YES, because I shred 🤘🤘 a hybrid (rigid) bike on my backyard Trails, Jumps and Drops!! So I will be able to handle it (ride it) and also it has suspension (which my bike doesn't have)
Not at race speed but yes they are rideable on xc. It is the rider skill level that's gonna dictate how far you can push the equipment. Will a specialized epic beat a 10" travel downhill bike? No way in hell but with a good rider it can survive the decent
When i first started riding in the 90’s we rode all kinds of terrain and never once thought...”this is an xc bike, I shouldn’t ride this.” While newer geometry has improved riding significantly, back then we rode what we had and had a blast.
AMEN! too many riders depend on the technology today, and fundamentals have all but disappeared with so many people. it’s comical when people say they need A dropper seat post for stuff that we rode rigid for decades
my one buddy growing up with, his family weren't well off financially. our whole neighborhood bicycle crew had bmx bikes. all my one bud had was a old 10 speed. he rode everywhere we did, did smaller jumps, rode a wheelie better than all of us on his 10 speed. he used to pedal his girl around town and on smoother trails on the handle bars like we all did but he did it on that old 10 speed with skinny road tyres and drop bars. my ride was a gt pro performer with the fattest knobbies that looked like motor cycle tyres. then i had a mongoose menace with knobbies. we mostly rode on back roads on old snowmobile tracks. bunny hoping and riding wheelies. waiting behind the gas station for someone who'd buy us a pack of camels. silly kids.
Dual suspension XC bike is the most capable bike nowadays. I started riding enduro, then transferred to XC hardtail and since i bought my dual XC bike, i can definitely say that this is the ultimate bike.
Let’s just remember that what we’re calling an “XC” bike in this video would be an extremely reasonable bike to ride on the World Cup DH circuit in the mid-90s. Like that one guy who “didn’t know” I haven’t ridden a proper xc race bike from this century either, thus I doubt I’d even agree to call that full suspension cushfest an xc bike based on the last one I tried. I’m thinking 26er hardtail with 80mm fork with little boots on it.
True! I just don't ride sketchy stuff on my carbon XC bike bcuz it's expensive and I'm afraid of damaging it, but have no problem doing it all on an old aluminum 17kg bike
Im rockin a 26er hardtail with 63mm forks. Might not be as cushy but its still holding up. Stayed strong while a 29” trek marlin a buddy of mine was riding broke.
I would love to see you do a comparison of different types of tires on an XC rig (XC vs Trail vs DH tires) and see the true differences in pedaling efficiency and handling.
That's my bike! And so far this is the best thing happened in my whole 10 years mtb experience. But I never knew it could ride like that) There is a TR version with 120mm travel and a dropper.
Remembering my fully rigid GT Backwoods from the early 90's. I used to bomb descents on that thing. You can shred on just about anything. But I can shred a whole lot harder on my current bike.
@@TheCrookedWheel You don't pedal with it slammed down. It gets the saddle out of the way when you descend. Today I had my seat up and went down a stair set because I forgot to lower it. The saddle hit my legs preventing the bike from falling away from me the way I wanted, pushing me closer to the bars. It wasn't fun. I immediately slammed my seat down and sent it again. Much better. Eventually I'll get a dropper post so I can switch back and forth.
I raced in the late 80's and early 90's and my first few races were on a RIGID bike....it'd about shake the filings out of your teeth.....Then Hard-tails and finally full suspension. I went to Sea Otter yesterday and now I'm excited to get an E Bike! Luna Cycle Baby!!
Could we get just a little smudge more XC content on the channel😆🚀 I'm sure there are lots of XC riders also watching the channel😁🤞🏻 But absolutely love the channel, keep it up💪🏻🚀
If you reinforce it a little, maybe with a Downcoutry model with less "lightest" policy in mind (wider rims but slightly heavier, 4 piston brakes instead of two but slightly heavier, 120mm travel although slightly heavier) an XC bike can do pretty crazy things for what some people have in mind. It's cool to see people is realizing that nowadays though, guess Nino "casual" rides with buddies when he's not racing have a bit of insight into that.
I ride a specialized rockhopper and apart from a few tweaks (tyres, crankset, pedals) it pretty much goes anywhere I want. Granted they are dh tyres (DHF 2.5/DHR 2.5) but still. Only problem is when it gets gnarly, it's more so a case of survival rather than shredding
XC bikes are great for their purpose. It is capable in general in few other disciplines, but generally if you buy specified thing, use it as specified. This video is proper reason, why you should buy what you ride.
well yes and no. you can definetly keep shredding longer if you just avoid the too rocky stuff. Like he said that those rocks are going to make puncture, yet he did it anyway. slap some better tires for dh in that and it would propably last way longer
XC bike with dropper and enduro tires can do wonders. Like that one dude said, it is the rider that shreds. I like XC content, as it is a big part of what I do.
Agreed 100% Peter. It’s mainly the rider that makes the difference. At the same time, I put a 160mm Fox 36 on my FS XC bike, with 27.5/29 2.5” DHRII/2.8 DHF, and a 200mm dropper, and now with a 66.2 headtube angle, it feels more like a trail/all mountain bike instead of a XC bike.
