The yuppie-like mentality prevalent in mountain biking culture is incredibly tiresome. Not everyone can afford trendy bikes that cost thousands, and even older bikes can be made to match modern standards with just a few modifications. For example, the fixed gear bike culture has values worth adopting, emphasizing that cycling is always fun, whether you're rich or poor. ❤
Im not surprised bike manufacturers are going out of business. They’re charging the earth for their products. And to be honest their greed has bitten them in the butt! They need to cheapen the costs of bike significantly.
Seriously. My Sled is 7 years old and no less up-to-date than a 24 bike. And why in Britain, a nation renowned for always pissing it down, can I not find a single actually waterproof jacket? £100+ for something which barely withstands a light misting, it's obscene.
bought one because other than that it had the best feature/price ratio, just make holes in the side of the frame :/ it's not that hard and so much better, cockpit comfort is only something I care about now that I'm getting older but being able to tweak handlebar and stem is pretty important it should be free and easy to do
I bought a gravel bike this year after coming to terms that I’d rather ride further over gnarlier. I LOVE it. It goes over everything, is faster and I can ride all day on it. If I only had 1 bike it would be an easy choice for me.
@@slick-riq Fair point, I'd widen that to just be "proprietary gimmicks you can't opt out of". Only way to not have some of these systems is to buy a base model and build it up, but by then you've spent far more than you needed... Canyon k.i.s., Specialized FutureShock, I'm sure there's at least a few more as of late.
Regards the comments about gravel bikes Vs road bikes Vs mountain bikes - What's the issue? Neither discipline needs to beat the other. They don't compete, they're all great fun. I race CX, xc MTB, ride Enduro, ride and race gravel, and ride road. Each discipline has it's own reasons to be and awesomeness!!
Yeah cycling media, and some cyclists, like to push the agenda that once they have dictated what the industry approved cycling categories are then everyone else has to conform and own only 1 type of bike and only do 1 type of riding. Their ideas are unrealistic and kind of dumb. Obviously anyone who is into bikes owns as many as they have the space for because it's fun to switch it up. Even BMX riders who are probably the most likely to stick with 1 kind of bike usually own a klunker and maybe a bike life bike or a bikepacking rig.
gravel bikes are a great way to do "real cycling" away from trucks and cars I totally understand why it blows up (recently went down a mountain road with a 4 tons tree logs truck behind me unable to overtake and no space for me to stop) XC is one step too far from road cycling maybe especially because of the wheels altough I always tell people if you can afford the fox 3-pos lever fork and shock (I have 2022 fox 34 sc fit4 and float dps) with an almost full lock and choose tires that have a somewhat continuous center you barely lose power I did 70miles and 6036ft in one ride on a full susp bike with spd pedals and i'm 220lbs with almost no training sometimes it just "feels like it's a good day" and I go if I can do that a lean road cyclist can easily do more I run rocket ron tires now but had more road oriented tires before and they were great 30kph 20mph easy on flat (oh yeah my bike is a 33 speed that help too heh)
Yep totally agree. I mean it's all compromise. You can't have a bike that's the best at everything so you need to decide what compromises you want to put up with depending on the type of riding you're doing.
They absolutely compete in the sense that most people only have one bike. If the only bike you buy can ride on the road comfortably, as well as ride unpaved roads and light trails, it absolutely competes with road and mountain biking.
I was a hardcore mountain biker in the late 90’s/early 00’s, I live a few hours from Moab and rode the really technical trails there and elsewhere quite often. Life got busy and I stopped riding for 20 years but have gotten really into it again in the last 2-3 years, but with far more road and mild trails now since I’m commuting for fun and doing occasional trails when time permits. I bought a Chisel and it’s pretty efficient, but I didn’t learn about gravel bikes until after. I initially thought they seemed gimmicky, but now I think they’re a great, prudent solution for the every day person who just wants an efficient bike for fun or transport, and who won’t be racing road or pushing the limits on technical trails. For 2-3 decades, the mountain bike took that spot, with most casual riders who rarely left pavement, pushing around far more bike than they actually needed. So I’m glad there’s sort of a happy medium option out there now.
Guilty as charged when it comes to gravel bikes. Bough one 2 weeks ago and I'm really enjoying it. As much as I love my MTBs, they are pain to ride long distances in the town. Gravel is just perfect bike for people who need efficient bike on the road with ability to cut through some field or dusty ducts.
I ride my Enduro bike all over town, making the most of urban pits, jumps, staicases, and technical terrain. There is no pain to riding any bike as long as you have fitted the seat, handlebars and levers to your body.
I agree. I also bought a gravel bike to use for work commutes. I prefer the better comfort on my mountain bike but I want something faster and I don't like the hassle of servicing my fork quarterly
Its not height question. Bmx got 20" dj got 26" you would not want either of those in 29" 27.5 is good size for rigid and playful hardtail or full sus.29 is just too big for some terrain@@Valentin359
@@Valentin359Nah. I know several people 6 foot + who prefer 27.5. Me included So many 29er riders now realise it was never that great - now they're getting mixed wheel bikes.
@@Valentin359 im 6'3" (probably taller than you) and own 27.5 and 29 inch bikes, would not give 27.5 agility and playfulness for anything else. Its just different and much better than 29 on certain trails and ride styles. I sold and bought new 29ers but 27.5er will never sell.
This. The ridiculous prices for bikes being normalized. At this rate, casual riders are going to chooses cheap e-bikes any day of the week, and most won't even get in to the market to begin with.
The judging at Redbull rampage doesn't make sense. I'm not saying that Brendon should have won, but an 11th place finish was an insult. He nailed the run, took huge risks, and did it with style.
