1Question - What's The Biggest Game Changer In The Next 10 Years?
The term ''game changer'' really has been overused to the point where I'm sure most of us roll our eyes and think the exact opposite when we either hear it or read it somewhere. To many, especially me, it screams of a marketing foot soldier who's misplaced his thesaurus and only has an hour to hand in his latest campaign strategy. Then again, take off your jade coloured glasses and you'll see that there have been some proper game changers in the last decade. The most obvious, at least on the tech side of things, has to be dropper seat posts, and you could argue that the proliferation of ski resorts welcoming mountain bikes in the summer has also literally changed how and why many of us ride a bike. There are a few other examples, of course, but let's focus on the future rather than the past.
What could have us looking at mountain biking in an entirely new light by 2025? Is there something on the horizon that will see the machines we ride make a technological leap forward, or will the paradigm shift come from a different angle? Could a fundamental change in land access or mainstream media coverage morph our sport into a different animal within a decade? We sought out a handful of industry heavyweights, many of whom have been around long enough to have already seen one or two so-called game changers in their time, to get their opinions on what is going to have the biggest impact on our sport over the course of the next ten years.
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Fabien Barel - Enduro Racer, Canyon Bicycles
A junior World Champion win in 1998, a senior World Champion in both 2004 and 2005, and a number of World Cup wins between 2000 and 2009 have cemented the Frenchman's status among the greats of downhill racing, but Barel wasn't ready to hang up his helmet when he ''retired'' in 2011. Instead, he put all of his focus towards enduro competitions, a discipline that he's also been very successful at. The constant tinkerer, he's also been known to push bike development to places others wouldn't, although it's his numerous and often victorious comebacks from serious injuries that many riders see as an inspiration.
A junior World Champion win in 1998, a senior World Champion in both 2004 and 2005, and a number of World Cup wins between 2000 and 2009 have cemented the Frenchman's status among the greats of downhill racing, but Barel wasn't ready to hang up his helmet when he ''retired'' in 2011. Instead, he put all of his focus towards enduro competitions, a discipline that he's also been very successful at. The constant tinkerer, he's also been known to push bike development to places others wouldn't, although it's his numerous and often victorious comebacks from serious injuries that many riders see as an inspiration.
 | I believe that E-bikes will force a huge evolution in the general cycling market in the future. They will open the discipline to new customers, open access to new trails, generate new problems like erosion and speed on the trails, and create new needs in bike design. All that will force the bike industry to adapt. The impact in North America has not arrived yet, but in Europe we have felt it strongly this year. They do give a new vision for the future of the market and the sport itself, but I personally believe that the excitement around these fresh perspectives should not hide problems that could affect the sport - let's stay focused on the roots of what mountain biking really is. |
Joe Lawwill - Mountain Bike Marketing, Shimano
If the Lawwill family name sounds familiar, it's because Joe's father, Mert, is both a legendary motorbike racer and a designer that was immortalized in the iconic film, On Any Sunday. Joe has made his own name for himself, though, by racing downhill at the highest level for well over a decade, and even collecting a World Championship win as a Master in 2002. You're most likely to see him toeing the start line of an enduro race these days, with his bike often built up with any number of prototype Shimano parts, and his results are still putting to shame racers who were on training wheels when he was contesting World Cups.
If the Lawwill family name sounds familiar, it's because Joe's father, Mert, is both a legendary motorbike racer and a designer that was immortalized in the iconic film, On Any Sunday. Joe has made his own name for himself, though, by racing downhill at the highest level for well over a decade, and even collecting a World Championship win as a Master in 2002. You're most likely to see him toeing the start line of an enduro race these days, with his bike often built up with any number of prototype Shimano parts, and his results are still putting to shame racers who were on training wheels when he was contesting World Cups.
| At the rate things are changing, calling out something for the next ten years is almost a shot in the dark, especially considering that ten years makes up about twenty five percent of the entire time mountain bikes have even existed! But with that being said, the game changer right now is electronics, as well as further integration. The doors that are opened by electronics make things possible that simply can't be achieved with a mechanical system. The new Di2 XTR with the syncro shift is a game changer in of itself. Being able to have the range of a 2 x 11 system with just one shifter is amazing. The integration possibilities are endless. FOX's iRD system already integrates with the Di2 battery which runs both the shifting and the suspension remote adjustments. Battery technology is already quite amazing, but you know for sure that battery technology will only continue to develop. The new Magellan cycle computer already connects to Di2 and can give you detailed reports of your rides as well as display the gear you are in. As more items are made to use electronics you will see more and more integration, with the ultimate goal of packaging all these cool features into easy to use and clean systems, an with all the tech tucked away out of sight inside the frames. Pivot and Rocky Mountain already offer amazing frames designed around using Di2 and have done a fantastic job of hiding all of the wires and the battery, and over the next ten years there will be many frames designed around Di2 and other tech that all integrates together. I know that ''keep it simple stupid'' is a popular saying when it comes to adding things to bikes, but if you can integrate all of these awesome features into refined packages that are simple, intuitive, don't clutter up your cockpit and will ultimately let you better focus on the ride itself and the enjoyment that can be had, I see it as a win - win. I say bring on future technology. I for one would not trade any of my current bikes for anything I rode ten years ago! |
Darren Kinnaird - Crankworx World Tour General Manager
Kinnaird, a Whistler local himself, is the main man behind Crankworx, arguably the most important event each year for many competitors and fans alike. He's been instrumental in what has become the highest payout in all of downhill racing, with equal purses for both male and female racers, and is now heading up the three-stop Crankworx World Tour. He is also one of four board members of the Enduro Mountain Bike Association who's aim is to ''establish, develop and spearhead enduro mountain bike racing worldwide,'' and holds a place on the FMBA Advisory Board.
Kinnaird, a Whistler local himself, is the main man behind Crankworx, arguably the most important event each year for many competitors and fans alike. He's been instrumental in what has become the highest payout in all of downhill racing, with equal purses for both male and female racers, and is now heading up the three-stop Crankworx World Tour. He is also one of four board members of the Enduro Mountain Bike Association who's aim is to ''establish, develop and spearhead enduro mountain bike racing worldwide,'' and holds a place on the FMBA Advisory Board.
| I was going to say mainstream media coverage, but I honestly think that is already starting and will only continue. And yes, it will be a massive game changer for the sport. Instead, I'm going to go in a totally different direction: the biggest game changer for the sport of mountain biking will be the change in the ''modus operandi'' of the UCI. I think this is being lead in particular by Brian Cookson. I had the opportunity to meet with Brian a year ago, along with Chris Ball (Enduro World Series Managing Director), to discuss the Enduro World Series and how it could work on its own but with the support and blessing of the UCI. Brian said something in that meeting, and I am paraphrasing here, but essentially it was that ''Our role [the UCI] isn't to put up road blocks to having people ride their bikes, it's to find ways to make it easier for them.'' I think the UCI has already started to realize that mountain biking isn't the same as other cycling disciplines, and as such needs its own ''method of operation'' and, in some instances, its own rules. I think they are going to make it easier for organizers to host events and do what is best for the various disciplines of mountain bike racing. Is there a long way to go? Certainly, but, now more than ever, I believe they are open to discussions, and I only see this willingness to discuss things growing in the next ten years. |
Joe Graney - COO, Santa Cruz Bicycles
Graney's new title at Santa Cruz Bicycles is that of the Chief Operating Officer, but he's also the brains behind some of their most heralded designs, including the new Nomad and 5010c. Having been with Santa Cruz since 2001, he built and ran their test lab that we visited back in 2012, and has never been shy with his opinions on so-called industry standards.