I use my xc as a commuter, going both on tarmac, gravel and easy trails. The changes to your bike, does it slow you down on tarmac, making tarmac even more boring? I guess it is as good as before you upgraded on gravel, and significantly better on trail..@@andyjonathan2486
Awesome! At 52, I'd ride all the trails in this video except #3 (Deep Navigation) on my hardtail XC race bike, although probably a little slower. Rich proves it's not the bike, it's the rider. Hope he doesn't have to pay for the rim.
@@fabiomoreira7928 not if you have steep head angles. I agree that wider tires give you a better feel and performance overall (no idea why all XC bikes don't have clearances for 2.4" tires just for the better rolling resistance), but the shorter stems are meant to give you a more responsive steering feel. This is why you see shorter stems on bikes with slacker HTAs, as a slack HTA slows the steering down.
The hardtail I started on in 2017 was total xc geometry and I sent it on everything. Now I've got a way better all mountain bike and I'm always thinking back about how sketchy stuff used to feel like.
Rich you were FLYing down those trails 😅🤘 (wardrobe malfunction when talking to the other riders 🤔😂) Great video amd that Orbea is 🔥🤘 Awesome stuff #GMBN 🤘
I took my Xc bike (Scott Spark 970) down the black diamond Citizens Downhill at Windham bike park and never crashed. It honestly has to do with skill. Ie:picking the correct lines.
You can shred XC, to a point perfectly illustrated by end of this video. It is also bit of cheating as the bike is full suspension rather than HT, which in my eyes is the true XC bike. Anyway, music in the video was great and added next level of shredding.
Absolutely, but probably not the point of the video though. BUT it would have been very good to punt that out to get people even more excited about how adaptable the one and only bike they own is!!
I ride nothing but hard tail XC bikes, and yes they can shred too. Like one of the guys said, it's the rider. I don't do lift served DH park riding, I mostly ride old school rocky technical trails here in Colorado. One day, on a trail that has an extremely chunky, rocky DH section. A large number of riders were hanging out at the top of this beautiful trail called Island in the Sky at Oil Well Flats. About 8 riders on full squish enduro bikes took off before me and my riding buddy. We had to get around all of them on our hard tails because they were slow and probably not as experienced. They probably a full squish as their first mountain bike, while I've been riding hard tail mountain bikes since 1990. I heard a few of them frustratingly commenting on getting passed by an old guy on a hard tail.
it is amazing how capable are modern xc bikes. Even I on my XC hardtail with rigid seatpost and not really special skillset find myself going down the really steep, chunky or loose stuff fast, and after I'm somewhere safe I think to my self: "did I just did that and survived?" so, when you watch someone like Nino shredding his XC bike, you really see how those bikes in capable hands are. hell, even watching modern XC tracks one can see how XC has changed and what bikes have to handle it. I still think that good pro XC riders can handle everything modern mountain biking throws at them, if they have proper rig. Nino or Tom Pidcock on lets say enduro bike? that's scary! as for XC content, since Rich rides his XC bike with fixed seat post, it would be nice to see some pointers regarding cornering and stuff with it. It's easy (er) to lean bike in corners when you have dropper, but if your seat post is always high, that's a different story. regarding that cracked rim, I wonder would it survived and could you have finished that ride if it was alloy rims...
Even I have a modern xx hardtail the trek xcaliber 9 alpine to be precise..it can really take a lot of abuse as i have ridden it on stuff it wasn't intended to coming out totally unharmed and in mint condition...only needed a higher tyre pressure and good to go...i find the gap between xc and trail closing in soon...
I ride maxxis ardent races with EXO protection on my bike, and I like it because it partly serves as rim protection. But what happened in the video was too low tire pressure in the front.
@@diviscadilek1764 where i used to live i could get away with lightweight CC Tires, after i moved into a rocky area with lots of jarred, sharp edges i learned that a 60TPI Carcass with protective Layer like EXO is a must have.
@@mcsweeneys3383 i was wondering who actually uses these ultra light tires. I ran maxxis ikons without EXO protection, and the sidewalls were always leaking air. In some instances, it was impossible for sealant to seal the holes, as the sidewalls were too flimsy. I guess if you ride in less harsh terrain, those tires are fine.
I have a salsa spearfish I have made it more of a trail bike. It rides great and can handle jump lines and downhill lines at the bike park fine! Upgraded the bike with wider tires(assegi and dissector) and high rise bars and it made a huge difference.
Threw a 29x2.4 Maxxis Ardent, 150mm dropper post, and 30mm wide rims on my 2013 Specialized Epic FSR and it absolutely shreds. Not hitting jump lines on it, but perfect for Pisgah trails.
I used to take my 2013 Specialized Camber to the bike park before I got an Enduro bike. Just threw on a DHF/Aggressor and a tire insert to soften the abuse of the wheels. No issues. Worked like a charm
GMBN, hi. Thank you for this video. It was very interesting to see how far you can push an modern XC bike. It is very interesting to know what are the limits for drops on this bikes :)
Always love seeing XC content and always up for more (you can skip the lycra though unless it's racing related) But the important message is is that all mtb is AWESOME! Also love seeing y'all interacting with local trail riders
@@human_no847 Us Mtbers like to just spontaneously start chit chatting at trail heads, interviewing or riding with local trail riders would really bring out that feeling while watching
@@cloroxbleach9222 Haha. I'm super quiet day to day, hardly say a word, but on the trails I'll start chatting to strangers. It's a bloody miracle. Hope to see more interaction @gmbn :)
Not unless their current bike sponsor makes a supercaliber, no. But from what I heard on the XC course, the 60mm rear travel doesn't really limit you anywhere. One guy I know is pretty happy with his supercaliber.
