Why does Mrs C dislike her Ripley, and a search for low rolling resistance

[toast2266]

The AF has a 45mm stem on it, stock. Worth trying a longer stem? Wondering if it would aid in climbing. Her old bike had a 70mm stem.

If there's already too much pressure on her hands, a longer stem isn't going to help that. And if she's complaining about pressure on her hands, it sounds like upper body position probably isn't the issue with her climbing.

Rustle up a different wheelset to try. Sounds like she has a shimano drivetrain and you said you didn't have another microspline wheelset, but a wheelset with a sram cassette will work well enough to gauge climbing improvements. It's not gonna shift perfectly, but it'll give an idea of whether weight reduction and skinnier tires solve the problem.

[stuckathuntermtn]

Well, now we need pics

[El Chupacabra]

Swapped to a 60mm stem from the 45mm stock one, she liked that fit more. Go figure.

Bike isn't working. Decision is replacement bike - as coined above, "it's brown.". I'm not going to throw a pile of fancy parts at this one in the hopes of making it tolerable, just going to sell it complete and pick something with a focus purely on light weight + climbing.

Going to borrow a Santa Cruz Blur TR from a friend on Thurs, guessing it's around 25# of whippy XC-ness, see what she thinks. Basically she's never going to like anything with modern geometry, so googling and shopping for something circa 2017 geometry and as light as possible, without costing $10K.

Another option I came across is a Canyon Lux CF Trail, which seems comparable to the Blur. Has the benefit of less $ than the Blur, a 30-day test window (because Mrs C is picky as fuck without being able to specify what she is looking for other than "light and easy"), and available right now. So if she hated it, it looks like Canyon's return policy means I'd be out just the $100 for shipping.

[toast2266]

That's a bummer.

Seems like going to a big demo event like outerbike would be beneficial. Get her to ride a bunch of bikes and find something that isn't brown.

[slcdawg]

Sorry to hear its not working for her. I have to believe its the frame size or another fit issue (as opposed to rolling resistance). For reference, my 16 year old came off a 25lb Niner Jet 9 to a 31lb ripley af and no issues climbing and descending is a huge upgrade. That said, its prob easier for kids to adapt to a new frame/geo.

[El Chupacabra]

That's a bummer.

Seems like going to a big demo event like outerbike would be beneficial. Get her to ride a bunch of bikes and find something that isn't brown.

I've tried to get her to demo bikes, many times, over the years. She just won't go.

[climberevan]

The various setup options have been well covered above, but at this point I'm on board with the "brown lenses" hypothesis. Maybe if you had set up the bike like her old one as Dee suggests, you'd have been able to gradually move it toward more modern positioning, but it may be too late now.

If she wants to try a couple of other bikes, I have a regular V4 Ripley, and Ms CE has a Spot Ryve 115. We're both 5'9", and you know where we live.

[whyturn]

Orbea oiz maybe. Yeti sb 130?


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[toast2266]

I've tried to get her to demo bikes, many times, over the years. She just won't go.

Huh. That's too bad. Outerbike can be a pretty good time - it's basically just a bike oriented party that happens to have demos.

[garuda]

Revel has old school geo on their bikes but people still seem to like them. Maybe a Ranger or a Rascal would be a good option.

[californiagrown]

Revel has old school geo on their bikes but people still seem to like them.

Or, if you are looking for old school geo, you could maybe look at an old school bike and save a few grand?

[whyturn]

New geometry is whack IMO. Maybe if the demo includes a spa day


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[jono]

Huh. That's too bad. Outerbike can be a pretty good time - it's basically just a bike oriented party that happens to have demos.

+1. 3 days of Moab in fall with shuttles and without having to bring your own bike can be kinda liberating, even when you're not shopping. Or take the AF along and sell it before you leave. $250. 3 weeks away. I wanna hate it, but I can't.

[Powder Ho]

I've tried to get her to demo bikes, many times, over the years. She just won't go.

Have her take up hiking.

[stuckathuntermtn]

Sounds high maintenance.

It's the geo. Seat forward, body forward. When you get used to it, it's great.

[The Reverend Floater]

Swapped to a 60mm stem from the 45mm stock one, she liked that fit more. Go figure.

Bike isn't working. Decision is replacement bike - as coined above, "it's brown.". I'm not going to throw a pile of fancy parts at this one in the hopes of making it tolerable, just going to sell it complete and pick something with a focus purely on light weight + climbing.

Going to borrow a Santa Cruz Blur TR from a friend on Thurs, guessing it's around 25# of whippy XC-ness, see what she thinks. Basically she's never going to like anything with modern geometry, so googling and shopping for something circa 2017 geometry and as light as possible, without costing $10K.

Another option I came across is a Canyon Lux CF Trail, which seems comparable to the Blur. Has the benefit of less $ than the Blur, a 30-day test window (because Mrs C is picky as fuck without being able to specify what she is looking for other than "light and easy"), and available right now. So if she hated it, it looks like Canyon's return policy means I'd be out just the $100 for shipping.

1. I just got that very Canyon and will report back on my thoughts on Geo. It’s at the LBS but should have first ride tomorrow or Friday.

2. Your wife’s journey sounds identical to mine. Check out that Pivot Mach 4 SL.

[El Chupacabra]

1. I just got that very Canyon and will report back on my thoughts on Geo. It’s at the LBS but should have first ride tomorrow or Friday.

2. Your wife’s journey sounds identical to mine. Check out that Pivot Mach 4 SL.

Thanks! Very interested in hearing your thoughts on that Canyon - is it for you or for your wife?

