Field Trip: 10 Value Bikes VS The Impossible Climb

May 19, 2021
by Sarah Moore  


PINKBIKE FIELD TEST

10 Value Bikes VS The Impossible Climb


Pseudoscience in the name of climbing



The Huck to Flat is coming, but first we have to get all the bikes to the top... A lot of us actually enjoy the climbing portion of the ride, so an evaluation of all ten value bikes' ascending abilities in a tightly controlled lab setting was in order.

Sure, our "tightly controlled lab setting" was really just a steep section of trail, and the "evaluation" was just me trying to get up the climb without falling over more than a few times, but there were still some interesting takeaways from this afternoon of pseudo-science and tired legs. To keep things somewhat fair, all tires were inflated to the same tire pressure and each bike's suspension was left fully open, of course, and adjusted to suit.

If you're going to call it the Impossible Climb, it should probably be pretty hard right? At a few hundred feet long, with the punchiest section right in the middle and about two gazillion roots zig-zagging across it every which way before a never-ending uphill rock garden, I honestly didn't think any of the bikes had a chance at making it. Especially since the day before the test it rained about 1,000 millimetres.

After a long day with a couple dramatic uphill crashes, the results were interesting. The Giant Trance X with its ground-hugging suspension made it to the top of the climb, alongside the more spritely Marin Rift Zone. Although the Rift Zone didn't take quite the line I meant it to, so we'll put an asterisk next to that high mark. As for the hardtails, it was the Rocky Mountain Growler that took the high mark with an impressive showing.





The 2021 Pinkbike Field Trip was made possible with support from Toyota.



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Reviews and Tech Videos Field Trip Pinkbike Originals Sarah Moore


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109 Comments
  • 103 1
 Somehow it seems unfair to make any of the PB staff do this. But when Levy does it, it's all good.
  • 8 0
 Well he does say he enjoys technical climbs. Hopefully he has some fun doing it.
  • 12 0
 **insert link to the furnace repair scene from "A Christmas Story"**
  • 1 0
 well said
  • 9 2
 Came for his swearing...left disappointed.

(nothing against Sarah.)
  • 28 0
 @ReformedRoadie: No offense taken, I know swearing isn't my strong point.
  • 6 0
 @sarahmoore: great job on the climbs not an easy task
  • 2 2
 @sarahmoore: up yo game!
  • 9 0
 @sarahmoore: happy giggling is better than swearing.
  • 1 0
 @jdendy: ....says you.
  • 67 1
 Levy on expensive bikes = can't climb the impossible climb.

Sarah on cheap bikes = climbs the impossible climb.

Very interesting.
  • 8 1
 Pincers: Giant can’t climb for anything but also DW-Link is the best.
  • 26 0
 Totally different climbs and conditions for each of the videos, but I'll still take the point!
  • 11 0
 In his pickapart video Wade Simmons cleaned Levy's impossible climb on his Slayer.
  • 1 0
 @DHhack: Objectively true.
  • 2 0
 different route
  • 2 6
flag DHhack (May 19, 2021 at 17:46) (Below Threshold)
 @Ajorda: never mind the fact that the Giant is a dw-link design that they sued to use and won because money and location of the lower link forward bolt being shared with the shock lower bolt. Having owned both, I know which one I prefer.
  • 2 0
 @DHhack: DW was hired as a consultant by Giant to develop Maestro. The co-pivot had nothing to do with the suit.
  • 1 0
 @sarahmoore: Would it not be more accurate to use power meter on this climb too?
  • 1 0
 @whitebirdfeathers: Wade is the Chuck Norris of mountain biking.
  • 1 0
 @iamamodel: last I heard they only get to use it because of the co-pivot.
  • 1 0
 That giant is a terrible climber. Too active.
  • 45 0
 "Catch. The. Breath" Sarah is all of us, but with a better attitude.
  • 6 0
 Seriously, wtf is that indomitable attitude?!?

My impossible climbs are just an internal loop of "I wanna die" reinforced by riding partners heckling with "you suuuuck!". lol
  • 21 0
 What no beer can or doughnut obstacles/rewards, shame, shame...

Can you do a potty mouth version please. You can say polite things but just bleep them out so it gives the appearance of vulgarity?

As well why have you not adopted my suggestion of tossing the bikes into the woods at the location of their fail?

