there is perfectly good reason for dc"s a on hardtails. anyone whose ridden lynn woods knows. but where talking an oblivious jackass who gives a......................
Uh, don't ask R.C.
- Thread starter Ridemonkey
- Start date
Those little sentences are so friggin' retarded! That reminds me of the one from March or April 2003 where it says something like, "He needed a bike that could drop off cliffs between races, and costs less than $3500. RC nailed it by suggesting..."
It doesn't take a genius to "nail it." In fact, any idiot with a slight knowledge of the industry could suggest a $3500 downhill bike.
What is the point of e-mailing Ask RC and waiting a long time to possibly get his semi-worthless opinion, when you could just call your favorite bike shop and get an instant reply?
Really, I think that guy is a jerk!
U dude over here has spotted a number of similarities in different articles.
He wrote a letter to RC, no answer yet:
He wrote a letter to RC, no answer yet:
I'm dating myself here but back in the day when the Manitou EFC was a DH fork with 3" travel, I owned a bike made by RC's company, Mantis -- the Mantis Pro-floater, supposedly one of the baddest-ass of the badass bikes of the day.
But it sucked harder than the suckingest sucks that ever sucked. My friend's Kona Sex (remember that?) was a zillion times better, so it wasn't just outdated tech -- it was fundamentally bad design and I was a fundamentally idiotic consumer for buying it. I went back to hardtails for 5 years after that.
But it sucked harder than the suckingest sucks that ever sucked. My friend's Kona Sex (remember that?) was a zillion times better, so it wasn't just outdated tech -- it was fundamentally bad design and I was a fundamentally idiotic consumer for buying it. I went back to hardtails for 5 years after that.
Because if you live where I live and ask the LBS guys q's, you would, 9 out of 10 times, be walking out with a King headset, santa cruz frame, raceface northshore dh crankset, and the most expensive helmet on the face of the earth, no matter what your budget is.
Yeah, there's also a shop like that near my house. Fortunately, I've gotten savvy enough (and poor enough) that I never completely trust the guy who works there.
By the way, you ought to cite For Whom the Bell Tolls (Metallica) for the quote in your signature thingy.
consider it done
Back to RC. His articles in the Feb. MBA Tech sections are pretty darn good. I got to admit though that some of the answers in "Ask RC" are pretty funny sometimes.
He really does know a lot about technical stuff; it's too bad that he embarrasses himself so badly in Ask R.C.
Q. RC, I am purchasing a Bighit Expert this year but don't want to get rid of my '96 Stumpjumper M2FS comp. The bike is in good shape but lacks in the way of the new tech developments over that last few years. I would like to upgrade the Gripshifts to the new LX or XT shifters, same goes for the brakes. The problem is that I don't know if my XT rear hub will mate with the new 9 speed cassette? Obviously the rear derailleur would need to be swapped as well, does anything have to be done to the front derailleur?
chris.malden@sasktel.net - 3/10/2004 9:19:48 PM
A. Chris, Keep your Stumpy and buy a Specialized Enduro to go bumping and jumping. RC
did he miss the question entierly?
chris.malden@sasktel.net - 3/10/2004 9:19:48 PM
A. Chris, Keep your Stumpy and buy a Specialized Enduro to go bumping and jumping. RC
did he miss the question entierly?
So it's better to write and get a crackpot answer based on whimsy and whatever product is advertising most in MBA that month, instead of advice based on personal experience of the shop guys?
Not saying shop guys aren't interested in selling you stuff to make profit (or pushing whatever happens to be on the sales floor), but they also don't want you back on their doorstep complaining that something broke. And they still can't force you to buy stuff that's outside of your budget...
This is why salesmen of all sorts aren't always the best places to get product info. Good ones are, but they're few and far between.
MD
If by personal experience you mean a bumch of 15 year-olds who has never heard the word velo-news, if you mean the roadie old guys who never heard of FSA, if you mean the guys so much in allegiance to Santa Cruz bikes that they will convince you that you will die riding an Iron Horse, then no I will not trust them.
I think RC deserves a lot more credit than some of us give him. No one is perfect.
My point was that both of them could be pretty suspect...it came across differently...but that the shop guys could at least be held *somewhat* accountable for what they tell you. Also, the idea of 'forcing' someone to buy something out of their budget made me laugh. "No! NO FSA HEADSET FOR YOU!" They're salesmen, and will push their most expensive product, duh.
Personally, I'm with you...I don't use an LBS. Haven't found but 2 occasions where they were helpful.
However, that's 2 more times than RC has made sense. I found it rare (when I read MBA) to find even a coherent, relevant answer to a question in that column.
