Video: How We Tested at the 2020 Pinkbike Field Test
HOW WE TESTED AT THE 2020
PINKBIKE FIELD TEST
Brand new bikes. Real riders. Proper terrain.
Words by Brian Park, photography by Trevor Lyden & Brian Park
To put our findings from the 2020 Pinkbike Field Test into context, we wanted to give you a look at some of the terrain, test tracks, and processes we used. The goal is to make the results of this year's test as transparent, accurate, and useful as possible.
Timed Testing Notes
While it's fun and useful to compare timing, we recognize it's a flawed metric with countless variables. For each timed test result we did multiple laps at ~80% effort, with as much consistent line choice as possible. In each category the bikes had Maxxis control tires with the same tire casing.
For the Downcountry lap we had a full loop, but for the Trail and Enduro category we did the testing on some descending-only segments in the Whistler Bike Park. Our reasoning was that wanted to maximize our descending time, because descending capability is often harder to judge compared to climbing and pedalling efficiency.
Also, if we'd done full loops on the trail bikes it would have blown out the testers' legs—for example, Kaz would have had to do at least 27 timed laps with climbing, which would have made his later timed tests less accurate. And finally, don't forget that timing is just one of many ways to judge a bike, and the fastest bike for us doesn't always mean it's the fastest bike for everyone.
CONTROL TIRES
We used Maxxis DD casing tires for the Enduro bikes.
And Maxxis EXO+ casing tires for the Trail and Downcountry bikes. They're probably heavier than what most people will run on Downcountry bikes elsewhere, but for the terrain and mixed conditions here during the test they were excellent.
DOWNCOUNTRY BIKE TRAILS
Pemberton made an incredible backdrop for our Downcountry testing.
James Huang sampling some of BC's finest singletrack in all-time conditions.
Upduro, or something.
Lots of climbing, lots of views.
A good amount of more mellow terrain...
...but it is DOWNcountry after all.
TRAIL BIKE TRAILS
We split our time pretty evenly between Whistler and Pemberton for the Trail bikes.
Some long days in the saddle in Pemberton.
All the bikes got a good mix of weather during testing.
A good amount of classic, BC tech.
And a healthy dose of time in the bike park too. Trail bikes are so damn good these days.
ENDURO BIKE TRAILS
The Enduro bikes saw a lot of park laps and a ton of rocky, punishing descents.
Whoops.
Rock and more rock.
While we used the chairlifts a lot to get more testing in, the Enduro bikes still needed to do a fair bit of climbing.
And jumping.
A few more rocks for good measure.
If you haven't seen them yet, check out the 2020 Field Test features we've released so far here.
We'll be back tomorrow with an Editors' Choice round table to tell you our favourite (and least favourite) bikes in the Trail category, before we dive into the Downcountry and Enduro bikes.
The 2020 Pinkbike Field Test was made possible by support from
Race Face apparel & pads, Giro helmets, & Sierra Nevada beer.
Race Face apparel & pads, Giro helmets, & Sierra Nevada beer.
A massive thank you to Maxxis for providing the tires, Rocky Mountain for loaning our photo and video crew some eMTBs, Elite for the extra bottle cages, and GoPro for the POV cameras. And finally, thank you to Stan and Ella for putting us up and feeding us endless amounts of Polish food.
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Double Downs are still laughable for 160 bikes ridden on natural trails in Whistler. That’s some serious chunk and G-outs. You do want an fat insert there for this task, negating the weight saving to a full out DH tyre. I would run DDs on trail bikes in this terrain. But I can only imagine most owners of Enduro bikes use exos and DDs... you may win a fraction of grip in extreme situations like completely worn out offcamber with roots in wet by using DD with insert, but you lose everywhere else. DH tyres are bulldozers like nothing else and the excellent byproduct is is that due to gyroscopic effect, the faster you ride, the more stable the bike is. They slice through chunk like through butter and the increased damping feels like younhace more travel.
For sure, when folks are buying Maxxis EXO, get the 60tpi version, it is far more durable than the 120tpi with only a small weight penalty.
Lol what.
I rund super gravity Magic Mary front and rear on two bikes.
It always amazes me how light they roll on dirt compared to lighter tires.
And they are freaking durable.
No over expensive foam noodles for me my friend.
I love those tires.
I think I've just come up with new bike classifications. . .
unless, of course you've got really good vision and you can see Canada from Silverwood. If you're there, stay there. That place is pretty fun.
Maybe some sort of physical/scientific test of the bikes. For example, build a rig to hold the tires and bars/stem in place (perhaps out of 2x4's), and then measure how much force it takes to flex the bb 10-15mm laterally. I know this isn't the most perfect or most accurate test, but it would be an interesting stat to see, and could be done somewhat easily using just a bathroom scale and a tape measure. Another idea could be the center of gravity for each bike, or even somehow record chainslap/trail noise and measure it to see which bike is really the quietest. Would just be neat to see how the bikes differ in those sorta things like stiffness, weight bias, noise, etc., with actual data to back it up.
Another cool metric would be to see some sort of graphic that lays each bikes silhouette on top of the others in its category, with all of the bottom brackets lined up. This could give a quick idea of HA, SA, chainstay, and reach that would be easier to quickly understand to the layman.
I really like that you have decided to use a control tire this year, and I think it could even be taken a step further by running a control cockpit(bars/grips), saddle, and pedals. All important contact points than can make or break the feel of a new bike, and also all things that are very commonly replaced when someone buys a new bike.
And last but not least..... where are the DH bikes??? lol
All critiques aside, you guys are killing it, and this has quickly become one of my favorite series on PB to read! Keep up the good work!
www.bike-stats.de/Geometrie_Vergleich
Disclaimer this information was passed onto me, at no stage ever was I into road cycling. You can't prove otherwise!
Keep it up and I can't wait to see the rest of the field tests!
Some more instrumentation (Power meters maybe?) could help you see which bike is most efficient for the same wattage.
If we had the same rider ride the same bike for say 3 laps how close would each of their laps be (if they are pushing 80%).
How close would the same results be with a pro rider?
????????????
@jrvolk there were 2 failures.
"I have no idea wth 'Downcountry' mountain biking is"
Pick one.
There's not a whole lot of room for misinterpretation.
For those like me who figuratively weren't climbing with the group, they're talking about "scientific experimental control", as in "THE SAME TIRES" on each bike.
even though I know the outcome and some of the drama.
Thanks for the effort you guys are putting in! Much appreciated!
We recommend trying both bikes and seeing which one feels the best for you and your riding.
Finally got the monkey off my back.
We have seen many times already these photos.
Where is the test ?
It’s 2019 and downcountry is still just a retreat for those not brave enough to go full send.
www.pinkbike.com/news/nukeproof-mega-275c-rs-review.html
Thanks.