Why You Shouldn't Copy The Pros! | EWS Bike Set-Up Trends
Vložit
- čas přidán 2. 06. 2024
- The Enduro World Series is full of interesting mountain bike setups that professional racers choose to run, but should this mean we have to copy them to be fast? Anna Cipullo takes a deep dive into the EWS trends we've seen over the years to answer why we shouldn't copy pro rider setups for our everyday MTBs.
⏰ Timestamps ⏰
0:00 - Intro
0:47 - Narrow Handlebars
2:28 - Heavy Duty Tyres
3:57 - Massive Disc Rotors
5:53 - Minimal Kit
7:30 - Suspension Setup
Useful Links:
Submit your Photo and Video to us 👉 upload.gmbn.com/tech
Join us at the Global Bike Festival? 👉 gmbn.eu/GlobalBikeFestival2022
Check out GMBN Tech T's in the GMBN Shop 👉 gmbn.tech/Tshirt
What EWS setup trend is your favourite/least favourite? Let us know below! 👇
Watch more on GMBN Tech...
📹 All-New 2023 RockShox Forks & Shocks | Suspension Tech Explained 👉 gmbn.tech/RockShoxSuspension
📹 Watch our Editor’s Choice Playlist 👉 gmbn.tech/editorschoice
📹 Watch our weekly show 👉 gmbn.tech/TechShowPlaylist121
🎵 Music - licensed by Epidemic Sound 🎵
Saltine - Tigerblood Jewel
Dust till Dawn - Dusty Decks
Breaking Free - Under Earth
#gmbntech #gmbn #mtb #mountainbiking #ews #enduro #racing #biketrends
The Global Mountain Bike Network (GMBN) is the world’s largest and fastest-growing online mountain bike channel and community - and your destination for the best mountain bike content in the world.
GMBN is dedicated to inspiring and unlocking your riding potential. Our videos cater to fans of every mountain bike discipline: from mile-munching cross-country (XC) riders, through adrenaline-fuelled dirt jumpers, gravity-hungry downhillers or aspiring enduro racers, and beyond.
Every day of every month, our ex-pro presenting team are on hand to entertain and inspire you while also providing a uniquely qualified insight into the world of mountain biking. Every week we deliver original daily videos that include:
Adventurous and entertaining features
Mountain bike skills coaching
Technical advice and guidance
Mechanical know-how to keep you rolling
A place for the riding community with our weekly Dirt Shed Show
Thanks to our sponsors:
Canyon Bikes: gmbn.eu/Canyon
Nukeproof Bikes: gmbn.eu/nukeproof
Orbea Bikes: gmbn.eu/Orbea
Park Tool: gmbn.eu/ParkTool
POC helmets and eyewear: gmbn.eu/POCsports
Crankbrothers Pedals: gmbn.eu/crankbros
Shimano Footwear: gmbn.eu/ShimanoShoes
Dainese Protection: gmbn.eu/Dainese
Ergon: gmbn.eu/ergon
Vittoria Tires: gmbn.eu/Vittoria
FSA: gmbn.eu/fsa
e*thirteen: gmbn.eu/EThirteen
Spank: gmbn.eu/Spank
Topeak: gmbn.eu/topeak
Garmin: gmbn.eu/Garmin
Muc-Off - gmbn.eu/Muc-Off
Wahoo: gmbn.eu/WahooTraining
Komoot: gmbn.eu/Komoot
Worx Power Tools: gmbn.eu/Worx
CamelBak: gmbn.eu/CamelBak
Watch our sister channels:
Global Mountain Bike Network - / gmbn
Electric Mountain Bike Network - / embn
Global Cycling Network - / gcn
GCN Tech - / gcntech
GCN Racing - / gcnracing
Global Triathlon Network - / gtn
GCN Italia - / gcnitalia
GCN en Espanol - / gcnenespanol
GCN auf Deutsch - / gcnaufdeutsch
GCN en Francais - / gcnenfrancais
GCN Japan - / gcnjapan
GCN Training - / gcntraining - Sport
Bigger rotors are better for any riding condition IMHO. Having more control is easy to get accustomed to and is welcomed in longer descents. The extra weight is minimal and worth it.
Yeah, I kinda thought that was a BS talking point. After a couple rides you can easily adjust to more sensitive braking. Trying to justify less braking power just seems ridiculous.
Agree 100% I’m 203 both ends with sintered pads, I like it
I'm 110kg more power more better for me
Dont really agree on you guys but I think everyone should ride what he wants. Ps. I ride big rotors too
It's possible to over-size your rotors for the given bike, terrain, rider. I've tried 200mm front rotors on some bikes I've owned, and it was just too much front brake power for that bike (hardtail) and my weight (about 150 lbs). My current FS trail bike has 200mm front 180mm rear but they're Maguras which means great modulation. With Shimano or other short-throw/on-off "modulation" I would downsize each rotor by 20mm. For DH, sure bigger is better. Or for any long, long descents, the ability to combat fade with bigger rotors is something people learned in the early 2000s -- back when discs were more a new thing in DH and were being refined toward where they are now.