The entirety of judgement seems more off and off. Meybe we need a new judges criteria and point weighting, because it just didnt make sence. The way to win the last years just seems to be doing regular slopestyle down a hill instead of regular slopes... it seems that big tricks are weighted better than big hits like it used to be all about. Going for three 10m backflip tailwhips on ok jumps seems to be a far better score than going for a full on 30m flat take off frontflip into space, but the nature of hardline is for these big huge hits and pushing whats posible
I'm both a mountain biker and roadie, and love gravel. I've stopped road riding recently as rural gravel roads are quiet and gorgeous, and the roads here just aren't very safe with next to no shoulders. Hand guards don't bother me as we have many saucy spruce boughs, but I would love to have upper arm guards.
gravel bikes allow road cyclists which have different goals than mtbers to ride in more places in a safer manner and with slightly more comfort, with the overcrowding of roads it's natural they move away from them, my XC that I just did maintenance and changed the rear wheel can now do 20mph easy on flat but that's it's max speed and only because I've got an old 3x11 speeds no road cyclist wants to ride a 1x12 or 2x11 mtb they heavily nerf your max speed
If you live in a rural area with lots of gravel roads, a gravel bike makes more sense. I live in the Colorado Rockies smack dab on the CDT and we have 100s of miles of never ending gravel roads and only a couple paved roads that are highway and no shoulder.
@@SquevilSqueakI had one two summers ago, it was a more confortable road bike which comes great for going to groceries, work, etc. Unreliable offroad unles you want to bikepacking and take it easy.
Wireless bikes - can't call it fully wireless though unless they include Blake's wireless brakes.... Speaking of which, how is the 2.0 development going Blake? 🙂
The only good ebike is an unplugged ebike. There are not in fact any good things about ebikes. Ebikes are trash as is wireless everything. Bikes don't need batteries, Bluetooth, or engines. All 3 are trash when wedged into an already perfect system. Those 3 things solve problems that don't exist. You can bet your bottom dollar the Rampage judges like ebikes. That's why Brendo was way too hard for them and got that garbage score.
doing XC as in like 70% road 30% trail rides up to 70miles 6000ft on a full-susp bike (lockable rear shock and spd clips) I must say dropper posts is a game changer for me I don't see why it wouldn't be the same on a gravel bike I do a lot of 8-20% climbs followed by same or worse descents, while technically I could and did for years go down at the same saddle height I feel much more confident going down a road at 50-60kph with it lowered it also helps when you do rollercoaster roads with up and downs 1 press and you're up to full pedal power
Bike brands going out of business - well, if they're only going to build for the millionaire market they shouldn't be too surprised when the millionaires are all full up with luxury bikes, so if they have no other products what will they do? If they had the foresight to take the knowledge from their premium lines and put together heavier, maybe less aero $500 bikes not necessarily for racing but good enough not to kill people, ride comfortably but fast when wanted, and last a while. There is one issue with budget bikes, and it's that assembling a bike isn't really something appropriate for a regular big box store employee. To solve this they could include a certificate for assembly at your nearest local affiliated bike shop (which that shop could use for their own wholesale purchases as well if they want to sell the budget models) and if they really do it right that labor will be minimal and the buyer can feel confident. Hopefully what will happen from these brands disappearing is that other companies will take over those shops or equipment inexpensively and use that to springboard into bike companies not necessarily just for the cutting edge rider but for the masses who need good, affordable bikes.
I bought a nukeproof megawatt because they where clearly by far the best ebike for enduro and dh riding in 2023 but absolutely devastated they went out of business, ill still keep it cos of how good it is and just put new motors and batterys in it!
Well if bike companies maybe hadn’t gauged the average person on markup of all the bikes during the COVID years it would be easier to feel for these companies but the average bike costing well over 3000 dollars i think they got there money
I'm curious the statistic of bike purchasers deciding their purchase based on race teams/pro riders results. Given a lot of these teams are using unobtainable modified versions of these frames and installed products it doesn't seem it would be much of an influence.
The worst trend is by far the absolutely absurd prices bike brands are putting on bikes and accessories. They have come down a bit, but not nearly as much as they need to. Cycling is not accessible for a lot of people.
and still, they're fairly cheap if you consider what you get for your money if you compare them to other bike types, gravel bikes that miss half of the expensive stuff (and often aren't that much lighter) can cost even more
Any bike is a good bike! We're massive advocates of run what you've brung! So long as you're outside having fun instead of sat at home we're all for it
I started 2 years ago with the cheapest version of the Canyon Stoic and upgraded some parts on the go. I still have a ton of fun on it and don't know if a "better" bike would give me much more fun than I have at the moment. If you have a budget of a little under 1k you can do that aswell just know that you are going to ride a hardtail.
Elite riders performing at the highest levels will benefit from all the insane technology that their R&D teams can come up with, but the average rider does not. Forcing these "advancements" onto the average paying customer was the bike industries downfall. People don't need 5-10k bikes, and if that's all you can offer, then you deserve whatever fate comes your way, even if that means brands are going out of business.
