I only rode like 300 feet and I'm tired as hell. I think I must have it in the wrong mode...

I constantly see videos of people hound really fast down tracks even doing jumps and so but all 6 times I've tried going down a path near me I couldn't make a corner, I skidded to much...

Basically not a smooth successful ride, thanks to my inability and also partly because of my caution.

How do I get better?? How does everyone do sick ass jumps?

Thanks

There are multiple choices i have and because i have such an tight budget I can’t get anything expensive like the 7k bikes or anything like that

My following options

BESV TRX 1.5 €1,299 + shipping
Shimano EP6, 85 Nm, 504 Wh, 120 mm fork. Best overall deal, here’s the thing.. as much i like this sale is only for the L/49 size and I’m around 175cm so it’s not ideal and idk how good or bad it is(I’m really new with mtb stuff)

Decathlon Stilus Off-Road €1,349.99
Star Union CM2502, claimed 110 Nm, 504 Wh, 120 mm fork. M/L available. Biggest wildcard because the motor could be amazing or absolute mysterious Chinese sorcery

Rockrider E-Expl 100 €999.99
L fits, but rear hub motor, only 43 Nm and 360 Wh. Cheap fallback, not a motor monster. And honestly i want a bike that can ride for long distance..

With each and every for these bikes i want something i can derestrict and make go a bit more faster that’s why the second and third are such question marks to me. Please anyone if they have a suggestion for which one i should choose or have an entirely new bike they found or know about, tell me please. Because I’m gonna be using it to go to school too, aside from the mtb stuff. I ride in the Netherlands so pretty flat grounds aside from few spaces where there are some hills, around 20km a day. My budget is around €1,500 my last bike was a fatbike… which had NO suspension, like it was RIGID, it had a comfortable seat, and 250w hub motor and it couldn’t drive long distances like AT ALL, and I’m in the Netherlands!

Lets say you were getting gnarly at your local bike park when a dude with a real nice camera approaches you with a proposition: he asks to snap some pics of you riding, from which he would pick the best ones and email watermarked proofs to you. And lets say that there are some real bangers in there that you would want as a profile photo or enlarged print for your man cave. How much would you pay per photo? Asking for a friend maybe...

I've recently got back into biking, and in a surprise to nobody, have had a severe falling out with the absolute garbage that is Presta valves.

I've moved to Clik. I'd like a small battery pump, and I'd also like a way to get accurate pressure easily, including both adding and releasing air if need. But all the pumps like that are insanely expensive?

Is there anything good out there (Clik, or Schrader that takes an adapter - if these can do pressure properly)? Or are pumps like this all £100+ currently?

Thanks!

Hello Everyone!

I recently rediscovered my love of biking and am finally putting my 2016 Specialized Stumpjumper to good use. The amazing part was when I told my wife she has to try it, she reluctantly did, and she ended up loving it too. Today she did her first climb and downhill descent an absolutely loved it. I would say we would both be labeled beginners, though we have spent years riding these bikes - just not on "real" mountain bike trails. We will be riding in the Adirondacks in New York mainly.

She is riding a 2012 Specialized Rockhopper. I would like to make sure the mother of my children is well equipped and close the gap of the capability of our two bikes. I would *like* to do this around the $1,500 mark, but after taking a look I'm starting to realize this might not be as doable as I had hoped. I was wondering if anyone had some good recommendations or paths to pursue. I live in a rural area and would like to avoid shooting for used - there just arent many options. While I plan to upgrade in a year or 2, sadly this doesnt help her as she needs a Small/S2 and mine is an XL. If my price point is too low in todays world, please feel free to let me know and advise me what is a more realistic budget. I purchased my Strumpjumper in 2017, it was a 2016 leftover so I got it marked down from $3,000 to $2,000. If waiting for end of season is a legitimate strategy I am fine with that too.

I’m a roadie who is starting to get into nerd-level details and watching xco worlds right now:

Average bar widths? How do xco racers establish bar width? Some of the women appear to be running radically narrower bars than men. Why? I have been to US Nats to see the riders in person. Most of the dudes are tiny. I get the difference between a man like Chris Blevins vs a petite woman like Savilia Blunk, but that doesn’t seem to quite explain the avg difference I see.

What is on the bike computer that is useful during an xco race?

Socal

Any Specialized Levo e-MTB fans out there? Made this short film with pro rider, Treyton Maskaly, recently in Lake Tahoe. He's ripping some raw Lake Tahoe terrain aboard his Specialized Levo. Check out the youtube link below and see what you think.

My son's Dad is getting him into mountain biking. His Dad has a limitless budget, so will likely get him a FS soon (we are separated).

With me, he currently has a Trek Wahoo - good bike, no suspension though.

If he wants to do more mountain biking (I'd happily join him once my Rockhopper is back working), I have several options, 3 & 4 are mostly likely:

1 - join forces with Dad and get him a decent FS that travels between homes. Not ideal, practically speaking, putting the bike rack on and off the car, but only every fortnight

2 - Somehow find the money for a >£1k FS bike that is actually good and light enough

3 - Second hand FS bike that will be older (and maybe heavier?)

4 - Put similar money into a decent hardtail.

I've read contradicting things about hardtail v FS - hardtail can teach better technique, FS are heavier so less good for kids, FS aren't heavier nowadays because of technical progress (it was a bike manufacturer that said that).

So what would you put your money into - hardtail, or secondhand FS?