I have a suggestion. These videos are love. But. Like most people who take their xc bike on dh runs. Get DH tyres on it as well as. Drop the saddle all the way. Or get a dropper. And stronger wheels. And then see how it copes.. you probably wouldn't have gotten a flat if you'd done that. I ride my xc bike purely on black rocky dh trails. I can keep up with the enduro bikes. And no. They're not bad riders. They're the best in the country
Run a rim that's less soft(carbon or metal), like a down country wheel at 27-30mm internal. Problem solved. I'd like to see drop bar 100mm suspension gravel bike(Salsa Fargo, Cutthroat, the Kona Unit X drop bar-ed or the like) vs a XC hardtail. Can the drop bar bike with sus bike do xc trails? How would it compare to an XC hardtail?
Picked up an 09 Spesh FSR Stumpy and taking to BPR this weekend! Added wide bars and short stem and dh tubed minions font and rear and it feels like it will rip! All in cost £330 🤙. It’s all I can afford so let’s do this ⚡️
My first taste of DH style riding was on a 2005 Marin East Peak XC bike with 150mm out back and 130mm on the forks. The bike was wrong in every way a bike can be wrong yet it handled the course well. Only changes were 800mm bars on a 35mn stem and a set of Continental Der Kaiser and Der Baron tyres.
I have a friend who is an ex-pro DH racer. He can shred harder and faster on most trails riding a cyclocross bike than I can on my 140mm trail bike... It really is all about the rider
Yeah i got an old 26 hardtail xc bike xcm 100mm suntour fork XC tyres and i survived the local trail downhill so much like the deep navigation section in this video. Not as fast like the enduro guys im following down the track but yeah just hold on and choose your own line.
One lad in a big group I used to ride with used to bomb it on a gravel bike just to take the piss out of us.. Was hilarious watching him over jumps and rocks. Not sure he had any fillings left.
I was wondering if I could take my Cruz 5010 on my local DH trails, then I remembered riding them all day on a BMX when I was 15 with friends from school!
haha, get a dropper seat post! And yes, XC bikes can shred, it's only that you need slightly more skill to do it as the bike is not that forgiving due to geometry and less suspension travel. Otherwise yes, it can definitely shred. Oh and most of the times, the XC bikes are super capable but they are limited immediately by the tires. XC tires are not so good when it comes to stopping you on steep descends. At least this is the limitation I've found.
My friends and I brought our bikes to the World Cup finals at Snowshoe last month. Monday after the races they opened the park back up to the public and from what I saw, my Canyon Lux was the only XC rig out there. And yes, I felt a little out of place. That is until Evie Richards and Jolanda Neff showed up with their Supercalibers to have a little fun on the downhills. I have a sneaking suspicion their mechanics had no idea that was their plan.
@@diviscadilek1764 no, the bike would have been set up in his cross country guise. Perfect pressures for him and the bike to perform at it's best, however he did explain that they were super lightweight rims and the hits were unusual for an xc bike. You don't see rock gardens and sharp rocks like that even at the highest levels.
I have an XC bike because I love long distance riding for health plus long sustained hill climbs. I replaced the fork with a stronger one and I shred all jumps and trails. It doesn’t really matter on the bike it honestly is the rider riding the damn bike. You don’t need three different bikes for all different terrains. Don’t let marketing and shit fool you into thinking you can only use a certain bike for a certain style or terrain.
I just got back from Moab and the 401 trail in Crested Butte Co with my budget hardtail It's a $ 900 bike I bought in 2018 .Road black diamond trails ,desert rock and knar and the bike has held up .it's not a lightweight xc bike but it's only 120mm fork .I think it comes down to tires .if you have the tough casing the bike can survive most terrain .I use 2.3 maxxis dhr2 and dhf with 23mm rims and no flat on these tires .I did have a rim strike that bent my rim and since it was aluminum I bent it back in place .
Dude you pushed this Orbea to its extreme limits. It behave rather good until you threw it into that nasty stone field. Plus you really have extremely good skills to ride an XC so fluidly on such tracks. Overall, I'd say a XC can shred. But if one wants, one can also break it 🙂.
I must say imo it is the tyres and wheels that are the limiting factor of how hard modern xc bikes can shred. The right rider can ride xc geo down pretty much anything. Dh geo used to be steeper etc than modern xc bikes if im not wrong?
I have a Yeti Arc which I've prepped for enduroish riding and ride with my buddies on the XC hardtails. Of course they always beat me on the climbs and whenever peddaling is required. But when gravity calls they just can't keep up. With their thin tires, high headangles and no dropper posts they struggle.
Breaking the rim is not a bike problem. Get a better tire for the purpose and bo problem. I used to do Down Hill trails on a hard tail and a cheap sr suntour coil fork and never had any issues. I sold the bike after six months to buy a full suspension, but it doesn't mean bike "couldn't shred".
Ok how about a “Can a DH do 45km of trail” video ! Yes my old XC hard tail could shred and tackle some reasonable HD but why when it’s not built for that and at the same time my bike shop thought I was mad because of the climbs I would tackle that the full sus “mountain bike” wouldn’t or couldn’t.
Sure would like one..just scared to break the rims..even on alu wheels. Even though I don't ride hard...stairs, jumps, bunny hops have all been bad on my cheap nineties bikes. Might have to go for 2.4-2.6" wheels for that..
