is it just me or are bike trends getting old?

LordOpie · Jul 3, 2006

marketing.

habitatxskate · Jul 3, 2006

as you mentioned profile, i just got a used one for cheap, and i do love it..though i think its mroe of what the pros ride and the unique and exotic feel of them..(thats guna get me some bad feedback!) along with marketing like LordOpie said. Its more of the weight(for some riders) and the style(for other riders) it could be what your favorite pro rides or what is supproted by which rider.

Toshi · Jul 3, 2006

biggins said:
i dont know maybe its just me......

i hear ya. dh still has advances in technology, however. the tires certainly have gotten a lot better, the forks lighter while maintaining plushness, and some (but not all -- how is kona still around?!) bad suspension designs have been weeded out.

fwiw, my xc bike is fully rigid, rocks Chris King and XTR stuff from 1996, v-brakes, the whole retro deal, and it's just as fun as any other ride. sure, i might take a little longer but smoothing out the whole trail isn't the point, at least not to me. on the other hand, i'm mainly a road biker these days so take this all with a large grain of salt...

ink:

jimmydean · Jul 4, 2006

It's no different than any other industry. Cars, trucks, computers, games, bmx, road, mountain, you name it. That's what "trends" do, they grow old. Otherwise they wouldn't be trends, right?

manimal · Jul 4, 2006

i'm too poor to do much trend hopping...i plan on keeping my demo for a while, especially since i probably couldn't sell it anyway because of the super-dee-duper weld on the down tube

had i known that the demo would be EVERYWHERE this year....i still would have bought it

stevew · Jul 4, 2006

If I saw more people riding these frames, I'd be happy with that bandwagon....

TN · Jul 4, 2006

All trends suck.

stevew · Jul 4, 2006

TN said:
All trends suck.

Kind of like beer drinking, wine tasting, and smoking pot.

A trendy thing you fall into.

Skookum · Jul 4, 2006

i think trends are fine and dandy as long as they are practical and work for me. Otherwise they are stupid. Seems like there is just as much of a reverse trend of people getting something off the beaten path to just be different.

The focus should never be on what other people think (in terms of trendy bias), they're not going to be the persons riding it.

BurlyShirley · Jul 4, 2006

TN said:
All trends suck.

Even the whole "environmental" thing

Brian HCM#1 · Jul 4, 2006

It's all about the "Bandwagon".

blue · Jul 4, 2006

Brian HCM#1 said:
It's all about the "Bandwagon".

Yeees...the Hope bandwagon...

LordOpie · Jul 4, 2006

stevew said:
Kind of like beer drinking, wine tasting, and smoking pot.

A trendy thing you fall into.

That's not a trend, it's a way of life

-dustin · Jul 4, 2006

LordOpie said:
marketing.

internet forums and Canadians.

manhattanprjkt83 · Jul 4, 2006

I think this board is super trendy, esp in bike builds...I think if you really dig deep into the world of mtb's there isnt THAT much of a trend scene, its just the guys that spend alot of time online and like to post all the pics of their gear that are always changing it up.

^i am very guilty of this.

go ride.

fubar5 · Jul 4, 2006

Singlespeeds and fixies seem to be the big trends right now. I have nothing against either of them, seeing as I how I ride both. A few years ago Surly, Webcyclery, and SingleSpeedOutlaw were really the only people on the scene, now even Fisher makes a SS and an Ebay fixie search actually gives results.

The trend doesn't really bother me though, sh!t happens as they say. I'll keep truckin' with one gear.

Da Peach · Jul 4, 2006

Sounds like someone just fell of the crest of the trend wave....

*pops collar and struts off*

fubar5 · Jul 4, 2006

Da Peach said:
Sounds like someone just fell of the crest of the trend wave....

*pops collar and struts off*

lol!!! I'll be sending some anti-popped collar po po's after you. :hot:

sanjuro · Jul 4, 2006

There will always be trends, and it is important to recognize that it is not about the bike.

I remember when I first started road cycling, and the trend was away from cloth tape to Cinelli cork, when aluminum frames overtook steel, or the onset of SIS (but not STI shifting brake levers). Trends come and go but riding still matters.

Full Trucker · Jul 4, 2006

I think "trends" are very regionally based. For instance... biggins is said that a few years ago "everyone wanted Banshee or Turner Dhr, then everyone wanted a VP-Free, etc..." But here in Colorado, I never really noticed a Banshee or Turner trend. Here we get Yeti (big time) and Specialized, some Kona's, a LOT of Santa Cruz, Intense.

