The Argument For Short Travel Bikes (article on Pinkbike)

[geecee]

haha yup and as i said felt more than comfortable on my bike. actually preferred it overall.

 

i still havent fixed it yet... yes its been that long since i have ridden

[Audible Anarchy]

As someone still learning how to tackle the heavy technical stuff more easily - i got an opportunity to borrow a full sus AM bike (150mm) for a burner and managed it hit stuff id never even come close to making on my humble hardtail. Theyre much more forgiving, but to be honest not a very rewarding experience - id rather duke it out on my hardtail and know that it was me and my skill that got me over those rocks than the fact that i could just point the bike and hold on.

[Guest Omega Man]

Then you look at whistler ... and a lot of parks overseas - although they have proper steep stuff and some insane gnarly trails - a lot of the trails are groomed to perfection and could even be ridden on a short-travel bike. Maybe not as fast as on a big bike - but then you look at what Semenuk and those okes jump on a tiny 4inch travel slopestyle bike or hardtail!!!

 

If i went overseas to ride and had to take only one bike - id take an Enduro-style bike - so you can ride up and down

(and i know i'll here a rant from the Morzine locals "omegaman" ... hahaha)

 

Look at the Air-DH at Whistler - and the A-line race - my mate who was there for 6 months said he rode A-line everyday ... and a lot of okes were riding it on full DH rigs and SUCKED! ... He said a good trail bike was king on that track! Think of Lopes on his Ibis Mojo has dominated that event!

Ok let's get a few things straight here. A Line is hardly a fair representation of a downhill track. And. I'm seriously considering taking my Reign to Morzine next year. There's lots of AM style trails there. So you are wrong. HA!

 

In France there's loads of guys on 160-170mm travel bikes out there having a blast. However. For a saffa heading out there you'd want to be on a full dh bike if you have it. There's so much free verticle with the lift system and there are plenty of REAL dh tracks to test your bike and your balls.

 

Even the bike parky stuff in Chatel is steep. Proper steep. You'd still have a blast on an AM bike but your body would take a hammering like never before.

[nigelhicks]

A Line is hardly a fair representation of a downhill track.

 

 

Really??? but then why do all the A-Line locals on Pink Bike whinge about PMB being an Enduro course????! ....

Edited November 28, 2012 by nigelhicks

[braailegend]

Agree with this article. This year is the first year I own a Full sus, always Had DJ and BMX's. Hardtails gives you smoothness and skill, just bombing down a line is not what its about, its about finding the sweetspots in you line, which a Hardtail learns you the hard way.

[nigelhicks]

You'd still have a blast on an AM bike but your body would take a hammering like never before.

 

So with that logic ... you making the bike do the work for you .... have you placed your order for a 29er XC bike here to make the trails easier to ride too ?? hahahahaaha

[Guest Omega Man]

Really??? but then why do all the A-Line locals on Pink Bike whinge about PMB being an Enduro course????! ....

Haha. Touche. The funny thing is everybody gets down on PMB but Leogang has a kaaaak long flat pedally bit with huge jumps in it. And so does Fort William. Pleney which has been used many many times and European and French cup level has a long ass road right at the bottom. If you want it you gotta get on the gas. PMB is no different

[Guest Omega Man]

So with that logic ... you making the bike do the work for you .... have you placed your order for a 29er XC bike here to make the trails easier to ride too ?? hahahahaaha

No bru. The Alps truly tests a bike and rider. You do 75-80km of dh a day for 10 days and see how your body feels. When we were over there we were all commenting that we realized what our bikes were actually built for.

[HowellingWulf]

Some of the arguments are valid. What really grates my cheese is when you okes use the guy on the R60k carbon bike with all the bells and whistles as an example. Are you really that bitter? Do you also bitch and moan about successful people who are able to afford Ferraris but cant drive like Alonso whilst driving your very own Atos?!?

[Guest Omega Man]

Some of the arguments are valid. What really grates my cheese is when you okes use the guy on the R60k carbon bike with all the bells and whistles as an example. Are you really that bitter? Do you also bitch and moan about successful people who are able to afford Ferraris but cant drive like Alonso whilst driving your very own Atos?!?

100%. It cost R120k FFS.

[xtcman]

Thinking about investing in a DH or AM bike to improve my skill on the XC bike.

[nigelhicks]

Some of the arguments are valid. What really grates my cheese is when you okes use the guy on the R60k carbon bike with all the bells and whistles as an example. Are you really that bitter? Do you also bitch and moan about successful people who are able to afford Ferraris but cant drive like Alonso whilst driving your very own Atos?!?

 

Rick ... i think you missing the point i was trying to get across ... which was that MTB (here and overseas - no matter the discipline) is often a pissing contest ... Customers used to come in and say "my mate has this bike ... i want something better" ... you try and sell him what WOULD be the right bike for him .. but the fact is he already thinks hes a pro and knows better ....

