Letter From the Editor: One Hell of a Year
Thanks for slimming me up Taj.
It's been quite a year for us at the good ship Pinkbike. As a sport we grappled with a lot of things, from issues of race to cancelled events, closed borders, and a rollercoaster of uncertainty through the whole industry. I wanted to take a moment to look at some of the things we did along the way.
First, a quick thank you to the whole Pinkbike editorial team. Even with all the upheaval, the crew wrote more original stories than ever before (including 24% more original tech stories), we finally got over 1M followers on Instagram, and we're closing in on 500K subs on YouTube as well. Thank you all for helping make it happen.
Of all the projects we did this year, I'm most proud of The Grim Donut. Watching my dumb little joke spiral out of control into this wild project was a treat.
As a result, I've heard from several industry people that it's helped them push internally to be more progressive and experimental in their prototypes. We take a lot of pride in that and hope the conversation it started about geometry keeps unfolding.
And yes, you'll see some very exciting follow ups in 2021. I know this is the time of year where everyone says "big plans" but uhhhh, we've got big plans.
And yes, you'll see some very exciting follow ups in 2021. I know this is the time of year where everyone says "big plans" but uhhhh, we've got big plans.
The Pinkbike Academy may have been polarizing for the core mountain bike community, but it brought a ton of new eyeballs to the sport in a year when we have a ton of non-endemic interest. Anecdotally, each episode brought us an order of magnitude more subscribers than our videos normally do, and I'm excited to see what happens now that it's up on Amazon Prime.
This was a rough year for riders on the bubble of industry support, so I'm happy for Evan's success and excited to see what he's going to do with this opportunity. I'm also very proud that every one of the contestants is in a better position for support within the industry than they were a year ago. It was a logistical nightmare to pull off this year, and I want to say a special thank you to everyone involved for finding ways to make the show work.
For next year I'm looking forward to making the series even better (yes, there will be more riding and racing), and fingers crossed we'll be able to bring in many of the incredibly talented international folks we wanted to this year.
The MTB media world loves to complain about trade shows, but we all secretly love them and we knew we'd have to do something when Sea Otter got cancelled this year. Pond Beaver (and the Eurobike equivalent Across The Pond Beaver) were hugely successful.
In fact, the stories we wrote for the two Pond Beaver 'virtual trade shows' were read 50% more than Eurobike and Sea Otter stories were in 2019.
In fact, the stories we wrote for the two Pond Beaver 'virtual trade shows' were read 50% more than Eurobike and Sea Otter stories were in 2019.
While we are excited to get back to Monterey and Friedrichshafen, we really do dislike the environmental impacts, jetlag, and shitty riding afforded by most press camps, so we're happy that this year has taught brands that we can exist without endless travel for Kool-Aid sessions.
Needless to say we hope those shows are back in 2021, but we're also thinking of doing another Pond Beaver at some point as well.
The Privateer Season 3: Walk The Talk was another project that only happened through the pure grit and stubbornness of the team involved. Ben and co did an amazing job pulling back the curtain on the world cup race scene, and we're working to take the series to the next level in 2021. The ink's not dry on this project though (still waiting for a wealthy oligarch to hit me up), so stay tuned on that.
We started a podcast when things locked down this spring (like literally everyone else), but The Pinkbike Podcast has grown into itself and we're really enjoying doing them. Weird.
Anyway, we're going to keep the podcast rolling in 2021 with the same crew (Levy, Kaz, me, James, and Sarah), as well as a rotating list of guests and characters. We've got all kinds of lukewarm takes and annoying questions to ask industry folks.
Anyway, we're going to keep the podcast rolling in 2021 with the same crew (Levy, Kaz, me, James, and Sarah), as well as a rotating list of guests and characters. We've got all kinds of lukewarm takes and annoying questions to ask industry folks.
On the product review side, it's a hell of an accomplishment that the tech team published three Field Tests this year. One is usually a big enough hassle, but they've gone really well so we'll do at least three again in 2021. Right now the plan is to do a value bike one in the spring, a DH bike and eMTB one in the summer (just to mess with everyone's emotions), and then a trail and enduro one again in the fall. If Levy blows it this year maybe I'll make him do a hardtail fat bike one next winter.
And on the topic of value, we're going to do more value-minded reviews. The value Field Test this spring will be a part of that, but we'll be considering value more across everything we do. For example, we'll be setting a hard price limit even for our regular trail and enduro Field Test. As fun as checking out $14K superbikes is, we think there's more value to regular riders if we cap it at a level where the product managers have to make smart choices to deliver the best ride, rather than just throw the most expensive parts they can find at a frame and call it good. I haven't set that level yet, but it'll probably be around $6K USD—still very high end, just not obnoxiously so.
