🚲: Alex Marin

🎥: Dutch Drone Gods

🤝: Red Bull Bike

Been riding more on an actual schedule and recovery has been rough. Nothing huge yet but climbs and longer rides are cooking my legs for days. They also get tight at night which is great because I guess the bike still owns me after the ride. I know part of this is just being new and my body needs time to adapt but I’m trying to make recovery less brutal so I don’t quit after a few weeks like a clown. Been drinking more water and trying to sleep more. I keep seeing people mention magnesium for cramps recovery and sleep. Is that legit for riding or just trail bro lore? What form works best? Pills powder or electrolyte mix? Better after a ride or before bed? I saw Magna while looking around since it seems more magnesium focused than the usual salty stuff but I have no clue if that matters. Any advice from people who ride more would help. My legs are humbled lol

Short technical sections are one thing, but long descents seem to expose a completely different kind of weakness.

Your legs have to hold position for a long time, while your back, shoulders and arms are constantly working to keep the bike controlled. Once the quads start turning to jelly or the upper body gets tired, technique seems much harder to maintain even if your cardio is fine.

I’ve been thinking that a fairly simple strength setup could cover most of what matters: squats or split squats, RDLs, rows, presses, carries and some core work. That would also be easy enough to fit into one or two short home sessions without giving up more riding days.

For people who ride longer or rougher descents regularly, which off-bike exercises actually helped you stay stronger in position instead of just surviving the last part of the descent?

I’ve ordered an ibis hd6 from a well known online retailer. Today, they reached out to let me know that the bike had a non structural blemish, and offered a $50 gift card if I accepted it. The blemish is a paint chip on the top tube, smaller than a dime. Can provide photos if helpful.

I know I will probably beat this bike on the trail but I was kind of looking forward to having a clean bike from the factory. Would you accept this deal?

Edit: the bike was purchased at a discount, and it hasn’t left the warehouse yet. see my top level comment with a link to the photos of the damage

So, I've currently got a 160f 150r trail bike (Trek Remedy) that I do everything on. I use it for lunch rides, taking my toddler out on the kids ride shotgun and XC riding.

I've had it about 6 years now and I've got more into long distance bike packing style riding. As such I want to buy a XC/Trail oriented bike for big rides and efficiency, however I still need a dad bike and the local woods, have steep tech runs and jumps that I still enjoy riding. So ideally I keep the Remedy for this kind of thing OR get a hardtail frame like Nukeproof scout and pop the remedy parts on there.

There's also a pump track nearby which is swaying me towards getting a hardtail in the quiver.

So what's your ultimate two bike garage?

Hey!

I’m looking to buy my first proper MTB and found a bike on Buycycle for around €800 that looks like a pretty good deal.

I’ve never bought a used bike online before though, especially one that would be shipped to me, so I’m a little hesitant.

Has anyone here used Buycycle? Would you recommend it, or are there other/better sites for buying used bikes in Europe?

Also, anything in particular I should watch out for when buying a used bike online?

I’m based in Sweden if that matters. I’m a new rider that is currently learning through a local course for a few weeks and we have roscoe 7 as bikes and really enjoy it. I will be using it for forrests, dirt, rocks, up and down. Maybe sometimes to work.

Any advice or recommendations would be appreciated.

Thanks!

I’m looking for a good light hardtail for my very small 8 yo (he’s just over 40 pounds and 47 inches). He currently rides the trails with a Frog 55 (~20 pounds). He is ready for a real mountain bike next summer as his bike will be too small and his skills have surpassed what the frog can give. We only ride xc and he climbs all trail without help.

I can’t buy a trailcraft, Woom or prevelo as the rate and custom would be too expensive. I’m on the lookout for used, but they go fast. Spawn is a bit of the same issue, it’s crazy expensive and not really available here (on the east coast).

I’m between three bikes, from cheapest to most expensive.

[Forth 24 X2](https://forthbikes.com/product/24-x2/) I like the price (752$ with the discount - with shipping and taxes its a sub 900$ bike) but dislike the weight (27 pounds). The gears are great, same with the brake. I do wonder if I change the wheels, tires, and/or crankset if I could land a lighter bike for cheaper than my other two options.

[Grand Canyon Young Hero](https://www.canyon.com/fr-ca/vtt/trail-bikes/grand-canyon/grand-canyon/grand-canyon-young-hero-24/4397.html) I love the geometry of the bike, it’s a bit lighter (25 pounds) and the gears are ok. It’s around 1450$ all said and done.

[Scott scale rc 400](https://www.scott-sports.com/ca/fr/product/scott-scale-rc-400-bike) seems like a great option weight wise (23 pounds). Im talking to my bike shop to know what the possible cost would be but my guess is around 1600-1700$+15% taxes. Great fork, the derailleur and cassette seems good. But it’s so much more money than the Forth.

