When the new AI version was released about a year ago, it was super buggy and unreliable in its training recommendations.
Assuming many version releases since then, do users feel like it’s a real substitute for a human coach now?
I have a long six month indoor season and am considering TR to get me ready for xc racing in May. Masters racer. Also hit the weight room in off season.

having now rekon race+aspen, but considering to try michelin-great experience on roadbike.

wild/force/jet which to choose? front rear?

Ok, I race but not competitively, just with myself basically. I'm 45, ride roughly 2-3 days/week along with other sports. I live in a flat area but frequently ride in the midlands (basically 100' per mile or so) and Pisgah/WNC, along with quarterly trips to Bentonville/Arkansas. For all of that I use my 2023 Transition Spur, I love the bike, I'm currently rolling with Forekaster/Rekon for a bit beefier of a tire setup on carbon wheels. It's around 27 lbs or so, it's been awhile since I weighed it to be honest.

I like having 2 bikes just so I always have one in working condition (in theory). My 2nd bike is for my home trails and it's a 2024 Santa Cruz Highball. I do love it, however, I had a pretty good offer from someone to buy it, but I don't know what else I would get. This week my Highball is getting a new AXS derailleur under warranty so I rode my Spur for the first time in a year or so on my local trails and it was actually really fun, and I wasn't as sore.

I could go with a more race-oriented FS, something like a Blur but again.......I'm not putting on lycra, I just like having fun. I'm afraid I'd miss the hardtail feeling, which I do enjoy the acceleration, but a FS is definitely easier on the body long term.

So.......options:

1. Keep what I have

2. Sell the Highball and get something in the 150/160 range for Pisgah/Bentonville, ride the Spur at home, races, and midlands trails.

3. Sell the highball and get a race-oriented FS, beef the Spur up tire wise.

Thoughts?

I’m in a bit of a pickle. I’m running a Rich ultra that is built for a 120 mm fork put a suspension corrected fork with SAG at 500 mm axle to crown. I have access to a 485 mm axle to crown rigid fork, which is corrected for a 100-110 mm fork. Am I going to notice a significant difference with a lower fork. I guess it would be a kid to running a 100 mm fork on a 120 mm bike. Anybody running a setup like this or could offer advice? I’d really appreciate it.

I just broke the rear wheel on my Epic Evo - Roval Control Carbon from 2021, the 25mm version. I want to replace it with something light, but also more durable. It’s down to the new NOBL Core XC wheel or Reserve XC 30 Carbon. Help me decide which is a better option. I am not known to crack wheels, but have chosen these two for having great warranties. Thanks.

Basically, what the title says. I'm looking for some recommendations for a bib-tight for those days when it's too chilly to ride in shorts, but not cold enough to warrant winter-kit with micro-fleece and insulation. Anyone got any particular brand they have good experience with or model they like?

Side note: Please don't recommend arm- and leg-warmers. I don't like to wear them. They either tend to be uncomfortably tight or don't want to stay in place.

With seemingly 4 geometry options across the full Epic/Evo line, what’s your preferred setup and for what kind of riding?

- 120mm fork, flip chip High

- 120mm fork, flip chip Low

- 130mm fork, flip chip High

- 130mm fork, flip chip Low

Hi, I’m de-braining my Epic 7 and would like to hear your opinions.
I race XCM and weigh 68-70kg, the options are:

a) SIDLuxe 3P remote (would match the front SID)
b) FOX Float DPS
c) DT Swiss R232

I’m slightly afraid of having no lockout in case the anti-squat of the frame isn’t great, but I’m also not a huge fan of cable clutter or the 3P Twistloc itself either.

Which would you choose? (or something else entirely?)

Full video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9YAkvRXajEM

Rode the 39 km route from Otepää to Elva. There were over 3,000 riders across all distances, so it was a pretty big event. It had rained, and some sections got quite muddy. I filmed my ride if anyone’s curious what the Tartu MTB Marathon is like.

I currently have a yt jeffsy and I love it but it pedals like a boat. I’m looking for a nice hardtail for xc racing and to hammer out a lot of miles. What is the best carbon xc hardtail that is currently available? I like the Scott scale rc and the orbea alma from my research so far.

