Technically he would probably be extremely successful if he had a line of his own, and the dude knows his stuff about what bikes and components to have by now. This channel WAS THE FIRST off a suggestion to build a budget bike that is worthy of its actual intent. The wealth of build knowledge is beyond a asset in the industrial sales world, and he might be able to break in the bike sales market with overwhelming appeal.
@Thiosemicarbizide Benzoyl Alcohol Without the help of a established bike brand I couldn't see him being able to keep the cost down to the target audience range.
I would think most people "upgrade" their equipment long before it is needed. The average person is being held back by their ability more than the equipment.
I agree to a point. My Marlin 5 came with the same xcm30 fork, and on the first ride the lockout got stuck. It was an easy fix- just annoying. Then taking a bumpy green singletrack trail absolutely destroyed my hands, no matter how I adjusted the preload. Upgraded to a Judy air fork and have had absolutely no issues. So I get that keeping a “usable” fork has its financial benefits, and will get you on the trail to start but the truth is, with better equipment it’s more fun.
@@palangimiko It sounds to me like your fork was faulty, not below your skill (I'm not commenting on your abilities). Obviously, a highly skilled rider will need top grade equipment. If you have the money, new and better equipment can certainly be fun. I just find it dubious that the average rider riding the average local public access trail in the city park is really pushing their bike beyond the limits of the bike. The better you are on your existing equipment, the better you will be on the new equipment. The exception to this though is probably big box forks. Some are so bad as to be highly unsafe on anything but packed dirt rustic trails or even paved trails.
I bought two Schwinn Axums last year when they were at the ridiculous sale price (one for home one for the cottage so I don't have to haul back and forth). So now, when I upgrade, I have to do it twice (well, I don't HAVE to, but then one bike would be worse). I did add hydraulic brakes, which are nice, but not essential, and switched to a riser fork with some sweep instead of the straight bars it came with and a very sort stem just to shorten the reach a bit. But I haven't done either the drivetrain or forks. The longer I ride the stock drivetrain and fork, the more I really can't justify an upgrade. I've never dropped the chain and the chain guard prevents any paint damage. The 42 tooth on the rear is enough (especially if a I stand in the pedals on the steepest climbs) and since I tend to roll the jumps (and bunny hop the ones I do hit, landing flat or on the rear wheel), I never come close to bottoming the suspension, even though the toughest trails I do are considerably rougher than what Kev rides in his test videos. Anyway, I think a lot of the upgrading is really not needed (though if I were 20 years younger and crazier, it might be a different story)
Can you tell me what is different on the newer ones that make them "dropper ready"? Seat post size, drilled for cable or both (or something else) I seen on videos that the post size is (or maybe,was) 30.4 did that change?? Thanks
Having not installed a mid drive motor on a bike I wouldn’t be good for any advice there. You can check the comments on just about every bike review I have and see the ones that a lot of people use to make a mid drive eBike from 👍🏻
@jacklo325 it's a quality, serviceable, functional fork. There's no way schwinn makes it in house. I ran both on my axum, and the performance was pretty bang on identical. And if you take the stickers off, try to tell them apart
I need a little help here my front forks do not have the adjustable suspension noobs and they also don't have a spring in them but they still go up and down I not understanding on how they are working that kind are they and can they still be adjustable some how
I haven’t reviewed any Hiland bikes. From what I saw, they used to be in the lower tiers of big box-like bikes, but recently I have seen a couple that made me consider looking at one. Hopefully I can come across one in the near future
My coworkers have finally dragged me kicking and screaming onto a mountain bike trail and I am absolutely hooked. My boss/mentor is letting me borrow his old 1993 Stumpjumper and it's so much more nimble and responsive than the "slack" geometry of modern bikes, which I honestly prefer. What options are even out there that have more modern accommodations like dropper routing, without the more relaxed/stable/slack feeling?
If it were me and I wanted some quality old school mountain biking I would be hitting up the local bike shops used section. I’ve seen some good stuff on the used racks
@@KevCentral I'll have to look around, since the shop I work at doesn't have much selection. I can get norcos at almost wholesale but they've got the modern slack geometry. Not a bad thing, mind you, but not what I'm looking for.
True, and not much more than if you were to buy an xcm30. In my experience, even the cheapest Rock Shox fork I found performs better and is higher quality than the xcm30 despite the price difference. But the upgrade costs extra money, and keeping your “usable” fork costs nothing. (Except maybe stress and pain)
I’m not a fan of suspension forks but that’s from my old school BMX roots and the fact that the ones I have experience with are heavy and clunk so hard on the rebound that it pulls the front end down when I want it coming up. I’m sure newer forks are better but an SR would be an upgrade.