Graney's new title at Santa Cruz Bicycles is that of the Chief Operating Officer, but he's also the brains behind some of their most heralded designs, including the new Nomad and 5010c. Having been with Santa Cruz since 2001, he built and ran their test lab that we visited back in 2012, and has never been shy with his opinions on so-called industry standards.
| I think that the changing demographics of mountain biking is the game changer. Older, more affluent, politically connected riders who aren't golfing, but choosing a healthier exercise for an option... and they want to share this with their kids. This will lead to increased access and a generation of young rippers and more bike parks, especially with the impact of global warming on ski resorts. |
Lindsey Voreis - Director of Skills, Liv Ladies AllRide Tour
Lindsey Voreis surely has one of the most diverse backgrounds of anyone in the cycling biz, with a stint on the reality TV show 'Survivor: Africa' in 2001 that led to appearances on Hollywood Squares, David Letterman, Regis and Kelly, and The Howard Stern Show, as well as a cameo in an Eminem music video. It's her work in cycling that takes center stage, though, as she uses her certification in Professional Mountain Bike Instruction and IMBA's Instructor Certification Program to spread knowledge and smiles on her Liv Ladies AllRide Tour.
Lindsey Voreis surely has one of the most diverse backgrounds of anyone in the cycling biz, with a stint on the reality TV show 'Survivor: Africa' in 2001 that led to appearances on Hollywood Squares, David Letterman, Regis and Kelly, and The Howard Stern Show, as well as a cameo in an Eminem music video. It's her work in cycling that takes center stage, though, as she uses her certification in Professional Mountain Bike Instruction and IMBA's Instructor Certification Program to spread knowledge and smiles on her Liv Ladies AllRide Tour.
| It has to be mountain bike skills clinics and more women on bikes. With mountain bike skills clinic offerings on the rise, the word is out: if you want to pin it, take a clinic! The community of female riders is growing because they are taking clinics. By taking a clinic they are not only learning to love the sport, they are also learning to face fears, choose their attitudes, and start believing in themselves. When these women experience the power of riding and learning with other women, they naturally encourage more women to get into the sport by taking a clinic. Clinics are also game-changers by giving women a comfortable place to learn about bikes, suspension, clothing and other products from other women. Clinics also mean better riders, and less injuries means a longer life on two wheels. When you take a clinic you learn the nitty gritty details about mountain biking that you never thought about. I have witnessed people with twenty five years of riding experience get their minds blown. Many people understand how to pedal and get through stuff, but when you truly understand the relationship between bike and rider and the art of balancing the bike beneath you, it will take your riding to a whole new level. With more clinics available, more people are trying mountain biking. This leads to more people on bikes, which leads to more trails, which leads to happy trail builders who continue to have work. New trails can also lead to happy resorts who are losing snow, and then it all comes around to more people finding a passion, a community and happiness on two-wheels and some dirt. |
Doug Vinson - Trail Solutions Project Manager, IMBA
An avid mountain biker since the late 1980s, Virginia native Doug Vinson is a Project Manager with IMBA's Trail Solutions. His background includes land management roles with the Bureau of Land Management and the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation.
An avid mountain biker since the late 1980s, Virginia native Doug Vinson is a Project Manager with IMBA's Trail Solutions. His background includes land management roles with the Bureau of Land Management and the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation.
| Without a doubt, the biggest game changer over the next ten years is going to be the proliferation of professionally designed and built public bike parks. Over the last fifteen years there's been a growing demand for purpose-built bike facilities. During this time, advocates, professional trail designers and land managers were working together to identify trends and develop methods to craft landscapes intended specifically for mountain biking. Along the way, trail builders were seen as professionals - working in concert with landscape architects and urban planners to design and build progressive facilities. Advocates showed up at town hall meetings - in large numbers - to engage the community and share their vision. Land managers ''got it''. Bike parks became a valued asset, funded at the same level as other types of recreational facilities. In the ten years to come, the popularity of the bike park is likely to surge. Neighborhood pump tracks to multi-million dollar bike parks will sprout and flourish. At the same time, riders' skills will progress with abilities gained from riding at purpose built facilities. Mountain biking will continue to progress and evolve. The next generation of rippers will hone their skills at these facilities while developing a sense of stewardship for the land, and their community. |
Steve Jones - Deputy Editor, Dirt Magazine
Jones has been the voice of Dirt for as long as anyone can remember, and during that time he's ridden, tested and written about everything from entry-level rigs to one-off downhill race bikes that have been raced to victory by the fastest competitors in the world. Never one to be shy with his opinion, he's one of the few journalists out there who calls it like it is, which is pretty clear to see from his answer below.
Jones has been the voice of Dirt for as long as anyone can remember, and during that time he's ridden, tested and written about everything from entry-level rigs to one-off downhill race bikes that have been raced to victory by the fastest competitors in the world. Never one to be shy with his opinion, he's one of the few journalists out there who calls it like it is, which is pretty clear to see from his answer below.
| Could it be that the mountain bike industry is largely unable to deal with game changers very well? 29'' wheels were a game changer, but only when a handful of clever engineers worked out how best to get frames to match. Many are still guessing, and the rest are probably copying what the good guys did. There's also overuse of that term, for every year bikes and components are said to be better, faster, and stronger, so I'm sure there will be f*cking thousands of so-called game changers. The reality is often otherwise. Things will improve inch by inch to maximize profits, but I'd be happy to see a low maintenance bike come to production, one with a hermetically sealed drivetrain and single sided swing arm. In terms of racers, I'm looking forward to see who will sit alongside the names Nico Vouilloz, Anne Caroline Chausson, and Sam Hill, who were / are quite different and played a different game. Maybe a super-athlete / risk taker will join forces with an engineer of the same mindset, such as Olivier Bossard or Cesar Rojo. There needs to be more calculated racers, more 'win at all costs'. I hope some daft bastards will make a track that's so technical that only a handful of riders can ride it cleanly, and another track that's so fast and wide open that it makes for truly terrifying viewing. There's so much mediocrity on downhill track design while the bikes have increased their capability. But the answer is pretty simple when a European direct-sales downhill bike will be available this year at 3999 EUR [apprx $4,479 USD], offering performance arguably better than a pro race bike. How much game changing do you want? |
Sterling Lorence - Photographer and Mountain Biker
Sterling's name is the one that will first come to mind when the topic of mountain bike photographers comes up, and for good reason. His photos have been featured on the cover of countless magazines, filled the pages of many more feature stories, and captivated every Pinkbike reader who's had them on their computer screen. From shooting Zink's iconic backflip and 360 at the Rampage, to gritty black and white photos of the birth of North Vancouver's 'Shore riding, he's seen and photographed it all.
Sterling's name is the one that will first come to mind when the topic of mountain bike photographers comes up, and for good reason. His photos have been featured on the cover of countless magazines, filled the pages of many more feature stories, and captivated every Pinkbike reader who's had them on their computer screen. From shooting Zink's iconic backflip and 360 at the Rampage, to gritty black and white photos of the birth of North Vancouver's 'Shore riding, he's seen and photographed it all.
| Sure, it's easy to default to looking at the bike itself and think that the game change will come from innovation. Yes, our bikes are technically incredible and do make the ride more enjoyable and thrilling, but you need somewhere to apply that to, and I do feel that many populated areas in the world lack truly good trails. I think that mountain biking is still in its primary infancy when it comes to accessing land and trails that are fit for proper enjoyment of the sport. The impact that private and public bike parks and properly sanctioned riding areas have is huge on building our sport's reach, legitimacy and growth potential. Too many cool places are over-suppressed in access due to a lack of proper association and collaboration with local land managers, and / or the short sightedness of the government as to what mountain biking currently is and can grow to be. I have been witness to the evolution of mountain biking on Vancouver's North Shore and have seen the sport explode, suppress, and explode again within a decade due to the entanglements of accessing land and trails properly with local governments. On the contrary, places like Whistler, Squamish and Kamloops have embraced the sport and both promoted and provided everything that we want. This has managed to make huge game-changing impacts to how we all ride, who rides, and locking in the stability of the future of the sport. What the Whistler Bike Park has become inside of a designated 'ski area' is amazing. Apply that recipe to more struggling ski areas across the globe and we as a sport are going to explode. So, as we enter into this next decade of evolution, I think the biggest game changer needs to be the accessing of more land through bike parks, sanctioning and maintaining current trail riding areas so we can properly maintain, use them, and create more trails, and the opening up of state / provincial / national park areas to the sport of mountain bikes. |
Charlie Sponsel - Pro Racer, Top Robot
Some might say that Sponsel is an eccentric that sits on the fringe of the cycling industry, while others would tell you that he's leading the charge when it comes to spitting truth. Either way you look at it, Charlie isn't one to hold back when he writes his often rambling yet completely sensical diatribes on whatever topic he feels needs to be addressed. All this usually goes down on the Team Robot blog (put aside a few hours if you end up there), but it seemed fit to include his thoughts here, in the inaugural One Question. Oh, Charlie also races in enduro and gravity events for Felt Bikes and Gravity Components.
