.

Edit: Ah, and how is the Turbine dropper so far? I've heard some not-so-good stuff...

If I remember correctly from back in the day, I always had to run a touch more air pressure than recommended.
But… it sounds to me like the Motion Control is blown. Was a common problem and unfortunately, the entire damper would typically need to be replaced as swapping out whichever o-rings that needed to be replaced was next to impossible due to the design of the cartridge. IIRC seeing if the cartridge was dead was also not really possible.

My daily driver in winter mode, with snow tires. Roundabout 11 or 12000 km on her now… Commute isn't far, about 5 km at the moment, but I use the bike for everything.

I have the Bruiser set up 1x. Hit it semi often and I've also had rock strikes on it. Does its job and is cheap and light. I've found no need for a chainguide yet…

On the Trek for another season… student life.:|

So, I have the opportunity to sell my old bike (2011 Trek Scratch Air):

And pick up one of these:

(Canyon Spectral EX 7.0)

The Trek has served me quite well, and I've got some time and love invested in it. That being said, I've always felt it was a touch too small for me (Geometry resembles more of a medium than a large, and I'm 1,83m (6ft)) and lets face it, she's getting old. On top of that, I'm not hitting the bike park that much these days, and although it still happens, I'm rarely hitting any drops/jumps over 1.5 meters. At 14.2kg, it's a lot of bike to lug around on longer rides.

I can just afford the Canyon right now, and I find the spec really good for the price. Outside of the wheels. I mean they're OK, but I'm used to relatively quick DT hubs and wide rims. Is 21mm enough to run tubeless with 2.3" tires? I'm currently on 23mm rims, which I guess aren't THAT much wider.
I still like to rail berms and see if I can cut my tires open through rock gardens… Am I going to kill these rims? Also, 24 spokes?

Oh and last but not least, I would be without a proper mtb for 4.5 months waiting for the Canyon.

All advice is welcome. I'm really flip flopping on this one…