Even here, it seems that trends of what people ride are really regional: i.e. a ton of people that live in Summit County (Keystone/Vail area) are riding Giant DH Teams, and a lot of Front Rangers are riding some sort of Santa Cruz (VP-Free, V-10, Blur 4X, all of them) or Specialized.

I think it's largely due to where manufacturers and teams are based: for instance, Yeti is located in Golden so we have a lot of them on the trails, but you hardly ever see a Brooklyn Machine Works (NYC) in Colorado. My guess is that Foes would be much more popular on the West Coast, near where they're made.

Also factor in price point: bikes that are more regionally "trendy" tend to be boutique, small company bikes and carry a higher tag (Yeti, BMW, Foes) and bikes that are trendy EVERYWHERE are more like "everyman" rides, like Specialized, Santa Cruz and Giant.

And of course, it could also be what the local shops carry. The shops in Summit County carry Giant, and thus a lot of Summit County riders seem to be rocking the DH Team or the Glory or whatever. Mojo Wheels in Denver is a huge Santa Cruz dealer, and is also the premier freeride/DH shop for the Front Range. Maybe the shops in biggins' (or your?) area carry certain brands, furthering the "trends" that you notice?

Okay, I really should be working now... I have to get some sh!t done so I can go to Deer Valley! Dang!

BurlyShirley · Jul 4, 2006

Why would you categorize "Yeti" in the same group as "Foes and BMW" and "Santa Cruz" w/ Spec and Giant? Yeti and SC are about the same thing, neither on par w/ Foes or BMW, but both different than Spec and Giant. Yetis are fine, but don't go overboard now.

Bicyclist · Jul 4, 2006

Maybe because Yeti makes limited-edition super boutique bikes, where as Santa Cruz is super common.

BurlyShirley · Jul 4, 2006

Bicyclist said:
Maybe because Yeti makes limited-edition super boutique bikes, where as Santa Cruz is super common.

Please explain "super boutique" to me. SC makes their high end stuff in the states, with some very nice fab. How is a yeti different than that?

TN · Jul 4, 2006

stevew said:
Kind of like beer drinking, wine tasting, and smoking pot.

A trendy thing you fall into.

Sorry, pal....All of the above have been around for waaaaayy too long to be trends. Try again.

...& I really don't drink much beer.

But being a prick on the internet....that may be a trend.

Bicyclist · Jul 4, 2006

BurlyShirley said:
Please explain "super boutique" to me. SC makes their high end stuff in the states, with some very nice fab. How is a yeti different than that?

Ummm, does Yeti's "special projects" ring a bell?

N8 v2.0 · Jul 4, 2006

29ers are no trend...

Bicyclist · Jul 4, 2006

N8 said:
29ers are no trend...

No one asked.

lovebunny · Jul 4, 2006

Full Trucker said:
I think "trends" are very regionally based. For instance... biggins is said that a few years ago "everyone wanted Banshee or Turner Dhr, then everyone wanted a VP-Free, etc..." But here in Colorado, I never really noticed a Banshee or Turner trend. Here we get Yeti (big time) and Specialized, some Kona's, a LOT of Santa Cruz, Intense.

Even here, it seems that trends of what people ride are really regional: i.e. a ton of people that live in Summit County (Keystone/Vail area) are riding Giant DH Teams, and a lot of Front Rangers are riding some sort of Santa Cruz (VP-Free, V-10, Blur 4X, all of them) or Specialized.

I think it's largely due to where manufacturers and teams are based: for instance, Yeti is located in Golden so we have a lot of them on the trails, but you hardly ever see a Brooklyn Machine Works (NYC) in Colorado. My guess is that Foes would be much more popular on the West Coast, near where they're made.

Also factor in price point: bikes that are more regionally "trendy" tend to be boutique, small company bikes and carry a higher tag (Yeti, BMW, Foes) and bikes that are trendy EVERYWHERE are more like "everyman" rides, like Specialized, Santa Cruz and Giant.

And of course, it could also be what the local shops carry. The shops in Summit County carry Giant, and thus a lot of Summit County riders seem to be rocking the DH Team or the Glory or whatever. Mojo Wheels in Denver is a huge Santa Cruz dealer, and is also the premier freeride/DH shop for the Front Range. Maybe the shops in biggins' (or your?) area carry certain brands, furthering the "trends" that you notice?

