RSD Middlechild - EXTREMELY versatile.
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- čas přidán 18. 08. 2023
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Parts seen in the video:
RSD Middlechild - bit.ly/RSDMiddlechild
Berd Spokes PolyLight - bit.ly/BerdSpoke
NOBL TR35 Rear & TR32 front - bit.ly/NOBLtr35
Onyx Racing Vesper Hook Flange Hubs - bit.ly/OnyxRacingHubs
Specialized Ground Control Tires - bit.ly/SpecializedTires
CushCore XC Set - amzn.to/3IvAr6r
CushCore Orange Valves - amzn.to/3Ix48nu
Grips - collabs.shop/kzm27w (Code SAGAMTB for 10% off)
Power2Max NGeco Power Meter - bit.ly/PowerMeterMTB
Tools:
Bike Repair stand with scale in arm - amzn.to/3ioCsXR
Rubber Mallet - amzn.to/3uVP2R6
Bottom Bracket Removal tool - amzn.to/3X0JIYl
Breaker bar - amzn.to/3YuKoGB
Chain Whip - amzn.to/3vKJAAR
Cassette Lockring Tool - amzn.to/3WQZOnT
Disclaimer: The links above may be affiliate links and earn me a commission. - Sport
It’s late in the series, but it would be cool to see the Marin San Quentin compared too!
I was thinking that as well but he's only doing 29 in wheels this season
Love the Quentin but this test is 29er only
I've been saying this on almost every one of these videos
@@Peak_Mid Dang, I didn’t realize till now that the San quin only came in 27.5. He should do a 27.5 to mullet conversion series in the future with it or just a 27.5 only series
Maybe he could do the el Roy
Loving this series Evan! A few comments
- the horizon balancing gave a really cool POV vibe, but some settings would definitely need some tweaking for video use
- I think it would only be fair for the bikes if you tested the top two at the end of the series back to back
- it would be really cool if you did like a "fork quest" after this series using the winning bike, like keep everything else constant and test all of the forks (rockshox, fox 36, marzocchi z1, cane creek, dvo, etc.) to try and find the best fork. I love the way you test stuff methodically like in the high-low and this series.
Great ideas.
Love that idea of the "fork quest". If you do this Evan, dont forget to throw in sr suntour (one of their high spec forks not the low end trash) & ohlins
Would like to see a Canyon Stoic or Giant Fathom on the new episode of hardtail quest! Sick video, cant wait for the next. Good luck
no, i rather have new bikes that hardtail party nor evans have tried before,
A canyon stoic would be awesome for hardtail quest
Here’s my prediction: the last bike in this season will be an Orange Clockwork. We’ll just have to wait and see 🤷♂️
It would be super cool if he took everything he learned about geo and every review area he did and made his own custom bike with the exact geometry he likes. Idea probably crazy expensive but would be cool
HT Party did that. He made some interesting observations in his reviews on his custom bike. Tying back to Evan’s comment in the video, geometry is voodoo.
He said it was a Chromag in a reply to another video saying it was a British bike but it’s actually British Columbia (Canada). I’m hoping you are right and Evan didn’t make that mistake
Wrong
Dude the editing is so sick as always great video.
I've been strongly considering this bike lately. Probably will be clicking that order button soon. Seems like such a good bike frame and loadout too.
You should try the Dartmoor Primal, great geo numbers with compliant feel.
R u polish guy?
@@fafinnneven non-polish guys know about dartmoor brand
I have the 2016 Primal 29 and even though it isn't my main bike and I actually don't need it...I still build up a new bike with it!
I love this series! All Hardtail content is booming!
Dude this series has been so great! Geometry is like some kind of magic isn’t it? What I think would feel weird, actually doesn’t feel weird at all when riding. Anywho… I am so excited for the steel hardtail series coming up 🤠
Sick video as always
So happy your doing these hardtail reviews and your tests format is great.
Please bring in a Marin san Quentin.
Would love to here your thoughts on that one
I really like that frame, looks like my ns decade dirt jump frame but beefed up ! Plus with that higher bb and adjustable dropouts it's extremely
similar to a dirt jump frame, interesting
Dec 2022, after waiting months for the RSD MC Al to be restocked, found the Marino Cabala, similar geo and made from Reynolds 520, half the price of the steel MC. Was able to add a few custom touches including sliding dropouts and custom color for no additional fees. Hand made in Peru, worth checking out
Thank you for the video Evan. I really appreciate this series 👍
Np Ryan thanks for watching!
Love to see the tests!
