r/xcmtb

Wife and I are planning a trip up north. We are from Wisconsin but never ridden on the CAMBA trails before. Curious if anybody enjoyed them?

Does anyone have any experience with Yoeleo Wheels? Their weight and price is really good. I found a decent amount of gravel/ road reviews but nothing for MTB

Was also looking at Elitewheels Gnar but for $200 more the Yoeleos are 200g less at 1170g

I’ve had a giro aether and it’s about to hit its 5 year manufacturing date and I do not take any chances with helmet safety. Living in the southeast US, I’m definitely looking at something super airy and probably will go with the Aries but want to see if there’s anything else out there that others swear by.

Edit: thank you all so much for the suggestions!!!

Took my bike out for my first actual trail ride today and holy hell… why did nobody tell me how fun this is? I have been a gravel and road guy forever so this was my first real XC trail session and it felt like discovering a whole new sport. Absolute blast. Cherry officially popped.

I am running a carbon Roval seatpost right now. Nothing wrong with it, I actually love it, but after today I am definitely thinking about switching to a dropper. I damn near split my testicles into four pieces smashing through some rock gardens. That was a spiritual experience I did not sign up for.

Also talked to a guy out there riding an Epic 9 he said cost like ten grand. It’s a really sick bike was excited to see one in person. The thing is absolutely insane. But seriously… how are some people not terrified of beating up a carbon bike on these trails? I am out here flinching at every rock like it is a personal attack and this dude is just sending it like he is sponsored by Specialized and God.

And on that note, does anybody have dropper post recommendations? I thought about going AXS so I can easily swap back and fourth from Rigid to Dropper.

Considering grabbing an epic 8 and/or epic 8 evo. Unfortunately I fall between sizes frequently. Can anyone speak from experience if I should lean towards small or medium? I am 5’6 with a pretty long inseam around 30.5.

I'm looking for a new race bike that will help me get more competitive in NICA, the Oregon XC series, and some races in the US Pro Cup. I currently race on a Canyon NURON from 2020, which is a great bike, but it's showing its age, and I have money in the bank for a new bike and I've found a really good deal on a used Epic 8. ive seen lots of reveiws on the bike but not from the eyes of a XC racer and as i have no way of extensivly test riding the bike, i would like some peoples opinion on it. I use my current bike for both MTB rides (xc, trail, enduro, even a little DH) and road rides for training (anything from 10-85 miles). How do you think the Epic 8 will fare on these types of rides? Do you think it will take away from what I already have with my canyon? (130 front and back, more down country than cross country) How does it climb, and how does it fare in a race? If you have answers, please let me know. Thanks!

I’m 5’10, with 32” inseam. I fall right in the middle of Medium and Large.
My ChatGPT searches are 50/50 on which one I should go with. As are Google searches. Unfortunately none of the shops have both in stock, they brother have one or the other, and they’re a pretty good drive from where I’m located.

Any real world experience or suggestions?
Can I go wrong with either? Maybe just get a longer stem on the medium if ends up feeling cramped? Shortening up the large if it’s too stretched?

Thanks

Looking to upgrade my epic 8 to a 130mm fork from the stock 120, any recommendations?

I have an Epic World Cup Pro - don't race, mainly use it as a gravel bike on steroids. I do easy blues at best. Most of my riding is in the Bay Area. Thinking about doing the fork only upgrade to add flight attendant. Anyone do this? Is the improvement noticeable or not really?

My wife and I want to start recording our rides and trips and I am curious as to what type of Cameras you guys are using and are you mounting them to the bikes or on your person?

The one up calculator puts me between a 180 and 210 dropper for the bike. I was going to go for 150 to save weight, it is not a massive penalty up to the 180 only 45g. However the fox factory sl is 100g lighter at 100mm travel than the 180 (the longest they make in 30.9mm) as the other option. The main downside of the Fox being the two position is a pain, particularly in a race, if it does not pop right up you find yourself sinking halfway up the next climb. Also 100mm travel is not quite enough for some of the rougher stuff I ride. Should I stick with the one up, ir would an XC bike with this big a dropper be stupid?

Currently riding a 2022 Santa Cruz Blur TR with an xx1 drivetrain.

While I have no complaints, I’m kind of itching to get into something new within the next year or so.

There’s just so many options out there. My only real requirements are 120mm front and 120mm rear as well as two bottle mounts in the front triangle. In frame storage and headset routed cables aren’t all that appealing to me.

Is there anything specific or unique about your current ride that you like? Or is there anything specific you don’t like about certain bikes in this category?

So I am trying to figure out what type of XC bike or Trail bike to get for this event. I would do it on my gravel bike but that just sounds brutally painful. I was looking at a few options Epic 9….Salsa Spearfish….Orbea Oiz…Orbea Alma….and the BC40 but rumors have it that a new BC40 may be coming out soon. I really like the Epic 9 and I am very curious on if it would make a good bike packing bike. I think the Salsa Spearfish is made with this event in mind too?