Mini Canyon Strive CF 8.0 review
My friend Alex can afford any bike he wants, and he regularly buys expensive bikes on a whim. He’s been on a Canyon Strive for a couple days, and I got to ride it at Valmont Bike Park. Thoughts:
All the sweet bikes and parts. Mmm … parts.
XC racing: Should I use race tires or trail tires?
Lee, my frugal ass bought Mastering Mountain Bike Skills 3rd Edition instead of waiting for it at the library. I ride a Pivot Mach 429 Trail and it’s versatile enough for general trail riding and XC racing. I live in New England. I have a set of 2.35 Vittoria Barzos on now for some upcoming races, both are which have a lot of climbing. However, on the front they’re sketchy for me especially compared to my Schwalbe Hans Dampf I use for trail riding. Do I just go with what I’m more comfortable with or any specific tips on riding with a front race tire. Thanks.
John K.
400 pounds for a dirt jump bike?
Hi Lee,
Hope you have to time to offer some help 🙂
I’m new to dirt jumping. I went out twice yesterday for the first time, Having ridden extreme XC/enduro I now want to jump. Thing is I have to be careful. I’ve been out twice with pal on his jump bike and have tackled some doubles. Im 48 and have to be careful, I don’t bounce like I used to. Hence Im never gonna jump massive.
Im 6ft 1 and range between 13 and 13.5 stone. Will 100mm travel be adequate for me?
What about this then? I never land heavy, in fact incredibly light but yesterday afternoon I nearly lost it 3 times on landing. How I stayed on only God knows. My pal runs 80psi which I think is crazy. On the morning session the pressure was fine but on the afternoon the ground was wet, soft and slippery. If I am slightly off, do you think 80psi would have reduced my grip and caused me to wobble to the extent where I nearly fell off?
Ideally I’d like to spend about 400 on a second hand bike, will this get me something decent?
What should I look for in terms of spec when considering a purchase. Things which are a must, things to avoid etc?
Thanks in advance if you have the time.
Barry
How’s the Enduro Öhlins Coil?
Hi Lee, how’s everything going? Busy with release of book and Riprow at the same time I guess.
I have a question about Enduro 29 coil
I just rode the “old” Enduro 29 Comp and for the lack of a better expression “it blew my fucking mind”. Me and my friend rode a lift accessed, proper downhill trail a few times and on the 4th or 5th run after I got quite familiar with the track we swapped bikes. Now he was local, he knew every corner. So for first few runs I had a hard time staying just behind him. We are same size very similar weight so we didn’t turn the dials much. Not only i did not need to get used to his bike, I felt more confident right away, I left him behind like hell. I wasn’t doing almost any brake checks, just open gas all the way, braking hard in tighter corners or switchbacks. And hey, Switchback and wagon wheels? No problem, that thing was equally swift as my “smaller bike”. Not only that, I was fresh, I felt like I could do the whole 5-6 minute track without stopping.
Now The only thing Enduro was worse at, compared to my somewhat boutique 27,5 super bike, was suspension. Enduro was not as forgiving for big hits. Landings were a bit wobbly. Later on I had to rent another 650B bike to chcek if my setup isn’t crap. It wasn’t.
So finally to the point… is latest Enduro with Öhlins coil, as fresh to pop around yet buldozer when asked as the old one? And is suspension noticeably better?
I still have goose bumps cpoming up when thinking about that bike…
Cheers!
Wacek K.
2017 Specialized Fuse Comp fork upgrade
Lee,
What would you suggest that won’t break the bank? I have $500 to spend.
I weight 225 lbs. Like to hit the jumps at the local bike park (Rockburn) and go through and not around stuff. Live in Maryland. Ride allot at Patapsco.
Do I need 34 mm stanchions? It is my one bike quiver.
Michael
Butcher and Slaughter tire combo
Hey Lee, hope all is well…
I came across your review of the Specialized Butcher/Slaughter and find it to be a very interesting set-up.
27.5+ tires for XC racing?
Hey Lee!
Hope all is well! In the market for looking for a new racing bike, but the 27.5+ is attracting me a bit. It can be converted to a 29er hardtail and/or a single speed and is theoretically said to have the same ride quality characteristics as a full suspension. Do you think it is worth considering as a race bike in any configuration 29er and 27.5+? I believe Conrad Stoltz raced a 27.5+ in XTERRA once and killed/shredded it, but again, he’s a mutant, so what about us mortal people? =) Any thoughts?
Thank you!