We're also going to launch Pinkbike Buyers' Guides for key product categories in 2021. We spend a ton of time checking out new stuff, and that's not going away, but we hear the frustration when we check out 6 of the best new knee pads without including the current product benchmarks. We want to provide a better resource to turn to when making purchasing decisions on everything from pedals to rims to multitools—especially for newcomers to the sport.
The tech team is growing (more on that soon), and there will be at least one person tasked with doing the research and testing for these unpaid, independent buyers's guides full time. We've got a "best trail clip-in pedals" buyers guide coming shortly as a bit of a pilot, but let us know what product categories you'd like to see us focus on in the comments.
Finally, a big thanks to you Pinkers (ughhhh). You're all weird as hell and we appreciate you. Keep serving up that comment gold—we hope you never get flats, your trails never get dumbed down, and you don't ever have to change axle standards ever again. Here's to a great 2021!
Author Info:
Must Read This Week
Sign Up for the Pinkbike Newsletter - All the Biggest, Most Interesting Stories in your Inbox
PB Newsletter Signup
Awesome!
As for buyers guides, I personally would like to see one on brakes. Help us decide whether, for example, Code RSC's are worth the premium over Code R's.
Enduor-mtb.com do good grouptests
Forum cage match. Go
I've read very positive reviews of the 4's, but I've also seen forum posts suggesting the MC reservoir doesn't hold enough oil to keep up with the bigger caliper past half pad life.
And if one did stick with the original Curas, are they really powerful enough?
I guess it’s a lot of modulation.
I’m not skidding anymore and I use a lot more front brake. You can say they feel less powerful the first couple of rides but it’s less of an "on-off" switch as the Shimano.
signed, an east-coaster-that-mountain-bikes-year-round
Summer: the trails are awesome
Leaf peeper: the trails are awesome and the roads are full of tourists looking at trees
Stick season: the trails are marginal, probably too muddy to ride, and/or frozen, and covered with leaves (which is fun in its own way)
Winter: the trails are covered in snow and it's time for skiing and fatbiking
Extra winter: somehow it's still winter
Mud season: self explanatory
Spring: the one day in June where it isn't muddy but it's not hot yet.
You can't mountain bike for often for 4-5 months or so, and sometimes longer.
untiltimesup.com/products/mens-full-suspension-mountain-bike-27-5-21-speed-mountain-bike?variant=37084960194721&utm_medium=cpc&utm_source=google&utm_campaign=Google%20Shopping&gclid=CjwKCAiAirb_BRBNEiwALHlnD1QWZ4UADaaZViapvW4q9NhIlDkUeBiASj2ehVXlhvDeD-GQVWq5kxoCiUsQAvD_BwE
And yes, it made it 100' into the first ride before the all plastic derailler went into the mild steel spokes, destroying the back wheel and locking up the back end up permanently.
Some suggestions for future Pinkbike features?
I’d love to see a hardtail Field Test. Just hardtails. And given that manufacturers are now offering hardtails with wildly different geometries and focuses, this could easily be a whole field test unto itself. Just be ready for sore wrists and butts during the Huck to Flat tests.
And seeing as how many people I see on the trails seem to be digging out their retro mtbs and “resto-modding” them (ie swapping components and updating them to make them ride better), I’d love to see a bunch of Pinkbike writers each take on a challenge like that. What happens when you throw a 120mm fork on a 90s Kona hardtail? How would you go about swapping a 3x drivetrain to a 1x? Can you convert a 26’er to 27.5 or mullet configuration? Best ways to put a dropper post on an old bike? What old components are still worth keeping, over newer ones? Which older bikes are worth sinking money into? There are lots of interesting questions with resto-mod projects.
I recently resto-modded my ‘95 Cannondale F700, and it was a frustrating but fun project. The Headshok was shot, and I had to do a bit of research before finding a headset adapter (and cutting it down with a hacksaw to fit), and because I wanted to keep my trusty XTR V-brakes, the only new fork I found to work on it was a RockShok Recon Silver with 100mm of travel (compared to the Headshok’s 50mm or so). Next were wider bars and shorter stem. I eventually want to ditch the 3x for a 1x drivetrain, but want to keep my old 5 bolt RaceFace crankset somehow. This bike holds a special place in my heart, as I picked it because of my infatuation with Alison Sydor and the rest of the Volvo-Cannondale team, and I raced it in both XC and downhill races, as well as commuted on it during my university days. I’d love to hear these kinds of stories from the PinkBikers, as I’m sure each of you would have your own takes on them.
How about a value build shoot out? Basic idea set a fixed reasonable low cost for a build and use the same frame for the build. Have a couple of the tech people here spec and build those bikes then test them. Give people an idea how to build a bike budget.
