Top 5 | Most Controversial Mountain Bike Debates
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 7 ก.ค. 2024
- There’s no doubt mountain bikes have progressed over the years. However, we’ve also witnessed a variety of trends, standards and designs rise in popularity before fizzling out into the depths of history.
So, we’ve picked five controversial debates, which still seem to create an almighty buzz - whenever they’re mentioned in the comments, within reviews or, when out on the trail with your mates.
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Can you think of any debates we've missed? We're sure there are more than 5 so let us know in the comments!
Clipless pedals vs flat pedals
The balance of fun and performance.
Enduro bikes vs Dh bikes.
@@ottomerlevede3143 good call. Clipless duy ;-)
@@kikuto1971 Unless you're one of those nutcases competing in Rampage or Hardline, you'll be fine with enduro.
Riding has to be fun. No matter what you ride - а 26 inch bike, or a 29 e-bike. If it brings you joy - that's totally legit.
EXACTLY. One great way to have fun is to not have a pinkbike account
This opinion should be the only opinion out there. As long as you're having fun, you do you!
At least MTBers don't argue anymore about tubeless or disc brakes...
thats because V brakesa are better and tubless is soooooo hard ... jk
My friends still argue that tubeless is such a mess and a waste of time because of getting flats... just carry a spare tube in case, easy!
or 1x drivetrains
igy van ocskos
UltimateMTB exactly, if your carrying a spare tube anyway just run tubes haha
Im still rocking a 26er
Joseph Park same
yep ,me too,square drive bottom bracket ,straight fork steerer,2 x 9,😳
I love my Surly 26+ hardtail!
I run a 29" thompson hardtail and 26" TREK double
Niice
I'm waiting for 13 speed, mega boost, 6 piston brakes and even more fork offset to get a new bike...
Well Rotor's got a 13s drivetrain and Hope has 6 piston brakes.
They're all out already...
Loris Foucart ik init 😂
What about them electronic brakes to go with the electric shifter haha
Soon to release auto -raider to ride for us. My two cents
Wheel size debate is simple: do what feels right to you. Bigger may be good for some, but for others medium is right. You gotta be mindful of people's opinion.
Everyone is different.
i think short people like 29 and all people like smaller , maybe it's their centre of gravity
You here a lot about what is better or debates in general on the internet.
But I have never met someone who bitches about their wheelsize.
After years of trial and error 26 was decided on as best for manuvarabilty etc, etc. Then they change it!!! Ba!!! Now I struggle to find bits!!!
On the time-line of MTB, 26" was 'dropped' before Geometry was improved, and the two play off of each other (wheel size and geometry). I built up a 26" bike with relatively modern geometry (Production Privee Shan) as a play bike and it is the most stupidly fun bike I have ever ridden. Which begs the next "controversial topic"... Have we forgotten what MTB is really about?
no we just want more capable bikes that can take bigger hits
26 mate all the way I am building an aggressive hardtail frame with 26 wheels and I also have my fullsquish down country 26 bike! They don't understand 😂
I rode 26 for yrs. Since the 03 or so till just about a wk ago that I finally got a new 27... i miss the 26. Agile. Nibble. Quick. Light. Easier on the body. ... the grave mistake I've made. 😭😭😭
@@thusmarshal8815 Ssshhh!!! We shouldn't be giving away the secrets though! :D
@@tylerbacklund9315 That's why I have an Enduro... AND the 26" Hardtail... It's the best of both worlds... :D
To me just getting outside is king. Whatever you're on. Ebikes can help not so naturally strengthened folks
"Not so naturally strengthened". One might resolve that condition by pedaling a bike up hills. Mostly lazy young people on them where I live.
I walk up the mountains backwards on my hands with 2 bowls of soup
French onion soup
Extra cheese
Please
Great work, keep it up!
Cheater
@@headoverbars8750 Agreed! - I use only *one* hand.
I'm an E-Mtb fan, I've never ridden one but being older and out of shape, I would like to be able to do the long rides I used to do several years ago, and not completely suffer.
Tommy Estrada not trying to attack. But being that you are older, why not fine easier tails to ride? What if the evoke breaks down in the middle of a trail that you used to ride back when you were healthier and younger, you gonna push it or ride it the rest of the way with all the extra weight from the electronic components? Best as vice I could ever give is to stick to trails that are lower than your experience level of you haven’t ridden for a while.
Michael Kennedy , I’m trying to work on building up to riding the longer distances again, but an E-Mtb would make it possible now, I can’t afford another $4000 to $6000 bike, so no E -Mtb in my near future, but I’ll just keep trying to find the time to get out and ride more often and work on my fitness.
Tommy Estrada I completely understand not having that kind of money haha. My daughter wants one so she can go riding on the same trails that I ride on and I told her that if she wants to ride those trails with me that she needs to get stronger and build up her stamina, because doing something on your own is always more rewarding than “cheesing” it and subsequently thinking that you can take on challenges that you’re not experienced enough for. Safety before adventure but never before freedom.
