We finally did it. After just 14 creative workshops where we learned to talk over each other with confidence, we've duct taped an iPhone onto the opposing wall and recorded a talk show.
For the first episode, we discuss the story of the week, Shimano Linkglide, as well as the Mikes holding me to account for some of my shallow opinions.
Came for thrown chairs and staged fighting. Left disappointed. Take a cue form the greats - Jerry Springer, Geraldo Riviera, etc. We need a SRAM fanatic seated next to a Shimano exec. Bring on e-bikers and the hardtail purists to chat it out. Trail builders with wet weather riders. Trail dog lovers vs trail dog haters. There's so much untapped potential here rather that just a shorter, snappier video podcast.
@mikekazimer: are there any other type? The dog is familiar with the owner, any other rider typically becomes a hinderance for the dog and they continue to search for the owner, stopping mid track. Have only successfully ridden with a dog when the owner was absent.
I would LOVE to hear some lukewarm anti e-bike opinions. You could pick any pinker here because as soon as we're in front of a camera and not behind the keyboard our anti eeb rhetoric really takes a turn for the mild.
@tiffe: you haven’t ridden with my dog then haha. TBH I had nothing to do with my dog’s trail etiquette, it just came naturally to her since a young age, but she’s maybe the only dog I’ve ridden with that can pull off just about any trail with any group and has never caused trouble. Chase us down the trail, but jumps aside the second someone gets within 20-30ft behind her, lets them pass, then tucks in behind the group and gives chase.
@rbsnyder333: I have gone for tons of rides with a trail dog, she is super well behaved, obedient and has better trail etiquette than most people I've crossed on the trails.
She also decided one time to randomly check behind her, stopped in the middle of the trail and cause 2 riders in the opposite direction both to crash. I really think she's less trouble and danger than riding with a newb, but I would be absolutely livid if someone's dog caused me to crash.
Lol these are all incredible ideas. Bring on the most vehemently opposed Pinkbike commenters to fight to the death. Make them debates with prizes like a Grim Donut frame.
@mikekazimer: totally with you! I really hate dogs that are not on a leash during winter and breeding season (spring / early summer for most animals) as well... Or was it the dog owners? Anyways - if your dog is a danger to other animals: take it on a leash (yes, small dogs are also a danger because they can shy away the young roe deer who wait in the bushes for their moms. If they have to flee because of dogs, it might not get found again by their mom).
Also cats! Why tf does someone in the suburbs have a cat!? They're just causing biodiversity to sink like the swissair share before grounding! If you own a cat - keep it inside or leashed! Birds, lizards, different rodents and other cute animals (way cuter than your cat!) will thank you! Proper cats only start at 40cm shoulder height anyways :-P
@brianpark: Bring Billy Thackray. He may be knee deep into UK bog but if you manage to excavate him and drag him into your studio, I'm sure he'll help you with some valuable insights.
@mikekazimer: a broken collar bone because someones 'well trained' trail dog bolted through the undergrowth after a rabbit on a parallel trail and brought me down means I have no time for anyone who brings their mutt out mountain biking
@Phipu: Free roaming cats are the worst. They're predators but unlike proper predators they both get to hunt as well as that they're being fed. So they can drive their prey to extinction without starving themselves. If you have a cat and want to take it outside, keep it on a leash and keep it under control.
@VtVolk: to be honest as I lay in the mud in a lot of pain, whether the dog survived to learn some trail etiquette was not particularly high up my list of concerns
@Puddings: Some of the bigger dogs are a lot of work to run over, though I haven't tried the 29" wheeled trend yet. I don't feel dogs have issues with trail etiquette. No dig no ride, they're happy to dig. They just need some directions as they sometimes seem to lack a feel for flow.
@vinay: 29" gives you like 69% better rollover if I recall correctly. Back in the 26" days it was way harder to run over your larger breeds. The steep head angles weren't helping either!
@VtVolk: I'm running 26" wheels with a 63deg head tube angle. My experience is that I'm just shoving underneath them and might launch them. And at that point (until their re-entry) it gets incredibly tough to run over them. I indeed understand the bigger wheels might help and that it is a massive selling point.
Great question. The podcast has an unlimited run time - meaning it's quite slow paced. This will be shorter and snappier, with a focus on a shorter run time. I think the exchange will be both briefer and maybe slightly more combative, focused or intense. The pod isn't going anywhere though - and this will have very different pacing.
