Addressing Some of Your Questions! (Trail Bike Buyers Guide)

[@masonjohnson5583]

Lotta people are on your back about their personal criteria of what they want to see… which is totally legit for them. I just want you guys to know you did an amazing job at reviewing and dissecting all these bikes!!!

[@moandhannahtravel]

Thank you!!! Lot of positive feedback we’ve been stoked on! 2025 has some fun things in the works!!

[@garyschapiro893]

I agree, super enjoyable to watch and very well done.

[@nigelhagley8942]

Love your videos !!!! 120-130 trail bike review please! Thanks!!!

[@moandhannahtravel]

Coming up!

[@JCaleb3718]

Great responses to these questions. Thank you so much. I'm looking forward to the short travel trail bike series.

[@moandhannahtravel]

Thanks for watching!!!!

[@orrphism]

I think the guy who said "every bike is insane" is talking more about the same feelings expressed in almost every bike review rather than specific word choice to describe how the bike felt. If every bike is described similarly (in this case positive), we then need to tune that out to hear the true differences you felt. You sound like you ooze positivity, which is honestly very enjoyable to watch, so please don't take this as a bad thing, but solely for bike comparisons/reviews I'm looking for differences of bike character first and foremost. Really enjoyed the series and think you did a great job! Thanks for addressing feedback and being so open.

[@moandhannahtravel]

No offense taken at all and thank you for watching!! Definitely understand where he is coming from. In each video I talk about what I don’t love about the bikes. Each one has its own personality, each one is for different riders. If there is a specific question you have that I didn’t touch on feel free to ask! it’s pretty tough to end up with a bad bike right now. Especially at this price point. The truth is most bikes are either very poppy and playful or very stable and traction oriented. Sometimes when it’s just right you get the perfect combo of both (stumpy). If your bike has none of those traits and you bought it in 2024, it might not be a bicycle 😂 hope that helps and appreciate the feedback! -Mo

[@milktop1]

Great job with the reviews and this video!

[@moandhannahtravel]

Thanks so much!!!!

[@williambanzhof9739]

EXCELLENT! Thanks for presenting!

[@moandhannahtravel]

Thanks for watching!!!

[@lars_atx]

loved the series. I have a 2020 Switchblade and only I don't love about it is it didn't have an UDH, so i have to get new bike to get UDH support. Appreciate all the hard work this series took to produce.

[@moandhannahtravel]

Or you can run a UDH hanger and run a normal drivetrain! Switchblade is awesome!

[@jonathanzumwalt4392]

You guys need to go out to Carbondale for a week and ride all of the Revels. CBF is the magic carpet. Easy to set up, efficient, and flows up and downhill. Also trying out the Push suspension in Colorado might be fun too.

[@garyschapiro893]

Really enjoyed the best 2024 XC and 2025 trail reviews. As you asked for some input on future comparisons I'll put in for the sub 3k bike shootout. I recently got a Chisel FS for under 3K out the door. I really like how it rides but find I want to knock off some weight. I think a Roval wheelset and new fork might be a start. I think when buying the sub 3k bikes people will eventually cross this bridge. It's fun to build up but it's proven to be 20% more expensive, maybe more, than just buying up.

[@moandhannahtravel]

That would be a rad idea!!!!

[@r28a]

Enjoy the bike reviews, and it's evident all the hard work y'all have been doing these past few months, but I miss seeing the Kook.

[@moandhannahtravel]

We have some fun stuff planned in 2025 so stay tuned!

[@anthonynazzal1958]

Can you shoot / film in Santiago? There’s a good amount of steep and chunk, and some decent flow. Seeing how a 120-130mm bike climbs chutes where there’s a lot of imbedded rocks to navigate, and seeing how it can climb a fire road like barham would be good As for single track, deer and cactus are good and then for the gnar, peralta or grasshopper etc? And conditions there are usually consistent. I wish you had a 120-130 video out now, haha, I’m in the market for a short travel bike to go along with my switchblade and emtb wild. Currently eyeballing the rascal, spur/smuggler, 429, etc

[@moandhannahtravel]

We are working on it!!! Oaks is awesome!! The big problem right now is we are looking for a home base and unfortunately socal is not on the list, but we will see!