I ride a 26 inch hard tail thats 10 yrs old and i also ride a bmx thats 24 yrs old all that matters whatever you have in the shed is you get out and ride and have fun whilst keeping fit no matter of your skillset or size of your wallet.
As someone who will almost certainly never own an e bike, my opinion is: they are great. Anything that gets more people on bikes is ok in my books.
I used to think e MTB's were an offense to the sport, now I don't care. Fun is fun and the more people enjoying the sport the better for all of us!
It isn't the product that is the problem, it is the fully functional people on them.
Unbias yeah for real, does anyone think that your average person is gonna go from an e bike to a real bike? They’ll just keep using the crutch
Definitely not the case where I live. We have LOADS of E-bikers (usually 30-70 years old with ZERO technique) and they give Mountainbikers a bad name here. At least the huts and restaurants at the mountains sell more and we bike mechanics have plenty of work when those shitty E-Bikes wont work anymore cause some electic cable is fucked for example....
@@Dovakhin94 Sounds like you are describing beginner riders which has nothing to do with ebikes. Man you are salty , I know dudes on ebikes that are awesome riders. How do they give mountain bikers a bad name? I don't think any of that has anything to do with the bike they are riding and more like just the person they are. I've always seen many stuck up ego driven seasoned riders that give mountain bikers a bad name.
@@Gamingoodz sadly we don't have such a Mtb community in Austria cause it is forbidden to ride almost everywhere. I mean you are allowed to go on most fire roads but I don't need a Mtb for fire roads. That said the usual E-Biker here has zero interest in learning how to properly handle an E-Bike. 90% don't know how to change a tube. They buy a 160mm full sus only to pack it full with bags and lights and shit so they cant use the full travel or the dropper post. Trust me I work in a bike shop and you wouldn't believe what people come up with silly ideas. And even if they ride for a few years they won't learn it cause they are not even interested. I've seen quite a few pushing down a really gentle fire road cause they were afraid. I've so far met 3 people on E-Bikes that were really good and interested in the sport....thats the sad truth
Iam content with my:
Alloy frame
Alloy Pedal
26 inch wheels
3x7 Speed
Heavy Chinese Fork
Nice cheap rubber grip
And
Horn with lights for commuting lol
as you should be!
@@harrisonclark3799 what? you sound very entitled, probably ride a carbon frame and probably don;t have as much fun as cycling biking. been riding mountain bike only with all the same above, get off your high horse (29) lol.
It sounds like your having fun! Doesn't matter if you have a super high-end bike, department store bike, e-bike, vintage bike, road bike, whatever. As long as you are having fun on your bike, it is a great bike! :)
And my 26 3×9
That's what's nice about biking. People can say whatever they want. In the end you choose what you like.
Respect on rocking that fork though. I would be bottoming out like crazy
26", history books? Yeah, tell that to all the dirt jumpers out there...
Both my MTB's are 26's!!! I refuse to be bothered with those disgusting 29 inch wheels!
He's talking about mountain bikes not big bmx bikes
@@gsmd770 Come to 27.5" and find your salvation, Brother.
he's talking about trail bikes not dirt jumpers
Sometimes to spice things up, I take my dirt jumper to go trail riding. 26” wheels, tires @ 30 psi, 100mm stiff front fork and slammed seat. Those Kenda Small Blocks are a doozy on roots and sand though 😂
For most variety of trails I like the split wheel size idea of 29 front for easing up obstacles and a wider 27.5 rear for traction and climbing, especially for a 240lber like me and Ebikes.
E-mountain bikes are a form of progress, any progress should be welcomed. (You don't have to ride if you don't want to)
My point of view is simple. What ever gets you out on a bicycle is a good thing. Weather it's trying new tech, new bikes or E-Bike experience ect.... if your peddling you winning. Thank you to folks such as yourself to keep us inspired.
The wheel size debate has everything to do with the trail. I love switchbacks on a 26" but straight speedy up and down trails it has to be a 29er. As for the 27.5, I haven't tried one yet.
I do hate it when a sport or hobby is taken over by smart alecs and snobs. I’ve been riding mountain bikes in the UK since virtually the beginning (I’ve never spent a lot on a bike) and I’m lucky enough now to be in the position to afford and have available an emtb. Tried one recently for the first time and was blown away. It’s like the mtb has been reinvented all over again. It doesn’t replace a mtb just another fun off road experience.
Perhaps but there is a legit difference between motor assisted movement and movement under ones own power. Exercise benefits for one
Christian Schwalbach I was just as knackered after a few hours on the ebike as I would be on my non assisted bike. I found I was riding further, faster and steeper. It all depends how you use it I suppose. Pedal assist on a leisurely largely flat track is not going to have the same exercise benefits. For me the real revelation was being able to cycle up steep, technical single track that would otherwise be very difficult unless super fit and even then not always possible. I do hate pushing a bike uphill.