People who've just started riding MTBs in the last 5-7 years really have no idea how refined things are right now, compared to what they were in the early 2000s. Suspension could absorb but dampers were not sophisticated and air springs frequently blew up. Disc brakes, apart from Hopes and Maguras, were on/off. Hayes in particular. Geometry resembled a BMX bike (steep HA, short CS, short WB, not designed for rough trail surfaces) much more than it resembled an off-road motorcycle (as it does today).
If I remember right, it was the early 2000s when handlebars finally went past 700mm wide. In the early 1990s, 24" (or 610mm) was a common handlebar width for MTBs.
I do a lot of these things. My bars are cut to 760, which is arguably the best thing I've done. More range of motion in the corners and high speed stability I haven't noticed a difference in, I've raced a downhill on that setup also. I also ride 220mm rotor F with a 200mm R and the power, and more notably the heat dissipation is so much better just keeping the pad feel the same all of the time. Sometimes, the pros are doing things for a reason, I think half of this video is probably incorrect🤷♂️
In my experience, several of the EWS trends are spot on. 220mm rotors were a HUGE benefit for me at 200lbs. With Code RSC's the extra power was SOOO easy to modulate, there is no way I would use a smaller rotor. I also prefer narrower bars, I run 760mm on my trail bike and 770mm on my Enduro at 5'10". 800mm bars feel cumbersome. I do agree that DH casing is not needed for most trails and they do absolutely sap energy and speed on flatter trails and climbs. I think softer suspension sometimes depends on the intent of the bike, I run my Enduro a bit softer because it has to endure harder and harsher fast repeated hits and a little less compression can help manage that abuse, but on trail bike that does less abusive flow trails, having more support is appreciated. I also think the trend of bike downsizing can be legit as well. Bikes have gotten so long these days that I used to run a Large on everything, but now I mostly feel more comfortable on medium's that have a more balanced reach of around 455-470mm for me.
I'm the same weight and run 220's on my Dominion A4's, the stats are like 17% more braking force per 20mm upsize, easier pull on the levers, less pump, on big steep gnarly descents I use every bit of those 220's, if 240's existed I'd fully entertain them. You can read people all day at 145lbs who swear that 180 is the biggest you'd ever need ever and thats that. Maybe if you're running Shimano's with aggressive servo-wave on 220's it might hit pretty hard, or you're a full pro who barley brakes anyways, but they're certainly not just for filthy e-bikers. (not that weight matters that much but I measured I think 17g more then a 200 for a 220)
@@Kingsoupturbo I'm 165lb and just upgraded to 223 front and rear 💪
I'm 5'10 and a half and in the midst of the medium vs large dilemma as well
@@martsmarts You really have to sit on a bike to tell about sizing now. With slack head tubes and steep seat tubes, reach numbers are much different in reality then they were a few years ago. You might fit an XL easily as I found out I did on a more modern geo bike.
Yeah well in 6'2" and run 810mm bars and 180fr 160r brake rotors. So who really cares. Run what ever the fuck you want to. And try not to be a dick about it.
DH casing tires at low pressures feel absolutely amazing in corners and hitting rocks but nothing can prepare you for the first time you put them on and Bunny Hop your bike and realized just how damn heavy unsprung mass feels😂
😁if you weigh 120kg like me, a few extra grams is hardly noticed.
@@marcelknop1 I'm 235lbs and I thought that too until I did it. 🤣😂😪
I'll take any pain for that glorious invincible DH casing feeling when smashing through rock gardens.
@@user-nn4wj8gk9s Would a Maxxis Shorty or a Schwalbe Magic Mary do the job maybe?
These hypocrites on the channel , few year ago they put vid on about running normal casing at low pressure and said you SHOULDNT do that , and said DH casing at low pressure is what you Should do ,,.. now they saying don’t use DH casing cos yo ain’t a pro, f that , al run what I want
I do all of these "wrong" things! Find that it works great here in Madeira, 760bars because of trees, softish compression because its rough as, no water because there is water everywhere, DH tires because trail casing last about 5min and im not rich, big rotors because its steep and fast, Medium bike because its tight most of times, mullet because its more nimble.... all the wrong stuff
I agree with almost all of your points, but...
