I'd love to see you wheelie an E cargo bike with a haggis in it
What's the next thing the industry is going to come fuck up
- Thread starter William42
- Start date
Like in the frame bag?
Fun fact: In Kauai (that's an island, some call it Hawaii) Some local dudes stopped for me to cross an intersection. They totally didn't need to, but they did. So I gave them the shaka and pulled a sweet wheelie manual thing. They loved it.
I thought LLS geometry's ultimate goal was to fuck wheelies and manuals up.
SE have done an incredible job finding their niche among young cycling communities.
When I’m out in the suburbs there’s groups of kids riding the bike paths on them, in the city there’s whole groups of riders with various models of SE’s, some of them being ridden with intent, some just a cool accessory for the group as they go cruising.
Easily the brand I see the most of among teen to young adult audience. What with it being the Bay Area older (30+ age) commuter cyclists round here seem to gravitate to Surly, Soma, Rivendell, vintage Treks and Specializeds
I wish people would stop putting suspension forks on cargo style bikes.
A couple of friends have Rad Power bikes with front forks, they’re ineffective at best - and nowhere near sophisticated enough to deal with the fact that the combined rider/passenger/cargo weight can easily fluctuate by 100lbs depending on which parent and kid combo is on there.
On the model style you shared I have minimal experience on a rigid model, the bike was so long that you can’t even weight the front, so why bother with a suspension fork? It’s added weight, cost and complication.
Out here in the ‘burbs a cargo bike with kid carrying ability is a very real alternative to a car. I love mine, but my god there are some bad options available.
In South America SE is inexistent, so the local kids have derived a new kind of bike from their videos, they call them "stunt bikes". They are basically dirt jumpers (that never get jumped) with pegs. Used mostly for neck-breaking wheelies and slow speed manuals.
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This thread...
anyways, bikes have gotten so good that I think we're looking at a pivot of how the industry can sell you shit. Honestly a 130mm travel trail bike right off the showroom floor will mop the floor with anything 10 years old. It's nuts- bikes are light, have tires that can grip anything and still roll well, and make phenomenal use of their suspension unlike what was possible 14 years ago.
SO, the next step is to ruin everything by making everything even slacker, heavier, and more horrible so that you can buy a nice light bike 4 years from now. Spec is well on their way by [checks notes] a horrible proprietary shock. Make everything universal so you can't replace individual components. SRAM is well on their way with their UDH derailleur- you gotta buy everything if you want to run it. They did the same shit with road- new chain, cassette, freehub, shifters, derailleurs if you want to run any single component. Pretty soon you won't be able to piece your own ride together, it'll be buy as a unit or not at all.
anyways, bikes have gotten so good that I think we're looking at a pivot of how the industry can sell you shit. Honestly a 130mm travel trail bike right off the showroom floor will mop the floor with anything 10 years old. It's nuts- bikes are light, have tires that can grip anything and still roll well, and make phenomenal use of their suspension unlike what was possible 14 years ago.
SO, the next step is to ruin everything by making everything even slacker, heavier, and more horrible so that you can buy a nice light bike 4 years from now. Spec is well on their way by [checks notes] a horrible proprietary shock. Make everything universal so you can't replace individual components. SRAM is well on their way with their UDH derailleur- you gotta buy everything if you want to run it. They did the same shit with road- new chain, cassette, freehub, shifters, derailleurs if you want to run any single component. Pretty soon you won't be able to piece your own ride together, it'll be buy as a unit or not at all.
now do CUES
Donno that dude looks quite a bit cooler than your average mountain biker to be honest
When did you last ride a 130mm trail bike from 10years ago.
They were generally lighter and their tyres often had quite a bit lower rolling resistance.
II the last 10 years the Enduro craze guided the whole industry towards making very specific use trail bikes. Heavier and more capable downhill but climbable.
Efficiency wise they're generally pretty shit climbers compared to what was the norm for an all-mountain bike a decade or two ago and they're kinda a chore for traditional undulating natural mountainbiking too.
I wouldn't dream of taking my 2024 29" trail bike out around the miles and miles of local flatter/undulating singletrack from my door. Whereas my 8yr old strongwheel™ Capra is still fun to ride on those trails. Because It's 8.5lb lighter, it's tyres have waaay less rolling resistance, it's way shorter and it's seat tube angle isn't super steep.
