leelikesbikes

What are the physical dynamics behind this statement? "For similar reasons, very long chainstays can result in a feeling of being bucked or too over-the-front on steep, technical descents. Because the back wheel is further behind, it feels like it hangs up on steps or drops, pushing the rider's weight forward."

Beautiful.

@DCF: Excellent to hear. So I can further refine my approach to being ridiculous (it's a lifelong practice), would you please tell me what you've seen that is working? I'll do more of it!!

@SJP: Please share the reasons.

Thank you! Shooting for a '70s motocross vibe.

@ktnkgb: THANK YOU AGAIN FOR YOUR TIME AND ATTENTION. MY REPLIES IN ALL CAPS: I STATED IN THE ARTICLE THAT I AM SPEAKING FROM MY EXPERIENCE AS A COACH AND A TESTER OF MOTOCRANX. "most riders have a hard time balancing on the bike’s bottom bracket while standing on traditional cranks that want to rotate underfoot" - Do you have some real data? Feels to me that's actually a skill beginners have to learn in order to... ride a bike MY DATA IS WORKING DIRECTLY WITH MORE THAN 10,000 RIDERS OVER 20 YEARS. I SEE THIS ON MOST PEOPLE, EVEN THOSE WHO SELF IDENTIFY AS EXPERTS. THE TRUE EXPERTS ALL REMARK AT HOW MUCH EASIER 0MM CRANKS ARE. "Telltale signs of crank-related stance issues are an inability to generate pumping speed" - No, that's poor technique, But hey, show me your studies. IT IS INDEED POOR TECHNIQUE, MADE MUCH HARDER TO LEARN BY THE OFFSET STANCE AND ROTATING PLATFORM. EVERY PERSON I PUT ON MOTOCRANX LEARNS MUCH FASTER. "your pedals not staying level in the roughs and steeps" - Yup, that's a skill to learn, part of r the skills you need to ride a bike. I AGREE. MAYBE YOU AND YOUR CREW ARE ALL HIGH LEVEL RIDERS, SO YOU DON'T SEE THE ISSUE, BUT I CAN TELL YOU: VERY FEW RIDERS HAVE THIS SKILL, AND MANY OF THE ONES WHO APPEAR TO BE BALANCED ON BOTH FEET ARE USING THEIR BARS FOR SUPPORT. "The longer the cranks are in relation to your leg length, the bigger this problem is" - Source? EXPERIENCE, BIOMECHANICS AND COMMON SENSE. WATCH TALL VS. SHORT RIDERS ON THE SAME CRANK LENGTH. "If 155 feels better than 170, why not go all the way down to 0?" - If 3 wheels have more balance than 2, why not go up to 4? LIKE A CAR? GOOD THINKING. "they’d learn the movements more easily with their feet in a natural stance" - They learn a different skill than "biking" AH HA! I LOVE THIS!! IS RIDING A BICYCE WITHOUT CRANKS NOT BIKING? IS RIDING A DH BIKE WITHOUT PEDALING CONSIDERED BIKING? WHAT IS BIKING? WHAT PARAMETERS DEFINE OUR FUN? THIS IS A SWEET PHILOSOPHICAL DISCUSSION! "On MotoCranx, your body feels natural because your feet are next to each other, and you feel more balanced and stable." - So to learn snowboard, I should learn to ski because moving sideways isn't natural? GIVE SKIING A TRY. MAYBE YOU ROCK THE SNOWBOARD ON DEEP POWDER DAYS AND YOU SKI WHEN IT'S HARDPACKED. YOU PROBABLY CAN'T IMAGINE WHAT IT'S LIKE TO MTB WITH 0MM CRANKS UNLESS YOU'VE RIDDEN MOTO OFFROAD AT HIGH SPEED. IT FEELS VERY SIMILAR IN TERMS