Okay, I really should be working now... I have to get some sh!t done so I can go to Deer Valley! Dang!

yeah thats just like california. in socal everyone and there mother has a turner DHR or an M3 but in norcal everyone has v10s with fox 40s

MikeD · Jul 4, 2006

When I was living in SoCal and riding at least once every weekend, and speding lots weekends up at Big Bear, this stuff was important to me. Now I just hope I can get a ride in sometime or other, on whatever I can ride on.

It's wierd...spent one single year not staying on top of the latest products online every day, and now when I go to the DH forum, it's half Greek to me.

MD

BurlyShirley · Jul 4, 2006

Bicyclist said:
Ummm, does Yeti's "special projects" ring a bell?

So because they make a couple limited editions they are all of a sudden more "boutique"? That's retarded.

Specialized has done much the same thing in the past w/ frames like the Enduro SX.

Boutique, ala FOES, and BMW has alot to do w/ cost and small amounts of product. Yeti makes plenty of cookie cutter frames just like SC. Get over it.

MMike · Jul 4, 2006

MikeD said:
It's wierd...spent one single year not staying on top of the latest products online every day, and now when I go to the DH forum, it's half Greek to me.

MD

Seriously.....How's Vouilloz doing this year BTW?

ioscope · Jul 4, 2006

I'll bet 29ers are a trend.

MikeD · Jul 4, 2006

MMike said:
Seriously.....How's Vouilloz doing this year BTW?

A real up-and-comer...I expect to see great things from this young man.

Full Trucker · Jul 4, 2006

BurlyShirley said:
So because they make a couple limited editions they are all of a sudden more "boutique"? That's retarded.

Specialized has done much the same thing in the past w/ frames like the Enduro SX.

Boutique, ala FOES, and BMW has alot to do w/ cost and small amounts of product. Yeti makes plenty of cookie cutter frames just like SC. Get over it.

Sorry friend, the point of my post was not to categorize each brand of bike as to whether they were boutique or not, but rather to put it out there for discussion the idea that "trends" of bikes is a regional phenomenon; based on where the manufacturers, their dealers, and their teams are located. Thusly, I put it out there that:

Yeti, whether or not you think they're a boutique builder (and admittedly they have qualities of both a boutique buidler and a 'big bike' company these days), is trendy in the Rocky Mountain region.

BMW's are seen primarily on the East Coast, and not as often in the Rockies or Cali. Also, when I think of an "East Coast" bike, I also think of Chumba Wunba for some reason, but that may be due to Lars Tribus being an East Coast guy and riding for them. I'm sure there are a bunch of Chumba's in Cali as well, but I think I know of a total of 1 or 2 here in the Rockies.

Foes are found much more often on the West Coast, it seems to me. As well as Intense being all SoCal oriented, although we get quite a few of them popping up at races here in Colorado as well.

Norco and Rocky Mountain = Canadia to me. Even though we have a few dealers in the area for these bikes, it seems that I rarely see them out on the trails or at the races. Or maybe it's just there's so many fvcking Yeti's and SC V-10's that I don't notice them? Anyways, maybe people on the coasts ride Norco and RM, but I don't notice them here, so the must be trendy somewhere else, right?

Conversely, brands like Giant, Specialized, and SC have the marketing power and price points to be trendy on a national/international level.

stevew · Jul 4, 2006

TN said:
Sorry, pal....All of the above have been around for waaaaayy too long to be trends. Try again.

...& I really don't drink much beer.

But being a prick on the internet....that may be a trend.

hahaha, just a little sensitive.

I don't recall ever being a prick to you, but whatever sunshine.

Bicyclist · Jul 4, 2006

BurlyShirley said:
So because they make a couple limited editions they are all of a sudden more "boutique"? That's retarded.

Specialized has done much the same thing in the past w/ frames like the Enduro SX.

Boutique, ala FOES, and BMW has alot to do w/ cost and small amounts of product. Yeti makes plenty of cookie cutter frames just like SC. Get over it.

The Enduro SX is nowhere like, say, the limited edition numbered 4X. But whatever floats your boat.

MikeD · Jul 4, 2006

Bunch of dudes fighting over whose boutique is more exclusive.

Not that there's anything wrong with that...

MD

Bicyclist · Jul 4, 2006

MikeD said:
Bunch of dudes fighting over whose boutique is more exclusive.

Not that there's anything wrong with that...

MD

Now that I stepped back and realized what I was argueing about, it's pretty ridiculous. :dead:

Sorry...

is it just me or are bike trends getting old?

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