Some might say that Sponsel is an eccentric that sits on the fringe of the cycling industry, while others would tell you that he's leading the charge when it comes to spitting truth. Either way you look at it, Charlie isn't one to hold back when he writes his often rambling yet completely sensical diatribes on whatever topic he feels needs to be addressed. All this usually goes down on the Team Robot blog (put aside a few hours if you end up there), but it seemed fit to include his thoughts here, in the inaugural One Question. Oh, Charlie also races in enduro and gravity events for Felt Bikes and Gravity Components.
| The biggest game changer in our sport will be whether or not we can change the prevailing attitudes of trail advocacy and build legal trails that aren't boring and monotonous. If current trail building trends don't change, mountain biking will be horrible in ten years. Apparently five years ago there was a meeting that I wasn't invited to where all the MTB advocacy groups on the planet agreed that every new trail that gets built from now until the end of time needs to be have a ten percent average grade or less, be built by machines, paved from one side to the other with crushed gravel, pavers, or embedded rock, bench cut into sidehills, and the only acceptable form of turn is a 180 degree switchback or a massive berm. It also must built to withstand one thousand years of bike tires, rain, snow, sleet, flooding, explosions, stray plane crashes, plagues, and the zombie apocalypse, all without needing any from of maintenance whatsoever. There was also a second meeting where they decided that anyone who didn't agree with the trail concepts from the first meeting should be labeled as ''just a hater,'' ''anti-growth,'' or ''close-minded,'' and to be ostracized and kept a safe distance away from any legal trail building. Any trails that didn't fit the general precepts from the first meeting would be labeled as ''unsustainable'' or ''dangerous'' and must be closed down or rerouted. I've seen this pattern occur over and over again across the U.S., but also in Canada, the UK, and even in the Alps, and it's resulted in two separate worlds of mountain biking: the world of legal, boring, legitimate trail building, and the world of fun, steep, fast illegal trail building. Thanks to the seemingly irreconcilable differences between both groups, these two worlds grow farther and farther apart every year. Of course there are examples of legal trails that don't suck. Evergreen Mountain Bike Alliance in Seattle, Washington, is building a pretty incredible (and totally legal) downhill trail on their flagship riding area, Tiger Mountain, just fifteen minutes from downtown Seattle. The guys at Momentum Trail Concepts in Colorado are doing a great job. The U.S. Bureau of Land Management is probably the most enlightened federal land management agency in the U.S., and they've done an increasingly good job of offering mountain bike opportunities that aren't horrible. It's possible to balance land managers concerns while building a challenging trail for someone with a skill level exceeding ''Fisher Price: My First Bike Ride.'' So why do these positive examples have to be the exception, not the rule? The challenge facing mountain biking is twofold: will advanced riders speak up and define what we want our trails to look like, and will legitimate trail advocacy groups choose to listen? The answer to those two questions will do more to shape the mountain bike industry ten years from now than any product, rider, or event ever could. |
Did one of them nail it? Is anyone out to lunch? Let's hear your thoughts on what is going to change mountain biking the most over the next decade.
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They'll realize that 27.5" wheels with wide rims and big volume tires will actually be pretty much 29" wheels and will loose the "best of both worlds" advantage, will be too sluggish. 26" wheels will make a comeback in wide, beadless, tubeless versions. Then they'll make a 26"+ fork to accommodate the new 26" big volume for wide rim tires tubeless with Procore. Then can claim the "best of both worlds" all over again.
'Invisible' Bike Helmet Protects Your Brain And Your Hairdo - GlobeTrendy: youtu.be/Y7jv0pS8G4s
Altough personally I don't think I would ever buy that: I would be too afraid of it not opening when it's needed. I also doubt if it helps anything if you hit your forehead.
I was a mere cvnt hair or two away from shitting on the Dirt rag guy's senselessness about wagon wheels & then about halfway through that paragraph he nailed it on the head. Bit by bit changes are made to maximize profits & the best thing the industry could do is put the drivetrain where it belongs. Gearboxes are about the best thing that should happen in the industry, but we'll probably get another wheel size, chain guide mounting standard, or handlebar diameter. Even what he said about racing is pretty tasty food for thought & I think when it comes to riding, the FMB scene will keep changing & improving the sport the way it always has.
Technologically, 3D printing may be utilized to keep metals competitive with carbon, but otherwise outside of gearboxes, there's nothing major left to be done. It's the only area where we continue to lag behind any other vehicular industry for profit's sake. The commuter bikes have internal gearing but the off road ones that get thrashed have clunkity shit hangin' off 'em instead. :s It's as corrupt as the automotive industry fighting off EVs.
Why the concern about "changing" the game? We should not strive for "change", we should strive for improvement. :/
Well, before index shifting came along Suntour XC Pro was on top. Suntour has a gear box that won't be the future as it is but maybe they will step up and regain their former glory on top assuming anyone at that company remembers those days.
I had hoped maybe new player Box would take up the challenge but instead they are putting all their effort and resources into getting around Sram Shimano and Campy patents so they can serve up another round of the same old shit. FAIL.
I mean really, how hard would it be to develop Alfine into an offroad version? People already use them off road.
Not many others out there riding fixed rigid bikes w/cantis anymore.
But saddly they started to cross the border, and now they are invading the whole europe (I'm talking about e-bikes, not germans)
Just don't brush stuff off without trying it or because you are scared of change... Its inevitable
if mtb world changes in this direction, I will go back to skateboarding. easy.
The current method of driving around in a 80% empty steel shell that which is powered by a gasoline or diesel engine is an outdated activity for the majority of people.
Fast, personal, clean transportation can come from smaller electric vehicles.
What Electric-Assisted-Vehicles need is to become sexy. Downhill bikes == sexy. My mouth waters when I see a nice looking one. The same needs to happen with E-Bikes.
Also, how is adjusting a derailleur so difficult? You set it up once and unless you smash a rock it remains adjusted exactly the way you left it. Sooo how are shifting systems too much maintenance? Lube chain, maybe spray derailleurs down with wax lube and wipe....done. not hard.
It's not hard to do, but it does save quite some time and frustrations if you didn't have the time to do it but you still want to go out for a quick run, having your gears shift like shit and not enjoying your ride as much due to that.
I just think that having to maintain your bike after every couple of sessions is messed up with todays technology.
That's why I love riding my fixed gear bike, I just have to set it up once, and after that I can ride it for many months without even having to look after it.
I ride my mtb probably around 10 times a year, and my fixed gear bike up to 2 or 3 times a week averagly (+-100km per week), and I still feel like I need to maintain my mtb more than my fixed gear bike in total over one year.
