The Pinkbike Podcast: Episode 62 - Editor Preferences and Why They Matter

 I don't think the editors quite understand how slow and how mellow the trails are that genuine beginners spend the first year of riding on, and how awful the brakes are on most people's bikes before they get a new AND how little they noticed until they got a new bike.

 My dental hygienist joke was lambasted and my reputation as an online commenter dragged through the mud!I swear I never heard that one before, but my compliments to the originator.

 That article was a criminal offence. Nobody will ever forgive you, Quinney!

 Question: if you run metal pads on resin-only rotors, will the bike explode?

 Following up on Brian's point about how the riders are happy with the lower end brakes. I think this is a very valid statement. I have a friend who's new to riding, not technically inclined, on a value hardtail with shimano brakes, multi finger levers and resin pads/resin only rotors. They're very happy with with performance and don't feel the wandering bite point or a lack of power, they're just out having fun and happy that the bike is meeting their needs.

While yes this is good for green/blue level riders. The point stands blue/black level riders should be able to spend $2-3k. And not be worried about the brakes.

 Just bought my wife her first bike, Norco fluid fs2. The fork is by far the biggest let down. Rockshox 35 silver r(130mm).
Its a coil fork and that is fine but rockshox does not offer any lighter springs to tune it. Talked to my lbs, even checked the 2021 rockshox part catlog and no parts on offer... the rest of the bike is great but this fork is a bad spec in my opinion.

 I suspect that the more time you spend riding and testing high-end components, the more your tolerance for things that aren't as good goes down. Of course when you're familiar with the best the industry has to offer then the flaws of less expensive parts are going to be more obvious, and therefore maybe seem more serious than they are.
I've spent the last 5+ years riding a Haro bike with Hayes mechanical disc brakes which I'm sure are absolute garbage, but the bike was given to me and I was stoked just to have disc brakes at all. I have ridden bikes with better brakes and felt the difference, but mine work just fine and I couldn't always afford or justify the upgrade, so when Levy says 'these Tektro brakes don't work at all!' to me that means 'these Tektro brakes aren't as good as other, more-expensive brakes', and my response to that is, "So what?"

 I agree with Henry. I don't find them that hard to thread through. My issue with cable routing is when the brake or shifter cable go under the BB. Having had to replace my brake line multiple times due to rock strikes sucks. Also, no rear brake sucks.

 I was very fortunate to have a bunch of friends pitch in on a birthday for my full suspension bike a dozen years back. The brakes? Shimano M466. (Had to look them up)

A bit of a wooden “on-off” feel but no wandering bite point. Power was completely adequate and although they didn’t have the modulation of later Guides or all-out power of Codes, I don’t remember them ever being a problem with 4 years and never a bleed. They just worked and worked and worked with zero maintenance. Rode the f*** out of that bike.

 Question for the next podcast maybe for @dan-roberts or @RichardCunningham why are fork offset done at the crown and not the axle? Some gravel bikes have flip chip to adjust the offset and seems like a benefit for mountain bike riders too.

 Pinkbike: by all means pleaes wow us w/ posting 2 podcasts a week. PB is easily the only cast where I listen to episodes 4-6 times when they release, and often again later once I've worn them out - always easy pick up a new comment or idea I missed on previous listen. Lets just go to 2 casts a week and leave it at that - thanks.

But, does this mean no cast next week actually? What's up the w/ the double drop in just a week?

 @mikelevy You should write a "staff ride" article about your F-Podium, which you bless every other podcast. I usually agree 95% with your biases and like the Mondraker geometry a lot. However, I fully agree with field test review of Sarah and James that points to the really unconventional (to be diplomatic) shock tune.

 I've been riding a 5 year old entry-level Kona for the last 3 years. The 3x9 gearing is perfectly adequate. The fork and shock are likely crappy but I don't know any better so no complaints. But on every ride I wish I had better brakes!! I've been resistant to making investments to major components in a basically average bike, preferring to wait and just get a better bike, so bad brakes is something I just have to put up with for now.....

 Question: Where are the “We are One composite” new bike spy shots?

 Strange and weird products that Mike Levy likes: Salsa Bucksaw. www.pinkbike.com/news/salsa-bucksaw-review.html

I have never ridden one of these, but I'm quite sure I'd love it too.

 I've still got my Trust Message fork. It's going to be part of a future project, maybe some sort of weird cruiser or overbuilt gravel bike. The fork actually works really well on most of my local trails which are flat, smooth and flowy.

 @mikelevy Discussion for the next podcast. Your trail building article/ video kicked the hornets nest that has always been there: The consistent showing of mountain bikers in media posts actively showing exactly what you all have highlighted as things that are bad for trails. What is PB's take on this? Do you think you might play a role in this behaviour? Mountain biking has been rooted in an anti biking niche culture kind of riding. There is now a drastic shift in access and demographics and as more and more riders take up the sport. Thoughts?

 You can find a trail like Iowa in Squamish, but can you find one like Florida?

I recently did a 15 mile ride and only climbed 500 feet, and that was on the "hilly" trails we have locally:

www.trailforks.com/ridelog/view/25100713

 my first real mountain bike had 160mm rotors and resin pads. It took me 3 rides to realize I needed more stoping power. 203mm rotors helped but I still had zero faith in the braking abilities of the bike.

 From the AI on twitter: My wife and I have been going through this same thing. We had a crash in the garage. No one was injured.

Laughing my a** of at work...

 One question I'd love to hear everyone answer: if you were forced to buy one bike and that's the only bike you could ride for the rest of your life what would it be?

 Where I live the average salary for a hygienist is $53/hr. Pinkerverse needs a better comparison.

 So reviewers have biases..... fine, take the most notice of the reviewer whise preferences align with yours!

 Sounds like evil holds the issue w PB. Owned and liked em in the past but not loaning test bikes is really low Evil -1

 Great story about the pinkbike tattoos!! Thanks

 You guys need to realize that REGULAR mountain bikers don't have to futz with cables all the damned time. As product testers, you guys have to do so. If you work in a shop, you have to do so.

The vast majority of mountain bikers don't have to screw around with cables that much, so internal is good.

Products are rarely designed for 5% of the user base. If they were, all vehicles would still come with manual transmissions.

 dat bite point doe

 @mikelevy
Fair Enough