Have all the goodies to build an XC mtb. I’ve read a lot of good things about the chisel but not a lot of reviews of the procal.. I will be slapping a 120mm fork on either . What y’all think ?
Is there a way I can configure or tune FA to recognize when I stand up, even on flat terrain, and get it to lock?
I’ve heard mustard packets work well too
I have been trying for some time now and was wondering whether or not it is as easy to learn as on e.g. an enduro. Ik it is possible as I've seen it and done it 3 times, but I just can't get the right spot for my weight.
I just built up this frame and the rear tire rubs slightly when climbing out of the saddle. Currently has 30MM wide rims and 2.25 Maxxis Ardent in the rear. Looking for a fast rolling XC tire for dry east coast trail. I'm thinking rekon race or Aspen 2.25 if they run a few mm narrow. Also, tan or black?
Bigger wheels and shorter cranks made it right bike for exploring
I have a gravel bike with AXS and it has been nothing but problems for me. Now I want to replace my 2014 Kona Hei Hei Supreme with a new XC bike. I would like a higher end spec but I want mechanical shifting. Is this hard to find? Will I need to do a custom build?
Contemplating getting a used 2024 Oiz M10 for my daughter that races. She has been on a Scott scale with all high end components , constant upgrades over 3 years. She's fast on it , but really want to put her on a full suspension as she is getting more and more aggressive, longer rides , less fatigue, etc.
Do would the oiz m10 be a good bike for her? It's a small she's 5'2 115/120 kitted and getting taller. We will have it fit for her when we get it. So no issues there. But I'm general would it be a good solid option
I have ridden both and both are lovely. I am coming from an Specalized Chisel FS. If I went with the epic I would swap my Sid over. I am looking to do this for Marji Gesick and Ozark Gravel doom. Most of my trails are in the CAMBA area in Wisconsin.
Hello,
I am in the market for a new mtb and trying to justify a epic 8. Just moved back to Colorado and looking to turn it into a hobby, but also looking to win the Leadman series. It’s been years since I’ve rode a mtb so I have no idea what size I am. I’m about 6’2 but have a longer torso than average, I’ve pedaled a few larges around but didn’t like how much pressure was on my hands, 90% of that is probably because I’m not used to the position but when I’m spending 10k on a bicycle I want to know I’m getting the right size. I feel like a XL would feel much more stable on decents.
Just looking for some insight or opinions
Thanks
So i live in a small village far from anything bike race related but there is actually one bike race each summer, unfortunately it’s a road race but I’m thinking of signing up for it anyway just for fun. Would be even more fun to not get last place!
I only have the XC bike though. So to prepare, what can i do besides lock out suspension and higher tire pressure. 36T crankset? Aero bars?
Would love any tips 😂
I wrote this short essay to try to work out why things like carpeted bike park trails and e-bikes bother me so much. I thought I'd share it here because, let's be honest, cross-country riding is king.
For over a decade, I told myself that one day, when I had the money and skill to deserve it, I'd buy a full-blown enduro bike. To me, an enduro bike promised everything, including a sparkling silver helmet adorned with a scarlet bull. I'd be able to turn tricks at a speed that made spectators wince, even if they were watching it on washed-out, fish-eye POV footage. Back then, I'd watch edit after edit, read all the reviews, and think, "That's who I'll be someday."
Now, I have the skill and the money, and I bought an XC bike.
A hardtail cross-country race bike. This decision left me with a bike that has less travel than a light switch, and somewhere in that decision was a truth I'd been avoiding for a decade. The performance I was chasing could be perceived or earned, and I decided to earn it. The enduro bike promised "harder" riding, but the XC bike demands it, not from the terrain, but from me.
This distinction is everything, and it's a distinction that mountain biking, as a culture, seems determined to abandon.
Look at what we've made. We have flow trails with machine-cut berms and perfectly spaced rollers; every root has been pulled, every awkward rock has been moved, and every element of genuine surprise, struggle, or danger has been designed away with trail-building budgets and a mandate to maximize "flow per foot". E-bikes have flattened climbs into something vaguely aerobic, delivering us to the top fresher than we deserve. Park riding, with its shuttles and chairlifts, has somehow convinced us that it's the same as downhill. A chairlift or a shuttle to the top is missing half the story, and mountain bikers seem to be fine with that. A chairlift to a black diamond is still a chairlift.
So, here's what ties these things all together. Lifts, shuttles, batteries, motors, and paved trails are all an optimization that have traded hardship for ease. They have stripped away the very resistance and rebellion that made mountain biking a sport worth doing in the first place.
Consider the park rider with a full-blown enduro sled - four inches of meticulously engineered suspension, dropper posts, the works - rolling up to a professionally built jump with a perfect take-off and a smooth-as-butter landing. That jump doesn't need suspension. That entire "downhill" run doesn't need suspension. You could ride that entire line on a rigid dirt jumper, and people have been doing exactly that since before "enduro" was a word. The bike isn't made for the terrain. The bike is made for a vibe. A look. A feeling.
The bikes are getting more capable. The trails are getting easier. Nobody is noticing the mismatch, or at least, no one wants to say it out loud.
I get it. I lusted after an enduro bike for 13 years. I understand the appeal of a bike that promises consequence. But consequence isn't the same as effort. An enduro bike was never going to make me suffer the way a punchy, technical climb or a grueling 10-mile tempo ride would. It might make the mountain feel more dramatic, but that feeling is robbed of authenticity.
The suffering that matters in this sport doesn't have a price tag or a minimum travel requirement. The kind of suffering that matters is the kind you generate for yourself: going faster than you did last time or taking the tech head-on rather than going around it, and absorbing the impact with your own body and your skill. This is what cross-country riding preserves. Everything else has been optimized to redundancy. The bike shouldn't do the work for you. The trails shouldn't flatter you. You should go as hard as you can wherever you are. Then, the results are entirely, brutally yours.