Note: this comment was not generated by an AI bot
  • 20 0
 I'm a grumpy jerk not generally impressed or at all moved by people with positive attitudes (especially if I smell BS).

But I have to say, the videos by Sarah (and Christina) with their genuinely and infectiously bright personalities are among the few PB videos I'll watch pretty much every time.

Well done!
  • 15 0
 Giant for the WIN! Got to love that active suspension on the technical climbs. Also, that Growler is a beast, good to see it performed so well. Hopefully PB is giving Sarah some bonus pay on these climbing videos, she's deserving of it, well done!
  • 8 0
 yeah..she even does it without a single swear.
  • 19 0
 Glad you enjoyed, thank you!
  • 3 3
 I love that it was the Fluid’s fault she went off trail
  • 18 4
 Uhhhh this is probably just me being pedantic, but 1000 millimeters are just, you know, a meter.
  • 49 0
 Hey now, don’t be bringing COVID into this. I’ve already had enough pedantics this year.
  • 3 0
 or 100 centimeters
  • 5 1
 1/1000th of a kilometer?
  • 12 1
 0.00636942675 stadium
  • 5 0
 Could the possibility exist that that Sarah knows that? And was highly likely, probably certainly, using language skills to emphasise a mundane point.
  • 24 0
 You are right, but it just seemed more appropriate to measure rainfall in millimetres... Even gross overestimations of rainfall!
  • 17 2
 1000mm is equal to:

0.0109 American Football fields.

0.0031 Eiffel Towers (for my European friends).
  • 5 13
flag gooral (May 19, 2021 at 10:28) (Below Threshold)
 @shagolagal: I do not think you need to explain metric system to us Europeans
  • 5 1
 @sarahmoore: rainfall is actually measured in millimetres TBF
  • 17 1
 @gooral: Do you need me to explain humor?
  • 5 0
 My pedantic contribution is that millimetres is the correct unit of measurement for precipitation. Great climbing, Sarah!
  • 1 0
 It makes it seem more drippy, as opposed to a meter deep pool dropping from the sky. Also why not milliliters?
  • 1 0
 As if everyone measures anything the same, we measure in inches or feet depending on what part of the country you live in. Relax everyone. It's a bike video. Enjoy it.
  • 3 1
 @slippynicky: one square millimeter of water is one millilitre and weighs 1 gram. Such a beautiful system.
  • 1 0
 @subwaypanda: technically i think it is a very close estimate.using water.
  • 2 0
 @subwaypanda: You mean of course 1 cubic millimetre. Sorry, just being a pendant