I honestly am befuddled as to how your gears function like shit every couple of rides unless you routinely bash the rear derailleur off every hard surface you can find. There are no phantom variables that change by themselves at any point. Derailleurs are the simplest little machines possible. Two endpoint set screws that you set once and never again, and then a baseline cable tension with barrel adjusters to make adjustment super easy. I am lost at how technology could improve such a beautifully simplistic mechanism.
I fully understand the simplicity of a single speed, don't get me wrong. For me though, I haven't had any trouble with derailleurs over the years that wasn't my own fault aside from sticks and rocks attempting to remove the rear ones. The joy of being able to clean a steep technical climb in granny and also stampede through a rock garden at 30 mph with reckless abandon is partially why I ride. A singlespeed--for me--would just be painful and frustrating since the additional mechanics of my bikes allow me to conquer rowdier terrain that would be far less fun and more painful on a simpler bike. I recently got a rigid fatbike for winter riding and the few non-snow rides I did were a fun novelty but certainly not my daily driver choice. To each his own on that one.
My biggest frustration is flats. Tubes or tubeless, 25psi or 45psi I tear sidewalls and poke holes in tire carcasses. Procore...pave the way...
Remedy: turn barrel adjuster counter-clockwise 1.5-2.5 rotations until upper derailleur pulley is vertically aligned with the selected gear.
If that is too difficult: please do not procreate.
silvbullit, there is more to what degrades shifting than what you suggest Cables will stretch and housings compress more than once. Grit, corrosion, cable and housing damage are all factors as are poor routing, full housing and increasing the number of cogs. every added cog makes the system a bit more sensitive to the factors I listed above.
One of the biggest benefits is Di2 does not use cables sliding inside housings. Once it goes wireless and it will, it will clean things up even more. As with the RC flying/surface hobbies your bike's receivrs and transmitters will be bound to each other and not affected by other bikes near yours.
So actually wireless tech could be a game changer however don't expect to see braking systems go wireless. They might benefit by going wired electric though.
Wireless will be out there for the nerds that have cash to burn and feel compelled have tech gadgets to tinker with and blab about. Delicate electronics will have their own issues with the elements and forces in mtb. The idea of having to repair or replace batteries and/or electronics trailside is, frankly; dumber than sh!t.
This is definitely breaching the point of humor it is so ridiculous. All this complexity because pushing a shift lever is too difficult? It is laughably absurd.
Also, the obsession with a "clean" cockpit since the introduction of 1X is comical. I am not going to eliminate functional things just for cosmetics. If a lever/button/switch has a purpose it stays.
If I really needed something clean and tidy like a little fashion queen than I could start riding a unicycle.
Btw, in the Rotorua EWS race one of the guys running the Di2 had an issue with it and was stuck in one gear..
As shimano says dirt and grit is the enemy of smooth shifting and we do ride in quagmires most of the time. Funny thing is though the grit on the road is far more abrasive and problematic that the mud off road.
I agree with you on the clean cockpit BS. Everytime I see that in a reveiw I think the author had to think of something to complain about. Fail. These same morons would complain about the lack of features if all the cables weren't there too.
Many manual shift systems have failed and stuck in races or on rides too so you really can't hold that against Di2.
I get Di2 isn't for everyone but the cost is going to come down a lot as they add more groups and increase volume. As for fragile electronics watch some Traxxas RC truck bashing videos and some crawling videos where people beat trhe hell out of the trucks and completely submerge them. Electronics aren't so delicate anymore and it is Shimano we are talking about. It would cost them an awful lot if they didn't ensure all the Di2 groups are extremely durable and robust.
I can't even imagine how badly the masses will f*ck up their Di2 systems out of ignorance as they try to save a few dollars DIYing it. Most can't even handle lubing a chain properly.
The less serious a race becomes, the more fun it can get. One thing I would like to see is more events like Fernhill Frenzy. That was a downhill race in New Zealand, where +- 20 riders started at the same time, ran to their bikes, picked it up and started battling eachother down that track that was designed for only one rider at a time. That looks like the best time ever. Even if it's not a main race, I would love to see an extra fun-race like this at the end of every downhill race. Where there's no money to be made, but the winner gets as many free drinks as he wants during the afterparty all night long.
Here's the video of the Fernhill Frenzy - watch it if you haven't seen it yet, it's hilarious and pure awesomeness:
www.pinkbike.com/video/391237
What would you do?
And to say build illegally is a cop-out.
How many ski areas have double black diamond only trails?
I have been riding all my life but I now live in an area that only recently (the last 5-7 years) did mountain biking really become a viable activity. The growth has been great and I am excited to see it but I am witnessing exactly what he is talking about. Last year 10 km of new trail were built. The year before that, another 10 km. And two years prior - about 8 km. We have a total of roughly 30km of bike specific trails for a city of 300,000 people. And all of them are intermediate flow trails. I am happy to go out and ride these day in and day out because it is what I have access to but, if I am entirely honest, my skill as a rider has deteriorated over the last five years because there is no access to advanced, technical trails. I am all for intermediate flow trails but there needs to be a balance.
This new style of building gets all the cash and all the approvals from land managers. If this trend continues, there will be more and more trails either converted to this new style, or worse: shut down entirely. This is the current trend. And while it sounds like it suits you, it doesn't suit most of the people who enabled MTB to become a sport in the first place by building trails and buying bikes over the last 20 years.
Funding for trails should not be for the exclusive benefit of less experienced riders. How about giving it a 50/50 split, and give approvals and funding to the types of trails that are the foundation of what build MTB in the first place. All the best trails for experienced riders should not have to be rouge built.
Imagine if a bunch of newcomers to skiing decided it was better to groom all the runs on a powder day, because they don't have the skills to ride pow. And they get away with it because they argue even experienced riders like to rip down a groomed run (yes they do - once in a while). And they want 90% of the total funding available to the sport to pay for it. And they want to clear trees out of the existing gladed runs to expand the area for the beginners. And they want to close some of the steep lines permanently because they are unsustainable and a liability. And then they want to stop people from going into the backcountry to ski what is now disappearing. How about f*ck those guys.
This has nothing to do with being an elitist or "too good for easier trail". It has to do with one type of trail (natural) satisfies the reasons why some of us ride and the other (machine built 10%) does not. Not even close. No need to disrespect anyone for that.
A lot of people with agendas in this question.
If the trail is not technical, you should be able to get a kick out of it from going super fast to make it exciting again.
EDIT: don't get me wrong guys, I agree with you, trails should be challenging and fun. But if you have no other option than only to ride very easy trails you can try what I said to pump than fun-level a bit up again
The fact is if the trail is too steep it will erode and only two things can stop that move it to less than 10% grade or rock armor it. If the graded trails are not technical enough then put it in a bigger gear and go faster, that will change them.
Gateway bikes? Drugs are bad.
maybe those barriers ain't so bad after all.?
more riders, means more trail conflict, more kooks, and a whole bunch of johnny and jilly come latelys who are gonna tell the est..........":how it should be".............
maybe some of those barriers help keep the sport a lil closer tho the core?
Electric Adventure Bike
(Give this a sexier name)
Design like BMW tour bike.
Give it supple suspension and semi-slick tires.
Collapsable solar panels under cargo racks.
Day trips, week trips, month trips: All possible.
Make is sexy and there will be a market for it.
www.electricbike.com/bmwnew-e-bike-for-2014
Cool!
But it still looks dinky to me...
The bike is nice....but how do I carry things around?
In my mind I see a trail bike with a cargo rack integrated to the frame and slick tires.
the rad kids all had homemade versions of this beast back in the late 70's in san fransisco.............
bicycle-diaries.blogspot.ca/2007/06/chicago-to-miami-in-30-days.html#links
offset hub radness!!!!
i can see the short shorts, half shirts, cookies dusters and long socks rippin lombard now.
gotta get back in time!
