Video: Introducing The 2019 Pinkbike Field Test

 I do

 @bohns1: If that's not a joke, that's just sad, because a great job is not measured by the retirement plan. That only means you're compensated well.

 @llamapooch Don't tell the dentists, they'll get upset.

 I hope Sarah Moore had her own bathroom.

 @coyotecycleworks: For the purpose of this article, the genres are divided based on suspension travel and head tube angle, with travel being the most heavily-weighted factor.

 @mikelevy: erbody wants to be like Mike (Levy)

 @High-Life: Wouldn't have survived otherwise!

 @bohns1: the downvotes don't bode well for the future of the young'ins

 @gdnorm: it also doesn’t bode well for future overpriced home sales or pension plans for the old peeps.

 All these bikes have water bottle mount.

 @bohns1: OK, dad!!

 @CaptainSnappy: So it's just sad to not be thinking about down the road.. Especially after 30.. As you get a bit older it becomes more and more of a thought trust me. It's great to have a job that you love.. And these guys do have cool jobs.. I'm just sayin, if the pay is meager, I hope they have it sorted for down the road.. Would suck to wake up at 50 knowing you're going to have slug it out in the work force now until ur old AF! But hey, whatever works dude.

 @gdnorm: judging by the amount.. Id say most of them are.. Its all good to me.

 @ko-d: gotta make ur own pension nowadays.. That's why total compensation is a huge factor in my books...

 @Stenimir: You shut your filthy mouth when ur talkin to me son!

 @gdnorm: we just care about more than money

 @mkotowski1: obviously.. Much more to life than money.. But it needs to be considered in the balance of lifestyle... "Cuz ridin on the train with no doe sucks" Tribe!

 @bohns1: But if you love what you do (as work) then you'll still just be doing it if you stopped working, so you may as well keep working and getting paid for doing what you love for as long as possible!

 @Obidog: ok, sounds great and all.. But at some point you're going to most likely have a family to consider, a mortgage and a retirement savings plan.. If doing what u love is physical u will also need to consider the time line of age.. As yes, you too will find it one day harder to do the things you used to do with ease.. All I'm saying is, not having a back up plan and or the finances to create that plan can really make life difficult down the line.. On the other hand if doing what you love comes with good compensation that allows you to cover all those bases, then by all means, do it as long as possible and ride the train out. Just make sure to have that cushion to fall back on with an exit strategy. Like it or not, that dollar bill rules us in one way or another and shit ain't getting any cheaper.. Tell ya right now, if I was doing what I loved and the pay was meager and just covered the bills.. I still wouldn't be happy... Just sayin

 Agreed

 Except for that worn front tire. Mini needs alignment, badly!

 @mikelevy: Fender flares FTW.

 @mikelevy are you sure your wheel offset is right?

 @yonderboy: There was an "issue" for a little while that was solved by replacing everything fml haha

 @Quebracho: No, I'm never sure of anything with the Mini tbh

 @mikelevy: what did you do? Carry it onto the trail?

 Yeah @mikelevy, I love that mini too! It always was my dream car back when I was a kid. There is something incredibly punk-cool about it that the later big/huge mini cars never had. Now with all these Brits over there, I wonder if they manage to convince you to paint a proper union jack on the roof .

 Good thing you live in Canada, you would never get those rims on the road in Europe

 @mikelevy: soooo Project Binky

 @Mojo348: YES, so much yes. Everything in my life stops when a new Project Binky video comes out. They're doing the new 'Howie Did It' series, too.

 @mikelevy: Replacing everything tends to do the trick.

 @mikelevy: everything is solved with a grinder, a welder, and having a sit for some tea...



That new Howie did it series is unreal too.. The flex shaft is an epic solution.

 @mikelevy: Don’t want them to ever finish it!

 This is the 'second place' test.

 They said only new frames for 2019, technically the new SBG transitions came out last year and the 2019 versions are the same (except for the carbon Smuggler and carbon Patrol, I think). Lots of coverage of them on Pinkbike though.

 Yep- felt the same. No Tranny love Pinkbike? Is the the snappy rear ends on beefy fronts that have you down? Lots of bikes out there and get that not all can be included- however given Transitions positioning in the "geometry wars" as pushing a decreased fork offset in addition to all current long/low/slack trends...they seem like an important one. Love my Sentinel and excited to be on some Ron Burgundy colourway carbon for next year. Thanks for the reviews though! Can't cover em all.