Love my giant anthem, ride it everywhere. XC bike can be such a fun trail bike once you throw dropper post on. Maybe not best idea smashing down grade 5 rock garden with light weight xc rims but modern xc bikes go hard and often more fun than enduro bike unless you riding grade5+ trails
I've my carbon HT Haibike Freed XC that I'm now putting through more than it was built for. I did buy new wheels, dropper post, brakes, stem, handlebars and pedals (heh, almost a new bike). I love shredding with it. And when needed it can be still used as XC. However I've decided to buy a new bike for shredding. It will be HT, most likely Nukeproof Scout (2022, waiting for specs).
I run 30mm WeAreOne carbon Agents on my 2020 Tallboy with a 2.4 Maxxis Dissector up front and a 2.4 DHR II in back. They have been very durable and seem up to the task of bringing out the DH capabilities of this XC bike.
Having an XC bike myself, I can say. They can shred and they can take a beating. Of course for downhill, enduro- freeride- or downhillbikes are superior, but that shouldnt hold you, if you have an XC bike, off. I thought that at first as well and wasnt sure to take it to the bike park. It handles most trails with ez, gets rough on downhill tracks though. As for jumplines, it feels like a slopestyle bike, which is a plus i guess.
I just spent a couple of days at a bike park with my trail bike, and yeah, I felt underbiked. Bottoming out the suspension, ripping my tires, I was putting my poor steed through some hard paces. Good fun, though.
Could you ride these trails on an XC bike?
Already do 💪
Can you release the raw footage?
YES, because I shred 🤘🤘 a hybrid (rigid) bike on my backyard Trails, Jumps and Drops!! So I will be able to handle it (ride it) and also it has suspension (which my bike doesn't have)
Not at race speed but yes they are rideable on xc. It is the rider skill level that's gonna dictate how far you can push the equipment. Will a specialized epic beat a 10" travel downhill bike? No way in hell but with a good rider it can survive the decent
Could do it in a hard tail pal
"It's the rider!" the answer of a true shredder.
So true
Any bike can shred.....if you're brave enough.
💯
It’s the rider that dies alright!!!! Sherd a double black diamond rider my ass!
@@sixstanger00 A Raleigh Chopper?
When i first started riding in the 90’s we rode all kinds of terrain and never once thought...”this is an xc bike, I shouldn’t ride this.” While newer geometry has improved riding significantly, back then we rode what we had and had a blast.
Exactly, we used to ride with what we had. 💪
AMEN! too many riders depend on the technology today, and fundamentals have all but disappeared with so many people. it’s comical when people say they need A dropper seat post for stuff that we rode rigid for decades
@@SprSonik13 Totally 😂
my one buddy growing up with, his family weren't well off financially.
our whole neighborhood bicycle crew had bmx bikes.
all my one bud had was a old 10 speed.
he rode everywhere we did, did smaller jumps, rode a wheelie better than all of us on his 10 speed.
he used to pedal his girl around town and on smoother trails on the handle bars like we all did but he did it on that old 10 speed with skinny road tyres and drop bars.
my ride was a gt pro performer with the fattest knobbies that looked like motor cycle tyres.
then i had a mongoose menace with knobbies.
we mostly rode on back roads on old snowmobile tracks.
bunny hoping and riding wheelies.
waiting behind the gas station for someone who'd buy us a pack of camels.
silly kids.
I still to this day think and act like that. Why stop
Dual suspension XC bike is the most capable bike nowadays. I started riding enduro, then transferred to XC hardtail and since i bought my dual XC bike, i can definitely say that this is the ultimate bike.
Add a dropper to an entry level hardtail and the world is yours, within reason.
and even better would be some good tyres tubeless
Let’s just remember that what we’re calling an “XC” bike in this video would be an extremely reasonable bike to ride on the World Cup DH circuit in the mid-90s. Like that one guy who “didn’t know” I haven’t ridden a proper xc race bike from this century either, thus I doubt I’d even agree to call that full suspension cushfest an xc bike based on the last one I tried. I’m thinking 26er hardtail with 80mm fork with little boots on it.
True! I just don't ride sketchy stuff on my carbon XC bike bcuz it's expensive and I'm afraid of damaging it, but have no problem doing it all on an old aluminum 17kg bike
Im rockin a 26er hardtail with 63mm forks. Might not be as cushy but its still holding up. Stayed strong while a 29” trek marlin a buddy of mine was riding broke.
Yes they can. Although a dropper totally changes the game. Can't do without my PNW Rainier anymore. So much more fun riding gnar!
A dropper should go on every off road bike in my opinion!
I got reminded of the video "if your mountain bike could talk", and I'm pretty positive your bike was swearing at you down those rocks Rich! Haha!
Oh!! I am sure that bike would be swearing for sure
Lmfao!
that bike was screaming for more!
I would love to see you do a comparison of different types of tires on an XC rig (XC vs Trail vs DH tires) and see the true differences in pedaling efficiency and handling.
That's my bike! And so far this is the best thing happened in my whole 10 years mtb experience. But I never knew it could ride like that) There is a TR version with 120mm travel and a dropper.
Remembering my fully rigid GT Backwoods from the early 90's. I used to bomb descents on that thing. You can shred on just about anything. But I can shred a whole lot harder on my current bike.
What is your current bike ?
