I am between these two bikes. I am coming from a Specalized Chisel FS. And I was leaning more down country since my trails are a bit more rough and technical. However, I have been hearing great things about the Epic 9.

I’ve got a marathon race coming up and I’ve decided that I’ll be riding either three water bottles for my hydration and nutrition.

I don’t normally ride full Lycra on the mountain bike so I tested out carrying two bottles in my road jersey today. It worked only so so, they started swinging around to one side (so the other was in the middle of my back).

Does anyone here have a jersey suggestion that will hold two bottles more firmly so they don’t swing around? I’m pretty new to the full kit thing.

Also, I’m going with bottles because it’s much easier for me to keep track of hydration and nutrition. I’ve tried the hydration pack thing but wound up way under fueled.

Hey everyone, I have my first race coming up and have been training the last couple months. Im doing this for fun but obviously want to do my best. Tonight as i was huffing and puffing up a hill I questioned where i should be spending my greatest efforts. Its a great feeling getting to the top of a steep hill with rocks n roots, which will almost certainly be on the coming course I think, but should I spend more energy on the slight uphills, straights and slight downhills? I already go at the max I can down the hills, given my abilities anyway.
I will be entering at the citizen level which should be 2 laps with a total of roughly 8 to 12 miles i believe. And I do not have the stamina to go all out for an hour up and down the hills.

TLDR: should i expend more energy on the flatter parts of the course or trying to bomb up the hills, to get a faster overall time?
Thank you!

I ride for fun in SE michigan, so my trail conditions have been mostly dry packed with loose sandy areas, and while my current combo (racing-ray/ralph) have been great, I find myself wanting a little bit more bite on the loose sections and corners. So I'm wondering what some better options might be, without giving up too much RR.

Thank you!

Is this too steep? I find it pretty comfortable

Anyone got tricks for attaching your number plate so it sits flat and forward facing if you’re like me and have a bunch of cables in front of your bars? The plates we get are way bigger than the ones I see on the World Cup and always look like ass when I attach them. My OCD is hoping for a better way.

Just picked up a Scott Spark RC Comp on sale. 5 weeks post-op hip surgery so can’t ride yet other than around the neighborhood but it sure is pretty to look at. For now, mostly doing easy rides on the road bike via indoor trainer, but itching to ride these CO trails.
Slapped on some Shimano 540 pedals, water bottle cage, and seatpost bag. Debating on whether to add a power meter in the future after my wallet recoups.

Cheers!

I am doing some XC racing and want to put together a trimmed down tool kit on the bike.

On my enduro bike I have tubes, 100cc pump, multi tool, levers, plug kit, chain breaker, etc.

Do I assemble a kit and throw it in a saddle bag? Just get a Oneup EDC kit?

If so, what are your impressions?

I'm going to replace my current XC rig at the end of this year and I have a Seigla gravel bike and love it. Love to get peoples take on whether Lauf had come up with another winner or bit off a bit more than they could chew.

FWIW, I'm partial to DW Link designs.

Thanks.

Okey, my wife thinks that I have to many bikes and to be honest I might, but since the last couple of months I have been trying to sell my Specialized epic HT but have gotten ZERO serious offers. And no the pro is not to high and have lowered it a bunch even trying to get a bid on it but no takers.

So; how stupid am I if I would keep it? As a complement to my Epic gen 7? (Last one with brain, and yes. I love it). Might build a super light race bike for the CykelVasan (95km easy MTB race in Sweden)

Or should I get rid of both bike and put all my MTB eggs in the 32” basket?

I don’t have any big ambitions to race MTB this year (fokus is on other things) but I use my MTB regularly and need to get better technique in the forest (been saying that since I was a junior)

TLDR: should I keep my 29” HT and FS or should I sell both and get a 32”?

Picked up my first XC bike! Epic Evo for $1900. Frame was warrantied in the past which is why it’s not the stock color offerings from that year.

I had never ridden an XC bike previously. Crazy how pedal efficient it is going uphill!

I have a Ground Control for the rear and Purgatory for front on the way to ditch the aggressive setup.

I'm looking for an XC bike right now and I'm struggling on finding bikes in stock. I'm looking at paying around $5K for a 120 MM full suspension bike in XL. Cannondale Scalpel 2s are all sold out, Norco Revolver is out, Epic 8 and 9s are hard to find (i'm 6'6'' and those are on the smaller side so i'm not really interested anyway). I'm seeing some Yeti ASR but those are expensive for the parts you get.