I personally wouldn't want an emtb, as I ride mountain bike to have fun while also getting in a good workout, I also don't like how emtbs feel kind of sluggish an hard to control on descents, but if you want to mountain bike for pure fun than an emtb is probably a pretty decent option so that you can ride longer without getting worn out on the climbs.
I would counter that a lot of pro's are training on emtb's because they get a better workout. So many tests have shown that you can get more laps of a hill in a 2-3 hour training session, with a better average heart rate, not maxing HR on the climbs, recover better and be able to practice technique on the downs because you're not pegged on HR.
For serious training you want to do intervals, and repeated hill climbs in target heart rate zone is best. MTB pro's used to train on road bikes to get the proper interval training. Now they can do the same on emtb.
And dont forget the fact that at some point the E-Bike just decides to not work anymore cause some electric cable is fucked and you can do nothing except bring it back to your dealer and hope its been fixed in a week or so...
Paul Andrews training at a high hr is what improves your cardiovascular endurance, robbing yourself of that for training isn’t a great idea, yea you get more laps in but each of those laps is less effective of a workout, if you want to train for XC racing it is best to practice on a heavier bike to train strength or ride with a weighted bag, if you are training VO2 max then you should do hill repeats at max effort and hr, if you are trying to improve overall endurance it is a good idea to get some road riding in
Good overview incl. Head-Ups. Especially BBs and Geometry are real mass today ...
My MTB group has been going many years and one by one we have all switched from 26 to hard tail 29ers - the last few simply because they could not keep up with the rest of us. In my experience they cover distances more quickly and more comfortably than anything else on any terrain. If like me, you have only one bike and a limited budget and regularly do 40 to 70 mile mixed road, trail, technical rides, then you can't go wrong with a 29 hard tail. I wouldn't have an electric engine on it though!
and if you're ride is more about fun, exploring and not a pissing match with buddy's 27.5 is the clear path, 29 is so cumbersome.
@@High_Octane In my experience 29 is faster as well as more fun, but to each his own
@@theelias7909 if you're a giraffe sure. try telling that to a 5 foot 6 fellow. It would be non sense.
@@High_Octane well in that case your right. I usually recommend 27.5" to anyone 5'8" or shorter. But if your taller, 29" has come a long way and they are very agile if you fit the bike.
id have included clipless or flat pedals
There's nothing really controversial there, because every rider can just pick what kind of pedal they like best personally, regardless of the bike. Flat pedals aren't going to vanish, if nothing else because there's a sizeable freeride / jump / trials community who doesn't care about pedalling efficiency.
I'm young and good at climbing and trials, but still, I bought an eeb and I love it, you can just have more fun in less time I think. Depends were you live also.
Great video!
Glad you enjoyed it
I still ride my 26" inch norco sight 2. I can't see the point of spending 3-4k on a new bike that is heavier and gives no more fun than my current one. The only issue is availability of spare parts as good quality 26 tyres, forks etc are harder to get.
Wait, you guys are still using hands? I bounce up the mountain backwards on my head like my spine is some sort of fleshy pogo stick while carrying a camp stove which I use to make soup as I go. Y'all are cheating
What is the trek model on 1:22?
29er front 26 rear mullet on a 2004 trek fuel is the best bike I’ve ridden
6:07 I have to call BS on the justification this video gives on outrageous pricing.
Back when Nafta and free trade agreements made it profitable for Bike companies to take a blue print to China and other 3rd world countries that have no environmental protections, safety regulations for workers and minimum safety regulations for bikes, slave wages, no unions, and no customer protections. Sure that one blue print might cost a hundred thousand dollars to get engineered initially, it only costs a fraction of the price to produce the bikes they are selling for $3k to $10k each. They take that blue print to China and get bids and the lowest bidder is the one that gets the contract. Boycott the big names in the bike industry, buy American. (Don't buy anything that says- "Assembled in the USA").
So true, check out Hambini that exposes their QC on BBs. Bikes have became way more expensive than they used to be.
Rocking a 26”, pf30 bb. Lovin every bits of it despite what others says.
The biggest issue I have had with e-bikes is when I am descending a single track trail and an e-bike rider is coming the other direction at a similar speed and has no intention of slowing (or in some cases, even making room on the trail), because they have the "right of way", since they are climbing. You have much less time to react and maneuver to avoid, and I've nearly crashed a couple times because of it. Avoiding another rider on a regular bike is much more straightforward.
I've got 26" and 27.5" mullet.
Same!
A shop a month ago told me my 26er was so outdated it would be very difficult to find parts for it anymore, lol
It is hard to higher-end parts
I have 26, and 29
Finding tires is a task for 26. Selection is not as good as 27.5, and definitely not as good as 29.