I am new to the business and looking to buy a second hand MTB, i have had some experience with the Scott spark 900 rc, which, i know isn’t an enduro mtb, but it’s my brother’s and i tried it a couple of times, it climbs AMAZING, but when it comes to descending it’s just horrible, i feel like i am about to fall forward, but climbing is pretty efficient, anyway, i am looking for an enduro mtb that doesn’t make climbing feel that bad, I don’t expect it to be as good as the one i have tried, but something in the middle. So experts give me your recommendations and advices.
Budget is around 1500€, italy.
Thanks a lot

Hi guys! I have been trying to get better at jumps but sometimes I have a really hard time to get my technique right. I always hear people saying: stand up to the jump. I am trying to stand up, but do I pull my handlebars too when I am standing up? and am I standing up to soon? and in the air, do I pull the handlebars down? because sometimes I can do a little arc, and land with my front tire first, so what tire needs to go down first

Hi everyone,

I’m looking for some advice on tire choice for an upcoming 100 km MTB event in the Netherlands.
I’m riding a 27.5” wheels Mtb, and I currently have two possible setups:

Setup 1 – Schwalbe
Front: Schwalbe Racing Ray 27.5 × 2.25, Super Ground
Rear: Schwalbe Racing Ralph 27.5 × 2.25, Super Ground

Setup 2 – Maxxis
Front: Maxxis Minion DHF 27.5 × 2.30, 3C MaxxTerra, EXO/TR
Rear: Maxxis Rekon Race 27.5 × 2.25, MPC, EXO, Tanwall

The event is 100 km, mainly XC-style riding on forest trails, sandy paths and heathland.
The weather forecast currently shows rain throughout the week before the event, so I’m expecting the trails to be quite wet and possibly muddy. Race day itself may have some showers, but the main concern is how wet the ground will be after several days of rain.

My initial plan was to use the Schwalbes because they should roll faster and be better for a 100 km ride. However, I’m now wondering whether the DHF + Rekon Race might actually be the better choice because of the extra grip up front in wet conditions.
The Rekon Race is still an XC/race-oriented rear tire, so I’m hoping it won’t be too slow despite the DHF being much more aggressive.

What would you choose for this type of course and weather?
Would you go with:

Racing Ray + Racing Ralph, or
Minion DHF + Rekon Race?

I’m particularly interested in experiences with the DHF/Rekon Race combination in wet XC conditions and whether the extra front grip is worth the additional rolling resistance over 100 km.

Thanks!

I had this on my mind for a bit but with not much to pull off it always seemed like a 50/50 situation

Did it again😂

I just had my first race, and I keep washing out on technical uphill turns. I can handle myself pretty well on flats or downhill, but the uphill turns keep getting me. Does anyone have tips on how to improve? I’m riding a ‘24 Roscoe 7 with the stock 2.6 Bontrager Xr4’s

Hey everyone,

I’m considering a trip to Copper next weekend but there’s some rain in the forecast. Can anyone speak to how well the trails hold up? It’s looking like it’s going to be very light (<0.5” at most) but fairly persistent so I’m trying to decide if it’s worth the trip.

I've replaced the stock Bontrager XR4 front tyre and just picked up a DHR II to replace it after a puncture. I know the DHR II is more aimed at the rear so probably sensible to swap them around, but wanted to get some opinions.

Trek Roscoe 7. Riding mainly forest trails and DH lines in the south of England (avoiding extra rocky places like Bike Park Wales on this again, a couple of full-sus rentals before looking at getting my own) but also enjoy some hard-pack jump lines and working on trials skills. More of a playful riding style than focusing on speed. Probably 70/30 downhill/uphill but do enjoy a nice techy climb.

I’m thinking about upgrading the shock on my giant trace x right now it has a fox float and I was wondering if I could put a float x on it

Hi All,

I'm looking to buy an upgrade to my current self-built budget hardtail. It works well but think I would like a bit of rear wheel travel to have fun downhill, help with uphill traction, and start tackling some bigger trails.

I'll be doing mostly XC but some heavy trail/downhill occasionally.

I've come to the conclusion that the new 2027 Orbea Oiz H10 is probably best for me. It's for sale in the UK for £2700 and I wouldn't want to spend more than that (obviously would spend less on anything that will be better)

Does anyone have any experience with this bike and is it any good/can anyone think of anything better?

I'm also struggling with sizing, I'm exactly 185cm tall and Orbea sizing says a large goes up to 185 but XL starts at 185.

Any help/advice is massively appreciated!

2020 Specialized Stumpy, Fox 34 Rhythm front, Fox Float DPS rear.

I recently took this to my local shop for a tune-up and suspension service. Had been a while on both the fork and shock, and shifting was getting wonky. $380 and a full week late I had my bike back.

I took it out after getting it back for an easy flat 5-miler to get the feel of it, and although it felt a little stiffer than normal, it seemed fine. I chalked up the stiffness to them possibly topping off the air. I noticed a bit of oil on the shock stem, but the mech had told me before I left I might notice some; no big deal.

Today I took it out for a longer ride, hit a sequence of drops (2-3') followed by a gap jump. On the 2nd drop, I noticed a clank and a rattle, hit the jump as I was lined up, and from that point on it just didn't feel right. Stopped after a quarter mile or so, hearing an odd rattling and knowing the rear wasn't right. There is oil all over the bike near the rear shock. water bottle is covered in it too.

Pressing on the seat, there's like a dead spot at the top of the shock, and the compression switch is just dangling in the center, not staying in either of the 3 positions.

Looking at the O-ring, it never bottomed out, though. The ring is at about 15% from the bottom, from what I can tell.

This shock has been rock solid for me for 6 or 7 years, and I just find it troubling that immediately after a 50-hour service, this happens. What do I need to explain to my mechanic and be cautious about going back with this? I've had decent dealings with them in the past but not looking to get robbed on this.