I've ridden these cheaper SR Suntour forks for a few years, and about a year back, I got to ride a buddy's new bike which has a 130mm X-Fusion air fork. Nice fork, barebones, but still an air fork. The difference was ASTONISHING. Obviously, air is a lot more sensitive and stuff than a coil fork, but it was lighter weight too. The main difference was how progressive it felt, and there was a lot less stiction. On coil forks, you need to give it a shove before it starts moving through the travel. On an air fork, once you hit a bump, it just immediately absorbs it. I will say, once you experience one of these nicer air forks, it's hard to go back. The difference really is massive!
@@The_RC_Dude Where do you live? I'm going to do gravel trails and normal paths. And road sometimes. But mainly gravel and paths. I got bad pain, head, neck etc when I hit the gravel on a rented hybrid that had no suspension. I'm looking at getting a hybrid with front suspension, suntour fork. But you say air is so much better? Where can I find a hybrid with this high quality suspension fork? My budget is £750 for the cycle. I've also read that most suspension is useless for lots of little bumps like gravel. That they can't react to lots of smaller bumps. That thick tires with low pressure is better. Thoughts?
I think you forgot to mention if one sees flex on a fork that might be a good time to upgrade, probably to something with a stiffer stanchion, like from a XCM30 to the XCM32(or whatever it's called).
I bottom out all my forks every ride. Somehow that little red rubber band is pushed as far as it can go even urban and xc trails. Getting a zeb 170 on next bike, but I have full confidence it too will be pushed to the limit
@Jack mast I've tried 10% sag high pressure, most recently added 2 tokens and a new 160 airspring to my fox 36. It rides slightly higher in its travel, but I blow through it. I'm 225 lbs, and when not being aggressive on trail, I can't help but be aggressive. Got a lyric 160 on my hardtail and it's awesome . Blow through its travel same as the 36 .all good
Well, this bike will serve well most of the people that are doing simple trails in the mountain but it is definitely not a bad bike, not long ago people were doing mtb with rigid forks, can you imagine?
I've got the same fork on my bike (Stuf Prime 9.5 29"), might upgrade to a Manitou Markhor or sth. similar, what fork would you choose (straight steerer and quick release)?
I've heard plenty of good things about the Markhor when doing my own research on budget forks, they also come in straight steerer (and even 26" too). Only downside is that they're not _as_ budget anymore, as of a couple years ago there were plenty of forum posts talking about what a good investment it was at like $250 USD, but nowadays $300 is about the cheapest I've seen for them, so right in the same ballpark as some of the "budget" RockShox options too. Still looks good - and unique reversed design - but not quite as cheap as they were, at least in USD. Worth noting I've been seeing the Manitou Machete on sale for even cheaper this month (which is normally their step up from the Markhor), I don't know if it comes in straight steerer though and a lot of them are sold out. Worth looking up though!
@@JiorujiDerako I've seen them go for 200$ pretty often, which gives me hope! Also, I think it's by far the lightest (and coolest looking IMO) fork at this price segment.
Cheap spring forks don't work for me, because I'm to heavy for them to really be usable. Maybe the higher end ones, where I can replace the internals and add a beefier spring would work, but these cheap ones are not great when you're in the 250 pound range.
I have put thousands of miles on my Schwinn Taff Comp with a 750w mid drive. and i'm still using the clunky stock fork. Kind of noisy, not the smoothest, lots of flex especially braking, but it works fine for riding on the streets.
XC based bikes have requirements for travel. That's 80 to 120mm of travel. Exceeding the frames intention upsets geometry, and can make bikes unstable. This is a XC based frame. XC bikes can also have no suspension as well if you like punishment.
I agree. Basically these are good for green trails, and that's about it. I have a beater hardtail that I use on green, but even then, I prefer my gravel bike for that. Faster and smoother. For the fun stuff, have my Stumperjumper EVO :)
Some of that is the limited scales of production vs a car part that will sell millions. You also have to pay some for the lightweight nature of bike parts to perform well and survive some hits.
@@repo4 Koni Sport shocks are bright yellow with adjustable damping and ride height 😀 A complete set for a typical car is under $1000 and it lasts for thousands of miles with no maintenance.