It's kind of true, but good companies still make it for 26", but less. Restocking the items is the slowest for 26"
The Mixed wheelsize thing reminds me of the time specialised released its Bighit with a 24” hindwheel in the early 2000s.
I don’t really care about wheelsize i’ve been having a good time riding my Cannondale Jekyll for 17 years now :) it has 26” wheels and 125 mm of suspension travel in the front and in the back. I’m sure modern bikes are more capable and a lot of fun too but I’m content with mine :) just enjoy riding your bike and ignore what others ride :D
Remember the IBIS Mtn Trials 26/24, or Cannondale "Beast of the East"
Jekyll is a great bike.
69ers got popular around 2010 also. 26 rear and 29 front. I remember reading an article about it when I was first getting into biking around then. But being banned from racing it would never take off. People want something similar to what the pros use in every sport.
Am running 29ers on my kona lava dome it's a great entry level xc bike I love It
odd q but what bike is that 16 seconds in? the one with the raw frame
What frame is this at 1:17 ? Thx
I don’t mind new standards and sizes as long as the manufactures don’t completely abandon let’s say a 26 inch wheel or whatever at least have something to sell for people to still ride on older equipment.
Bring 26" back ! I'm not a tall guy and above all I'm super light, 27.5 just feel huge and too heavy for me. I miss my old 26er and its nimble feeling
Just curious how short are you?
A 26er is 559mm in diameter. A 27.5er is 584mm in diameter. Your 26er is made of lightweight flimsy parts, by comparison to the 27.5, that you found to be too heavy.
I'm 172 cm, which certainly isn't tall, and 27.5 feels fantastic. Perhaps 27.5er you rode had too tall of a stand-over height? Not strictly a function of wheel size.
I hear you, I'm 190 cm and still ride 26"
26' for slopestyle and dirt jumps
27.5 downhill and enduro
29 cross country and enduro
mullet bikes for emtb? I don't have an opinion on those yet!
or simply do whatever the hell you feel comfy with.
below 5 feet - 26"
5 to 6 feet - 27.5"
6 feet+ = 29"
What bike is that on 01:16? @bikeradar
Bike prices are so high because of 2 extremely important reasons:
1. Sponsorship/advertising (this refers to sponsorship of not only pro athletes, but also social media influencers, bike journalism, events, and everything else that go into creating an image. Advertising is self evident). Specialized is the Thanos of great sponsorship work. That's why a bike based on a $550 frame comes out to $10K. Peter Sagan ain't cheap. Cervelo almost went bankrupt after sponsoring a TDF level team.
2. Distribution model and cross border taxes/costs. This is because most bikes are made in Asia and designed in the west, and then distributed all over the place so multiple layers of taxes are levied. Guys like YT and Canyon are pretty efficient as they cut out country distributors and retailers but I believe still have some continental distributors. Also their shipping costs and taxes can be rather high. One really shitty thing about their full bikes is that they usually come with BS wheels that cost $70-100 OEM, but the extra shipping and extra taxes attributable to these wheels easily add up to $170-200.
In a perfect world, bikes should really cost a third of what they cost today and still allow the manufacturer to make an acceptable profit. But that just doesn't happen.
Sponsoring isn't that expensive. Middlemen (i.e. shops selling bikes) are expensive. Compare with e.g. Canyon for a company that does a lot of sponsoring (incl. at world class level), but does direct sales, thus offer everything for half the price.
@@thegrimpeur Notice I grouped it with advertising. Those BMC new model launch parties with 100 journalists in the Alps, their wining and dining and test rides on gold XX1 equipped rigs, the cool animation films by YT for their new IZZO, etc. will cost you. Sponsorship isn't cheap by any means though. A good Tour de France team can run you upwards of $20 million A YEAR. Cycling is a pretty much free spectator sport. There is just not much money to go around so the equipment manufacturers have to pay for most of the bills at the end of the day. In contrast, an NBA game costs an average American family over $500 with tickets and food/drinks.
@@renthal2372 well, that is inevitable. Bikes are getting quite tricky. I have invested probably 1000+ hours of time in learning bike assembly and maintenance (spent no more than 4000 hours for my PhD), if I have to do this for someone else's hobby, I'd be charging a ton of money for that too. Bike shops will be mainly for newbies who are not interested or can't afford the time to learn to work on bikes. In the case of an average adult in the average western country, it's definitely cheaper to learn to work on your bikes if it's a longer term hobby of yours.
I bought a sram Eagle gx crankset and a pnw dropper post for my trek Marlin 5, and idk if it was the best idea. What do you think?
The bit about boost doesn't even mention the pre thru-axle norm of 135mm rear hub width.
There’s nothing worse than a broseph on an EMtb riding your ass but refusing to pass you while you’re giving it everything you’ve got. I understand that in a very small number of cases EMTBs can help people that may have a health impediment experience the trails, but beyond that, if your ride an Ebike, you’re lazy.
