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NEW! FGF Podcast 2025 Episode 1 - Review ratings and our predictions for the year
Jan 10, 2025
Here's what we think will happen in the bike world this year. Plus Benji puts the case forward for star ratings on reviews. Hannah doesn't like them and thinks they detract from the detailled work of the reviewer. What do you think?
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0:01
hello don't
0:04
do
0:08
sorry yeah what what just melted Mark
0:14
ear drums okay starzy over there
0:18
listening I've not seen that film
0:31
hello the lives of others is that what
0:33
it's called secret lives of others lives
0:35
of others yes good okay let's do this
0:39
hello and welcome to the single track
0:41
magazine Mountain bik podcast Hannah
0:44
slide Benjamin Benjamin we going full
0:48
formal right so this is 2025 and with
0:53
all good New Year's resolutions you hope
0:56
to stop doing them within a matter of
0:58
weeks don't you haven't this is our new
1:01
New Year's resolution to do podcasts is
1:03
it well that's what I'm how many weeks
1:05
do you give it
1:08
52 okay positive it's Wednesday is it no
1:12
it's Friday I don't blood know whatever
1:14
so uh we should probably start this
1:17
podcast with talking about our
1:19
predictions for the year ahead since
1:20
this is the first podcast of the Year oh
1:24
yes so what do you think 2025 looks like
1:28
you have already talked about this on
1:29
the website so you should to be
1:32
consistent remember what I said no I
1:36
don't think
1:37
Enduro anything will be very popular in
1:42
2025 Okay
1:44
C which is the new ad okay because
1:49
because why why I think with a decent
1:50
amount of travel people have just gone
1:52
lured the way of e
1:55
electric but have they because what
1:59
about all those people that like to do
2:01
uplift at a bike park and then fly
2:03
through the air I wouldn't choose an e
2:06
for that well it's now you might do cuz
2:08
sit they'll be
2:11
free you do do your own uplift can't you
2:14
yeah but you can't fly through the air
2:16
quite so easily why not they wear the
2:19
same as downhill bik some of them don't
2:20
they some yeah any I don't
2:25
know but I think a lot I don't know I
2:27
think people I don't know it's totally
2:32
anecdote well no it's not really a
2:34
general vibe that uro you know there's
2:37
certain brands called specialized you
2:39
should shall be remain nameless aren't
2:42
even doing it
2:43
nuro like no I can see the end of the
2:48
Enduro race bike perhaps but I think
2:50
that
2:51
the Enduro bike that morphs into a park
2:55
bike I think that that has a bright
2:57
future because I think that the uh Free
3:00
Ride Park bike jumps tricks just push up
3:04
and ride down a short section scene has
3:08
a bright future probably it's very small
3:10
though is it no I think it's just that
3:13
it's not big where we are but I think
3:16
it's big everywhere else um it's not
3:18
going to be big in essics is it it is
3:21
it's huge that's all they do because
3:23
they haven't got any mountains to or
3:25
briway whatever to go and Bash around so
3:28
what you can do is like a few hundred
3:31
meters of track and you push up and you
3:32
build a jump and play in the woods I I
3:35
think ebikes and probably just trail
3:36
bikes is not a lot of cause to have an
3:39
Enduro bike anymore is there I don't
3:41
think so for Enduro
3:44
racing okay
3:46
WS you predict to something else about
3:49
yeah Flex Flex oh yeah don't shout cuz
3:53
you may now
3:55
um everyone assumes geometry is done or
3:58
something is that right
4:00
so go back you have decreed that
4:02
geometry is done no I have not said
4:04
geometry is not
4:05
done I think you said it is done it's
4:08
all fine was that tongue and cheek and
4:10
sarcastically yeah okay yeah we need to
4:13
put inverted commas around everything
4:15
don't we yeah well that's there like
4:16
that's what everyone seems to assume
4:18
isn't it like done geometry is pretty
4:21
much done now which is just the same
4:24
sort of giblet tronic gibberish that we
4:28
had about 10 years ago go when we used
4:30
people used to come out with there's no
4:31