OF STANCE AND CONFIDENCE. BTW: SNOWBOARDS ARE OFFSET, BUT YOU'RE NOT TRYING TO BALANCE ON BEARINGS. "With no drivetrain, you can build that pump track, dirt jump or downhill bike for less." - Yup, a bike that less than a bike. IS IT? WHEN REMY MORTON RIDES A DH BIKE WITH KID'S CRANKS AND NO CHAIN, IS HE NOT BIKING? I CALL IT PUMPBIKING VS. PEDALBIKING. THEY ARE BOTH AWESOME -- LIKE SKIS AND SNOWBOARDS. "Many of the parts you delete are unsprung mass; axing them makes suspension work better and eliminates chain/suspension feedback. Imagine never lubing a chain, never adjusting a derailleur and — wait for it — never smashing a derailleur on a rock" - Imagine going single speed, or even chainless. YES! ALL GOOD THINGS! "When weightlifters squat and deadlift with their feet side by side, they’re able to lift twice what they can lift with one foot in front of the other" - Then why aren't your motocranx at least shoulder wide? And what do you have to deadlift on a bike anyway? THE IDEAL WIDTH FOR MANAGING FOOTPEGS APPEARS TO BE NARROWER THAN FOR A MAX DEADLIFT. 1) MORE RANGE OF MOTION UP AND DOWN. 2) MORE ABILITY TO ROTATE HIPS. 3) ABILITY TO MOVE FASTER AND MORE DYNAMICALLY; COMPARE STANCE WIDTH FOR A MAX DEADLIFT VS. A STANDING BOX JUMP. ALSO, STANCE WIDTH IS A BIT LIKE BAR WIDTH. YOU HAVE THE BIOMECHANICS, THEN YOU HAVE CLEARANCE FOR TREES AND ROCKS AND SUCH. WHEN WE RODE NATURAL TERRAIN SOME OF THE TESTERS PREFERRED A NARROWER STANCE. PRODUCTION MOTOCRANX ARE A BIT WIDER THAN STOCK MTB Q-FACTORS, AND YOU CAN ADD ANOTHER 20MM VIA SPACERS. THIS FEELS GOOD. IF YOU'RE NOT FAMILIAR WITH THE ROLE DEADLIFT FORM AKA HIP HINGE PLAYS IN MTB, YOU'RE MISSING OUT! FOR A FREE LESSON SEARCH FOR "lee_likes_bikes hinge" ON YOUTUBE. ENJOY! "One expert rider who tried MotoCranx on a pump track said" - Citation needed NO NEED TO CITE THE NAME OF SOME BRO YOU'VE NEVER HEARD OF. "The neutral stance opens up so much leg strength and range of motion it’s crazy." - Like what? Where are the studies? THAT'S UNDER THE HEADING "OTHER LEARNINGS:" WHICH MEANS IT'S FROM MY DIRECT EXPERIENCE AND THOSE OF THE TESTERS. "Every pump track racer should rock these until the UCI bans them" - How do you know the UCI is worrying about it? SORRY THAT JOKE DIDN'T LAND. THE RUNNING JOKE IS THAT THE UCI TENDS TO BAN PERFORMANCE ADVANTAGES. IMAGINE A STERN LETTER FROM SRAM TO THE UCI: "THIS UNCHAINED MOVEMENT IS RUINING THE SPORT. ..." "You can initiate lean angles from the feet like a skier" - Actually leaning on ski is more similar to lean on pedals and cranks... think about it. ONCE YOU SET A DEEP SKI EDGE AND THE OUTSIDE LEG IS EXTENDED, YES THAT'S A BIT LIKE CORNERING WITH YOUR OUTSIDE FOOT DOWN. HOWEVER, I SAID "YOU CAN INITIATE ..." ONCE YOU'RE ON EDGE, 0MM CRANKS ENABLE A DIFFERENT, VERY SMOOTH/POWERFUL DYNAMIC. I'LL BE POSTING MORE ON THAT IN THE FUTURE; YOU'LL WANT TO SUBSCRIBE TO MY YOUTUBE AND INSTAGRAM FOR THE FREE STUFF. ALL OF MY MOST VALUABLE CONTENT IS IN PERSON OR BEHIND A PAYWALL AT WWW.LLBMTB.COM. ", the normal human stance