21/22 Bikes That Make Your Shorts Tighter.

[smmokan]

Thread drift…the redesigned conti trail king 2.4 got decent reviews but I never tried it (maybe I was too scarred from the suckage of the previous version). Thoughts on it as a front tire for my hei hei CR? The protection version is 945 g per mfger.

I'm a big fan of Continental these days, I've been running them for the last ~6 months (either Baron/TK2 on my enduro rig, or TK2/TK2 seen here). The new Trail King is a great all-around tire that's pretty fast rolling but also has a good amount of grip, especially for a XC/Trail bike. When I head to more mellow places like Sun Valley, I plan on leaving the TK up front and putting a Cross King on the back.

Disclaimer- I'm not nearly as hard on tires as most of the TGR posters but I do ride some pretty rough terrain (relatively fast) and haven't had any durability issues so far. IME, the Black Chili / Protection casing is stiffer and more durable than EXO+.

[sf]

Thread drift…the redesigned conti trail king 2.4 got decent reviews but I never tried it (maybe I was too scarred from the suckage of the previous version). Thoughts on it as a front tire for my hei hei CR? The protection version is 945 g per mfger.

I'm a big fan of Continental these days, I've been running them for the last ~6 months (either Baron/TK2 on my enduro rig, or TK2/TK2 seen here). The new Trail King is a great all-around tire that's pretty fast rolling but also has a good amount of grip, especially for a XC/Trail bike. When I head to more mellow places like Sun Valley, I plan on leaving the TK up front and putting a Cross King on the back.

Disclaimer- I'm not nearly as hard on tires as most of the TGR posters but I do ride some pretty rough terrain (relatively fast) and haven't had any durability issues so far. IME, the Black Chili / Protection casing is stiffer and more durable than EXO+.

Same here regarding Conti. Baron/Kaiser-combo now, coming of DHRII f/b maxxgrip/terra, both exo+.

Contis grip, turn and brake well. Casing seem more supportive than exo+. Especially the Kaiser really digs in while braking.

If/when I buy a bike with shorter travel the TK is top of my list

[frorider]

Great thx. I tend to ride rocky trails that are hard on rear tires but my mad skillz on line choices usually mean front tires hold up ok. And this 26 lb bike ain’t the one I take on the gnar.

[ticketchecker]

Two short rides on the Ranger, review at this point is FKNA. Pretty impressive little bike

[smmokan]

I hopped on our XL Ranger demo (clearly too big for me) yesterday for a mixed-terrain dirt road / mellow singletrack ride, and goddamn that thing is a rocket. Now I can't wait to get our large Ranger in a few weeks and put the hammer down in Sun Valley next month.

[Andeh]

Man, I see so many good reviews of how the Revel bikes ride. I wish they'd update the geometry though... 75 degree seat angles are so 2016.

[ticketchecker]

I hopped on our XL Ranger demo (clearly too big for me) yesterday for a mixed-terrain dirt road / mellow singletrack ride, and goddamn that thing is a rocket. Now I can't wait to get our large Ranger in a few weeks and put the hammer down in Sun Valley next month.

Oh man, wish I had this bike when I was in SV two years ago

[smmokan]

Man, I see so many good reviews of how the Revel bikes ride. I wish they'd update the geometry though... 75 degree seat angles are so 2016.

I agree with the Rascal and Rail, but the Ranger feels really good with the saddle pushed forward just a little bit.

[jummo]

At first , I thought it was the extra pandemic pounds making my shorts tight. But sure, I'll blame it on the new bike.

[dcpnz]

^^^Nice [mention]jummo[/mention]!
Honestly that's probably the bike I should have got but I brought this one home instead....

[jummo]

You'll probably be okay. At least your bike is right side up.
I'm replacing a Pivot 5.5 which is has been great, but wanted something a little more pedally as the kids say these days.
So far it's everything I hoped for even the part about being dentist spensive.

jummo

[smmokan]

Went out for a Highlander glamour shoot just before sunset tonight...

[smartyiak]

Highlander vs Druid in a “loser retires match.” Who’s sent into early retirement?


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[smmokan]

Highlander vs Druid in a “loser retires match.” Who’s sent into early retirement?

Hmmm.... I think they're two different bikes. The Druid (IMO) is more of a trail bike, while the Highlander (with the 150 link) is definitely a bigger, more capable enduro bike. I'd pedal the Forbidden all day, but I'd take the Highlander on the more rowdy trails.

[smartyiak]

Hmmm.... I think they're two different bikes. The Druid (IMO) is more of a trail bike, while the Highlander (with the 150 link) is definitely a bigger, more capable enduro bike. I'd pedal the Forbidden all day, but I'd take the Highlander on the more rowdy trails.

Yeah...I know it's supposed to be "2021 bikes..." but I still have a man crush on the Druid. Keep wanting "bad info" so I move on from it.

Thanks for nothin!

[gramboh]

Am I nuts for looking at the new Patrol as a do it all bike? The Spire looks too big/aggressive for me, while the Patrol, in the high geo setting, looks a bit more manageable. I have short legs for my height so the mullet really appeals to me as well. 63.5 HTA with short offset fork and 40mm stem, 78 STA. Only real downside is the weight. I’m a Fox/Shimano guy so the XT build is perfect.

Current bike is a 2019 YT Jeffsy 27 CF Pro Race that I added a DHX2, XT 4 piston brakes/12 spd drive train and Double Down tires. It’s 65.5 HTA and 435 chainstays so the Patrol is def bigger even with same front and rear travel.

