The Pinkbike Podcast: Episode 30 - Would You Rather?

Nov 13, 2020
by Sarah Moore  
photo
Art by Taj Mihelich

Inspired by our poll last week that had us pondering what we would choose between a bike with 2020 geometry with parts from the year 2000, geometry from the year 2000 with parts from the year 2020, or geometry and parts from 2010, we dug into the archives for Richard Cunningham's masterpiece Would You Rather article and James Smurthwaite, Mike Kazimer, Brian Park and I answered some rapid-fire questions for the podcast.

Would you rather wheelie like Wyn Masters or corner like Bryn Atkinson? Ride anytime you want or have one perfect ride per week? Episode 30 will make you ponder some difficult choices that you're unlikely to ever have to make, but that doesn't make choosing any less difficult.

Available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Play, or wherever else you get your podcasts.




THE PINKBIKE PODCAST // EPISODE 31 - SURVIVING THE OFF-SEASON / WET WEATHER SPECIAL
Oct 5th, 2020


Hosted by Mike Levy (usually, except when he's at curling camp) and featuring a rotating cast of the editorial team and other guests, the Pinkbike Podcast is a weekly update on all the latest stories from around the world of mountain biking, as well as some frank discussion about tech, racing, and everything in between.

Previous Pinkbike Podcasts
Episode 1 - Why Are Bikes So Expensive?
Episode 2 - Where the Hell is the Grim Donut?
Episode 3 - Pond Beaver Tech
Episode 4 - Why is Every Bike a Trail Bike?
Episode 5 - Can You Trust Bike Reviews?
Episode 6 - Over Biked Or Under Biked?
Episode 7 - Wild Project Bikes
Episode 8 - Do We Need an Even Larger Wheel Size?
Episode 9 - Why Are We Doing a Cross-Country Field Test?
Episode 10 - Getting Nerdy About Bike Setup
Episode 11 - Are We Going Racing This Year?
Episode 12 - What's the Future of Bike Shops?
Episode 13 - Are Bikes Too Regular Now?
Episode 14 - What Bikes Would Pinkbike Editors Buy?
Episode 15 - What's Holding Mountain Biking Back?
Episode 16 - Who's Your Mountain Biking Hero?
Episode 17 - XC Field Test Insider
Episode 18 - Electronics on your Mountain Bike: Good or Bad?
Episode 19 - The Hardtail Episode
Episode 20 - MTB Conspiracy Theories
Episode 21 - Stuff We Were Wrong About
Episode 22 - Does Your Riding Style Match Your Personality?
Episode 23 - Grim Donut 2 is Live!
Episode 24 - Why Even Buy a DH Bike?
Episode 25 - Fall Field Test Preview
Episode 26 - The Three Most Important Mountain Bikes
Episode 27 - The World Champs Special
Episode 28 - All About Women's Bikes
Episode 29 - Freeride or Die
Episode 30 - Would You Rather?

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Podcasts The Pinkbike Podcast Brian Park James Smurthwaite Mike Kazimer Sarah Moore


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59 Comments
  • 9 0
 Future reference, Sunrace and Sram make 12 speed cassettes for HG freehub bodies. I have been running the Sunrace 12 speed cassettes for a while w/o issue, easy way to keep wheels and go 12 speed for hubs that won't get Microspline.
  • 8 0
 Apologies to @xtract47, my advice in the podcast was shitty. Darren from Beyond the Tape reminded me this morning that of course you can upgrade from SX to Deore/SLX in stages.

Just run a SRAM cassette and chain, with a Shimano shifter and derailleur. It's not "approved" and you might not get the full crazy HG+ shift performance, but there are a lot of reports of it working just fine. The spacing is REALLY close to identical.