I'm 6'1 and riding the shore/Whistler from 2001 to 2007, before the wide bar era truly began, I rode on Truvativ Holzfeller bars at 730mm width with a 50mm rise and I was just fine. After trying everything from 800mm on down I found that 760mm was the sweet spot for me. For almost all type of riding I do, other than maybe full on park, it works the dream 😎
My sweet spot is normally 780mm, but on a 29er I do like to run 800mm due to the way I ride, though I do ride that with wider grips so I can shift my hands about more.
I'm 6'4", and I like 730 to 760. I tried 800, and they feel awesome in a manual, but otherwise it just makes the bikes feel slow.
I’m on shorter 760 bars exactly because of tight tree sections. I had two occasions where I literally ripped both bar end plugs out riding through trees. Another consideration: cornering can require optimized bar length because you need to push the inside cornering hand lower to the ground while you remain upright over the bike. Slightly shorter bars can allow you to get that bike lower and turn a little bit easier/quicker depending on your body geo.
actually the pro set up of the handle bar width of 760 has helped me a lot. I used to ride with 780 but 760 is the sweet spot for me.
Totally agree, it’s nice that the bikes come with wider bars, but please adjust your bars to your posture and needs. Otherwise poor pinky is not to happy about. 😂
This is actually pretty funny. I started moving towards most the things this video says not to do and it's improved my riding. The biggest thing I disagree with on EWS trends is downsizing too much, which they didn't include!
I feel like they ran out of content for the week that this was produced
When it comes to bar width, from the posts I'm reading here it looks like the Pros are copying the logic of everyday riders 😉
To wide a bar can also lead to headbutting the stem on big jumps and fatigue on the arms i.e. like press-ups on the trails
When it comes to handlebars, too narrow is better than too wide when it comes to body mechanics. Nobody is going to run 580mm bars, but XC riders can run up to 680mm "short" bars. It all comes down to bike fit, there is no one size that fits all.
when I got a new rig it came with 800mm bars and it completely ruined my experience on the bike. made it feel so weird and hard to maneuver. Until I chopped them down to 770 and I felt like I could ride again. It was really weird honestly it felt like I forgot how to ride.
Depends on your body build, how you hold your position, and style of riding.
I rode 800mm for quite a while. I’m not a particularly tall guy, about 5’7” - 5’8”ish. Finally at some point I accepted the fact that my body size is probably not compatible with that width, because I could never get my body position to feel right. So I kept cutting them back, until I felt I hit my magic number at 740mm. Bar width is definitely not one size fits all, and you’re absolutely right with the fact that too narrow is better than too wide.
Wide bars are good for track and downhill trail, but you will notice on a long paved road ride the wide bars will fatigue your arms and that's when you will want narrower bars.
Yeah she kind of lost me with this point from the very beginning. I think we’re well past the point of people believing that wider is better. it absolutely isn’t. Then I stopped watching when talking about tires. Getting the best tires you can get is the most important factor at improving your ride. Better traction, and puncture protection is good for everybody not just the “pros”!
What about downsizing? I hear some of these pros choose a smaller size bike than they would if not racing.
Yes, they go for performance, not for trends
Modern geometry are basically one size up anyways
Really a matter of preference and bike brand. For example some size m bike have a reach of 480mm while others may only have a reach 400mm. That's why before buying a bike ppl should always look at the geometry of a bike.
@@Grunge_Cycling Modern bikes also have a shorter Cockpit so the longer reach doesn't mean bars further away.
It's a bit surprising that the pro ews rider rides without any body protection at all except helmet. Also surprising that it's allowed. Also a bit sad that the kids take up on this trend. 10 years ago you saw people with full moto gear in the bike parks, now you see kids with only a t-shirt ripping harder than ever in history and when disaster hits, it hits harder than ever. Personally i always have a back protector and when in parks, also a neck brace.
Regarding bar length I set mine up to the width of my arms and hands when in a press up position. Your strongest position for a press up should be your strongest position on your bike.
5'9" - 770mm
Works for me!
Identical measures however I cut to 770 as I was just clipping fingers at full lean
Same here!
I'm 5', 8". 760 mm fits me well.
5’ 7” here, and cut to 760mm. I tried wider than that but it caused pain in my back and shoulders.
5’8” here, found my sweet spot at 740mm.
Seeing the Pro setup in slow mo footage of EWS inspired me to plush it out. I love it however I love to go fast through tech (seeking the elusive KOM or at least top ten) and it really reduces arm strain and increases control in the violent stuff. However it does suck if your going slow on steep and\or techy as the fork dives on you quite hard. BUT the MRP ramp control alleviates this a lot!
Another nice one. I just set my bike how I think is right for me. Suspension and cockpit setup.
