Nerf Herder
Wheel size expert
I've been lucky enough to enjoy quite a bit of riding over the last few weeks ... and also have a relatively diverse stable of bikes.
I am forming the opinion that there is no such thing as "The One Bike" or a "Do it all Bike"
IMO thats not possible and the compromises are too severe that they either take away from the fun of the ride ... or in the worst case makes it dangerous ... eg, blow a blood vessel trying to get your 18kg AM rig up the hill or crash your brains out on the tech-fest section of your local DH track ... or other bits of expensive snappage to bits that well shouldn't snap.
As an example
my Bullit is supposed to be my "Do it All" bike ... but what I find is that the wheels are too burly for XC ... and I just can't seem to accelerate after a corner ... and its too heavy for sustained hill climbing.
For DH ... the 3 ring combo is way too noisy and drops chains faster then a socialite drops their mobile with uhmmm ... videos of them having uhmmm sexy time ... back on topic ... and as nice as having 6" and 7" F&R is ... it ain't as good as 8 & 8 [insert bigger numbers if needed].
As for Park or Street ... forget about it ... unless of course you consider a ride thru the park and street to get milk as the "S" and the "P" in your STP
Anyways ... what you think Lad ???
along with your well thought out answer provide the following details for some context
i) What rig you Got ... or What rig do you consider as a "Do it All Bike"
ii) How many or what styles do you use it for ... [are you really doing everything with it ?]
iii) What other rigs have you ridden
iv) Would you have ridden the various styles you ride faster, better or with more confidence if you had a more specific bike to that style / track.
v) Assume your on a group ride ... you all have roughly the same skillz and fitness ... everybody except you has a specific bike design for the style of track you are riding versus your "Do it All" rig ... Are you kicking arse ?
Note:
- I don't care about finances ... I also don't care whether brand X is better then brand Y ... this is about purpose built rigs used for specific tracks vs a Nomad or Bullit or SX Trail [or insert Do it all Bike + build here]
- Similarly, although the above is kinda implying having a bike for every different track (eg for DH) ... I'm not really saying that.
I am forming the opinion that there is no such thing as "The One Bike" or a "Do it all Bike"
IMO thats not possible and the compromises are too severe that they either take away from the fun of the ride ... or in the worst case makes it dangerous ... eg, blow a blood vessel trying to get your 18kg AM rig up the hill or crash your brains out on the tech-fest section of your local DH track ... or other bits of expensive snappage to bits that well shouldn't snap.
As an example
my Bullit is supposed to be my "Do it All" bike ... but what I find is that the wheels are too burly for XC ... and I just can't seem to accelerate after a corner ... and its too heavy for sustained hill climbing.
For DH ... the 3 ring combo is way too noisy and drops chains faster then a socialite drops their mobile with uhmmm ... videos of them having uhmmm sexy time ... back on topic ... and as nice as having 6" and 7" F&R is ... it ain't as good as 8 & 8 [insert bigger numbers if needed].
As for Park or Street ... forget about it ... unless of course you consider a ride thru the park and street to get milk as the "S" and the "P" in your STP
Anyways ... what you think Lad ???
along with your well thought out answer provide the following details for some context
i) What rig you Got ... or What rig do you consider as a "Do it All Bike"
ii) How many or what styles do you use it for ... [are you really doing everything with it ?]
iii) What other rigs have you ridden
iv) Would you have ridden the various styles you ride faster, better or with more confidence if you had a more specific bike to that style / track.
v) Assume your on a group ride ... you all have roughly the same skillz and fitness ... everybody except you has a specific bike design for the style of track you are riding versus your "Do it All" rig ... Are you kicking arse ?
Note:
- I don't care about finances ... I also don't care whether brand X is better then brand Y ... this is about purpose built rigs used for specific tracks vs a Nomad or Bullit or SX Trail [or insert Do it all Bike + build here]
- Similarly, although the above is kinda implying having a bike for every different track (eg for DH) ... I'm not really saying that.