Also if you want something nice and slack with unique features around 130-140mil travel that sticks to the ground like glue and just hunts corners: Stif "Squatch". Lowest BB I've ever ridden on a 29er and it's amazingly fun. Also looks rad cause steel.
yo video quality is looking pretty good. nice bike
Love hardtails . My Chromag Surface is so versatile... Though if I could go back in time 5 years I'd buy the Rootdown / Primer instead as Im way more into heading down now ... Good reviews , keep up the good work
The engraved chain stats are sick
Dude I am loving the mid school BMX you are putting in the videos! Those ProConcept BMX's where amazing bikes!
I definitely wanted a Pro Concepts, Staats, or Redman but my parents wouldn't buy it for me haha. I'd love to build one of those up now
Great review and brilliant series!
I would have loved for you to give the Ragley Marley 290 a go.
Great Series ! Re: geo: you should consider stack + bb height as indicator for handlebar height so you probably shouldn't change handlebar rise...
Was already looking at an RSD and here you go scoring it higher than the Nukeproof which was the other bike in the quest. If I do get the RSD I'll go with the cromo one for a steel is real feel. Loving the series.
I saw a video review of the steel RSD by Hardtail Party and it wasn't smoother than the aluminum version. I'm also a steel frame fan and used to have two steel hardtails. My previous one was a Chromag Wideangle and I replaced it with a Nukeproof Scout 275. Scout was a bit harsher, but I can also run plus tires on it to make it smoother than the Chromag. Then again, Chromags aren't known to be plush for steel. If I were to do it all over again, I'd get a Stanton frame.
@@leokuo7127 Stanton's look nice, but the versatility of the RSD and having it built in my home town makes it a bit more accessible. I also like the provincial emblem on the back of the seat tube. My Optic has the maple leaf there. And I'm more patriotic than I thought LOL
It would be cool if you made a budget hardtail quest
hey Evan, You should try a canyon stoic, i've had one for a few monts, and i enjoyed every minute of riding it.
Well done Evan, I’m glad that you saw the versatility of the Middlechild. I ran mine with 27.5 x 2.8 wheels and tires and then went 29 x 2.6. You just can’t beat a bike that you can play around with.
which do you prefer?
Great review. Of course I’m biased because that is the exact bike I have. My is in Plus 27.5 mode with 415mm. chainstay. It is in the stiff side but it climbs well because it is stiff at the bottom bracket. I also run 50mm worth of spacers to get me in a good riding position.
you should for sure try a dartmoor primal frame. I have one still in the go to bikes and its the best hardtail i have ever had!
Great Video! You should review the Chromag Rootdown or Doctahawk!
Love the series so far, you should try the Dartmoor Hornet Pro, it's an agressive frame with 420mm chainstays, i think you'll love it.
It looks like an interesting frame, the only downside is it seems a tad heavy but still would make an interesting review.
I think the hornet pro is a 27.5 only and Evan is only reviewing 29" wheels.
Either way it would be about time that someone makes a good review with these damn Dartmoor hornet's caus for some reason no one is doing it
I am an hour from there factory. Can't wait to see there 160 front and 145 rear full squish
Good series, have you managed to get your hands on the cracy geo "On one hello dave" from Planet X uk?
Love the color of this bike. Prob my favorite hardtail so far
BMX background!
@@EvansMTBSagahey can you help me ? What's the better choice.... Specialized fuse or chisel ????
Thanks 🙏 really appreciate it . I will say if u add. Giant fathom that will be great too
Great series. Maybe you can look ať Dartmoor frames.
I personaly think in the next three bikes will be Whyte which is a British bike brand.
I am Ns eccentric 29er owner. With 150mm front travel. I love my hard tail😊!!!
Great video as always! Have you considered checking out the Santa Cruz Chameleon or the Salsa Timberjack? Two of my favorite hardtails!
You didn't watch the video, did you
I did miss that part on the first viewing lol@@80nodrog
I’ve been enjoying this series, thank you. Wondering if the final frame will be an On-one?
On one or cotic i reckon
I also think it’s Cotic.
Thanks for subtlety including the spreadsheet. The RSD looks sick, could probably do better on the looks score if the components matched a little better. Also wondering if it could of perhaps scored better on flow/jumping/cornering if the trails were dry. You were still clearing jumps despite the wet conditions, pretty impressive and glad to see it still scored well despite the disadvantage but not a fair comparison IMO.
Yeah that's why I went to a paved trail to get confirmation. It wasn't an amazing cornering bike like the Rocky MTN. I really liked how poppy it was for jumping. I believe the RSD scored much higher for jumping than the Scout
I am biased since I have this bike, but some of the criticisms he had are solved by running it with 27.5s, which is the intended build version. I have 2.8 plus tubeless which can take really low pressures. It eats up chunk and smooths out trails. Also, I found having the sliding dropouts changes the feel of the bike immensely. I didn’t think it would. When I had the rear wheels all the way forward, it didn’t feel quite right. It felt unstable for me when going down technical trails. Moving them to the middle made the bike handle so much better. But that may change for others. So those sliding dropouts add a HUGE value to the bike due to changing ride feel on what a person prefers.