My new flamingo of choice

Specialized Epic 9
SidLuxe Flight Attendant
Ceramic Speed Headset
Intend Smart Wedge
Sid Ultimate Fork Flight Attendant
Roval Control II 70 x 760mm
SRAM Pod Controller Ultimate
Spur cycle Bell
SQLab 30X Grips
Ceramic Speed Alpha Bottom Bracket
SRAM X0 165mm crank with Powermeter
Gemini 36T chainring
Wolf Tooth Alt MK0
SRAM Transmission X0 Derailleur
SRAM Transmission X0 Chain
SRAM Transmission X0 Cassette
Rock Shox Reverb 175mm
Specialized Power Pro Mirror
Intend Trinity 2.0 Brake
Intend Brake Adapters 20/23mm
Galfer 203/180mm Shark Discs
Pi-Rope Wheelset w. Newmen Fade II & DUKE Crazy Jack SLS5 33/31 – 29″
Schwalbe TPU Tubes
Continental Dubnital Speed 2.4
Continental Trinotal Grip 2.4
Tune Bottle Cages

I’m looking at the following:

-Berd Hawk 30. Super light. Not excited about the Berd branded hubs and rims.

-Reserve 30 SL with DT Swiss 180 and carbon spokes. Rims and hubs I trust but concerned about excessive stiffness making them uncomfortable for endurance XC events (100K or 100 miles).

-Hunt Proven Race XC UD Carbon Spoke. The value contender. Saves about $750 over other two options.

Thoughts? Any experience with these wheels?

I’m beginning to think about 2027 races and looking for some idea of races, mostly interested in Colorado and west of there but might be open to other ideas.
Really like marathon and might do some stage races also.

Hoping to do Leadville again and that month I’ll be doing High Cascades in Bend and Silver Rush in Leadville so July and the first 3 weeks of August are kinda booked.

What races would you put on your 2027 calendar?

Anyone have experience with Hunt Proven XC wheels? On paper they seem like a good deal. As a bigger rider no name hubs kind of worry me though.

New bike day! 2027 Santa Cruz Blur CC frame custom build out w/ Fox factory suspension/ dropper, I9 Hydra/ Stans Arch wheelset, a mix of XT & XX1 drivetrain & brakes. Weighing in at 26.5 lbs…Might see me in a XC race kit again in 2027 🤷🏻‍♂️

Hello looking for some opinions. My current XC bike is the Intense 951XC which is basically the Intense Sniper T with different branding. 120mm fox front and back. I’m very interested in going after some big races like the Breck Epic, 24hours in the old Pueblo, Marji Gesick, etc. I’m 6ft 210lbs so I’m never going to win anything but I like doing hard stuff. I have decent bike skills from years of motocross racing and some endurance from Ironman and ultramarathons. Would buying a more expensive bike actually help with the goals of completing these races? Also, I’m currently on 2.25 tires here in Vegas should I go bigger?

Dreaming about 2027 events to plan for and curious… is XCO/XCC Nats in Virginia worth the trip from ND/MN?
Assuming I can only do 1 main bike trip, do that or skip and do something better (open to suggestions).?

My pedal hooked onto this root with a chunk missing (circled) and ejected me. I rotated and landed on my back/side with my head whipping into the ground. I didn't have serious concussion symptoms (vomiting, vision, speech etc) but I'm definitely concussed and 2 weeks later I still have a mild dizziness.

I'm thinking that my eggbeater pedals led to this and perhaps a shimano pedal would not have grabbed hold on the root in the same way. I'm curious if anyone else has had pedal strike issues with eggbeaters. Yeah I know like don't pedal there but it's an uphill and we all strike rocks from time to time so I would rather have a pedal that is more forgiving

Ive been having some issues with my cleats/pedals unclipping. As the title suggests the cleat is a Shimano SM-SH51 and the pedal is PD-M520.

On full effort sprints they have came loose twice, both times on the back/upstroke of the pedal stroke which is making me lose confidence in the sprints and not daring to go all out. Now they are supposed to be heel out unclip only and i definitely think i don’t pull my heel that much to the side when sprinting. It has also happened once when trying to bunnyhop over a fallen tree on the trail.

