Originally Posted by
subgrade
It seems almost that you just don't consider XC a valid subgenre of MTB.
The point is that it is the current XC geometry, and there is no point in comparing it to the bikes of other MTB disciplines. They are tools optimized for the specific job. How come no one is winning XC rases on enduro bikes?
My preferences are beside the point. The point is what the market as a whole is doing. And the market as a whole is largely uninterested the niche XC racing bikes like the ones we are talking about for actual MTB use.
And apparently Sonder agrees with my assessment, thus the rebranding.
XC racing lost its relevance in modern MTB design about 20 years ago. Otherwise we would still be riding 580mm bars, 120mm stems, 2.0” tires, 71deg head angles, 4” saddle to bar drops, tight ratio cassettes, short top tubes, and no droppers. XC racing design has been dragged kicking and screaming every step of the way on all of these things just to get where it is now. It has always been slow to catch up.