Exactly. Just sheer stupidity that they aren't trying to expand the customer base, rather than pandering to those who want to show off to others in a Starbucks parking lot
@@the6ig6adwolf hey ! that's me ! hiking or mountain biking is for me a way to do what I dreamed about as a kid "one day I'll go up that mountain" now I'm an adult and I can, mtb for me is freedom to go wherever I want definitel NOT queuing for a lift or doing "trail trains" for me it's the equivalent of waiting in line at a supermarket to pay my groceries
I dont hate gravel bikes but the fact that they are a trend. They are what MTBs were 20 years ago with slightly different marketing. Years ago i chose a light, well equipped XC hardtail as my daily rider through town and forest, it may not be the fastest bike down the mountain but in my experience it ended up being the fastest for up and down combined. Plus its somewhat low maintenance for general use. Thing is, different tires + removing the front fork + drop bars and you couldnt distinguish it from a gravel bike.... Road bikes are just too specialized for my purposes, same as enduros.
I built my first road bike in 2015, and I built it more as a randonneur because I wanted it sturdy. In 2023, I replaced my "road" bike with a gravel bike. Same reasoning. I want to ride road, but I want it to be sturdy and not allergic to dirt. So for me gravel is a mountain-biker-riding-road thing.
Being treated as a wallet annoyed me most this year. When most of the channels I follow all started spouting about shorter cranks and steering dampers (and other equally pointless tat) at the same time, I tuned-out and just rode my bike.
Thats what you got from my post? I was making the point that a high percentage of the channels i sub to all started pimping the same products at the same time. Like they were all sucking from the same corporate teat, but outwardly pretending to be independant.
I would add to Trends That We Hated: the strut-mount suspension design with a yoke, which is becoming increasingly popular in e-bikes like the Orbea Rise, Amflow PL, Lapierre Overvolt, and Specialized Turbo Levo. In this design, the shock acts as a structural element, which can lead to issues like air leaks, oil leakage, or even breakage.
Gravel bikes are cool, I just hate how they take up space in mountain bike media and coverage. Lookin at you here Singletrack... Broke both my hands earlier this year, keep wondering if handguards might have helped!
Hand guards. I foofooed them until I put them on my ebike for winter riding. Being lazy I did not take them off when summer came around. OMG. No more scraped knuckles from branches and trees. I ride a lot of tight woods and I love those guards now.
coming from XC muscular to ebike I don't feel as lazy as I tought but it's because other than a few ridiculous slopes like 47% uphill the other day there's nothing I do I haven't already done on legs, what did change tough is that I did 161.25km 3658m 100.2miles 12'001ft of up and down in 3 days with an ebike most of it CAT1 climbs also according to my garmin watch ebikes are actually better for me, before I was 5.0 (overreach) aerobic 2.0 (low impact) anaerobic now I'm more in the 4.7/3.4 but yeah you need to do serious rides, another upside is that while I did 1600+ft climbs often on legs I was slow now I can decided it last minute and just go I'm not as straind and I can do another one the next day, I'm a very on/off person so either I did nothing or 8hrs rides emtb this far is great for me, something I noticed that will talk to "real" cyclists doing CAT1 or HC climbs on an ebike I mostly felt my thighs but no strain on the calfs (I use SPD and focus on cadence on both my xc and ebike so it's not that)
Bike brands charge way to much money for a decent bike. Then the bikes that are affordable are only marginally better then Walmart bike for just 200 dollars
I have not been excited about a new mountain bike release in about three years. Everything is so dialed in, geometry, suspension, shocks, shifting. for the recreational rider, which is most of us most of the components can take way more than any of us can dish out to them. All of the improvements are nothing more than small tweaks or gimmicks or simply a different way of doing something that is not any better. Electric mountain bikes are still in their relative infancy and so of course the technological changes are coming fast and quick. That being said I bought my ibis Oso in December and it is freaking awesome and will be for at least the next 10 years. I’m not buying a new electric mountain bike simply because, the battery is 3 pounds lighter or the motor supplies five watts more power.
What does Rich say at 2-46, I can't tell? Listened to it back a few times and it sounds to be like he's saying 'house cyclocross ad', which I'm pretty sure he isn't, lol. Thing is, I've CC'd YT and the subtitles read 'house cyc across', which is no better lol! Cheers
I was searching for a new Bike and Most Bikes with great parts Had Wireless shifting. It was so hard to find a good Bike with decent spec that was Not Wireless.
Bearings are actually cheap, so long as you dont buy them from a bike retailer.. As always as soon as it touches a bike the prices just baloon out of greed.. Its like putting regular chain oil vs store brand chain oil at 5x the price.. Same thing just paying for the stupidity of buying it from a bike shop with a brand name on it..
I feel like gravel biking is getting way to mtb oriented. Especially when it comes to tires getting wider, and the addition of gravel forks. at some point just use an xc bike.
Brendog was indeed robbed. I've watched his run over and over and while it wasn't perfect, the line his team built was super technical - it was pure freeride - and this should have at least got him on the podium. But what do I know? Glad we all agree on this then.
Gravel will become cross country from the old days. 2+ hour races, not crazy technical, good variety of surfaces and trail types. Cross country vacated the space so gravel will step in.
Race teams closing down is a poor reflection on those running the sport. Yet road racing goes from strength to strength.........and brings in new sponsors all the time.
I hate that "E-mtb" bage immediately increases price of a bike for 2,5-3k € in comparison to the same, but non electric model. I hate it, because I know exactly that all electric stuff inside costs no more than 1,5k for manufacturers.
batteries are very expensive, motors probably not but you also pay for software engine management and all that, if anything regular mtbers should thank emtbs because it brought the price of regular bikes down...they can only sell so many 12'000 bikes and right now it's the ebikes instead of the regular ones (except for brands that didn't get the memo and sell 0 bikes/year)
np crc and vitus going was a blessing for bike shops and deffo gave us a head and shoulders back in the game my least favourite is ultra integrated cables through the headset just fucking sucks
You, as a bike channel, don't like a growing part of the industry that helps push back the slowing down of our industry and local shops that you're currently making a video of? Yeesh y'all..