I think this bike would really shine in skate park taking big hits with a raked out 160 mm fork with 38 stanchions like an old rockshox totem (40 mm) or a zeb
the rear slides more to the front for the 27,5 wheels. this bike looks sick!
Maybe all the way slammed with 26 🤤
for me, with my bmx background, looks like the perfect fit. almost like a DJ or a hybrid like my MOB 26"er@@EvansMTBSaga
Canyon stoic? 🤔 this series is really cool. Been following the entire thing and i love it. Can't wait to see what other series your mind can imagine
I really love the Ti Middlechild !
Try the Fuse, one of the best I think
I can definitely say based on my experience that shorter chainstays are better. I have an old 26er xs aluminum xc frame that I installed a 27.5 wheels and a 2.1 tires on it and I have to say that the whole bike feels more responsive and easy to control.
I might make it into a mullet build where I'd install a 29er front wheel with a beefier tire on it and a 100mm airfork so that it can handle chunkier terrain.
Sounds like a fun bike! Tinkering is awesome
I am a BMX fan so this bike looks amazing to me. Also I do like that Canfield frame. The copper color in a single track/XC set up would be a fun bike.
Could you list the weight of every bike in the description?
I’m really curious to see your review on the Yelli Screamy, I’m considering getting this frame, I personally owned the Canyon Stoic and the RSD middle child, I can say that they are both great bikes, but I really love the Canyon Stoic at the moment.
So I’m guessing that you are going to review the On One Hello Dave, am I wrong? If it is that it definitely will be different than the other bikes.
It’s definitely late in the series but it would be great to see a Norco torrent on this seiries
versatility is key, and sliding dropouts should be a +10 for any frame. And yes, I am biased…SS Chameleon Mullet with a 160mm coil is my go to ride.
Love it i would like to see the canyon stoic tho
That’s interesting that the Middlechild rated so highly as a 29er. Although it can handle different wheel sizes…Alex from RSD would definitely say it’s more intended to be a 27.5 wheel bike. Side note the steel version would solve some of the compliance issues and look better in my opinion.
True that this frame was designed around 27.5” wheels, not 29ers. Maybe the sliding dropouts help in keeping it fun and versatile with various wheel sizes in spite of the higher BB. So many variables but it works!
Regarding the steel version, I’ve read several comments from various sources that the steel version is not as compliant as people think it would be - actually, it’s almost as stiff as the aluminum frame. Now, if the Ti version could enter the search, it would win hands down in the compliance department while keeping everything else the same. But alas, this HT Quest series only involves aluminum frames.
Realy cool vídeo, and
you need to tru the Specialized Rockhopper .
I came across a company the other day with kind of a similar bike. Wyatt Bicycles, the vista frame specifically. They say its an aggressive trail bike but it doesn't feel out of place jumping. Obviously too late for this season but may be something that peaks your interest. Made in usa too.
Yeah I saw one of those on Pinkbike and considered it, but was worried it was more of a fat bike frame
Love my Vista. Great choice. @wyatbikes
@@glenhuizenga6251 Awesome to hear. They are on my list of bikes I want to give a try. Plus their prices on complete bikes really arent bad considering they are a tiny company and usa made. Alot of the usa bike companies unfortunately are out of my budget.
Best looking bike so far IMHO 🤘
Unless they start smoothing out the welds, it's not a bike I would give a 4.9 on build quality. Just look at how nicely stacked and consistent the weld beads look on the Rocky Mountain on the head tube vs this bike. Hopefully, it makes up for that in how it rides.
Why not try Haro Double peak? It's a hardtail. Overall great series can't wait to see the final frame you have in store for us to see.
maaaaannnnnnn i've been hoping for the yelli screamy, hell yes
i love mine shes a beast
I would love to see you add the Santa Cruz Chameleon to the list!
Highly requested Canfield? Looks like a fun frame though.
I meant to say highly rated 😂 I feel like the Canfield will be the lowest viewed video out of the series
I’m from the uk and here the Vitus sentier is a really popular bike it would be really cool to see you review it
Love the matching outfit...
Looking at this frame really has me wanting to grab one. Would you think this frame paired with the super gravit tires from the kollosus video be too chucks for this frame?
It would be a heavy bike, but probably super fun!
@@EvansMTBSaga It seems like you could bash it around and the tanky nature don’t he set up would soak it up.
Could you do rockhopper I’m thinking of getting it
would love to see the Orbea Laufey on these series 😊
I really want to see this RSD on 26" wheels, that would be a lot of fun 🤘
Just took shipment of the 26ers today! It's gonna be a little while to get the parts though
Look at the Kona Honzo ESD, slack, short chain stay, very playful while still being shreddy!