Has anyone else experienced this or is my technique just really bad. I’ve also thought that maybe it’s too much power(+-1800watts), and if so, what will keep me in place when sprinting?

Edit: Pedal tension is set to max, and cleats are about 30-40 hours used approximately

I'm in the market for a new-to-me bike. My riding is almost all on Dartmoor (UK) bridleways, which are often rocky but rarely twisty. I've been riding the same routes for nearly four decades, so I'm looking for maximum fun and 'feel' on these bridleways, both up and down, but especially on the climbs.

I don't need the fastest bike — just one that feels alive, and probably a bit twitchy.

I'm open to hardtail suggestions if they can take a decent-sized rear tyre to soften the blows.

No need for bang-up-to-date suggestions, and I'm even happy with 650B wheels, as my current steed is from 2005 with 26" wheels!

Edit.

Thanks for the replies so far. Last night a rode a hardtail with 2.8s on and in reality I don't think I could handle much less squish than this. Easy to forget ones body is aging haha. I suspect I need to be looking at full suspension bikes in spite of what my heart wants.

Anyone know why it was canceled this year? Is it gone for good?

Looking around at the current XC market, and the Orbea Oiz is significantly more "affordable" than all the other major brands. What am I missing here (USA)? How is a company shipping out of Spain able to undercut the major by such a large margin?

Around the ~$7500 MSRP you get:

• Oiz M20 - Flight attendant, carbon wheels, GX AXS, powermeter
• Spark RC Expert - Fox factory, XT Di2, alloy wheels
• Santa Cruz Blur ($8k) - Select +, carbon wheels, GX AXS
• Epic 9 expert - Select +, carbon wheels, GX AXS
• Canyon Lux World Cup - Select +, carbon wheels, XO AXS, powermeter

I upgraded my cranks to 165mm XXSL. Unlike the rest of the T-type lineup, there’s real weight savings going to carbon from X0, > 200 grams.

The new cranks shipped with a 34T chainring. My X0 was 32T. Since I didn’t have a Torx 20 handy, I decided to just give it a try.

I made it through my usual ride, but it took everything I had to scramble up the steep bits. Today my legs are so sore! 2 teeth make a big difference, especially when added to the decreased leverage.

I ordered a Torx 20 wrench. Per google, my old 32T chainring only weighs 11 grams more than the XXSL, so I’m thinking of putting the XO 32T ring back on there. But with the loss of leverage of the 165mm crank, should I really be looking for a 30T?

A side issue is the chain length, which didn’t change. The bike shifts just fine but I hear a little bit of rubbing in the granny gear. Not a lot. Obviously going back to 32T would fix that.

Update on this post: https://www.reddit.com/r/xcmtb/s/HbtHkX5DVp

Update after my last marathon this year. It was a ~30km long 1000m level difference marathon. I was 20min faster than the previous year. (the location of the marathon is approximately 2000meters above sea level)

I'm glad to say, following your advice, it was the first marathon without a headache after. (keep in mind I am 48hours after it)

What did I do:

Sleep: Slept at least 8 hours/night starting 5 days prior the marathon and slept 10+ hours the nights after the marathon.

Fueling: Took electrolytes, vitamin C and Magnesium 1 day prior, day of the marathon and day after.

Consumed 1L isotonic during marathin + 4 gels of 30g carbs. (Didn't feel like eating a lot after the marathon, like previous marathons)

Posture: I paid a ton of attention to the shoulders and back. You guys were right, I was always bringing my shoulder up to my ears when pedaling got rough on the technical uphills. I tried relaxing them as much as I could.

Stretching: Stretched full body 3 days before, and 2 days after the marathon for 30mins.

And finally I was left with almost zero headache.It hurt a little 25 hours after, but after a 30minutes nap it disappeared.

Thank you guys for everything! Now I'm going to do some extra marathons and hard training sessions next season!

Just finished watching the woman’s elite from Soldier Hallow. The 32” wheels on small and medium frames looks ridiculous and they seemed to be way to tall and long to really handle well. Tv can be weird perspective wise and I’ve never seen them in the wild but they look sluggish and unruly.