MD
Mike, I'm not trying to dispute your point. The truth is though, that R.C.'s column in MBA magazine, not the website, are actually quite helpful when it comes to XC products. He can diagonose problem on a mechanic point of view for FREE when he hasn't even seen the parts that are in questions of, and if you actaully read the magazine, and if you are a pure xc rider, his advices strike me as some what helpful. But i tun my deaf ear to him when the discussion turns to any bike with a fork of 5+inch travel.
Nick
I couldnt stop thinking of this post when I was reading this joke from The Onion:
http://www.theonion.com/onion3205/navyseal.html
http://www.theonion.com/onion3205/navyseal.html
Hilarious. I like this week's headline: "Bush to American Unemployed: Get a Job!"
I'm a huge Onion fan.....and the Brits think us Muricans lack clever sarcasm. Hey, maybe RC is taking the piss?
I'm a huge Onion fan.....and the Brits think us Muricans lack clever sarcasm. Hey, maybe RC is taking the piss?
oh r.c i think walmart is having a sale on barbasol so stock up guy,cause your legs can never be smooth enough
Have any of you seen R.C.s latest?
Q: What do you think about the Haro 8.3 as a stunt/jump bike?
R.C.: If you are into hardtails, the 8.3 is a perfect jumping bike. Youll need to upgrade the fork to a beefier, longer stroke type, like the marzocchi 888, before you start launching north shore type stunts.
HAHA
also, someone asks about how to set up the suspension on their 03 yeti asx, and rc tells them how to set up the fork with SPV, even though the fork that comes stock on 03 ASXs is the breakout with TPC+. He shouldnt assume the rider has the breakout plus.
R.C. is only one reason why I will let my subscription to MBA expire, and I will switch to a decent mag like decline.
Q: What do you think about the Haro 8.3 as a stunt/jump bike?
R.C.: If you are into hardtails, the 8.3 is a perfect jumping bike. Youll need to upgrade the fork to a beefier, longer stroke type, like the marzocchi 888, before you start launching north shore type stunts.
HAHA
also, someone asks about how to set up the suspension on their 03 yeti asx, and rc tells them how to set up the fork with SPV, even though the fork that comes stock on 03 ASXs is the breakout with TPC+. He shouldnt assume the rider has the breakout plus.
R.C. is only one reason why I will let my subscription to MBA expire, and I will switch to a decent mag like decline.
well, let's see. R.C. was definitely right about the haro 8,3 being a good dirt jump bike, I've tried it for street situations and it's very nimble.
and then on the other hand, he is not completely wrong about the long travel fork for the shore type stunts, why do you think kona and norco are slapping on 6-inch travel DC forks on their DT's for the hsore. granted, a 888 woould be overkill. But he has the generally right idea.
on the second one, did the reader tell him which fork he was running? if he doesn't tell RC, is RC supposd to be Ms Cleo to know which fork is on there?
yeah, let's all jump on the wagon and point out the instances where RC's wrong and conclude he is a jackass
I prefer to call it "Man on Bike Action."
The only reason I read ANY Mountain Bike Magazine is because it's about...
MOUNTAIN BIKING. I read every publication I can get my hands on.
Especially during the winter months here in Colorado when you cant ride because it's snowing. I go thru withdrawls without being able to Ride.
So If I can't Ride, I might as well either buy Videos and watch in Envy or Read every mountain biking publication I can get my hands on!
I guess the Key is to take what you can use from the magazines and leave the rest.
I do.
MOUNTAIN BIKING. I read every publication I can get my hands on.
Especially during the winter months here in Colorado when you cant ride because it's snowing. I go thru withdrawls without being able to Ride.
So If I can't Ride, I might as well either buy Videos and watch in Envy or Read every mountain biking publication I can get my hands on!
I guess the Key is to take what you can use from the magazines and leave the rest.
I do.
I am still amazed by the fact that people actually go to the trouble of writing and sending an e-mail and waiting months for a response, when the question was along the lines of, "How much air pressure should I run in my shock if I weigh 180 lbs?" I do like MBA's reviews, but you definitely have to wade through a lot of stupid editorialization, not too mention the fact that, as we all know, anything made by Intense, Santa Cruz, Foes, Ellsworth, or Turner will always get a perfect review.
However, I do have a couple suggestions for them, having read their review of the 2003 AS-X, and an issue a few months later:
1) Fix your scale! They said that the AS-X with the factory build kit (with a Sherman single crown) weighs about 42 lbs, which is ridiculous.
2) In the review, they repeatedly griped about the AS-X weighing so much (which was obviously a mental thing, because it really doesn't), yet a few months later, they praised it as one of the best freeride bikes on the market.
However, I do have a couple suggestions for them, having read their review of the 2003 AS-X, and an issue a few months later:
1) Fix your scale! They said that the AS-X with the factory build kit (with a Sherman single crown) weighs about 42 lbs, which is ridiculous.