Unless I absolutely have to, I will keep using 800mm bar, I don't think I can go any shorter without my elbows popping out of place, with 800mm it only does sometimes on gnarly or really rough stuff. They do that a lot with 720mmm on easy stuff, even a asphalt path, I am 181cm quite regular in upper body and arms I guess. my wrists are even worse, so I use wrist supports, so I don't miss corners any more due to not being able to brake properly cus of misaligned wrist.
I haven't got along with any shifters yet, but now I have Archer d1xtrail with paddle remote, great ergonomics, no extreme movement, and no fatigue, with mechanical my thumb could cause pain when it misaligned during a shift, so this is an important part of my cockpit setup. long enough reach, and high enough cockpit, have brake levers quite flat is important for me to relax my arms and hands. My hands just rest on the grips, and my arms are relaxed. This is another thing the pros do, but can't be done if your bike has too short reach, or very low cockpit, it will kink your wrists.
yep, definitely, especially the bars, generally i run them at 790 (i am 188cm/6'2 tall) most of the time, lighter casing tires, 200mm rotors up front 180mm in the back, wear a hip pack even on the shortest of rides, and like my suspension to feel supportive above anything, to be fair i come from a place where there are no trees at all so we don't have the hitting shit problem. but i somehow managed to qualify for EWS 2023 season and i just figured out that i suddenly do need to start trying these things, how the turn tables
This was a particularly well put together and presented episode. Great work Anna and team,
Thanks, Ricardo! Anna knows her stuff! It was so interesting to hear about the trends that have come and gone from enduro racing! 👍
Main take away is to adjust it to your riding style. Their profession is to race and they are looking for a reliable tool to win / do the job…🙌
700mm wide bars here! Any wider and I feel I don't have the control or strength on the bike. Narrow bars also help you get over the back wheel better too!
Thicker rotors can transform the brake feel. Galfer rotors instead of shimano are a nice upgrade.
Magura rotors tend to be thicker than Shimano too.
Or the thickest of them all, TRP!
@@user-yv2cz8oj1k my experience is that the Magura rotors are loud. Galfer ones are easier to find and cheaper in North America
I rode a full suspension mountain bike back in 1996 (Giant ATX990 - John Tomac model) and rode it for years. Felt comfortable considering the bikes back then had what a lot of people would consider the handlebars "way to narrow." During the mid 2000's, I went roadie...put in a lot of miles and as much as I loved riding road bikes, I missed mountain biking a lot. I recently bought IBIS, with it's 780mm wide handlebars. I tried to get use to it, but it just didn't feel right. I experimented, moved the shifters in a little closer, and it felt a lot better. This made me decide to cut my handlebars down to 760mm. In my opinion, my bike feels a lot more comfortable at this width.
If you’re running shimano brakes I bet those large rotors would probably be difficult to modulate as shimano brakes have a progressive pull, however with SRAM or Magura brakes they would be amazing!
760 bars are narrow today? Dang, I ride 740 and it is the widest I can go considering my narrow shoulders. 20 years ago I cut my 600mm to 580. Well…
Exactly - 760mm is hardly narrow. The correct width is based on your shoulders and riding stance, not what the bar manufacturer gives you... these days they are 800mm stock so you CAN cut them down as required.
Exactly, just because so many people are riding on 'stock' 800mm bars when they should be cutting them down to 760mm doesn't make 760mm narrow 😉
A pretty relevant video, thank you !
You should mention that Moir compares his setup with his dh setup when he says its soft… and soft for him would probably still blow out the kneecaps of most normal people…
And also that is something that would totally make sense for amateur riders, bc we rarely really know tracks that well that we can have comparable laps repeatedly… Amateurs should want a setup that is made for riding on sight, cause thats what most of them tend to do most of the time, even on their hometrails…
Some great top tips and safety reminders, thank you. We do in both fashion and bike bits follow the top riders.
I just switched from 203mm Shimano Saint brakes on a 180mm travel Haibike, to 220mm SRAM Code RS brakes on a 180mm travel Specialized Turbo Kenevo Expert, and I can't believe how much difference in braking power it has with the bigger rotors. The strongest DH Shimano 203mm brake setup has no where near as much power as the mid level 220mm SRAM brakes. I had zero problem modulating the braking power on either bike, both feel great. Now I am going to change the Saints to 220mm and not look back!
I run 760 bars @5’10. I was running 780s and bought a 760 set just to try and it made the bike feel way easier to get around tight corners and quick right left turns and stuff for normal riding. IMO the long low and super wide bars stuff it’s just getting too much. Most my local trails my 460 reach large barely get around tight switchbacks and stuff let alone new 480+ larges.