@henryquinney: why not still upload it as a pod tho? Just another way to get ears on it? Personally easier to listen to something with headphones on, than sit in front of a screen.
@Longroadtonowhere: I suppose you can enjoy this as a podcast, by all means, but you would just have to run the video in the background. Personally, and maybe this is just me but I think trying to make sure one thing should be everything to everyone just leads to things that suck. Maybe some people won't like it for that - and that's okay, but it is what it is, and if it enjoys less success or clicks because of it, I'm totally okay with that.
@Longroadtonowhere: if they model this after the GCN show, which they will, then video is a good format as you can show pictures of bikes, trails, etc as you talk about them. Podcasts suffer from the lack of visual aids, which is helpful when talking about races, tricks, leaked prototypes.
It seems Brian Parks New Year’s resolution was to make more video content on PB. Not a bad thing at all with all the nonedited YouTube stuff otherwise.
Can we keep both the podcast and talkshow, especially with the Henry/Levy dynamic, it's great entertainment. Getting to see their reactions to one another is priceless
Sorry guys wasn't a full hearted comment. I'm a person who works a 40 hour week and isn't left with much for fun so wanted to see what others felt. I work part time on top of those 40 hours at a local bike shop to afford the hobby. I agree budget bikes are better than ever but as a person who is 194 cm bare foot more brands need to make XXL bikes. PS I don't follow F1 at all but listened to both episodes because I enjoy the Mike and Henry interaction as well as a long time Mike and Mike fan
Early 2000's I used to break QR axles on my rear wheel, they would last a couple weeks MAYBE. installed a M10 chromo full axle with bolts, no more broken axles. Henry is 100% right. Everyone wants a lighter bike, but we also don't want to spend money on stuff that wont last the weekend. We aren't there yet
Can you bums get Tom to pickup some Cartems donuts on the way into the office next time? The box of flash frozen TH cardboard on the table has me triggered!
Next show do a tour of Levy's sim rig. You guys could get all Top Gear (that was sort of a talk show) and mount a sim rig to an MTB and ride it down Hueso while lapping Suzuka. Or how about a star on a reasonably priced bike?
If Henry wants a Spire that weighs as much as a neutron star, it could simply fit his riding style; as Levy and Kaz pointed out with regards to a lighter 170 enduro bike that could work better for some people's style/application than others.
I'm aware of my Steel bike's weight, and burly WTB wheels which could be nice to upgraydd with carbon hoops, but I'd prob break em pretty fast...it's not my intention (or my bike's geo) to pop n jibb off every feature. I just enjoy pissing off my FS friends when they can't gap me because I'm hulk-smashing through every feature with reckless abandon and maniacal laughter. So what if I have to ice bof my knees afterward.
I think carbon wheels are the perfect example of saving weight without sacrificing durability. I had to constantly deal with bent rims and spokes losing tension on alloy wheels. I switched to some WAO rims and while they're only about 100g lighter I haven't had to true them in over two years. No dings or anything of course. I'd have to go much heavier to get the equivalent strength in an alloy rim.
Just get fitter and don't complain about too heavy bikes i ride a 15.7 kg alu hightower all day long in the alps, doing 2500 to 3000 meters climbing... just eat and drink well and have fun beeing out there and ride...
Henry is right. My trail bike is 37 lbs. I did not try to make it heavy. I'm running exo tires and "light" inserts. It is a privateer 141 with an air shock. It's XL and there is nothing particularly heavy on it and yet it still weighs 37 lbs.
Linkglide replacing Altus/Acera/Alivio? I understood it as a more robust e bike driven groupset that mountain bikes could use if you dont care about weight and ride a lot. The new Cues is replacing Altus/Acera/Alivio isnt it?
Bike riders can use whatever they want if it does what they want it to do. Linkglide is the more durable yet heavier technology so if that's what you want or need, get it. Doesn't really matter whether you have pedal assist or not. Even though I don't use pedal assist on my mountainbike, I also built a rear wheel around a DT 350 hybrid hub which is primarily intended for e-bikes but I just wanted a hub with a steel freehub body. Similarly, on my (heavy but unassisted) commuter I'm using Schwalbe Marathon tires with a certification for fast e-bikes (up to 50km/h). I don't know whether such bikes actually demand such tires but at least on my bike, they last pretty much forever. I understand some people push a bit more towards lightweight and accept a bit more wear, but I'm not competitive and do like to keep the costs down. What's holding me from jumping straight in is that don't I really need the wide range and don't feel like getting a bigger rear mech cage than what I'm using now (Shimano Zee). The Microshift kids' groupsets would probably suit me better. But for those who do want the big gearing range without a front mech but don't want the increased costs of these more expensive wear items, it is great that this stuff exists.
