[Klurejr]

Yes. Absolutely, undeniably and inarguably yes.
Anyone that has actually spent any time at all riding with talented riders will agree 100%.

As far as easily verified evidence, I would start by presenting all mountain biking that took place prior to the year 2000.

It was the pre digital-era, so I don't have many pics or video, but I've seen incredible riding done on bikes that the internet gear-weenies of today would undoubtedly blame for all their shortcomings.

Someday I'll get around to scanning my old pics.

I would like to back up this statement.

Skill > Technology.

 

[291748]

I would like to back up this statement.

Skill > Technology.

Yessir.
Skill and/or the right attitude will get you through almost anything on the trail, shopping skills notwithstanding.

Chances are about 100% that there're a a whole bunch of random kids on brakeless BMX shitboxes, with duct tape for grips, all over the world doing things daily that almost no one on a $5000 MTB is pulling off. Cuz they're out riding while MTBers are crying about gear ratios, grams and mm's.

I'll just leave this here to answer any possible concerns about needing a certain amount of gears or wheel size or amount of suspension, or even disc brakes, to ride up or down challenging terrain.

Skillz...

 

[Zowie]

Skillz...

But those people are in Europe.
They use the metric system, totally different thing.

 

[akindofbrian]

Yessir.
Skill and/or the right attitude will get you through almost anything on the trail, shopping skills notwithstanding.

Chances are about 100% that there're a a whole bunch of random kids on brakeless BMX shitboxes, with duct tape for grips, all over the world doing things daily that almost no one on a $5000 MTB is pulling off. Cuz they're out riding while MTBers are crying about gear ratios, grams and mm's.

I'll just leave this here to answer any possible concerns about needing a certain amount of gears or wheel size or amount of suspension, or even disc brakes, to ride up or down challenging terrain.

Skillz...

I think the above posted Kranked video is a better illustration of what is possible on old tech than the trials video. Not to take anything away from trials, but it is not much like riding a bike forward as their wheels almost never roll. Those guys could possibly even benefit from the square wheels we were just joking about.

But I so love seeing kids rip it on little BMX bikes.

 

[291748]

I think the above posted Kranked video is a better illustration of what is possible on old tech than the trials video. Not to take anything away from trials, but it is not much like riding a bike forward as their wheels almost never roll. Those guys could possibly even benefit from the square wheels we were just joking about..

Definitely not trail riding, but for sure demonstrates the point.
If those guys can do that with no gears or suspension etc then there really isn't any good reason someone should believe it's impossible to ride a run of the mill MTB trail with 20 more gears and a couple inches of suspension. I can also guarantee that any trail that richj is riding has been handles easily countless times by people on rigid SS mtbs.

 

[Aglo]

But those people are in Europe.
They use the metric system, totally different thing.

And we are proud of it.
We can ride every day because of it.

 

[Zowie]

And we are proud of it.
We can ride every day because of it.

I was joking, since many MTB enthusiasts in the US have no idea about this culture.
At best, they think someone misspelled 'trails'.

 

[Cornfield]

I was joking, since many MTB enthusiasts in the US have no idea about this culture.
At best, they think someone misspelled 'trails'.

This one has both trials and trails! Can we guess the wheel sizes?



Finally a topic shift I can enjoy! I love watching this stuff, never tried it aside from random moves on the mtb. Back in the day on the BMX bike tho...

 

[akindofbrian]

Definitely not trail riding, but for sure demonstrates the point.
If those guys can do that with no gears or suspension etc then there really isn't any good reason someone should believe it's impossible to ride a run of the mill MTB trail with 20 more gears and a couple inches of suspension. I can also guarantee that any trail that richj is riding has been handles easily countless times by people on rigid SS mtbs.

Oh yeah, I agree with that. And you're totally speaking my language, as I'm on a 12 year old, rigid, 26" singlespeed with canti breaks. Not that I'm claiming I can ride any trail on it. But it is my only bike, so everywhere I ride, it is on that bike

 

[291748]

This one has both trials and trails! Can we guess the wheel sizes?



Finally a topic shift I can enjoy! I love watching this stuff, never tried it aside from random moves on the mtb. Back in the day on the BMX bike tho...

Been lucky enough to ride with some good trials riders, both bicycle and moto.
Gives you a whole new perspective on what's possible.

