Tech Briefing: Wheels, Enduro Bikes, Frame Protection & More - May 2020

 May as well throw in a set of $20 I9 wheels while yer at it!

 speced with the $20 i9 wheels of course, and the $20 eeewings, total price $69, NICE

 @ifindbikesinteresting: I think I'd rather have the $3895 kendama but you do you

 Me too... Oh wait, corrected Thanks!

 Finally an enduro bike according to my budget!

 I'd think about paying $29 for a good review on this bike. Come on PB lets have it. And a real review for an AM bike. Yeah, we know it goes dh, but can it climb steep tech?

 @sarahmoore: Can I still get the $29 eeWings?

 Agreed it’s terrible. Bad juju

 Ride wrap? Or Do you even drift bro (Dyedbro)?

 Agreed, someone mentioned them to me and prefaced it with "it's a terrible name, but check out Dyedbro..." And all their designs have DYEDBRO in big letters the center of the top tube. Hard pass.

 @Drew-O: Yes, it's too bad because I would actually get the Steve Smith design and it would work really well on my bike. However, I don't want their name on my bike.

 They’ve got some great graphics and I’ve been reallly close to ordering them a couple of times, then you see the awful dyedbro logo scrawled right across it and it’s a nope.

 Seems like you guys are only upset because you don’t even drift bros..

 @ipreferdirt: Steve Smith Dyedbro... yeh that's not great actually...

 Yes it's marketing let's all just get over it and move on please

 You definitely do not produce anywhere close to the power of an ebike in boost mode. And generally you won't notice the weight penalty half as much.

Because of the weight and stability they allow you to plough through rock gardens, and it is a bit harder to unweight the bike, so a little extra toughness helps.

Finally, even on a quick lunch time spin, you could easily end up 20km from your car/house/office, so you really want to prioritize reliability, as pushing one of these things back is not much fun at all.

 Whoa there! What are you doing bringing actual maths and logic to an argument???

 @Mugen: How much power do ebikes produce in boost mode? I'm pretty sure it's less than a stacked human giving it the beans.

 @jaame: it depends where you live. In the Europe it's 250W, which, if Strava is to be believed, is about what I put out on a road bike climb over about 5 minutes, so am e bike can double it. And we have a top speed of 16mph. In the USA, you can have 750W(!) and 20mph. Even the top pros can only sprint for a relatively short time at that power.

 Lose a bit of weight yourself , you'll get faster and then you definitely wont need those wheels so you wont need moan about it being marketing.

 @mountainsofsussex: I think those are constant power numbers and peak power output can be even significantly higher, but I'm not sure.

 @kanioni: that is also what I thought. I've put out a max of over 1200w on my mate's smart trainer. I researched it once. Chris Hoy was putting out something like 2700w. Graves and Rude are in the high teens. Mark Cavendish's sprint finish was 1600w. It's a lot more than an ebike, even from the likes of normal blokes like myself.

 Its a little marketing, a little simple physics with additional inertia and bike weight but also a level of insurance/warranty issues that come into play. Power has nothing to do with it. The force an ebike puts through the wheels from pedalling doesnt require specialist rims. Im a similar weight to you and always prioritise getting stronger wheels. If i had a heavier bike by choice, then I would make sure its matched with suitable wheels. Forgot the riders weight for a minute in your example of bike weights thats an additional 8kg spread between the wheels when hitting the ground on objects. Lastly all companies will try to de risk any product sold to the market so if you had non specific wheels and they failed causing a signifcant accident where your actions did not create an environment in which you were already at risk then it would be a pita for all in involved and you could forget any warranty.

 @jaame: this www.bicycling.com/racing/a20041587/cool-things-we-learned-from-tour-de-france-strava-files article claims "Fit recreational cyclists can hammer out about 250 to 300 watts for a 20 minute power test. The pros average 20-minute power pushes at 400 watts". Either way, even a euro spec ebike is a big help, and an American one must be borderline scary!

 @Mfro - you've got roughly 55# on me, and I probably don't produce anywhere near the same sort of raw power numbers you do. Yet I keep finding that regular spec parts simply don't stand up to my use - and that's even though I roll/pump more than I huck. Hubs seems to have a really hard time with me, for example. So I can imagine the issues you must be dealing with.

I think in MTB, there's this unfortunate tendency for "better" parts to go lighter, rather than stronger. Yes, you can go DH everything for outfitting your trail bike - but that's still a compromise. So I, for one, am glad that e-MTB has all of a sudden brought burliness into focus in a way that it simply hasn't been. The extra awkwardness of a heavier bike ridden more and at higher speeds than normal by pencil necks translates into stresses and impacts that are at least a little closer to what an analog bike experiences under a right-sized person with a bit of strength. And the need to then make parts for those requirements that don't break the bank for mass-market products means now you and I can get those parts to replace the wimpy shit that came on our stock bikes. Win-win, I'd say.

 @jaame: 250 nominal in Canada anyways. i believe the levo maxes out at 565 watts at peak power. So not that much relative to some of our Clydesdale riding buddies. I guess the argument could be made thats an assist and the rider could contribute whatever their sprint numbers are. Some of the not so legal bikes will have significantly higher numbers but most will be hub mounted and wouldn't need those wheels? Rims possibly? But those ones shouldn't be on the trails.

 @AverageAdventurer: lol I was going to say 250w is nothing...if you are 6'4+ lol

 @clink83: 6'4 on the dot here!

 Cush Core is a heavy pain in the ass. I went back to tubes on the dh bike...

 @DHhack: you should look into tannus tire inserts (for tires with tubes)

 I also got the Vittorias after much hand wringing and review and comment reading. Put them in the rear on both sets of DH wheels & tires (28mm wheels with DD casing, probably overkill, and 30.5mm wheels with WT EXO casing). I have to say, removing/mounting these inserts is cake.. think I got both wheels done in about 5 mins.

 @skidrumr: Yup, once you know the trick, super easy. I haven't had to ride flat out, but knowing I can is pretty cool too, especially on big trips to big mountains I don't know.

 @skidrumr: @chuckolicious:

What size insert are you guys using for what size tire? I use 2.5s on i30 rims, which is right on the fence between medium and large inserts.

Also, I don't feel like I really need the rim protection up front. Do you notice much other benefit with these inserts? Damping or tire stability?

 @thegoodflow: I have them on two bikes. Both i30, one a 2.6 and the other 2.8. I use large for both. I’m so addicted to the “dead” feeling with so little high frequency that I couldn’t imagine not having them front and rear. Rode high end rentals without and it bugged the crap out of me. I ride 17-18 psi front and rear, both bikes.

 @Chuckolicious: thanks for the reply! I'm going to give them a try.

 I wonder if tange ultimate is still available for bikes. Nail hitting the frame sounded thin as soda can

 That's amazing... but doesn't change the one I want! I don't see the attraction in steel frames myself. The Privateer and Knolly are a lot more appealing in my opinion. I think it's the thin straight tubes with the bulbous tubes welded on the ends for shock mounts and pivots etc that puts me off.

 dont need a vest for that... =(

 Green initiatives, my man. Traction coffee is dialed, and they’re giving back to injured athletes. What more could you ask for?

 You'll also need to look out for "pre-production" beans.

 No, just a CushCore's New Tire Lever...

 @jkalis: That made me laugh pretty hard. Thanks for that. Actually the lever with that saddle would make it a sort of clipless saddle.....

 yea the struggle is real

 The only thing holding me back is my PF92 bb on my bikes. The bearings are too small with a 30mm axle. If they made a 24mm spindle version I'd be in the market.