Then when it's time to replace the cassette and chain, just do that and upgrade to a microspline freehub at the same time.
  • 3 0
 Surprisingly, the opposite works really well. Have been running full slx 12s then when derailer got destroyed I slapped on an old xo shifter and derailer while waiting for a new deore derailer. Was running better than the full xo1 12s group ever could. There's magic in them there shitmano chains and cassettes.
  • 10 0
 Want a question answered on next week's podcast? Drop it below here and we'll answer as many as possible
  • 3 0
 I'm in the process of getting a new bike (plan is less than a month) any recommendations for a $5000 bike (Cdn dollars) for sea to sky corridor riding (north shore - whistler)
What i've narrowed it down to is Trek Slash, SJ Evo, Giant Reign, Norco Sight...any other thoughts? preference is to buy at LBS
  • 2 0
 I find myself sort of squeezing my (dropped) saddle with my knees when things start to get gnarly. Is this a bad habit? If it is bad, how do I break that habit?
  • 6 0
 in the spirit of this podcast, a question i'd like to have answered:
would you rather ride at a completely average speed and ability for the rest of your life and never crash
OR
ride like the best current pro but have bad 1 bad crash every year resulting in 6 weeks of recovery and missed riding
  • 5 0
 What are your thoughts on running compression settings open with a heavier spring rate vs. using compression with a slightly lower rate ?
  • 2 0
 Why is 26” wheel only an inch smaller than 27.5” wheel tho
  • 7 1
 Is the rumor about Levy going to Vital true?
  • 1 0
 Should I buy a 2020 Durolux with the RC2 damper?
  • 1 0
 What’s your favorite mixed brand tire setup for dh or enduro riding? Currently riding a Magic Mary front with a Onza Aquila rear as I destroyed the Mary I had on the rear and the Aquila was what I had and I’m kinda loving it so far.
  • 2 0
 When will we hit peak steel hardtail? It’s great to see options (I own a RSD Big Chief) but can there really be that many people who want one (or 7)?

Maybe in 3 years there will be a bunch for sale from people who bought one and found out they don’t ride it at all.
  • 1 0
 Thanks James, could you please tell us at what stage of production the trail bike field tests are and when will the first one drop?
  • 1 1
 Can using the ball end of a hex wrench cause damage to the bolt heads if done too much?
  • 2 0
 How about a coil shock field test?
  • 4 0
 How do you go about choosing a Curling Camp? What are some things you should consider before choosing a curling camp. Are there any exciting innovations occurring in the world of curling camps (e.g. all inclusive tim hortons packages)?
  • 1 0
 @hatton: Robot instructors?
www.wired.com/story/meet-curly-the-curling-robot-that-beats-the-pros
  • 6 0
 Why do guys obsess over getting the longest dropper and lowest seat height possible on their trail/enduro bikes while all the top DH guys don't slam their seats as low as they can go?
  • 1 0
 @calicartel: Similar market and ordered a sentinel.
Might come to what is available too. Couldn't get a stumpy S4 in ordered my area. From what I hear shops had to place orders for it prior to it's release and were not even told it was carbon vs aluminum etc. So if a shop ordered one a head of time they got em but that's it.
  • 1 0
 Many of the bike brands now offer adjustability in their bikes. From your testing, which is more useful on a trail/enduro bike?-
Adjustable angles (Head Angle, and Bottom Bracket height) as in the Specialized Stumpjumper 2021?
or
Adjustable FC & RC (Reach and Chainstay lengths) as in the Canyon Sender CFR?