👌😅great vid, i will never be a pro, I just like to hit fast flowy trails, nothing too technical, because I'm still learning the basic skills, and my set up is what's comfortable for me👍
I have run 760mm bars on my last bike which sadly got stolen... And when i was in Austria i rode my friends secondary bike which i think had 740mm bars. The 760 felt alright and i can fit thru some stuff easily that i would have to slow down a lot with my current 800mm bars. The 740mm on my friends bike was too small. I will probably cut my new bars to 770mm but will first keep em at their original 780mm when they arrive.
PS: The bike i rode in Austria i think had 203mm front and rear. His main bike 220mm Front. I liked the feel of his huge brake! I would probably get used to it quick. Coming from cheap and weak 2piston brakes on a 180mm i also got used pretty fast to my current SLX 4piston on 203mm front and 180mm rear (180mm rear because Enduro hardtail) which are hella strong.
I went from 780mm to 800mm. Rode the 800mm for a while I cut the bars to 780 and it felt so good. I am 6’1 more neutral on the bike I felt like I was stretching forward with the wide bars
My bars are 695mm and there perfectly fine
Another point - copying geometry, big wheels, upsizing for super long reach and more stability at speed isn’t always best either. If you have tight slow techy trails at home, those bikes can be like steering a barge.
Thicker tire casing also allows for better cornering support using less tire air pressure. Tires are always going to be dependent on the terrain you ride and how heavy and hard you ride.
Depends on how smooth you ride more than how hard, I've seen people with skill make a course look easy that wipes out lesser mortals.
Lol I absolutely love heavy duty (dirt) tires and narrow handlebars on my bike. Because Im already heavy myself and extra snakebite protection is totally worth the (irrelevant) extra weight tradeoff. And because I use my bike in (urban) traffic situations, too.
I was running dual ply tyres, but I find that tyre weight has the biggest effect on me when riding a bike, so I switched back to lighter tyres.
I've run 780 on my xc and trail bikes and that feels fine. May try narrower but I don't really feel the need to. My enduro bike cam with 800 and that definitely feels too wide unless I am in the park.
I’m just looking at current DH tread patterns which are very reminiscent of the old Specialized Ground Control of the late 90’s with a 2:1:2:1 centre block pattern.
I think bar width come down to body type and comfort, I ran 800mm and they were way too wide, so I found what was a comfortable bench pressing width, 770mm, and they felt way better.
I agree except for the second point. I live far away from my local trails and the finishing spot is really dangerous, so If I get a puncture as I finish my ride, I'm exposing myself to innecesary dangers, just to go across town again
Remember when mountain biking used to be about enjoyment, having a laugh and grinning from ear to ear? Shame it's the manufacturers steering the industry rather than the riders!! People should stop following what the pro's ride and concentrate on their own style and needs. A pro need to either get down a mountain as quick as possible or across country as quick as possible, neither of these it true when I go for a ride! As a society, we are transfixed on stats and figures!! It must be lighter, stiffer, % more etc etc....all a load of old guff used to sell to the uneducated amongst us. Start enjoying life more rather than chasing the unreachable!
Bro 100 this whole ( need to for faster is LAME )
It’s called mountain biking not mountain bike racing .
Sure some people race
But that has nothing to do with the spirit of riding in nature and breathing in the views sounds and adventure or a new places .
People need to turn off their GoPros stop turning life into ( content creation ) and slow down live laugh and take it all in with time to process and enjoy the ride
I actually do try to ride fast on solo rides, but my bike weight isn’t super light because I opted for components like coil rear shock, and some other upgrades like a Secus. Comfort and control. But… the weight doesn’t prevent me from outputting less energy and I certainly don’t care if it slows me down a tad on uphill when the down sections are amazing. My thought is that you get used to any bike you buy so just make it comfortable and durable.
Similar thing happening in surfing. World Surf League athletes trying to sell the boards they ride on world class waves that most surfers can’t even surf correctly, and fins that most surfers won’t be able to tell the difference between.
Same BS that happened to skateboarding, snowboarding, and to a lesser extent traditional surfing.
Big corporations often ruin everything they touch.
Yeah like now steering us to super boost. Because everyone needs 157mm dropouts. We absolutely need them. Why? Because they will soon make that the monopolistic standard and now we need to pay another several thousand on another frame.
I can agree with most of this video, but the dh casing tyres are a must where I live. And to make matters worse, can't get stock of tyres in Australia most of the time, so a sidewall tear can take you off the trails for quite some time.
Honestly at 6'0" I love how my bike feels with 760mm bars. I wouldn't go wider.
The vast majority of riders definitely don’t need 800 mm bars. They’re designed to be cut to fit. This is one of the biggest things riders overlook.
Exactly.
Any male rider over 6ft should probably be on 800s or wider unless they're built like a beanpole like Moir is. Optimal bar width is your comfortable push up hand width. 760-780 is the average range for your typical 5'8" to 5'10" male.
