I'm here for the rebirth of XC! haha
I think there's a cohort out there whom laments the drift towards overly portly bikes, yeah, they're super capable and fun. I have a Bronson at 30ish+ pounds and the thought of bikes in the 35+ range is horrifying to pedal around for any amount of regular distrance and vertical. For people who don't mind the XC with their downhills, that's really not appealing.
Trail bikes feel like they've evaporated into the ether, but the advent of more capable xc rigs, wheels, suspension at lower weights means that this newer breed of xc rigs is kind of interesting again, imo. I just got a Blur with a Pike (lol in regard to this series of articles) and tbh I forgot how much faster almost everywhere a proper xc bike is, and it's a blast on most trails. Sure I haven't been taking it down fall line rut trails, yet, but loving it.
No wonder everyone's run to ebikes when pedal bikes have gotten so heavy and slow pedalling. But also, most people are probably a bit gun shy of the sharpness and lack of forgiveness of a firmer shorter travel bike, definitely requires a lot more attention.
March 27, 2024, 10:24 a.m. - Todd Hellinga
I'm here for the rebirth of XC! haha I think there's a cohort out there whom laments the drift towards overly portly bikes, yeah, they're super capable and fun. I have a Bronson at 30ish+ pounds and the thought of bikes in the 35+ range is horrifying to pedal around for any amount of regular distrance and vertical. For people who don't mind the XC with their downhills, that's really not appealing. Trail bikes feel like they've evaporated into the ether, but the advent of more capable xc rigs, wheels, suspension at lower weights means that this newer breed of xc rigs is kind of interesting again, imo. I just got a Blur with a Pike (lol in regard to this series of articles) and tbh I forgot how much faster almost everywhere a proper xc bike is, and it's a blast on most trails. Sure I haven't been taking it down fall line rut trails, yet, but loving it. No wonder everyone's run to ebikes when pedal bikes have gotten so heavy and slow pedalling. But also, most people are probably a bit gun shy of the sharpness and lack of forgiveness of a firmer shorter travel bike, definitely requires a lot more attention.