Which of these would you more likely use different settings, depending on where you were riding it?
  • 2 0
 @Telebikes: Man Id die hope he stays with both
  • 1 0
 @twonsarelli: easy. I already take myself out of commission every year trying to go faster but I can still only manage marginally better than average.
  • 1 0
 @sspiff: haha no kidding. I never seem to eat it while going fast, usually for some other stupid reason. Either way, crashing is the worrrst
  • 1 0
 Talk about bike fit. Once you buy the right size frame, what part swaps/part adjustments make the most impact, and what are the impacts?
  • 2 0
 Since Kona Process X is the second bike which is officially too long (Bike Mag was here first with the new Meta), I suspect that bike media and industry (aka the evil conspiracy) will focus on something else. What do you think will this be? I mean, it needs to be one number, reach is out, weight is a cliche. What next?
  • 1 0
 Are bikes with 27.5" wheels dead now? Can't find anything in the AM/Trail/Enduro-category. :-(
  • 1 0
 I currently have an extra large ibis HD3 and i am looking to upgrade it to an santa cruz megatower. After demoing the megatower i have found that i much prefer the feel of the Large megatower. I am around 6 foot 1" which places me in extra large on the sizing guide. By getting a smaller bike than recommended am i inadvertently knocking back the trend of getting longer/bigger bikes?
  • 1 0
 @eric-w: Spindrift? Norco Shore? And another one launching soon.
  • 1 0
 @brianpark: Sorry, let me remove the "enduro" out of my question and just add "capable" in front of the "trail bike". :-) The Spindrift is seriously hot tho..
  • 2 0
 @RadBartTaylor: this!! I already asked the exact question on an earlier episode and they completely dropped the ball with the answer. Look at loic brunis bike and tell that seat is not super high?
  • 2 0
 @doctorfuzzz: exactly! His is about level with his stem....not to mention Minnaar. What question was asked and how was it answered?
  • 1 0
 Why do you guys even record the podcast when Levy isn’t around? So much better with him hosting. Don’t tell him I said that.
  • 1 0
 @RadBartTaylor: question was exactly yours. Answer was...dh bikes have really short seat tubes so it just looks like there's alot of seatpost showing...lame answer...I thought these guys were bike nerds like me haha I have a norco sight and a norco aurrum and my sight has a shorter seat tube so I don't see their argument at all. I want to know whyyyy?!!!
  • 10 1
 if i mountain bike while listening to this podcast am i double mountain biking.
  • 4 0
 Ah, single in my 40's with no kids. I can get a perfect ride every week AND ride whenever I want (*cough* outside work hours *cough*).
  • 2 0
 @ Sarah Moore - Just a quick clarification, Erythropoietin(EPO) hormone is different than transfusing packed red blood cells (PRBC). EPO is the hormone that your kidneys release, when it detects low oxygen levels, to stimulate your bone marrow to make more RBC. So using synthetic EPO stimulates additional RBC production. It's the same kind of response that your body would have to living and training at higher altitudes. So it's more like taking a thyroid hormone, insulin, or a birth control pill. Very different than a blood transfusion.
  • 2 0
 Okay so obviously I need to do more research. Luckily I said I'd cut the course!
  • 4 1
 You errr want to do some consulting @lokbot?
  • 1 0
 @sarahmoore: Oh I totally get it. It's not the easiest subject to learn about until you have years of biology, anatomy & physiology in the ole noggin. I'm a nurse so this stuff is kind of second nature to me at this point.
  • 1 0
 @brianpark: lol you guys planning your Oregon legal doping field test?
  • 1 0
 I briefly heard Oisín O'Callaghan being mentioned in the news.
FYI, Oisín is pronounced "USH-een". You guys could be the first non-Irish to start pronouncing it correctly. Smile
Hopefully we'll be seeing a lot more of him in the coming years.
  • 1 0
 Oh man, we struggle with pronunciation of basic words how you figure we do with Oisin damn. He’s one to watch for sure.
  • 1 0
 @brianpark: I think ye still did better than Rob Warner. ????
  • 1 0
 It will be interesting at the end of 2021... I don't think we will see a ton of closeouts in 2021... Trek and Giant already have models they have sold out of for the 2021 model year. Now, some shops might be left with some inventory because they panicked and went crazy on orders.. But, Trek did put a cap on the number of bikes they were allowing a shop to have on order .. Interesting times..
  • 1 0
 Yeah, sticking my neck out on predictions. Really curious to see how it pans out.
  • 2 0
 @brianpark: also, to touch on your components supplier comments... Yeti has currently stopped taking back orders for Shimano speced bikes..

25 years in this game.. Never seen anything like this...
  • 1 0
 I have a question for you all at the pb podcast. These past few years have obviously seen a shift in geometry to longer bikes, which makes sense and seems like the best choice for most all categories. That being said, why are bikes marketed as playful "jib" bikes, such as the transition scout and the Santa Cruz 5010 conforming to that trend? It makes sense to lengthen downcountry and enduro bikes as much as possible so that they can be stable and capable for rough terrain, but wouldn't a bike designed to be flickable be better optimized with a shorter reach?
  • 1 0
 I bought my bike in 2013 as it was the last of the 26", (2014 Enduro). For $4000NZ. The Enduro Comp is now $7900NZ. Now not strictly apples v apples as the new model is carbon only, but have all bikes doubled in price in seven years??
  • 1 0
 QUESTION
do you think that modern mountain bikes 2017 onward will become outdated as quickly as bikes in the past
or has the sport begun to plateau kinda in geo changes and spec?
  • 1 0
 If you love skinnies, check out the "shrug lake skinnies" trail in port hardy bc.....

www.youtube.com/watch?v=PzxSqUyibns&t=86s
  • 5 3
 Levy: Temporarily suspended due to lack of vocal fry.
  • 3 0
 It makes it super hard to hear when driving, especially in a commercial car with bugger all sound insulation.
  • 1 0
 Underated comment!
  • 1 0
 I still have issue with that cartoon microphone vibrating by Levy's mouf...
  • 3 0
 no Levy? - bummer
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