Or maybe just do one bike and interview a bunch of bike company bike product managers. I think a lot of people dont know how hard it is to keep a build cost down and just want it all to be high end parts for cheap. I think it comes from people not building bikes from frame up and not having to buy each part on a budget.
Buyers guide ideas (these are my bike pain points)
-Tire inserts. New takes on the insert come online every other week it seems.
-Tire repair solutions. What plugs are working great for what kind of cuts/slices. What trailside pump/co2 setup is ideal here
-Tire sealants. Do any of them actually work on trail for real life impacts?
-Shoes. Specifically clips. Why isn't there a good shoe that's comfortable AND a semi-flexible sole. Shimano ME7's have a banger sole and right stiffness for walking/riding, but the toe box got massive in the 2019 update. Giro has amazing fit with the Privateers/Terraduro's but the sole is way too stiff to enduro.
Shootout style comparisons:
-Casing and tire inserts combos. Pros/cons of DD with no insert compared to EXO + insert
-Carbon hoops. vertically compliant, strong, stiff. Where do we want to be in this mix and why? Also aluminum, talk about if it might be better for most of us.
-Donut shootout. Tim Horton v Krispy Kreme
I can answer one of those! Tim Horton's is convenient and ubiquitous, but their donuts are industry scale bottom shelf crap. Krispy Kremes however are actually really ******* good.
PB Podcast has quickly became the thing I look forward to every week.
Some suggestions for future content:
* A hardtail bike shootout like the trail/enduro one you just had.
* A NICA (high school racing) bike (XC-ish) shootout that made value (cost vs. awesome) the key factor.
* A fat bike shootout; come to Minnesota, we have good trails and grooming for this.
* The 'best bike in the range' was a great add to the trail/enduro bike and should part of every future review.
* More tips/tricks/hacks for mountain biking.
* More component comparisons
On a similar, but somewhat, different note, I would love to see more pieces like @nkrohan's about plus-sized riding kits. As someone who fits into the "Clydesdale" category of mountain biker, I am constantly wearing out or breaking parts that simply aren't designed for riders of my size or weight (fully recognizing that rider error is at times to blame). I would love to see more content that is geared towards plus-sized riders or better yet has been reviewed and ridden extensively by these riders. I love reading and watching @mikekazimer, @mikelevy, @smooresmoore, and the rest of the team review and hammer products to their limits but I would love to see plus-sized riders on some of the field tests or product reviews.
Looking forward to what you all produce in 2021!
My .02 is just that I hope it was successful enough that your able to go longer this time, maybe a few more contestants? But perhaps the way to add more riding and racing is that we get a few more days between "elimination days" more consistently. (but enough non consistency to keep contestants on their toes!) That way there is time for adding more racing/riding, but still be able to keep the "events" coming.
Maybe there can be an "overall" stage race component that adds up over the course of the show as part of the determining factor? Be a cool kind of leader board to watch? Also be cool if some of the "events" in between could add or reduce the overall stage race time??
Anyway, just want to say that Pinkbike's content was one of the saving graces of 2020.
Thanks!
The $6K limit is a killer idea. Still oodles of money, but if they can't make an amazing bike for $6k, something is wrong.
Re: The Privateer. Could crowd-sourcing help finance it? I'd be happy to throw in $50 a year - 400 more of those and it might help flight costs, etc. Watching Ben Cathro plan his comeback and then the surprise bonus of the other WC riders that were helped was a real treat. If rumours of more privateers in a team run by Cathro are true - then it could be the best thing evaaar!
It has to have come up it the past - doing a Top Gear hot lap style time review for each bike; ridden on the same course, note the dirt conditions, same rider, etc. Would be rad. I know it's not perfect bro-science, but when Levi mentioned the other day that he has specific trails/segments that he tracks bikes on, it got me thinking.
Re doing hot lap reviews, that's pretty much what we do with the field test. We just don't pretend like the timed results are definitive (like top gear and some other bike sites do).
Choosing the bikes for each category depending on who’s fulfilling the wants/needs of a 3k buyer vs a 6k and then compare them in all the normal ways so the reader see which one they want out of the value bikes rather than seeing that this vitus is the best value so they should buy that even if they want maybe a bit more travel or something else.
“So, your bike came with an OEM Rockshox Judy fork. You have $400. Here’s the fork you should buy.”
Another example are Formula brakes, good brakes but the pads are ridiculously expensive. Not a real dealbraker but good to know when buying those (excellent) brakes.
Of all the projects we did this year, I'm most proud of The Grim Donut. Watching my dumb little joke spiral out of control into this wild project was a treat.
What do you mean your idea ? Thats so Mike Levy ? Dont just steal his credit....