 @snl1200: they were new for 2018...

 @gierbil, we've already reviewed the Sentinel and the Smuggler, and you'll see a Scout featured in the Value Bikes video.

That is, unless you were talking about the huck to flat portion of the Field Test. There definitely wasn't a transition there.

 @mikekazimer: For sure- always nice to see them in these multi-bike comparison formats though so some of the more subtle differences in the ride can be identified. Sure it's a 2018 chassis, however PB didn't have a similar format at that time and the 2018 geo on the Transition line up is very similar to many of the new for 2019's tested. It's not a knock on the reviews- stoked for any of the amazing free content I get and it would be impossible to review every single bike people are interested in. Look forward to seeing the reviews from this. Reminds me a bit of a "bible of bike tests" setup from BIke.

 @gierbil: Thats because they're doing Huck to Flat testing, didnt you read the damn article?

 I wish they would throw anOrbea Rallon to the mix is Super-Enduro category just for the fun of it.

 @Fliberico: we've recently reviewed a Rallon as well. www.pinkbike.com/news/orbea-rallon-m-ltd-review.html

 @mikelevy: We know you tested the rallon, but why not put it into the fight ?

 @snl1200: Which reminds me that folks at the Bike mag are doing pretty awesome job

 I guess rocky mountain is out for the same reason as tranny?

 The GT Sensor is an exact smuggler copy. The few geo numbers seem that are off are actually very close to the smug. I know I measure on mine.

 "For f**ks sake Randy you pissed yourself bud, You pissed yourself too Mr. Lahey."

 @BigEvil: I'm a little more drunk now... on the bright side, when these tests are done at least we'll know what the best bike is and we won't have to argue about it anymore and we can move to solving global poverty or some sh!t.

 I peed a lot... what does that mean?

 @bcmrider: incontinence?

 @bcmrider: Depends.

 You greasy bastard.

 Old dudes rule!

 Initially it looked like he was hucking that mofo, but I think he might actually be gently rolling past that "shit, too late to stop" point and hoping the camera doesn't jinx him

 RC for Rampage 2019!

 #RCwasrobbed

 Father Time was sending it Pemberton.

 dude, I was thinking the same thing thats a gnarly ass line

 Criminy! I just turned 60 and I said to myself, "Now I have an excuse to take the easy line." There goes that idea out the window. It looks like RC is riding down a cheese grater!

 Total bad ass

 www.vitalmtb.com

 @iqbal-achieve: I know vital does it, but was just hoping that PB might put one together since they do great reviews but its not centralized.

 @ianswilson815: I hear ya I was really just keen for a dig at PB. And always am tbh. They don’t have it centralised cus they’re just crap at that stuff. And we should applaud the other guys who are.
PS also think Vitals review team are better. Always feels like Pinkbike are just giving an overview, often with heavy bias. Vitals guys are truer to a proper review. Whatever that is these days.

 Agreed! As well, please move the search bar to the TOP of the website! PB's search engine works oddly.

 Excellent idea. There is the drop-down menu at the top but it's not obvious enough and doesn't separate the bike reviews. Noted!

 It cant be the Bible without Vernon cleaning lines he's never cleaned before.

 @Boardlife69: i miss Vernon.

 @Muckal: where is Vernon, not at PB anymore?

 @Muckal: Me too.

 @imho4ep: Specialized Bikes.

 I know, it's fake news!

 Mr Levy dropped the donuts, too much muscle shines through the skin and vains can be now visible on the neck which was not the issue not so long ago. He even got the jaw line. It looks like he wants to sandbag the donut gobbler category and is allowed to enter only due to the past achievements

 @WAKIdesigns: ''Donut gobbler category" lol

 @mikelevy: I am sorry to have objectified your body so much, I enjoy this privilege to be sexist to men, but I assume this will not last long, at some point the Fun Police will get there too and take everything from us. Unless I have your consent...

 Lol yeah and 170 upfront. Who would think that was a trail bike lol??

 All those for re naming super enduro ‘Enduro AF’ ...

 I agree... geometry is more deciding and the Switch Yetis always had less rear travel

 @Svinyard: forget travel, anything with a head angle under 65 is super enduro IMO

 Super Enduro FFS. That has to be clickbait.

