Oddjob
Merry fucking Xmas to you assholes
You took a Giant Trance to Maydena? Holy shit balls. Respect!I didn't worry too much about numbers when I bought my first dualie (and current bike).
I reckon that's prolly the case for many people.
At the time the biggest factor for me was value for money (and still is). I hate paying extra for intangible brand cred/wank.
I do remember checking/comparing HTA & the Trance was best v.f.m. AND close-to slackest HTA in that category, at that time.
The bike has been great for the last few years - done everything well. Easy to upgrade as I improved too.
And then I went to Maydena.
Nothing brings the geometry numbers into focus more than a full day of death-grip, holy-shit, arse-off-the-back flat-out descending.
Nothing shows up a bikes' (and riders) weaknesses more than "expanding the envelope".
Would the OP take the Satori to Maydena if he/she had a burlier bike in the shed? I'd argue, no. That's because the numbers matter.
Would the OP enter a local XC race on a 160+mm, slack Enduro sled, if they had a stiff, short, upright 100mm travel bike? Prolly not. Wrong numbers, yeah?
When you can only own one bike, shit yeah the numbers matter. I've been studying them like a nutter lately. If that makes me a car park wanker, so be it.
F@ckin' oath I'll dismiss a bike because of a particular number. No apologies. Have I ridden it? No I haven't.
But you try getting a demo ride on an XL frame from a boutique manufacturer....in Tasmania.
You'd have more luck finding Tasmanian Tiger shit on the footpath. When you can't demo bikes (because the distributors don't give a shit about demos) you have no choice but to study the numbers & try to narrow it down. The numbers are your only clues. I don't have the luxury of riding lots of different bikes & just going by the "feel".
My next bike will be my best attempt at choosing the ultimate all-rounder. I'm unapologetically looking for The Unicorn. I will be ruthless about numbers. I can't afford to own it for 3 or 4 years and hate the seat tube angle or fight with the stand-over height etc etc
These bikes that we love so much are some of the most over-priced things on the planet (when you try to look at them in isolation vs other things in life).
When you're handing over thousands & thousands of dollars, why wouldn't you be ruthless about a degree here or there....or a less-than-competitive spec...?
If the numbers didn't matter, and TrekSpeshGiantScott knew everything about bike design, then old mate Leo wouldn't have sold a single Pole & no one would care about his bikes & influence. He would have made no impression & been laughed outta town.
But he's doing well. He's selling bikes & ruffling feathers. People are really interested in his numbers.
You're in good company though. I did the 2009 Peru Megavalanche which was won by a guy on a 140mm bike. The 2012 Megavalanche was won on a singlespeed hardtail.
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