I was CALLED OUT, so I went back to a budget mountain bike
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- čas přidán 24. 03. 2023
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Wow! Wasn’t expecting to see me in the vid 😂. Just for a point of clarification. I was a bit harsh in my comment. I do still love your content and watch every video! do love the expensive stuff. Hopefully you keep doing both budget and high end mix!
B W you came back! Heck yeah. I hope you liked the video and thanks for the idea/inspiration
@@EvansMTBSaga of course! Still love your vids and you honestly just seem like a great dude. Loved the new vid! Hope you keep growing and have tons of success! Now go put a dropper on that Ragley 🤣
Also are those grips going to come out for us to buy? They look sick
Bro switched up real quick
@@mtbpeen9899 People do that all the time, it's cringe.
No idea why anyone cares what kind of helmet you prefer to wear. You’re the one riding, take the precautions you feel is necessary that will benefit you the most.
I get why most mtb presenters use half shell. It just looks better on camera. But in the end it's your life. I wear my ff on every mtb ride.
They only time people should care is if someone is wearing no helmet or an unsafe helmet. Being extra safe shouldn't bother people!
There are certain States in the Summer that wearing a full helmet is considered a torture.
Yes, no big deal. I would also think as an ex-nurse, you would be more focused on protection after seeing some injuries.
True😂 if he feels to wear that, no one cares
Ok I ABSOLUTELY LOVE how you kept video content running through your ad read with the split screen. Wish more people would do that
After riding a full suspension bike for a while now I really miss how sharp a hardtail feels compared to it, you learn to be a way better rider on a hardtail too. Maybe I'll get one again some day.
I usually hate the sponsor messages mid-video, but having the actual video content running in a split screen is actually such a good way to do it.
Hi!
Just talking about hardtail's ability to train your skills... There was a experiment performed by either GMBN or pinkbike (I'm not sure) which you may find interesting 😉
@@gabrys187 pinkbike did one with Tom Bradshaw, he went from his commencal meta full suspension bike to a hardtail for 30 days and then compared times from before and after on both bikes on the same trail
Yeah I always recommend starting on a hard tail because it helps you learn good habits in mountain biking then when you are ready and get too rough or whatever with a hard tail you go to a full suspension and those habits carry over, whereas if you start on a full suspension your gonna miss out on key elements and probably be a lousy rider
@@sufyanm4661 yep, that's the one I'm talking about 😁
@@sufyanm4661 times and skills aren’t necessarily the same thing…not sure why nobody seems to understand this
I just wanna say that you are my favorite person to watch hit jumps, just the style that you've adopted from BMX is just so cool and satisfying
Thanks Brayden! I'm glad to have brought the style over. I hadn't speed jumped in like 4-5 years. Once I started again it's so satisfying 😄
I completely agree about the full face helmet! Trails can be very harsh and using a lighter helmet isn't very smart imo, especially with mountain trails rather than more maintaned ones or bikeparks
I agree too, I got one when I stating going to the bike parks and haven't really gone back to a half shell since.
Most of my local trails are up nice smooth fire roads where I can take it off then down hill all the way back down with no climbing so it doesn't really both me.
They're still too hot for trail centre, more XC style riding though.
How the hell is a $900 Hardtail budget bike? I'm thinking $400-$500 is a budget Hardtail....
Where does one acquire a 400 dollar hardtail
Mines $200 brand new 😅@@Tralblzr
@@Tralblzrfacebook
@@Tralblzrsecond hand?
@@Tralblzr decathlon
I definitely recommend the idea of having an enduro bike and an aggressive hard tail. If you wanted to try a steel hard tail, Marino does custom builds for a good price
Oh yeah my superfan Eugene told me about those last night. Aggressive Hardtail and Enduro bike is the perfect line up!
Hardtail Party liked the alloy Big Al over steel Big Wig since alloy version is almost as compliant as steel.
My big Al rides as good as my steel Kona honzo esd.
@@EvansMTBSaga love my Marino
Yep.. Spot on. I do the same. Norco Sight and a Merida Big Trail.
Changing contact points can make a huge difference to the feel of the bike as well as tire setup. I don't care how expensive your bikes are, I like that you are open to experiment with bikes. To me 2 bikes is the sweet spot. I have a trail bike for my normal mountainbiking and an old 26 inch bike to practice bike control and pumping
For most, a capable FS and a zippy hard tail is everything one needs to have it all these days.
THat is a seriously budget build for a Ragley. I've ridden the steel version of this, the Bigwig, a lot and it definitely deserves a refined build and a mid/ high level fork. Will be an excellent upgrade platform I reckon. Fork will, as always make the biggest difference.