I would like to point out that while CUES is using linkglide technology, the linkglide option will also be offered at the XT level where you can choose between an XT linkglide or hyperglide drivetrain. I believe linkglide is only being offered in 11 speed however.
So... is this gonna also be available like pod audio? Seems like that would be a boon for those of us w/o any add'l video time but plenty of driving / working / pod-available time. And no pod today. Not a good trade. Can't stream this video in the car .
@gooral: maybe there's a way to DL the 'talk show" (ie - a podcast with video) and then stream w/o using data while driving - that's fine but I don't have time to do that vs pods. i prefer minimal apps but do run pods and streaming via cell nukes my data too fast. Given how easy pods are to DL, it seems way easier to just add to the podcast listing & then it as a DL / play as desired like casts. Realistically there's not any difference in 'talk show' and pods - they're just talking either way, but one is on camera which I dont need to see, and the other is just a radio show basically - its just talking so why not offer it as a pod to boot? Not that you decide these things, just saying that availbilty in whatever format makes it spread farther.
the guy who loves f1 wants more weight.... maybe we should just decide that bikes have a minimum weight. xc race bikes 10.5kg, marathon/downcountry 12kg, trail 13.5kg, enduro 15kg, downhill 16kg....
Henry is mostly right. My enduro bike is a touch over 39lbs, from DH casing tires, inserts F/R, alloy wheels, Deore, coil shock, alloy frame etc. Granted, this bike pedals fire roads, shuttling, and bike park a lions share of the time, but it still climbs pretty decent and the geometry definitely help. Plus side, it descends really well, doesn’t brake, and the parts were cheaper. Not for everyone, but right for me.
So, I do like the audio on this “video magazine” much better than podcast. I can understand what Henry is saying now.
I don’t agree with with him on heavier is better, though.
Heavier is only better if you live in super gnarly mountains( Sea to Sky for instance). AND you ride 4-5 times a week minimum. For the rest of us, lighter is better. My old enduro bike weighed 30/31 pounds and was raced on the EWS with no issues…
There’s always room for improvement, but I feel like th industry is trying to build bikes for all sorts of riders, big, small, etc.
I have a friend of mine who rides above 220lbs, he picks his parts to be a little stronger, but his bikes generally don’t break or have problems on the trails.
@Saidrick: if you review most suspension products things top out at 250 lb system weights. Similar with various wheelsets, dropper posts etc. Coil spring selection changes to 50# increments above 600# as opposed to 25# or less. Riding an air fork or shock at max air pressure does not leave room for adjustability nor error. industry obsession with low weight in products pushes the products in that direction. It has improved over the years but it still is present. Henry is correct overall if someone rides off road. Light weight components can survive on pavement but repeated hits of mountain biking strain light weight components especially under larger riders.
I was riding with my buddy this weekend. He’s 280lbs. He rides on Spank aluminum wheels and E13 carbon. His bike is a niner WFO RDO, 160/170 mm travel, weighs around 33 pounds( with pedals). He rides on a Fox Float X, and he rarely breaks parts or has problems with it on the trail.
Bikes don’t “need” to be 35-40lbs. They can be light and strong, but expensive. Now days, I feel like bikes are getting strong, heavy and expensive…
@Saidrick: but that does not change the fact that if you review the manufacturers warranty that it will not be covered for breakage if it occurs due to the rider weight and bike weight being beyond the manufacturer’s stated allowable limits. As an example the typical Trek warranty has a system weight allowance of 300 lbs. Bike manufacturers will continue to increase the weight of their components to reduce their warranty claims as a heavier weight product will have a greater degree of durability. Cannot change simple science. Bikes do not need to be light at the expense of durability is what Henry is stating. The majority of riders are not being paid for their performance on the machine. And those that are being paid are not necessarily riding components with heavy hour usage. And how many people actually time their uphill climbs as opposed to the majority that are concerned about their downhill times? Bike weight is generally a marketing ploy to generate a market for high high price components.
Here is a question to discuss since it was touched on in this show.