From this article, I totally agree with Sterling Lorence. Trails, trails, trails. I surprised about fabien barel's opinion, for me e-bikes future = mini motorcross. Which is definetely not a bicycle.
I still think being able to properly slam the saddle on droppers is great. If I'm unsure of the terrain or wanting to get a bit more airborne I prefer to drop it right out the way (where angle is less important as the saddle isn't really doing anything) but if I'm trying to go as fast as possible usually keep the saddle up a little with some backwards tilt (I don't use a dropper at the mo).
theyd better have just copied it
It's really not that hard. Maybe an amateur will have this problem on his first ride, but after a couple of rides you should be fine. With that same attitude we should add those kiddy-training-wheels back to the sides of our bikes, because there is a very minimal chance that we could fall sideways.
If ABS will be the new standard on brakes everyone will just grab their levers as hard as possible like a bunch of retards, and all the "feel" would be lost. And if you give ABS to the amateurs they will never learn how to use a "real" brake.
I would expect to see mechanical steering dampers in dh. The use them on dirt bikes right? Pretty sure I've seen them.
Then why have you been publicly advocating it on Pinkbike for years? Quit wasting ours and your own time and stick to your science fiction mtb drawings.
Those who value simplicity and reliability, and who don't necessarily believe all the marketing hype.
As long as we have 30.9 and 31.6 mm droppers that are 400mm or longer, the diameter is not an issue. Droppers fail for the same reason all travel adjustable air forks do - extreme complication of construction. Crank Bros tried to make a simple one and it got even worse.
If you need to change your saddle height less often than once every 30 minutes, then just don't buy one. but if you use dropper every minute then it will change your game more than going from a hard tail to FS
However, you're spot on with regards to the Reverb service. Those things are absolutely more complicated to work on than your average sealed fork damper, and that means that service comes at a premium price. However, the price wouldn't be so hard to justify if the damn things held up.
Sign me up.
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I live in a gold mining town, surrounded with hills. No excuse for $$$ or terrain availability. And yet there may be no more than 10 people with NON Canadian Tire Special cycles, in the whole place. And the reason i have heard Echoed, over and over. Who the F@#K would pay 5 to 10 thousand dollars for a bicycle, when you can buy a Dirt-bike or Quad. and have Way more fun.
And for every bicycle company out there, trying to become the next Norco, rather than the next Schwinn. Has got to realize, 1 to 2 or more FULL pay cheques, for a bicycle. Full sus, carb or not....Will have people lookin elsewhere. Even computer companies realized that. Now you can build a Monster of a PC for the same ballpark range as the over-sized/overpriced Desk-calculators they sold till the late 90's early 00's.
Prices NEED to fall or the sport will Fail. Time has told that tail for about a century now.
It's like cookin' frogs, folks -- put 'em in room temperature water (easy trails) and then turn up the heat with true skills-based intermediate and advanced trails until they're belly up and head over heels in love.
We can't create a bubble by only building and approving newly paved and machined trails, or people will leave. We have to have middle ground and high ground for new folks, and we also have to take into consideration that not all new growth will be at a 'beginner' level -- a lot of people getting into DH started on a moto (Aaron Gwin, anyone?) and they progress towards 'expert' level at nearly light speed. Those people have disposable income, skills and demand high-level trails... Why would IMBA want to alienate those people by only approved wide, machined trails? Hand building trails is a beautiful part of our sport, and hand work and sweat equity is something we should be doing and preaching and educating about far more than gravel pathways. Erosion channels, proper rock and root maintenance, and respecting a trail's ecological area are all WAY more important than some bullshit entry-level fisher price trail.
I understand it's easier to convince the city that mountain biking is what the city needs with beginner trails than when it's all double blacks, but the day shoreplay goes, I'm outta town!
"The things you own end up owning you." -TD
Could something outside the sport actually drastically change the sport? Yes, and that "different angle" is runaway global warming. Ski resorts all out of business, increasingly violent & destructive storms, increasingly extreme weather, wrecked economies, fires, downed trees, and closed off access to trails.
Hope I'm wrong and we get lightweight gearboxes, steeper trails, and mainstream mtb coverage instead. But the writing is on the wall.
Good trail changes (ie, steeper, more advanced) will only happen if folks actively advocate for them like Charlie and Steve Jones. I have yet to ride an IMBA-approved DH trail worth riding, and that's unfortunate.
I have a suggestion for you Protour to do a great thing for the planet: Kill yourself. Tons of energy will be saved, your decomposing body will be used for eco-fuel generation. At least, if you are truly an ethical person, please don't have kids - ever. If we stopped having kids for 2 generations, if only 0,1% of humanity was allowed to have them, through a lottery - think how good world would that be in less than 100 years? What if one of your kids will grow up and work for BP, Monsanto, become a banker or... a priest? Oh how ironic it is for environmentalists to tell us about thinking about our grand children when solution to all worlds' problems is to not have them at all. If green leftists would be aware of their Instinct of preservation of species, they would shout at least half as loud (or rather do less likes and shares) - nothing more baby... now tell me, did the text above give you enough hints that I deny Global Warming or that I don't care for the planet? Can it be that I can be so immoral? Are you already on your high moral horse? Has it grown wings maybe? Can you sink Japanese Whaling vessels from it? Just please... do not copy all of my text... again... have I insulted you... again?
Your first point about "more time without snow = more lift days". Theoretically you are correct that resorts could run the lifts for more days out of the year, but also remember that most resorts where you can take a (ski) lift up the mountain are not in business because of their bike parks. They make the vast majority of their profits from the winter season with mountain biking just being a secondary business for the summer months. Without strong winters many of these places will go out of business and thus there will be no lifts at all, no matter how nice the weather.
Second, global warming does not necessarily mean a drier climate and better trail conditions. The prevailing thoughts are that global warming will make areas with wetter climates even wetter, and drier climates more dry. That could actually be bad news for both types of areas in terms of mountain biking.
If you want to make a bike runaway-global warming-proof, it would have to be able to withstand hurricanes, volcanoes, and earthquakes.
m.motherjones.com/environment/2012/02/climate-change-linked-to-volcano-eruptions-earthquakes
Good luck keeping trail bikes under 30 lbs, is they want to survive.
Waki: "
Global warming is actually very good for MTB....it will also mean dryer climate, less drainage on trails, less trees.."
By the time we get to drastically less trees on the planet, you won't be thinking about MTB, you will simply be happy to be alive but probably not really enjoying it. But classic Waki-Babble nonetheless; never back up anything you say with anything, just compulsively babble.
www.theguardian.com/environment/2011/feb/03/tree-deaths-amazon-climate
I never suggested that, you misread it. I simply meant that if it doesn't significantly happen in the next 10 years.
More WakiBabble "The answer to global warming is pretty simple: suicide.There you go baby!"
You seem to have an obsession with suicide, I hope this isn't related to your psychological disorder that you have previously publicly revealed on Pinkbike. Whenever you call anybody Baby!, you make me want to vomit. For the sake of everyone, please don't be so obviously polish-euro/wannabe 80's American.
Waki: "I need a fool"
That would be your poor unfortunate wife, whom you somehow convinced to marry you despite your psychological illness, and then tragically managed to breed with.
m.motherjones.com/environment/2013/12/climate-scientist-environment-apocalypse-human-extinction
Your fixation to continually talk about me in sexual terms only exposes that you are a complete weirdo who is desperate. And you obviously have anger issues. I just feel fortunate I'm not exposed to your strange eccentric personality outside of the internet. There is no reason for you to care about what bike I ride or anything else about me.
