Testing Out An Insanely Fast Carbon Race Bike

[@juansanchez-tr1dq]

I get that weight is not what you want in racing but the benefits of a dropper and any weight penalty that comes with it is worth it in my book!

[@mrvwbug4423]

As for the reach, XC bikes usually have shorter reach and more slack seat tube angles than trail or enduro bikes. And XC racers at the professional level are usually little guys since lighter rider = better climbing performance and XC races are won on the climbs just like road races. If you were referencing Syd & Macky as far as tall and lanky racers go, they're both unusually tall for high level pro MTB racers (Syd is 6ft Macky is 6ft3in).

[@TheArimatheus]

Buy a frame and move parts you have onto it. You can get parts for really cheap right now if shop around and know what you're doing when building a bike from the ground up. I just bought, piece by piece, a full AXS Rival overhaul for my all road bike, basically everything but the frameset - with new wheels for about a $1600. Plus, building a bike from individually sourced parts is really incredibly satisfying.

[@mattj6676]

I think some of these sizes vary by brand, you're used to riding Trek, and if I'm not mistaken they have XS, S, M, ML, L and XL on most of their frames, so their medium might run a little smaller than another make's medium because they have more intermediate sizing. It's one think I do like about Trek, they have more size and color options than most makes, which explains at least some of the extra cost on their pricing. Just different geometry makes the cockpit feel different, some bikes will fit you better than others. It's cool you have friends that will let you ride different stuff now!

[@BruceChastain]

I don't really think it's a height thing, because lots of XC races are shorter, like the best ever Nino I think is like 5'8". I think it's just they want the front end to me low and fast.

[@sadiejones7991]

An inline seat post helps if you have a shorter inseam. A lot of racers race a smaller bike than normal and use laid back post and longer stems for weight savings and still stay aggressive. The key with the saddle is does it effect pedal position negatively. I like a steep seat angle.

[@Kelekona_808]

Nice use of classical music for the fancy bike ride.

[@the3rddeck78]

The terrain in your area looks amazing this time of year

[@TheLaughingOtter]

Awesome bike my friend! You looked pretty damned fast my friend...I don't know why you were worried about cougars on a fast bike like that, lol!

[@mrvwbug4423]

Throw a few choice upgrades at it and you could trim a bunch of weight. Tubless conversion to start off with, add a dropper it's worth the small weight penalty. On that existing build I would switch the cranks and cassette over to something lighter, Deore weighs a ton. XT or SLX are both considerably lighter. You could probably get that bike under 20lbs with a weight weenie build with XTR or XX1 components and carbon wheels, though it would be expensive. IMHO see if the Trek store has a bougie build Supercaliber you can demo, and take it out to Buff Creek (bigger climbs than Betasso, still smooth-ish trails and not hard on lightweight XC wheels/tires). The big adjustment of riding a burly bike vs a weight weenie bike is you need to be particular about line choices to avoid blowing a tire or cracking a rim.

[@junkandcrapamen]

Nino Schurter, the GOAT xc racer, is relatively short and stocky.

[@BruceChastain]

man I want to get back to Colorado, so great

[@stevenwilliams7845]

Nice ride much respect would love to see more love your show 🎉🎉🎉🎉😮😮😮😮

[@AlEx-ck4dc]

U really need to try the giant xtc slr 29 2 I really think u will be impressed with not only the performance but also the price the giant performs as good as if not better than a procaliber for much cheaper please u have to review that bike

[@rogerwall9167]

XC riders are usually some of the fastest people downhill on local trails

[@mrvwbug4423]

Yup, a good XC racer should be just as good on the downhill as the climb. Going fast downhill on a bike with delicate wheels and tires and not much suspension travel takes some skill.

[@TheArimatheus]

What's the average age of that sample? For instance, I started out racing BMX in the mid 90's, graduated to dual slalom, then downhill, wrecked real bad, then got into XC. I'm 40 now and ride XC bikes, but a lot of folks aged out of DH into XC it seems to me.

[@icantgivecredit871]

There may be more places where they can shed weight. With the spec it has (Deore/Deore XT, plus Rockshox SID) it's actually a little heavier than I would have thought a carbon HT would be. I'm sure with some tweaks the bike could easily be brought down to 20 lbs. / under 10kg. In any case, it's a handsome bike and it's nice having more options. This seems price competitive with other high-end carbon HT, such as the Specialized Epic HT.