[@abouvet1]

Nice work Mo. Enduro bike shootout would be nice!

[@mikej1348]

Can you make a quick vid about your flat pedals/ shoes that you used for the trail comparison? Or additionally some of your riding gear.

[@moandhannahtravel]

That would be rad! Shoes in the video are Crankbrothers Stamp Trails and Stamp Boas! 🔥

[@johndaw7764]

You and Hannah do amazing work! I think component review with just forks, shocks, drivetrain Etc on the same bike would be interesting. Also, (selfish request) I would also like to hear your thoughts on the difference between the 2021 Switchblade (my bike) and the new version. I know what Pivot says, but do those differences really make a difference?

[@nicholashines7686]

You guys did a great job. I think you should reword yourself with a new Raptor R 😂

[@moandhannahtravel]

hahahahah!

[@KineticsReborn]

Hey mo! New subscriber here. Loved the videos! I wanted to say I'm torn between three bikes brand new. 2023 Norco fluid a3 shimano, new Ari cascade peak elite (which I have a 150mm fox 36 and 210x55 shock to make it a Delano), and the polygon t8. My question is why I don't hear of Ari too much? I'll admit there's that vain side of me that worries over what others will think even though I shouldn't care. Their customer service so far has been fantastic. I'm in flat south Texas and really love the Ari but not sure if it'll hold up to the occasional trips to spider mountain/ RPR / Bentonville?

[@moandhannahtravel]

That ARI is so awesome! I can't speak to the others as I haven't ridden them but the ARI shreds hard. The nice thing too is they have a 30 day return policy, so if you aren't happy you have a lot of reassurance there! I would say that cascade with a piggy shock (with a reservoir) would be awesome!!!

[@KineticsReborn]

That's what I plan to do with the cascade peak. Are you confirmed with me that it's pretty much an alloy Delano Peak. Shares same geo. I love the charcoal black cascade color! Seriously it means a lot that you even took the time to respond. Thanks for all the hard work on your videos!​@@moandhannahtravel

[@Scott-PNW]

:D see if RSD will let you try out the Wildcat 125 for budget or the trail rigs. At least for customer service, they've been top notch with any questions I shoot their way.

[@josephcoppolino9929]

Keeping in mind that bikes are region specific... which bike would you recommend for San Diego trails that is equally capable climbing and descending?

[@moandhannahtravel]

Yeti, ARI, Pivot, all great options for down in San Diego!

[@eXaviar]

It would be really awesome to see, if you can do something similar but with steel bikes. No one has ever done that before 🤙🏾

[@moandhannahtravel]

Would be rad!!!

[@eXaviar]

@@moandhannahtravel looking forward to it. Maybe you can do. Sure, i do understand that i also needs to be of value to you :P time will tell. Keep up you already awesome work! others never even reacted to the idee. it might gone invisible due to all the comments. no gripe there :P

[@Deeasterhoff]

A component specific reviews would be cool.

[@Wes-o9t]

I would like to see a buyer's guide of tires, so many out there and pricey.

[@moandhannahtravel]

Good idea!

[@kesselbrenner]

I mostly ride daily in the city, street trial with a xc hard tail cannondale scalpel. Maybe once a month I hit the trail. I can’t buy a second bike (my wife will divorce me). I’m planning on selling my scalpel, which trail bike that you have reviewed, will preform best as a street trial bike?

[@orrphism]

Re: components, I think for testing frame platforms, components should be control variables and not change too much. As a long time mtb'er, I'm here to choose my next frame platform and removing any other noise like tire spec, brake power, electronic shifting (ie, things I can easily change) helps me focus on the frame. I'd include a footnote re: component bang for buck or have build kits influence the bike's price score but not focus too much on them. Treat components as personal/wallet preferences while the frame is choosing a platform/bike brand. Not saying that's not what you did, this is more like feedback to all bike reviewers re: components.

[@moandhannahtravel]

Great points!!!

[@thatmtbguy9396]

I personally feel like 2-3k is the sweet spot for value bikes. At that point you are not buying a "cheap" bike but also shouldn't expect a premium bike.

