Return to MTB’ing – these modern mtb’s

Having taken delivery of new Stumpjumper (2022 model not the latest version) I have been out a couple of times and thoroughly enjoyed it.

Just doing the local “blue route” to start with but reducing my time each time.

However, bikes have really changed since I last rode;

1. Wider bars seem less stable than the older narrower ones I am more used to but I guess I will get used to them

2. 29″ wheels definitely give a smoother ride but seem more difficult to manoeuvre especially around singletrack hairpins

3. Single front ring is amazing. I was worried that there wouldn’t be a big enough gear range for someone as unfit as me but there is. Why did it take so long to to change from the old triple rings?

mtb’s

Wider bars seem less stable

Single front ring is amazing.

So much wrongness, but the main thing is you’re out on your bike, which is great ,:-)

Nice bike! What was your old one?

TBH with the big changes it’s just too much to deal with in a sort of incremental intuitive way, you pretty much just have to say “things are really different” and throw out the old and learn the new way. I crept up on bar sizes 10mm or 20mm at a time and you can adapt quickly to that but going from like 720 to 780 and adding a short stem and a long bike basically blows up your entire idea of how to steer (and not steer). Suddenly your hands have to move way more, but the movements are stronger, but the bike’s more fundamentally stable too and none of your instincts really work at all. It just needs a bit of a reset and a relearn.

The difference in maneouverability is probably as much about that and about the bike’s length as it is the wheel size. Bikes are massive now! I’ve got an old medium Soul sat beside my new medium Titus and the wheelbase is fully 25cm longer. I used to think that a medium Soul was the perfect size, now I ride it and I feel like I’m in the circus.

But at the same time, you’d think the little tiny Soul would be easier to maneuvre, and in a way it is, but the bigger bike is so much more stable and composed that you can put a lot more force and movement into it without upsetting it. So it’s like, on the one hand you’re kind of threading a needle with a fatter thread which makes it hard, but you used to have to do it standing on one leg, now you can focus on the needle.

There is a point when wider bars become counter productive, and it will depend upon the rider.

I’ve had to saw a couple of cms off bars before as they were so wide I could barely reach them, which left me in an unstable position.

I’d leave it a while as it might just be unfamiliarity, but if it feels like they would be more comfortable narrower then try taking 5mm off each end – it only takes 5 minutes. Do it in small increments though – you can always take a bit more off, but it’s hard to put it back on 🙂

You can ways move your grips inwards to try 10/20mm narrower, and then cut the bars down if you prefer, from the pic your current grips have a closed end so won’t allow this, but not expensive to grab an open ended set

I’m happy at 800, but lots of folks, pros included, prefer 750 or anything in between

You are probably experiencing floppy steering. Get your weight much more.over the front which means bending.your elbows and lowering your torso to start with. Wide bars aren’t less stable.

But at the same time, you’d think the little tiny Soul would be easier to maneuvre, and in a way it is, but the bigger bike is so much more stable and composed that you can put a lot more force and movement into it without upsetting it. So it’s like, on the one hand you’re kind of threading a needle with a fatter thread which makes it hard, but you used to have to do it standing on one leg, now you can focus on the needle.

I used to love bikes that felt like they had fast, almost twitchy, handling. It felt good to be able to make the bike manoeuvre so easily. But the last time I dragged my oldest hardtail out for a spin (and this was years ago now) it felt not so much like it handled fast as it was unstable. It may require more weight shifts and confident movements to get a bike to manoeuvre now, but in return they are much more stable and will let you do complicated manoeuvres without constantly threatening to tuck in on themselves or throw you off them.

I’ve found I don’t really like the modern LSL type geometry, being too stable takes a lot of the fun out of it for me. The last 2 frames haven’t even been that extreme compared to some. I do like how 29″ wheels roll though, but I always feel a bit clumsy on my 29er hardtail as it feels huge and needs a lot more input to move it – couldn’t imagine being on a 29″ enduro sled! Still considering going down to 27.5 and something more DJ/slope inspired as the majority of my riding is just oversized pump track/jump flow trails anyway rather than anything that benefits from a more stable bike.

Single front ring is amazing.

Things I never want on a bike:-

1x

Dropper post

Wireless shift

>12kg of bike

Shortarse cranks

A cassette that costs more than 60 quid to replace

don’t like mountain biking I take it?

Nice bike.

For me personally wider bars give you better stability, but I reckon it’d be easier to change if you went through the gradual widening of bars rather than going from really quite narrow to really quite wide in one jump. The feeling will go away. which is sort of linked to hustling 29er wheels around corners, with wider bars slower speed handling is more tricky compared with older bikes with smaller wheels, the trade off is much better stability at higher speed over rough ground.

A few years back I went from a very old 26er I barely used anymore to a modern geo 29er. It was a big jump and did take a few months to fully adjust/relearn, but it was worth it. Once you’ve got used to how to handle them, modern bikes are so much more capable and fun.

I’d say there’s often more going on than the component you first think is the problem too. As in ‘instable wide bars’ could just be not enough weight over the front wheel, from both technique and stem length and stack height. Even the agility of the 29 inch wheels – I’ve got two 29ers with very different frame lengths/wheelbases and the shorter one rides like it’s on smaller wheels than the longer.

Get your weight much more.over the front which means bending.your elbows and lowering your torso to start with.

..something I’ve got interested in recently partly after riding LLS bikes and more to do with road bike geometry. I was looking at how our CoM moves when we’re on the bike, looking at the position when seated pedalling, then when just off the saddle, then how it shifts as we move about. I was suprised how little difference simply moving my torso lower by bending my arms makes, there’s negligible difference in front wheel weighting compared to your starting position. It will lower my CoM but it doesn’t shift it forwards much. Move your hips forward or inside foot out forwards MX style and now we’re getting some weight shift and front grip. I think it supports why I think a higher bar is a good thing off-road rather than lowering our upper body (and why wide bars are good).

I’d say there’s often more going on than the component you first think is the problem too.

100% this .. can take a while of riding something that feels wrong, to unlearn habits and get past the muscle memory ‘complaints’ that something isn’t right.

I was suprised how little difference simply moving my torso lower by bending my arms makes, there’s negligible difference in front wheel weighting compared to your starting position.

It has made all the difference for me, whatever the reason 🙂

I think it supports why I think a higher bar is a good thing off-road rather than lowering our upper body

Conversely, for me, lowering the bars made everything work, which was not what I was expecting at all!

A cassette that costs more than 60 quid to replace

I was worried about this when I went to 11sp but I have not had to buy a new cassette since then and that was probably 5 years ago.

It has made all the difference for me, whatever the reason 🙂

I’m skinny so that might be part of it.. ha.

(part of why bikefitting by formulas doesn’t seem to make total sense, can’t account for CoM variation in people’s builds etc.. I’m going OT tho)

@grimep good to see that at least you’re consistent in your wilful ignorance.

“Things I never want on a bike:-

1x

Dropper post”

You might do more MTBing if your bike was less antiquated and worked better! 😉

have you used the dropper post yet ?

You might do more MTBing if your bike was less antiquated and worked better! 😉

Might be a little less frustrated too.

I’d rather have v brakes and a droper than the other way.

Modern bikes are different to ride. You need to really weight and muscle them.

A 90s ht you spent all the time off the back trying to stop going otb

I’m skinny so that might be part of it.. ha.

Yeah, I’m chunky and also bottom heavy.  And it’s possible there’s more than one way to ride. Also my bike might be different to yours and different relative to its rider.  Or maybe there’s more than one way to do it.