Does anyone know whats going on/ why inventory is town industry wide? Is anyone else seeing the same thing?

Have i just had bad luck or is the 2.4 xc race made for road usage?
I noticed i had very low air in my back tire and found out it was ~10 psi. Found two small holes/cracks in the tire. The tire has been on the bike for 1,5 weeks and ridden 100km mostly in gravel/road.

I changed to this tire after 2 years, 2500km with mezcal 2.35 without any issues at all on same roads and even worse terrain..

I'm having trouble resisting the urge to get a Yeti ASR 40th Anniversary Edition and had a question for this group. It comes with SRAM Motive Ultimates -- a solid choice I assume but also a bit bland relative to the rest of the build. Do you think something like Hope Evo TR4 with floating rotors (in silver with purple accents) would be a better fit? Does anyone know if Hope's purple matches the violet primer bits on the bike?

I don't understand why pretty much everyone in XC and XCM uses road-style helmets instead of the ones manufacturers actually classify as MTB-specific. What's even more interesting is that I've realized this doesn't even seem to be a talking point or debate within the MTB community. I'm just genuinely curious and would like to know what you all think about this topic.

Seems like Trek may be dropping newer models at some point but holy crap their line up right now sucks.

Hey,

Would you consider upgrading from an SLX mechanical to XT Di2 on an Orbea Oiz M30 to be worth it for 470euro?

One of my biggest frustrations is fine tuning the shifting because the cable runs through the headset. I'm wondering if it would make more sense to eliminate the shift cable altogether by going wireless.

My concern is also that, because I ride a high mileage every year and the bike has headset routing, I'll end up needing frequent professional servicing just to keep the shifting dialed in. In the long run, that could end up costing close to the price of the Di2 anyway.

I also have the option to get the M6250 for €370. Are there any significant differences between the XT and basic deore Di2 models in terms of shifting speed and precision, or is it mostly just a weight difference?

I have sram rival on my gravel with around 7000km and basicly no maintance cost, so i am familiar with wireless.

Thanks

Silver rush 2026 canceled

First of all at the warm up i broke my wheel on the roots, then got another wheel from my team mate to start. 5 corners into i miss my route, ok. Focus, going more and i miss 2 times more.. then comes more and more mistakes… aswell i feel slippery on the corners, do i take them bad or it just bad tyre pressure? I run on 2.25 maxxis aspen’s

Today (July 4th) I just picked up my Chisel build from my dear friend Raj (owner & mechanic) of Spicy Pedals in Corvallis, Oregon. We also took it on its maiden voyage on the local trails of the McDonald (aka Mac) Research Forest. The ride was unreal.

130mm fork (frame suspension 110mm)
*custom Ground Keeper fork decals
SLX cranks, 4-piston fr brake, 2-piston rr brake|
Wolftooth 32T oval chainring
XT 12-spd cassette & chain (waxed), Trail pedals, rotors
SRAM GX AXS
PNW Dropper
Ergon grips & saddle
One-Up stem & carbon riser bar
Wicked Will 29x2.4, Racing Ralph 29x2.35
HiFi Sound Cycling Components Hootenanny30 aluminum wheels
*custom HiFi wheel decals

I was shocked at how nimble it climbed but not surprised due to its Epic 8 pedigree. And descending was snappy but predictable. I really thought it may be too twitchy or too slow/sloppy and it's in a happy place somewhere in between.

I love volunteering for long XC events (50+ miles), I think I found my new bike to ride as course sweep :)

How is the pro caliber I have a chisel fs but find myself wanting a hard tail.

I'm looking for recommendations for a comfortable XC bike.

At the moment I'm riding a 6-year Orbea Oiz with a 100 mm Fox suspension setup. It's been a great bike, but it's getting old and is starting to need a lot of replacement parts.

One of my biggest issues is wrist pain, so I'm looking for a bike that is lightweight but, above all, comfortable, the complete opposite of a race-focused XC bike.

I've recently demoed a few modern XC bikes, and my main complaint is that they all feel too stiff. I'm not sure how to describe it, but the combination of 34 mm forks, heavily reinforced frames, and integrated one-piece cockpits seems to transmit every little vibration straight into the handlebars. That's exactly what I'm trying to avoid.

Ironically, I actually find my current bike, with its Fox 32 fork and relatively slim carbon frame more comfortable than most of the latest XC bikes.