Why shouldn't you put a wide range drivetrain and dropper on a DH bike. Remove preconceived notions of pedalling efficiency etc.....
There are DH bikes out there with firm pedalling platforms, resonable STA (~75) and climb switches at a reasonable weight.
Eg: My Banshee Lengend 29 has better dropper insertion length than my Enduro, reasonable STA,similar HTA, reach etc.... and genuinely feels more efficient to pedal (for better or worse)..... and weighs less than my Enduro. (maybe the same or a bit more with a dropper and proper drivetrain).... I'm having a hard time explaining to myself why I wouldnt toss on a dropper and wide range drivetrain for a bit of fun. Would this make my Enduro Obsolete?
It is sort of like Henry's position on getting on with the weight increase to match performance. Long travel Enduro bikes are becoming more popular, dual crown enduro forks......exist, and most shocks have climb switches. In this trajectory, isnt an aggressive enduro just trending towards being a DH bike with 20-30mm less travel?
@mikekazimer@mikelevy@brianpark - legit talkshow question here: can these also be put up as podcasts? Would be a way easier way to find / listen to this (and its basically a podcast anyway but on film). For me it would provide a single way to access PB chat / pod / show type of media vs. going to yet another site. For me hunting down PB on yet another format (youtube) is a dirge vs. simple access via the podcast show. Surely offering on youtube is another good way to get PB out there but...access via pod would be awesome for your longtime rabid fans imho.
Please ask Park Tool to sell us just the mount for their t-handle sets so that I can match my red Amazon knockoff SAE set with the PT blue metric and green torx sets on my work bench. --Thanks
I thought it was great. Thanks for making it and Henry is 7/10 wrong. I had an old SX Trail with Saint bolt on derailleur, cranks, heavy wheelset etc. A pair of very heavy Tioga DH tires absolutely made it a misery to pedal.
To the comment "XTR is just a marketing exercise"- I dont disagree. And also, there's an arguement to be made that Shimano bike is all just a marketing exercise within a company that represents something crazy like 30% of equipment for the global commercial fishing fleet.
@chakaping: I don't think that's what Planettx888 means.
The comments he's referencing from the video is that the total sales of lower-end drive trains completely dwarf those of XTR. Let's assume that's true (I think it is) and set it aside. That means that Shimano's bike division could drop XTR from its lineup and expect to not see much impact on the bottom line. However, Shimano's credibility comes from its popularity in the enthusiast market so that remains relevant to "core" cyclists.
OK, with that out of the way, if we expand our view to the whole Shimano company, we could probably drop Shimano's bike division, the loss in revenue would be insignificant.
I personally don't know if that's true, but I think that's the actual point.
They'd been making bike parts for about 50 years before they got involved with fishing and fishing only makes up about 20% of their revenue. Bike parts are 100% the bulk of what they do.
Henry is right. At the moment if you want high performance and durability then you will have to get heavier parts. Could lighter, stronger and durable parts be made? Of course! However, they would cost a fortune.
Not a fan of only because this will inevitably mean less podcasting. Can we just stick to podcasts instead? I don’t have 30 minutes to sit around watching YouTube videos, but I do have 30 minutes in the car every day…
"Wade Simmons - you are the father"
*Josh Bender runs off stage screaming
She also decided one time to randomly check behind her, stopped in the middle of the trail and cause 2 riders in the opposite direction both to crash. I really think she's less trouble and danger than riding with a newb, but I would be absolutely livid if someone's dog caused me to crash.
Can I make a case for fans of Fillmore valves?
Outside: pay him whatever it takes. This is what mtb needs.
I really hate dogs that are not on a leash during winter and breeding season (spring / early summer for most animals) as well... Or was it the dog owners? Anyways - if your dog is a danger to other animals: take it on a leash (yes, small dogs are also a danger because they can shy away the young roe deer who wait in the bushes for their moms. If they have to flee because of dogs, it might not get found again by their mom).
Also cats! Why tf does someone in the suburbs have a cat!? They're just causing biodiversity to sink like the swissair share before grounding!
If you own a cat - keep it inside or leashed! Birds, lizards, different rodents and other cute animals (way cuter than your cat!) will thank you!
Proper cats only start at 40cm shoulder height anyways :-P
Keep your wits about you out there!