I am a big fan of big brakes, though big for me is just 203s at each end. Though as a heavier rider I prefer a very progressive setup, especially out back. I understand why the pros want it as soft as they can get away with as they're trying to keep the bike on the ground where I prefer the bike to be a bit poppier and playful for fun riding rather than max speed.
Lost me at rotor size. Theres brakes that modulate well and brakes that are on/off regardless of rotor size
this is a great list
I agree with most of what you were saying apart from the width of handlebars. I run 750mm bars and I have so much more control over my bike when descending steep tight forest dh tracks. I don’t think shorter bars is something which should be just saved for the pros
Ha! If I didn’t run DH casings I would be going through tires on my home trails every month. Big riders who ride aggressively need big rotors.
Maybe a better title would have been “Don’t ride an enduro setup unless you ride enduro trails.”
Interesting. I would never go back to small rotors. Why would you want less braking power. Modulation happens with your fingers, not the rotors.
Lol I’ve been running 720mm handle bars on my old Kona 5-0 hard tail. Definitely twitchy but fun.
I’m an XC rider in the US, the fact that 750mm bars are being called “narrow” is absolutely insane to me. I am riding 720mm bars which is what my bars came cut to, they give me tons of control and allow me to fit around most trees around where I ride. Some XC riders are using 690mm bars and they do fine! I live in the Midwest where there are barely any wide open park style trails, most trails are tight riding in the woods. I have been out to Colorado to winter park as well as Arizona and 720 bars are more than enough on DH trails there.
At 187cm and 95kg I should be on an XL frame but ride a L as you can chuck it around so much better. I ride a 29r but the bike being smaller it handles like a 27.5.
I run a 223mm rotor on the front.
I'm a bike park patroller so ride every day
I went from 580mm bars straight to 800mm. 1992 bike to 2021 bike :-) getting back into MTB after a very long time!
If you're not over 6ft tall you might want to trim down those bars a tad. I'm 5'10" and on the bigger side and 780 is my preferred width but am also perfectly comfortable on 800s, but would trim them down if it were my own bike.
Here I was expecting someting more in-depth about geo and setup choices. The only think slightly applicable to the title is the tire choice. The rest of the video just touches some superficial setup choices in which personal preference plays almost a bigger role than speed... Bar width, brake rotor size, minimal kit, come on... If you ride small natural singletracks wider than 750 mm isn't even an option?!
I would be interested in:
What makes a certain geo work and how far off are pro bikes getting now from something that's usable at average Joe speeds?
How do pro's actually use their parts (show the actual speed, braking force, duration of max load)?
it was a poor episode, imho
Proper video! More narrow bars are definitely the go for every level of rider though, i’d say most people run their handlebars too wide and especially womens
downsizing your frame size is trend that should honestly be followed. I hate my current frame as it is way too big for me even though it was supposed to be the size for me. I could'nt lift my frontend up at all before, so I had to get spacers and high riser bar (50mm) to make it more comfy, but it didn't help much with the issue, as I still cannot manual or bunnyhop with this frame. Should always buy a frame that has the reach that makes sense to you.
I'd love to see the tool pouches they're wearing under their jersey
I think narrow bars are great with cornering, especially when you're close to trees, but I think you need some upper body strength to overcome the lack of leverage.
That's what all the marketing told us about 800mm bars, but the 760's let you move your body to use a more effective power chain of muscles.
Re: bar length. Everyone is running bars that are too long. I cut mine form 780 > 750 and I no longer get a sprained shoulder and I don't munt my knuckles on things.
No, it depends on build, posture and technique, it also depends on grips, I have a hardtail 29er with 800mm bars, but I run wider grips so I can change hand positions as I ride.
I'm 197cm tall with wide shoulders and 800mm bars are exactly the width of my hands in push up position. Feels great to me.
I actually Ride 760 Bars since i Started. I Tried bigger but didnt liked how much longer and less easy to move around the bike felt. Ive never ben a Fan of compression i Always have it Fully Open and i used to Ride a crazy amount of Rebounds. But i Tried a few clicks less and now the bike feels Just Dreams
would recommend DH casing to anyone who doesn't want to get flats
The brakes real do depend on the rider and you can set the same brakes up differently. What should the optimal handle bar width really be based on for one thing it's not just your height. For instance the width of your shoulders not all people of the same height have the width and yes to a degree the trails you ride can play in to that as well.
I love my Dainese knee and elbow guards - you and Doddy are wearing the newer ones - how you like em?
Martin Maes is running 180mm rotors front & back
It's all about personal preferences but for those just starting they don't know which knob does what or how to set up their bike. Following a pro riders setup could get them close then it's just learning how to make the adjustments to dial it in just right.