Protour - every person that writes so much on internet as you shows up, I may be wrong but you may have ignored a chance to show up lately? I recommended you to someone... Only worst trolls keep themselves hidden because they feel vulnerable, but it's fine, I don't blame yoy, you obviously have your reasons
PS...Barack Obama wants to put Americans in FEMA death camps.
mrconservative.com/2014/01/30924-secret-fema-death-camps-already-at-a-location-near-you
I posted a link. It has to be true.
truth-out.org/news/item/28490-the-methane-monster-roars
suffolkresolves.com/2013/12/20/the-coming-instant-planetary-emergency-the-nation
www.nature.com/nature/journal/v490/n7421/full/nature11528.html?WT.ec_id=NATURE-20121025
This article explains why all the current climate prediction models by ipcc, etc should be ignored.:
www.wunderground.com/resources/climate/melting_permafrost.asp
It might not be a game changer in the next 10 years, but given the extreme weather we are seeing we have definitely passed the tipping point and there is no going back. But eventually it will be the game-ender. In order to avoid runaway global warming we should have kept emissions below 350 ppm and now they are over 400ppm. What is sad is that it would have been easy to avoid, had we simply invested in renewable energy.
"care for the wellbeing of your friends and family and fk the world"
fk the world huh? You essentially mean fk the planet that sustains your friends and family's existence. That's exactly the attitude that is responsible for us being doomed by global warming, along with pretty much all the other species on the planet.
Cheers!
Since you called me a leftist, I'm curious if you actually think FOX is a legitimate news source? If so, you might want to google 'fox admits not news' and step into the world of reality.
WakiBabble, where is this guilt you speak of, I'm not feeling it. Provide a quote from me that says I feel guilty or go babble at someone else with your weird nonsense.
I love how you demistify yourself with dumb accusations based on nothing. Session didn't say that he watches Fox News, you have a set of stickers that you put on people who give tiniest notion of disagreeing with your belief. Use your right brain hemisphere a bit more. And even if he did, what does it say about him? I watch Fox News from time to time for shaden freude, other than that I don't watch nor read any News because things that happen 100km from my place influence me on extremely indirect level and I cannot predict their outcome therefore I cannot do absolutely ANYTHING to avoid/utilize whatever they say will happen to me. Talking on events going on 1000km or 10000km away is nonsense that only a mind deluded with having unlimited executive free will can find attractive. So it doesn't matter what News you propel, Fox, BBC, The Guardian, Young Turks - it is only complex tickling entertainment - in REALITY things they say there are totaly irrelevant for your life, as ong as you sit by TV or computer, there is not a single reaction you could make to change what will be on News in 10 years.
I advise you to be a bit more creative, all you can say about me is Waki babble and nonsense, I deserve more than that. This is no longer entertaining, I thought you are a salvageable idiot, well I was wrong and I don't care
m.motherjones.com/environment/2012/02/climate-change-linked-to-volcano-eruptions-earthquakes This mother jones article is factual? There was not one reference to a scientific journal article in the entire piece. Even your fellow readers of mother jones pointed that out in the third or fourth comment under the article. Do you read anything besides the sensationalist headlines? How do you know it's factual? Because it fits the narrative that you're randomly plastering all over a mountain bike website? Now to answer the irrelevant question that you can't get out of your hyper partisan head...No, I do not think that Fox, or any other American news program for that matter is a legitimate source of news. I watch Fox almost as much as I watch MSNBC, which is occasionally. As hilarious as Fox is, nothing is funnier than watching Al Sharpton try to form coherent sentences. This may be hard for your brain to grasp, but not everybody is a walking political stereotype such as yourself. Now carry on with an arbitrary rant about G.W Bush or irrelevant personal attacks while the rational adults continue laughing, and comparing you to infowars.com readers.
@WAKIdesigns
If left wing forum warriors can't save us from total extinction who can? Protour is mankind's last great internet hope.
Everyone with half a brain knows three things: 1 - Don't trust the media. 2 - Taxes are one of only two absolutes in this world. 3 - The second absolute is death (which will happen much sooner if nuclear war breaks out or climate change manifests itself in increasingly severe ways and Mother Nature decides to wipe our entire useless species off the planet).
But clogging up a feed with bullshit media bitchings of the semantic sort instead of getting right down to the meat of a topic should be criminal. Either come right out and say that climate change doesn't exist so that we can get into a verbal slugging match or PLEASE, for the love of all things holy, stop crowding my notifications feed with the non-stop pussy-footing.
It is happening (regardless of the supposed causes) and it has changed our industry in a major way -- we have ski athletes crossing over, ski resorts closing early to open up bike parks, and some major land availability and use studies going on due to increased erosion, etc. Either way... Go play somewhere else, or get a room or something.
What I said, which is readily available right above, was that using fringe publications with zero reference to scientific journal articles makes an argument appear pretty weak. Which some how triggered an autonomic attack on Fox News by our good friend Protour. If you actually read my initial comment I even said, "There are a fair number of reputable sources you could cite in defense of your position on climate change". I never denied that the climate is changing, I never even questioned man's effect on it. I couldn't care less about your climate crusade. As a matter of fact, I'm quite entertained by you climate forum warriors. The very act of using your computer is destroying the environment, so instead of getting in a "verbal slugging match" on the internet and increasing your carbon footprint, why don't you turn off your computer to save mother earth? Then you wouldn't have to see me crowding up your notification feed. Also, maybe you were too busy saving polar bears with your laptop to notice, but there is a little "x" in the right hand corner next to my comments that appear on your notification feed. One little carbon footprint increasing click of your mouse will make my comments disappear faster than arctic ice. Either way... I don't care about your notification feed, or it's state of clutter.
I don't find global warming attractive, "tragic" would be the label I use to describe it. If you lived in Vanuata during the last couple days, you might have a different perspective on global warming.
www.independent.co.uk/news/world/cyclone-pam-monster-storm-that-devastated-south-pacific-island-of-vanuatu-caused-by-climate-change-10110001.html
Wakibabble "all you can say about me is Waki babble"
No, all you can say is Wakibabble, it is the perfect definition for your endless paragraphs on here lacking substance. You don't deny global warming, you just don't want people to talk about it in the same way you don't want people to ever be critical of any form of Christianity. In other words, you are uncomfortable with facts that are uncomfortable facts.
@Protour - stop fkng yourself, I'm comfortable with any subject, I'm uncomfortable to attach myself to any mainstream fab. In the end we all die
That is the essence of your existence here on Pinkbike. But thanks for a rare post with surprisingly less babble.
The soul of mountain biking is built around accomplishment and a sense of progress, love for the outdoors and adventure, and riding a perfectly machined trail that's a mile wide cut into a side hill isn't an accomplishment or an adventure, but a basic human function.
We need to build beginner-friendly trails to get them into it, and seriously challenging intermediate and expert trails to KEEP them into it. Purpose-built bike parks are all well and good, but we don't get amazing riders by giving them perfect trails. The best riders can ride nearly anything, not just groomed bike park runs where the occasional braking hole is seen as 'treacherous'.
Looking at this from a one-issue standpoint is silly. It's going to take big-picture mentality to lead us in a direction we want to go.
More people on bikes = more stoke. More stoke = more sustainable growth. More sustainable growth = increased funding for rad contests, race series, festivals, technology, research, development, and best of all, increased global happiness.
Dude. Could you remind me of why we DON'T want more people on bikes?!
I'm not elitist-I also believe that we don't need to dumb down mountain biking so there is no hurdle at all to entry-think of it in terms of whether you want your favorite downhill trail accessible to yahoos on e-bikes. Quads are the dumbed-down version of dirt biking and they have ruined thousands of miles of single track and seriously damaged off road motorcycling. Don't get me started on side-by-sides. I taught my son to ride and you will never meet a more passionate cyclist-that didn't happen because we made it easy for him. Balance in all things. People don't value what comes too easy.
