On The Pedals
By Jason Giacchino

Explaining The Attraction To The Trail Bike

If you take a moment to think about the evolution of today’s mountain bikes, it becomes alarmingly clear that ours is an industry where the proverbial rolling stone gathers no moss. We receive a lot of reader mail here at Mountain Bike Tales and while we would blow out our servers if we were to attempt to share/ respond to it all each month, we can assure you that each and every one is read (and occasionally a few get your dear old editor thinking- a dangerous proposition in its own right).

It turns out that some of our readers were pleased to see we dedicated a bike test to the Felt Q620 on account of the fact that hard tails are largely neglected in the media of late. To be honest, I’m as guilty as the next rider in stumbling over a beautiful hard tail in effort to grab a glimpse of the latest long-legged beauty (we are still talking bikes here, right?). In fact (and shamefully) not a single fork-only equipped model graces my personal stable at present. So why the sudden industry-wide lust for medium to long suspension travel bikes? The simple answer is that suspension is nice. The long (and more accurate) answer is a bit more complex.

Like grandpa used to say, “Times used to be simpler” and indeed in the world of mountain bikes this wisdom holds true. Just fifteen years ago the world was absolutely crazy with the cross-country racing scene and I’m not just talking about professional racing either. Nearly everyone with a bike sought competitive outlets (not unlike the road bike industry up until even recently). As such the main priority for any product innovation was weight shavings. Riders would gladly sit precariously stretched out to reach the flat handlebar and allow their poor backsides a lifetime’s worth of abuse in a few short hours just to have a chance at catching their arch nemesis on the racecourse. Sure downhill racing existed as well but those riders were freaks- imagine not being concerned with Lycra or how many grams their cranks weighed!

These days both forms of the race machines in question are simply considered specialty bikes on opposite sides of the spectrum. So what happened between then and now? Two things, really. First, riders made the point that they were willing to pedal more weight around if doing so meant a more comfortable and enjoyable experience. Second (and common in most areas of society) technology and manufacturing processes have improved with time. Whereas once a downhill bike boasted three inches of travel and tipped the scales at 55 lbs, many of today’s trail bikes offer three times the suspension travel and 20 pound weight savings to boot! Improvements on both fronts.

Factor in the economics of manufacturing and it isn’t uncommon to be able to pick up an honest performing hard tail for $800 these days that would have cost $3000 a few years back. $3000 today puts a majority of riders out there right into the upper echelon of the trail bike market; in other words- no need to settle.

The bottom line here is that we, like the rest of the mountain bike press, do not single out cross country bikes nor do we discriminate when it comes to hard tails. The reason we so often test long-legged All Mountain (or trail) designs (this issue is no exception) is that the manufacturers want exposure on the models that are hot right now. Sure there are holdouts who will ride hard tails and even rigids until the end of time but what was once considered the norm has managed to become a small niche in the greater whole that is the market place.

Racing (and with it weight shavings) has no longer become the focal point of product innovation as it had been as recently as last decade. Instead riders are demanding a mix of pedaling performance with the ability to conquer terrain that would have sent yesterday’s (and maybe even today’s) XC racers running for the hills.

Contrary to common misconception, it is we who decide the market (not the manufacturers) by how we spend our cash. In that line of thinking, the best thing a hard tail hold out can do to show his support for the niche is to continue buying hard tails. The manufacturers know which bikes are moving off sales floors and what you see tested here is a direct result of that phenomenon.

Questions? Comments? Love letters? Send 'em to Editor@mountainbiketales.com.