2) In the review, they repeatedly griped about the AS-X weighing so much (which was obviously a mental thing, because it really doesn't), yet a few months later, they praised it as one of the best freeride bikes on the market.
I hate having to admit that I own the same ride as that jerk. I saw a picture of him and his tracer in the magazine, and now I'd like to get rid of mine. I feel so... dirty
Is he a tool for big business or is he just a ackjass who gets paid to spout his mouth
Is he a tool for big business or is he just a ackjass who gets paid to spout his mouth
Q. I HAVE RECENTLY PURCHASED A LE TOY III FROM 24BICYCLES WHITCH HAS A BMX BOTTOM BRACKET, I ALSO PURCHASED A SET OF PROFILE DJ CRANKS. RIGHT NOW IT IS NOT BUILT UP BUT IT WILL BE AS SOON AS I GET MY MAIL ORDER PARTS. I JUST WANTED TO KNOW IF YOU GUYS KNOW OF A WAY I COULD RUN TWO RINGS AND A BASH GUARD WITH AN LRP CHAIN TENTIONER, WITHOUT USING A MTB ADAPTER. I TRIED TO CONTACT MTNSPEED VIA EMAIL BUT TO NO AVAIL. MAYBE YOU GUYS HAVE SOME INSIDE INFO ON THE SUBJECT I ALSO HAVE A FEW FREINDS OF MINE WITH THE SAME STYLE BB.. I WOULD LOVE TO HAVE A BETTER GEAR RANGE THAN JUST 8SPD WITH A SINGLE RING. HELP US PLEASE. PS I LOVE THE MAGAZINE KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK I WOULDNT CHANGE A THING. AZ BURTON BROOKLYN NY
AZBKNJBX@AOL.COM - 12/2/2001 9:18:57 PM
A. AZ, Buy a standard crank adaptor at a Pro BMX shop and switch over to a TruVativ crankset (low buck--good crank). That should solve your problems. A standard Chain idler should fit once you have a screw-in bottom bracket in the adaptor. RC
"WITHOUT USING AN MTB ADAPTER."
just grind out the hole on the iscg adapter, and press the bb cup over the adapter.
AZBKNJBX@AOL.COM - 12/2/2001 9:18:57 PM
A. AZ, Buy a standard crank adaptor at a Pro BMX shop and switch over to a TruVativ crankset (low buck--good crank). That should solve your problems. A standard Chain idler should fit once you have a screw-in bottom bracket in the adaptor. RC
"WITHOUT USING AN MTB ADAPTER."
just grind out the hole on the iscg adapter, and press the bb cup over the adapter.
The said boyfriend wrote to MBA in a later issue and said that she actually bought him a bike (but I thought he had recommended the $3000 Mono frame, not the complete bike).hucker13 said:
By the way, I think RC has possibly the worst haircut I've ever seen.
Definitely--it was probably $6000+ by the time he built it up. That's way more than my bike, and a lot of others', as well. On the other hand, racing beginner class on a custom Foes Mono gives the other racers plenty of license to call him a poseur!
Q. Q: I ride an '04 Specialized S-Works Enduro with the Brain shock, and I'm thinking about getting an ID cartridge from Stratos for the Fox TALAS fork to make the bike feel more even, but I'm afraid it's going to feel unnatural and I'm worried about being able to preload it for jumps. What do you think? Also, the XTR brakes have given me nothing but trouble, they don't give me nearly as much power as I need, and they get really hot. I'm either going to get some Saint calipers, or I could get some 8 rotors, but that wouldnt solve the reliability issues. I'm primarily a cross-country racer and I'm worried about modulation for either choice. I weigh 170. Thanks!
Trenton/mbaction.com - 3/29/2005 7:06:35 AM
A. RC: Switching to a larger diameter rotor will help cool your overheating problem and will give you more stopping power too. Addling the Stratos inertia-valve damper to the fork will keep your Enduro riding level through the turns and boost the pedaling platform. DT/Swiss makes an adaptor that will allow you to upgrade to any bolt-type rotor, but you'll need a riser adaptor to get the XTR caliper to fit the larger discs.
Trenton/mbaction.com - 3/29/2005 7:06:35 AM
A. RC: Switching to a larger diameter rotor will help cool your overheating problem and will give you more stopping power too. Addling the Stratos inertia-valve damper to the fork will keep your Enduro riding level through the turns and boost the pedaling platform. DT/Swiss makes an adaptor that will allow you to upgrade to any bolt-type rotor, but you'll need a riser adaptor to get the XTR caliper to fit the larger discs.
And the point of the last post (which dug up an evil memory btw) was??
Hey! Who let N8 out of the politics forum?
D
d-sop
Guest
damnit. then why the hell do i subscribe to mba? how does one subscribe to decline?
Mountain Bike Action is a joke. I wouldn't trust any magazine who uses Moe Hutchinson as a test rider...