[@andresdavila4500]

Yes! Just something solid don’t need to upgrade immediately but ready for upgrades if you want

[@moandhannahtravel]

That’s what we are thinking! Lots of great options too!!!

[@thatmtbguy9396]

@@moandhannahtravel would love to see if you feel like the cascade peak feels like an alloy delano

[@SoCalLobo]

Agreed

[@zemog1025]

The 2-3K is the price range where one can expect a quality frame with solid a mid-grade fork, set of wheels, and drivetrain. These bikes work nearly as well as the 5-6K range and are very durable, they are just not the lightest and lacking that nebulous bling factor. Most serious riders aren't racers or sponsored riders, and we have other responsibilities like families, so this is the range where we hang out.

[@brianleal5966]

Yours was the only review that I watched start to finish. The others were painful. I feel like the budget review is overdone, do a outside the budget review of 15k bikes! Never seen that!

[@moandhannahtravel]

That would be rad!!!! 😂😂😂😂

[@Wes-o9t]

I think Gary8313 sounds like he is looking for a gravel or hard tail mountain bike.

[@moandhannahtravel]

probably read that wrong , you are probably right haha

[@Wes-o9t]

@@moandhannahtravel Same here not sure either:)

[@chuckrodgers4780]

I would think budget is between $2k and $3.5k . I have a question that didn’t make your video, where is Hannah ?

[@moandhannahtravel]

That’s a solid budget! Great options at that price point. And Hannah is right behind the camera filming everything and helping run Awesome MTB and the website! Big things coming in 2025!

[@ssjj9584]

I really don’t get why you would need to ask a brand for a bike for review. Do you need permission from a brand to do a review (Trek etc) ? Borrow bike? Someone you know? Bike shop? As soon as I hear getting bikes from brands or “working with” brands I immediately think nothing will really be said to make the brand look bad and just spin content, to make every bike sugar coated just to be different ‘but awesome ‘ to not ruin relationships and continue working with the brand.

[@moandhannahtravel]

Hey thanks for commenting! The simple answer is while we would love to just go out and buy a bunch of bikes to review and then just sell them at a loss after we are done with the video, there is no way we would be able to sustain that long term, especially with how many bikes we get asked to review and how bad the resell market is right now. As for borrowing a bike, most shops will not make an XL a demo (which is my size) and will definitely not be able to let us borrow the bike for 2-3 months, and they definitely would not want to deal with having to repair whatever we break or wear down. We are an independent MTB media company with no investor money. We are not backed by a corporation. It's literally just Hannah and I. If you don't feel like you can trust our reviews then you probably won't return to the channel. Hopefully you feel like you can. And if you know anyone who would like to submit their personal bike to me to review for 3 months of testing, I highly recommend you stop talking to them because they are most likely crazy LOL Thanks again! -Mo

[@Trade2Invest-]

IMHO all bike 2020 and up are really good but may be thats just me. I just hope that everyone's local bike shop have a loaner bike they can test. I think its the best way to choose your next bike and it doesn't necessarily need to be the greatest and the latest.

[@moandhannahtravel]

So true!!!

[@davewallace9048]

Hopefully you didn’t get any root canals!!

[@mikecalfin316]

what about shoting in vermount virginia or delaware

[@moandhannahtravel]

Would be rad!!! But summer for sure!

[@MikeesTexas]

Im hoping Mo will ask to marry me so i too can have the last name "Awesome"

[@ibjab6490]

10000x better than PB

[@moandhannahtravel]

Thank you for watching!

[@ibjab6490]

@ I should qualify that. I dig bike videos from whoever, as most people do. But your format and in depth review of each bike, along with a lot of trail videos and your take on how they respond was really involved. You could tell there was a significant time and effort put in to each bike, riding time, video editing. The difference between this and PB is I felt you took each bike as its own machine and how it rode. Yea there were bike comparisons in your comments but each bike stood out for its own merit, characteristics and value. Not just the old “bike shootout format” cheers.

[@a.k.vollmer5200]

Budget should be under $2500.

[@moandhannahtravel]

Lots of options there!

[@edMartin-j4e]

Trek let them review it! Trek fuel ex, Trek Top Fuel

[@moandhannahtravel]

Would be rad! Just need to figure out the right contact!