I have a Ragley Big Al for almost 2 years now and it is really good. On the frame geometry i agree it could have a steeper seat sube angle for 1-1.5 degrees more. The rest of the bike I had custom built, so its really good.
Swapping out parts to fit the bike to you and make your riding experience is not being a snob, it's just being a bike enthusiast and making your ride better.
As far as helmets go, wear what makes you feel safe and comfortable. The better and more relaxed you are while riding, the less likely you'll need the helmet to do its intended job.
Nah this guy is 100% a bike snob
Swapping out parts makes any bike review absolutely pointless because it's no longer the bike purchased for $940. He added a $1,500 crankset. Half the time he swaps out all kinds of S and still calls it a review. Reviews are for bikes left alone, as purchased, otherwise don't call it a review for so and so bike, call it a review for specific parts.
@@MotoAtheist A crankset which doesn't change anything about how the bike rides.. As stated it even made the bike heavier with the power meter so they weigh about the same so why should that change how it rides? Cranks are so stiff ALWAYS that they don't give at all with bumps. Swapping out the cockpit to something that better fits you also doesn't change the bike itself. It's just like getting the right size frame. Same goes for grips. Not every grip fit's everyone's hands. Tubeless conversion? Can't be called an upgrade as it's meant to be tubeless just that nobody ships bikes already setup this way.
@@kaedeschulz5422 When parts are changed, the original parts are no longer being evaluated for durability, quality, etc. so the review becomes irrelevant to the actual stock bike. Most people who swap out parts are seasoned riders and wouldn't be watching a review video anyway, so who is the video for at that point? And yes, it does change the ride because he swapped to a smaller front ring as well.
@@MotoAtheist No not really. If you wanna know the durability of the cranks for example look specifically for that. On a whole bike the frame is the most important part. If the frame is bad the whole bike handling is bad. You don't choose a different bike just because one has better cranks. You can always change cranks for very cheap if you don't like em. A frame is always expensive.
Great video, it’s easy to get caught up wanting the latest and greatest stuff out there. I like taking something decent and making it better or make it mine with my parts choices. You’re not being snobby at all, keep making great content!
Great video! I started on an Axum at the start of covid too. Recently upgraded to a Ripmo AF. You are absolutely right about riding full face. They can weigh barely more than a half shell and offer way more protection. One mistake landing on your face is all you need to see why. Ignore the critics. You should ride anyway you feel safe.
Still loving my Trek Marlin 5. My first MTB and ill use it till I cant no more. Does everything I need it to. Took it on a super rough 20 mile trail and it held very well. Decent bike and a good rider makes all the difference.
Love my Marlin 5 also. Hard to beat the value
I'm looking at a couple Diamondbacks like the hook in the hatch I believe but the Kona dome as well I'm looking to spend around 600 bucks and I was looking at getting the Trek Marlin 5 generation 2???? After seeing these I'm thinking about to get any more cuz I have it in baby blue which is one of my favorite colors
I love the fact that I'm not the only one who ditched half helmets and went with full face, it might be heavier but it could save your head better in case of crash and safety always comes first
I've never worn a half shell helmet since I got into riding in 2021. Maybe I am just used to them as I rode motorbikes as a kid wearing a full face was just natural, I'm always shocked at the sends people do in non-full face helmets.
I like my face, plan on keeping it that way lol.
@@grounddodger3212 exactly
I have the big Al, mine is the model up though with the marzocchi z2. It's a amazing piece of kit. I must admit though, before I took it on the first ride I made it tubeless, changed grips. Getting the psi right is a game changer on a hardtail. I think your example is one of the reasons I never want a full sus, think I'll just get too hooked on how plush they are and forget how capable and easy a hardtail can be. My other bike is a gravel bike, the two suit my riding nicely.
Ragley doin the Lord's work putting out real bikes at this price point. I have an older Marley with some upgrades and love that thing
lol. This budget bike was the one I wanted and couldn't afford, with the shipping and import fees pushing the cost up. I ended up getting a Sync'r instead during black friday 50% sale, it gets me out on the trail which means it's good enough! It did come with a dropper and decent pedals which I can't imagine riding without now.
nice man, I've had my Sync'r for a few years now and I absolutely love it
That's what one of my buddies ended up doing as well in looking right now and said the same thing holy cow 350 dolla shipping
Love the quote “any ride is better than no ride”.
Great video! Thanks for sharing!
Had my ragley for 3 years now, truly a do it all kind of bike.
Taken it bike packing, on epic rides, tackles steep and gnarly, flowy trails, pump tracks, bmx tracks.
