Let's offroad / mountain bike / mtb / ride dirt

That looks fantastic. And that Sprinter is ENORMOUS

Anyone want a free ard rock ticket?

Shawn Cheshire has completed the Tour Divide ✊
https://www.instagram.com/p/CgpydEKPiwh/

When did you shave off your beard, @youramericanlover ?

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USA national champ on Taiwanese brand bike and kit 👌

canyon also made by them, artisan reacts only

Can't be @youramericanlover, it's not fixed.

I assume you've heard he likes to ride fixed?

Top lols

I was only kidding

This is YAL's real bike

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If it ain't 25c it ain't me

If it ain't fixed I ain't havin a look

If think it's me not on a fixie your eyes are playing trixie

I'm drunk in Zeeland rn and hooooboy this is 48x15 country

Full suss short/mid-travel ‘do it all’ mtbs. Talk to me.

I want to start mountain biking again but have no real clue to where to start. Can these types of bike really do it all? Apart from the uk, we regularly travel to Heidelberg in Germany and I’d like a bike to take with me. Literally everyone seems to be on full-suss there.

My previous rigid ss mtb experience has done little to prepare me for the myriad options…

Thinking maybe something like a canyon neuron. Also considered sonder cortex and cotic flare max (or maybe jeht?), maybe trek top fuel/fuel ex.

Unless you’re riding the black trails at a gnarly trail centre, a steel hardtail will be quite sufficient. Follow my buyers advice posted in this thread regularly.

Add a Giant Trance to your shortlist. Lovely range of bikes that work really well and are actually available to buy. The flipchip isn't a gimmick and adds to the versatility.

Steel is heavy and for hipsters.

I've got a FlareMax frame for sale, if that's of interest? Large size.
Short/mid travel bikes are incredibly capable these days, I loved the FlareMax for both gentle XC stuff right up to steep rough trail stuff. Steel really helped it feel like it had more travel than it does

Steel really helped it feel like it had more travel than it does

I'm sorry but this is pure marketing BS and really gets my goat. That "steel is real feel" might have applied when everyone was riding slender 853 Dekerfs with 1.9" tyres at 35 PSI, but since CEN testing came in, tubes have become much stiffer. Never mind the additional stiffness for full sus pivots, bolt-thru axles, longer frames and grippier tyres etc etc.

Steel is repairable, recyclable, economical, and durable. So it will always be the correct choice for non-professionals.

Ok, maybe I shouldn't attribute that feeling to just the steel then, I'm sure the kinematics are doing most of that work
As has been mentioned, steel does add to that feeling of security that you can ride it hard and should the worst happen, you can get it fixed quite easily compared to alu or carbon

No, we should all be on plastic bikes and worry after each crash/replace them annually!

also for the last 8 years I am riding a slender 853 Cotic with 2.2" tyres at 25 PSI, what do I win?

cannot believe you wrote your requirements without using the word downcountry

unrelated but do you work for Heidelberg the printers?

Heat-treated Tig-welded steel frames really aren't easily repairable whereas carbon can generally be repaired. Steel is recyclable but aluminium is easier and less energy intensive.

Irrational worries about "plastic" MTB frames failing when other materials allegedly wouldn't are a bit out-dated

Hmmm, post the CEN-testing requirements so a T-shirt with "My steel feel is nearly real" on it

Can these types of bike really do it all?

Yes, just a bit slower. If you are good though, there probably isn't that much around where a 120mm travel FS 29er would be hopelessly out of its depth.

Brazed steel frames can be repaired pretty easily, TIG is a world of problems - normally a throw-away.

Anyway, if you want a do-it-all bike there's a huge range of choice, aim for something around the 135 rear 150 front mark I'd suggest.

I have a steel hardtail, which I really like - but I got it as a second bike, after the full-suspension trail bike.

If you don't have the luxury of being able to afford multiple bikes, get the most flexible one.

Also, anyone want to buy my coil Helm Mk2's?