Careful, you'll be up for another $6K once he takes that bike off your hands!

Senecio:

 

Careful, you'll be up for another $6K once he takes that bike off your hands!

 

Handsomedan:

 

I've seen a trend towards people putting drop bars on XC MTBs as they can sometimes be bought at a cheaper price, but still have solid gearing and are robust, but light enough to be used as pseudo-gravel bikes. 

 

Interesting, for a long time the trend has been to a wider geometry, maybe we have reached peak wide bar?

A random MTB shot from 2015

and in 2024

wellygary:

 

Interesting, for a long time the trend has been to a wider geometry, maybe we have reached peak wide bar?

 

Ah I think it peaked awhile ago. I've been on 780-800mm for at least ten years. My partner, she's about 170cm and she's on 760mm. 

As for drop bars, well there is a bit of a trend for re-purposing older mtb. I mean I have one that would be perfect, must be 24 years old, 1x9 gearing, 100mm fork on the front and disc.

But, drop bar controls are a PIA and that's enough to put me off. That and bar tape. 

Handsomedan:

 

I've seen a trend towards people putting drop bars on XC MTBs as they can sometimes be bought at a cheaper price, but still have solid gearing and are robust, but light enough to be used as pseudo-gravel bikes. 

 

Geometry of them means they are more suited to trails, but still work for the more road-oriented riding of a gravel bike too. Plus you'll inevitably get a short-travel susepnsion fork too, to help when off-road. 

 

 

 

Something like this, perhaps: 

 

I have a 90's reasonably well spec'd mountain bike which is essentially a gravel bike, as it doesn't have shocks and a wide range of gearing, and has road tyres. The handlebars are straight, but nowhere near as wide as my modern mountain bike, which IMO feels too wide. The thing that I dislike about drop down handlebars is that they tend to be very narrow, so you lack the leverage that you get from wider handlebars. I have fallen off a racing bike with drop down handlebars before due to the lack of leverage when going over  pot holes, and the front wheel twisted. It can also cause issues when doing tighter turns and can be more prone to falling. I use bull horn bar ends on my 90's mountain bike as it is more comfortable on the wrists than straight bars, and you can change  hand positions during the ride. But you never really see bar ends on modern mountain bikes these days, probably because the handlebars are so wide. I was thinking of putting them on my modern mountain bike because I need a second hand position, but think the bar is too wide for them.

mudguard:

wellygary:

Interesting, for a long time the trend has been to a wider geometry, maybe we have reached peak wide bar?

 

Ah I think it peaked awhile ago. I've been on 780-800mm for at least ten years. My partner, she's about 170cm and she's on 760mm. 

As for drop bars, well there is a bit of a trend for re-purposing older mtb. I mean I have one that would be perfect, must be 24 years old, 1x9 gearing, 100mm fork on the front and disc.

But, drop bar controls are a PIA and that's enough to put me off. That and bar tape. 

davidcole:

 

The controls with the break lever?

Yeah. So you have a disc mountain bike, you're gonna have to change your brakes potentially. I'm not 100% on just swapping levers, knowing the bike industry a road caliper and mountain bike caliper may have some subtle changes. So you need new levers minimum anyway because you need to be able shift your gears, and then same thing, I'm not sure on the pull ratios between road and mountain bike shifters either. 

If the mountain bike had V-Brakes then maybe it would be more palatable. But there's no way I'm riding it!

On the subject of bars and geo - I have been using Renthal Fatbars for a few years and they've been 800mm wide, despite me only being 176cm tall, with an average wingspan for my height. 

On the new bike, I have 780mm bars - they feel very similar as the backsweep and upsweep is only a degree out, but I do notice the lack of additional width on descents. It's quite noticeable, when trying to adjust my hands to get the right leverage for technical descents. 
Don't really notice it on a climb or flats, though. Although I do set myself for jumps by moving my hands outwards slightly. 

At some stage I may invest in another set of Fatbars as they are my go-to and are super comfortable for me (they're just so flipping expensive), but yeah - there has been a trend towards slightly narrower "wide bars", with many manufacturers finding 780 the sweet spot.  

Canvassing a few riders I know, there's a real mixture of widths being run. 800 seems to be the go-to for gravity riders and XC seems to favour 760(ish) while the average trail rider is anything inbetween. 

eBike ownership - a month on. 

Here's some stuff they don't tell you when you are researching buying an eBike: 

• Yes - people say it's cheating. They are wrong, but only to a point. 

   

  • Climbing is easier - there's no denying it. BUT - you can turn climbing on an eBike into it's own challenge.
  • I am now climbing where before I would push my bike.
  • I am actively searching for climbs that I defintely wouldn't have looked for before. 
  • XC riding has become fun - even on a long travel bike that's ideally built for descending
• eMTB's weigh (generally) quite a bit.

   

  • Mine is around 24kg - that's about 8kg more than my old enduro bike 
  • Getting one on and off a bike rack is considerably more cumbersome than an analogue bike
  • Trying to get one into and out of a hatchback is back-breaking...at least it was for me. My Chiropractor says thanks to ACC for their kind donation 
  • They are around 50% heavier at the end of a ride than they are at the beginning - it's just physics
  • You don't notice the weight when riding - the motor makes up for the added beef
  • They jump very well, even with the extra weight
• Remembering to charge it before you plan a ride is something you have to get used to. 