It’s difficult to really point out one thing really. A modern groupset plays a big part. 700c wheels too. Tubeless. You can ghetto tubeless a 26er but it’s not as good or reliable. QR wheels are not as stiff. I have a pretty high spec 97 Kona. HS33s, hope wheels, pace forks etc. as fun as it is. It’s just not as good. If I could sum it up in 1 word I’d say efficiency.
@@SquevilSqueak thanks for the reply and insight. In the wheels alone there would be a huge difference. Thought about turning my Scot into a single speed for jetting around in an urban setting. But it wouldn’t be as good off road considering it’s a 26”. Good talk👍
Well ...Im still riding a Scott Voltage FR20 26er and manuals, table tops bunny hops and crashes still happens, so we don't need a AI chip on a reverb sit to enjoy the experience of a ride a bike....Brendog was robbed twice, this event must called RedBull Robbery
Glad to see anti-cableism made the list. Seems pointless when they’re already putting routing in for a dropper and rear brake all for the sake of a few grams. Weight wasn’t an issue adding glove boxes. Not surprising PON is shutting down the new Santa Cruz factory in Germany after 2 years when they’re doing this stupid 💩
I don’t hate e-bikes, but I do hate the conflation of them with traditional bikes. They’re a different animal altogether, so folks should stop acting like they’re just cool new mountain bikes!
@tomskar4992 pole had yesterday update regarding to this situation on its facebook, they said that some one has bought Pole and they are returning to their roots.
I do not get how swiss brands still survive with they insane prices minus the carbon frame because those weren't really a thing almost 10y ago my roughly 4k including fox fact home upgrades (1.5k) bike is now sold by them 14k....who pays that ? bike manufacturers pushed and pushed prices to insane level and we are in a state where a 3k bike is sold for 4-5k they tought people would just buy "above" but they don't we have a price threshold but also a features one if you're bike doesn't match both no sale, car manufacturers are all going bankrupt for the same reason, features go down prices go up and they think people are just going to pay 10-30'000 above what the vehicle is worth...no we won't and if all you sell is cheap quality low features vehicle for our price we'll look for something else too
Which 2024 trend did you hate the most?
downhill e bikes, they are not needed!!
brendogg being robbed
@@danytheunicorn95 thats just sad, but not a trend
The yuppie-like mentality prevalent in mountain biking culture is incredibly tiresome. Not everyone can afford trendy bikes that cost thousands, and even older bikes can be made to match modern standards with just a few modifications. For example, the fixed gear bike culture has values worth adopting, emphasizing that cycling is always fun, whether you're rich or poor. ❤
Tracklocross is getting big
The worst 2024 mtb trend ir the fact that a high end bike cost as much as a 200hp motorcycle, And e-bikes easily surpass that.
Im not surprised bike manufacturers are going out of business. They’re charging the earth for their products. And to be honest their greed has bitten them in the butt! They need to cheapen the costs of bike significantly.
💯
Everything being so overpriced and under-engineered, from bikes to components, to apparel might have something to do with the struggles
Seriously. My Sled is 7 years old and no less up-to-date than a 24 bike. And why in Britain, a nation renowned for always pissing it down, can I not find a single actually waterproof jacket? £100+ for something which barely withstands a light misting, it's obscene.
Not specific to 2024 obviously but tools required to fit/remove a part costing almost as much as the part itself can do one
Don't forget integrated cable routing on the headset... Is always disgusting 😢
On a DJ its fine...
@@SteezyridewearUK yeah but that's different it actually has a use
I prefer it, no harder and cleaner overall
bought one because other than that it had the best feature/price ratio, just make holes in the side of the frame :/ it's not that hard and so much better, cockpit comfort is only something I care about now that I'm getting older but being able to tweak handlebar and stem is pretty important it should be free and easy to do
I bought a gravel bike this year after coming to terms that I’d rather ride further over gnarlier. I LOVE it. It goes over everything, is faster and I can ride all day on it. If I only had 1 bike it would be an easy choice for me.
1. $7000-$12000 bikes
2. Headset cable routing
3. Canyon k.i.s
4. High pivots/idlers is very gimmicky and adds unnecessary complexity
Number three is entirely optional, it can be removed or tweaked if you like it.
Sure… but you pay for it, whether you want it or not
@@slick-riq Fair point, I'd widen that to just be "proprietary gimmicks you can't opt out of". Only way to not have some of these systems is to buy a base model and build it up, but by then you've spent far more than you needed... Canyon k.i.s., Specialized FutureShock, I'm sure there's at least a few more as of late.
The marketing in the mtb industry these days is insane and ridiculous, we don't really need much to have a good ride
Regards the comments about gravel bikes Vs road bikes Vs mountain bikes - What's the issue? Neither discipline needs to beat the other. They don't compete, they're all great fun. I race CX, xc MTB, ride Enduro, ride and race gravel, and ride road. Each discipline has it's own reasons to be and awesomeness!!
