Is it me or is MTBR really pushing 650b? It seems like every e-mail update and main article on their page has been about a 650b bike. Maybe they are just getting traction...I dunno.
Is it me or is MTBR REALLY pushing 650b?
GnarBrahWyo
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Its a post on Norcal forum.
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Yeah Bro. Spot on!The tweener wheel resurgence was the pipe dream of one guy, Kirk Pacenti. Also this little forum on mtbr attracted early adopters and riders who converted 26'ers, talked about and spread the word. The "popular craze" was very much rider & small company (Jamis, KMC, Haro), -and NOT industry driven. Those who contend otherwise are talking out of their butts and weren't around early on. The industry was, in fact, slow to jump on the bandwagon. The Santa Cruz Bronson and Giant prototypes only appeared this year. Spesh is still a vocal hold out; Trek a question mark. These facts prove that "industry driven fad" is a total myth. You can't have industry driven without Spesh and Trek, by definition.
The wheel size fills a gap, has a valid place, and will be around a long time. Too bad for trolls, doubters, cynics and haters.
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Seriously?
Don't buy it. Go back to friction shifters and cantilevers...you can find them cheap.
Me, I'll keep my full suspension, disk brakes and dropper post. I have more fun now riding then I did when I tried to find a gear and hoped I could stop going down not so steep trails.
This.
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Now now, it's nothing to get all butthurt and defensive over. It's the name of the game. I work for a large ag implement company and we are "guilty" of the same thing. We come out with new technologies every so often that we think will make a farmers job easier and we profit from it the same way bike companies come out with new tech to make MTBing easier for MTBers.
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Advertizing $$$$$$. Remember MTBR is a business as well as a community
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I'd consider a 650b in the future. Perhaps when the "novelty" fee isn't included in the MSRP.
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No its not you!! MTBR and many of the bike mfgs want you to drink the 650B Kool-Aid. It's all about selling new bikes and parts $$$, they are trying to brain wash you into thinking that you need 650B.
I enjoy feeling, flowing and riding the trails and don't want or need big school bus circus wheels to smooth out the trails.
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Actually, 1X is making good progress lately with clutch rear derailleurs and front chain wheel teeth in which 1X can be run without chain guides. If SRAM XX1 is too pricey an upgrade, get an X9 crank, remove spider and install Wolf Tooth direct mount chainring. If you have 10 speed with clutch derailleur you are good to go. You will lack the super low gear that XX1 has, but then all the folks on mtbr are hammerheads who just suck it up and pedal harder, right?
The whole idea of 1X is to take stuff off your bike, making it simpler and lighter. Adding a (pricey) chain guide after removing shifter and 1 or 2 chainrings doesn't make a crapload of sense, really.
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The cool aid got to them. First you read the forum (that's free), then you get curious and demo a bike; then the dealer steals your credit card. It's a friggin conspiracy.Interesting that you're reading the 650b forum, then, eh?
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As long as what you are selling is not useless crap, and is effective for your customer's purpose, sounds like win/win to me. Capitalism.Now now, it's nothing to get all butthurt and defensive over. It's the name of the game. I work for a large ag implement company and we are "guilty" of the same thing. We come out with new technologies every so often that we think will make a farmers job easier and we profit from it the same way bike companies come out with new tech to make MTBing easier for MTBers.
As far as mtb, fun is the question. If "easier" is somebody's idea of fun, who are you or anyone else to question what they spend their money on? More choices and flavors are good for the consumer.
And, If you think bicycle choices are complicated, try buying a new pair of DH skis. If you are a newbie or a weekend warrior, guaranteed your head will spin when the sales people start their spiels on what is out there. If you don't know what length, sidecut, waist width, and rocker you like or need, you are fuc**ed.
Finally, if a bunch of your customers start jury rigging your widgets to get a certain kind of performance, and then start asking you to make them OEM, if there is enough demand, do you tell them to pound salt, or make and sell them a new widget? Again, capitalism
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It seems to me that this site started as a place to get reviews and a lot of the new products this year are 650b related, thus there are a lot of reviews on 650b items. I don't think MTBR created it or is pushing it as much as reacting to an industry that has reacted to a customer demand. The end.
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Right 650B is "Hot" right now and people are seeking information. MTBR is an information driven site and needs to follow the trends to get clicks which drives ad revenues. I don't see it as MTBR pushing 650, but more like responding to what is hot and trendy.
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yup
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THIS. A few years ago, there were no featured stories or polls on the front page about 27.5. However, the 650b forum on this site was possibly the most important incubator of the new "craze", back when the only tire you could get was a Pacenti Neo-moto in 2.3... Info shared here, by users, helped lots of folks get on 650b, and ultimately brought the wheel size to where it is now.
Bigger companies are currently pushing the size, but that doesn't change the fact that this started as rider-driven trend.
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