 @TheR we debated that for a while!

 @cole-bikeva: And the reach! I don't remember what it is, but it's long.

 If you've got nearly half an hour to spend, these two guys took a Yeti 150 and the Scott Ransom through a multi-stage enduro in the alps, and switched back and forth during the race.

It's about the most insightful, in-depth comparison of two similar bikes I've ever seen. They ended up prefering the Yeti, but it'll be interesting to see what PB's reviewers think.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=jGfOEadF4iY

 I own the Yeti SB150 and it is very capable of trail work, and not too much bike at all. It pedals better than most trail bikes i have owned. Geometry does not tell the whole story.

 @atourgates: @atourgates: It's fine if they like one over the other, but they seemed kinda biassed to me.

He said both bikes had thin tires? (Yeti says 2.5DHF and 2.3 Aggressor but not specifically which tires) For sure the 2.6DHF's on the Ransom are light, but they are only like 10grams lighter than a 2.5WT. Doesn't seem like there is a 1.5lb difference in the stock tires? But they act like the Yeti didn't gain any tire weight when the Ransom did, doesn't make sense...? If the yeti didn't have thin tires than why did they need to change the tires???

ALSO, geebus. anyone who tests bikes for a living who has trouble with the twin lock switch the way they were talking about it? Beyond ridiculous. These guys aren't so young that they never rode a front derailleur bike, so they should have been riding with a dropper and a 2x system at some point. It's not anymore complicated that that. At that point they were pretty full on showing bias.

And then I get that the Yeti's shock is easier to dial in and more adjustable so that is a plus for the Yeti. And for sure some people will prefer the Switch infinity suspension linkage over a horst link. But if they are going to say the rear suspension on the Ransom was sagging so much that it affected reach making the bike feel "short" than I can't believe they set the shock up very well...

But also they complain that they weren't getting full travel and that the Ransom shouldn't come with a volume spacer. BUT also they complained that it was "mushy". And neither of them could take the time to even try the volume reduction switch. That's just plain lame...

To some degree, I can see testing a bike the way it's given to you if your doing a "stock bike test". (though honestly even then I think they should add/remove volume spacers to get the shock set up as best they can because that is what the end user/bike shop "should do" when they get/sell a new bike!!!) Anyway, if they just grabbed the bikes and tested them as they are that's one thing.

BUT, if they are going to change tires and set the bikes up for racing there is no excuses for not getting the suspension set up on both bikes. And then to use the suspension set up as a negative in a review, especially a comparison is kind of unethical for a publication...

anyway, I'm sure there will be lots of people who prefer the Yeti to the Ransom. They look to both be awesome bikes. But that video could have been more objective IMO...?

 @stiingya: all valid points.

I don't have a dog in the SB150 vs. Ransom fight, other than that if I was going to spend that kind of money on a long-travel enduro bike right now, those are the two that'd be at the top of my list.

Other reviews of the Ransom seem really positive - like VitalMTB's: www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZY_FWZ-ydLk

I do think comparisons like this are valuable, just because I'll be surprised if any 12 bikes listed in the article above are anything but "very good bikes."

My takeaway from the MBR video was more that, after riding both bikes in what seems like sort of the ideal test for those two bikes, those reviewers preferred the SB150. But, you bring up some good points, and maybe MBR's reviewers were as susceptible to the turquoise halo effect as the rest of us.

 @atourgates: For sure they are both great bikes and it's just about picking the one that feels right for a person! Actually an SB130 is still something I'd totally consider, (armchair, no SB riding experience, but the SB150 seems like I'd be over biked too much?) The only reason a Ransom peeked my interest was the traction mode. Owners confirm you can ride it around like a 120 trail bike on tame trails and pop it to 170 when you feel like it or the trail warrants. That's a cool concept! For sure a lot of people aren't interested in something like that and that's fine.

Just frustrating to see a video review like that totally dismissing new idea's without even trying them out. (the guy in the black Tshirt is really so inept he couldn't "find" the twin lock button, and the other guy is so inept he just had to "press everything" to get it to unlock???) Mountain bikers always seem to kick, scream and drag their feet at every new idea. Then later they accept it, and at some point turn it into something "holy" that can't ever be changed!!

At any rate; aren't we all just waiting around till the new Santa Cruz NomaBronTower 29er is released??