Yeah cycling media, and some cyclists, like to push the agenda that once they have dictated what the industry approved cycling categories are then everyone else has to conform and own only 1 type of bike and only do 1 type of riding. Their ideas are unrealistic and kind of dumb. Obviously anyone who is into bikes owns as many as they have the space for because it's fun to switch it up. Even BMX riders who are probably the most likely to stick with 1 kind of bike usually own a klunker and maybe a bike life bike or a bikepacking rig.
gravel bikes are a great way to do "real cycling" away from trucks and cars I totally understand why it blows up (recently went down a mountain road with a 4 tons tree logs truck behind me unable to overtake and no space for me to stop) XC is one step too far from road cycling maybe especially because of the wheels altough I always tell people if you can afford the fox 3-pos lever fork and shock (I have 2022 fox 34 sc fit4 and float dps) with an almost full lock and choose tires that have a somewhat continuous center you barely lose power I did 70miles and 6036ft in one ride on a full susp bike with spd pedals and i'm 220lbs with almost no training sometimes it just "feels like it's a good day" and I go if I can do that a lean road cyclist can easily do more I run rocket ron tires now but had more road oriented tires before and they were great 30kph 20mph easy on flat (oh yeah my bike is a 33 speed that help too heh)
Couldn't agree more.
Yep totally agree. I mean it's all compromise. You can't have a bike that's the best at everything so you need to decide what compromises you want to put up with depending on the type of riding you're doing.
They absolutely compete in the sense that most people only have one bike. If the only bike you buy can ride on the road comfortably, as well as ride unpaved roads and light trails, it absolutely competes with road and mountain biking.
I was a hardcore mountain biker in the late 90’s/early 00’s, I live a few hours from Moab and rode the really technical trails there and elsewhere quite often. Life got busy and I stopped riding for 20 years but have gotten really into it again in the last 2-3 years, but with far more road and mild trails now since I’m commuting for fun and doing occasional trails when time permits. I bought a Chisel and it’s pretty efficient, but I didn’t learn about gravel bikes until after. I initially thought they seemed gimmicky, but now I think they’re a great, prudent solution for the every day person who just wants an efficient bike for fun or transport, and who won’t be racing road or pushing the limits on technical trails. For 2-3 decades, the mountain bike took that spot, with most casual riders who rarely left pavement, pushing around far more bike than they actually needed. So I’m glad there’s sort of a happy medium option out there now.
Guilty as charged when it comes to gravel bikes.
Bough one 2 weeks ago and I'm really enjoying it.
As much as I love my MTBs, they are pain to ride long distances in the town.
Gravel is just perfect bike for people who need efficient bike on the road with ability to cut through some field or dusty ducts.
I ride my Enduro bike all over town, making the most of urban pits, jumps, staicases, and technical terrain. There is no pain to riding any bike as long as you have fitted the seat, handlebars and levers to your body.
I agree. I also bought a gravel bike to use for work commutes. I prefer the better comfort on my mountain bike but I want something faster and I don't like the hassle of servicing my fork quarterly
I hated to see 27.5 hardtails not available anymore.
Why can't we have all sizes for everyone? It would sell more bikes and components.
Because only a few short people need 27.5. Everyone else is happy with 29
Its not height question. Bmx got 20" dj got 26" you would not want either of those in 29" 27.5 is good size for rigid and playful hardtail or full sus.29 is just too big for some terrain@@Valentin359
@@Valentin359Nah. I know several people 6 foot + who prefer 27.5. Me included So many 29er riders now realise it was never that great - now they're getting mixed wheel bikes.
@@Valentin359 im 6'3" (probably taller than you) and own 27.5 and 29 inch bikes, would not give 27.5 agility and playfulness for anything else.
Its just different and much better than 29 on certain trails and ride styles. I sold and bought new 29ers but 27.5er will never sell.
I'm glad the original owners got Kona back.
Us too! Hopefully they can turn it around
Nobody wants to spend money on overpriced bikes.
This. The ridiculous prices for bikes being normalized. At this rate, casual riders are going to chooses cheap e-bikes any day of the week, and most won't even get in to the market to begin with.
What people don’t realize, no amount of money or fancy parts or gear can overcome the lack of skill and fitness.
Orange kinda deserves it after one of there frames granated and they tried to silence the guy never sended him a new frame or anything 😤
The judging at Redbull rampage doesn't make sense. I'm not saying that Brendon should have won, but an 11th place finish was an insult. He nailed the run, took huge risks, and did it with style.
The entirety of judgement seems more off and off. Meybe we need a new judges criteria and point weighting, because it just didnt make sence. The way to win the last years just seems to be doing regular slopestyle down a hill instead of regular slopes... it seems that big tricks are weighted better than big hits like it used to be all about. Going for three 10m backflip tailwhips on ok jumps seems to be a far better score than going for a full on 30m flat take off frontflip into space, but the nature of hardline is for these big huge hits and pushing whats posible
@@stuartclark7488 make it like eurovision where the public votes
Nukeproof and Vitus going under was the worst. It still makes me sad. 😢
Us too 😞
I love my Scout so much, I was thinking about getting a second one just to have both wheel sizes
I have a MTB and a road bike. My road bike will be the casualty when i buy a gravel bike. I will just add a wheelset with road tyres.
I'm both a mountain biker and roadie, and love gravel. I've stopped road riding recently as rural gravel roads are quiet and gorgeous, and the roads here just aren't very safe with next to no shoulders. Hand guards don't bother me as we have many saucy spruce boughs, but I would love to have upper arm guards.
tbh the brands that went out of business was their own fault. sketchy qc with high prices wasnt ever to last.
I still don't understand the gravel bike hype.
Try one a few times.
gravel bikes allow road cyclists which have different goals than mtbers to ride in more places in a safer manner and with slightly more comfort, with the overcrowding of roads it's natural they move away from them, my XC that I just did maintenance and changed the rear wheel can now do 20mph easy on flat but that's it's max speed and only because I've got an old 3x11 speeds no road cyclist wants to ride a 1x12 or 2x11 mtb they heavily nerf your max speed
If you live in a rural area with lots of gravel roads, a gravel bike makes more sense. I live in the Colorado Rockies smack dab on the CDT and we have 100s of miles of never ending gravel roads and only a couple paved roads that are highway and no shoulder.