Also, curious about sizing, as that Lux TR seems to run quite long for a given size: Canyon recommends a small for someone 5'9" (Mrs C), and the geometry compared to the Blur TR and her old large Ripley suggests a small also:
https://geometrygeeks.bike/compare/i...-trail-2022-m/

[VTskibum]

Anecdotal, but friend of mine has been riding the new Lux TR and liking it so far. He's a very fast/skilled XC/Endurance racer so is about as slack as he'd be willing to go. He's 5'10 or 5'11" and on a Medium, he did say they were really long and downsized as a result.

[The Reverend Floater]

Thanks! Very interested in hearing your thoughts on that Canyon - is it for you or for your wife?

Also, curious about sizing, as that Lux TR seems to run quite long for a given size: Canyon recommends a small for someone 5'9" (Mrs C), and the geometry compared to the Blur TR and her old large Ripley suggests a small also:
https://geometrygeeks.bike/compare/i...-trail-2022-m/

Lux is for me. My old boss from the way back runs Canyon US now so I couldn’t say no to a great deal as I found myself getting back into riding. When I spoke to his CS guy, he said I could be a MD or LG at 5’11/6’ with 32” inseam. I went large but we’ll see.

Regardless, dig the Pivot Mach4 SL for wifey…we did a ton of research and demos and kept landing on that. It’s pricey but we were able to find a dealer looking to unload.

[El Chupacabra]

Thanks guys - took a quick look at that Pivot online, will research more.

Any more info, impressions, etc, you can share on that Canyon will be helpful.

[toast2266]

Just from looking at the geo on that Canyon Lux, it seems a bit confused. The reach numbers are right in line with modern, progressive geometry; 460 for a medium, 480 for a large. But on most bikes, those modern reach numbers are paired with a fairly steep seat tube angle because if you lengthen the front of the bike and don't steepen the seat tube, then you end up with a super long top tube and a weird, very stretched out riding position while seated. Which looks to be exactly what's going on with the Canyon - long reach, slack seat tube, and super long top tube measurements. Compared to a bike like the Blur, in any given size the Lux is moderately longer in reach (about 10mm longer), but waaaay longer in the top tube (about 35mm longer).

Also worth noting that, even with progressive geometries, top tube measurements haven't changed all that much over the last decade. The distance from saddle to stem that makes for comfortable seated riding isn't any different now than it was then. Even the most progressive bikes with ridiculously long reach numbers have shorter top tubes than that Lux.

[El Chupacabra]

Just from looking at the geo on that Canyon Lux, it seems a bit confused. The reach numbers are right in line with modern, progressive geometry; 460 for a medium, 480 for a large. But on most bikes, those modern reach numbers are paired with a fairly steep seat tube angle because if you lengthen the front of the bike and don't steepen the seat tube, then you end up with a super long top tube and a weird, very stretched out riding position while seated. Which looks to be exactly what's going on with the Canyon - long reach, slack seat tube, and super long top tube measurements. Compared to a bike like the Blur, in any given size the Lux is moderately longer in reach (about 10mm longer), but waaaay longer in the top tube (about 35mm longer).

Also worth noting that, even with progressive geometries, top tube measurements haven't changed all that much over the last decade. The distance from saddle to stem that makes for comfortable seated riding isn't any different now than it was then. Even the most progressive bikes with ridiculously long reach numbers have shorter top tubes than that Lux.

Apparently Canyon kept the same "rear triangle" (suspension moving bits and attachments) from the regular Lux (non-Trail), but changed the front triangle for the Lux Trail, resulting in that geometry. So if you click that link I posted for the geometry geeks page, it looks like a size small Lux Trail is quite similar to a size medium Blur TR, for sizing purposes. The Blur is about 1/2 degree more progressive for both the HTA and STA.

[Kopi_Red]

Thanks guys - took a quick look at that Pivot online, will research more.

Any more info, impressions, etc, you can share on that Canyon will be helpful.

I had a Mach 4SL and I sold it this spring. It is a great XC bike. The reason I sold it was because I wanted a trail bike with a bit more travel. My sister was looking for a similar bike to the Mach 4SL and she ended up with an Epic Evo. She absolutely loves that bike.

I believe Pinkbike did a review of that Canyon and they were not very impressed by it. The video review should be on YouTube.

[The Reverend Floater]

FWIW, just rode the Canyon in flip flops up and down our road on plastic flats. I haven’t ridden anything XC oriented in a long time but I can say it climbs like a goat in terms of efficiency—Not that the Scout is supposed to be an XC bike but the difference in climbing up our road is pretty wild. I’ll hopefully get a trail ride in tomorrow evening and will report back.

I dislike the flattish handle bars but that’s likely because I’m used to some rise. Will likely swap those out. I’m having a hard time with the thought of charging my drivetrain (electronic, wireless shifters) but fuck me, the shifts are lightning. It also came with Maxis dick skinner tires and I like a bit more bite, especially up front. The saddle is ruthless. Maybe if my ass was steel, but it is far from it. Definitely need to find a more comfortable saddle.

Regardless of whether or not I keep it, I’ll say the craftsmanship is beautiful. The LBS mechanic couldn’t stop talking about it, especially relative to the price. I told him I had been considering the Blur (which they sell) and he said, “It’s not even close to that thing.”




I’ll report back after I ride it. If I don’t love it, it’s going back, so we’ll see.

[youenjoymyATskis]

You are spending good money. Why not treat it like a ski boot and get her fit dialed first (by someone who specializes in fitting) and then play around with wheels and tires?