 @stiingya: Regarding the SB 150 -- I'm with you. It's the first bike I've seen on the enduro end of geometry where I thought to myself, "Nope, too much!" That's not to say it's not a great bike, but my guess is you have to really rail this bike like Richie Rude to get it to perform optimally. There are guys who will want this, for sure, but I don't think it's suited for me and a lot of the stuff I ride. The 130 seems more my speed.

That said, the way a bike performs is the sum total of all its parts, not just the head angle in isolation, and not just the reach. I'd give the 150 a go before I completely dismissed it.

 Same.

 The market will keep making more badass bikes while you spend years of your riding life on your old bike. Not being critical if that’s what you want, but believe me, you’re missing out.

 @codypup: Missing out how? I still have a blast on my old 26". Smaller wheels makes the trail more playful. This is a fact, not an opinion. If anything 27.5 will be phased out and 26 makes a comeback.

 I rode my 26 steel HT on a 3 day group ride. Other 25 bikes were all 29, most carbon marathon bikes. I kept up and smoked them on the DH. Its not about the bike.

 To those who are down voting my comment above, go ride a 20" BMX and tell me its less playful than a 29".

 @Boardlife69: It annoys me when folks bring BMX into this whole crappy debate. BMX is a completely different sport. The bikes are designed specifically for groomed race tracks, dirt jumps, smooth bowls, ramps, and skateparks. If you ride one down a technical Whistler trail it will feel like shit. But yeah I guess it will feel 'playful' too.

 @Boardlife69: Yes! and when 26" does come back, it'll have shitty rim brakes, because a bike that won't stop is also more exciting.

 @codypup: 26 never left, get over it.

 @headshot: They make them different in SA man. That Braaipap

 Most new trail to super enduro bikes these days that are big are 29ers, so it makes sense.

 @hoodlum785 Buddy, it's right at the top: it's a bike test, not a wheel size test.

 @tgent: Other than Sam's Mega 275 and Maes' GT Force. But I understand how keyboard pluckers would gravitate to the easy rolling wheelsize.

 @hoodlum785: More 26" too. You know, DMR Bolt Long, BTR Pinner... the list goes on and on and on...

 Forget about your silly 27 inch wheels, 36 is where things are going! dirtysixer.files.wordpress.com/2018/05/dirtysixer36erversions-4.jpg

 @vinay:
No...the list gets shorter and shorter.

 @tgent: At least 7 of the bikes above come in both wheel sizes, but all have been selected in 29. Coincidence @mikelevy?

 yeah, bit of a bummer, be interesting to see where the market heads. I am going to wait a few years and see what settles out before getting a new bike.

 @dannyboybiker: Jesus christ

 @dannyboybiker: 36" is a common unicycle wheel size for those who want to travel quick on road and easy trails.

 @NickB01: Nope, not a coincidence at all.

 It's called implicit bias. But I don't disapprove

 Interesting there's not a Shimano drivetrain in sight.... crazy times we're living in

 @kevinseven: ha wow nice eye, they’re all eagle. Interesting indeed!

 @mikelevy: Sad. I ride 27.5 and 26 and the 26 is way more fun - quicker steering with a similar HTA. When last did you spoiled reviewers actually ride a 26?

 @headshot: That wasn't a nice thing to say. Just because they ride new bikes for a living doesn't imply they're spoilt.

Don't view the wheel size in isolation, bike manufacturers don't do that either. My 26" wheeled BTR Ranger has a 63deg head angle with a 120mm travel fork and they steepen the head angle for the bigger wheeled versions of the same frame. This may not go for the Cotic BFe (26" vs 27.5") but I'd argue that these aren't the same models anymore.

@tadmcmichael : Just because it is getting shorter doesn't mean it doesn't go on and on beyond the two models I mentioned.

 @vinay: it is getting shorter. But in a couple of years it will start to get longer again. No doubt, the rumblings have already started.

It'll 29ers for racing, 26 for arsing about down the woods.

 @dannyboybiker: The pinkbike editorial staff's daily driver

www.pinkbike.com/photo/15620681

 @vinay: I actually saw one about five years ago, it looked ridiculous from behind riding down the street. The thought that they'd ever end up on a bicycle was the last thing on my mind.