At the end of this series you should get everything you have learnt together about fit and geometry and get a custom frame made and try to make the dream frame for your, like Berm Peak did. Loving the series.
I love learning, hence this quest and my MTB Saga. I'm just about finished with season 1 and I'm only settled on 74° STA and maybe 64.5° HTA, but that's negotiable. Still figuring things out!
try kens tyran x3 frames they are on a budget side
You need to try the Specialized Fuse! Great all around HT!
Out of stock everywhere
Sad that you hadn’t gotten the chance to try a Chromag frame. They are the king of fun hardtails.
Would love to see a review on a commencal meta ht, loving this series I don’t want it to end😂
A stock meta ohlins would be nice. Only thing I would be interested in is the full 29 vs mullet since it comes in both depending on size
If you look up his older videos you will see that he has already owned a commencal meta HT and now he has sold the bike, it was too stiff for his ankles
nice ill have a look @@walken199
@@walken199 an older one. Is the newer one better?
@@yamahschector The new Commencal HT has slight improvements but I would still say that the reach is still too short and it is not possible to upsize cause of the seat tube height.
Evan complains about the frame being too stiff, I personally owned a Commencal meta ht 2021 and was not bothered by the frame being too stiff but I know a lot of people do and I don’t think much has changed on that level.
The 2022 Commencal Meta HT runs probably better as a mullet than a full 29” due to the high bottom bracket.
You must be turning into a master mechanic with all these swapping out parts to frames. quite the workout too it looks like.
Haha it feels like it. I can swap a frame in about 15 minutes now
@@EvansMTBSaga I recently did a lower fork service and took me like 3 hours lol, first time and took breaks though.
I'm betting that the last bike in the series is a Cotic Bfe max
hey what about the merida big trail
Would love to see the yeti arc on here
Would love to see the Surly Krampus compared with the group!!!
Are you gonna do a Santa Cruz chameleon. I'm pretty sure those have sliding dropouts
The frame reminds me of the GT Labomba a lot.
hey evan why dont you try nsbikes eccentric its a 140mm 29er frame and its dirt cheap rn (Frame)
I ride a ns eccentric and its great
Can you try get a hold of seth form berm peaks ozark trail pro + !!!!!!?????
Canfield nimble 9 it on my radar even though I already have 2 hardtails
you should try dartmoor hornet frame
Omg, the middlechild has been my top pick for a while now and even if it's not gonna end up your top pick..(I rly wonder what would ofc) but I'm saving money to import this frame next summer. Maybe I can ask some bikeshops if they can help distribute rsd's awesomeness, and with reviews like this one, hardtailparty etc why wouldn't they want to sell this?
Thank you so much Evan, really loved to see you comparing stuff your own way
edit: just mailed the biggest bike shop in my country if they want to be an official distributor..but i have no hopes whatsoever lol
Edit2: yes plz test 26" nobody has done that before on a review afaik
That’s up to RSD
Hey evan try the Specialised\S works P3
I feel the final hardtail will be cotic or ribble or on one
Calibre? Perhaps 😂
I would like to see you try the Poseidon Norton but that is a 27.5 frame.
Oh man I get so many requests for that frame, but I never checked it out. So that's surprising people request that one given the rules of 29er only 😂
@@EvansMTBSaga well it will fit a narrow 29” I guess. Like a 2.1 maybe? Which would make it pretty fast rolling
@@EvansMTBSagaHit up Spindatt, he'll hook you up with one.
They do have a cromo version that might be more compliant , i have the rsd 291 and the compliance is way better than the commencal meta ht i used to have .
Interesting! I'm eyeing up the ti version too!
Hey Evan,
I would like to purchase a Middlechild. Unfortunately all that Alex has left is larges. I am 5’10. What size are you running and how tall are you? Do you think I’ll need to throw on a short stem?
Please do a Marin el Roy. It’s a unique frame and very well built. I would love if you gave it a shot
Orange crush or a vitus Sentier !! both solid frames
I love the color
I own a RSD RS-291.... The gnarly big bro of the Middlechild..... RSD is hands down one if the brst bike companies going....
Try the Chromag Rootddown next!
I really want to see him try the Kona Honzo ESD. I think that’s what it’s called. I just think it looks awesome
Season two is going to be steel frames
@@EvansMTBSagacan’t wait!
I'm also waiting for that so bad
hi evan, can you try the yeti arc hardtail? i think that will win
Alu frames only is a criterion for this HT quest. The Yeti ARC is a good looking CF frame. I wouldn’t be so hasty in giving it an automatic high rating.
Ooh Stanton, Bird or Orange coming up?