prj71

Between my fat bike, mountain bike and road bike I have over a 1,000 miles in since January 1.

I don't ever remember you mentioning that you have a newer mountain bike. With that said...It falls under "You don't know what you don't know" And until the day comes that you get something a little more modern...you will never know what you don’t know...which means there will always be gaps in your knowledge.

Kapusta

You mean the thread where he asked what the functional difference was between the 1999 yeti Ht and other high end HTs of the time and nobody could give him a straight answer because nobody else knew either?

Happy Feet

I've ridden modern mtbs and older mtbs and have fairly balanced view of their value both ways. Not a gap but rather a well rounded perspective. I see where some excel over others and where others do well enough, depending on the circumstance. What I haven't done is throw the baby out with the bathwater and declare a whole generation of bikes to be junk.

In 10 or 20 years the new great bikes you like so much will be also be considered junk to those who think as you do. Sadly, you will never be able to say today's best was "good enough" because that sort of thinking leaves you open to criticism for not appreciating what could be better; always measuring one against the other like it's a contest with only one possible winner.

Did you ever consider, depending on the trails, that a good older bike and a good modern bike could both be ok? I'm curious because that's the position I keep suggesting. Not that one is "better" than the other.

Actually it was "what's so good about a Yeti"? and people responded with a lot of feedback. But the question was mostly used as a rhetorical device to again put down older bikes. It's a predictable pattern in almost every older bike thread.

prj71

So these modern bikes you have ridden...Do you have one in your possession now that you ride a couple days a week or were they just parking lot tests or 1/4 mile out and back trail tests on a friends bike? I still feel "you don't know, what you don't know"



That's quite possible, but I think they've dialed things in with geometry pretty darn good right now for the different types of riding...XC, Trail or Downhill. Any changes moving forward for the next few years will be subtle and not like what's happened in the past 10+ years.


https://www.qbp.com/call_up/mountain-bike-evolution


https://cyclingmagazine.ca/mtb/11-mo...ges-of-decade/


https://enduro-mtb.com/en/revolution...sixteen-years/



No not really. Just being pragmatic.



There also comes a time when upgrading or spending money on that good older bike no longer becomes worth the hassle due to cost vs. worth, or parts availability etc.




Actually it was "What sets this Yeti apart from other bikes in that era?"

Other than some well known people associated with the bike, nobody really gave me a good answer about what made the bike itself stand out from similar bikes of the same era.

Happy Feet

Granted.. it was a pretty big parking lot.





The thing is, I don't really care what you "feel".
I come to the mtb sub forum to share my experiences mountain biking. I have ridden newer and older bikes. Currently its an older bike but, as my weekly photos and videos depict, I am out there, riding.

The only thing that really sucks is that one poster, you, feels the need to crap in every thread relating to the type of bike I am currently riding. I get it that you own a new bike and are very happy with it. That's fantastic! I don't recall people crapping in every thread about how modern bikes suck so your experience here is pleasurable I'm sure. IRL, as here, I try to be inclusive and helpful with my hobbies/pastimes/activities.

What would be nice is if you could extend the same courtesy to others having a similar experience on the forum. I have a pretty thick skin and can argue all day (though it now just bores me) but I feel sorry for those newer or less dominant posters who may ride older, used, or inexpensive bikes, come to this sub forum, be met with the endless mantra of "your bike sucks" in every thread about those bikes and eventually leave the forum as being unfriendly. Already, it is so lopside in regards to being a new bike/component review site (of which there are hundreds within easy google reach) that threads about alternatives are few and far between. And.. predictably, when they occur, you are there to chime in with "they suck".

I don't really come here to talk about buying stuff. My hobby is not reading about what's new to buy. I'm not a spendaholic or suffering from constant upgrade-itis. I come here to talk about mountain biking, which I actually do, every week. As a regular rider and contributor it is boring and pedantic to have what I ride constantly put down on a board I am a part of. Some times I push back, sometimes I can't help but wonder why the constant troll? It's not a contest.

I'm tired of it. It's negative and off putting when done constantly in every thread. If it persists I'll talk to the mods about it and make a decision from there.

prj71

Funny thing is...I do the same and so have I. The difference is just that you don't like what I post so you always feel the need to comment on it.

No need to single me out. Others here have posted similar responses to mine.