Maybe he doesn't want to pass you because he is trying to be nice and not make you feel bad. I rode regular bikes for a few years, lost 70lbs and got pretty fit sweating my ass off and killing myself on rides trying to keep up with much fitter people who have been riding for a lot longer and I hated it. I still did it because I wanted to loose the weight and man I would come home and be dead with average heart rates over 2 hour rides over 160 every time. That wasn't fun. I just bought an ebike a few weeks back to switch between my regular stump jumper and the ebike depending on how much time I have to ride or just how burnt out my body is. I get to ride more now because when I'm sore from riding the regular bike I can do another ride on the ebike and I get to have more fun. What I really like though is I get a lot more time to work on my bike handling skills and technical skills when I take the ebike out because I can session stuff a lot more or just ride longer. Then when I take my regular bike out I feel like I ride even better. Manhandling around a over 50lb ebike is actually a pretty decent upper body workout lol.
When I come up behind someone on a trail on my ebike on a climb I never know wether to pass them or not. I feel like If I pass the person then I'm being rude and "showing off" but I guess since you mentioned it there is no winning because if I just stay back and let the person climb at their pace they still hate me. Just can't win. We are all in this mountain biking thing together man. If someone is a dick that's on them, not the bike they are riding.
What was the silver hard tail in this video?
2020 Specialized fuse
what bike is that at 1:17
Well I'm 75 and these e-bikes are starting to look pretty good to me. But I'll probably wait till I'm 80 and really need one. Cheers!
😂😂😂
Top tube of DH bikes getting lower, much similar to low entry mom bike;) also Down tube of E-bike enough larger to get rid of top tube in order to hold bigger battery , getting similar to low entry mom bike
I've been a mountain biker for over 20 years, my biggest issues with modern bikes right now are:
1.) Pedal strike
2.) No gear indicator
3.) Less flickable than 26 wheels
4.) Like cars & gadgets...so much pretention over function
P.S. E-MTBs: Personally I will always love the physical & mental benefits of riding analog... man, bike, earth. If I could downhill naked in the rain I would love to sometimes. As much as I might slag off the dude cruising past me uphill without breaking a sweat, in the end, like Abdominal says ( th-cam.com/video/mTVxqXbjbCM/w-d-xo.html ), I'm a pedal pusher, we got each others back.
Note: I ride All Mountain, previous bike: 2009 Orange 5S (Fox fork upgrade, electric blue, 26 wheels), Latest bike: 2020 Orange 5 Pro (wasabi green, 27.5 wheels)
You say goodbye, I say helloooooooooo, Joe! Tasty food for thought and I think with e-bikes or e-mountain bikes or e-whatever bikes, the original concern was that somehow traditional cycling would be affected or limited by them--no trail use for those motorcycle-like bicycles, therefore no trail use for anyone, like the land-use limitations imposed upon off-roaders back in the day. But now, thankfully, it seems like all the world is embracing e-bikes and singing their glorious better-than-cars praises and that works for all of us, the more two-wheelers out and about, the better. And in my case specifically, as an all-season commuter, I want an e-bike for that rocket-like power on a few stretches of road which are a little dicey in terms of bike v. cars and trucks. Plus, cutting the time of my commute in half or thereabouts would work, too, as sometimes, you just wanna get home. Or get to work on time. And O the anguish of knowing an hour out, I'm gonna be five minutes late and I'm riding as hard as I can.
My friend has an Mtn e-Bike with plus tires and it's really nice. Personally i don’t want one, but everyone has to make their own choices. I feel that if I had an eBike I would neglect my other bikes and my fitness would suffer. I'll admit my favorite part of mountain biking is the downhill but I'm willing to grid to the top and earn it. Fortunately my local trails have a few loops that I can ride on a regular basis. As for really long rides I use my gravel bike and it's not going into trails that are too technical. Just my thoughts before I go ride. Today I'm riding my 27.5plus tire bike with a threaded BB and 142x12 axle and 100x10 34Fox fork and 66HTA. It's an Esker Hayduke and works great on my loose sandy canyon So Cal trails
I think I’d enjoy a 29er, but I’m not going to spend 10,000 on a bike no matter how good. Some of these debates I don’t really have an opinion on, but I’ll just say that my local craigslist is littered with USED bikes selling for 3000, 4000, 5000! It’s insane. I just gave up on anything from this decade and got a super cheap bike from 2004. Massive upgrade from my 1990 vintage frame (almost all the parts were much newer).... so debate away, I can still ride plenty of trails on a bike with nothing remotely close to the latest technology.
Chances are the wheel size debate is likely done just to have something fun to fight about.
egg rings from the mid 90s are coming back into fashion too lately. Hey maybe they will make ceramic coated ones like they did before too.
except they are exactly the opposite effect to biopace.
Bikes are so capable today that they have become somewhat boring. Might as well sit on the couch.