such thing as bad bikes or bad products
4:33
anymore well that says maybe but you can
4:37
still get better ones you still get
4:39
Improvement yeah you don't just stop
4:41
with a
4:42
2014 bicycle imagine that it would have
4:46
27.5 wheels I think mhm is that right
4:49
that about then and that would be
4:51
terrible and we' all beable be well bad
4:53
no see it's not that bad though is it oh
4:54
yeah so we got to uh flex and things
4:57
like that chassis compliance and all
4:59
that malaky and do you think that's
5:01
actually going to matter I think it
5:03
matters a lot more than way he pivots
5:04
are yeah okay which is what possibly the
5:08
type of obsession we might be leaving
5:09
behind which should be good right all
5:12
the anties I think that that sort of
5:15
fits with apart from
5:18
America what America is still pivot mad
5:21
aren't they and they always have been oh
5:24
CU they don't do single pivot stuff you
5:25
mean well they just think there's an
5:26
answer in loads of there there is a
5:28
chasing a uh mot thing more of
5:31
everything most know like just culture
5:35
yeah but yeah so it kind that kind of
5:37
fits with one of my predictions which
5:38
was fairly boring new
5:40
things and and well yes that was yeah
5:43
yeah so I reckon that the changes that
5:48
we are going to see are like
5:50
incremental ickle Bickle changes that to
5:54
the average Rider aren't they aren't
5:57
going to make the difference between my
5:59
bike is unsatisfactory compared to the
6:02
new thing that's available you go and
6:04
buy the new thing if your bike is
6:07
actually Fallen apart and broken or
6:09
you're just the sort of person that buys
6:11
a new iPhone the day it comes out Mark
6:14
um yeah but
6:17
um for the general like okay what does
6:22
four five S8 Grand whatever get me more
6:26
it's not going to translate into that
6:28
much more forun and functional no I mean
6:30
there were there was a um Dar of
6:34
interesting normal bicycles last year
6:37
would there yeah it wasn't anything
6:39
amazing it's just like it's the new
6:42
version of the one before which seems D
6:45
but nothing great shakes about anything
6:47
was there no so there we are I don't
6:50
know and the ter of
6:52
vuro wind it back as something pops into
6:55
my
6:56
brain I don't know who's going to race
6:58
and Juro on the global series anymore
7:03
why would
7:05
you no one notices or he bothered about
7:09
the results very
7:10
much yeah it's not look not looking like
7:13
a good time to try and have a career in
7:14
it anyway no which sort of brings us on
7:18
to one of the predictions that I think a
7:21
few people in the comments said was that
7:24
they thought this year we'll see
7:26
non-bike Brands sponsoring particularly
7:31
downhill which I think is a I think is a
7:33
solid and sound prediction and if it
7:35
doesn't happen this year in a big way it
7:38
kind of needs to happen because the way
7:41
that racing has been taken into that
7:44
formula one style thing like Formula 1
7:47
is not sponsored by car brands anymore
7:50
it's sponsored by petrochemical
7:52
companies and okay used to be sponsored
7:55
by tobacco companies you know like and I
7:58
don't think that's necessary a way that
8:00
I want Downhill Racing to go but I think
8:03
external sponsors
8:06
hopefully we will see some of them
8:08
coming in because it's going to be hard
8:11
to make ends meet
8:12
otherwise what what can we come back
8:15
what TR to dredge
8:16
Memories We Lost
8:18
Volvo well yeah
8:22
Grundig they still even exist Panasonic
8:25
Sonos
8:27
Spotify well so there was
8:30
was a righta when only fans started
8:32
sponsoring some Riders right oh yeah
8:35
yeah yeah yeah yeah and dval Rocky Roads
8:39
was is that I got that right dval dval
8:42
yeah he's gone now there were a a bank
8:45
so yeah well they are a bank but they've
8:47
actually pulled outbe they were ahead of
8:49
their
8:50
time been in being there done that but
8:54
yeah we kind of we need some of those
8:56
brands well that'd be all right um yeah
9:01
so uh basically all of my predictions
9:04
are quite gloomy for the year ahead cuz
9:06
I I don't think I don't think we're done
9:09