Both bikes are carbon with fairly similar builds bar the tyres. (160mm granted but most modern 130mm bikes really are barely any lighter)
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Yeah, all good points.
Now you're justifying my jackassery around getting a frame, then piece buy all the other things.
And by they by. I'm going size L. By manu specs, I should be XL. Nah. I mean, it's okay. But I'm old skool. Have done the lower, slacker, heavier thing. It's ok. But yeah.
The more they make the trails easier, the less bike you need. You heard it hear first.
Grown men impressing people with wheelies is like grown men impressing people with their Carolina Squat.
Isn't grown men impressing other grown men with stuff the base of capitalism ?
What the heck is that?
There are plenty of things I'd love the Sheriff to measure, but that ain't one.
Did you ever stop to think some grown adults just enjoy wheelies?
I'd probably ride a bike a whole lot less if it wasn't for my enjoyment of wheelies
I rode past some school kids a couple of weeks back and a couple yelled "Do a wheelie!"
Seemed telling them that I'm too fat and old wasn't good enough.
So I did a wheelie and got to a couple with a pram and told them the kids made me do a wheelie, hahaha!
I saw a kid last week get his 1000W E-lounge up for a wheelie and the top out clunk his USD fork made was horrifying.
I enjoyed night time manuals when I was younger, spin out my 38-11 top gear and yank the bar up.
There are a lot of words here.
I last rode my BMC (2014 150mm enduro bike) in 2023. It was set up as a 135mm trail bike.
I built up my ICAN for 2024. The ICAN is a 115mm XC/trail bike that's got modern geometry, suspension, shock rate, etc.
The build kits are identical aside from tires and rear shock. The rear shock went from a DHX2 or monarch plus to a deluxe ultimate rear shock
The ICAN can comfortably do everything the BMC could do with less travel and less weight. Grip is excellent with DHR2/Dissector and fast with Dissector/Syerra tires.
My point is that bikes have gotten really, really good. People still THINK they need 150mm of travel and double down casings with inserts and coil shocks, but they could probably rock a much simpler bike and be just as capable, as the industry has pushed enduro as The Next Best Thing® .
So, because they are so good there's little reason to upgrade, unless you want to get lighter or your hand is forced because your 12s freehub is no longer compatible with SRAM's new 13s cassette, so you need new cranks and a new dropper as well.
i agree that bikes, in general, are extremely capable and durable these days. that said, i think most people are "overbiked" not as a goal in and of itself, but as a byproduct of only owning a single mountain bike (for whatever their reasons may be; i absolutely think cost is a factor) and need something that is suitable for all the trails / terrain they ride. which results in them being inherently overbiked for some of the trails they ride.
Yeah. I often get the odd shout from a kid to do a wheelie too... Would be poor form to disappoint. IMO
On shared paths a nice high slow paced wheelie tends to gives on comers a quick heads up a bike is coming. (believe me. many need more than that) so they actually move over. I ALWAYS say thank you. and depending on the look on their faces I'll drop the front out of respect. But if they're smiling and look like they're enjoying the show I'll say hi and keep it up until I'm way out of sight.
Dunno if that'd be considered showing off. don't really care.
I'd say this has always been the case TBF. Back in the late 90s when I was a fairly decent downhiller on our first ever trip to Morzine we met a sound bunch of English guys/racers. who knew a lot of the trails. Half way through our trip my DH bikes rear triangle snapped. I had a 100mm hardtail with V brakes in the van so rode that for the last 5 days. Rode everything everybody else rode on their DH bikes and wasn't actually that much slower. Just more fatigued.
On here lots of us were fucking around with shorter travel bikes and modifying them to be slacker/lower so they handled DH better etc. Even 25 years+ back
Huh? Most bikes stopped being light 8 years ago. The others stopped 2 years ago. I'm unaware of any stock bikes that are as light as their older siblings. Even the newest generation Scott frames are heavier than the last, and to build them light you have to use 8 year old drivetrains.
I like most of the new bike features but to build mine light they've gotten very expensive and I never see anyone else with a light bike. I feel like the industry is acclimating everyone to heavy bikes so they'll adopt ebikes.
HA. Okay, so this was in Crested Butte. Race weekend. After said race. There was always a group of locals that would always yell at riders that were riding thru the village (by the bar/restaurant/deck)
"DO A TRICK!"
It was almost like a right of passage.
LMAO.