 @headshot: Spoiled reviewers? My job is to ride and review the newest, most relevant bikes, not ride bikes with 26" wheels. Yes, they were just fine. Yes, so are 27.5'' and 29'' wheels. Yes, I prefer the bigger wheels. Yes, 27.5'' wheels replacing 26'' wheels was the dumbest thing this industry ever did. Yes, I've said and written that many times before. And yes, it was so they could sell something "new." Decisions like that are made 2+ years before you see the result, and at least 1 year before we would have.

 @chriskneeland: Sam's Mega 275 is not new, so it doesn't qualify. The GT Force does and they included the GT Sensor. As they say right in the beginning, they can't include everything, and this is a killer list of the hottest new bikes 27.5 or 29.

 @alexhyland: I would love that to be the way it goes but sadly I feel the 27.5” is here to stay. Would love to be proved wrong. I just built a 26” park bike and I’m sure it’s gonna be loads of fun.

 @tgent: Well I think they should focus less on what's "new" and instead on what's "current". As in the latest rendition of bike currently offered by a company for a specific category, i.e. the Mega 275. You can't really call it a "field test" if half the current field is excluded. If you're not able to do that then just call it what it is, a test of new to market bikes we were able to get our hands on with a limited comparative basis.

 @iqbal-achieve: mark my words dude. 2 to 3 years away now.

Once they've exhausted long low slack and 1by, it'll be "more fun, faster accelerating, better for jumping", with new school geo.

 @alexhyland: I completely agree. Just not so sure it’ll be on 26”.
After searching out longer and slacker bikes for years that’s exactly the way I’ve gone now, I just want shorter wheelbases and even steeper head angles etc.
I’m trying not to sound like I know it all, maybe it won’t go the way you and I think but the general feeling I get of what the average rider wants now was me 3 years ago. I also licked Chris Porters backside and thought no bike was too long, obsessed by steep seat angles and the slackest head angles I could make. Short chainstays were for losers.
Now I dgaf about any of that and my perfect bike is a Transition Scout gen1 without snapped chainstays, size small.
I forgot why I got into bikes, but I remember now.

 @iqbal-achieve: There is a huge difference between what's available for sale and what people are actually riding. Simply because if you're happy with what you're riding, you won't be buying something new. I'm from The Netherlands. For instance indeed loads of new bikes sold now (which are mostly for commuting etc, not for recreation) have pedal assist. It is just that now that has become available, people who've always wanted that finally have the opportunity to get one. Mostly for getting to work in time without a sweaty back no matter how much of a headwind they have. People who don't want or need one or can't afford one simply won't get one and stick with the perfectly fine bike(s) they currently own. Sure there will still be people who are going to make the transfer but from my experience most people who really want one already have them. Number crunchers who mindlessly extrapolate and pick a date by which no one would ride unassisted anymore are the same kind who half a century ago looked at the development of faster aircraft and decided "alright then, it is about time to develop a supersonic passenger aircraft". It was a horrible idea right from the start of development right until the crash that ended the whole thing.

But I digress, sorry (and sorry for bringing pedal assist into this). Point I was trying to make is that there was something new and those who wanted it have it now. Bigger wheels in this case. Many tried and are happy with it. Some tried and went back. And a good few (me included) were just never interested. And as long as these people are there, there will be companies making stuff for them. Schwalbe and Continental still produce loads of high end 26" tires for trail use (so not even DH exclusively). Even if the fork manufacturers don't specifically market their forks for 26" anymore, they still have them. And with the whole reduced offset trend, they're basically getting you the perfect 26" forks again. Last spring I replaced my over ten year old DMR Switchback hardtail frame for a BTR Ranger in 26". Obviously geometry is right up there with what is now being considered "modern". Sure that frame is built to order, but Cotic (who came with the #26aintdead thing) still has their 26" BFe and I think the even updated it two years ago. Quite simply because there are enough people who want to ride these so the market is there. Heck, I'd actually be surprised if YT doesn't mass produce the 26" specific rear end for their Tues DH bike which some of their high profile athletes are riding. People keep calling for it every time they see a bike check of one of these. Demand is there.

TL;DR: The market for 26" bikes has always been there and it is not going away. Hence the supply will always be there too.

 @vinay: hope you’re right, everything you said makes sense.
And I’m one of those guys who always calls for the 26” Tues

 @CaptainSnappy: same bike but different wheel size will act very different especially since fork offsets will come into play. I just wish there was one category for 29 and another for 27.5. I know 29 is all the rage now.