with bike industry
9:11
turmoil no possibly not right you know
9:15
you've got bikes that are only little
9:18
tiny bit better so there's no great
9:21
incentive to buy the next new thing no
9:24
rational reason to buy the next new
9:26
thing yeah um if you did need need to
9:29
bike or want to bike there's every
9:31
chance you've bought one in the last
9:34
four years in a discount sale of some
9:38
sort yeah and every time every time that
9:41
another brand clears out or closes up
9:44
shop you know GT is probably going to be
9:46
clearing out its stock yeah everyone's
9:48
going to everyone that's like oh I could
9:49
do with a new bike they're going to get
9:51
a cheap one yeah and then that that's
9:53
them out the market for another
9:55
year you know all three years cuz you
9:58
are you wonder when there a lot of
10:00
people was it
10:04
2025 people are still humans so people
10:07
do not buy they might convince
10:11
themselves of buying a new bike
10:13
for uh performance gains but they're
10:16
just bored with their current bike so I
10:18
think that will still happen that will
10:20
still happen but I'm not that's probably
10:22
most people I don't think it's going
10:24
this kind of scale that is going to save
10:27
the industry though yeah yeah yeah
10:30
especially as the bikes that are
10:33
available come with more expensive Parts
10:36
more
10:37
Electronics more things that cost more
10:40
yeah and so making that choice to buy a
10:43
new bike is now a six or seven Grand
10:47
Choice instead of a three or four grand
10:51
choice you I think the cost of bikes has
10:55
gone up more than the amount of wages
10:57
that people take home
10:59
if you go carbon you're a bit of just
11:01
daed aren't you people just say
11:03
particularly us I think because that's
11:05
the bikes we get seen shown so there's
11:08
still three and four grand bikes out
11:09
there there's freaking loads of them and
11:11
they're all pretty good in fact probably
11:14
the thing we'll get as we stop tweaking
11:18
geometry anymore or even the amount of
11:19
travel was kind
11:22
of platto is you'll start to get
11:26
people tweaking for the sake of it I
11:30
possibly like like SS suspension
11:34
companies there's one who's possibly
11:37
like they did an amazing range of
11:40
dampers recently and the new ones
11:42
everyone's like I'm not really sure I
11:43
like this because they had to change it
11:47
well be nice he didn't have to change it
11:50
so like maybe we should stop trying to
11:52
sell new things to the same people and
11:55
sell the same things to new people what
11:59
I thought yeah but I think that's still
12:02
still happening I think I think there
12:03
are a lot of people you'd have to speak
12:05
to people who run buying shops really or
12:07
people who run chain stores more
12:09
accurate because that's where most
12:10
people enter Sports isn't it you don't
12:11
want to go to a buddy professional shop
12:14
if you're um getting into something do
12:16
you well it would be nice to think you
12:19
would want that's not even anything
12:21
that's aimed at like bike lbs people
12:25
either it's just if you're trying to get
12:26
into something whether it's fishing or
12:29
anything or golfing you wouldn't go to
12:32
proper golf or fishing place You' be
12:34
like in yeah so you go to De
12:39
cathlon or go
12:41
outdoors and start there which is a good
12:44
play St that's probably is the best B of
12:47
last year so there you
12:50
go and sponsership Slot yeah no no we
12:55
said that voluntarily off our own backs
12:57
yeah I'd agree
13:00
okay2 2025 should we stop thinking about
13:04
2025 oh I'm trying I'm trying should we
13:08
move on to something some alternative
13:11
topic let's talk about the rise of the
13:13
robots and that happening at the same
13:16
time where Donald Trump and Elon Musk
13:18
are in charge should we talk about that
13:22
no let's talk about bikes there's a
13:25
there's a whole pile of other podcasts
13:27
pleas let talk about but we could talk
13:28
about the of the ebike is is well so I
13:35
haven't watched the
13:37
BBC ebike uh Panorama feature that has
13:42
caused if you're not well you probably
13:45