I'm also gonna mount 200 or 220 mm rotors on my next bike. Reason is, that i'm 115 kg right now. The weight difference between a 75 kg rider and me is much more important than the 5-10 kg an e-bike adds. And the 25 km/h limit means that in open areas they aren't faster and in the downhills an e-bike isn't faster either because the motor is not the limiting factor...
I'm 117kg and upgraded from 180 to 223 rotors. Totally worth the upgrade.
I definitely made the mistake of getting a heavy casing tyre, thinking it was the only way to avoid punctures 😂😂
Any bike no matter what type or style it is should be set up to fit the specific rider. Stack and reach are going to be the two most important metrics. And then suspension. The bike should be set up to the Riders experience level and capability. But also Bike setup should be fluid, meaning as a rider improves small changes would be made to match the riders ability.
Trail tyres might be ok for the Forest of Dean, but nothing but dh casing here in chamonix and finale
From being a beginner to a pro rider I can tell you the biggest difference is suspension and brakes. It will make you a faster rider over night
It's funny to me that you call 760 bars "narrow"... I run 720 bars on all my bikes, I feel it is the perfect width. My newest bike came with 780 bars I think, it felt extremely wide, got stuck in trees even. Changed it to 720 and never looked back.
I think all these trends are good. I mean - you can overdo it but most of the time these tips are good.
Comparto 100% sus comentarios.👍🏻
I run Enduro casing Der Kaisers for everything. Yeah, they are heavy but they offer the right balance of roll speed and grip for anything my erratic head will decide to hit. The casing is nice and firm.
I run big 203mm discs for the power. Big discs don't mean less modulation, they just require a bit of training and time to get used to.
I couldn't ride soft suspension. 20% is my happy place. There's nothing that's stopped me like that so far. If anything the bike feels better at 20% than 30%.
Some Pro stuff will work for the everyday rider. Just don't go overboard. Let those similarities be happy accidents and not a deliberate effort to impersonate the legends.
Narrower handlebars are legit depending on your wingspan (as is downsizing bikes that have overgrown so that bike companies can market 'new improved' geometry every year), it's not just to avoid trees, you also gain a lot of range of motion. 760 is plenty wide for most of the bell curve.
Heavy duty tires and big Rotors depends on weight and aggression.
For minimal kit, yes you should stay well hydrated. Depends on the ride length ofc.
Pros run soft compression because the biggest suspension sponsors (fox and RS, aka McDonalds and Burger King) have garbage dampers that spike (i.e. momentarily feels like a rigid bike) when you turn up the compression and slam into jaggedness at high speed. They're made to feel like silk at slow speed to sell to new riders. Actual quality dampers (like Manitou's) for faster/larger riders feel like shit at slow speeds and are smooth at high speed. It's rediculous that dampers are the biggest differentiator between a mid-range and high-end suspension but everyone opens them up so they do as little as possible.
I’m 5’3 what size of handle bars should I use?
Bigger rotors seems to support modulation.
i can agree on handle bar length water bottle or back pack disc brakes i get it and agree the tires i run a heavy bike as it is . purposely if i can push a heavy bike i build strength that i can use on my lite bike . i ride a lot human made trails or long forgotten trails so i run heavy tires even on my lite bike one regret is the fork i run it loose . i just can t dial in proper setting for my fork maybe some day i will play with it but not now
On a side note, can you please tell us about those kneepads you're wearing?
Doddy and I both usually wear Dainese Trail Skins. I think in my shots I’m wearing the Dainese Rival Pros, which are a tad more heavy duty. ☺️👍
@@AnnaOnTheBike thank you for replying!
I have a pro set up, while my skill level is a beginner. I'll never get to pro level, but at least my bike did lol
soft tune for pro riders is super hard for normal riders
gmbn 760 is narrow
me with 710 thinking about 690 bars
1:00 That's exactly how wide I like my bars. How is that bad?
Its not. She's saying to not just blindly cut your bars to the width that the pros use but instead use the bar width that works for you. Sounds like you're killing it in the latter area
Its funny how they refer to 760mm handlebars as short in this video while my Norco Hardtail still has the stock 660mm handlebars on 🤣
Add progression if u run soft suspension
I’m 6’2” and 760 is pretty ideal for me. 800 is just not good at all tree wise nor feeling
I'd promote playing about with stem and bar combos I buy them second hand or cheap brand x ones before purchasing my preferred "forever" bar and stem combo. All companies follow suit now 800 wide 35mm stem, am tinkering with 50mm stem 770 wide +10 extra rise and its a different bike
Super brakes, puncture proof tyres and soft suspension. . what’s not to like about those??? I’d take those over the alternative every time, and do !