![ATEEZ(에이티즈) - [GOLDEN HOUR : Part.2] Preview](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/X4PfgRPBUVo/mqdefault.jpg)
We need Schwinn or Kent to create a KevCentral edition bike with all your must have features!
I’d ride that.
Technically he would probably be extremely successful if he had a line of his own, and the dude knows his stuff about what bikes and components to have by now. This channel WAS THE FIRST off a suggestion to build a budget bike that is worthy of its actual intent. The wealth of build knowledge is beyond a asset in the industrial sales world, and he might be able to break in the bike sales market with overwhelming appeal.
@Thiosemicarbizide Benzoyl Alcohol Without the help of a established bike brand I couldn't see him being able to keep the cost down to the target audience range.
Even if you own a 10,000 dollar bike, people will talk themselves into a new fork because......... I want that.
Big Box bike riders owe you a huge debt of gratitude!!
For a beginner or someone just starting off, the basic suntour xce, xct, xcm with a lockout will work just fine...
I would think most people "upgrade" their equipment long before it is needed. The average person is being held back by their ability more than the equipment.
I agree to a point. My Marlin 5 came with the same xcm30 fork, and on the first ride the lockout got stuck. It was an easy fix- just annoying. Then taking a bumpy green singletrack trail absolutely destroyed my hands, no matter how I adjusted the preload. Upgraded to a Judy air fork and have had absolutely no issues. So I get that keeping a “usable” fork has its financial benefits, and will get you on the trail to start but the truth is, with better equipment it’s more fun.
@@palangimiko It sounds to me like your fork was faulty, not below your skill (I'm not commenting on your abilities). Obviously, a highly skilled rider will need top grade equipment. If you have the money, new and better equipment can certainly be fun. I just find it dubious that the average rider riding the average local public access trail in the city park is really pushing their bike beyond the limits of the bike.
The better you are on your existing equipment, the better you will be on the new equipment.
The exception to this though is probably big box forks. Some are so bad as to be highly unsafe on anything but packed dirt rustic trails or even paved trails.
I bought two Schwinn Axums last year when they were at the ridiculous sale price (one for home one for the cottage so I don't have to haul back and forth). So now, when I upgrade, I have to do it twice (well, I don't HAVE to, but then one bike would be worse). I did add hydraulic brakes, which are nice, but not essential, and switched to a riser fork with some sweep instead of the straight bars it came with and a very sort stem just to shorten the reach a bit. But I haven't done either the drivetrain or forks. The longer I ride the stock drivetrain and fork, the more I really can't justify an upgrade. I've never dropped the chain and the chain guard prevents any paint damage. The 42 tooth on the rear is enough (especially if a I stand in the pedals on the steepest climbs) and since I tend to roll the jumps (and bunny hop the ones I do hit, landing flat or on the rear wheel), I never come close to bottoming the suspension, even though the toughest trails I do are considerably rougher than what Kev rides in his test videos. Anyway, I think a lot of the upgrading is really not needed (though if I were 20 years younger and crazier, it might be a different story)
Thanks for sharing
Can you tell me what is different on the newer ones that make them "dropper ready"? Seat post size, drilled for cable or both (or something else) I seen on videos that the post size is (or maybe,was) 30.4 did that change?? Thanks
I do have a unrelated question . If I was to put a mid drive motor on one of the bikes you have what bike would you recommend!
Having not installed a mid drive motor on a bike I wouldn’t be good for any advice there. You can check the comments on just about every bike review I have and see the ones that a lot of people use to make a mid drive eBike from 👍🏻
Hooray the Valor. I have been wanting to see more on this one. I really want it but am broke lol.
Do you still have the factory axum fork? I'm wanting to think it's just a rebranded xcm. But I don't have mine to investigate
It is not a xcm at all...
@jacklo325 it's a quality, serviceable, functional fork. There's no way schwinn makes it in house. I ran both on my axum, and the performance was pretty bang on identical. And if you take the stickers off, try to tell them apart
I need a little help here my front forks do not have the adjustable suspension noobs and they also don't have a spring in them but they still go up and down I not understanding on how they are working that kind are they and can they still be adjustable some how
I was wondering if you have the Hiland Slycam 27.5 in your list of bikes to review? Or if I am missing it and you have already reviewed it?
