Does Ultra Light Still Work For XC? | GMBN Tech Show 351

Do you look for the lightest bikes and components for XC riding?

Anna, I don't give a single shit about XC or what is happening in XC. That's not real mountainbiking anyway. And what's with all the gravel bike talk? Is this GCN now or something?

What kind of alloy is the Specialized? Steel? Steel is the most common alloy on Earth.

Interesting to see that after the industry killed 26" wheels now there are barely even any mountain bikes with 27.5" wheels and head angles beyond 68° available anymore. It's like with the toughening of event courses a silly decision was made that riding flat trails doesn't constitute for a sport anymore.

Anna makes me 😊
I wanna go see her and ride some of those awesome trails 🚲❣️

If it doesnt just give the pros heavier bikes. Thank you

The courses may be more dramatic as a whole, but the '90s XC courses look comparatively dramatic when considering the bikes that were being ridden on them. There were rock gardens / rock waterfalls on courses 30 years ago; some people rode down but most walked.

She is a bad girl.😊

I think Brompton are so late bringing out a 20" wheels. There are many other folding bike brands do have 20"

I don't know how long they used those wheels on XC race, but they have the support to have those wheels change.
I don't have to spend for those expensive wheels. I'm ok with what I have so far. Riding on tarmac and trail, and even daily rides are still reliable.

😂 what a stupid question title

Oiz is a Spanish mountain

I think 29 inch wheels are bollocks, 27.5 are good enough for the fun factor, they are stiffer and lighter too. I see the next step as 32 inch wheels .

I want another data harvesteing app for my shocks as much as I want an app for my washing machine or fridge. So not really.

That new Brompton is absolutely sick. Basically all the things I’ve always wanted a brommy to be. Definitely on the wish list.

Hub is a nice idea for a few bikes... Don't get one for your hardtail 😂

Brompton G Bike...good idea, I own 11 bikes some of which date back to the 1990's a mixture of road, gravel and mountain bikes...including a 2019 Brompton. The Brompton is great on tarmac, shopping, coffee runs etc but its 16'' wheels are a drawback off road, potholes etc. For those van away days when you want to explore new areas including mild off road tracks....perfect bike...and you can fold it and foil the light fingered ones by taking it with you into the cafe/shop...perfect!

Thanks for spinning the wheel revolution debate.

Great reviews. “Dramastic”!!! I’m still laughing out loud. Perhaps you could add an out takes/ bloopers section to the end of your vid. 😂

People like to put down gravel but i think Gravel exists to fill the void left behind by xc getting tougher.

Without the tech developments in XC courses and bikes, I really don't think we would be where we are now. Downhill has helped, but XC has taught us how to keep bikes a manageable weight and still be tough.

had Direct Pull Fulcrum XC Wheels -- super stout and never had to be trued! Thanks for content

The oiz is named after mount oiz in Spain

Love the new word, dramatic + drastic = Dramastic!!!

The new e13 hub is very interesting. I may give it a try if I can get just the hub to build up with a Spank rim.

Awesome, as always!

Going away from self- support in XC ruined it; after that it just becomes like DH- an arms race.
Courses went down the tubes after the Beijing Olympics, and haven't really returned to the pure mountain goodness of old style Mt. Saint Anne, Mount Snow, Snowshoe or Ft. William.
I was watching a build review of Whiteface's new UCI XC course, and the guy said people were griping about its old school climb right out of the start- designed to separate the field into 'winners and maybes' right at the beginning.

The technical, rocky sections on XC courses need to be uphill. That solves the problems of a boring road race up a gravel track without just adding little enduro downhill sections.

Thanks for featuring my Dads bike (the old Pioneer), it means a lot to me.

CFR have actually won 3 World titles this season; XCO, XCM x2.......

Let's be honest, modern XC bikes are now trail bikes. And while an xc race bike in the past wasn't something you would want to take on a casual weekend ride now they're perfect. Add a little tougher casing tire and hit your local trails. I'm eyeing something like an SB120 or F-podium

Unless you're shuttling or riding a chairlift for all your big climbs, XC bikes can take you up long big climbs and descent pretty decently. I hate seeing people (especially small women) struggling and not enjoying climbing on a 35 lb all mountain bike with more fork travel than they know what to do with.

It seems like the industry is trying to phase out hardtails, especially in the xc arena, and I for one think that's unfortunate. For the vast majority of riders a good versatile hardtail is all you need. Racing is what drives innovation and with no one racing hardtails they won't get the love they deserve.

I don’t care at all about tech, I just love riding my 2014 Cannondale trail 4 hardtail and being able to ride xc in my local area.
Off-road folding bikes… what’s the point? I want a folding bike to get me to the train station and work and back, I have a mountain bike to play on.

Both of my current mountain bikes use bolt through 29er wheels. Unless I fit a 650b wheel to my Rallon. They also have boost spacing. My previous full suspension bike had non boost hubs. Bolt through front hub and qr rear hub. It's the only bike I've had with full 650b wheels. Everything else had 26" wheels. I'm glad the wheels and rims are getting stronger. On one hardtail. I had 2 lighter weight rear rims split on the inner part of the rim. Through 3 spoke holes. After the second rim did that as well. I had the rear wheel rebuilt with w stronger rim. I am on the heavier side and have limited mechanical sympathy.

The issue of components from XC to common mortals is that those components are design to be light (good) but in the race environment they just must last the race.... that 90 minutes of hard use... then new ones, rebuild ones for the next race ... so, for us ... is this maintenance level bearable?

Oiz is the name of a mountain in the region in Spain where the Orbea HQ is located.

"Owen dude" does not understand/know that Discovery +/Warner - AKA ESPN does not stream any of the UCI races at all in entire latin america, we can't watch a single MTB, DH, Enduro or whatever, with the exemption of TdF/Vuelta/Giro full of propaganda and with the lousiest commentarists ever.
He instead starts "thank you discovery".
WTF

I definitely care about xc as a proving ground for wheels. It’s much more relevant to the trail riding I do than downhill wheel tech is

My Hard tail Chisel running on XT and SID Sl, comes in at 11kg on ali Hope wheels.....dont race , weight is fine for trail rides and off road sportives, up to 100km, but for longer forays loosing a bit of weight would be a bonus, going carbon on stem, bars and wheels seems the only way.....but are they durable enough on the rough stuff? ?

I want a xc frame but I would try to overstroke it: complete 25 lbs bike with 150/150 travel.
The dream, literally

Really interesting topic. Remember when Team Sunn moved back to rigid forks in some races in late 90s? That was the pinnacle of what you describe. Interestingly, in MTB the UCI rules/track designs resulted in bikes more useful to the normal rider in contrast to road cycling where the obligation to make the pro bikes available to the public results in normal people riding bikes that make them hurt. I love my Cannondale Scalpel SE. Capable enough for most if my home trails and so fast.

Mount Oiz

Just done 77km xc long ride on a fairly rough terrain on my 2021 Carbon Orbea Alma M30 whit few good upgrades like 30 mm carbon oquowheels lighweight is importand combined whit comfort and durabilty toughness my xc hardtail is not the lightest but it really works well.

Ohhh I got the bottom line 😎

I'm seriously considering Berds wheels after watching Pidcock riding full send on those gnarly rock gardens.

Still rocking my Sworks Epic HT 2022 with Enve M5