Where did I say someone's bike sucks? Just because a recommendation is made that someone may want to look at something newer or better doesn't mean it sucks. It means maybe the recommendation is being made because they aren't aware of the better changes in bikes that have occured in the past 10 years. Unless we are talking about department store bikes (saw a mountain bike at Walmart for $98 yesterday) then yes...those suck.

Happy Feet

Maybe people don't know new modern bikes are better than older bikes? Really. Is there any more obvious and safe message than that.

Wonder how you would react if I posted into every modern bike thread to say, with a little more skill and strength of course, one could save a bunch of money by buying used and probably ride the same trails one is riding now. How long until that starts to look trollish.

DMC707

what makes the bike you sre riding now better than an equivalent bike from YT, Commencal, Santa Cruz, Yeti or Specialized?

nothing? Then just pick your favoritee color and brand, set brake lever free play the suspension sag , and go riding.. soem of the bikes we ride will still be iconic in 20 years , others wont. A lot of a brands success is due to marketing, not engineering

if we posed a similar query to the old Yeti quandry but relate it to road bikes, the line of questioning woukd be preposterous.

hypotherical:
“Road bikes from the mid to late 90’s seem to be outfitted so similarly and the geometry is so identical.
AACan anyone truthfully tell me how and why this bike labelled a DeRosa is labeled and priced so much morew than this Specialized Allez? I mean, come on - you still have to pedal them right?”

Kapusta

If you want to continue this discussion from another thread, how about picking it up in the thread that it started?

DMC707

go handle your business anywhere you want and talk about whatever you want to

Kapusta

Well I guess it makes sense for you to make your argument here, since it makes little sense in the context of the discussion/thread it is actually referring to.

DMC707

sorry Kap, i may have lost sight of the actual topic. The banter between a couple of other guys’ on here seems to overflow into different threads

regarding a 10 yo bike, i wouldnt hesitate if it was a hybrid. If it was an mtb, the note about straight vs tapered headtube and wheelsize is valid. Id go for a hardtail 29’er but the straight HT would cause me to pause.

a 10 yo 26” wheeled bike id probably keep exploring my options though.

MRT2

Not a lot has changed on hybrids that would make a lot of difference to a beginner. A few years ago I gifted my late 90s era Bianchi hybrid to my cousin. He was riding a girl's bike that was too small for him and the Bianchi was sitting in my garage. I told him it was cleaned up and tuned a few years earlier when son rode it briefly, so everything is pretty much ready to ride. He asked what would be the difference between that and a new hybrid. I said on a $500 hybrid, nothing. But if he wanted to spend more like $750, maybe disc brakes, 8 or 9 speed shifters instead of 7. And maybe a newer bike would be 1 or 2 lbs lighter.

Happy Feet

I'd also say, for a lot of people who post here looking for a mountain bike but in reality just want to ride some simple trails with the grandkids etc... a 10 year old mtb will do just fine. Not everyone and every situation requires a new bike.

I can't recall anyone saying to someone who had the budget or the desire to buy a new bike that they should buy an old used one instead.

What does happens here though is people take their unique situation and their specific choice and extrapolate it onto another persons reality as if one size fits all. In a perfect world proly most everyone would ride brand new top o' the line quality bikes. Suggesting that - as if it's news to the world - is stating the obvious IMO. But the world isn't perfect, people have differing priorities, and not everyone is going to buy a new bike for every occasion.

I've been biking for 50 years. I ride road, gravel, FG, SS, touring, fat and mtb bikes. Imagine if I felt it necessary to buy new expensive bikes for each genre I wanted to pursue. Now add multiple hobbies like scuba diving, kayaking, salt water aquariums, photography... Of course one wants better but good enough sometimes is good enough when you have a wife, three kids and a mortgage. I assume some, not all, have similar compromises to make so I am sensitive to budgets and needs.

One can have all the cool tools and look the part but that isn't really mountain biking. Its just the gentrification of it. Mountain biking at its core is the spirit of getting out and riding off road. Resilience.. adventure. Depending on the terrain "new" need not be a barrier.

A couple of videos from the weekend, so far, on an older bike. Hope others are getting out and riding theirs (regardless of age) too.

prj71

Since you asked...

Patented Living Link suspension. It's the real deal. Bike climbs like a hard tail.

https://spotbikes.com/pages/living-link

stevel610 

DMC707

offthe topic and as an aside
i knew i recognized this bike brand. Their headquarters shares extreme close proximity to the Yeti HQ in Golden CO. Same industrial park. Those guys likely go on the same lunch rides together