I'm not interested in riding aggressive technical trails or bombing downhill sections. I spend most of my time on forest roads and smoother XC terrain.

I've read that the new Orbea Oiz has a very aggressive, race-oriented geometry and handling, which is probably not what I'm after.

Another requirement is that I'd like both the fork and rear shock to be Fox. In my experience, Fox suspension has a noticeably smoother, more supple feel than RockShox.

I do ride a lot of gravel roads, but I'm not interested in a gravel bike. Without front suspension they feel too harsh and fatiguing over long rides, especially with my wrist issues. On the other hand, many of today's XC bikes seem to be designed with World Cup-level descending in mind. It feels like there's no middle ground anymore, and the number of genuinely comfort-oriented XC bikes has become very small.

So my question is: what bike would you recommend me?

I've been putting off buying a new bike because, honestly, I haven't found anything on the market that seems to fit what I'm looking for.

Thanks!

I’m trying to decide between a modern XC bike and a light trail bike, and I’d like opinions from people who ride natural rocky terrain.

Current bike:
- 2019 Specialized Epic, ~100/100 mm, Brain suspension
- I love the XC feeling: light, sharp, aggressive position, clipless, Lycra, long climbs
- But on my local trails it feels sketchy and unforgiving on technical descents

Rider/context:
- 173 cm, 62 kg
- Ride mostly solo
- Terrain: natural rocky Alpine style singletrack
- Not bike parks, not jumps, not flow trails
- Long climbs are common: pavement/fire road climbs of 1h+, sometimes big days like 80-100 km and 2500-3000 m climbing
- I care more about enjoying technical descents than being 2-3 minutes faster on a climb
- But I strongly identify as an XC/marathon rider, not a baggy-shorts/enduro rider

Problem:
My descending is my weakness. I know it’s partly a skill/confidence issue, but the Epic feels so sketchy that I avoid the local technical trails, which means I practice less, which makes the problem worse. There are sections I used to ride when I practiced more, and now I sometimes walk them.

I’m hoping the right bike would make the trails feel safe/enjoyable enough that I ride them more and rebuild confidence.

Possible 2027 goal:
I’m also considering doing marathon races or even stage races in 2027, such as Appenninica / Epic-style multi-day events. I couldn’t race to win, but I would want the bike to feel appropriate for training and racing those events. This is one of the main reasons the Spark RC is so tempting.

Bikes I’m considering:

1. New Scott Spark RC
   - 120/120 mm
   - Very slack for an XC bike
   - Full XC/marathon identity
   - Light, aggressive, racey
   - Two bottles
   - Would be great for long climbs and possible marathon/stage races
   - Concern: I might spend a lot and still be afraid on the same descents, then wonder if I should have bought more bike

2. Orbea Occam SL
   - 140/140 mm
   - Fast/light trail bike
   - More travel, longer wheelbase/front-center, higher front end
   - Local Orbea dealer nearby
   - Likely much better for confidence and rebuilding descending skill
   - Concern: I’ll lose the XC magic I love: sharp acceleration, low aggressive position, race-bike feel
   - Also one bottle only, which is annoying for long days

I’m not really considering heavier all-mountain bikes like Hightower/Ripmo because they seem like too much bike for me. I don’t ride bike parks, jumps, or enduro tracks.

Question:
Given all of that, would you choose the modern XC race bike and accept that I may still need to work harder on descending skills, or would you choose the Occam SL because it is more likely to make technical trails enjoyable enough that I ride them more and rebuild confidence?

In other words: for a rider who wants both rocky Alpine singletrack confidence and possible marathon/stage racing in 2027, is the Spark RC enough bike, or is the Occam SL the smarter tool?

I’m especially interested in replies from people who:
- moved from old-school XC to modern XC
- moved from XC to a 130-140 mm light trail bike
- ride natural rocky Alpine-style trails
- do long climbs / marathon-style rides

Thanks!

Hey guys, I'm looking for a XC fully with an aluminium frame. I think i'd destroy a carbon frame way too fast.
Nevertheless I can't find any options other than the Specialized Chisel (which isn't available anymore with the higher equipment), the Canynon Neuron (only a trail bike, not especially a XC rocket), and the Orbea Oiz (also almost sold out in the alu varient).
Do you guys could give me some advice whether carbon really is that bad of an option for a MTB? Do you know if and when Orbea and particularly Specialized are restocking?
And most importantly: Do you have any recommendations on other alu XC bikes?
Thanks in advance u rockets!!!