What about the trend of having 38mm forks on bikes that are usually spec'd with 35-36mm? Is the extra stiffness worth the extra weight? Does it throw the balance off? I have a Canyon strive, which has a steep head angle compared to a lot of other enduro bikes. Most of the pros (like Jack) ride Strives with big Zeb forks. I am wondering if it would be a good upgrade for less than cliff drop trails. I am tempted by the new Rockshox forks but not sure if a 160mm Lyric (stock on my bike) or a 170-180mm Zen would be the way to go. There's not much difference in price. Anyone tried the swap?
95kg riding weight, Zeb ultimate on a CF spectral goes fine. I got it because the new lyrik had serious issues with square edge hit supposedly. It rides way nicer then the grease plug fox 36 it came with. It definitely doesn't unbalance it at all, Never nose heavy on jumps or anything. I have the jumpstats all time jump records on my locals with it. But heavier bikes jump further... my 25kg ebike goes furthest.
Most handle bar wides (790-800mm) are to wide for the average Joe imo.
Disagree with a lot of what she just said. Running 750 on bars any wider is a negative for me. Flats suck, I run enduro casing on the rear. Bikes have gotten to big for my liking. I do like to carry lots of water EWS track style trai;ls are ultra fun to ride, albeit I am going slower.
I just recently cut my OE bars down from 780 to 760 to 740, YT Izzo
You make some great points here with which I mostly agree.
Where I most definitely disagree is the points made about massive rotors. I find that when you ride with a bike, you adapt to whatever is fitted on the bike. While whatever is fitted to the bike, or even its geometry, may not be ideal, you adapt. With rotors however, you do get more efficient braking from larger rotors and you soon adapt to the better grip the brakes have. I weigh 120kg, and when I started MTB'ing, I was on single pot brakes with 140mm rotors. I adapted to riding with them. While they did overhead a lot, I simply adjusted my speed to cater for this. When I went to twin pot calipers, the difference was amazing. When I went to larger rotors, the initial experience was to brake tentatively due to the additional grip etc, but I soon adapted my style to brake harder but later and ended up setting a lot of strava PB's as a result. Even light weight riders will learn to adapt on the brakes.
I completely agree with you about the points made about soft suspension. It turns out that my suspension set up has always been a bit (lot) too soft. I followed the oft quoted CZcams advice about not wasting your suspension and setting it up to use at least 80% of your travel. As a result I actually lowered my air pressures to achieve that 80% use mark, which upon reflection is totally incorrect advice. To use an extreme example, if you only ever ride fire trails and take the aforementioned approach to suspension set up, the suspension will obviously be way to soft. I recently rode some trails where I noticed I got hung up on slow technical sections whereas my riding buddies made it look easy, and this got me thinking. I also always wondered why my limited jumping seemed less easy than what my fellow riders made it look. As a result, I thought about cause and effect, and decided to experiment by adding some LSC damping. I always previously had it set at full open. This change of course has made a huge difference. I find that I maintain speed better over the trails as my inputs and efforts at pumping aren't absorbed by the suspension. Braking is more efficient as I do not dive into the suspension as much. Technical trails are easier because I do not hang up on obstacles. I feel less tired on the climbs. Cornering is more grippy because the bike does not absorb my inputs and rather transfers them direct to the trail. I then also thought I would try to increase the air pressures closer to manufacturer recommended pressures, and wow, what a difference again. Not only were all the preceding advantages of LSC changes enhanced, but my bike was much more poppy off the jumps, AND I the landings feel a lot less harsh. I am even more confident now to try and practice stoppies as my fork supports my weight like it is supposed to.
At 120kg I do need heavier duty tire casings. I find If I use lighter tire casings, it breaks down very quickly and the tire starts weeping sealant out the sidewalls.
I love 220 rotors since yeah
I live here in norway and we basically just have tracks that Are not designd for bikes so we prob have to copy the pros since the trails we have Are filled with trees
I just hate cutting a brand-new bar...but it's something that has to be done every now and then.
You gotta find out what u like not chase someone else and always buy latest greatest
Has she heard of a bib? You can see the bottles under their shirts and they stuff em full of muesli bars etc. Eddy Masters special Nutella, oats and banana wrap haha
Yeah it's funny whenever someone says "The pros are now using this tire, or this fork, this frame, this drivetrain...so I'll immediately buy that." But you you not riding those specific race courses, and you are not riding them like the pros are. If the pros hate 2.6 or 2.8 tires, does that mean those tire sizes are terrible for all rider levels including beginner and intermediate? Of course not.
This just confirms GMBN as a channel for the lowest common denominator/masses of people dabbling in the sport/casual weekend warriors. Not people at the upper end of the spectrum. Pretty much all these tips, you'd essentially do the opposite if you're somewhat of a decent rider.