And that's not to mention the ease of maintenance and repair costs.
I don't miss the full suspension bikes one bit haha
Looks like a pretty decent budget hardtail. IMHO first upgrade I would do is add a dropper, also great that they have the wheels pre-taped for tubeless out of the box. I didn't even know Sun Race made derailleurs. At that price range I would normally expect MicroShift Advent X or Deore 10 speed
May be because of supply chain issues. I believe these would have ordinarily come with a deore 10
I really appreciate the budget builds you do. There are lots of CZcamsrs with $6,000 bikes. When hardtail party reviewed the Big Al he said it handled better with a 50mm stem than the 40mm he was used to. And just get a damn dropper
Was very happy to see the Ragley!!
I was in the process of getting a hardtail as well and the decision was between this, the nukeproof scout and the Dartmoor hornet, went with the last one.
I was coming from fully, never ridden a hardtail in a long time, but unlike your first impression mine was actually really good!
Still have to hit some harder stuff, but for now I am really happy!
Oh yeah, I didn't buy a complete bike but instead built it up, what I had to get was only the frame.
Oh yeah, personally I find the upgrades u did are the right ones, everyone would pretty much do the same
I love my ragley Marley that I built up. Found some great deals on some used parts to keep it a budget build. Dropper post, fork and wheels all helped me save money to get a 11sp GX group set.
I have a suggestion. If you put a tyre insert like Cush core in the rear you can run really low tyre pressures and still do the knarliest downhill sections . Plus it will protect your rim.
Dude I'm the same with the full face, I had a crash a couple months ago that got me on the thumbnail of Friday fails, and if I wasn't wearing a full face I would 100% have a broken jaw. Love the vids too bro!
Oh wow! Do you remember which number Friday fails it was? I'll watch it. Glad you're okay
It was number 258.
I was also on my brand new bike on my first run which was a bummer
So glad you talked about using only the full face helmet. I have been exclusively using a FF for a couple years now, even riding on sidewalks. I threw away my half dome so it’s not an option. The comfort is acceptable and the protection is 10X. And yes I live in Iowa and it gets to 100 degrees at times and I wear it, I get just as hot and sweaty as my friends without a FF, that is 100% hot and sweaty. If I get exhausted in the heat and fall at least I’m wearing real protection.
I'm in the camp of wearing my FF 95% of the time, but when it is too hot hot I slow down a little ride more mellow trails and rock the half-dome
I have a full suspension and a hardtail. My hardtail is a Ragley Blue Pig ( the MMBop is the aluminum budget version) and I love it. I’ll take both my full suspension Sentinel and my Ragley to the the Bike Park. The Ragleyis so fun on blue trails! The Blue Pig carves corners! The best upgrade anyone can do is a dropper post. Makes riding so much more enjoyable! A budget bike with the right upgrades can be amazing!
Keep up the great videos!
Evan this vid is terrific. Your insights are continually more on point and well developed. Nice work. I’ll stay a bike snob tho😂
Ragleys are dope they just price them were they should be.
Going for $940 on sale for 3 months now
I've got 2 Ragleys. They are awesome bikes for the price. They are clearing way for the 2023's right now. Great deals.
I've bought my fancy full sus mtb in late 2021 used, and i love it. Still, sometimes i love to go out with my commuter bike (a 90's rigid mtb) and i just love to be underbiked and ride the usual trails with way more challenge. So i guess going back to hardtail wouldn't be bad at all. The only thing i would NEVER give up is a dropper post. Absolutely the best mtb invention after suspension forks and disk brakes
Nice bike, It will be interesting to see if the rear derailleur holds up.
I guess you did not like the longer stock stem, it makes you swing the bar instead of rotate it. No wonder it felt weird.
Things I wish Ragley implemented:
more larger sizes, for it to fit me I would need to slam stem and use high riser bar, and the stock stem or longer
adjustable sliding dropouts to adjust chain stay.
would be nice with barrel nuts at post mount for easy repair if threads get destroyed.
Upgrade I would do:
dropper post, oval chain ring, oval bash guide. but those are must have features for me. but I would test the stock parts see how they do.
Got the exact same frame and I love it. If you go back to back between the meta and the ragley I'm sure you'll notice the suppleness. Also I've never ridden a better cornering hardtail so I got a bit worried when you had cornering issues :) Great value bike, that frame should cost way more for how well it handles.
Its actually unreal how well it corners
That helmet is badass, I would not go back either. PLEASE do not let haters hold you back!! You ride whatever you want, whenever you want, wherever you want….just keep making quality content like you always do.
Just remember to not lose focus on what makes YOU happy.
