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Still remember you from the b class "mx tex"
Nothing replaces a dirt bike for me but this is about as close as it is ever going to get. The new aged 120 travel bikes are amazing.
use mtb as cardio strengthening so stick with an XC or better yet a downcountry bike. Specialized Epic EVO being a prime example. there's no sense in a trail bike (more plush and sluggish) or an enduro bike. balancing 1mph over some root garden isn't where the fun is at anyway, and jumping may seem akin to motocross but also increases chance of injury which would keep you out of motocross, the main goal. look at any of the top pros and they're mostly riding badass looking XC bikes (again downcountry variants are preferred).
Damn bro, that’s one hell of a memory! 1991 to be exact. Good ole NESC days of 15+2’s in the B class. That physical demand built my foundation for life! So thankful for those days.
Did we battle?
-Austin
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This isn’t a training thread, and you aren’t comparing an epic evo to a moto bike in the fun department. But an enduro bike on aggressive terrain that’s another thing entirely
I don't believe I was in b that year I think when you went to A class I moved up to b around then. But of course I was lining the fences watching my soon to be competition and the absolute greats in the pro/A classes. Lifetime memories! I did eventually get myself a 40b championship in nesc a few years ago it was icing on the cake.
I love MTB, and after really getting into it 6 1/2 years ago, I've gone through XC, Enduro, All Mountain/trail, etc. Just like with dirt bikes (or street bikes), I finally realized that you gotta have multiple bikes for different things. If I had to get rid of all but one MTB, I'd keep my Yeti SB130 LR (with Ohlins suspension). It does it all...I still love my other bicycles for specific things though...
One lesson I learned the hard way is just how important unsprung weight is on bicycles; I never paid much attention on dirt bikes (I run super heavy-duty tubes, etc. for my hard enduro stuff; too cheap to run mousse inserts), but I swapped out my Maxxis Minion/Assegai combo for a Maxxis Rekon/Specialized Fast Trak Grid tires, and holy crap that was dramatic. Not just climbing, but literally everywhere...
Have you gone to carbon wheels too? That's the best (and most expensive) upgrade you can do on a bike.
No matter how steep the trail, riding a bike just doesn't feel the same as "dancing" with a dirtbike, at least to me.
100%! Carbon wheels make such a huge difference. I actually found the stiffness of carbon wheels to have an even bigger impact than the weight loss.
That’s rad on the 40 B, good job! Stay fit, boy.
Here’s a combo that had me very content for a while. BMC XC w/ a hijacked 130mm rock shox pike fork, paired w/ 2.4 front Maxxis. Still on a 2.25 rear tire.
This bike was fast w/ a tone of front grip and travel, compared to the RS1 100mm that came off of it. Try it if you’re an XC owner, it will not disappoint!
Hell yes, you guys are right if you want to treat yourself get a set of good modern carbon hoops. That feel is so sick. I have WeAreOnes on all three of my bikes.
I can wait for summer since I just ordered a new DH frame to build up! It will be on carbon wheels for sure.
Couple years ago now, Whistler train gap. Bikes are fun motor or not
Hell yeah!!! That’s what’s up!
I agree that carbon wheels are one of the best mtb upgrades I've experienced for two reasons : a.) They are a "set it & forget it" upgrade in that all you have to do is install, and ride; no fiddling with setup, and b.) Far more reliable / durable than aluminum wheels. Every wheel set I've had built up with aluminum rims gets dented / wobbly within half a dozen rides or so, and then it's just the beginning of a slow death of losing spoke tension. I've had about 2 years on carbon wheels now, and both sets are running as strong as when I purchased them.
Guys I wanted to post up some feedback. I went for a real ride with the tubeless setup so no flats. I went for about 3.25 hours in the Livingston County Trail System (https://www.trailforks.com/region/livingston-county-trail-system-37089/). It was largely a pedalfest but I got really into it after a while and enjoyed the challenging climbs. There are a handful of insanely hard climbs out there for some reason. Like, first gear, spinning tire, red zone stuff. Maybe this is common idk. Anyways, There are a few speed lines and jump lines out there with some little "jumps" and what not and it was pretty fun. I also ended up going off trail and finding some gnarly places to descend where it was techy and downed trees and vertical drops from washouts were part of it. Gravity riding is by far the most fun thing to do on a bike and I cannot wait to run out to a bike park. I can get to Windrock in 3.5 hours.
I also found that I burned in all of the exact same places that I did after 25 mins all out on the track. I understand now why tomac is such an animal. If he's been doing this his whole life.. wow.
The YT Jeffsy is a blast, what a great bike. What a great sport to get into. I did all of this on a Wednesday afternoon and it cost me $7 in gas.
Also, I have found that most people into bikes are really cringe like roadbikers. Lots of fully shaven shiny middleaged dudes in spandex with bad attitudes so far. I've decided that the cool guys all ride DH bahahaha.