Always good to hear some real debate though!
installed a M10 chromo full axle with bolts, no more broken axles. Henry is 100% right. Everyone wants a lighter bike, but we also don't want to spend money on stuff that wont last the weekend. We aren't there yet
Next show do a tour of Levy's sim rig. You guys could get all Top Gear (that was sort of a talk show) and mount a sim rig to an MTB and ride it down Hueso while lapping Suzuka. Or how about a star on a reasonably priced bike?
Love ya boys.
I'm aware of my Steel bike's weight, and burly WTB wheels which could be nice to upgraydd with carbon hoops, but I'd prob break em pretty fast...it's not my intention (or my bike's geo) to pop n jibb off every feature. I just enjoy pissing off my FS friends when they can't gap me because I'm hulk-smashing through every feature with reckless abandon and maniacal laughter. So what if I have to ice bof my knees afterward.
Too light is a compromise in durability and stability
Too heavy is too inefficient on uphills and mobility
And I’d say the range for Dh would be 35-39
Anything under 33 is trail bike weight
Trade the Outside water bottle for a box of Tim's donuts to up the prop game. Plus, Mike & Mike could use a donut or 3.
I don’t agree with with him on heavier is better, though.
Heavier is only better if you live in super gnarly mountains( Sea to Sky for instance). AND you ride 4-5 times a week minimum. For the rest of us, lighter is better. My old enduro bike weighed 30/31 pounds and was raced on the EWS with no issues…
Not by much, 195-200lbs with gear.
There’s always room for improvement, but I feel like th industry is trying to build bikes for all sorts of riders, big, small, etc.
I have a friend of mine who rides above 220lbs, he picks his parts to be a little stronger, but his bikes generally don’t break or have problems on the trails.
industry obsession with low weight in products pushes the products in that direction. It has improved over the years but it still is present.
Henry is correct overall if someone rides off road. Light weight components can survive on pavement but repeated hits of mountain biking strain light weight components especially under larger riders.
I was riding with my buddy this weekend. He’s 280lbs. He rides on Spank aluminum wheels and E13 carbon. His bike is a niner WFO RDO, 160/170 mm travel, weighs around 33 pounds( with pedals). He rides on a Fox Float X, and he rarely breaks parts or has problems with it on the trail.
Bikes don’t “need” to be 35-40lbs. They can be light and strong, but expensive. Now days, I feel like bikes are getting strong, heavy and expensive…
Bike manufacturers will continue to increase the weight of their components to reduce their warranty claims as a heavier weight product will have a greater degree of durability. Cannot change simple science.
Bikes do not need to be light at the expense of durability is what Henry is stating. The majority of riders are not being paid for their performance on the machine. And those that are being paid are not necessarily riding components with heavy hour usage. And how many people actually time their uphill climbs as opposed to the majority that are concerned about their downhill times?
Bike weight is generally a marketing ploy to generate a market for high high price components.
Why shouldn't you put a wide range drivetrain and dropper on a DH bike. Remove preconceived notions of pedalling efficiency etc.....
There are DH bikes out there with firm pedalling platforms, resonable STA (~75) and climb switches at a reasonable weight.
Eg: My Banshee Lengend 29 has better dropper insertion length than my Enduro, reasonable STA,similar HTA, reach etc.... and genuinely feels more efficient to pedal (for better or worse)..... and weighs less than my Enduro. (maybe the same or a bit more with a dropper and proper drivetrain).... I'm having a hard time explaining to myself why I wouldnt toss on a dropper and wide range drivetrain for a bit of fun. Would this make my Enduro Obsolete?
It is sort of like Henry's position on getting on with the weight increase to match performance. Long travel Enduro bikes are becoming more popular, dual crown enduro forks......exist, and most shocks have climb switches. In this trajectory, isnt an aggressive enduro just trending towards being a DH bike with 20-30mm less travel?
We must live with the devil that let's us listen to Henry for free.
The comments he's referencing from the video is that the total sales of lower-end drive trains completely dwarf those of XTR. Let's assume that's true (I think it is) and set it aside. That means that Shimano's bike division could drop XTR from its lineup and expect to not see much impact on the bottom line. However, Shimano's credibility comes from its popularity in the enthusiast market so that remains relevant to "core" cyclists.
OK, with that out of the way, if we expand our view to the whole Shimano company, we could probably drop Shimano's bike division, the loss in revenue would be insignificant.
I personally don't know if that's true, but I think that's the actual point.
The park tool sponsor would be less valuable.