Looking forward to the next video drop
Nice, more info on the upgrades could be helpful for those not familiar with the choices made. What full suspension bike or bicycles you recommend for the budget handicapped?
I am definitely glad to see you break yourself out of the "the more expensive the bike the better it will perform" mindset. I was beginning to think you had forgotten that it should always be about the ride, not the bike!
I still enjoy riding the crap out of my five '92-'04 Cannondale's. Yeah I know the haters will say the Cannondale is hardly a budget brand, but the only one I ever purchased at full price way my 1992 M700 that I bought brand new in 1992 and STILL ride it! I did recently build up a NIB 2020 Cannondale Habit frame though because as much as I love riding a 2001 Jekyll with a Lefty fork on the trails and the crazy looks I get while doing it. I am getting very reluctant to really send the bike because a 22 yr old Lefty is almost IMPOSSIBLE to find repair/replacement parts for the fork. So to avoid the wear and tear, I built up a more modern 2020 Habit frame. Gotta say, the improvements in geometry do make the ride feel different and more easy to repair if I should happen to break anything.
I would love to see more about your impressions of the SRAM DB8 brakes though. I use SRAM 12 speed drivetrains on nearly all my bikes and have been considering adding the DB8's since I like the idea of an all SRAM bike. I use Magura MT5's on all my bikes so I wonder how they'd feel and perform against them. I still think SRAM has been in error by sticking to DOT fluid brake and the maintenance hassles that come with them.
Great video! It’s pretty wild that small changes can make or break how a bike feels. The narrower bars and lower pressures with the tubeless setup is what made this bike feel that much better 🤠
I'm happy to be to a point where Ive learned that those small changes would get the bike running how it should. Let me know if you're coming to ride today or tomorrow!
Xo1 cranks with rockshox recon? Still nice bike i am very excited for the video!
You'll have to watch to find out about the X01 haha
😂
I think it’s for the power meter
I ride a Big Al. I was worried at the start that youvwere going to miss out on the awesomeness! Glad you felt it at the end. Absolute screamer of a bike! I would say for watchers that getting the upgrade version is worth it as the fork is considerably better and there's a decent dropper. So well worth the price difference. Great content as always. Thanks!
Just got back from a trip to Bentonville
I had a great time riding some of those trails on my own bike, a Giant Fathom 1 29 (2021)
It's a hardtail with a 130mm air fork and 2.6 inch tubeless tires
I knew I didn't have the ability to ride Cease and Desist because I haven't ridden anything like it before (I live in west Michigan where we have sandy XC trails) but I sized up the Drop the Hammer drop and, while I didn't hit it, thought it looked completely manageable on my bike.
My main reason for not hitting it was my riding gear, just a half shell and a XC race jersey, nothing that would protect me if I messed up.
I guess what I'm trying to say is that, you have a lot more confidence in hardtails when it's all you've ridden. I didn't look at anything on my trip and think "I'd hit that if I had a full suspension" but rather "I'd hit that if I had practice on features like this"
On a separate note, while I didn't have the experience or confidence for a lot of the jump trails, I found the climbs to be rather enjoyable, specifically Copperhead Road, I'm a lot stronger than most people in places like Bentonville so I found myself passing ebikers on climbs even on my 5th or 6th lap of something like thunder dome. The takeaway from this being, your confidence in your equipment and own abilities, as well as your training, is always more important than how much travel you have.
Thanks for the comment! Copperhead Road is a blast to climb. I do it every once in a while because it reminds me of my old home trails in Phoenix. Gotta stay sharp on tech climbing! That's cool to hear your perspective on sizing up the trails. I did the same when I first visited and said no way was I going to hit DTH without a full face. If you come back shoot me a message on IG and we can ride!
My opinion: it is 100% not a snob thing to upgrade a couple parts. Especially a dropper post. Best upgrade, period.
Great video. As a big Al fan, you had me at the edge of my seat the whole time. I was waiting for this video and it's banger. Worth the wait. But don't let th haters calling you a bike snob. Put a good fork and droper on that bad boy.
Edit: and 30 psi!?! No wonder why the bike felt the way it did and screw the hates talking shit about full face helmets.
Depending on the tires he was running 30 psi might be too much. If it was tubeless then that's sounds about right.
@@michaelmichaelagnew8503 in think you mean 30 psi with tubes is about right.
Yeah, definitely needs to ditch the tubes, shedding some weight and running lower pressure.
First time seeing your videos! Cool to see a youtuber riding our local trails. I was a hardtail rider for a long time and Copperhead Road is a rough tech climb on them. Much easier on the full sus for sure. Looping fireline was much nicer on the hardtail though, the jumps are more fun to me and the climb back to the hub was much easier without the extra weight and less pedal power getting robbed by suspension.