I am staying old school. 26'er, loose ball bearings, 3 piece crank, 3x, bar ends. I enjoy useing the wrong tool for the job.
But...I am slowly learning to like disc brakes, despite the maint. I will never love them and never go hydro.
I change from 26 to 29 a year and a half ago. Both bring me fun! But you can't stop progress and consumerism... I think it endless debate. The most important is the fun it brings you!
I’d just like to thank e-bikes for shutting the door on Wilderness access for bikes in the US.
Care to explain? I don't believe that in the slightest. And are we talking Class 1 ebikes are class 2 and 3? Do you know the difference?
Why would that happen? It doesn't even make sense.
They won’t be.
1:17 what bike is that?
I have two bikes; an early 29er full suspension with a geo that is now more cross country than it's originally intended trail designation... and a more recent 27.5 Knolly Warden. I get joy from both. The next bike (and I will be keeping the others) will be another 29er. That's to compete with the other 29ers out there...and I do mean compete.
29 inch wheels do what everybody says they do.
But I love my Knolly. And I am amazed almost every time I drop into my favorite trails at how capable that bike (with those little tires) is.
A 29er does smooth the trail out. On 29 inch wheels there is less demand for RIDER INPUT over difficult technical terrain.
This is not up for debate.
A 27.5 demands GREATER RIDER INPUT. Where you put that Minion through the same difficult and technical terrain, will have much more consequence on your momentum, chosen line, and overall life expectancy.
29s can cover a rider's lack of indecision. They can conceal a rider's short comings and lack of experience.
Where on a 27.5 'one false move' can be disastrous...
So though most riders on 29ers these days have all cut their teeth on smaller wheels and have aquired much skill, there is a newer generation of riders that have not learned how to get to the bottom alive on smaller wheels.
But regardless of skill level, any given rider on any day, on a 27.5, can take more credit for dropping out onto that fire road than the same any given rider on any day, on a 29er.
So you on your 27.5 (or 26er) may not have been able to keep up to your buddies on their 29ers, but you get to take far more pride in getting there.
As for ebikes... Who gets the credit there?
honestly, most people can ride 27.5 or 29 and not even know the difference lol. it's not until you push limits, then all you said is true, i just think for average riding it's not nearly as extreme. i prefer 27.5 all around, but i just explore.
Mid drive e-mtbs are game changers! As the video says ...you ride harder, ride further, get fitter...cos you ride more. Again, as the vid said, the cost of high end e-mtbs is prohibitive ....however cheaper alloy models without every bell and whistle represent good fun for money! I really don't get the haters??
These ebikes do tear up the ruts we've made in our local forest
Wheel size, I recently rode 29" a lot then 650b, 650b is mostly better. Anyone used a 26" recently, they are brilliant....though think I prefer 650b these days
26" wheelsize has nothing to do with mountainbiking in my local area. Just roots and rockgardens here, no berms or lovely flowy trails you see on youtube. Basically everything we have here is potetially good spot to stick your tiny 26" tire to. So 29er is way to go in my opinion and its plenty agile for my riding.
I thought 27.5 was used on mtb before 29... Nino S. And others at 2012 olympics in London?
in the early 90's Bianchi had the Project 3, 5 & 7 that were 700c mtb (with Panaracer Smoke tires) definitely offroad mtb's not city/hybrids, Diamond back made a 700c "Overdrive" and Specialized had the CrossRoads. A lot of companies were making "Hybrids" but most were more road/city oriented. I use to sell the Bianchi Project's and thought they were the most capable offroad because of the tires. A little later Gary Fisher bikes also had 700c mtb's and he stuck with it when most of the other bikes had become comfort oriented "hybrids"
Thank Gary Fisher, not necessarily the bike industry, for introducing 29'ers....
"you can buy a good motorbike for that price " is something i hear often from family members and colleagues at work
yeah i get it but id rather have the mountain bike
i like investin into my hobbies as mutch as i can afford to and at the moment im still debating wether i save up to buy a new mtb or build one up over time either way its gonna take me a while to save up enough money anyway so im putting in some tlc on the current "big box" mtb i have so i can atleast ride the thing and learn
I'm on the same fence, man. I'm frustrated at the builds offered on bikes. It's always either the suspension that you want with the drivetrain you don't, or the build you want with the wrong fork. And wheels have become personal. Building seems to be the only option. And lets not forget... next year they're probably going to fuck with the geometry. Maybe buy that frame kit now before it's too late...
Get a complete one with the frame you want that way you can still use it while you add components to it. When you do the math, the components are so dramatically subsidized at the OEM level that's crazy to not just buy the whole thing, especially when most MTB brands aren't building different frames for each price point for a given model. Even if you don't ride it while you build it up, getting the low-end SX or whatever spec is not much more than a frame-only, and you'll have wheels and tires and BBs you'll likely end up using anyway while also having forks and shocks to sell to fund at least one of the major components.
