5 Enduro Bikes & 4 eMTBs vs. The Impossible Climb | 2021 Pinkbike Field Test

[@Coolcmsc]

Fine stuff guys. A big plus was that the follow-cam operator did a fantastic job of capturing the differences in performance between the bikes up the climb. The presentation was a bit, what can I say, dry? Loads of concise detail tho’. I do wonder if @bencathro who’s now a rising PinkBike star (and still DH racing!) would bring some humour whilst retaining the detail? Anyone agree?

[@RCKING1]

only a small hand full make a bike big enough for him on paper. In real life riding almost no one makes a big enough bike for him.

[@hobmarg]

I think Matt’s presentation is fine. More laid back than the other guys but the trade off is that he’s an actual elite racer (DH and enduro). Henry and Mike are highly skilled too but not Matt’s level.

[@Coolcmsc]

@@RCKING1 that’s a good point I hadn’t considered 👌

[@rolux4853]

I like Levy’s impossible climbs best! He’s the most entertaining when he fails. Sarah is also amazing for this and I missed her a lot in this field test!

[@ibis315]

Not putting Matt down on these challenging climbs, but I enjoy watching Levy doing the impossible climbs.

[@alexisonbike3652]

Matt is too good haha !

[@scottyoo2467]

@@alexisonbike3652 Too good. Matt didn’t fall off the bike not even once. He doesn’t make entertaining noises either like Levy

[@seannibecker5500]

Both great in my opinion

[@lokmtb8503]

@ibis315 yeah Levy's aggro definitely livens up the climb

[@dr.gregmccandless]

Yeah we need Levy back just for the noises and swearing. Matt is too good and controlled.

[@SP-ss4uo]

The secret to emtb climbing is to keep the seat down lower

[@lokmtb8503]

Love the impossible climb, but do you end up feeling like there's a bit of bias if you spend time working on the puzzle with multiple bikes? Do you think you might have been able to clean it with the Capra if it was later in the test?

[@ApexHerbivore]

Yeah good shout, maybe if 2 or 3 riders did the challenge, and changed the order of the bikes for each rider

[@olrenison]

Why do you think the Norco got over the log the best? Maybe because it was his fourth go at it? 😉 Same with the non-ebikes too. 🤔

[@Surestick88]

The We Are One is looking like the bike to beat in all these tests.

[@tr1jn]

You'd hope so for a bike as expensive as a cheap car tho

[@mtbmike9866]

@@tr1jn or just buy a Giant bicycle with the identical rear suspension platform for half the price

[@11dhillons]

@@mtbmike9866 Yeah, but then you’re stuck riding one of the most common, bleh, big brand bikes that’s made. The WR1 is extremely unique, possessing more character in its rear triangle than an entire bike made by Giant. In my very opinionated opinion 🤷🏽‍♂️

[@mtbmike9866]

@@11dhillons it’s a lovely bike no doubt!!! The design is beautiful. I was just saying if you want the performance of the weareone bike but don’t have the cash or don’t mind the looks, you can buy a Giant. For me, I’ll take the Norco.

[@Stickybutton]

I’d buy if they not for the cable routing under the BB cos I can’t bunny hop to save my life.

[@andiliddell]

Just to quote the description: "..Can the longer travel enduro bikes make it up this challenging course? Is there a difference between eMTBs or do they all handle the course in a similar manner? " -- The answer is it's not the same course, so they don't handle it in the same manner!?... Because its got a massive bloody log in the way for the eMTB? :) , what was the point in that? To see how well the different bikes handle the course... USE THE SAME COURSE.

[@yodapig]

Agreed... the problem with that is that all four e-bikes would have walked up that climb, and the comments section would have lost their minds!

[@JB50713]

Levy immediately trying to diss ebikes and their weight when the log was put into play. Lol

[@m4tt12]

I don’t care about climbing on my enduro bike but i love watching the impossible climb videos. Looked a little too possible with Matt at the helm though. DH rider putting us all to shame! 😂😭

[@hannes6114]

Why don't you?

[@m4tt12]

@@hannes6114 Because i like to feel the BURN on the climb and be more comfortable on the descent!

[@CarkeekW]

Just add the Chris Akrigg attachment for the climb , sorted.

[@ApexHerbivore]

Modifying the trail seems like the wrong thing to do. Especially since none of them made it up! Why not keep the trail the same and see how eMTBs compare on the same trail?

[@stephenbarradell4043]

I don't know. Pretty dumb.

[@letsridebikes7716]

The ebike would have smashed it up the hills, no real comparison

[@ApexHerbivore]

@@letsridebikes7716 Probably not all of them. They couldn't even get over that log!

[@letsridebikes7716]

@@ApexHerbivore most of those ebike would be 20kg to 25kg thats a bit of weight to try and get up over the logs.if they didnt change the course it would have been to easy

[@ApexHerbivore]

@@letsridebikes7716 Rather than rely on your "expert" opinion, I'd like to have seen that myself!! I'm allowed to have an opinion, right?! Why didn't they show one bike at least having an easy time of it? And then, instead of making it a bit harder they literally made it so hard that it was impossible for ANY of the ebikes to complete the course. It's hard to see which is best if they ALL fail. Do you get my point?