Sometimes I rode much harder on the descends 20 years ago, mostly because the brakes could not keep up 😁 good old times!
When Rich his seat to the lowest point, first thought was that's where I keep my saddle when raised. 😄
I cut the seat post so I could slam it down.
Ditto!
Sounds like an awful and painful pedaling position.
@@TheCrookedWheel You don't pedal with it slammed down. It gets the saddle out of the way when you descend.
Today I had my seat up and went down a stair set because I forgot to lower it. The saddle hit my legs preventing the bike from falling away from me the way I wanted, pushing me closer to the bars. It wasn't fun. I immediately slammed my seat down and sent it again. Much better.
Eventually I'll get a dropper post so I can switch back and forth.
I raced in the late 80's and early 90's and my first few races were on a RIGID bike....it'd about shake the filings out of your teeth.....Then Hard-tails and finally full suspension. I went to Sea Otter yesterday and now I'm excited to get an E Bike! Luna Cycle Baby!!
Could we get just a little smudge more XC content on the channel😆🚀
I'm sure there are lots of XC riders also watching the channel😁🤞🏻 But absolutely love the channel, keep it up💪🏻🚀
I’m sure we can 😉
If you reinforce it a little, maybe with a Downcoutry model with less "lightest" policy in mind (wider rims but slightly heavier, 4 piston brakes instead of two but slightly heavier, 120mm travel although slightly heavier) an XC bike can do pretty crazy things for what some people have in mind. It's cool to see people is realizing that nowadays though, guess Nino "casual" rides with buddies when he's not racing have a bit of insight into that.
I ride a specialized rockhopper and apart from a few tweaks (tyres, crankset, pedals) it pretty much goes anywhere I want. Granted they are dh tyres (DHF 2.5/DHR 2.5) but still. Only problem is when it gets gnarly, it's more so a case of survival rather than shredding
It’s not a question of whether XC bikes can “shred” or not - but rather - what people think is your definition of “shred”.
Exactly. My goal is to groom and maintain trails not to "shred" and tear them up.
Dammmd right!!!!! Xc on my trail you will die no joke!
XC bikes are great for their purpose. It is capable in general in few other disciplines, but generally if you buy specified thing, use it as specified. This video is proper reason, why you should buy what you ride.
Really fair vid! That was exactly my first thoughts: "yes, it can, but not long enough".
well yes and no. you can definetly keep shredding longer if you just avoid the too rocky stuff. Like he said that those rocks are going to make puncture, yet he did it anyway. slap some better tires for dh in that and it would propably last way longer
XC bike with dropper and enduro tires can do wonders. Like that one dude said, it is the rider that shreds. I like XC content, as it is a big part of what I do.
Don't even need enduro tires IMO. XC or light trail tires grip just fine in most situations.
Agreed 100% Peter. It’s mainly the rider that makes the difference. At the same time, I put a 160mm Fox 36 on my FS XC bike, with 27.5/29 2.5” DHRII/2.8 DHF, and a 200mm dropper, and now with a 66.2 headtube angle, it feels more like a trail/all mountain bike instead of a XC bike.
I use my xc as a commuter, going both on tarmac, gravel and easy trails. The changes to your bike, does it slow you down on tarmac, making tarmac even more boring? I guess it is as good as before you upgraded on gravel, and significantly better on trail..@@andyjonathan2486
Awesome! At 52, I'd ride all the trails in this video except #3 (Deep Navigation) on my hardtail XC race bike, although probably a little slower. Rich proves it's not the bike, it's the rider. Hope he doesn't have to pay for the rim.
Bro, we've seen tons of people riding gnar on even CX bikes and straight up walmart trash at this point. It'll shred 😂
Like the content for XC, now i know my limits,
Thanks for these !
Put a dropper on any bike and it'll go anywhere! Best invention of recent time!
Dude, you can RIDE! Thoroughly impressed. What a fun video this is. Thanks mate
YES! A dropper, short stem and wide bars have transformed my dual suss XC. It shreds and jumps way better than me.
I prefer a long stem and slimmer bars on my XC bike because of the 70°HTA. How do you like the twitchier setup?
@@diviscadilek1764 shorter stem and wider bars make the bike less twitchy. I did the same to my trek X caliber. Wider tires , wider bars, 35mm stem.
@@fabiomoreira7928 not if you have steep head angles. I agree that wider tires give you a better feel and performance overall (no idea why all XC bikes don't have clearances for 2.4" tires just for the better rolling resistance), but the shorter stems are meant to give you a more responsive steering feel. This is why you see shorter stems on bikes with slacker HTAs, as a slack HTA slows the steering down.
The hardtail I started on in 2017 was total xc geometry and I sent it on everything. Now I've got a way better all mountain bike and I'm always thinking back about how sketchy stuff used to feel like.
Bro how much it cost you
@@devil_harpinder6871 for which bike?
@@dylan-5287 for your first bike and riding gear when you started this sport
"I don't know" seemed about as honest an answer as a person can give.
Rich you were FLYing down those trails 😅🤘 (wardrobe malfunction when talking to the other riders 🤔😂)
Great video amd that Orbea is 🔥🤘
Awesome stuff #GMBN 🤘
😂😂😂 it’s a no fly zone. Cheers dude, the orbea oiz in full xc mode is pure 🔥🔥🔥🔥
I took my Xc bike (Scott Spark 970) down the black diamond Citizens Downhill at Windham bike park and never crashed. It honestly has to do with skill. Ie:picking the correct lines.