I haven’t reviewed any Hiland bikes. From what I saw, they used to be in the lower tiers of big box-like bikes, but recently I have seen a couple that made me consider looking at one. Hopefully I can come across one in the near future
My coworkers have finally dragged me kicking and screaming onto a mountain bike trail and I am absolutely hooked. My boss/mentor is letting me borrow his old 1993 Stumpjumper and it's so much more nimble and responsive than the "slack" geometry of modern bikes, which I honestly prefer. What options are even out there that have more modern accommodations like dropper routing, without the more relaxed/stable/slack feeling?
What price range?
@@KevCentral shooting for a max of 700
If it were me and I wanted some quality old school mountain biking I would be hitting up the local bike shops used section. I’ve seen some good stuff on the used racks
@@KevCentral I'll have to look around, since the shop I work at doesn't have much selection. I can get norcos at almost wholesale but they've got the modern slack geometry. Not a bad thing, mind you, but not what I'm looking for.
Is the schwinn boundary still good entry level bike for trails?
I ride one stock for a while before upgrading it. The Pro-Rush was a regular battle, but overall it worked
Microshift Acolyte is the same pull ratio and will range 11-46T 11 speed cogs with a 11 speed shifter.
Entry-level RockShox and Manitou forks are very reasonably priced these days,
I ran into a guy on my local trails with a new Manitou fork he said he paid $125 for.
True, and not much more than if you were to buy an xcm30. In my experience, even the cheapest Rock Shox fork I found performs better and is higher quality than the xcm30 despite the price difference. But the upgrade costs extra money, and keeping your “usable” fork costs nothing. (Except maybe stress and pain)
I’m not a fan of suspension forks but that’s from my old school BMX roots and the fact that the ones I have experience with are heavy and clunk so hard on the rebound that it pulls the front end down when I want it coming up. I’m sure newer forks are better but an SR would be an upgrade.
I've ridden these cheaper SR Suntour forks for a few years, and about a year back, I got to ride a buddy's new bike which has a 130mm X-Fusion air fork. Nice fork, barebones, but still an air fork. The difference was ASTONISHING. Obviously, air is a lot more sensitive and stuff than a coil fork, but it was lighter weight too. The main difference was how progressive it felt, and there was a lot less stiction. On coil forks, you need to give it a shove before it starts moving through the travel. On an air fork, once you hit a bump, it just immediately absorbs it.
I will say, once you experience one of these nicer air forks, it's hard to go back. The difference really is massive!
@@The_RC_Dude Where do you live? I'm going to do gravel trails and normal paths. And road sometimes. But mainly gravel and paths.
I got bad pain, head, neck etc when I hit the gravel on a rented hybrid that had no suspension.
I'm looking at getting a hybrid with front suspension, suntour fork. But you say air is so much better?
Where can I find a hybrid with this high quality suspension fork? My budget is £750 for the cycle.
I've also read that most suspension is useless for lots of little bumps like gravel. That they can't react to lots of smaller bumps. That thick tires with low pressure is better.
Thoughts?
I think you forgot to mention if one sees flex on a fork that might be a good time to upgrade, probably to something with a stiffer stanchion, like from a XCM30 to the XCM32(or whatever it's called).
I believe SR Suntour has upgrade program. Idk if they’re still doing it though.
I wonder if that is still going
I bottom out all my forks every ride. Somehow that little red rubber band is pushed as far as it can go even urban and xc trails. Getting a zeb 170 on next bike, but I have full confidence it too will be pushed to the limit
Impressive
What are you pressures?
@Jack mast I've tried 10% sag high pressure, most recently added 2 tokens and a new 160 airspring to my fox 36. It rides slightly higher in its travel, but I blow through it. I'm 225 lbs, and when not being aggressive on trail, I can't help but be aggressive. Got a lyric 160 on my hardtail and it's awesome . Blow through its travel same as the 36 .all good
Well, this bike will serve well most of the people that are doing simple trails in the mountain but it is definitely not a bad bike, not long ago people were doing mtb with rigid forks, can you imagine?
I've got the same fork on my bike (Stuf Prime 9.5 29"), might upgrade to a Manitou Markhor or sth. similar, what fork would you choose (straight steerer and quick release)?
I’m not familiar with that bike. Does it have a tapered headtube?
@@KevCentral No, it has a straight headtube. It's around 700$ just so you know at what pricepoint it's located. Stuf is an Austrian brand btw.
I've heard plenty of good things about the Markhor when doing my own research on budget forks, they also come in straight steerer (and even 26" too). Only downside is that they're not _as_ budget anymore, as of a couple years ago there were plenty of forum posts talking about what a good investment it was at like $250 USD, but nowadays $300 is about the cheapest I've seen for them, so right in the same ballpark as some of the "budget" RockShox options too. Still looks good - and unique reversed design - but not quite as cheap as they were, at least in USD.
