The Pinkbike Podcast: Episode 113 - Your Questions Answered by the PB Editors

 Ah there it is, the audio herion of my week: PB podcast. Thanks @mikekazimer & @mikelevy

Field test in Florida? Skip the drug lords, strip clubs, sunburn & alligators - let me rudely suggest field test in western North Carolina. More trails than you could ride in 6 months from XC / mellow, rowdy to normal mountain trails, Kanuga bike park (designed/ built by Neko Mulally), Berm Park (opens April 23-free) and world class Pisgah. In eastern Tennessee - Baker Creek (Knoxville), Vee Hollar (Townsend) and Windrock could easily occupy you for weeks. Weather is perfect until July and even then - not that hot.

In fact, you could just open up a PB east office here - that's my vote. You need an eastern US field office I've determined. I'll get working on that.

 I have a random question for you... What’s the worst tag line you can think of for a bike brand?

 Question for the team - if not for the podcast discussion, and maybe it's even a little rhetorical:

To the point about Outside making the race team happen, that's great, and I appreciate that the cost of Beta isn't a lot in the MTB world but I have an issue, I want my money to go to the thing I want to support! If I sign up for Beta it will be anonymous, so can't be directly funnelled to the team, it will cover a load of other costs before what's left ends up at its intended destination, the team.
Can we have a way of funding the race team without having to buy Beta? I am sure I am not alone in wanting to do the former but refusing do the latter.
Either something like GoFundMe which a number of racers seem to be using anyway, or even a subscription on Pinkbike with nothing behind it, as a funding mechanism? Although you may have backed yourself into a corner there promising to never have subs on this site. I may be run out of town for suggesting that, if that happens, so be it.

Could it be time to have a poll to see what people would prefer, might be worth it if there's something that would cause less discourse and still fund Henry FedEx Expressing his keys around the world?

There have been a load of mergers and acquisitions in all sectors over the past couple of years, with branding being the hardest thing to get right.
Have you considered the following in terms of branding, if pushing Pinkbike content into Beta?
* New users will potentially get lost / miss content - I have seen this with a podcast in the UK moving to a bigger platform
* You'll potentially lose listeners if you they can't listen on their chosen platform, i.e. not a website
* There might be a potential issue with sponsors at renewal time if the audience for the team is far smaller than Pinkbike which is what they signed up for
* Pinkbike is a brand regardless of where it is and if that's behind a Beta subscription, you're essentially putting a paywall (hate that term, but not as much as Brian, I'm sure) on Pinkbike

I realise someone along the chain of command will have a remit in the Outside deal to cross sell and grow the Beta membership numbers but do that by making it too good to miss out on as Beta, not by some sleight of hand (appreciate that's a dick comment, but it makes a point).

 Doesn't everyone know merino wool socks for less smell???

Come show the Midwest some Pinkbike love! Michigan gets my vote for XC Field test, CH and Marquette have great elevation changes and no gators. Win win

 On socks- I didn't care in the past, but it turns out that sock guyz price range socks are about the perfect price when your kids ask you what you want for fathers day. I think I maybe have 25 pairs now. Also technical winter socks, can't live without those now.

 I'm still waiting to hear why 12 speed is so much better than 11 speed with a small chainring!! And I'd love to have you talk through the difference in climbing gear Ratio vs. Cassette Range and clarify/move away from using the word Range to describe how a bike is easier to climb. Will the industry turn towards a Lighter, 9 or 10 speed wide range drivetrain in the future? Lighter, less shifts, simpler, cheaper, the weight is ESPECIALLY important directly on the rear axle. See my previous question... www.pinkbike.com/news/the-pinkbike-podcast-episode-105-the-3-bike-budget-challenge.html Thanks!!

 I would like to hear a whole episode on what PSI everyone is running.in their tires.

 Question for Podcast @mikelevy
First of all thank you for answering my questions about brands offering bike customised build. It makes sense.
I have a question specific to the Specialized Stumpjumper. What would be the difference in the ride feel and the bike's ability between the carbon frame with flex stay versus the alloy with it's four-bar Horst link (all other parts being equal)? And probably most importantly, would anyone, outside pro or tech editors, would notice the difference? especially if the suspension is probably not set up correctly, the tire pressure is off and those latest Yeti shorts are riding up your arse?