it's probably because you're not on the
13:46
social medias but it's caused quite a
13:48
kuule as they might say because most of
13:51
what they featured apparently was not
13:54
actually was an ebike in legal British
13:58
terms yeah but um yeah in sort of
14:02
typical fashion it's been yeah the the
14:05
battle for the streets or something it's
14:07
been C all
14:09
right but that is all giving a bad yeah
14:13
it's all giving a bad name to the ebikes
14:17
that most people that are mountain
14:21
bikers are maybe looking at buying
14:24
right
14:26
um don't is anyone going to buy a normal
14:28
bik this year an analog meat powered
14:31
bike I think so but I think there'll be
14:34
quite I think if you're
14:37
in lot of it budget isn't it if you want
14:40
a half
14:41
decent mountain bike if you want one
14:45
that's got pedal assist that's going to
14:47
be even in the sales it's four grand is
14:50
it so it's not people still only got
14:53
maxing out at two so even for the the
14:57
practicalities of budget there'll still
14:59
be normal bikes being purchased out
15:01
there I think but if you get into
15:04
like over four grand I think the
15:09
um not even the lure it means it's like
15:12
wrong the uh the confusion or the in
15:18
insecurity about ebikes is stopping
15:20
people buying any kind of bikes
15:23
possibly because if they're not going to
15:25
jump in to go pedal assist you're not
15:27
going to get anything it's like
15:29
not sure I really want to buy spend four
15:31
or five quid on a normal four or five
15:34
quid four or 5,000 quid on a normal bike
15:37
anymore you get a weird one or like a
15:40
niche one um but I think normal bikes at
15:44
4 or 5,000
15:46
quitter probably what's Gathering dust
15:48
at the
15:51
moment okay we had another topic of
15:53
conversation lined up and I can't
15:54
remember what it was can
15:56
you um
16:00
I was thinking about mentioning that
16:01
we're going to put ratings in the
16:03
magazine oh yeah that was it yeah I was
16:05
trying I was trying to pretend that i'
16:07
forgotten that no I had actually
16:08
forgotten that but yeah go on well
16:12
finally we're going to put an actual
16:15
rating a score you could if you
16:19
will at the end of reviews I know do you
16:22
know why because they're really flipping
16:25
useful and
16:27
people are liking
16:30
them I hate
16:33
them read the words we put effort into
16:36
the words read the story that's that's
16:38
the thing that's annoyed me the most is
16:40
if you want people to read the words put
16:42
a godamn rating on it because people
16:44
will not read a review without a
16:48
rating think about anything you ever
16:51
interested in that you're buying what do
16:53
they have at the end or even at the
16:55
start that's really helpful
16:59
it's not a freaking story or an or a
17:01
fable it's a
17:03
review it's not my life story it also
17:07
stops people hiding behind wooly woolly
17:09
me well it was all right like come out
17:11
with some insight and put youring name
17:14
on the line and tell you what you think
17:16
about that thing you've been paid to
17:18
have a go on yeah I think that you can
17:20
do all that without Styles I the stars
17:24
are just don't detract from anything
17:28
they only add I think people just look
17:31
at the stars and then don't read the
17:32
Nuance of the
17:34
words well that's better we're going to
17:35
do it read it and I'll do it under
17:40
duress like well that's what a review is
17:42
if it doesn't have a score it's just a
17:45
diary entry so what is it there are lots
17:49
of people that publish good Diaries and
17:52
they get yeah
17:53
like but it doesn't really change
17:56
doesn't what I'm not going to go down is
17:57
go down the witch magazine or the other
18:01
uh other bike sites where you get loads
18:04
of different star ratings for different
18:06
aspects and you don't know really know
18:07
what that's just obis
18:10
scater and like confusing and what are
18:13
you going to do with the brand manages
18:15
they're like I only got two
18:17
stars tough I think there's a two star
18:20
in the debut grinder in there it was a
18:24
product that singing singularly failed
