mountainbiker24

Maybe you should stop worrying about what others are worrying about and focus on your own riding skills.

Dartmoor Image, Vision, Crave, Lust, Worthy... I didn't read the posts, so probably already been mentioned.

Except that Palmer's issues came from too much partying and a lack of commitment. The opposite of Gwin. I would also argue that he is much better than Palmer ever was. Perhaps the greatest since Tomac, who also was a different type of rider... Gwin is quite unique, given his talent and personality and beliefs.

This is the same argument that I have against 29ers! Unless you're using your bike for a single purpose on a very specific type of trail, you're not using the bike to its potential and missing out on the little things that make mountain biking enjoyable. Why put on bigger wheels to smooth out and numb the trail feel? Isn't that why we left the road? Why use a bike with 8" of travel to make obstacles easier? It requires larger, more dangerous obstacles to give you the same thrill that a more common obstacle would give you on a hardtail or short-travel bike. Unless you're a serious racer or hucker, you don't need a big bike. So what if it slows you down a bit. Who cares? Like the article says, it's almost always more fun on a smaller bike, because it makes everyday obstacles more entertaining. Go ahead, pop that root that you never even noticed on your 6" bike.