I shred my XC Hardtail all the time... After some changes (Shorty in the front, DHR2 in the back, MT5 Breaks) it is a proper Shredding-Bike 😊
You can shred XC, to a point perfectly illustrated by end of this video. It is also bit of cheating as the bike is full suspension rather than HT, which in my eyes is the true XC bike. Anyway, music in the video was great and added next level of shredding.
I shred on my HT 29er, the damn thing pretty much flies.
I was excited reading the title, but then i saw the bike has rear sus.
Maybe he could try with a Hartail 😉
Rich enters an amateur XC race? How about that for the future XC content.
Gmbns Xc content is so dry need up their game
seems like you could have avoided that damage with just a tire change or rim inserts
waste
...or an extra 5psi....
Its not that hard to adapt a bike to a terrain....if one knows what they're doing.
Probably the reason a lot of the XC pros are starting to run inserts.
Absolutely, but probably not the point of the video though. BUT it would have been very good to punt that out to get people even more excited about how adaptable the one and only bike they own is!!
they took the rim damage into account for klicks. simple as abc. they knew it might happen.
500€ carbon rim destroyed? haha funny...
here in the philippines mostly well said also Yes .. bec some cant afford trail bike or fulsus, so we use Xc bike in trails
"It's the rider", the smartest answer.
Best answer
I ride nothing but hard tail XC bikes, and yes they can shred too. Like one of the guys said, it's the rider. I don't do lift served DH park riding, I mostly ride old school rocky technical trails here in Colorado. One day, on a trail that has an extremely chunky, rocky DH section. A large number of riders were hanging out at the top of this beautiful trail called Island in the Sky at Oil Well Flats. About 8 riders on full squish enduro bikes took off before me and my riding buddy. We had to get around all of them on our hard tails because they were slow and probably not as experienced. They probably a full squish as their first mountain bike, while I've been riding hard tail mountain bikes since 1990. I heard a few of them frustratingly commenting on getting passed by an old guy on a hard tail.
it is amazing how capable are modern xc bikes. Even I on my XC hardtail with rigid seatpost and not really special skillset find myself going down the really steep, chunky or loose stuff fast, and after I'm somewhere safe I think to my self: "did I just did that and survived?" so, when you watch someone like Nino shredding his XC bike, you really see how those bikes in capable hands are. hell, even watching modern XC tracks one can see how XC has changed and what bikes have to handle it. I still think that good pro XC riders can handle everything modern mountain biking throws at them, if they have proper rig. Nino or Tom Pidcock on lets say enduro bike? that's scary!
as for XC content, since Rich rides his XC bike with fixed seat post, it would be nice to see some pointers regarding cornering and stuff with it. It's easy (er) to lean bike in corners when you have dropper, but if your seat post is always high, that's a different story.
regarding that cracked rim, I wonder would it survived and could you have finished that ride if it was alloy rims...
Even I have a modern xx hardtail the trek xcaliber 9 alpine to be precise..it can really take a lot of abuse as i have ridden it on stuff it wasn't intended to coming out totally unharmed and in mint condition...only needed a higher tyre pressure and good to go...i find the gap between xc and trail closing in soon...
Yes alloy rims the way to go if you abuse you bike 🙃
needs tires with a more supportive carcass and it wont crack them rims anymore. Side effect, trail tires provide better damping as well. Win Win!
I ride maxxis ardent races with EXO protection on my bike, and I like it because it partly serves as rim protection. But what happened in the video was too low tire pressure in the front.
@@diviscadilek1764 where i used to live i could get away with lightweight CC Tires, after i moved into a rocky area with lots of jarred, sharp edges i learned that a 60TPI Carcass with protective Layer like EXO is a must have.
@@mcsweeneys3383 i was wondering who actually uses these ultra light tires. I ran maxxis ikons without EXO protection, and the sidewalls were always leaking air. In some instances, it was impossible for sealant to seal the holes, as the sidewalls were too flimsy. I guess if you ride in less harsh terrain, those tires are fine.
Didn't Brendan try that a few months ago? But those berms looked perfectly graded...sort of like the roads are.
Can we take a moment to appreciate the banging tunes
I'm hearing digweed vibes
Ya that intro tune ✌️
I have a salsa spearfish I have made it more of a trail bike. It rides great and can handle jump lines and downhill lines at the bike park fine! Upgraded the bike with wider tires(assegi and dissector) and high rise bars and it made a huge difference.
M8 I can't ride to the bloody shop without getting a flat! Nevermind rock Gardens!
Threw a 29x2.4 Maxxis Ardent, 150mm dropper post, and 30mm wide rims on my 2013 Specialized Epic FSR and it absolutely shreds. Not hitting jump lines on it, but perfect for Pisgah trails.
I used to take my 2013 Specialized Camber to the bike park before I got an Enduro bike. Just threw on a DHF/Aggressor and a tire insert to soften the abuse of the wheels. No issues. Worked like a charm
GMBN, hi. Thank you for this video. It was very interesting to see how far you can push an modern XC bike. It is very interesting to know what are the limits for drops on this bikes :)
Ah, the backgroundmusic really brings up nostalgia. Very nice!
Always love seeing XC content and always up for more (you can skip the lycra though unless it's racing related) But the important message is is that all mtb is AWESOME!