 

Its not a bitch or a moan at all!! ... dude .. if you have the tom and wanna splash out go for it! ... I was merely saying that for 99% of the riders, here and overseas ... we out-buy ourselves as we think that XTR will make us faster ... which it doesnt ... The issue ... if there was one ... (as this was not part of this discussion actually) would not be the fact that "Joe" has the business sense of Donald Trump and has a nett worth of a billion and therefore decides to buy a 60k bike as his first bike (which he puts through the company as a delivery bike as a tax dodge * ) ... its the attitude that often goes along with it that he is better than anyone else cus of his bike ...

 

BUT we digress from the ACTUAL topic .. that is ...... for Joe ... would a Std issue trail bike serve the same purpose as a top end DH or XC bike (dependant on his discipline of course) ... and I'd say YES it would as Joe ... like most of us ... never really use a bike to its full potential.

 

...

 

* (RE - the tax dodge thing ..)... this is a true story .. one of my mates actually did this - hahahahaha

Edited November 28, 2012 by nigelhicks

[Beer4Recovery]

Some of the arguments are valid. What really grates my cheese is when you okes use the guy on the R60k carbon bike with all the bells and whistles as an example. Are you really that bitter? Do you also bitch and moan about successful people who are able to afford Ferraris but cant drive like Alonso whilst driving your very own Atos?!?

 

Yup, that exact guy who gets off his 60k bike when approaching a curb-height drop or ankle-deep water, then stops at the side of the track and don't know which way his Co2 bomb connects to the valve, and asks what is a thru-axle or a bottom bracket. That same guy also rides 2-3 times a month, and you can find him at the front of a starting pack only to finish when they pack up the hot-dog stands, and then gets into his 800k SUV that is parked in a disabled zone.

 

Just like that Ferrari guy I saw the other day who did 200km/h and parked it 300m off the road in the field.

 

I'm not bitter, just thinking "pfff.... look at that idiot"

 

Do it for the fun - not to impress others - the cost sometimes far outweigh the skill.

Edited November 28, 2012 by BearManGuy

[nigelhicks]

i think this is the best bit of the article ...

 

"Before you read this, you should know that all of us here at Pinkbike ride for the very same reason that you do: fun. Some of us have enough fun by simply going out for an easy ride, others get the most enjoyment from progressing to bigger and bigger jumps and drops, and still others smile the most after a leg-burning, lung-exploding climb that leaves the taste of vomit in their mouths - different strokes for different folks. Despite what it might read like below, I'm not trying to rain on anyone's parade. With that in mind, the words beneath this disclaimer are intended to open a discussion on just how much sense downhill bikes make for the majority of riders. Read it, think about it, and then weigh in with your own thoughts. Now that we're done with the E-hugs.

 

hahahaha - TOPS!! so true ...

[LazyTrailRider]

Valid arguments on both sides here.

 

Like Nige, I learnt to ride on a rigid bike in 1989, then a hardtail with a 50mm fork, then a 75mm fork, and so forth. In general, I'm a much more in-control rider today because I got the basics right without fancy suspension. Like he said, we were racing DH in the late nineties with 4" of travel.

 

BUT, having recently returned to DH (and still sucking due to my almost 10 year absence), I've been amazed by how much new skill I've learnt in a few months by having a proper 8" DH bike. Stuff I would never have even attempted on my 5.5" bike previously. Now though, I would, because I know what's possible, and becoming comfortable with it on the big bike with its forgiveness has made a world of difference.

 

Case in point: My brother has rapidly become a very good DH rider over the last year, and now when we go out with his trail bike, he absolutely rips on it. I mean, the guy launches and properly clears all the road gaps at Conters on his Meta 5.5! Yes, it's borderline pushing it for the bike, but I don't think he would have even thought about attempting it had he not learnt to do it on the 10" Intense first.

 

Either way, long or short travel, I will keep on riding all my bikes: hardtail, 5.5" and 8"!

Edited November 28, 2012 by MH for short

[DJR]

Beware the "one bike Guy"!

 

He'll probably beat "Mr chop and change" at most kinds of riding because he knows that one bike like the contours of his beloved! I know a few of those guys and they are all very very good riders.

 

One extreme example of the breed is Mountain Cycle dude who rides up and down anything Tokai has to offer and did a few Arguses on it as well, knobblies and all.

 

Then I'm not even mentioning Reign man! He makes a lot of XC race snakes look bad while climbing. He joins us (racing tortoises) going up to the Mast every so often but he can keep up with the downhill rigs just about everywhere. Every couple of years, when he feels weak, he rides the Argus on it.

 

Beware!

Edited November 28, 2012 by DJR