D_C_ profile

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.

"Do we need a bar size between 31.8mm, and 35mm? 31.8mm is so heavy, but 35mm is too stiff and not as impact resistant. Someone out there thinks 33.28mm sounds like a good compromise."

Stop giving them ideas. Nobody thinks this. Nobody.

Deleted. Oops

The first time I saw a bike going for $5000, I nearly spat out my coffee. But after becoming desensitized by countless reviews of $10000 bikes, $5000 seems like a deal. Mission accomplished.

DNV Council and the local MLA aren't into the idea.

http://www.nsnews.com/news/district-of-north-vancouver-trashes-compost-plan-for-mount-seymour-1.23080501

I think Kona needs to look up the exchange rate. Savvy Canadian buyers will head across the border to save several hundreds of dollars.

I would get the bike you want for right now. You can always sell it and get a different one later if needed.

If you go Tallboy, you could always bump up the fork travel if/when you move here to give it a bit more prowess on the steep and rough stuff. An over-forked Tallboy would likely be a fun bike.

Some people ride hardtails here. I don't think the Tallboy would be too little bike. It would make your life harder in some situations but would be more fun in others.

Posted by: RAHrider

She was bored on john deer

If you’re not having fun whipping through the corners on John Deer, you have no soul :D

Trails that aren’t smooth:

Fromme: Pipeline, Ladies Only, Upper and Lower Oil Can, Executioner, Lower Crippler

Seymour: Boogieman, Severed, Shorn, Applicator, Ned’s,

Salamander and Sticks and Stones if she likes punchy.

C-Buster is fun but pretty challenging and janky.

All of Cypress.

Posted by: Bull_Dozer

Posted by: fun-house

Another sold out event!

Pretty fun course. First stage burns the legs, second stage burns the arms, third stage burns and confuses the mind (seems a lot of people went off course).

Just looked at the times and my time on the third stage is definitely not accurate (says it took 7 minutes, and I was not one of those who went down the ascent trail), but otherwise no complaints. Hope everyone else had a good time.

There needs to be some more signage in the lower Dreamweaver/Ascent trail area - every single time I've ridden Dreamweaver I've taken at least one wrong turn (even after stopping to check the map). There's a couple confusing intersections - would be nice if they just had simple signs that said:

Climb -->

<-- Descend

Agreed! That is an easy spot to mess up. As I also demonstrated during last night’s Fiver. My track record for making it all the way down Dreamweaver without a wrong turn is poor.

Awesome course last night. Racing Oil Can is the best!

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/jogger-decries-offensive-mountain-biking-trail-names-in-kelowna-1.3835409

Maguras seem like great brakes, but there’s something to be said for being able to walk into any shop and buying pads for your Shimanos or SRAMs. That’s my main hesitation with Maguras.

Who carries them/ stocks pads locally?

I have Guide RS on my Range 29 and XT M785 on my Chromag Rootdown. I prefer the Guides. Maybe less overall bite, but much smoother application of braking power than the Shimanos. The XTs are just a bit too on/off for my liking, and I end up locking up my wheels more often than I’d like as a result.

I’m looking at XTR Race for the Chromag, which don’t have Servo Wave levers. They’re said to be a bit less powerful but smoother.

If I wanted more power than my Guides, I’d take a good look at Codes. I also felt a buddy’s TRP Quadiem and they seemed promising.

RS forks will definitely reduce to 160. You need a different air shaft, which is about a $50 part. Doing the install requires dropping the lowers and is a pretty easy job to do yourself, though you'll need snap ring pliers.

Posted by: tashi

Posted by: shoreboy

Posted by: JBV

isn't that xtr shifter alone about 200 bones?  xtr is at least double xt prices last i looked.

$75USD for xtr vs $42USD for xt.  The shifter is worth the price increase in my opinion, the RD is not really worth the up charge from xt.

The shifter is one spot where the XTR choice is, in my view, a "good value".  Performance is markably better, even when paired with "low-end" derailleurs,    it's not vulnerable to random destruction a la a rear derailleur, and IME they last longer.  I have a 10 speed that has been ridden hard since 2011 that's still providing XTR-level performance.

11-speed Shimano setup on my hardtail: XTR shifter, SLX deraillaur, XT 11-46 cassette. No complaints, and I think I maximized value.

The X01 Eagle on my full-suspension is awesome too. I don't think I could pick a favourite between the two setups.

Posted by: Hepcat

Pretty different ends of the spectrum though eh? Aggressor for a low rolling resistance tire. Dhr 2 for gription. Both great.

Btw Aggressor feels better in corners than a HR2, rolls billion times faster.

Or Magic Mary addix? The queen of griptioness.

Your Aggressor - HR2 comparison, which compounds were you using? For rear tires, I had an Aggressor on one bike and a HR2 on another bike, both in the harder dual compound. I didn't think the rolling resistance was that different. Cornering felt similar. I preferred how the HR2 cleared mud and sticky dirt. Both were equally not ideal on greasy roots because of the hard rubber.

Posted by: grambo

Pretty damn compelling at $200USD ($250-260CAD) without a remote. The travel adjust would be awesome for me. 150mm droppers are a hair (maybe 10mm) too long on my current bike due to a long seat tube and me wanting to run a large with short legs, so I run 125mm with some seat post exposed, this would solve that problem.

Being able to reduce drop is compelling, but it’s also worth looking into stack height of different models. You may be fine with a 150 in some models (e.g. X Fusion Manic).