Am I being a curmudgeon? Yes. I'll acknowledge that the flow trails look good on video and invite people into the sport who might never have considered it otherwise. I'll admit that E-Bikes open the door to terrain that would otherwise be inaccessible to those with physical limitations. I'll even concede that park riding, at its highest level, is a legitimate sport with incredible athletes. I'll admit all of that.
But I'll finish with this. If we let go of all the resistance, smooth out every trail, motorize every bike, and build features that replace the natural mountain, we won't need mountain bikes at all.
We might as well buy Surrons and ride them on asphalt pump tracks.
The helmet has a small crack, my face had a big crack. An ER visit and 4 stitches later, I'm ready to get back out there. I used my BMX helmet the other day and it was miserable... I overheat easily andy environment can get really hot and humid in the summer months so ventilation is very important to me. As with most things in life, I'm ok with GOOD and don't need the best. Not looking for something that is 5% better than the rest at 400% the cost. I'd be lying if I said I didn't briefly consider a full face after the crash, but I brushed that aside. It's the first time in 10+ years of riding that I took an OTB face smash to hard pack and that shit HURT.
Building up an XC ride for my daughter. Base frame is a Liv Tempt 2, small, in the Mars Dust. We threw on a 120mm Fox Transfer dropper post, Fox Factory 32 Stepcast fork with 100mm travel and the 3pos damper. Raceface Chester grips in Kashmoney are mounted on a Bontrager Kovee Pro 35 carbon bars with a 0*x35mm stem until we massage the fit. Yet to install are Shimano EH-510 pedals, RD-M8100 with a sram Pg-1230 cassette, and Blackwell Conti Trinotals in 2.2 width, set up tubeless, maybe new wheels in the future.
Takeaways on the build so far, the frame is nice. I’m not sure how I feel about the 142mm rear spacing over boost or superboost, but there’s lots of good gravel wheels available. Routing the dropper wasn’t terrible, just had to problem solve a little to avoid pulling the BB, and used a cable taped to another cable at the bottom bracket to make the bend. The bike came speced with Microshift for the drivetrain, and it’s not terrible, but it’s only a 9 speed, so hand me down derailleur is gonna fix that up.
The fork is bonkers light, I was shocked when I got it out of the box. We’ll see how it performs soon, but I have high hopes. I almost regret not getting the remote lockout version, but I didn’t want to clutter the cockpit too much. The bars are also nice and light, and feel good with the little bit of riding I’ve done while setting the bike up.
Curious if anyone who has carpal tunnel has tips on how to manage it with this hobby. I’m usually okay, but as I find myself increasing my distance and efforts, I’m beginning to have flare ups. I haven’t gotten corticosteroid injections or surgery yet. Usually it’s been mild and manageable with other conservative methods. But I’ve been in some pretty bad discomfort for a few weeks now after a big ride with a lot of descending and climbing.
According to R2 bike: XT 71g, XTR 64g. Weight is negligible. Price differs 2 times. Are there other performance benefits with XTR?
I have Maxxis Rekon Race 2.4s on my fs xc bike, and Vittoria Mezcal Race 2.4s on a hardtail that I use for chunky gravel. I may be entirely wrong but I feel like I have insufficient grip - especially downhill - on my XC bike and too much rolling resistance on the gravel bike . So I was thinking of switching the tires. But I would like to hear opinions. Thanks in advance.
My bike came stocked with a. 36T chainring and figured before replacing it to try it out on my trails first….I don’t know how some people ride with a 36T because I swear I thought my heart was going to explode on the climbs. Ordered a 32T should be here by Tuesday.
I’ve been offered this Santa Cruz blur CC for $5600 Canadian dollars or about $4000 US dollars. Friend of mine is trying to sell it to me. The price is a bit high but it is a brand new bike that has never been ridden or had pedals mounted even. The bike itself ticks all the boxes for me, I do realize this is a hardcore XC rig but I’m coming from a first gen trek fuel 98. Curious to hear your opinions of value on an essentially new old stock bike.
Editing for spec details.
Material Carbon CC
Shock RockShox SidLuxe Ultimate
Fork RockShox Sid SL Ultimate, 100mm, 29" w/Remote
Rear Derailleur SRAM X01 Eagle, 12spd
Shifters SRAM X01 Eagle, 12spd
Cassette SRAM XG1295 Eagle, 12spd, 10-50t
Chain SRAM X01 Eagle, 12spd
Chainguide OneUp Chainguide
Bottom Bracket SRAM DUB 68/73mm Threaded BB
Headset Cane Creek 40 IS Integrated Headset
Rear Tire Maxxis Aspen, 29"x2.4WT, EXO, TR
Front Tire Maxxis Aspen, 29"x2.4WT, EXO, TR
Sealant Stan's Sealant
Front Hub DT Swiss 350, 110x15, Centerlock, 28h
Rims RaceFace ARC Offset 27 29" Rims
Spokes Sapim D-Light
Rear Hub DT Swiss 350, 148x12, XD, Centerlock, 28h
Rotors SRAM CLX Center Lock 160mm
Brakes SRAM Level TLM
Crankset SRAM X1 Eagle Carbon 148 DUB 34t
Handlebars Santa Cruz Bicycles Carbon Flat Bar
Stem Syntace LiteForce
Saddle WTB Silverado Medium Fusion Saddle
Seatpost FOX Transfer SL Performance Elite, 100mm, 31.6
Grips SRAM Twistlock
Travel 100/100mm
Wheel Size 29"