with your feet next to each other is way easier on your legs, hips and lower back" - Source? DIRECT EXPERIENCE AS A RIDER. DIRECT EXPERIENCE AS A COACH. DOCTOR OF PHYSICAL THERAPY. ORTHOPEDIC SURGEON. COMMON SENSE. "many of you feel your quads and lower backs aching after pump track sessions or long downhills" - It's called training. TO SOME DEGREE, YES, BUT NO MATTER HOW STRONG YOUR QUADS GET, IF YOU RIDE IN THE SQUAT CONTINUUM (KNEES FORWARD) THEY WILL EVENTUALLY BURN. IF YOUR QUADS NEVER HURT, YOU'RE MOST LIKELY IN A HINGE, WHICH IS IDEAL. NICE WORK. MOST RIDERS ON STANDARD CRANKS END UP IN A CROOKED SEMI-SQUAT, WHICH IS HARD ON THE QUADS AND LOW BACK. ALSO, PRACTICALLY SPEAKING, A LOT OF ADULTS JUST DON'T HAVE TIME/ENERGY TO TRAIN. WHY NOT MAKE THE BIKE INHERENTLY EASIER TO RIDE? "People who are too tight to ride well on standard cranks (that’s most folks) hop on them and rip" - People too tight to ride well, ripping on those things, may get injured easily? I'm not sure, I'm asking... I'VE NOT SEEN THIS. I'VE SEEN THE OPPOSITE BECAUSE 0MM CRANKS ALLOW RIDERS TO CREATE BIGGER ANGLES AND MANAGE BIGGER SHAPES WHILE STAYING WITHIN THEIR NATURAL, SAFE RANGE OF MOTION. "is the fastest way to hone the pumping and cornering techniques used by all great riders" - Can you prove it? With actual data/footages? I HAVE REAL-LIFE EXPERIENCE WITH THIS. IF YOU WANT TO SEE ME TEACH, YOU HAVE TO PAY. WE CAN DO THIS ON ZOOM IF YOU LIKE. "...less strain on your hamstrings, hips and lower back." - Source? DIRECT EXPERIENCE AS A RIDER. DIRECT EXPERIENCE AS A COACH. DOCTOR OF PHYSICAL THERAPY. ORTHOPEDIC SURGEON. COMMON SENSE. "We push our bikes up the local descents, enjoy the views, seek out new lines, and then shred down with nothing but pump and stoke... pumpbiking feels more social, less hurried and more confident" - Yup, you cannot do that with the evil asocial cranks. HA! YES YOU SURE CAN, AND I'VE DONE IT PLENTY. MAKING IT IMPOSSIBLE TO PEDAL SOMEHOW MAKES THE EXPERIENCE EVEN GROOVIER. --- I HOPE MY REPLIES ARE HELPFUL OR AT LEAST THOUGHT PROVOKING. LET'S ALL ASK OURSELVES: IF THERE IS NO CHAIN, ARE WE STILL BIKING? Lee

@ktnkgb: THANK YOU for taking this time. If you're into it, let's have a philosophical discussion: Does "biking' have to happen on pedals?

@ktnkgb: Thank you for asking. Reducing foot stance from 340mm fore/aft to feet side by side raises the rider by about 20mm. This is easily erased by hinging 20mm lower. I've just ordered the first pump-specific frame, and its bottom bracket is all-time low. Fun!

Thank you. These are super fun to ride, and I see my students making massive progress on them that plugs right back to their pedalbikes. Best of all, people are having fun like I've never seen.

@stravaismyracecourse: Wow, how astute. We've never met and yet you can see the real me. I set out to be the biggest fruitcake in mountain biking. Little did I know I was world class. It just goes to sho, follow your dreams and you will be seen!! Since you know so much, please cite the fruitcake science.