I'm all for more people on bikes, but it's not my responsibility to make that happen. If anyone asks, I tell them I love riding my bike and I tell them why I love it. If they buy a bike, I'll take them riding, but I'm not going to feel responsible for sanitizing my trails to the detriment of their learning curve and ultimate enjoyment of the sport.
bikesnobnyc.blogspot.com/2015/03/keylessness-is-close-to-cluelessness.html?m=1
for the last time, e-bikes are motorized: they're motorcycles...leave them out of the mtn biking conversation...leave them out of the cycling conversation altogether.
E-bikes on trails? Sideshow conversation at best, distraction putting access at risk at worst, at least in North America. E-bikes for commuting in town - whole different topic.
The tracks can be built in a relatively small area, stages for crowds to see the action like outdoor moto, crossover fans/athletes from bmx and moto. It can be televised, commentated and draw in local crowds like a race tour. It can bring mtb into area's that dont have the vertical landscape to create a local scene. It could tie in DS and speed & style. Ultimately we could have these remaining parks in between the race stops for everyone to enjoy.
There are others. The "standards" that will go obsolete are the proprietary ones especially those that involve some miniscule dimensional change, just enough to force you to buy the maker's replacements that are paired with an equally miniscule alleged improvement that shows a difference on paper but not perceivable on the road or trail.
The fastest way to end this stupid trend towards miniscule differences created by companies like Trek and the different for the sake of being different like Cannondale is to not buy ant of their stuff. I've never seen a Jekel or Claymor on a trail any where in our region from the Fraser Valley to Pemberton. We do see lefties though and lefties really were superior every other fork manufacturer would make righties... and create a new right brake standard... Kermit the frog says Yaaaaaaaayyy!
land managers need to take a 101 class on what it is that brings stoke for us during our rides(and might be better if they weren't spandex weekend warriors with an opinion, who happen to work at dnr), but ones who research the stats and get enlightened on how rad legal building has become on sanctioned trails recently.
also, the term "black diamond trail" can be misleading. a black diamond trail doesn't necessarily dictate being riddled with big gaps or drops, but is instead a matter of how steep, technical and challenged you are during your run of it; that brings up your stoke factor. "jump-lines" are for people who like to jump. steep, technical, gnarly lines on natural terrain through the forest on the other hand, are for all of us... & more on point for what i take charlie's opinion to mean. let's throw out the 10% rule as a first step.
most importantly for our futures sake, let’s open up the bridge to bring together the dividing line of builders who either decide they need to sculpt “un-sanctioned trails” (because the land managers on their close-by government hill only allow IMBA style “mineral soil highways” with no natural “test your skill” technical sections), VS the army of peeps’ willing to help on the sanctioned digs’. This is the golden gem of hope for our future.
As far as E-bikes, I think they have a tremendous potential to ruin any of the good will that riders/trail advocacy groups have been working HARD to gain since the 90's.
There are people that will be attracted to them because they don't have to "earn their ride", but them being out on PUBLIC trails shared with walkers, hikers, etc is going to become a bone of contention. I maintain that if it has an engine or a motor, it is NOT (in the strictest sense) a bicycle, and does not belong on PUBLIC MTB trails (particularly when they're shared use trails).
They should also ship a package of cookies to the person in the comments who was most right
Especially as battery and electric motor technology increases and they start to get lighter with longer run times you are going to see them explode in popularity (and that's not to say they aren't pretty amazing right now, cause they are!).
For people looking at bikes as purely a form of transportation, an electric bike makes an incredible amount of sense. Sure motorcycles exist, but you can now effectively ride an electric motorcycle which requires no license, no insurance, no road testing, no emission testings, etc.
With an e-bike, out-of-shape people can now ride triple the distance and you can ride an hour to work and not be sweaty!
Weekend warriors will love them as you won't even need to be in shape to spend all day on the trails. Are too tired? Slap a charged battery on your bike and you can spend another hour doing some climbs.
Do I think it will bring the people into mountain biking people like you and me would probably want to hang out with? God no.
Will it make mountain biking more Rad!? Hell no!
Will it be the demise of mountain biking? Will it be the straw that breaks the spine of mountain biking, ushering in all sorts of skinny armed, wrist protector wearing weirdos? Yes. It may be the cryptonite of Mountain biking. But think its inevitable that the popularity of e-biking will only increase.
We sell Lapierre Overvolts at our shop. They are a fun diversion but pigs on the trail. There is nothing to fear from these bikes over running the trails. Shimano will introduce their own e assist at the end of this year. In 30 years when you want an e bike to keep riding that bike will be a world better than what we have today.
As for 49cc scooters and gas engines on bikes I pass one of those pieces of shit commuting on my 600.00 29r hard tail every day with flats and full knobbies. What a waste of gas those things are. The guy has to push his piece of shit gas bike upp the switch back I ride up easily.
I'll finish with how ridiculous it is to suggest the experience on a current motocross bike is anything like what it is on a mountain bike or pedal assist e bike. They are worlds apart.
So not interested in electronic gizmos with batteries integrated into my bike, but the "roadie" mtn bikers will love it. I'm happy to not care about whether my top or average speed was more or less than last ride. How often I ride and how well I ride (smooth / in the zone) are most important. Strava is polishing the brass on the Titanic.
Joe isn't an idiot, he's simply looking into the future a bit with some wishful optimism. Fortunately for you, Shimano isn't even talking about phasing out mechanical groups and in fact, are releasing the XTR Di2 right alongside the XTR mechanical.
But does anyone want to be realistic? GOD FORBID, NO!!! I mean, it's not like they kept the DuraAce mechanical group on the market when they released the DuraAce Di2 or anything... Oh, wait. They did. As long as there's a market for the mech, I'm pretty sure Shimano will keep making it. No one is trying to cyborg hack your bikes, guys... There's still plenty of mechanical stuff on the market, they're just increasing a consumer's options.
Is that such a bad thing? Did ENVE close down the mid-priced wheel market? Are only carbon wheels available these days? No. It's just another option in the line up of many. Maybe move the hysteria over to trail building or something? I dunno.
The annoyance for those that agree with me is the over-arching theme of "innovation" that adds expense, and complexity for an end result that is the same or possibly even worse than the existing system. I would say a glaring example would be the advent of press-fit BBs and the resulting mass of standardization fookery as a result. In the case with the Shimano Dic2short system it seems there would be a host of negatives to solve a problem that is non-existent. "Two steps back"--to quote Paula Abdul.
Get two beers in any industry rep and he will tell you that many of the newest "innovations" are to drive sales.
It was already addressed by Mr. Chuck Yeager himself that the only guys and gals that will buy this crap is the techno-weenie rich guy who spends more time checking the accuracy of his gram scale than actually riding his bike. As a result he is slow and extremely annoying yet still runs Strava every ride making excuses as to why he can't ride. He talks your ear off at the trailhead about how rad and super light his bike is while you bite your tongue because you don't care and just want to ride. His bike rack is worth more than my car.
Joe Lawwill is an employee of a relatively large corporation and he has to hawk their newest shit or he loses his job. He is a prostitute for Shimano or has a great job. I say a little of both but what he said falls right in line.
BUUUURN THE WITCHES!!!
I say make it 100% allowable for anyone to compete in EWS on electric bike, and let's see how many pros will chose to race a predominantly downhill track with 20 pounds more attached to the bike. The devil is not out there, it is in the mirror. No, MTB is not the same thing for you as it is for Fabien, and No, you don't know what he means - get better at things you accuse e-bikers of,
Bike parks like Whistler were the rage back then.
Specialized brought out their new Enduro and Demo, equipped with Fox36/40.
Hollowtech2 was THE new standard, but Shimano tried to establish inverse shifting and dual-control levers too.
RC ranted about the disadvantages of 29er bikes.
Man, what a difference to today!!
a href="http://assembly.com/minimal">assembly.com/minimal//a>
Let's face it; 6k for a bike ain't cheap. You start putting the latest widget on and you're paying corporate's R & D for said widget.