Neil
Sizing down when you get a new bike
Lee – So I played around with the RAD calculator at the Lee Likes Bikes MTB School for my Pivot LES and proposed rocky Mountain Element. Both bikes on the small come out spot on for the RAD but the reach and rise are too short and tall respectively for the bikes compared to the calculations using the XC or Trail setting, so I end up with more of an Enduro setup.
The Rocky Mountain size guide has me on the end of small or beginning of medium and one of the Michigan shops I called recommends sizing up. However when I enter the dimensions for the M Element frame in the RideLogic™ bike calculator, the RAD gets too big. In the comment section you say the RAD is more important than reach/rise in terms of priority. Any additional thoughts?
Scott B
Scott!
Thanks for reaching out, and for being a member of the Lee Likes Bikes MTB School.
The core tenant of the RideLogic™ Bike Setup Method is matching the distance between your bike’s bottom bracket and grips to the distance between your feet and hands. This is called the Rider Area Distance. Since I’m in charge, I call it the RAD.
Rider Area Distance (RAD).
The secondary measurement is Rider Area Angle in Degrees (RAAD). This is the angle of your RAD compared with level. RAAD tends to vary with the type of bike. Low RAAD for an XC race bike; high RAAD for a downhill bike.
Rider Area Angle in Degrees (RAAD).
In my experience, RAD is most important measurement by a mile. Any bike with a perfect RAD and a reasonable RAAD rides great.
If you go for the larger frame, the reach can be so long it’s hard to get a short enough RAD. If you can get the RAD correct, the RAAD will end up low, and you’ll end up with a bike with a long, “XC” feeling cockpit. For most riders this will not feel good, especially on fun terrain. In my work with lots of folks, almost everyone, no matter their riding style, prefers a higher RAAD like you find on an enduro bike.
Modern bikes are getting longer and longer. More specifically, their reaches (horizontal distance from bottom bracket to top of head tube) are getting longer. In many cases, the stacks (vertical distance from bottom bracket to head tube) are also getting higher. It’s very common that riders need to “size down.”
Everyone: Before you buy a bike, plug your numbers and your bike’s numbers into the RideLogic™ calculators. They are available, along with tons of great skills lessons, with a Lee Likes Bikes MTB School membership. You can use the same calculators, and the RideLogic™ on-bike test, to dial in your current bike.
My new medium 2017 Enduro, which is amazing, is 20mm longer than my medium Stumpy. While I got the Enduro’s RAD within a few millimeters of perfect, the cockpit is too long for me, and it’s giving me a hard time. If my shoulders were healthy it wouldn’t be such a big deal, but this is hurting me so much that I think I’m going to return the free bike and try to get a small.
2017 Specialzied Enduro Öhlins Coil. This is an awesome, amazing, impressive machine! It’s just a bit long for me.
I hope that helps,
Lee
Know more. Have more fun!
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2-ride impression 2017 Specialized Bicycles Enduro Ohlins Coil 29/6Fattie
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What happens when you add fork travel?
Warning: For serious MTB nerds.
Lately I’ve been doing a lot of RideLogic™ bike setup consultations for members of the Lee Likes Bikes MTB School.
The school has a simple method and detailed calculators to help you dial in your bike for your body and riding style. One service I offer members is a $49 consultation. You tell me what you’re trying to achieve, and I do the calculations for you. This is a great way to dial in your current bike or choose your next bike — with total confidence. A lot of people spend thousands of dollars on bikes that don’t fit them. Not cool!
To run the RideLogic™ calculations I need accurate head angle and frame reach/stack numbers. When people install longer-than-stock forks, those numbers change, so I have to do some pre-calculation calculations.
Expanding your quiver from 2 to 3 bikes
Lee,
Here’s what I am thinking – would like your input as I am getting a new bike [Mikkel, a Specialized ambassador, has been riding a Stumpy 6Fattie for the past year].
Epic – for XC racing and long rides
Camber 29er – perfect for the Santa Monica trails
Enduro 29er (with a 6Fattie wheel set) – for bigger riding (mount Wilson and shredding)
I am thinking of getting rid of the stumpy in favor of the Enduro.
What do you think of having those three bikes?
Mikkel
Custom frame and seat tube angle
Greetings Lee. I am in the process of having a custom hardtail frame built, I have some questions about fit, seat tube angle, pedaling efficiency & comfort. Seems like a lot of makers are going with shorter stays and steeper 74* seat tube angles to keep the rider weight centered. My Builder thinks that a true 73* seat tube angle will work fine with short stays. Of course I want to be sure about the geometry.
Wondering what your take is on the steeper seat angles paired with shorter stays – certainly for short rides they can keep the rider in a good spot, but does that come at price – less engagement of the glutes & lower back, and thus less ideal for longer days in the saddle, for example?
Thanks for any input.
Josh