[@robertocalvo934]

The front brake tip blew my mind. Gonna try that for sure in my next climb

[@WildOutdoorLiving]

Loved having a different perspective this time! Dare I say, a bit more talent? Anyways… I would still like to see more testers take part in the impossible climb, randomize the order so the same bike doesn’t benefit from the rider having more practice on the course. Give us the average results plus the most entertaining clips to watch!

[@alphagoat2035]

im just more impressed by Matt's skills

[@thingswelike]

Always my highlight of the field tests. Great stuff. Matt made that hop up the rock look trivial. Impressive.

[@CarkeekW]

For low speed ebike turns hold on a bit of rear brake for stability.

[@reonec5909]

< eMTBs (after course modifications) > "Ooh, I wonder what they changed on it." *A fucking log*

[@kolbywoods3300]

I don’t know why, but Levy’s smirk and eye brow flex in these intros CRACKS me up.

[@markbour]

Kenevo SL is "somewhere in the middle"? Nah, mate - does it have a motor or not? :D

[@lucaspfirrmann9973]

I liked it more when I could see mike suffer

[@jonsalvador5051]

Great content as always, thanks legends

[@Ryan_Burney]

Levy, your leading questions are super helpful in letting us know what Matt is going to say before he says it... why even ask him?

[@mikem7618]

Would love to see this done with climb switches off ass well as on.. very interested in closed compression climbing traction, maneuverability, and composure!

[@ericthebikeman8559]

I’d like to see you guys use power meter pedals with the climbs. Matt’s obviously a great climber, but do some bikes need more power to make it up?

[@reidmcclure3256]

Jesus, those things could cut diamonds!

[@deanrwilson]

Where did that log come from? Don't remember seeing it in the earlier rides.?

[@sulejmanomerovic274]

What mode are you in? Brave new world in mountain biking, who knew that would be a question.

[@casestudymtb]

They say during the kenevo test, trail for all except the specialized, which they ran in turbo

[@bjorntoulouse9080]

The thing is, it’s not mountain biking - it’s ebiking which is a different sport. They didn’t include any moto trials bikes or Mx bikes, so why include ebikes ? Do an ebike shootout by all means but leave mountain bikes out of it ffs.

[@yodapig]

@@bjorntoulouse9080 There is no E if you're not pedalling - it just means you don't get as tired so quickly.

[@Primoz.r]

What does a regular non-assisted e-bike look like? :)

[@chadclark2070]

Great job guys. But... Sort of felt you had alot of bias towards the WR1 bike? Just saying. Almost like they paid you to test it.

[@campbellclark3458]

I'll do it on my Remedy 8 first time

[@jorcor78]

So which bike would win in the 170mm category since the Arrival shouldn't even be in this group at 150mm??!! All the others are 170mm. Shouldn't the arrival be compared to the Sentinel, Jeffsy, or Sight?

[@grasenwillink4554]

you should try the Enduro bike from 2019 on this climb. Come on Matt one more climb

[@karlhess2748]

Is it the weight or the idler?

[@bennysh]

Got to say that judging bikes by the abilities of a single rider isn't fair. These bikes should be tested by at least 5 riders, and the results should be averaged.

[@vomErsten]

This is bro science, not science science.

[@snat6299]

We want MIKE on the impossible climb!

[@lukasbormann4830]

This climb seemed way shorter and easier than the last one

[@jobisbell7034]

It did, but it was nice to see a bike finally complete the climb

[@pinkbike]

Hard to tell on camera but I’d say this one was a bit shorter but tougher than the last one. - Jason

[@paul4292]

what does he mean at 4:02 when he says he can feel the idler (especially in gear 1,2,3) ???

[@m4tt12]

He said in one of the other videos that the idler adds more drag as you go in to the bigger cogs, so you notice it a lot more on slow climbs. I guess this is just to do with the chain being pulled on more of an angle.

[@neilmouneimne5451]

The whole "top 3 gears" threw me for a loop. Normally I'd think of the "top" gears as being the smallest cogs.

[@speedpilot]

tbh i don't feel like the 'impossible' climb could say anything on the bikes capability. Every time u fell it was because of a bad line. I mean you could tell us your personal experience and so on. But based on "how far could u climb with what bike" is not a good way to pick a good bike in my opinion

[@ApostolosK06]

“The normal non assisted eBikes” I thought these were bikes but i guess emtb has taken over

[@BurnsRubber]

Uhhh…yeah caught that too 🙄

[@Stickybutton]

Bring back a humbled please since Levy’s not doing the impossible climb

[@elyhim]

Dude is riding an EMTB like a regular bike. Need to spin up and ride it like an EMTB.

[@ApexHerbivore]

Never ridden one. What do you mean - keep more momentum?

[@Morpheas001]

@@ApexHerbivore You get more/better assist in a lower gear with a higher cadence. Maybe a little easier to control the power that way too.

[@pilotz2112]

Advertising pro tip, stand behind the bikes so we can see them always. Don’t worry we can still see you.