Also love seeing y'all interacting with local trail riders
Agreed, I was hoping gmbn would start doing videos of interviewing people about their bikes or rides, a bit like PinkBike's daily driver vids.
@@human_no847 Us Mtbers like to just spontaneously start chit chatting at trail heads, interviewing or riding with local trail riders would really bring out that feeling while watching
@@cloroxbleach9222 Haha. I'm super quiet day to day, hardly say a word, but on the trails I'll start chatting to strangers. It's a bloody miracle. Hope to see more interaction @gmbn :)
@@human_no847 hehe that's exactly me too mate, there really is nothing to sleep on when we're talking about bikes
I liked being underbiked. It forces me to be a smoother rider.
Rich, can you get your hands on a Trek Supercaliber? I'd like to see you shred that
Not unless their current bike sponsor makes a supercaliber, no. But from what I heard on the XC course, the 60mm rear travel doesn't really limit you anywhere. One guy I know is pretty happy with his supercaliber.
That first interview where you were asking if Xc bikes shred, you fly (zipper) is down lol
His zipper was shredding.
I have a suggestion. These videos are love. But. Like most people who take their xc bike on dh runs. Get DH tyres on it as well as. Drop the saddle all the way. Or get a dropper.
And stronger wheels.
And then see how it copes.. you probably wouldn't have gotten a flat if you'd done that. I ride my xc bike purely on black rocky dh trails. I can keep up with the enduro bikes. And no. They're not bad riders. They're the best in the country
Run a rim that's less soft(carbon or metal), like a down country wheel at 27-30mm internal. Problem solved. I'd like to see drop bar 100mm suspension gravel bike(Salsa Fargo, Cutthroat, the Kona Unit X drop bar-ed or the like) vs a XC hardtail. Can the drop bar bike with sus bike do xc trails? How would it compare to an XC hardtail?
A good thing about an XC is it weights less when you have to push it out after a total breakdown!
Hahaha🤣
Picked up an 09 Spesh FSR Stumpy and taking to BPR this weekend! Added wide bars and short stem and dh tubed minions font and rear and it feels like it will rip! All in cost £330 🤙. It’s all I can afford so let’s do this ⚡️
My first taste of DH style riding was on a 2005 Marin East Peak XC bike with 150mm out back and 130mm on the forks. The bike was wrong in every way a bike can be wrong yet it handled the course well. Only changes were 800mm bars on a 35mn stem and a set of Continental Der Kaiser and Der Baron tyres.
I'd like to see how an XC bike compares vs other bikes for commuting. Are they any good at navigating stairs and other urban furniture?
It’s a matter of the bold haha. Having a good wheelset(most important ime) on an xc is extremely versatile.
People used to shred on far less than 100mm/120mm travel or full suspension.
I have a friend who is an ex-pro DH racer. He can shred harder and faster on most trails riding a cyclocross bike than I can on my 140mm trail bike... It really is all about the rider
I'm poor, I can't afford 3 [really nice] bikes! I take my full-squish XC to Trestle, just slap on some different rubber and don't do anything crazy
Yeah i got an old 26 hardtail xc bike xcm 100mm suntour fork XC tyres and i survived the local trail downhill so much like the deep navigation section in this video.
Not as fast like the enduro guys im following down the track but yeah just hold on and choose your own line.
One lad in a big group I used to ride with used to bomb it on a gravel bike just to take the piss out of us..
Was hilarious watching him over jumps and rocks.
Not sure he had any fillings left.
I used to ride a fully rigid aluminum Klein in the day....was like riding a jack hammer downhill.
I was wondering if I could take my Cruz 5010 on my local DH trails, then I remembered riding them all day on a BMX when I was 15 with friends from school!
If this is an Orbea Oiz Tr with 120mm travel front and rear ... Yes it will do just fine and climb like a rocket. Got one ... love it.
It is not 😁
haha, get a dropper seat post! And yes, XC bikes can shred, it's only that you need slightly more skill to do it as the bike is not that forgiving due to geometry and less suspension travel. Otherwise yes, it can definitely shred. Oh and most of the times, the XC bikes are super capable but they are limited immediately by the tires. XC tires are not so good when it comes to stopping you on steep descends. At least this is the limitation I've found.
My friends and I brought our bikes to the World Cup finals at Snowshoe last month. Monday after the races they opened the park back up to the public and from what I saw, my Canyon Lux was the only XC rig out there. And yes, I felt a little out of place. That is until Evie Richards and Jolanda Neff showed up with their Supercalibers to have a little fun on the downhills. I have a sneaking suspicion their mechanics had no idea that was their plan.
Yes, they can. I have a Giant Anthem Advanced Pro 1 2021 and its incredible. Tele- Seatpost and ready to go.
@7:14 rim goes "Nup, I've had enough of this. I'm out, bye." 👋
Seems like he's chronically bottoming out...
Yea from what I see he's just running too low tire pressures. The rim wouldn't have cracked if he ran ~5 more psi.
@@FedBiker not really. It is only 100mm travel and he is meant to be pushing it. The rock that did it wasn't exactly flat either.
@@diviscadilek1764 no, the bike would have been set up in his cross country guise. Perfect pressures for him and the bike to perform at it's best, however he did explain that they were super lightweight rims and the hits were unusual for an xc bike. You don't see rock gardens and sharp rocks like that even at the highest levels.