 @mikelevy I also had that Joplin lever post dropper and everyone trashed it. The level of disgust back then compared the absolute necessity of the dropper now is crazy. The saddle mount would always loosen and rotate or fall off and shredded bruised my thigh a little too close to the important bits.

 I wear Darn Tough wool socks for everything. They have a variety of thicknesses and fits. They don't stink because they're wool. And lifetime warranty, when they wear out you just send em in and they send you a new pair.

 Quality sock chat!

// WARNING: Shilling for the luxury sock industry //
Think I only got them due to being on sale originally, but I really like the Rapha ones - very good at thing of being warm and comfortable but not getting too hot. Totally sold on them now. And, Kaz, really like they label L and R - shapes to your feet with use. For your predicament get two pairs the same and pair them LL and RR.

But, yes, you don't need all of the best most expensive gear, but sport specific and stuff designed to wick sweat and not chafe. You can always look at what the fancy ones are made of and use that as the benchmark for something more budget / in sales.

 My question is who keeps knocking the mic in the podcasts... have heard it over the last few and listening with headphones, I keep thinking there's something thumping in my house... My guess is @mikelevy based on who's been on the various podcasts...

 I have a question for the next one.

Why do most full suspension bikes have less travel in the rear than the front. Why don't they just match the travel. For example, the Nukeproof Reactor is a 130 mm in the rear and 150 in the front. Wouldn't it make more sense to match the travel? Even if you compare to motor sports like trophy truck racing they actually have more travel in the rear then they do in the front. What would be so different about MTB that we would need less in the rear?

 Please, please, please make Kaz’s Spotify playlist happen!
I am also down for extended podcasts where the team talks about other random stuff, UFO’s, music, formula one, Etc.

 Back in the vehicles for mtn biking a few of you mentioned preferring to store the bike inside your vehicle. This made me wonder how y'all manage cleaning your bike?
I live & ride in Utah where we have trails of clay mud to red sand -- wondering what bike cleaning routines, choice of dry/wet lubes, how often are you pulling out the toothbrush to clean components or do you pull a Sam Pilgrim (insert obscure reference of him cleaning a bike with a monster energy drink) method?

 Back in the vehicles for mtn biking a few of you mentioned preferring to store the bike inside your vehicle. This made me wonder how y'all manage cleaning your bike?
I live & ride in Utah where we have trails of clay mud to red sand -- wondering what bike cleaning routines, choice of dry/wet lubes, how often are you pulling out the toothbrush to clean components or do you pull a Sam Pilgrim (insert obscure reference of him cleaning a bike with monster energy drink) method?

 @sarahmoore If you're interested in the outdoors in Florida, this woman has a bunch of really interesting videos on hiking the Florida Trail. The first minute of this video is fantastic: www.youtube.com/watch?v=MRHEBYwyLVs

 Can you explain on videos that PB posts, do the riders who post those get compensation by PB? do you guys just repost it from YouTube and if they get ad revenue from YT does that carry over watching it on PB? Not trying to be dickish or sound like a hater of PB, just wondering about it since a lot of post are of videos from riders YouTube channels/

 I have worked in the industry for basically my entire adult life so I have always ridden whatever I had access to at my job at the time. I don't have that level of access anymore and for the first time, I'm looking at probably paying at or near retail for a new frame. What is all out there that you guys have been impressed with within the vein of the Top Fuel and Spur? I'm not worried about racing, but I also live in the plains so don't need anything much bigger. Bonus points for alloy, but considering carbon as well.

 Why do you guys think the UCI basically ignores the pleas of everybody but themselves when it comes to the desire to hold more WC DH races? Ever since I've been into watching them it seems to be a nearly universal opinion that more races would be a good thing, but the UCI ignores it.

Along those lines, is it the UCI or Whistler who is dragging their feet getting on the calendar? Wasn't there rumbles of having a WC DH at the Creekside zone or whatever its called? Seemed to be talked about for a couple years a while ago but it seems all but quiet now.