[@Pienimusta]

Watchout not hitting the ISS on that log obstacle.

[@HowToGetMoreMetal]

This is awesome!

[@lagwall]

I would've love to have seen a bike line up before the riding. Also, how come you guys never have Santa Cruz in these series? Thank you for the video. :-)

[@m4tt12]

SC Nomad was in last year’s enduro/freeride field test

[@lagwall]

I will have to look for that video

[@johnykryll]

Moved when you mentioned lazE bikes

[@thecakeisalie7070]

Ok I'll bite. Chris Akrigg rides flats.

[@pauldirac1367]

12:40 Ah yes the "non motorized e-bike"

[@DullBoyJack]

Starting to see why everybody's talking about the Arrival...

[@PaddyMcQueen]

Trail mode on a tecnical trail... what an idea...

[@christophercollins2320]

Bring Back Levy for the climbs!

[@mark-e-tect5774]

Levy's questions always seem like they are leading and pushing to support his opinion. It just does not feel natural and candid but always like there is an agenda or pre-determined opinion that he is trying to support.

[@BenjaminChavez]

Every climb is the impossible climb for me. I live in flat Michigan

[@MaxGloger]

“Non-motorised eBike”… So, just a bike 🙃…

[@eliaskoenig7020]

he just said non motorised bikes

[@elvisp8104]

@@eliaskoenig7020 i think he said ebikes if you listen carefully

[@MaxGloger]

@@eliaskoenig7020 12:40

[@elvisp8104]

@@MaxGloger 9:06

[@liamsullivan7073]

We want LEVY

[@janeperanteau6129]

wheres levy

[@Kev.in-Bike]

Nice vidéo. Hard trail

[@gpa1978]

Matt is such a great addition

[@davidmatheson7391]

What, exactly, is a "non-motorized e-bike"? I gotta get me one o'them jimmy jankers!

[@Eli-mr5gf]

sheeeeeeeeeeeesh

[@letsridebikes7716]

I dont get the hype with the sworks half the power for double the money

[@kev7co]

Dh

[@kiltymacbagpipe]

You guys both said “non motorized ebike”….

[@thomasoconnor1570]

Bet I could climb that on my Heckler!

[@atomics6779]

I did that once, when no one was looking…

[@gaveltron]

I enjoy the content, but from a 'testing' perspective, this is horrible haha. Any bike could have done completely differently depending on tiny line choices that you did with other bikes.

[@323johnnybravo]

The impossible climb was levy’s thing :/

[@sjaan7370]

Even though the Rocky Mountain Powerplay is expecting a new drop for 2022 I would have loved to have seen the present model destroy everything here! So smooth in its power delivery with absolutely no run on 😎 And where's the acoustic RM Altitude? Boooooooo!

[@zeuszuki6698]

The whole thing is very subjective and not very conclusive imo. Fun to watch but that's where it ends 😀

[@garradmiller5025]

1 run by 1 rider per bike isn't very scientific. Lot of room for luck playing a part.

[@pinkbike]

There’s a lot of pseudo-science going on here but it is a fun experiment and more often than not the bikes our testers deem good climbers perform better.

[@theliquidstate3216]

Hmmmm, not really a review which is a shame. No conversation or comparison between the standard bikes apart from the We Are One. I'm sure it's a wicked good bike but also looks like heavy local favoritism. Tell us something about the rest of them in comparison on the Ups

[@retovogler103]

Levy, tammi namal! Zrugg uf de Hobbel. De neu Typ het öppe so viel Charisma, wie e Bratpfanne. 🤷🏻‍♂️

[@javisst44]

Almost standing on WAO makes it not even close to an even test, even if it's lighter it's almost always harder to climb slowly.

[@BuffiestFluff]

It's designed to be able to naturally stand to climb. The others aren't as much.

[@jimbo4203]

Y'all are definitely newbies when it comes to ebikes ! Once you learn how to actually ride one you will climb better

[@stephendennis3172]

Why would you bother to learn when you could just ride a regular bike ,and not cheat on the climbs

[@jimbo4203]

@@stephendennis3172 funny ! I will laugh when I pass you

[@yodapig]

@@stephendennis3172 it's not 'cheating' it's about having fun on the trails... if all you want is a workout, go to a gym.

[@outthereindustries7413]

Please wear nipple tap bro, your first 5 seconds are weird with them things pointing right at the viewer. Bad shirt, oooohhhh. Good riding and all the rest

[@anthonysears871]

Ok. Drawing the line here. Ebikes😝😝😝 they all suck. Software, motors, batterues, wiring, drive trains all fail. I work in a shop. Ebikes are beyond stupid. Hike up your skirts. Acoustic bikes only!!!!

[@kaseyburlingham2861]

I don't care how well I climb that We Are One would be overpriced for a dentist!

[@wm4385]

Are these all DH guys trying to climb? If so, "test" is worthless, otherwise, carry on.

[@georgelove3385]

Awful!

[@isakrenlund2257]

Where is Levy this Guy is boooooooring

[@MilatovichFamily]

ebikes should be banned anywhere!