@@SquevilSqueakI had one two summers ago, it was a more confortable road bike which comes great for going to groceries, work, etc. Unreliable offroad unles you want to bikepacking and take it easy.
Wireless bikes - can't call it fully wireless though unless they include Blake's wireless brakes.... Speaking of which, how is the 2.0 development going Blake? 🙂
Slowly! Or rapidly... depends which way you look at it 😅
@@gmbn LOL 🤣
The only good ebike is an unplugged ebike. There are not in fact any good things about ebikes. Ebikes are trash as is wireless everything. Bikes don't need batteries, Bluetooth, or engines. All 3 are trash when wedged into an already perfect system. Those 3 things solve problems that don't exist. You can bet your bottom dollar the Rampage judges like ebikes. That's why Brendo was way too hard for them and got that garbage score.
You missed internal dropper posts on gravel bikes. I have one, it rules. It also came with 2 inch tires and a wide, flared handlebar.
doing XC as in like 70% road 30% trail rides up to 70miles 6000ft on a full-susp bike (lockable rear shock and spd clips) I must say dropper posts is a game changer for me I don't see why it wouldn't be the same on a gravel bike I do a lot of 8-20% climbs followed by same or worse descents, while technically I could and did for years go down at the same saddle height I feel much more confident going down a road at 50-60kph with it lowered it also helps when you do rollercoaster roads with up and downs 1 press and you're up to full pedal power
@@fredEVOIX I've always fantasized about a seat post on a road bike that could be adjusted on the fly and here it is.
Bike brands going out of business - well, if they're only going to build for the millionaire market they shouldn't be too surprised when the millionaires are all full up with luxury bikes, so if they have no other products what will they do? If they had the foresight to take the knowledge from their premium lines and put together heavier, maybe less aero $500 bikes not necessarily for racing but good enough not to kill people, ride comfortably but fast when wanted, and last a while. There is one issue with budget bikes, and it's that assembling a bike isn't really something appropriate for a regular big box store employee. To solve this they could include a certificate for assembly at your nearest local affiliated bike shop (which that shop could use for their own wholesale purchases as well if they want to sell the budget models) and if they really do it right that labor will be minimal and the buyer can feel confident. Hopefully what will happen from these brands disappearing is that other companies will take over those shops or equipment inexpensively and use that to springboard into bike companies not necessarily just for the cutting edge rider but for the masses who need good, affordable bikes.
Most didn't like the price trend but I am loving it as the prices are crashing now. Picked up a $3000 bike for $700.
I bought a nukeproof megawatt because they where clearly by far the best ebike for enduro and dh riding in 2023 but absolutely devastated they went out of business, ill still keep it cos of how good it is and just put new motors and batterys in it!
YT is doing good and has a pretty simple suspension design
@ I’ll take a simple suspension design that works good and is easy to service and take apart. As a mechanic that matters more to me.
Where I live we can’t ride in the rain. We happen t have world class gavel roads. Riding a trail bike on the road blows. Hence gravel bikes
integrated cable routing with no frame ports. Yes Santa Cruz, I'm looking at you.
Well if bike companies maybe hadn’t gauged the average person on markup of all the bikes during the COVID years it would be easier to feel for these companies but the average bike costing well over 3000 dollars i think they got there money
I'm curious the statistic of bike purchasers deciding their purchase based on race teams/pro riders results. Given a lot of these teams are using unobtainable modified versions of these frames and installed products it doesn't seem it would be much of an influence.
Drop handlebars on a mountain bike was one of the worst trends I've ever seen in my life, let alone this year. An abomination.
The worst trend is by far the absolutely absurd prices bike brands are putting on bikes and accessories. They have come down a bit, but not nearly as much as they need to. Cycling is not accessible for a lot of people.
I've been wanting to get back into mountain biking for q few years now... but they are soooooo expensive these days.
and still, they're fairly cheap if you consider what you get for your money if you compare them to other bike types, gravel bikes that miss half of the expensive stuff (and often aren't that much lighter) can cost even more
Only if you refuse to buy a used bike.
Any bike is a good bike! We're massive advocates of run what you've brung! So long as you're outside having fun instead of sat at home we're all for it
I started 2 years ago with the cheapest version of the Canyon Stoic and upgraded some parts on the go. I still have a ton of fun on it and don't know if a "better" bike would give me much more fun than I have at the moment. If you have a budget of a little under 1k you can do that aswell just know that you are going to ride a hardtail.
Elite riders performing at the highest levels will benefit from all the insane technology that their R&D teams can come up with, but the average rider does not. Forcing these "advancements" onto the average paying customer was the bike industries downfall. People don't need 5-10k bikes, and if that's all you can offer, then you deserve whatever fate comes your way, even if that means brands are going out of business.
Exactly. Just sheer stupidity that they aren't trying to expand the customer base, rather than pandering to those who want to show off to others in a Starbucks parking lot
@DarthFurball mountain biking used to be about exploration, adventure, and physical fitness, now it's about looking cool in the lift line.
@@the6ig6adwolf hey ! that's me ! hiking or mountain biking is for me a way to do what I dreamed about as a kid "one day I'll go up that mountain" now I'm an adult and I can, mtb for me is freedom to go wherever I want definitel NOT queuing for a lift or doing "trail trains" for me it's the equivalent of waiting in line at a supermarket to pay my groceries
I love bikes
I dont hate gravel bikes but the fact that they are a trend.