Put dh forks on a hardtail🙏🔥
Gmbn did that a while ago- go check out their video
@@ThomasFielden i was just kidding (or was i😈)
Evan, I love the riding footage of this video! Personally I don't think you need the speedometer and all that data, I'm more then happy just seeing it how it is like this video, and if it is really relevant to the video(Power or speed or time) you could just put that in the corner. But overall I don't think it adds much and i'm sure it takes up your valuable time to add it.
That Bike-park looks amazing, I just came home from a relaxed 2 hour Trailride and wish we had something like that where I live in Switzerland🙂
I bought a Ragley Big Al Frame in 2021 after Steve @hardtailparty reviewed it and talked about how good it was for the price. I had been riding FS for many years and got in the HT game for local trail because my Reign SX was too much bike. The Big Al is a fun bike. I love it. But I haven't taken it on any features that big so this was a great video. It's one of my favorite for sure. I didn't really mind your nicer bikes but having fun on less expensive bikes is more interesting. Those Boutique parts look good most dont improve riding. Glad to see this type of vid though I would upgrade the fork :)
Great video as always. The BMX style is pretty cool, just get over everything as quick as possible
You might’ve underestimated how much those clipless pedals change the hardtail game. First mod I always do on a HT
Nice feature, enjoyed that one!
I drooled on the Ragley's quite some time, but when finally pulling the trigger very end of '21 almost no bikes around. Solution: entry Canyon Stoic.
Came from old worn out 26" FS, but needed something basic to start it all again. And I think that is the idea behind these HT bikes; either something for the starter who's progressing OR for the ones that realizes maybe something purely general purpose but not over performing.
The Big Al seemed to have just a bit more components than the Stoic, but these are getting slightly upgraded always, aren't they?
In my mind, upgrades should also reflect the more durable than high price/high performance parts. I'd love to see a Bomber Z1 on this one.
I think the work you do to dial a bike in to your riding style and fit is a great thing any rider can take with them on any bike. . .budget to big-shot.
Love to the see the hardtail reviews! Need to see more of those hardtail reviews!! Midrange 1k-2k hardtails
This is comical cuz a lot of the people that say you should go back to budget bikes said the opposite back in the day when your channel was new. I’m not a hater (infact your my favourite CZcamsr), but it’s true that the videos went from dissing Chads to reviews of expensive stuff.
At the end it doesn’t matter if it’s a video about budget parts, expensive parts, or just riding, I love all kinds of videos you make!
Oh yeah for sure, putting myself in a box of budget only would get boring after a while. It's funny I went from dissing Chads to wanting to explore Enduro racing
@@EvansMTBSaga btw i have the sram db8 brakes on my canyon neuron, and they are surprisingly good for the price! I have no plans to change them to the codes
Hardtail essentials if you are going to ride hard. Dropper post and clip pedals. Clips because you will bounce around more.
My Ragley Big Al has a mullet wheel setup plus Tannus tyre armour for tubes, running 2.6" Maxxis Minions @ 18psi rear and 12psi rear. So important with a hardtail to get the tyre casing wall tensions appropriate.
Haha it's funny you mentioned that. Ive upgraded the bike now, just posted that video I hope you check it out. But I have Specialized Ground Control tires now and I swapped the front with the back because the side wall is stiffer on the T7 compared to the T5. I dig those stiffer side walls now, I've even been running super gravity tires on the Enduro and I love not folding the tire in turns
i have a ragley big al 2.0 2021 with Shimano M4100 brakes and deore shifter and rear deraileur and it`s perfect! the only thing that I added was a dropper from ascend and it works wonders can`t wait to see how you are going to build it!❤
🤔I wish mine came with a deore mech, instead of the sunrace, cant figure out how to use the clutch on it🤨
I just pared down from 6 bikes to 4. I have a trail FS, a road bike, a fat bike, and a commuter hardtail. I do miss having a trail hardtail, and maybe in the future I'll get one again. I hear awesome things about the Ragley Mmbop.
The comment wasn't wrong though lol. He'd say in one video how the cheaper bike was built just right and you don't need expensive parts to have fun. Then literally the next video he would replace all the cheap parts with top end components. A bit contradictory but it's whatever, he's gotta make content.
Impressive seeing those parts on a budget mtb. Usually the ones around 900$ like a trek, u get mt2000, Suntour coil fork, and basic drivetrain with a clutch.
Great video! Glad your back to budget stuff. I’m an educator and can’t afford a lot of stuff for my bike. I enjoy watching the budget mtb channels 😊
do you watch Wolftick videos, I love them.