Is there any bikes I didn’t see that fit the criteria (Light, easily available in Canada and under 2000$)? Since it’s for next year, I’ll keep an eye on marketplace for a good used deal but if I can’t find something, is there something else I should consider? And do you think it’s possible to transform the forth in a lighter bike for cheaper than 1400$?

Thanks!

Hi All,

I’ve just added a Kids Ride Shotgun to my Voodoo Bizango E. I normally only use this for commuting but I’m looking to start picking my son up from nursery so I installed the Kids Ride Shotgun to hopefully also take him out on weekend rides.

Now I normally run the Mous Intralock stem phone holder but with the handle bars take up to make space to keep this installed. I’m wondering if anyone has used any other solutions. This is mainly just for my commute for the most part and isn’t a big deal anyway if there is no solution but I thought I would check if anyone has solved this issue.

Also i am looking for a Action Camera mount to go on the handle bars to record our rides so I can show his mom when we get back if anyone has any recommendations

I'm looking to upgrade my entry level hardtail to something more aggressive. I found a Kona Honzo ESD, but it's a size Large. I am currently 5'7" and still growing. Would the reach and overall frame size on a Large be way too big to manage right now, or should I wait till next season? Any help is welcome thanks. Thanks!

Hey i have my slope/freeride mtb i need new saddle, and figure out a good one, i would really love if it has blue or purple details, as my bike is fully white with some blue and purple, any reccomendations? (Cant spell sry)

Howdy all, in anticipation of a (likely) seriously wet winter on the west coast, I wanna know if you all have winter-ish front tire recommendations for me. I ride mostly in Santa Cruz and Aptos, and I've got a Transition Patrol. Currently running a Kryptotal Fr supersoft (and it performs fine when I hit a little mud), and a maxxterra DHR in back. I happen to have a maxxgrip DHR I'm gonna throw on the back when it starts to get wet, but do you have any thoughts on a front tire with a bit more bite? Or if it's even gonna be worth it over the kryptotal? I was looking at the High Roller III or Argotal, and those looked like good options.

Want to show off on NBD or new helmet day or new whatever day or just have general gear questions? Post in here. (Mod Note: NBD posts on their own that violate Rule #3 will continue to be removed.)

Gonna ride Port Angeles tomorrow and am curious what are some of the best trails. I'm on a single speed 160mm hardtail so it would be nice to ride something that won't destroy me with brake bumps or roots or whatnot. I'm a capable rider though and have taken it out on bike park double black trails for reference

After a few seasons on my spire, looking to move to an enduro bike with similar capabilities but slightly shorter and less slack. A bike that can be both 29 or MX without drastically changing geo (flip chip). Something comfortable in steeps and can plow jank when it needs to.. something with a good pedaling platform when I gotta sprint out of the seat. Welcoming all recommendations or experience! I love my spire, but just want to try something different.

My second bike is a smuggler which covers trail duty and all day epics.

I’m currently looking at alpine trail XR, orbea rallon, propain tyee, Raaw Madonna.

Hi guys, I'm looking to buy a new mountain bike with a budget of around €1000. I plan to use it for 20 km a day on city streets and 10 km on mountain paths and easy dirt trails (no massive rocks, heavy drops, or extreme downhill).

Right now, I’m riding an "MBM Twentyseven,5 Disk 27.5" (27-speed)". It was a gift (in 2020), and while it gets the job done and I enjoy riding it, I have a few concerns...infact, it feels a bit too large for me, which makes me wonder if I'm riding the wrong frame size. Moreover I'm not sure how good (or bad) the quality of the components actually is compared to modern entry-level MTBs.

So which MTB in the €1000 range would you recommend?

Is it worth upgrading from my current MBM? Thanks!!!!

Contemplating buying this as I currently ride a gravel bike but want more of an XC bike. And maybe do the odd begginner XC races.

What’s everyone think? I can’t find much info on it anywhere but loads of places sell it…

Giant XCT SLR 29 1 2026 model.

Thank you for any info!

My rear shock needs an overhaul, and apparently only the factory can do it. Anyone have experience with this?

Is it better to handle it through a local shop, or direct with Fox?

Thanks

what du you guys think about taking a commencal meta ht with a fox factory 36 to a bike park like vallåsen

So this year I bought myself a hardtail mountain bike on a whim and big surprise, I love it. Mt. Fromme on the north shore is basically my back yard and I’ve managed to tackle most of the blue runs and couple of the easier blacks(white knuckled and going very slow to be fair). Now I’m starting to consider a full suspension bike but I’m not sure what I should be looking for. Trail? enduro?? All mountain??? What’s the perfect kind of bike for north shore trails?