18:26
to do what it did it's not even a hard
18:28
blood product to
18:29
make so there you go so I also put a
18:35
three star review of something that I
18:38
said is really good and I like it do you
18:39
know why it was 160 quid for a
18:42
stem but it's still lovely but I'm not
18:46
good of any more than that just because
18:47
it's lovely that's
18:48
three it's which is I think we're
18:51
calling that trying to work out I don't
18:53
want to
18:55
explain Beyond one or two words what the
18:58
differ Stu levels me and I think three
19:01
stars out of five is worthy of
19:03
consideration I think we put okay cuz it
19:06
is four is might buy very good might buy
19:10
it no very good okay five
19:15
exceptional oh I feel like that's quite
19:17
a gap between very good and exceptional
19:20
exceptional one
19:21
blob that's 20% it is a big
19:25
gap and below that two is but where's
19:29
brilliant
19:31
avoid very good two is
19:34
avoid what zero then
19:37
unforgivable no one is
19:40
unforgivable I don't think we'll
19:41
encounter a
19:42
zero but if we do I don't
19:46
know so yeah ratings good I know in the
19:50
Practical uh logistical real world
19:54
sense all the reviews in some format
19:57
will go online and if you don't put
19:59
reviews on Google quite rightly they
20:02
won't be very interested in them because
20:04
when you search for a product you're
20:06
interested in such as a road microphone
20:09
Road microphone review the top one will
20:11
have stars and a little pros and cons
20:14
and an exert at the top and that will be
20:16
what you will click on rather than one
20:18
that's just as a line that explains what
20:21
the product is at the start which is
20:23
what we currently used to do oh we're
20:25
being we see we're being taken over by
20:27
the robots on which note this is going
20:30
to go out to the listening public
20:33
before the cut off date for the next
20:37
magazine so if people want to read an
20:41
actual Magazine with only a small amount
20:43
of product in it but quite a lot of nice
20:46
stories people like
20:48
product even people who say they don't
20:51
like product capitalist Society I feel
20:53
like I'm I need to go and live in a
20:55
commun we need to know what's going on
20:57
because you you you you're
20:59
using you're using
21:01
equipment that it will wear out it will
21:03
go wrong you need to know you need to
21:05
keep a breast of what's going on with
21:06
product whether you like it or not
21:08
whether you have any intention of buying
21:10
anything it's still
21:12
interesting yeah okay I can get with
21:15
that just about okay so then if you
21:19
would like to read a magazine that has
21:21
stories about product and mountain
21:24
biking and all sorts of different
21:26
aspects of mountain biking and it it's
21:28
great broad church you can subscribe
21:32
apart from 26 inch we don't do that
21:35
anymore not welcome that's not true no
21:39
it's not actually there aren't any as
21:40
far as I know there aren't any 26 inch
21:42
bites in the next issue although I don't
21:45
know what wheel size the hand Cycles got
21:47
probably
21:48
24 all right yeah yeah cool but yeah uh
21:53
subscribe by the 25th of January to get
21:56
that post we doing these every week is
21:58
that what we're going to do we're going
21:59
to go for it hopefully we're going to do
22:01
these every week yes so we'll save some
22:03
CH so next week I think we'll be I think
22:05
we might know all the teams by next week
22:07
of the old racings and stuff so oh
22:10
yeah and that will be an interesting
22:12
list is who's not got a ride yeah cuz
22:16
there's going to be some what they're
22:18
going to do they have to get proper jobs
22:21
and review stuff for you and give things
22:23
starts there you go all
22:26
right can you say bye you can say say
22:28
bye yeah
22:30
we'll I didn't say like And subscribe
22:33
can we sh tell your friends share the
22:36
podcast hit the I don't know button hit
22:40
any buttons you want there is a
22:41
subscribe button subscribe button on
22:43
whatever portal you uh prefer byee bye
22:48
for now
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