 No, just a lot of donuts and fizzy pops.

 Nope, but only because they all know that I'd crush them.

 Wouldn't have it any other way haha There are a bunch of value bikes included in the test as well.

 It's a crying shame!

 Yeah, kind of seems like all bikes are good these days and reviewers are just splitting hairs.

 @RampageRandy: right, im sure the top riders would still be the top riders no matter what major brand name was on their bikes

 @santacruz-ing: I'm a little drunk... was that sarcastic? Or are you agreeing with my insightful insight??

 I would even say there is no point in getting a bike of the Trail Selection over the Enduro one. 0,5kg saved for 20mm travel that you'll still need because of the possibilities of tires and geometry. Bet you cannot feel a difference in climbing.

 @SickEdit: If you’re only climbing for the sake of descending, sure. If you’re riding a lot of inbetween style stuff and flowy, meandering trail, you can tend to get lost in all that travel and it can really sap the fun out of a ride.

 I thought STA tired you. It must be steepened if reach is increased and sizing scheme is to be conserved. Behold The Smash: www.pinkbike.com/news/review-guerrilla-gravity-smash.html. Yeti bb is indeed low--but still not 5010 low. 2x9 forever

 Nothing new for 2019 in these categories but increased fork travel

 Eeesh, assume the worst, eh? There are always going to be bikes that we could've had be didn't, but our thinking is that we don't want too many on hand because then that really limits our time on them. You'd be surprised at how little some of these test bikes get ridden by some testers... So we ended up with a relatively short list and wanted to have the newest and/or most interesting bikes to test. Aston reviewed the new Aurum HSP recently (www.pinkbike.com/news/norco-aurum-hsp1-29-review.html) and we also did this piece on it: www.pinkbike.com/news/norco-aurum-hsp-2019-first-look.html And this piece on it, too: www.pinkbike.com/news/norco-dh-bike-prototype-development.html

Also, maybe we have a new Norco in for testing right now? Not saying that we do...

 I mean other than the Remedy and Nomad... you are correct, no 27.5 bikes.

 Bronson and Remedy.

 @TheBearDen: nomad?

 @NebulousNate: yeah thats my bad. look to similar brain just went to Nomad lol

 The new GT Force would have been good 27.5 to have in this test.

 Bible of Bike was trash... sorry Vernon. It was. It always looked like a bunch of mutually loathing dudes who finished their riding career and got together for a reunion in a posh cabin to trash other people’s posh bikes. The only thing I missed there was them drinking some single malt in v-neck sweaters.

 @WAKIdesigns: that’s why I liked it. But I agree to an extent. Just the same as getting a semi for every single new bike for me which is what tends to happen now. “We’re so lucky now, every bike is great, blah” yeah. No.
We’re not really the target audience of the reviews and I get that. But give em to me, I’ll tell you what’s shit and what’s not. Only problem is nobody will listen last time I use that emoji I promise (today)

 'Scientific testing process'--insert image of mountain in conical flask. Best bike remains best fitted and fit for desired purpose, so maybe not the most fun bike. The rest is infotainment marketing that often takes itself too seriously. At least Kaz and Other Guy in promo vid are having some fun with it.

 We focused on the absolute newest bikes that were available at the time - the Ibis Ripmo was reviewed earlier in the year (www.pinkbike.com/news/review-ibis-ripmo.html), along with the Rocky Mountain Thunderbolt (www.pinkbike.com/news/review-rocky-mountain-thunderbolt-carbon.html), and a Transition Scout is included in the 'Value Bikes' video.

 @mikekazimer: What about the Evil Offering?

 @Artigas: we spoke to them and they weren't able to get us one in time.

 @mikekazimer: I love it when the Mike's lay the smackdown. I also Love this test set up!

 @mikekazimer: I understand why you might not have included the ripmo and couldn't include the Offering, but for those of us considering that style of bike there are several "top choices" to consider. Any chance of a comparison of the sb130 vs ripmo or even better a three way comparison of sb130 vs ripmo vs offering?

 Agreed. The Bike Mag "reviews" are pretty worthless and mostly unwatchable.

 @stevemokan: Feels like bike, rolls well, rides nice, has tire, has brake......

 Dusty's! I never would have thought almost $40 on a plate of nachos would good value but it was seriously massive!