@@NonLegitNation2 sure do!
Thank you for the video. This is the dilemma I have: keep upgrading my base Specialized Fuse hard tail or get a 140-160mm full suspension bike. I also noticed a big difference in handling and confidence when going tubeless, and a slight help with Cushcore for impact and vibration. My spring fork was warranty upgraded to an air fork after my first bike park trip, LOL! Still considering a 40mm stem instead of a 60, high rise bars, would like a 140 fork instead of 120, and I'm sick sanding my brake pads once a month to try to get performance (the replacement pads were worse). I haven't found a brake bleed set to do it myself (Tektro) and the bike shop's bleed didn't seem to make a difference. Still trying to justify upgrades or get a big park ready bike.
Should be easy to find a brake bleed kit for Tektros? I bought a cheap EZmtb kit and used the syringe method. Worked great.
Evan, I’ve been looking towards new cranks for my hardtail. My cranks is 170mm but I want to look towards cranks like 165mm or even 160mm. Do you have any suggestion of which cranks are the best?
I got a set for SRAM DB8 brakes used off of eBay and I love them, mine are super grabby and essentially 1 fingerable, I understand that people detest some companies for reasons… but for someone on a budget I think these brakes a rad, and because of the SRAM brake hate, you will be able to get them used on the cheap haha. Great video Evan, Thanks!
I also have a trail hardtail and an enduro bike. Between the two, you have just about every discipline covered pretty well.
Had my brand new Big Al for a week or so, 1st time out on it tomorrow, I can't wait, been riding a 14 yo 26er GT Avalanche for many a moon.
Hoping to feel some differences.
I wouldnt call this Ragley a "budget" bike but I guess it depends if you live in eastern Europe or not:P
Regarding full face helmet - if you're an adult, have a family, have a job that requires you to get up in the morning each day - I'd say wear as much protection as you possibly can. It's not worth loosing teeth or breaking jaw/ribs/collar bones. People often forget mountain biking is still an extreme sport. It's very easy to say you dont need FF or other protective gear for flow trails and its true.. until you crash :P
This is Vsauce with a MTB channel
“MTBsauce - EVAN HERE!”
I've just got a big al first ride very soon looking forward to it! Interesting video! Fair play for hitting that big drop on it!
Suppleness from a hardtail is basically splitting hairs. However, it can be perceived, and is real. I had an aluminum Rockhopper many years ago, before disc brakes, and it was super stiff. My feet would get numb from the vibration. I had a different aluminum bike, and I didn't notice a harshness at all. Compared to full suspension, no comparison! I rediscovered hardtail riding, after a full suspension for years, and really love it again. Glad you are enjoying it too. Get the dropper post!
Haha I'm glad you commented this. I'm gonna do some upgrades videos to hopefully tap into that suppleness, or not and I'll just swap out frames 😂
Buying a used higher end mountain bike that may have some deferred maitenance can be a much better value depending on CListings locally. A reputable bike shop oowner who was retiring gave me this advice when I asked how to get the most bike for the least cost. Insted of the new $1000 Marin bike I wanted I found a Specialized alloy full suspendsion with comp grade components, dropper and tubeless same price. That eas three years ago and since then I have built and maintained several other bikes. I ride a low end hardtail with upgraded compoenents but its a perfect fit. Learning bike mechanic basics is really the best investment of time and money I wish I made sooner. Low end bikes can be great but often have heavy frames which most riders will want to ditch iif they are riding regularly and in shape.I am sure it varies regionally but in CA $1000 will get you a lot of MTB at or above Deore grade.
I had a $200 hot pink (light purple) pro hustler in 1985 and I loved it. It ended up being stolen twice. I'm 49 and just got a Trek Roscoe 8 in an XL frame. It immediately brought me back to my childhood. No offense to the GTs and Diamondbacks I'vce had over the years but the Trek with the boost and through axles make the bike super stable. I am a tall and heavy rider too and my XL GT agressor PRO with 27.5 " wheels jjust doesnt hold a candle to the trek with 29" wheels.
In my eyes, it is absolutely fine having multiple bikes!!! I have a "bike problem" too - Niner Rigid SS, an old Klein Road Bike, Cannondale "Townie" bike, Surly Bikepacking rig, REEB Hardtail, and my new one, a REEB SST full suspension...AND I want at least three more! I've built them all up from the frame up. So, they've been a lot cheaper than buying complete bikes. Some have even been eBay buys
N+1
I really like hardtails because you can dress them up and kit them with the top tier stuff on the market, or just run F'ing Deore and still have a great experience.