They are what MTBs were 20 years ago with slightly different marketing.
Years ago i chose a light, well equipped XC hardtail as my daily rider through town and forest, it may not be the fastest bike down the mountain but in my experience it ended up being the fastest for up and down combined.
Plus its somewhat low maintenance for general use. Thing is, different tires + removing the front fork + drop bars and you couldnt distinguish it from a gravel bike....
Road bikes are just too specialized for my purposes, same as enduros.
I built my first road bike in 2015, and I built it more as a randonneur because I wanted it sturdy. In 2023, I replaced my "road" bike with a gravel bike. Same reasoning. I want to ride road, but I want it to be sturdy and not allergic to dirt. So for me gravel is a mountain-biker-riding-road thing.
i think dirtjumperd are a trend alot of mtbers got into especially this year i’m very excited to see how far it’s going to go
Whatever happened to the KIS system from canon? Steering damping stuff, is anybody still talking about it?
Being treated as a wallet annoyed me most this year. When most of the channels I follow all started spouting about shorter cranks and steering dampers (and other equally pointless tat) at the same time, I tuned-out and just rode my bike.
Shorter cranks actually makes sense for some people
Thats what you got from my post? I was making the point that a high percentage of the channels i sub to all started pimping the same products at the same time. Like they were all sucking from the same corporate teat, but outwardly pretending to be independant.
I would add to Trends That We Hated: the strut-mount suspension design with a yoke, which is becoming increasingly popular in e-bikes like the Orbea Rise, Amflow PL, Lapierre Overvolt, and Specialized Turbo Levo. In this design, the shock acts as a structural element, which can lead to issues like air leaks, oil leakage, or even breakage.
Horst link wins forever
@@jokermtbany type of 4-bar linkage, horst or not, is great. Dual link is also quite good and the shock is not structural in either design
no.
2:10 bro thats savage it just got dark in here
Gravel bikes are cool, I just hate how they take up space in mountain bike media and coverage. Lookin at you here Singletrack...
Broke both my hands earlier this year, keep wondering if handguards might have helped!
Hand guards. I foofooed them until I put them on my ebike for winter riding. Being lazy I did not take them off when summer came around. OMG. No more scraped knuckles from branches and trees. I ride a lot of tight woods and I love those guards now.
Hating Gravel and loving E-Bikes - you guys have it the wrong way around.
coming from XC muscular to ebike I don't feel as lazy as I tought but it's because other than a few ridiculous slopes like 47% uphill the other day there's nothing I do I haven't already done on legs, what did change tough is that I did 161.25km 3658m 100.2miles 12'001ft of up and down in 3 days with an ebike most of it CAT1 climbs also according to my garmin watch ebikes are actually better for me, before I was 5.0 (overreach) aerobic 2.0 (low impact) anaerobic now I'm more in the 4.7/3.4 but yeah you need to do serious rides, another upside is that while I did 1600+ft climbs often on legs I was slow now I can decided it last minute and just go I'm not as straind and I can do another one the next day, I'm a very on/off person so either I did nothing or 8hrs rides emtb this far is great for me, something I noticed that will talk to "real" cyclists doing CAT1 or HC climbs on an ebike I mostly felt my thighs but no strain on the calfs (I use SPD and focus on cadence on both my xc and ebike so it's not that)
What exactly is the difference between a cyclo-cross bike and a gravel bike?
Bike brands charge way to much money for a decent bike. Then the bikes that are affordable are only marginally better then Walmart bike for just 200 dollars
I have not been excited about a new mountain bike release in about three years. Everything is so dialed in, geometry, suspension, shocks, shifting. for the recreational rider, which is most of us most of the components can take way more than any of us can dish out to them. All of the improvements are nothing more than small tweaks or gimmicks or simply a different way of doing something that is not any better. Electric mountain bikes are still in their relative infancy and so of course the technological changes are coming fast and quick. That being said I bought my ibis Oso in December and it is freaking awesome and will be for at least the next 10 years. I’m not buying a new electric mountain bike simply because, the battery is 3 pounds lighter or the motor supplies five watts more power.
What does Rich say at 2-46, I can't tell? Listened to it back a few times and it sounds to be like he's saying 'house cyclocross ad', which I'm pretty sure he isn't, lol. Thing is, I've CC'd YT and the subtitles read 'house cyc across', which is no better lol!
Cheers
How cyclocross has
Headset routed cables is a long running trend that needs to die.
Bikes and apparel got to expensive. Who's buying them? I'm still riding my 2011 Giant Talon 29 1 hardtail.
I was searching for a new Bike and Most Bikes with great parts Had Wireless shifting. It was so hard to find a good Bike with decent spec that was Not Wireless.
Pole made some incredibly interesting stuff
Worst trend was Blakey getting into bigger and bigger crashes, that needs to end :D
Bearings are actually cheap, so long as you dont buy them from a bike retailer.. As always as soon as it touches a bike the prices just baloon out of greed.. Its like putting regular chain oil vs store brand chain oil at 5x the price.. Same thing just paying for the stupidity of buying it from a bike shop with a brand name on it..
I feel like gravel biking is getting way to mtb oriented. Especially when it comes to tires getting wider, and the addition of gravel forks. at some point just use an xc bike.
I don’t see the hate towards gravel bikes. If it gets more people out and on a bicycle, I’m all for it.
Brendog was indeed robbed. I've watched his run over and over and while it wasn't perfect, the line his team built was super technical - it was pure freeride - and this should have at least got him on the podium. But what do I know? Glad we all agree on this then.