 

[richj8990]

Definitely not trail riding, but for sure demonstrates the point.
If those guys can do that with no gears or suspension etc then there really isn't any good reason someone should believe it's impossible to ride a run of the mill MTB trail with 20 more gears and a couple inches of suspension. I can also guarantee that any trail that richj is riding has been handles easily countless times by people on rigid SS mtbs.

Sweetwater Grand Loop, San Diego County April 26, 2009

Reviewed by: sjordan72 , Cross Country Rider

Summary:
So, I have been riding the same out and back here for years, and decided to do some exploring today, unfortunately on my singlespeed. I found a great set of switchbacks up to Mother Miguel Mountain. From the area of the power trasfer station, head up the singletrack toward the really tall power poles, then up the road a bit. There's a section that leads to the residential area at Paseo Los Gatos. Don't take that. Where that begins look for a trail off of the old road that leads West. A long bit of singletrack switchbacks all the way up to the peak, about 1000 feet over your head. Sorry I can't be more specific. I just stumbled onto it myself today. The route down feeds into one of the SDGE access roads and down to the Lake, but I think there is a singletrack path. It looks to be there on Google Earth. I'll try to find it soon. BTW, no shade up there. Best done before noon if in the summer months.

"...unfortunately on my singlespeed". As in he had a lot of problems with these trails on a singlespeed. It was not handled easily. Maybe his case is an outlier. I've never seen any singlespeeds out there on this particular set of trails. Experience and bike-wise I'm just a small fry out there, but this is a big boy trail section and singlespeeds are just not going to cut it. I cannot prove that 100%, I can just show you evidence from other MTBR rider quotes about them regretting bringing their singlespeed to the trails I go on several times a week. I'm not bragging, I struggle on some sections out there too. A singlespeed is simply not going up the inclines there.

 

[291748]

Is this the place?

 

[mik_git]

"...unfortunately on my singlespeed" could mean he had lots of troubles, or could mean that it just made it a hard days work, it's not normally a the most fun to ride a new trail, an unknown trail on a bike that makes the hardest work, doesn't mean he couldn't ride it.

But also, here's a tip, since we don't know your riding etc, if you haven't got it already, and have a smartphone, download strava, and use that on your next few rides, it will tell you exactly where you sit in the pecking order of who can ride what.

 

[Bakudan]

Picked up my carbon Stumpy FSR Evo in 2013 and see no reason to replace it yet when it works perfectly fine. Forced obsolescence is not a reason for me to upgrade to a new bike. It definitely doesn't make my bike any less fun on the trails.

 

[SonOfKonzan]

I love my 26ers because it lets me make fun of my friends that have 29ers for no reason without being a hypocrite

Are those 29ers? Pfft.

 

[tealy]

okay

 

[OlMarin]

This. 1000 times.

Yup

 

[mountainbiker24]

Can the old saying in the automotive world, "It's more fun to drive a slow car fast, than a fast car slow." be applied here?

If, and it's a big if, one means that a 26" mountain bike wheel is slower, the yeah, maybe.

I'm saying, it depends.

How about this quote:

""Driving a slow car fast is more fun than driving a fast car slow,"; it's a tired old saw, but not without merit. I'd change it to, "driving a fun car fast is more fun than driving a fast car fast." Whether or not a car is enjoyable to drive is almost entirely divorced from its performance prowess."

The Unimportance of Speed - The Truth About Cars

The point being made is subjective. Fine. The realm of personal preference is not imaginary. It is not exactly scientifically quantifiable, yet it can be analyzed methodically if we liked. We could map it out using a topological analog to parsing a linguistic form.

Instead we usually resort to poetry and swear words.

26" is a form with limitations, similar to something like engine displacement. 26" is now almost like a vintage class, or classical form.

It's also like a musical form in terms of composition and performance.

What kind of music do you want to make?

As for myself, sometimes I want to just sit down at the piano and play; other times I want to get all electronic.

Most times, the 26" SS bikes are the ones I choose to ride on the local trails.

Sent from my LG-H910 using Tapatalk

I like this.

 

[darth biker]

Just realized that I posted here but didn't answer the question.
09 giant trance
1 - plush ride
2 - great geometry--not to long, not too short, but just right for me
3 - bought barely used for incredibly cheap price.

 

[richj8990]

Chances are about 100% that there're a a whole bunch of random kids on brakeless BMX shitboxes, with duct tape for grips, all over the world doing things daily that almost no one on a $5000 MTB is pulling off. Cuz they're out riding while MTBers are crying about gear ratios, grams and mm's.]This. 1000 times.

If you had a 14-28t freewheel you'd be crying too, don't deny it.