Talent vs Travel

[rouxtjie]

i just wish i had the bucks to afford a dualie and a hardtail........not too sure about rigid though...did enough of that back in the early 90's when there was no choice unless you goeeied huge bucks at it

Its a gas...give it go, you won't be sorry

[(Deon)]

Here's the answer to your question: Look at what Akrigg is riding here...

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fohPU3pDpFU

 

Thanks Nishiki, now I can't work..

 

Better get on my bike for 2 hours to get it out my system! I love having my office at the foot of the hill!

[Stretch]

Its a gas...give it go, you won't be sorry

 

when i convert my old haro to SS, it will basically be a rigid as the fork is as about as useful as tits on a bull

[Headshot]

I ride a 100/120mm dually - its been kitted out with short stem and the longer fork gives it a slacker head angle. It does okay as an AM bike but requires far more care on the rough stuff than a 150 mm travel bike.

 

I didnt really understand the difference until I swopped bikes with a friend and rode his 150mm Kona Abravadabra. It was literally like magic. Bumps disappeared and the effort required to negotiate rocky singletrack was vastly reduced.He was keen to swop back after less than 0.5 km. It felt much like my first ride on the 100mm bike after years on a hardtail.

 

Some of it is supension sttings, but with extra travel you can run front and back softer than you can on a 100mm bike and still not bottom out on jumps and drops...

 

I don't see the longer travel bike requiring less skill. It will save your bacon at times, as people point out, but if you are a vaguely aggressive rider, what it will do is increase your speed to well over anything you'd achieve on a short travel bike. So, you'll go faster and reach the limits of the long travel bike as well - you'll just be going a lot faster when you stack it into the ground...

[DR ◣◢]

I am really confused .... why would you JHB boys want travel in the first place for the gravel riding that you do

 

HUGE MOFO STIR BEFORE I GO ON LEAVE LATER TODAY

 

Bragging rights.

[I FLY]

Rigid hardtail....exposes your weaknesses. Get on a 100mm travel bike after 2-3 months of that and it feel like you Mr Min.

 

I rode a rigid steel mtb for my first two years of cycling as I could not afford anything else.

 

It was excellent schooling

[Iwan Kemp]

Interesting article on Pinkbike. I know a number of people here would agree with this, and with wheel size also being a factor masking lack of skill

 

http://www.pinkbike.... 2012 600k-650k

 

So lets open the debate. I personally will ride a LT bike in to things I would never ride a hardtail or 100mm bike. It masks all sorts of fialings. Maybe we should focus more on getitng the people to ride HT first...

Travel is the by-product. It's head angle that saves our bacon when things go south. We should all start on a BMX. That'll teach us to bunny-hop without "pulling" on the pedals. It'll teach us to manual and "pump". Moving to a rigid bike will teach us to pick line better and to rail a berm / corner better. Then when we ride our first bike with a suspension fork we will have most skill needed nailed to survive a trail. All we need to do then is use or arms and legs for "suspension" and look the hell up.

 

Sure wish I had...