D_C_ profile

Not sure I agree. I think most people get on fine with EXOs, especially if your riding area has fewer jagged rocks (including quite a few of my friends who ride hard on the Shore). Heavy tires are necessary for some usage or terrain, but really neuter the versatility of a bike and are probably overkill for lots of people.

I’m a fan of CushCore in back on the enduro bike. I took it out for a trip to the Kootenays, where the dirt is softer and loamier than what we typically ride on the Shore, and didn’t really miss it. 

But first lap back from the trip, I rode Executioner with 26 psi in back and thought I was going to rattle my teeth out. Being able to run 22 psi in the rear tire without folding tires over or destroying rims is a game changer on hard, bumpy terrain. It’s the small-bump sensitivity everyone thinks they are looking for from their suspension.

CushCore in front on the enduro bike felt like diminishing returns.

Thanks for sharing this perspective, and for your work on Pipeline.

“The DNV is NOT at fault”

Can you elaborate?

Other than rim protection, it would be interesting to know what, if anything, the CushCore XC inserts give up in ride quality compared to the heavier ones. Maybe some side-by-side testing would be good.

In my view, these bikes are pretty long. Hardtails have their reach increase as the fork sags, whereas a full-suspension’s  reach stays the same or shrinks through sagging of both ends. A medium hardtail with 450 reach is a long bike.

Agreed on the head angle though, but you can always bump up the fork to 150 for an extra degree.

That said, reviews from people who paid money for something are often relief of cognitive dissonance, attempts at validating their purchase and convincing themselves they made the right choice over another option. There's really no winning when it comes to avoiding bias.

Confirmed. I deleted my comment. I just figured I didn’t have anything interesting to say so I pulled the plug. Haha

"IMO it wouldnt really be a fair test to pit a "cheap" alloy bike vs a premium carbon offering for the same reason you mention; it would say more about the manufacturing and design than material; apples to oranges."

If your budget is around ~$5000 and looking at non-boutique brands, you're likely faced with the choice of the aluminum frame with better parts or the carbon frame with a lower-end build. That comparison, while somewhat apples and oranges, would be interesting (e.g. Norco Range C3 vs A1, Specialized Enduro Comp with upgraded wheels vs. Enduro Elite, Giant Reign 1 vs Reign Advanced 1, etc.).

Nicely done. That said, Knolly has produced high-end alloy frames for most of its existence, aimed at the performance market, so it’s not surprising that the alloy bike rides well. I suspect there might have been more clear differences with brands like, say, Giant or Specialized, where the alloy bikes are geared toward those on a budget. This comparison says more about Knolly bikes than it does about materials.

I think what can be concluded is that it’s possible to make a good aluminum bike.

I just set up a ReMote LA with a Manic (already had the ReMote then got the seatpost). Unlike some other posts, the Manic doesn't drop until the lever is fully pushed over (as opposed to actuating as soon as the lever starts moving). The LA version works fine, but I agree that the regular version would work better, resulting in less lever throw.

Posted by: Brocklanders

Posted by: grambo

As a follow-up, we did two rides:

Mountain Station pedal: climbed up Badger, Honey, Shasta etc. and rode Skirt, Fat Chance, Tiger Buckle/Five Knuckle, Legalize It. Awesome trails, nice steep fall line tech with well built jumps and drops. Surprised some of the stuff was rated blue, could be a rude awakening even for people used to Sea to Sky blues.

Powerslave shuttle: got dropped at the lower entrance to lower part of Powerslave, shuttle guy said upper wasn't worth the ride but I think next time we would go for it anyway. Bottom part of Powerslave and Bear's Den outstanding trails, more fall line tech with fun doubles, option lines and cool wood work on Bear's Den. Pedaled up Toughnut which was a grindy climb that mellowed higher up. Got confused by a new logging road and missed Upper Goldmember, jumped into Lucky Charms and Gold Rush, fun more rocky trails and then into Waldorfian which was awesome steep tech, highly recommended.