Also, I wouldn't hate on the "big box" MTBs (I'm assuming this means Specialized or Trek). They make some really good stuff.
@@vomErsten i call it a big box mtb because it is cyclone branded and i bought it from one of my local supermarkets/hypermarkets
As of now it is a fairly decent entry level xc bike
Commencal also has builds from last year in stock in thier south african store and they are considerably cheaper than the 2020 ones listed on thier website
I will probably just buy the 2019 essential hardtail if it is still in stock by the time i have the funds
@@cogetoergo if i build THE bike i want it will take me about 2 years to buy all the components and the frame
So what von ersten said is a very viable way of doing it in my case and ill either have spare parts or they will be sold when i eventually get the parts i want
Another option is for me to go pre owned but ive never been a fan of buying pre owned
Mountain Bikes are really no different than any other enthusiast sport or market. Golf is a great example. Golf clubs and gear can be extremely expensive and 9 times out of 10 the person using it doesn't need that level of performance based on their skill but if you have the money and want the edge then go ahead. I decided to invest in my bike as my skill increases. A friend recommended that. If I start with a $5k bike, I won't even know how good it is!
Ebikes are great and make a lot of sense in some circumstances. If you don’t have shuttles and want to get more runs in during a day they are perfect. I can only bike up the longest downhill run near my hone twice before I’m toast and need to call it a day. I’m sure on an ebike I could double the amount of runs easily.
Clipless vs Flats?
Flats you "dumb ass"....
Seriously flats for just mucking around.
Ebikes are cool but I rather a Dirtbike or just a regular Mountain bike
The problem with new tech coming out every year is that it’s impossible to keep a bike in dated and keep it for years without being restricted with upgrades and maintenance
7:33 is that Croatia?
I wouldn't mind e-mtb if I could afford one, but an e-bike for run around town....that would be AWESOME!!! Just full blast from lights to lights every time. There is the weight issue VS roof racks and the will to go light and legs only from time to time. 2 bikes is a no no for me(maybe with exception of ride-to-work-in-salty-winter beater), so there is no perfect solution. And there's the dream of effi gear high pivot frame dream too.
Fair play 29ers may be faster on a race circuit, that’s just a matter of physics ... I can live with this but unfortunately most mountain bikers are not racing a World Cup series and in which case the attraction comes from fun on a bike, therefore increase wheel size to make trails ride faster and smoother is made some what redundant as riders have a choice in what they want to ride. If you want something to feel like a fast roller coaster than ride a smooth trail, whereas if you want something that is technical and challenging in a different way ride a trail that suits. I understand that not everyone has a great choice of local trails, me included - but I’m not suggesting that the 29er be banished forever, I think it’s an incredible bit of kit but I just don’t want riding to come to the point where I am forced to go out on a 29er everyday, looking for bigger features and more dangerous riding just to get the same thrills I got on a a pretty basic technical trail on my 26 or 27.5 inch bike. On top of this I am 5 ft 9 and I just find in general riding a 27.5 fits me better, just like a 29er fits taller blokes like Greg minaar better ! To wrap up I just want to be very clear if I haven’t already I have no issue with 29ers as long as 27.5 stays ( for any one who says that 27.5 is staying, go and have a look at the available wheel sizes on a specialised enduro !)
5:46 I think some forget they're on a sub-30lb bike which has been designed to safely carry them at speeds approaching 50mph over terrain sometimes hard to even walk on. Something of that tech cannot be cheap.
Nothing like getting whipped by on a trail hearing nothing but a little
Whirrrrrrrrrr.
E bikes man. 🤗
Derailleur hangers. Absolutely no reason I can see against adopting a standard. 1 for QR, 1 for TA.
Rockshox vs fox suspension
From what I've seen a lot of ebike haters are people who have an ego issue with someone else that "hasn't done the same work as me" getting to ride "their" trails. It's nothing but jealousy and ego. And the ones that are not like that are i'll informed and don't understand when we talk about emtb we are talking about Class 1 ebikes which are pedal-assist only and limited in speed.
And the whole o they tear up the trail is BS because they don't tear anything up any more than a regular bike, that is a dumb argument with no proof or factual basis. A fit person on a bike can put out more power. You still have to pedal the dang thing and it doesn't ride its self for you. It's just the same as if someone put stronger legs on your body, that's it... No throttle, pedal only and all it does is make it easier to pedal.
Class 2 and 3 ebikes are a totally different thing and those shouldn't be on the trails, but a class 1 ebike is perfectly fine on the trails.
Does anyone make a 29 inch wheel, fully ridged with hydraulic discs and a 1x gear set mountain bike?
Lots of companies, banshee, stooge, RSD come to mind. If it's single speed you want then make sure they have sliding dropouts.
@@mazescopak405 I was more thinking about a 1x 10 group set. Kind of like a gravel bike but with straight handlebars and a long/low riding position.
Thanks for the recommendations
Surley?