Personally, I think this particular "game change" is going to be extremely negative for the sport.
You think hikers and equestrians hate us now? Just wait till a bunch of f*ckbrains on E-Bikes start swarming the hills and because there's no longer any pedaling involved, a.k.a. The "Joeypocalypse". But now, instead of only making DH parks their hapless domain, it will spread to trails everywhere.
Smart land managers and municipalities will ban E-Bikes from trails before this can happen, but many, many more won't even see it coming.
I do, however, fully support those with medical issues which keep them from accessing trails being able to utilize these bikes. I think if an amputee wants to get out on the trails, but pedaling really creates an impediment for them, then they should be allowed some kind of permit that grants them access.
But other than that, this whole thing is bad news.
YT & Canyon have both top bikes at good pricing and better spec then others.
Would love to see Trek go direct sales?! Just think what a new slash carbon or session carbon would cost?
That would be game changing.
Our sport will remain pedal-powered and Fabien mentioning them as a "game changer" is ridiculous.
The amount of e-bikers that will try to ride mtb trails will quickly realize that they fall under the "motorized vehicle" category and they will enjoy the same trail access limitations as dirt bikes. Which is, around here, very scarce.
They are efficient transportation; think: moped. And they will be used as such. Ford just announced their entrance into the E-bike market.
Bike parks won't allow them since people will get hurt far too easily. If you are too out of shape to pedal a bike you probably shouldn't be ripping through a park on one with a motor.
The only problem they will create is the usual trail access dilemma. It will be up to individual land owners and trail stewards as to whether or not to allow E-bikes and they likely won't have a very passionate following nor find any MTBers going up to bat for their cause. I find it hard to believe that Kingdom Trails would allow huffing and puffing ebikers to meddle with the efforts of fit and dedicated cyclists on the same trails. Seeing some fat-ass pass you because he is on a bike with assist will not win over many MTBers.
I practically get kicked in the shins if I ride my mini-DH bike on a trail ride and hugs and french kisses if I ride my steel hardtail. Imagine if someone shows up on an ebike. They will be shunned on anything that isn't paved or completely private. So we are giving them lip-service for no reason.
P.S. I'm not German, just borrowing the country for a while.
As a biking community we can help shape the way these bikes are in introduced to the trails.
1. Shame any bike shop that sells e-mt. bikes
2. Laugh and point fingers at e-mt. bike owners
3. Flag their strava rides
4. boycott e-mt. bikes
5. drop a electromagnetic bomb that wipes out all electronics leaving the rider(s) pushing a 60lbs bike up the trail. (yes, it will wipe out your iPhone too)
Or, we work with land managers now to address the issue and create a distinction between pedal powered trail access and e-bike access.
Hopefully folks will do some critical thinking, watch the XTR Di2 Demo video and learn how a multi speed bicycle drive train works and is supposed to be used.
Now lets get back on that 35 speed all internal prototype system FM-5 was it? From back in the 80's that the pro racers who got use it raved about... And hey Sram you reintroduced Grip shift so how about updating Hammerschmidt too? Maybe take a look at Dual Drive as well.
DH riders are going back to 7 speed so I hope Shimano's rider tuned concept that lets us pick how many chain rings we want gets extended to letting us choose how many cogs we want too.
The really interesting points above are on land access. I teach at a ski resort where winter was a no show this year and 3 0f the 5 last Januaries were crappy too. Thy used to do mountain biking and stopped citing the lamest excuses you can imagine. makes no sense to have all that equipment and land sit there most of the year adding doing nothing. Thankfully weather patterns are going to force their hand to reconsider opening for mountain biking again.
- Electrical shifting and braking. So much easier, no maintanance needed, automatically resets itsself so it works perfectly all the time. I think this is a big step forward.
- I think as soon as the patent from ISM Seats is over, most saddle companies will start copying their double-nosed design. It seems like a perfect solution against saddle pain and saddles locking up nerves and preventing blood flow in the area where you sit. The only thing it needs is some more companies producing it so there will be competition in it and the product quality will go up (the main problem right now is A- they are fat and ugly B- they are expensive because no competition due to the patent). I really think as soon as the patent from ISM drops, most saddle companies will start producing their own version of these. This means great media attention due to marketing etc of all of these companies, and probably a big change in saddles, making our rides more comfortable and more healthy.
Making this sport more affordable to the masses needs to be the next big game changer.
A fork with only one stanchion but on the right side?
Apple bike?
oi60.tinypic.com/2v8lou8.jpg
^^ The 'it' from South Park.
69" wheel. two 1" diameter by 12" long skewers. Hint hint, they don't go in the wheel.
The electronic gear shifting has made a "forced" entry into mountain biking and seems to be doing well so far.
As soon as the price level drops a bit it should be adpted by a wider audience and the next big thing would be to enhance the electronic mechanisms with some type of wireless sensors and mechanisms that will allow wireless shifting.
Imagine a bike that wirelessly shifts gears, drops post, or locks its fork and shock...
That should convince the last remaining riders of the future who swear by mechanical shifting to "shift" to electronic.
And to take it a bit furhter: Imagine all these features integrated into your cell phone via a "strava-like" app.
You run the route or trail once and next time the app identifies that you just entered segment "X" shfits your gear to the one you had when you did it last time, drops your post exactly at the height you want for that specific trail, and sets your suspension to decend mode and all you have to do is look for the exit of the next corner...
But for shifting I think electronical is as simple as possible (except for single speed of course).
Why? Because electronical shifting doesn't need any maintenance. It automatically resets itsself so it will shift perfectly all the time. Also no friction in the cables, also not after riding a lot in bad weather / muddy conditions. It would really safe you a lot of maintenance, and that's why I can see this becoming popular.
For me personally, I don't like gears due to all the hassle they bring. Can't seem to be able to ride for a couple of weeks without having to maintain it. That's why I prefer single speed. But as soon as there will be some more affordable options for electronical gearing I would love to give that a try.
I do agree with you that I would not want to have automatic gear shifting etc.Then again, things might change so much in the future that we'll change our minds. Just like shifting in cars is dying and everyone is switching to automatic cars. Who knows? Even if it seems very unlikely, never say never.
I swear humans are getting dumber and logic is nearly extinct...lazy asses here in 'murica dont even shift cars anymore. I guess you cant update facebook and drive if you have a stick and an extra pedal.
Again, this is just my opinion and everyone else is entitled to their own. If people want bikes that do everything for them, they can go right ahead. For me though, I'll do the changing gear and altering suspension settings myself please, I don't want to be a passenger while my bike does the riding.
(Losing all the pressure in my brake, so when i pull my lever i continue going at the same speed as before)
Just kidding i think there are two developing game changers right now, direct to consumer bike sales as well as dual chamber tire systems(procore).
The direct to consumer bike sales is huge, bike prices are getting stupid, wage growth in the US is almost stagnate still. Its just too hard for the average joe to afford a new bike. Being able to buy a well speced bike for 3k(less than the cost of a nomad frame) like what YT offers makes total sense.
The dual chamber tire system is massive as well. Think how many dh and enduro races have had top pros not finish due to a flat. In the world of moto/enduro the bib mousse has made flats very rare. I am hoping the procore system will show the bike industry how hard a tire can be pushed. I know I will be buying procore once its out. Even at $200, last year i destroyed three tires due to torn side walls, a dual chamber system would have stopped atleast two of those. With tires at $50-80 each it will pay for its self as long as it works as advertised.
The rest, meh
For a racer who must shave off seconds off his run, they will choose carbon instead (so all the pros). Based on this, and thw fact that everyone copies what the pros ride, steel will never become bigger as other materials again.
In the end frame design is the most important part of how a bike feels. Way more important than just the material (only material says nothing about the frame).