Nelson is amazing, so glad I got to finally ride there. Will be back every summer for sure.

Headed there next week. Who shuttled you up to Powerslave? Did you try the Vein trail at Mtn. Station? Looks super techy :)

I rode the Vein when I was there in June. I found it to be worthwhile, a fun, steep loamy rip. It's a light double black (as opposed to the blues in that area, which could be blacks). If you want steep and fast, also check out Space Junk. It's steeper than the Vein, though not as long.

I just finished building up my Rootdown. I went from a 2016 M to a 2019 M/L, which is also 2 degrees slacker. With its steep seat tube angle, the old bike always felt a bit cramped while seated (I’m 5’8”), so I’m happy to be on the next size up.

I only have a couple laps on it but it feels like a rocket on the way down, though it requires a more active riding style to drive it through corners. But between the longer reach and slacker head angle, any nervousness the old bike had is gone.

The fork is a 51 mm offset Fox 36 FIT4 at 150 mm travel, and I went from a 50 mm stem on the M to a 40 mm on the M/L.

The first BB is a good option for 30 mm spindle cranks (e.g. Race Face Turbine Cinch). Fitting a 30 mm spindle in a BB92 bb shell, which was originally conceived for smaller-diameter spindles, makes the bearings thin and prone to wearing out quickly, so a bb like that where the bearings press directly into the frame results in more room for bigger bearings. Enduro Bearings makes a similar one.

The Aeffect cranks have a 24 mm spindle, same as Shimano cranks. So you need the second bb.

Oh man, Fernie is awesome. I was back there again earlier this summer. The general flavour is steep, fast dirt. Not a lot of technical gnar or jank, but a nice change from the shore. Your Jeffsy should be good for anything you come across.

A good longer pedal is to park at the Provincial Park and ride Verboten, P9 and Slunt/Brokeback. Slunt/Brokeback is the best of those 3, followed by P9. Verboten's great too but cut that one out if you want to shorten.

I also loved Big Money, but I've heard the end is bit of a mess right now due to logging, so I'd do a bit of research on that.

Hyperventilation to Hyperextension is a good pedal loop, about 5-600 m elevation with singletrack climbing and nice views. There's also a new one above that called Today's Special that I've heard is good.

Three Kings/48 Hours is rad but more shuttle territory.

Have fun! Let me know what you ride.

Posted by: LoamtoHome

"Loamers" can be made sustainable. It just requires maintenance and proper alignment so that requires effort which is severely lacking with most rogue builders and riders. If you ride the trails, at least try to maintain them to a certain extent.  It's really not that hard.

Some of the trails on Vedder are a good example of this.

Posted by: earleb

Ain't nobody going to stop riding the Darkside unless the same trail experience is provided legally.

This.

Pile of Rocks? You'd have to get up there but it would be quick to lap. It's surprisingly fun.

As an aside, if I wanted to replace my Flow MK3 (605 ERD) with a Flow EX3 (602 ERD), can I reuse the same spokes or do I need shorter ones?

I built up the Chromag again. Can’t beat the aesthetics of a steel hardtail!

The older Easton/Race Face ARC rims dent like they’re made out of cheese. The new ARC Offset are made out of a different alloy that they say is stronger. I have an ARC Offset 25 but haven’t really put it through the paces yet, so we’ll see.

I ran Stans Flow and Arch MK3 last year and both have been pretty good but like to crack at the eyelets if spokes are over-tensioned (doesn’t seem to take much).

This is going back a few years, but I’ve been happiest with Stans Flow EX and WTB i23. Both of these rims worked well without much fuss. The Flow EX3 looks like a good idea for a rear wheel, but man is it heavy.

If I were shopping for wheels, I’d take a good look at We Are One Movement wheels. You get Agent or Insider rims on i9 101 hubs for $1275 CAD. WAO has some new rims out and these are the old ones, but the price is comparable with a set of high-end alloy wheels, and there’s a lifetime warranty and a track record of people riding them hard over the past couple of seasons without issue.