Bearclaw Bikes...they simply rock. Mostly Ti, some carbon, all fast
@Jamcut The Unit X looks ideal, thanks
Haha, trigger moment! 29 at front 27.5 at back, love it i would do it to annoy people
It's like a modern penny farthing
emtb are fine because there people out there who are disabled or have a phisical handie cap but the motor lets them go place that used to be impossible
ya but according to these guy's you have to read some imagninery contact that says you need burn and exert yourself to be allowed to enjoy a mountain bike because that' what they do, and they stand for the sport and its the unwritten code that if your not beeding sweat and ready collapse you have no right to be on or near a trail in nature. FUCK those guys. ride you e bike, i'll ride my trail bike and move along.
@@High_Octane Hell ya man! Too many egotistical people out there. The Ebike haters try and come up with any excuse they can to hate on them when it really just all boils down to their ego and jealousy. I've sweat and almost blew up my heart trying to keep up on group rides for 2 years on my bike, lost 70lbs but it wasn't fun. Now that I lost a lot of weight so what If I want to ride a ebike sometimes when I'm pressed on time and just want to have fun instead of every single ride being a huge workout. It's great to get a good workout but sometimes you also just want to have fun. Funny thing I end up burning almost as many calories on the ebike anyways because I end up going twice the distance and climbing and exploring everywhere I see.
It wouldn't be fair for a runner to say someone on a bicycle is cheating, because they are both propelling themselves with strictly the energy in their bodies. Whereas, with an e bike some of the energy used to propel the rider is likely coming from a power plant.
I don't get the riders these days. I was one of the very first mountain bikers in America. Gary Fisher hand built my first bike in 1980. Back then we had 1.75 inch 26ers, no suspension, no helmets, no water bottles, no riding gear, clincher brakes and toe clip pedals. We rode everything they ride now, but without complaints. Now everywhere I ride there's some know it all that tells me there's no real mtb'ers because they don't ride what he does. If it shifts and stops ok, it can be ridden anywhere!
So you rode down the UCI Downhill tracks that the professionals ride down today?
24" for life
The only thing about ebikes is that they sometimes destroy the trail because they ride it backwards up🤷🏽♂️
For me, a 29er is perfect for everything. Even 27.5 feels to small
Tbh I think it's time for a serious debate on bike companies finding new and expensive ways to waste people's money, this year's model is 5% stiffer and now has a red saddle lol. I remember when you a had a Mtb and that was fine, not a choice of several for all different surfaces....
I follow a TH-camr who's a pretty good racer he renovated a Cannondale with the head shock fork for xc racing and he can match and beat riders on ultra modern machinery.
MTB, running, running backwards or running with a bowl of soup while doing a handstand are power unassisted activities unlike eMTB. If you are thinking about getting an eMTB because you are not fit enough to ride the extra distance, you should worry about getting fit first. If you are old and find no other way to keep up with the youth and absolutely must, go for it. But it will not make you fitter to use an eMTB.
4:14 bb angle??!?
probably meant seat tube
You're telling me that you haven't messed around with your BB angle? You're missing out dude.
@@TheyForcedMyHandLE made a world of differece for me, I can now Back flip of a cliff, all thx to the bb angle
I don’t like the insane descent-focused geometry these days. It’s very hard to climb technical ascents. I see so many kids buy these “trail” bikes and then find they’re exhausted trying to climb anything. Is it any wonder they just stick to the chair lift or fire road ascent? The ad copy for these bikes is comical when it strains to find suitably meek words to describe their climbing abilities. I’m looking forward to the inevitable next “trend” of climbing friendly bikes.
Earlier this year I was out at a local trail climbing up a pretty long and steep fire road when I heard two guys coming up behind me. They passed me going about twice as fast as I was and appearing to be expending minimal effort and thought “wow, those guys are fit.” I quickly noticed the larger downtime and bottom bracket shell and knew they were e bikes. The very next thought that came through my head was “wow, that’s pretty cool.”
Having tried E-MTB they are definitely fun and totally have their place but nothing and I mean NOTHING is more annoying than someone on an E-MTB cruising past you going up a steep hill while you're dying a death trying to scale the same damn hill!
Put 29 in the back 27 or 26 in the front for a dirt bike look
look
I don't see what the big gripe with e-bikes is and I've heard arguments by people that have a vast knowledge on them and folks who have dealt with the park service and people that hate them. If you don't pedal the e-bike isn't going to do anything, the motor assists you in your pedaling. they also weigh a bit more. I have no problem with them. As Rob Warner said he hates to pedal that's why he chose to do DH back in the day and now he has an e-bike to enable himself to get out there more consistently and actually ride.
I better pick my jaw up now after seeing beautiful mountain bikes
There's absolutely no debate on wheel size for me. 29" are the ONLY bicycle that can fit my large size. Anything smaller than that and I look like I stole the bike from a kid