@@MrDTrain194 but you do see much gnarlier rock gardens in world cup XC. Think Nové Město. Hell, I often ride worse on my XC bike
Love the music
I have an XC bike because I love long distance riding for health plus long sustained hill climbs.
I replaced the fork with a stronger one and I shred all jumps and trails. It doesn’t really matter on the bike it honestly is the rider riding the damn bike.
You don’t need three different bikes for all different terrains. Don’t let marketing and shit fool you into thinking you can only use a certain bike for a certain style or terrain.
I just got back from Moab and the 401 trail in Crested Butte Co with my budget hardtail It's a $ 900 bike I bought in 2018 .Road black diamond trails ,desert rock and knar and the bike has held up .it's not a lightweight xc bike but it's only 120mm fork .I think it comes down to tires .if you have the tough casing the bike can survive most terrain .I use 2.3 maxxis dhr2 and dhf with 23mm rims and no flat on these tires .I did have a rim strike that bent my rim and since it was aluminum I bent it back in place .
Dude you pushed this Orbea to its extreme limits. It behave rather good until you threw it into that nasty stone field. Plus you really have extremely good skills to ride an XC so fluidly on such tracks. Overall, I'd say a XC can shred. But if one wants, one can also break it 🙂.
I must say imo it is the tyres and wheels that are the limiting factor of how hard modern xc bikes can shred. The right rider can ride xc geo down pretty much anything. Dh geo used to be steeper etc than modern xc bikes if im not wrong?
And then rich cracks a rim! 😂
I have a Yeti Arc which I've prepped for enduroish riding and ride with my buddies on the XC hardtails. Of course they always beat me on the climbs and whenever peddaling is required. But when gravity calls they just can't keep up. With their thin tires, high headangles and no dropper posts they struggle.
I rode for 2 years @ Berkshire East on my crappy XC. It' doable, fun, and results in a lot of wheel replacement. Taco City!
Can you take the weight penalty and just use alloy wheels rather than carbon to shred with XC bike?
Yes.
You can also just buy XC wheels that have an extra 50 grams of material that wouldn't have cracked.
Breaking the rim is not a bike problem. Get a better tire for the purpose and bo problem. I used to do Down Hill trails on a hard tail and a cheap sr suntour coil fork and never had any issues. I sold the bike after six months to buy a full suspension, but it doesn't mean bike "couldn't shred".
Ok how about a “Can a DH do 45km of trail” video !
Yes my old XC hard tail could shred and tackle some reasonable HD but why when it’s not built for that and at the same time my bike shop thought I was mad because of the climbs I would tackle that the full sus “mountain bike” wouldn’t or couldn’t.
Sure would like one..just scared to break the rims..even on alu wheels. Even though I don't ride hard...stairs, jumps, bunny hops have all been bad on my cheap nineties bikes. Might have to go for 2.4-2.6" wheels for that..
Love my giant anthem, ride it everywhere. XC bike can be such a fun trail bike once you throw dropper post on. Maybe not best idea smashing down grade 5 rock garden with light weight xc rims but modern xc bikes go hard and often more fun than enduro bike unless you riding grade5+ trails
Rock it til the wheels fall off! Lol
I've my carbon HT Haibike Freed XC that I'm now putting through more than it was built for. I did buy new wheels, dropper post, brakes, stem, handlebars and pedals (heh, almost a new bike). I love shredding with it. And when needed it can be still used as XC.
However I've decided to buy a new bike for shredding. It will be HT, most likely Nukeproof Scout (2022, waiting for specs).
Oh poor Rich but probably I should be saying that to his bike and wheels😅😅😆😆😃😃🙄🙄😎😎🤘🤘🤣🤣😂😂
I've ridden all over the UK on an old Orange Evo hardtail and never encountered any trails I couldn't get down. Just pick a line and go for it!
That looks so fun!
Made for a great watch 👍
Could definitely see the shorter travel struggle over the rock garden.
I run 30mm WeAreOne carbon Agents on my 2020 Tallboy with a 2.4 Maxxis Dissector up front and a 2.4 DHR II in back. They have been very durable and seem up to the task of bringing out the DH capabilities of this XC bike.
Nice!
That first trail looked like every XC trail we ride daily here in New England
i used to shred black and red trails on my carrera vengeance and was faster than some people on expensive e bikes
Anything can shred just get out & ride ! Then get home and shred the old lady 🤤🤙🏻💯😎
Well ridden m8! So, answering the title: yes, once?! :P
That was a great demo. Funny AF
Having an XC bike myself, I can say. They can shred and they can take a beating. Of course for downhill, enduro- freeride- or downhillbikes are superior, but that shouldnt hold you, if you have an XC bike, off. I thought that at first as well and wasnt sure to take it to the bike park. It handles most trails with ez, gets rough on downhill tracks though. As for jumplines, it feels like a slopestyle bike, which is a plus i guess.
*Mechanic:* "How the heck did you crack a rim on your XC bike??"
*Rich:* "See what had happened was..."
Ahhh Rocks!!!?!?!?
Excellent video! 👍👍
music,cuts, video was soo good
looked like a regular day of mountain biking for me....always carry 2 tubes.
in colombia, we ride with what we have, that being a xc bike, trail bike (my case), or whatever, hard tail or full suspension.
I just spent a couple of days at a bike park with my trail bike, and yeah, I felt underbiked. Bottoming out the suspension, ripping my tires, I was putting my poor steed through some hard paces. Good fun, though.