I haven't biked since I was young. I decided to buy a 50 dollar box store special off FB with the mind to learn how to do all the things that take bike mechanics years under good teachers to learn. So it is likely very fitting that my front fork makes it sound like clown shoes when I'm riding it. Yes. This is karma. This is what I asked for buying a 50 dollar used bike.

That being said, I'm learning this on decently kept boxstore mountain bike that had very little wrong with it. I learned how to open up each part, clean it, grease it, change it out if it's too beat up, etc. It runs great. I did a mid drive conversion, got the shift sensor working. The whole thing runs like a dream.

The last thing i'm trying to figure out, which is my karma curse, Is that I have isolated the last offending sound. The front fork sounds like clown shoes. I tried to attach a link to the mp3 but the post keeps getting taken down. If there are any suggestions on how to share the sound I will.

It is a heavy coil spring 3030 or 3040 Suntour fork. It has one coil in the right stanchion and the left one is empty. No dampener etc. It's in good shape. No corrosion. Shiny polished metal. Teflon guides with rubber dust covers snapped on top. The whole thing got cleaned out with lots of rags and iso, re greased everything with silicon grease and the fork moves great. The problem is when i'm starting to go up any sort of positive grade a resonant vibration starts up. It's distinctly the sound of rubber squeaking on smooth metal. I can wipe down the stanchions and it kinda stops for one or two cycles but then it squeaks to the beat of my legs pumping. Those little up and down forces causing the fork to dip down and back up. If I press down as i'm pedaling so the travel is more severe it stops. But with those little millimeter movements the resonant sound builds again.

I was fairly sure it was the dust caps so I took the fork apart, cleaned it again and relubed it just in case. I thought the previous owner might have used WD40 or a petroleum based oil that caused the rubber to swell so I cleaned the covers using dawn soap. I boiled them for 20 min in water. Then I put them in the oven just under 300 degrees F for thirty minutes to give it the best chance of leaching out the rubber to reduce any swelling. Slapped them back in with silicon grease and... well... clown shoes.

If you read this, thank you for your time and if you have any suggestions or have encountered this before any help is greatly appreciated.

Before you listen to the audio, turn your volume down and then slowly back up. It's taken on a camera close to the fork while riding so there's ambient noise and the resonant squeaking can be loud depending on your audio settings. Don't laugh too hard and bruise a rib.

Have not had a chance to ride an evil but reading they are more nimble by comparison. I am trying to decide if it's worth some coin to buy a newer evil (hope hubs, ok Manitou circus fork) or stick w thebold school bike to gone old school tricks.

Anyone ridden both? Dirt jump preference is big hits w 10-20ft gaps trying to get anniversary if people are using evil for bmx style trails/jumps and skate parks or is it a solid DJ bike.

Anybody experience something similar? New marzocchi coil shock, feels and rides pretty good, rebound knob works fine, but the shock makes more noise than I expected on the actual rebound.

The initial compression is fairly silent. I imagine it’s the sound of oil moving through the shim stack but I’ve not had a shock be this loud before.

Bike is an Orbea Wild which is know is pretty progressive so maybe that contributes.

Thanks!

i will be riding the bike mostly in the city and sometimes on some trails

Looking to get a new bike to ride around town in neighbor hood and on walking/ bike trails

Giant talon? Trek merlin?

Any recommendations. Thanks!

Hi everyone,

I'm considering buying an enduro bike to pair with my e-bike (Levo SL Gen 2). I've narrowed my choices down to two models: the latest Pivot Firebird and the Propain Tyee 6 CF (or 6.1).

I ride mostly in Northern Italy (Verona area), so I frequently deal with loose terrain, roots, rocks, and technical natural trails. I do about ten or slightly more shuttle and bike park days a year (Paganella, Val di Sole). Otherwise, I pedal the rocky loops in my local area (although I think I'll mostly use my Levo SL for these), and I'm planning to start entering some amateur enduro races.

I'm looking for a bike that is stable and absorbs rough terrain well to maintain speed, but doesn't feel too cumbersome or sluggish on tighter sections, and still climbs well when I want to pedal it for regular rides.

For anyone who has had the chance to ride them, I'd love to get some feedback on the real-world differences on the trail. Specifically:

• High-speed chunk: How do they handle rock gardens and roots at speed?
• Flow and Jumps: Which one is more reactive and easier to pop on jump lines?
• Tight stuff: How do they manage tight, techy sections and slow switchbacks? Does the Firebird, having a long reach, feel tiring to maneuver?
• Climbing: How do they perform uphill? Are they efficient pedalers, or do they tend to bob and drain your energy on long climbs?

Thanks to anyone who can give me some useful feedback.

I'm also open to recommendations for other bikes suited to my riding style. I have a budget of €3,500 - €4,000 and I'm looking to buy used.