Gravel will become cross country from the old days. 2+ hour races, not crazy technical, good variety of surfaces and trail types. Cross country vacated the space so gravel will step in.
Sold my road bike, sold my xc bike, built a gravel bike, it's all good 👌
Mullet bikes should always be at the top of this list! Always!
As someone that started mtb after adventuring riding on motorcycles it boogles my mind why arent any handguards on mtb lol. Seems i was right 😂
Pole bikes were daft and Rapha is so over priced
Good for Rafa. I like their clothes but I ain’t spending over 100 on a jersey
Have you got plastic bits on your fire heater 🥲
I want 26 wheels back, that`s everything i am asking for, even at the exorbitant prices...
A rigid Gravel bike taking over.....Oh I don't think so....next thing you know they will have motors!
Race teams closing down is a poor reflection on those running the sport. Yet road racing goes from strength to strength.........and brings in new sponsors all the time.
Monster will be creating their own Rampage 😁
Full rigid plus bikes ftw
I hate that "E-mtb" bage immediately increases price of a bike for 2,5-3k € in comparison to the same, but non electric model.
I hate it, because I know exactly that all electric stuff inside costs no more than 1,5k for manufacturers.
so you work for free?! ofc they'll charge more than the actual cost of building it, they also have to make a living...
batteries are very expensive, motors probably not but you also pay for software engine management and all that, if anything regular mtbers should thank emtbs because it brought the price of regular bikes down...they can only sell so many 12'000 bikes and right now it's the ebikes instead of the regular ones (except for brands that didn't get the memo and sell 0 bikes/year)
I’m happy Ritchey are still making frames…
Why the hate for gravel? How old are you guys?
Bikes price are way to big...and many brand owners will feel that
Brendog was great but not the best. His placement was definetly to low.
Wireless is the future cables suck! Berndogg is the spirit of Rampage.
I hope the oven is fake and the helmet in the background doesn't melt away
np crc and vitus going was a blessing for bike shops and deffo gave us a head and shoulders back in the game my least favourite is ultra integrated cables through the headset just fucking sucks
You, as a bike channel, don't like a growing part of the industry that helps push back the slowing down of our industry and local shops that you're currently making a video of? Yeesh y'all..
I've only bought a gravel bike because of our shitty roads...
If I put drop bars on my 98 chromolly Scott 26”- boom- instant gravel bike. Not a new thing at all
It’s really not. I was riding retro mountain bikes for distance riding with the same idea. An actual gravel bike is in a different league.
@@SquevilSqueaknow I’m curious, where do you find the most difference? Ride quality, geo, components?
It’s difficult to really point out one thing really. A modern groupset plays a big part. 700c wheels too. Tubeless. You can ghetto tubeless a 26er but it’s not as good or reliable. QR wheels are not as stiff. I have a pretty high spec 97 Kona. HS33s, hope wheels, pace forks etc. as fun as it is. It’s just not as good. If I could sum it up in 1 word I’d say efficiency.
@@SquevilSqueak thanks for the reply and insight. In the wheels alone there would be a huge difference. Thought about turning my Scot into a single speed for jetting around in an urban setting. But it wouldn’t be as good off road considering it’s a 26”. Good talk👍
not a MTB but VanMoof also whent under
Well ...Im still riding a Scott Voltage FR20 26er and manuals, table tops bunny hops and crashes still happens, so we don't need a AI chip on a reverb sit to enjoy the experience of a ride a bike....Brendog was robbed twice, this event must called RedBull Robbery
the thing is that you don't ride bikes, you ride downhill
Mtb all day no road riding era
I'm annoyed of RUclipsrs pushing ebike content and sales. I like bikes but it's still annoying
You missed out mullet hardtails! There the worst
Glad to see anti-cableism made the list.
Seems pointless when they’re already putting routing in for a dropper and rear brake all for the sake of a few grams. Weight wasn’t an issue adding glove boxes.
Not surprising PON is shutting down the new Santa Cruz factory in Germany after 2 years when they’re doing this stupid 💩
Wah, wah, wah... How many bike companies entered the market in 2024? 100?!? Bound to lose a few, it's just a case of natural selection
Brendan was robbed
I don’t hate e-bikes, but I do hate the conflation of them with traditional bikes. They’re a different animal altogether, so folks should stop acting like they’re just cool new mountain bikes!
This. The “we’re all just mountain bikers” argument is bullshit. It’s not the same at all
Go with wheeltop and you are not limited to expensive wireless systems, oh wait that price point is not what this channel covers.
Btw Pole's story continues🔥
Care to elaborate a bit?
@tomskar4992 pole had yesterday update regarding to this situation on its facebook, they said that some one has bought Pole and they are returning to their roots.
@@laattamaa Insane news. Makes me happy.
27.5 and 29. Hate ‘em
Especially mullets.
What are you saying? You like 26” wheels? Contrarian alert!
29er mtbs rip, this is heresy
Headset cables !!!!!!
literally just got my nukeproof megawatt lol rip to me
I do not get how swiss brands still survive with they insane prices minus the carbon frame because those weren't really a thing almost 10y ago my roughly 4k including fox fact home upgrades (1.5k) bike is now sold by them 14k....who pays that ? bike manufacturers pushed and pushed prices to insane level and we are in a state where a 3k bike is sold for 4-5k they tought people would just buy "above" but they don't we have a price threshold but also a features one if you're bike doesn't match both no sale, car manufacturers are all going bankrupt for the same reason, features go down prices go up and they think people are just going to pay 10-30'000 above what the vehicle is worth...no we won't and if all you sell is cheap quality low features vehicle for our price we'll look for something else too