 So I’m running like 90ish psi in my lyrik (160 mm travel ultimate)and I haven’t been able to bottom it out even on good sized jumps I’m 165 lbs. But if I run any less pressure it feels like it dives in corners and when braking. Can I fix this with more volume spacers? Or is that only going to make the top of the stroke stiffer?

 Can I offer some constructive criticism about the sinking value propositions of bike reviews coming from Outside (PB/Beta)?

1) Beta: These video reviews are so incomprehensibly bad. I don't think I've been able to get through a full one in years. I tried watching a video of a bike I was interested in (Evil Insurgent MX) and after about 2 minutes, I realized these guys/gals are in a completely different talent threshold than myself and will thus have a completely different ride experience. Their opinion is almost entirely worthless to me. It isn't my intention to sound arrogant, but to share further, I then found the Beta review of another bike I own (Offering V2) and sure enough, this 40 year old dude and two (won't guess their ages) women might as well have been talking about a completely different bike than the own I owned. Their discussion on the climbing portion was accurate (it's a DW bike that climbs well), but as soon as they started talking about pointing it downhill, it became apparent that I have nothing to gain from listening to this group of three riders talk about picking their way down a hill.

The format is also just so cringey to me. Why on earth would I want to watch three people on bar stools drinking craft beer talk about bikes? I'd happily sit on a barstool with two of my friends and talk about our bikes, but that isn't something to watch.

2) I used to pay attention to PB reviews, but they've gotten so stale and always leave out the most critical piece of information as to why I should listen to anything a reviewer has to say: "Why should I trust the reviewer?" I know PB has a couple of certified hard chargers (Henry/Seb), but how fast are Mike and Mike? What about Alicia? Why should I (an admittedly total try hard) think that you can properly convey what I will experience on the bike?

I want to emphasize that I'm not trying to sound arrogant or cocky, I just know my own talent threshold and I really struggle to figure out which talent band most PB reviewers fall into. I wouldn't trust a dude bro at a shop I've never seen ride to help me pick out the bike I'll spending thousands of my own dollars to race that year, so why should I trust you? I know not everything is about racing times and pedigree (I know a lot of racers who would be absolutely terrible bike reviewers), but it would be nice if we even had visual cues to gauge whether or not your riding styles is something we even jive with or relate to.

The only bike review videos I trust are FreeHub Mag (because I watch him ride and I know he's pushing at a respectable pace, cornering well, etc.) and (I admit this is odd and I take his reviews with a grain of salt) Jeff Kendall -- maybe because he just exudes the epitome of bike control?

I get you have to cater to all crowds and talent bands, so maybe continue to let Beta reviews be the god-awful things that they are, but can you evolve Pinkbike bike reviews to include more actual riding? You have access to so many test bikes at a time, what if you did a POV run on the bike in question, and a POV run on the bike you're comparing it to? That would be a lot more impactful than just having two or three summary paragraphs talking about idler drag or what have you. Or maintain a standout bike in each category that you do a compared POV run to. Run a Spesh Enduro as the "control" and compare it to a Norco Range.

I appreciate everything ya'll do at PB, I just want to encourage you to evolve so that you can maintain the attention of some of the more talented people on this site, and not just all the newcomers who have joined this site in the last 2 years.

 Really curious to better understand the increased risk of dental issues in endurance athletes, and how that translates into mountain biking. Saw it on the Outside homepage and immediately knew, YES it is time for me to get a membership - this is the type of content I love to read after I wrap up work at my dentistry practice and ride home on my Yeti.

Terrible jokes aside, do people read that nonsense? I hop over there once or twice a week to see if there is anything decent, and tbh I usually come away laughing at the articles like I listed above. Now in all fairness I'm not actually reading them so if it's satire, then tell me to shut up.

Maybe there is a market for these articles, but it just... doesn't seem to fit that of the pinkbike target audience, so I wonder how much overlap (and utility) would there be for 99% of "Pinkers" to get an outside+ membership.

 Suspicious number of Walmart sock references. Subliminal messaging brought you by the “Mountain Bike Capital of the World”?