 I gotchu covered

 We reviewed the AM 29 back in June: www.pinkbike.com/news/review-commencals-new-meta-am-29-team.html

 Nope, these are all new, yet to be reviewed bikes for us.

 @mikelevy: Wait, I know I'm not crazy so let me rephrase. Most of these have had "first ride" reviews on PB then? I just feel like the crop of bikes is way too familiar and so far a couple quick searches have pulled up the first ride reviews.

 @yupstate: They aren't all "brand new" as in all of these bikes are in their first model year, but they are brand new in that they are either in their first model year or have had significant changes made to them since their 2018 model years.

And I recognize a few from first rides or first impressions, so you are right there.

 @n3sta: I know I was downvoted, whatever. But I'm not an idiot; almost every single one of them has a "First Ride" review on PB throughout this year. I still look forward to the more in-depth reviews; hopefully they really get into the comparison aspect between the bikes.

 @yupstate: a first ride feature is not a review. It is the bike world's version of a product "unboxing".

 @raditude: Is that REALLY true? And is it good, bad, doesn't matter? Curious on the point of the comment.

 @yupstate: I just think it is really fascinating that people think all of these things are independent, where lay-ups and carbon and testing and blah blah blah are all 100% independent of other brands. Now i know yes, silverado and sierra are the same vehicle. But it is fun to watch people completely shit on brand X and soil their keyboards about how awesome the carbon is or the continuous housing tubes in the frame or pivot hardware and know that it is the same system as X other bike that people completely rag on the similar things.

Just fun to watch when people go and praise/shit on the thing they don't realize is made in the same place.

 @raditude: Well for me the "carbon layup" isn't what I'm looking at, so if things are made in the same factory, but they are different bikes......ok cool story. I'm looking at geometry, suspension design and layout, climbing and descending prowess, etc.

 Asked same Q. Here's the A: "We poke to them and they weren't able to get us one in time." Offering!!

 So the 3 27.5 bikes on test are not enough? Would you like them all that size?

 Ok, I lie, 2 bikes with a number being able to swap out between both.

 They're always out!

 Most of the butterflies I observe descend like drunken sailors, so maybe that's it?

 I have one! It looks a lot better than last years bike, and the angles are dialed now. It'll get a full review soon.

 @mikelevy: Can you give us a little insight on why the chainstays have a pivot point, and how much pivoting that point actually pivots? Seems like some unnecessary unnecessariness.

 @Heckler76: @mikelevy: Rode the Auric LT and was really impressed. They have some pro's who have helped guide them in the right direction. Pretty good deal if they can support the frame into the future.

 @mikelevy: Looking forward to the review!

 This testing was done long before Trust's fork every showed up. I've been using it on the front of the Dash, and I'm close to putting it on the Mondraker Foxy.

 @mikelevy: Dash with a Trust. Can you also do a work up on the mortgage used to pay for it as well? I think Pinkbike owes it to its readers to really break down the costs.

 @raditude: Just about to put one of those one-piece Syncros carbon stem/handlebars on it, too. Most expensive bike ever?

 @mikelevy: Plz include the wireless reverb and etap eagle while you're at it. EXT rear shock and a Onyx to Enve with Berd spokes and then we'll chat. And one of those plank boards of carbon Tune calls a saddle.

 www.pinkbike.com/news/nukeproof-mega-275c-rs-review.html

www.pinkbike.com/news/nukeproof-mega-275-carbon-first-ride.html

www.pinkbike.com/news/staff-rides-mike-kazimers-nukeproof-mega-290.html

 Very stoked!!!My Stylus just came in the mail today.

 "We also checked out 3 new value-driven trail bikes for 2019 in a separate feature".

 Best of luck as the test happened last summer.

 

 www.pinkbike.com/news/review-ibis-ripmo.html

 pretty much

 Or DH bikes with not enough.

 Not the same, but here are some direct to consumer options we've reviewed recently:


www.pinkbike.com/news/review-canyon-spectral-womens.html

www.pinkbike.com/news/first-ride-2019-canyon-neuron.html

www.pinkbike.com/news/review-yt-capra-29-cf-pro-race.html

www.pinkbike.com/news/review-commencals-new-meta-am-29-team.html

www.pinkbike.com/news/commencal-supreme-dh-29-review.html

 But better.