And oh man, being cheered on by a bunch of kids. That's good feels right there. That was more towards Gary's comment.
"DO A TRICK!"
It was almost like a right of passage.
LMAO.
And oh man, being cheered on by a bunch of kids. That's good feels right there. That was more towards Gary's comment.
I know we live in the same general area, so I’ll give my two cents on that. I am all in on longer travel trail bikes with DH casing tires and a coil shock. Because the stuff I enjoy riding calls for it. I don’t enjoy and never have enjoyed flat, undulating trails. Or pedaling to get miles in. I enjoy big drops, technical dh lines even if it means pushing up to get to the goods, steep rollers. Feature trails I guess. I know there’s not a ton of that local to us, but for me, Nam, Lincoln Woods, Diamond Hill, Arrowhead that’s the stuff I love. And I can’t be bothered with a lighter casing tire if it means fixing a flat in the woods. I’d rather eliminate that scenario if it means a weight penalty. And coils, I’ve just always preferred them over an air shock on all my bikes. I’ve dabbled with air shocks on my last two trail bikes and always end up back on a coil. I’m sure a shorter travel bike would be fun as fuck at some places, but I really like having that extra squish there when it’s needed. I’ve found 160-165 to be my sweet spot for a trail bike.
you even film yourself while doing it you show off
To be honest, there's nothing in mountain biking that is as much a distilled joy killer as some keeping up with the jones's Fred telling me I don't need all that suspension and that downcountry bikes are where its at (and their even more annoying siblings the gravel riders doing the same shit) and enduro bikes are too much for a do everything bike, that single ply casing with minimal tread is the way to go because once you finish the trail you can pedal to the parking lot on the fireroad faster, making the bike net faster, or that DH bikes are obsolete because modern enduro bikes can do everything a DH bike can.
Those motherfuckers have been around for as long as I've been riding, but it feels like they've proliferated in recent years. I'd rather spend time with a techbro who buys a kenevo to ride on a bike path around tahoe than another goober who can't ride for shit telling me that I could make some climb I don't give a shit about go faster if I road a rigid bike with a dildo saddle.
I don't give a shit about what techniques you use to optimize your strava times on the local XC loop. I don't give a shit that you find a hardtail is better for your overall lap time because you're able to make up a lot of time on the mile and a half of paved bike path connector section even if it makes you a little slower here and there on the trail. I don't give a shit about your power meter readings. I don't give a shit that you can get to the top of the hill faster than me. I don't give a shit that you started riding 4 years ago and now know everything there is to know about bikes. Because if you're out there having a fun time, I'm happy for you.
Please return that favor and don't try to explain to me what I'm doing wrong.
Anyway ask me how my last group ride went!
Those motherfuckers have been around for as long as I've been riding, but it feels like they've proliferated in recent years. I'd rather spend time with a techbro who buys a kenevo to ride on a bike path around tahoe than another goober who can't ride for shit telling me that I could make some climb I don't give a shit about go faster if I road a rigid bike with a dildo saddle.
I don't give a shit about what techniques you use to optimize your strava times on the local XC loop. I don't give a shit that you find a hardtail is better for your overall lap time because you're able to make up a lot of time on the mile and a half of paved bike path connector section even if it makes you a little slower here and there on the trail. I don't give a shit about your power meter readings. I don't give a shit that you can get to the top of the hill faster than me. I don't give a shit that you started riding 4 years ago and now know everything there is to know about bikes. Because if you're out there having a fun time, I'm happy for you.
Please return that favor and don't try to explain to me what I'm doing wrong.
Anyway ask me how my last group ride went!
The counterpoint to that is when I (or anyone else) gets on a "downhill" trail that ends up being done faster on an Epic EVO than the enduro-bros, simply because of the rolling speed of the tires....which means it wasn't really a downhill trail in the first place if rolling speed opens up that kind of gap.
If that's all it takes to ruin your day, I'm happy to maintain that.
If that's all it takes to ruin your day, I'm happy to maintain that.
horses for courses vs 1 bike to rule them all. pike a side, be a dick about it.
I don't think I've met the people you are talking about.
I'm only going to have a go at people for doing it wrong if they have stem spacers and a drop stem.
On the last five or six rides that people have stopped for a chat not one has been on an E-bike, and I think that's fantastic.
The only E-biker who has spoken to me was pinning it on a ~1000W Dirodi yelling "Keep Left", I really hope those things cause asshole cancer.