   

  • I have had an eScooter for a good few years, so I am well-versed in remembering to charge, but I still have to actively think about it
  • Riding an eMTB without power is do-able. It's just heavy to lug uphill
• It's true that you can do more laps, reduce the reliance on shuttles, get more out of a day on the trails and get to more terrain than on an analogue bike. 

   

  • What they don't tell you is that there's a price to pay
  • I used to know when I'd had enough - my body would tell me, with aching knees and hips, sore legs etc
  • Now that all comes about an hour after I get home - and boy does it come! 
  • I am doing around double the amount of distance and triple the amount of elevation that I was under my own power - BUT of that double the distance, I am riding the whole time, where I used to be walking, pushing my bike up steep inclines
  • I ache for a while afterwards as a result - you can't tell me I am not putting in any effort of my own! 
• Some eBikers are complete douchebags and taint the average riders' opinions on eBikers and there's no real escaping that

   

  • Ride well, do the right thing and practice trail etiquette and maybe you can help to change the profile
  • eBikers aren't all bike and no skills - most of the top riders in the world also ride eMTB's outside the race tape
  • People without eBikes aren't necessarily all haters - don't assume everyone else on the trails hates you or has a grudge of some sort
  • Not everyone is jealous of your ability to whizz up a hill at full speed on Turbo - some people like the grind
  • eBikes are just bikes - and they're getting cheaper by the week

All in all, eBiking has reignited my passion for mountain biking and while it may not be for everyone, it sure is fun for me! 

So...while we are talking about eBikes...Bosch have just released their 5th Generation eBike motor (Performance Line CX). 
From what I have read, the motor is quieter, tighter (no more rattles) and otherwise rides the same and has the same power output. 

Why that's notable is that many of the major bike manufacturers have simultaneously released new eMTBs 

It's given the manufacturers that have traditionally used Bosch motors the ability to update bikes and those that were using other brands' motors the ability to release bikes in a Bosch version. 

There are some really good looking new bikes that have come out, most notably Orbea, Norco, Trek and others. 

Some info here: https://flowmountainbike.com/post-all/2025-bosch-performance-line-cx-gen-5-motor-emtb/

Apple Maps has expanded the availability of cycling routes in the southern hemisphere by adding support for New Zealand.

Sold the mtb to a friend, and succesfully bid on a avanti cadent 2.0 road bike few weeks ago (from 2011?) appears to be an ultegra 2x10 speed. (reading online suggests the st-6700 being prone to failure and also hard to find spares... but that'll be a future problem..)

Have since changed the bar tape and seat and have gone on slightly longer rides, comparing identical routes on Strava (I collect data from my Galaxy watch) between the road bike and the older mtb shows generally faster time and more wattage. 

Further reading into this sport I can see why some videos online joke about requiring a credit card as one of the prerequisites for the sport! All fun though.

The bikes came with spd-sl clips (I don't have road shoes - haven't committed to them yet), 3d printed a wedge that fits nicely. For the newbies out there - is this a must have? or just better to change to flat pedals?

roderickh:

 

The bikes came with spd-sl clips (I don't have road shoes - haven't committed to them yet), 3d printed a wedge that fits nicely. For the newbies out there - is this a must have? or just better to change to flat pedals?

 

Found clips really good for climbing.  For just general riding (and not training for anything like taupo) it may not be worth it.

In MTB News: 

Redbull Rampage was on this past weekend - check YouTube for highlights videos - there are lots. 

Fans were saying that the Rampage course selections were going to get someoine killed at some stage - we got pretty close. 

Cam Zink - last year's winner - entered the fray last (as is traditional) and managed to complete only a couple of features, before having the most horrific looking crash and having to be airlifted off the mountain. 

Apparently, he has several broken ribs, a punctured lung and I would imagine a lot of bruising and probably other injuries as yet unreported. 

One other rider (Clemens Kaudela) was airlifted from the venue in practice a couple of days earlier after having a big crash and has a dislocated hip, 4 compression fractures in his vertebrae and a few bruises. 

To see these people throwing themselves over canyons in gusty winds for our amusement really feels quite "Ancient Rome" to me. 
I really enjoyed it. 

In good news: First ever Women's Rampage held this year - and won by Kiwi Robin Goomes. Awesome achievement and great for Women's Freeride. 

Men's winner  Brandon Semenuk won on the last ride of the competition before others all pulled out due to the gusty winds. 
Semenuk had crashed earlier and was in need of a good run - he stepped up big time! 

Have been out and about on the eBike quite a bit. 
I am starting to clock up the miles and getting some good value out of the new rig. 

Really loving the fact that I can go do an hour here or there and it's no longer a short run downhill with a lot of walking, grinding or pushing uphill for that short payoff. 
I am getting what would have been a couple of hours' riding at l;east from an hour, so the longer nights and the better weather are an absolute joy to me, with the new bike adding that bit of extra zing. 

I am going to start heading to WCRC (an MTB compound/set of trails in Riverhead, Auckland) more often as it's an easy place to throw down a few cheeky runs on an eBike. 

Also - speaking of Auckland: Sanders Reserve in Paremoremo has had a bit of a makeover thanks to the AKL Council and Trailpro. 
They've put some really good trails in, but as the council wanted to make them all-weather, they've somewhat ruined them with gravel, which should hopefully wear off/bed in over time as it gets more use.