Currently own a 2022 YT Jeffsy Core 4. I get on the MTB once a week as part of my fitness routine (I do something different every day)... Mostly punishing rides with a minimum 1k feet of climbing. During the Summer I'll go to Big Bear for multiple days at a time to do all the really fun stuff.
I've never been a super good jumper and honestly enjoy the hell out of tech while on the bike. Give me all the rocks, roots, and drops!
Wife enjoys it too...
Pit Row
Momentum is your friend when faced with steep climbs and remember to shift before you start really pushing on the pedals.
You talking about your personal experience or how everyone should see mtbing?
There’s most certainly a time and place for a trail bike. Generally those bikes do great on just about any trail…
The one rule in MTBing: Pick a wheel size, frame material, travel, etc and be a dick about it.
Does more travel = more better? To me it seems that way but I'm also certain there's so much more to the story. Elaborate please?
Depends on a lot of things, but geometry plays a bigger part than just weight and travel. My 180mm travel bike pedals better than my 150mm bike, is much more forgiving on the downs but not as playful. Slacker head angle, longer wheel base and lower bottom bracket (pedals) will make for a faster bike on the way down but can be harder to maneuver on climbs. So more travel isn't always better, but that's also relative to what your riding. A normal ride for me will be 400-600m of elevation, and a xc bike would be much better on the way up but very un-fun on the way down.
Generally more travel means a heavier bike and less efficient pedaling. Because your legs are the engine putting out about 1/2 horsepower small changes in the machine make a bigger difference than on a motorcycle, that's why cyclists can be so pretentious about every little thing.
If you went straight from you aluminum 150 jeffsy onto a carbon framed hardtail with carbon wheels and lightweight tires you would feel like superman pedaling uphill but it's not so fast or fun downhill. But it depends on what you are looking to get out of your day of biking.
As you can see in this thread, different people are looking to get different things out of their time in the saddle so the downhill guys are dicks to the xc guys and the xc guys are dicks to the downhill guys.
Personally for me riding bikes is a fun activity outside and good exercise but if there's a choice between riding dirtbike of mtn bikes it's dirtbikes everytime, but I do get to ride a bicycle more often and more places just because of the convenience, as you've seen. Ideally, keep a 2 stroke in your garage next to your bicycles, even an older one to save money so you always have a dirtbike to ride when you can.
I heard the forbidden Druid trail bike is insane. We have a couple guys race them in the local enduro races here in Arizona. They all say that it feels much more then a 130 travel bike. If I had 6k to build a bike that’s what I’d get. More travel dosent always mean more fun. No way I’d want to peddle a 170mm travel bike on blue trails and no way I’d ride a 120mm xc bike in the bike park. Pick what you want and just have fun. Keep the spandex at home 😂
Yes low long and slack is better, More fun but not on XC trails obviously, you need the right trails. There are different tools for the job. Your bike is great for what you are doing. The XC shaved leg stuff is old school, the cool kids are building flow and jump lines and drinking beer afterwards
It’s a lot of fun. Haven’t done it in a few years.
Guys, I have a few questions. I may take a little trip to some bike parks or what not soon. It may be a 1.5-2.5 dayer.
-What spares should I bring? What does your bike trip supply stash look like? I'm thinking Jarrods place and windrock parks mixed with some days at parks and trails so I will be around some common parts. What do you bring?
-How do you do bike security on the road? i'll be camping right next to the car in all likelihood so I'm thinking of using my 12 gauge flashbang tripwire and finding somewhere I can get a good park (backed up in the corner of somewhere making it difficult to get to the bike). Bike will be locked and chained also. I'll be operating completely out of the car. If I camp AT the bike parks, this probably wont be an issue.
I'm going to approach it like a moto trip so whatever you think is necessary to share, please go ahead.
Tires, not sure what casing your running but getting some DH casing tires might be good if you can afford it, if not new tires take some tubes or plugs. You'll be riding faster at a bike park and thinner casing tires won't hold up to the abuse.
Check brake pads (given how long you have had the bike you should be fine but worth checking as time goes by)
If your on top of basic maintenance you should be ok, there should be somewhere on site or near by to buy parts anyway.
Make sure you take some tools, metric Alen keys and spanners. Shock bolts, pivot bolts and axles can come loose so give them a check before or after each day.
Remove whatever you can from the bike to make it harder to steal, take off a wheel and throw it in the car, bikes with no pedals are hard to ride away.
It won't take as much money as the logistics are much easier once you have the gear. If you want to race, Enduro MTB is what you're looking for to scratch the motocross itch. It's a really fun sport where you ride with your buddies all day but only race the fun stuff. The other great thing about MTB is you can train/practice exactly like you race if you want. In moto, there is NO substitute for lining up next to people no matter how much you practice, so you have to race a lot to be competitive. MTB, you race the clock by yourself so you can still do well at only a few races a year.
Downhill is probably the most fun outside of mx/enduro for me, ever.
With a 20 year old 55lb bike it kinda feels like im still on my 450
got both a 27.5 and a 24” dirtjumper aswell so i dont have to have one bike that does it all
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