The best thing is that the more premium hardtails really only improve on the geometry for a target type of riding. The lower/budget ones tend to cast the widest net and make it as versatile as possible.
My favorite hardtail of all time is my '16 Santa Cruz Chameleon with the rocker dropouts to run singlespeed or geared. Its fast and smooth with great build quality. I believe I paid $750 for the frame and was coming off a Honzo ST. The sage and purple colorway aesthetic is just amazing IMO. Its not built up with anything spectacular for a trailbike....GX drivetrain, RS Revelation RCT3 and XT brakes. It does need new wheels as it was fed the OEMs from my Ibis which were somewhat poorly built w/ spoke tension....which brings me the biggest problem w/ most budget HTs...the wheels. In the end though, its a simple reliable bike that's fun to ride..and that's really what its about.
I just bought some F'ing Deore to rebuild my gen1 Ragley Blue pig, and am looking forward to it! I've had wheels that had trouble with holding tension and unscrewed each spoke and applied boiled linseed oil to the treads of each spoke then retensioned. I had never attempted something like it before but it was fairly easy to re-true the wheel and it held a true super well afterwards.
Nothing wrong with wanting better bikes and components. Most people who Mountain Bike get better and progress, like you.
And sometimes your bike holds you back, which is why you upgrade and get better components. Yes sometimes MTB do get carried away and become bike snobs. But it's hard to go back to budget when you already know what at good bike can do.
It's different when people buy components outside their capabilities. Or buy parts that way out of their budget. But then again who cares coz it's your money.
It's like a Coil fork and then going to Air fork. You're not gonna go back to Coil.
Good video as always.
I can remember when I first started riding on trails I went from my free Road Master Walmart bike, that I got from my neighbor, to a point where I just couldn’t believe I was spending $300 on a Trek 3500 disk from the local bike shop. I had my Trek for a little over a year. I rode it every chance I got. Even though it was a budget bike I felt like it was a high end bike since it wasn’t a Walmart bike. So when I read the title to the video I just had to watch it and was thinking this is going to be good when I saw the Schwinn at the start of the video. Even though I ride a $3500 Transition, I still think the Schwinn would be the starting point for budget bike since that’s what you started with. Did like the video even though I don’t really think a $900 bike is a budget bike. I might even subscribe after I watch a few more videos. 😊
Put the berd wheels on it!
Just got two of my best buds on ragley marleys.
Also a weird spec of the big AL is the 51mm offset forks. Might be a small part of the weird steering feel you are feeling.
For Bentonville I can't fathom needing an enduro bike there. A trail bike with good geo, something like a Transition Smuggler or Trek Fuel EX is about perfect for there.
Ahh but the wonderful Lake Leatherwood is where my heart is
I bought the exact same frame, built up with a fox36, beefy tires and xt drivetrain besides my forbidden dreadnought, a giant reign e+ ebike and a gravel.. First ride with the hardtail was so much fun .
Man you got better, i revisited your chanel and i am amassed by the progresion you made. Keep it going👌🏻💪🏼 love the vids
Thanks Mary! Glad you came back. I picked up and moved to Bentonville,doing the CZcams thing full time now. Hope you'll stick around for a while now
That's an interesting Ragely package. These lower price models must be new additions to clear some backstock? I'm actually impressed by the package wheel specs of the Marley 27.5, not so much the hubs but the WTB I30 TCS rims. Stick a 150mm FOX 36 I have on it!
I owned a Big Al for 5 months 240 miles of riding. It was a spectacular bike until it wasn’t. The seat tube cracked at the dropper cable entry point. This is not an isolated issue on just my frame. Buying new has its perks - warranties are great.
I like videos like these. It really goes to show that you don't have to have the latest and greatest on your bikes. Sure, newer and more expensive gear can make things feel better but we don't all need carbon wheels and Kashima coated everything :) However, at the end of the day you are riding the bike and if you can afford the good stuff ride it.
I invested in a Banshee Paradox V3 best compliant hardtail with the exception of a titanium framed bike. With frame only option, build it the way you want, part for part, just like I did, custom job. Never been better.
I really want to try that one!
3:45 bye bye water bottle. Oh you got it back! Lol
👍bought the same bike 6 weeks ago, still I'm trying to figure out the clutch on the rear mech, mine came with a Sunrace RDMS300🤔are you suppose to lift the lever or push it😅wtf, shimano deore rear mechs are simple, great video, the big al is still a great buy👌
great video !! All my rides are 90's Hard tails. but I'm hoping for a 90's full suspension in the future as I'm getting old and fragile.
Friggin awesome snobb,,, thank you for sharing...
