Plus tires, bikepacking, aggro XC and more
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What are this year's trends in mountain biking?
(BikeRadar)
Now
that this year’s tradeshows are over, we have a pretty clear picture
of where the cycling industry is taking us. From Sea Otter, Eurobike,
Interbike and dozens of product launches along the way, here’s my take
on where mountain biking is heading.
1. Plus rolls onward
Two
years ago fat bikes crowded the tradeshow halls, but their time has
come and gone. While their heyday may have passed, their influence on
the market remains — many mountain bikers now have a taste for fatter,
if not fully fat, tires.
Plus
bikes in various diameters have grown in popularity this year. Nearly
every company has a 27.5+ hardtail in its line, many also have 27.5+
full suspension as well. The mid-sized 27.5+ platform owes its widespread acceptance to the fact that the size often fits nicely into 29er frames and forks. Companies can offer one model with two wheelsizes. Santa Cruz has capitalized on this by offering the Hightower and Tallboy in 29er and 27.5+ versions.
Jamis has a line of women’s hardtails designed around 26+ and Rocky Mountain teased the fact that its new enduro bike, the Slayer, is compatible with 26x3in wheels and tires.
2. Elevated chainstays — function over form
Trek’s 29+ hardtail, the Stache, started this trend a few years ago. While it might look like the reasons for the design are quite different, many early mountain bikes resorted to this design because the drivetrains at the time were prone to chainsuck. Moving the chainstay out of the way was a Band-Aid fix for the issue, but it worked.
The motivation behind today’s elevated chainstay designs is different. It’s all about packaging. The chainstays, chainring and rear tire are all vying for space. It’s like there’s a land grab going on just behind your bottom bracket!
Yeti Cycles followed suit with a similar design for the new SB5+. This 27.5+ full suspension also uses elevated stays to gain clearance without resorting to the rangy chainstays.
3. All “adventure” all the time
4. Big data comes to mountain biking
Data acquisition is becoming a much more significant part of the development process for many companies.Renthal is developing a GPS telemetry-based system to measure flex in its handlebars. The goal is to take testing out of the lab and into the real-world in order to design handlebars that are strong without being too harsh — a problem many riders have encountered with 35mm diameter handlebars.
When installed, this handy little device transmits information about your suspension’s performance to a smartphone-based app, allowing the rider to make more educated suspension adjustments.
5. XC goes aggro
Last and certainly not least on this list of this year’s mountain bike trends is the progression toward longer, slacker, more capable cross-country race bikes. Yes, all mountain bikes in general are getting this treatment, but this is where it really makes a difference.If you’ve watched a world cup cross-country race recently, or observed the carnage on the Olympic mountain bike course in Rio, you understand that cross-country racing has become a lot more technically demanding.
Weight and speed still matter, but steeper, more challenging courses have called for a new breed of race bike. One, coincidentally, that’s also more fun to ride on your local trails.
The new Scott Spark is another example of a cross-country race bike that blurs the line between trail and XC. It comes in versions with 29 and 27.5in wheels, the latter sports 120mm of front and rear suspension.
So is this a new genre of mountain bike in need of a catchy name? Are these race-able trail bikes, or aggressive XC machines, and does it even matter? Not really. What’s important is that lines between cross-country and trail bikes continue to blur, and for most weekend warriors this is a very good thing.
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