 What does a typical day for a tech editor look like? Do you guys work 40 hours a week?

 Definitely had a gravity dropper in 2009 on my Blur LT. They worked great and ran one way past tthe time people had problems with their joplins till the time KS made a reliable post. Wish those guys could have progressed with the market cause they definitely deserved to get paid.

 I hate to be the bearer of good news @mikelevy , but I don't use THOSE power meter pedals. I have a Cinch PM (please start making them again @raceface !!!) and I run flat pedals on that bike most of the time. With as many pedals I have destroyed, I would be broke running $1200 platform pedals

 My feedback on Florida - I live in the northeast US (NY/PA), and have raced and ridden all over the US, so I have a decent idea of what is out there, as far as trail types. I've also spent a decent bit of time in FL.

The only decent riding I found was in the Jacksonville area. That said, I haven't been to the panhandle, and I bet it's decent there, given the terrain and outdoorsy culture. The Jacksonville scene is cool, Katheryn Hanna park has very well-built trails, and there are a few smaller places with nice features around the city as well. It's worth bringing a MTB if you're going to be in the area anyway, but it's a terrible place for a field test, because the riding conditions are so uniform. It's all relatively smooth, twisty singletrack, which is good fun to ride, but very hard to learn much about a bike's brakes or suspension on.

That said, FL - at least the NE part - is a really great place to own a hardtail. I had the original Specialized Fuse at the time, and something like that (or even an XC hardtail) is just perfect for those trails. I imagine other places in the deep south and midwest US are similar, so a field test focused on how to maximize fun on flat trails wouldn't be a bad thing. I find that really fast tires, like XC race tires, are key to keeping speed up and making flat trails fun.

 Hi guys,

After waiting a few months I am going to receive my sentinel next week in Bellingham. Kazimer, do you still ride the sentinel? I know you did an in depth review on it but I just want to hear how it compares to everything you’ve ridden so far in the PNW terrain. GIDDY UP!

 I would love to hear some stories, reviews, feedback on aftermarket links (e.g. Cascade). When does progression become too much? The cascade link bumps the progression on my frame up to 33%. It'd be nice to hear some reviews or thoughts. Doesn't seem to be many unbiased reviews out there. I mean, if I paid $300 for something on my bike, I'm going to tell everyone it rules.

 Socks are one of the things I'll be the most picky about because I'm so hyper aware of what my feet are doing. I can't use anything with cotton in the blend, it has to be polyester, polypropylene, or wool blends only. Thicker socks for the fall and spring riding give some nice padding, thinner, maybe compression socks for the summer. I love defeet, smartwool, or darn tough for MTB. On days when I'm pretending to be a roadie I'll bust out some thin, compression, high rise wool from giro since those shoes are so much more rigid; it's almost like ski boot fit.

 If your dog smells like a dog, is it still clean or is it to be considered a dirty dog?

 XC field test in San Felasco, FL. Reasonable elevation changes for the area. Do it in July for the authentic heatstroke experience.

 How long should you keep your bike before switching for a new or newuse one, cost of buying a new bike vs depreciation? New technologies better components or is it better to keep and upgrade a solid frame with good geo?

 So turns out the Walmart socks I was buying are 80% cotton. Went to sport check and picked up some polyester/spandex socks and all is well again!

P. S. Levy it's pronounced height. Should make things easier haha

 Florida Field Test, instead of Huck to Flat you can Jump the Gators at alafia swamp gap:
youtu.be/_CaNdeZhgSc?t=375

 How deep is your love?

 Why is the UCI important? It kinda seems like this giant organization that is filled with old white men, who never really understand riding, like making rules but don't seem to do anything helpful to grow cycling.

It sounds to me like they are a Cycling version of the UN they say a bunch of things and like being bossy and spending money (making it) but they never really do anything useful.

 @mikelevy while you're Florida www.gatorland.com

 It sounds like I need some luxury cycling socks.

 nvermind,.. it's a $400 stem.

 Kickin it with Kaz!

 F1 vs rally. Who is the better driver?

 Hi