Im heading too the 2 bike category my self...
I'm keeping my fat tire for winter riding and a frugal lite weight 29'er ht for my everyday rider...
Don't get me wrong,,, i love my f.s. but im long past the jumping days...
I like rollling and sreading now days,,, and the ability too crest most hills or puttzzzz along with less stress on my old legs... lol...
I get a work out cracking my fat pig bike which is ok in the cold winter months,,, then i get too clip along fairly fast on my XC light weight from spring too fall...
Im glad i switched too a liter bike...
Its my everyday rider off road,,, mountain climbs and decents,,, gravel roads too single tracks and all the urban b.s. stuff...
Plus i get too Pedal too & from work with-out breaking a sweet...
Slick,,, fast,,, and light...
I'll hit up a few chair lift bike parks too ride the fast flow'eee speed runs with smooth rolly jumps,,, but I'm most likely pick the shreader paths around most of the air born stuff... Ha
Jumps and Me aren't working that great since my full face helmit and neck brace tell me so...
Pops always said i spend more time landing on my head then spending quality time in the saddle... ha...
Cheers from the North
Don
For 900 bucks that's a pretty solid deal. You have a really great base to modify on and parts that are great to keep.
I'd say all this bike really needs is a dropper. Once things start breaking then you replace them. It also looks pretty cool!
$900 isn't the total price. Get ready to be gouged on shipping.
It’s crazy how tubeless can give you a much different feeling then tubes 14:50
Got my first MTB in 2020 during COVID. $500 hard tail from my local bike shop. 9mm qr wheels, 100mm suspension (spring) good times! Since then I’ve upgraded every single part on the bike (:
3:46 was that pump drop?
I have a Ragley Mmmbop, best hardtail I ever had. I went 35mm rims and 2.6" tubless tires, which transformed the ride. I'm running a Rockshox Yari rc 170mm travel fork. It climbs well for such an aggressive hardtail and is a blast going down.
And you are absolutely right about the full face helmet.
Just got my new mmmbop out for a first ride last week- love it!
@@tombeans5750 ,
I didn't expect it to be so controlled in the air. It's easy to turn the rear in jumps, steering it in effect. It's opened up a new way for me to ride hardtails. It's also remarkably stable shooting off high speed drops, it doesn't ever seem to go out of shape. I recommend 2.6" tubless tires because it improved my mmmbop so much. Enjoy your new weapon dude.
I got a ragley big al a year ago but built it frame up and even tho having 6 different bikes that’s the bike I would take anywhere and ride every where it’s fully upgraded with axs and trp brakes you just have to pick your lines with a hardtail
There are some very fun HTs to be had for around a kilobuck. I ride my Polygon Xtrada-6 more than I ride my multi-thousand-dollar FS because it climbs like a goat and is generally faster. Also, it hones my skills; when my back tire is pinging to the side off of rocks, roots and little stumps, and I don't fall, I know I am doing it right. The down side is that drops to flat much over a foot high can get harsh.
No snootery about upgrading a built bike - there will always be bits that dont suit you (or often the bike) and especially on an emtry level. I have in fact recently bought my own budget hardtail which comes preetty well specced - RockShox FS-35 Gold air sprung fork, shimano hydralic brakes, 12 speed shimano drive train - but still needed upgrades including grips, going tubeless, dropper, and pedals to make it a genuinely decent bike. Will upgrade tyres as soon as justifiable for a bit more width and grip up front but otherwise will let wear and tear do its thing before i upgrade any other bits.
Great work! I love your videos.
I have one question, Why did you need the Ragley if you already have a Commencal HT? You said you wanted to get rid of most of your bikes but I dont understand why the Commencal needs to be replace by the Ragley?
That frame was so stiff that my ankles would hurt for several hours after riding it
I think the best middle ground is start with a hard tail. My first one was 700. I got a 2600 the next year and a year and a half later I got my switchblade.
Start cheap, see if you like the sport, then work your way up!
Nice! I have a ragley marley with a 140mm pike, I9 hydra wheel set, 4 piston brakes, box 1 drivetrain and SDG dropper....it's a fun bike!
Crc had the big al on sale for about 1100-1200 if I remember correctly, it was the up spec build came with deore 11 speed Manitou bomber v2 fork and dropper post was worth it to me to get this rather than spend money on upgrades to get to the same place
Did you drop something on the trail at 3:47 right after the manual?
Watching this after having built up an aggressive hardtail (Nukeproof Scout 290) to go with my Meta SX Enduro. Way to go!
Lucky to be able to get one in the states!!! Theres like only one shop I've seen to carry them and Ragley doesn't do direct to consumers