Worth noting I've been seeing the Manitou Machete on sale for even cheaper this month (which is normally their step up from the Markhor), I don't know if it comes in straight steerer though and a lot of them are sold out. Worth looking up though!
@@JiorujiDerako I've seen them go for 200$ pretty often, which gives me hope! Also, I think it's by far the lightest (and coolest looking IMO) fork at this price segment.
I’m a fan of the Markhor line too!
A good front fork can make or break a hardtail for me ... $200-300 name brand air fork is money well spent
i use a ziptie around the stantion to check travel
Cool the bike and really good suspension
Hey Kev let's see a project Valor!!
It doesn’t need much. A better fork. Clutched derailleur, better pedals
Cheap spring forks don't work for me, because I'm to heavy for them to really be usable. Maybe the higher end ones, where I can replace the internals and add a beefier spring would work, but these cheap ones are not great when you're in the 250 pound range.
Thanks for sharing
Good afternoon brother 😀
Where's the little ring that goes in there? That's a good looking bike
Are you taking about the o-ring? That wouldn’t be of benefit on a coil fork like this one
Please make a 🙏 how to BUY + INSTALL $120 Amazon Airfork 🙏 including brand recommendations & how to ✂️ cut fork fir fitting
Thanks for the suggestion
@KevCentral 😊 also a guide on ( Hydraulic Brake Buying & Installing Guide ) how to install Hydraulic cheaply without having to buy multiple tools.
Better fork? Or need more travel?
Being that the nature of this channel is budget bikes - better would be both 😁
🔥🔥
Wildwoooooood
I don't look for a 1x drive train i like at least a 2 x 9
When it comes to mountain bikes, any chance I can eliminate the front derailleur I usually jump at. 2x does have its pros
I have put thousands of miles on my Schwinn Taff Comp with a 750w mid drive. and i'm still using the clunky stock fork. Kind of noisy, not the smoothest, lots of flex especially braking, but it works fine for riding on the streets.
If its not an air fork.
I like air forks, but not everyone needs one. I’ve had coil forks that work great.
@@KevCentral thats just one mans opinion. Meaning mine. lol
XC based bikes have requirements for travel. That's 80 to 120mm of travel. Exceeding the frames intention upsets geometry, and can make bikes unstable. This is a XC based frame. XC bikes can also have no suspension as well if you like punishment.
Those people that like rigid forks on mountain bikes - I would be curious to learn if they are more prone to shoulder problems than the average rider.
@@KevCentral from experience the wrists suffer the most. For xc marathon bikes they are just so good to pedal with!
Did you ever determine what kind of hubs came on this bike?
Oh yeah. This is that bike! Thanks for reminding me.
If you fork hasn’t got a rebound adjust
Then you need a better fork
I’ve ridden some Suntour-grade forks without rebound that would still be acceptable for people that like to leisurely ride on green trails
I agree. Basically these are good for green trails, and that's about it. I have a beater hardtail that I use on green, but even then, I prefer my gravel bike for that. Faster and smoother. For the fun stuff, have my Stumperjumper EVO :)
Bikes and components are way overpriced. A typical Fox or Rockshox fork costs more than the struts and shocks on your car!
100% true
Some of that is the limited scales of production vs a car part that will sell millions. You also have to pay some for the lightweight nature of bike parts to perform well and survive some hits.
Also, the average car suspension has no adjustable low/fast compression, rebound, travel and fancy gold and orange colours 😊
@@repo4 Koni Sport shocks are bright yellow with adjustable damping and ride height 😀
A complete set for a typical car is under $1000 and it lasts for thousands of miles with no maintenance.
@@specagent999 that's not average, is it?
That bike is overpriced I think the trouvaille is a better deal since ur gonna upgrade stuff👍
Trouvaille is a good balanced bike. Ride today. Upgrade as needed.
We are in the United States can we stop talking this foreign form of measuring can't you just say 2 inches lol cm 🤮
Ha! I bet you really like those bikes that have 700x45c wheels, but a frame measured in inches 😁
@@KevCentral lol
Pro tip...if you bought your bike at Walmart you need a better fork. Period.
For more advanced riders, yes. For basic entry level riding a Suntour xc-series is acceptable. Vern would ride a Suntour!
@@KevCentral as a mechanic, I've seen what these forks are like after being ridden for a short while. Total junk.