[@mrvwbug4423]

I suspect it has heavy wheels to keep the price point down

[@chaseg4567]

Recommend trying out Trek Procaliber 9.6 if you can find one in your area. It’s XC hardtail with IsoSpeed decoupler in the seat post. For $3k it weighs less than 25lbs. Love mine, and it’s fast.

[@psi.defence.channel]

I would say the reach is long because of that super long handlebars stem. I bet if you slept a 45 mm stem on it it would fit like a glove! Awesome bike!

[@psi.defence.channel]

And then a few seconds later you say that! 😂

[@mrvwbug4423]

The racy stack height also makes the bike feel like it has more reach.

[@tomassanesson902]

Awesome bike

[@lastpme]

Nice bike….congrats 👍🏿

[@50whatnomadtravelnursemtb5]

Smooth trail but looks so bumpy on that spandex bike lol

[@dragonflygenetics420]

Slap some clipp -ins on and be one with the bike and when you go to get behind that seat it's not as hard as you realize...

[@mrvwbug4423]

My recommendation from personal experience is start with Shimano SPD pedals and get the multi-release cleats.

[@TivonSanders]

Just outta curiosity, do you know what PSI the tires were at?

[@barfo281]

Isn't the reach longer to put the rider into a more aggressive and aerodynamic position?

[@MattyActive]

That makes sense

[@kris8165]

Nearly 25 pounds,or 11 kg for a multi thousand dollars bike, isn't exactly light weight...😅 My poor Man 29er single speed weights less! And only about a kilo or so more, when the gears were on! Zero carbon parts,zero fancy parts... It's a beautiful looking bike though that Lee Cougan😊 Greetings from Croatia from Kris 😎

[@jorgealbertocastillosoria2676]

How tall are you?

[@Kulaan]

I worked at a trek store for a while and highly do not recommend a carbon mtb bike, carbon is a woven, epoxy (like fiberglass )that dries out and has a shelf life . Riding carbon is like driving a fiberglass boat. It ages. Aluminum doesn’t. I have a 2012 trek fuel with a modern drive train and newer wheel set that weighs 26 lbs all aluminum. Had the frame, fork well over a decade.

[@hippymtnbkr]

Sometimes I get a chuckle when I hear your comments about bikes. I want to give you the benefit of the doubt, but you seem like a novice most of the time. True, Italian bikes are known for their building expertise. But I don't think the bike you were riding was anything special. I'm sure your bike had a carbon lay up sourced in Asia. So I didn't see why you kept mentioning about it being an Italian race bike. You mentioned something about it not having a dropper, but there are cross country racers who use droppers on their bikes. Believe it or not, droppers have only been around in the last ten or so years. I rode for years without a dropper, and was still able to get behind my saddle. The longer reach on a race is for the rider to get down and aero. So if you put a shorter stem on, your defeating the purpose of a race bike.

[@joshuaallswang8016]

Matty Your very wrong. The greatest XC racer of all time Nino is 5’8…Tom piddcock is 5’7 with multiple wins. It’s nothing to do with height and it’s the riding position, XC bikes put you in a more aggressive position. I recommend you do more research before making such comments. Just looking out for you bro bro.

[@MattyActive]

I appreciate the feedback, i didn’t state that as fact, it was my opinion. I did look and they are all from 5’10-6’2 on average which is taller than me. I was talking about majority.

[@TivonSanders]

Man why would you talk to him like that?! First of all he was on the trail and just made a wild guess. Chill out. Secondly he's not an XC racer and doesn't know much about the sport, so he's not making himself "look bad", you're trying to do that.

[@joshuaallswang8016]

@@TivonSanders lmao dude your more butt hurt then he is🤣.. I’m just stating facts. He has a decent platform on KZbin, if he’s gonna make any comments it has to be facts or people will make it known. If it wasn’t me it would of been someone else. Mind your business bro.

[@joshuaallswang8016]

@@MattyActive it’s all respect bro, keep up the good work, I was just making it known that height doesn’t mean sh*t (unless you play 🏀) the greatest in the XC race game is YOUR HEIGHT! that should say it all💯

[@theymademepickaname1248]

​@@MattyActivewhat did you look at? I googled the current top 10 xc males, and most were between 5'7" and 5'11". I think they look taller because they are so lean, and, I'm guessing, they have long legs in relation to their bodies.