The World's Fattest Man with no bike! aka - find hippy a new bike aka - Just get ( fill in blank )

I have that shockwiz gizmo linked above. Have stopped using it as it just tells me to add more psi and tokens. I know I'm fat shut up.

I always found demo bikes never quite fit right, stem to long, wrong seat, gears etc Also try and get an XL on demo! For me its only when I have got a bike set up how I like that I can assess if its a keeper. Hence the principle of trying every frame until I randomly find one that works.

I rented an XL Megatower in Morzine, then rented an XL Hightower back in the UK.

Following this, I bought a Pace, and then spent some time specifying it so that the kit matched the XTR Hightower - which had a degree of cargo-cult in it I admit.

Crucial to my decision making process was waiting until there were two decent reviews of the bike that said it was good - given that I took delivery of the very first XL 295 frame to arrive in the UK there was zero possibility of demo'ing it.

One mistake I made was that the first bike I bought (Scalpel SE) was too small for me, based on the size of bike I'd have ridden in the 90's rather than the style of bike that we ride today.

Does seem to be that the answer to "is this long enough?" is "No", which has resulted in trail bikes that are longer than DH bikes, which I find entertaining when putting mine on the back of the chairlift.

So, you bought off the webs based on riding different bikes? Did you note the dimensions of the test bikes and then choose or what? Why the Pace? Like, any logic or just "cool, I'll buy this".

sag aloo

You gone veggie?

Veggie is so 90s, dear. It's all about freeganism now dahling.

I buy my bikes based on colour and contact points measurements.

Sizing, price, colour.

After having eliminated anything with stupid BB types, non 27.2 seatposts, non internal Di2, non-replaceable hangers, rim brakes or discs with QRs or 15mm thru-axles, stupid curvy tubing, anything titanium, brands I dislike for no apparent reason, any other random variable I thought was important at the time.

I was very close to buying the Hightower, which is a 150/150 lightweight trail bike, then saw the 295 was coming- a 135*/150 lightweight trail bike, from a company that made the bike I most lusted after in my youth.

The 295 is very similar to the Hightower, although the rear suspension compresses (*) the shock from both ends on the Pace, which they say gives a rear end that performs like a 150mm conventional one.

Riding the Megatower and then the Hightower showed me that I wanted a mid-travel trail bike, the timing of the Pace was fortuitous and the reviews confirmed that it was capable machine.

Then (me being me) I spanked a load of cash on upgrading the parts.

the bike I most lusted after in my youth.

This is why I've shown more love for the Surlys than they perhaps deserve. I've got my On-One Inbred, my Kona A and I just need to complete the set with a Surly. :)
Actually, I also always wanted a Kona Explosif so I'll need one of those too.

With everything being hard to get, I'll either end up blowing my wad on something too spendy and unsuitable or I'll buy some used piece of shit that turns out to be cheap and unsuitable. Live, life, love, lauf...

-75% sag can be an issue I suppose

FTFY

which they say gives a rear end that performs like a 150mm conventional one.

How does that work then???

Beats me

“ It’s not a great surprise then that Pace’s floating shock suspension design is based on a Suzuki design. It uses a lever at either end of the shock allowing for fine tuning of the way the suspension is managed. It’s a very design sensitive system, one that requires a lot of attention at the design stage but the reward is a long travel feel and the ability to squeeze the full potential out of today’s shock technology.”

https://www.mbr.co.uk/news/best-of-british-pace-cycles-389151

https://www.mxa-digital.com/motocrossaction/july_2020/MobilePagedArticle.action?articleId=1592923#articleId1592923

http://pulpmx.com/2012/02/22/the-bikes-that-changed-motocross/

Ah so a like the Trek floater (there were some aother floating shock designs too I think). Effectively means you can have two leverage ratios and so can tune the curve. Clever but saying it performs like a 150 "conventional" is pure marketing. That progressive, bottomless feel is how most trail/enduro bikes are tuned to feel nowadays, IE good!

I think it's hard to get a shit production MTB now. It's as much about adjusting your riding to getting the most out of a bike's design than anything else.

It's as much about adjusting your riding to getting the most out of a bike's design than anything else.

That's what I noticed about the hardtail guy explaining how in the old days you'd drop down something with your arse over the back wheel and now you are way more forward.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k0E4ZuwbNb8&t=292s

Yep, bike geometry has massively evolved but you have to adjust to make the most of it. Weight that front wheel cos if you dont on a live, laugh, love* bike, it will just wash out.

*long, low, slack?

I'm going to die.

Loose, Lose, Life support

No getting away from it being relatively short travel design. I got the Hightower wrong- it’s 140/150 so my 135/150 is closer than I had said.

Perfect for a UK bike that can do big stuff too IMO

The Megatower (which is 160 F/R) felt like it'd roll over anything in Morzine, which is why after riding it for a week I was convinced that a shorter travel bike was definitely what I wanted.

I did try to hire a Hightower for Morzine but literally no hire place had one - "the English, they want a Megatower or a V10, there is no demand for a Hightower", said directly to me, presumably I was counted as being Flemish/other for the purposes of this.

I think that's a fair assessment. Given the amount of 160mm travel bikes at Peaslake, the English are going to need 200mm for those alpine blue runs....

Pure anecdotal evidence here, but in the UK I feel we're obsessed with getting the "best" version of whatever exists, whether it's bikes, cars, houses, clothes, whatever.

"Oh I need to get 160mm travel because it exists and if I don't, then people will know I didn't buy the most expensive bike".

I think that definitely exists on mainland Europe too, but not as much. People are much happier riding or driving what they need rather than what looks fanciest.

I kind of agree there - I didn't want the 160 bike because I wanted more demands on (and therefore development of) my technique, rather than the "aim, hit, next" approach that the Megatower required. Of course, if was 1000% more accomplished than I am I'd be able to push the Megatower. But I'm not, so I wanted a trail bike rather than an Enduro bike. I did then set out to make my trail bike as well specified as I could make it, which matches your theory.

This review from Pinkbike
of four current DH bikes says it was filmed at Champery, but there's a lot of Morgins in the footage - this is where I first rode my 295. That my little trail bike got me down runs that Pinkbike are using to show off DH race bikes shows how capable a medium travel trail bike can be.