[Closed] Most Noticable Change?

Full suspension
Geometry
Wider bars
Dropper post (this would be higher, had I not been able to manually drop my seat)
Bigger wheels
Wider rims

Interesting - the full suss bit was the hardest for me to pin down. Once the seatpost was out of the way, on a tasty downhill bit, the geo was the most obvious to me. Maybe because I couldn't see what it was doing. There was a couple of times I felt it dig in and bite. Or maybe that's why it was good - it just got on with it?!

did you try a dropper on the soul?

I made a pretty similar change last summer, but to an mk1.5. Aeris from a 2012 Soul.

The Soul had a 70mm stem, 100mm dropper, 120mm Rebas and 760mm bars. The Aeris is 35mm stem, 170mm dropper, 150mm Pikes and 760mm bars. Minion / HR2 on both.

I put the '**** me this is amazing' difference down the long, low and slack geo combined with the front end being much stiffer. It goes and sticks to where you point it. And of course, the back end just eats it all up. None of this 'the front writes cheques the back can't cash' rubbish.

You're going to have soooo much fun - sure you don't want a 145?

From that list, the minor change in wheel size would be the least significant factor.

I have never had a dropper, so couldn't say anything about one, but geometry. OMG. Theft forced me to replace my 2009 Gary Fisher Big Sur with a Genesis Tarn, and the difference is night and day. And when I think back to my 2001 Trek Fuel 90, I just have to laugh.

From the perspective of a fair-weather mountain biker, current trends in geometry mean that mountain bikes have become what I think they were always meant to be.

Dropper post
Wider rims allowing lower pressure and therefore more grip
Decent rear suspension
Lighter rims
Practice

Geometry

Funnily enough, my Aeris 140 arrived more or less at the same time as my 26" Cotic Soul build was finished out of all my old bits.

I love both bikes for different reasons.

The Bird devours anything I point it at, bar me being an absolute fanny, and inspires huge amounts of confidence in it's ability to just take whatever in it's stride.

The 'wee' Soul is nippy, zippy, a doddle to wheelie and just a joy to peddle around the local trail centre reds, blues & greens.

Desperately needs a dropper post (it's a mk2, so limited options on the 27.2mm dropper market) but I'm 100% confident it'll be even better still once I get one added.

What a good thread... I moved to within reach of a forest (albeit Epping Forest in London), about 20 months ago. Before that I only rode my mtb 2-5 times per year on big trips. I had a 2005 5 Spot from 2007, until last last November. Still had the same bog standard coil over shock, a really basic set of Vanillas... standard QR. It lasted incredibly well and introduced me to what is possible (in my own limited way) on a bike.
I used to read articles and reviews in the mags, lust over cool kit... I based the 5 Spot purchase on it's original credentials of being pretty much the most capable but versatile frame available at the time. It blew my mind many times. Then came the huge change of regular riding. The first time I have ever been able to really assess what's going on with the bike set up... making a change, noting the difference etc . WOW! Suddenly I am facinated by geometry and the various standards mentioned in this thread. The first thing to address.... the dropper! I was noticing how much I enjoyed the physical freedom of a dropped post, even when not in a gravity scenario. Learning manuals and hops and "Trail Trials". I'm no Danny Mac, but the moves of people like him, trickle down into how I approach what may be possible and I found that the whole fixed seat height was a big issue. So I got an old Gravity Dropper in 27.2, from the STW classifieds. Amazing! Started trying to hop and climb over everything... sending it much faster over rooty drops (due to the ability to keep my body centered whilst the bike wriggled freely). All from a dropper!! Of course you could manually drop the post... but I wouldn't have! I would have had my eye on the impending climb out the other side... 50 feet in front.

So although I could always have dropped the post... it would be my number 1, due to how many people it must have effected.

But if I was starting from now and had to prioritise what I think has the biggest effect on a bike... Bar Width!

Because the rest of the issues can in someway be shoehorned somewhat. But you can't make a narrow bar wider.

I recently rode my old 2000 Kona Kula, with the original bars??? It's like riding a shopper!!!! I now struggle with anything less than 760mm!

The Geometry changes are incredible. Loww BBs slack angles. Fantastic.

But in a scrap heap challenge, you could always put bigger forks on and get the front jacked a little, put your saddle down manually etc.
But the bars?

One last point. TRAIL CENTRES! Now days I love wild trails and building my own stuff. But I don't think I would ever have known what a bike could do (even that old Kona), if it wasn't for Wales and the 7 Staines. Not exactly a bike improvement, but I think it made the biggest change in how I ride.

Just burly forks and wider bars make a huge difference; when I bought my Global ti hardtail I test-rode the frame around the MTL built up by Ride On with big forks and wide riser bars in a DH style (as it was at that time) and was blown away at how secure it felt on steep descents. I bought the frame then built it up as a fast light XC bike with SIDs and narrow bars and it never felt as good as the demo model on downhills.

Dropper posts are a gamechanger imo, I say this too often but I'd rather have no suspension now than no dropper- rigid bikes can be fun, riding with the seatpost up is just worse. It totally changes how you can use a bike.

Wheel sizes, I do like a 29er but it's not that big a deal really. Geometry, longer is just better imo, I loved my older bikes but compared to what I have today, I'd say none of them actually fitted. I got on the slacker thing quite early but I only got on the long train quite late and it's just as big a deal imo. But thing is, pretty much all geo is good enough, these days.

For me it's been buying a bike with a battery and motor... Dropper posts certainly made some difference to me but not that much in terms of descending as I always stopped n dropped anyway, more than things flowed better and less stop/start. On the same bike I think that changing bar width is very instantly noticeable. Depending on conditions tyres can be a very noticeable change too.

3)Full Suspension? Your bike now folds in half. That's a pretty major change.
5)Wider bars? - Riding bikes with bars below 720mm feels totally alien to me now.
6)Long and Low geo? - Feels great.
4)Dropper seatpost? - A great thing to have but I could live without it.
2)Wider rims? (DT E1900 vs Mavic X317) - A few less punctures. Better tyre shape.
1)Bigger wheels (650b vs 26") - Zero noticeable difference.

Exactly Northwind! The dropper enables your body to work with the bike. I'd now rather ride slower on a low slung rigid, than fast on a shag pile carpet ride of a plush full sus with the saddle up. But a lot of people i ride with (or near/next to) are the opposite! I think they would say, that the ability to ride through a forest/trail in a familiar un challenging position (saddle up etc) and letting the bike soak it all up... is what they want. But I don't see them getting any better!

I have a 2014 Anthem 29er. I emulated the setup completely - using the same wheels swapped between the bikes - onto a carbon Vitus Rapide last year for racing.

The only difference is the Geo, and the lack of rear sus on the Vitus

The Vitus is a lot better handling - turn in - and confidence inspiring than the Anthem - slacker HA.

Dropper post, then geometry, then suspension.

much less 'perched' on the Bird too

Arf arf.