Don't get me started on kilometres though....such a wishy washy unit for distance.
  • 5 0
 @shagolagal: "royale with cheese"
  • 2 0
 @subwaypanda: 1 cubic centimeter of water is 1 mL and weighs about 1 g
  • 2 1
 @dmclemens: @MildMildWest you are both absolutely correct! I really should not try try and write anything while doing intervals on the trainer.
  • 2 0
 Or you know, 1e13 Angstroms.
  • 1 0
 [comment no longer necessary]
  • 2 0
 @gooral: fair comment if you were European….. but you know…..
  • 1 0
 Holy shit, that's like a billion nanometers!
  • 9 2
 I feel like DCA needs to be here to make a comment about how an e bike with a gearbox would've gone up it no problem. Everyone gives him so much crap, but to be honest his e bike satire makes me laugh pretty hard.. At least I hope it's satire...
  • 5 0
 Hope in one hand crap in the other....
  • 6 0
 Sad thing is, what we consider satire from him is reality in his world. Unless it really is satire, in which that case I applaud him for keeping the joke up this long
  • 5 0
 Suggestion for future impossible climb videos: whenever you stop, just drop the bike and leave it there (off the trail). It'll be entertaining if the reviewer can act upset and say 'this bike is dead to me' or something. Plus it will be more clear how the bikes faired relative to each other.
  • 5 0
 I think it says something that basically the two heavy hitters for descending (Giant and the Rocky) in this round actually were the two best climbers as well.
  • 3 0
 this was a pretty good impossible climb, it was challenging but doable at the same time, it honestly pisses me off when Levy doesn't reach the top on some of the other impossible climbs, i feel like they picked something literally impossible. The word impossible is supposed to be rhetoric in these cases.
  • 6 0
 Nice to watch someone, other than me, crash going uphill.
  • 4 0
 You're definitely not alone!
  • 3 0
 Hearing her laugh and cheer through the tests made this probably the most enjoyable pink bike video since Remy PR'd on the grim donut. Good stuff...bikes are fun. Climbing is fun.
  • 5 0
 Efficiency test and impossible climb done, I vote @sarahmoore does the huck to flat too Smile
  • 3 0
 That poor "impossible" climb didn't even see the smiling assassin, that is Sarah Moore, coming. She slayed that thing while she laughed.
  • 3 0
 Kudos to you Sarah for giving running commentary while taking on an intense climb like that! Normally all I can manage is the occasional *bleep*
  • 11 0
 Didn't think I'd actually be able to talk (mostly coherently at that!) and ride uphill, but managed somehow!!
  • 2 0
 @sarahmoore: you perfectly captured my own inner monologue whist I try and fumble my way up climbs. Great commentary!
  • 4 0
 If the Ripley could talk... "Well this is awkward"
  • 2 0
 before watching, I naturally assumed it would be the winner. Was happy to see the Giant pull off the much needed win.
  • 3 0
 Tyres would make a big difference on this slippery surface. Growler has chunky tires. Fluid has cheapo Ardent OEM models
  • 1 0
 No doubt the results would have been much different in a drier place.
  • 1 0
 I can't believe how happy you are doing this, I need to change the way I look at climbing- maybe I'll make it further. And, perhaps rename this segment 'the improbable climb'
  • 3 0
 Great efforts on that climb!
  • 4 0
 Thank you! Nothing quite like a technical climbing challenge.
  • 2 0
 Is Levy in rehab or an institution at this point? Somebody send him some Timbits and Monsters. I'll chip in.
  • 1 0
 Not sure why, but that was fun to watch. I like technical climbs too ... being out of breath can be painful, but cresting the hill is usually (OK sometimes) worth it. lol
  • 1 0
 Great video and effort! Quick question, did that 10th bike really get a fair shake? and/or is fatigue a factor in those last few climbs?
  • 1 0
 Just got my Rift Zone 3 (after a nine month wait) and can confirm it climbs well.
  • 2 0
 "Oh I didn't believe enough" had me Lolling.
  • 1 0
 I actually like to watch Sarah pushing hard on the pedals and suffering... What's wrong with me?
  • 2 0
 I'm a bit disappointed in ibis ripley AF
  • 1 0
 Did Rocky Mountain really call that bike 'Growler'?? I really hope it's not a women's bike, that would be super sexist.
  • 1 1
 If I tried something like that, with the saddle full up, my undercarriage would file a lawsuit against me.
  • 1 0
 I am sooo tired after watching this, must go eat and lay down to recover!
  • 1 0
 What trail is this in Squamish (Coho Park?)
  • 1 0
 So many giggles! Clearly the happiest presenter
  • 1 0
 A pint is a pound, world round
  • 1 0
 I really enjoy all the giggles.
  • 1 0
 Yikes
  • 2 3
 Entertaining... yes! A valuable test ... not without control tires. Thank you for playing, please try again Wink
  • 3 0
 ...its supposed to be an out of the box comparison. Yes, a 1/3rd of the bikes were handicapped because of their tire setup (that poor BMC never had a chance) but that's the point.
  • 1 1
 In those slick conditions, taking the tires into consideration is important. Particularly if your going to “crown” a winner
  • 2 0
 In those sloppy conditions, I would only have an expectation of entertainment value and nothing more. Pretty much more of a tire test than a bike test.
  • 2 0
 @SATN-XC: You're not testing bikes if all the tires are different. That becomes more of a tire test complicated by bicycle dynamics than anything else. The goal here is to test the virtues of the geometry and the suspension design. Although it can be tempting to just test the bikes as they would come from the factory, that inherently becomes a highly flawed test since tires are a major factor in the performance of a bike. Crappy tires can make a really good bike look awful, and really good tires can make a lousy bike look far better than really good bike setup with crap tires. Having a tire control is very important. Maybe tires just weren't in high supply at the time of this test, or other factors were in play that did not permit setting up control tires. A separate test should be done, and I think is usually done by Pinkbike annually comparing the performance of different tires on a control bike(s) and control trail(s).
  • 2 0
 It could also be argued, that in the case of the impossible climb, rider fatigue may be impacting performance by the time you get to say the last 5 bikes or so. That depends on how much rest the rider gives themselves between runs, their overall fitness, and their energy level.
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