[cydwhit]

Am I nuts for looking at the new Patrol as a do it all bike? The Spire looks too big/aggressive for me, while the Patrol, in the high geo setting, looks a bit more manageable. I have short legs for my height so the mullet really appeals to me as well. 63.5 HTA with short offset fork and 40mm stem, 78 STA. Only real downside is the weight. I’m a Fox/Shimano guy so the XT build is perfect.

Current bike is a 2019 YT Jeffsy 27 CF Pro Race that I added a DHX2, XT 4 piston brakes/12 spd drive train and Double Down tires. It’s 65.5 HTA and 435 chainstays so the Patrol is def bigger even with same front and rear travel.

It depends on what the "all" you're trying to do is. Patrol is probably going to be the next bike I own,(not for quite a while though), but I'd be getting it to compliment a Spur. If you're doing a lot of shuttling and bike park riding, along with some winch and plummet riding the Patrol seems great. If you're doing more rolling pedaling BS then why not get a Sentinel or mullet a Scout?

Also worth noting, with the Patrol's straight head tube you could throw an angleset in and get a pretty similar head tube angle to your Jeffsy.

[gramboh]

It depends on what the "all" you're trying to do is. Patrol is probably going to be the next bike I own,(not for quite a while though), but I'd be getting it to compliment a Spur. If you're doing a lot of shuttling and bike park riding, along with some winch and plummet riding the Patrol seems great. If you're doing more rolling pedaling BS then why not get a Sentinel or mullet a Scout?

Also worth noting, with the Patrol's straight head tube you could throw an angleset in and get a pretty similar head tube angle to your Jeffsy.

I live in Vancouver, so my "all" includes North Shore -- mostly pedaling but some Cypress/Seymour shuttles, Squamish, a handful of Whistler Bike Park days a summer (I sold my DH bike when I had kids a few years ago, out of self-preservation) and maybe one big alpine ride each year. Mix of slower jank and high speed stuff. The Sentinel makes more sense in many ways but in the past I've found 29er rear tires buzz my ass a lot but to be fair I've never owned one only demoed. Mullet Scout sounds cool but I don't want to mess around having to buy forks/wheels in this market. I should add I am 215lbs before gearing up so the 38 and stout frame is appealing on the Patrol.

[toast2266]

I live in Vancouver, so my "all" includes North Shore -- mostly pedaling but some Cypress/Seymour shuttles, Squamish, a handful of Whistler Bike Park days a summer (I sold my DH bike when I had kids a few years ago, out of self-preservation) and maybe one big alpine ride each year. Mix of slower jank and high speed stuff. The Sentinel makes more sense in many ways but in the past I've found 29er rear tires buzz my ass a lot but to be fair I've never owned one only demoed. Mullet Scout sounds cool but I don't want to mess around having to buy forks/wheels in this market. I should add I am 215lbs before gearing up so the 38 and stout frame is appealing on the Patrol.

For that kind of riding, I think you'd be fine using the Patrol as an everyday bike. I've had friends use the (previous generation) Patrol as their every day rig in areas with mellower trails than you.

That comes with the caveat that it'll be a ~35 lb bike with a lot of travel. It's not going to go uphill particularly quickly or efficiently, at least compared to a shorter travel trail bike. But if you're not in a rush, it'll get to the top. And it'll be a blast on the way back down.

[gramboh]

For that kind of riding, I think you'd be fine using the Patrol as an everyday bike. I've had friends use the (previous generation) Patrol as their every day rig in areas with mellower trails than you.

That comes with the caveat that it'll be a ~35 lb bike with a lot of travel. It's not going to go uphill particularly quickly or efficiently, at least compared to a shorter travel trail bike. But if you're not in a rush, it'll get to the top. And it'll be a blast on the way back down.

Thanks, helpful to hear on the previous gen and agree with the limitations. My current Jeffsy is around 32-33lbs with pedals (because of the DHX2 shock, DD casing tires mostly) so it's probably a 3-5lbs jump in weight with pedals. I'm definitely a wincher/sit and spin style climber and prefer fireroads to singletrack climbs. The way trails are laid out where I ride with long climb to long sustained descent, I basically have X amount of descending per hour and a few pounds diff on a bike won't change that, only getting in proper shape will .

Just put a deposit down on a raw frame XT build, shop says they are being told August, I'll believe it when I see it! Super stoked to get this thing. I tried a Scout back in 2017ish and loved it, and a gen 1 Smuggler a few years later but ended up with Jeffsy's (mk1 and mk2) due to price/value. I looked at the new Capra MX mullet but the geo was a bit off and April 2022 delivery was no bueno.

[Sutter]

Right on, Gramboh, congratulations. As someone who is 5’6” 155lbs and been riding a Sm Sentinel for the last 3 years the mullet Patrol is very appealing given the feedback on this site and other places I’ve been reading about it.

[retirwntm]

Bump for Brokesomeribs.


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[toast2266]

That new Scott Spark actually looks pretty sweet. Super clean looking. And the more trail oriented iterations have attractive geometry numbers.

I'm not sure I'd want to ride the first generation of their little rocker link doohickey, but if it doesn't creak that bike will be on my want list.

[Falcon3]

I like how the Patrol mullet looks but damn, $5600 for an aluminum frame and aluminum rims? Nah.

[Eluder]

The Scott caught my eye today for sure. It’s not all that new though so it should work well I’d think.

https://m.pinkbike.com/news/scott-no...ld-cycles.html