Considering changing my Orbea Wild

[carlbiker]

that's the path gap i was on about. not a chance i'm hitting that. the videos really struggle to give an indication of how steep it is.

The rear camera really proves how much is lost on forward facing POV I’ve never seen that done before but really showed how tricky the trails were

 

[carlbiker]

????? @R120 thanks for fulfilling my request

 

[Zimmerframe]

The rear camera really proves how much is lost on forward facing POV I’ve never seen that done before but really showed how tricky the trails were

A lot depends on where the POV camera is mounted. Chest helps keep some sense of speed and movement. Head, as a natural gimbal, flattens things a lot added into the higher position - which is great for stability, but it's scary how flat and turnless things are. Even drops just vanish.

We did some last year with the gopro chest mounts facing backwards, some excellent results.

 

[carlbiker]

A lot depends on where the POV camera is mounted. Chest helps keep some sense of speed and movement. Head, as a natural gimbal, flattens things a lot added into the higher position - which is great for stability, but it's scary how flat and turnless things are. Even drops just vanish.

We did some last year with the gopro chest mounts facing backwards, some excellent results.

okay I buy a drone with tracking next!

 

[basqueMTB]

Carl, maybe this might help you. You are finding the wild difficult to manouver? The bike is very progressive, that means that the first part of the suspension is soft and it gets harder as you go through the travel. It´s part of what gives the Wild that magic carpet feel. But, until you get up to warp speed it can feel a bit dead. Try just reducing your sag a bit, i.e. More shock pressure. You might find that it´s all the help you need. Because it´s so progressive a lot of people run the Wild with more sag than recommended, I do and it feels amazing but definitely not playful. The geometry is spot on and the 29" wheels aren´t stopping it being manouverable, it is much more likely it´s just the suspension kinematics.

FWIW I was on my Wild yesterday with one of my guides and we were flat out. It´s a long time since I rode the Wild flat out and it really reminded me of what I love about it. Riding it at 80% i don´t get that happy feeling, it needs to be 100%.

Having said that, for example the Rise is a totally different beast for descending. It´s much more like a normal bike. The Wild is much more DH.

 

[EME]

@carlbiker Lots of good folks on here giving you lots of good advice, and interesting to me that nearly all are suggesting that you stop thinking about changing the bike and just go and ride what you have 'cos you've only done a couple of hundred miles.

I reckon that advice is 100% spot-on.

It made me think of my own experience over the last 9 months, and the amazingly long way I still have to go to be anywhere near proficient despite the falls, coaching, advice on here and videos -- and 3000+ kms.

Remember the old adage " You never forget how to ride a bike" ? Well, that's a load of bollox for a starter. I was quite happy riding around when I first (re) started , but only now do I realise that I was re-learning. Over these months I know that Ive improved. I still fall off, but not where and how I did then, what I thought was gnarly is now just a gentle warm-up.

So my advice echoes what others have already said :-
- Get out and ride it -- you will learn from just delivering the miles/clicks even one tarmac.
- Ease yourself into harder terrain , and once you feel comfortable, do the same route another 10 times. It is important imho to do a lot of that on your own as then you will be focused on what you have to do and not follow the leader - and crash . Yes, they will push you but only 2 shortcuts to competence -- Natural Ability or Hard earned Experience. Which are you?
- Ignore your mates that you are currently riding with , or at least see if they will ride on terrain more appropriate to your current level or find mates at a similar level or little bit better.
- Just relating what I think Ive learned and I lurve this e-MTB thing -- I wish I could progress faster too but reality is I wasn't born with Danny Macaskill's natural ability -- although I 100% suspect he's worked bloody hard at it too!

- Of course that doesn't exclude from buying 1,2 , 3 or 10 new bikes, £'000s of gear and lawd knows I spend enough/too much on my stead. If you can do it -- but that is only going to be a small part of your improvement -- time/miles , effort, soreness and a touch of fatigue are the real answers.

 

[carlbiker]

@carlbiker Lots of good folks on here giving you lots of good advice, and interesting to me that nearly all are suggesting that you stop thinking about changing the bike and just go and ride what you have 'cos you've only done a couple of hundred miles.

I reckon that advice is 100% spot-on.

It made me think of my own experience over the last 9 months, and the amazingly long way I still have to go to be anywhere near proficient despite the falls, coaching, advice on here and videos -- and 3000+ kms.

Remember the old adage " You never forget how to ride a bike" ? Well, that's a load of bollox for a starter. I was quite happy riding around when I first (re) started , but only now do I realise that I was re-learning. Over these months I know that Ive improved. I still fall off, but not where and how I did then, what I thought was gnarly is now just a gentle warm-up.

So my advice echoes what others have already said :-
- Get out and ride it -- you will learn from just delivering the miles/clicks even one tarmac.
- Ease yourself into harder terrain , and once you feel comfortable, do the same route another 10 times. It is important imho to do a lot of that on your own as then you will be focused on what you have to do and not follow the leader - and crash . Yes, they will push you but only 2 shortcuts to competence -- Natural Ability or Hard earned Experience. Which are you?
- Ignore your mates that you are currently riding with , or at least see if they will ride on terrain more appropriate to your current level or find mates at a similar level or little bit better.
- Just relating what I think Ive learned and I lurve this e-MTB thing -- I wish I could progress faster too but reality is I wasn't born with Danny Macaskill's natural ability -- although I 100% suspect he's worked bloody hard at it too!

- Of course that doesn't exclude from buying 1,2 , 3 or 10 new bikes, £'000s of gear and lawd knows I spend enough/too much on my stead. If you can do it -- but that is only going to be a small part of your improvement -- time/miles , effort, soreness and a touch of fatigue are the real answers.

Its all well and good riding and getting experience but there is a science to which line to pick and why, it’s nothing short of theory (then practice) and something I’ll next be learning about next.

I tried a few bikes yesterday and was blown away at the difference; totally alien it was to me how the ground felt! No wonder the offs happen like they do for me at times as it’s probably down to poor line choice as much anything but when you’re on a monster truck of a bike it’s going to compensate for poor line choices and what would be tricky terrain at times so you keep making the same mistakes.

The jump bikes were super fun, no coward lever and it shot off like a bullet but the other bikes on the trail was so different, I could feel what was going on for once! That would aid the learning so I’m going to have to consider buying a non emtb and mix things up abit.

Oh I tested a top spec Cube and my lower spec Orbea is so much nicer! I’ll be sticking with it now until second hand Orbea rise start popping up!

 

[Andrie]

You don't need to spend a whole lot. £500 should get you a nicely spec'd jump hardtail..

Which hardtail would you recommend, Gary? Especially at this side of the pond (USA)

 

[Gary]

Purely to learn skills on?
A second hand dirt jump hardtail from Pinkbike. Get one with two brakes and gears if you want it to be more versatile. It's spending time on it that matters. Not its spec.

 

[Gary]

Carl, maybe this might help you. You are finding the wild difficult to manouver? The bike is very progressive, that means that the first part of the suspension is soft and it gets harder as you go through the travel. It´s part of what gives the Wild that magic carpet feel. But, until you get up to warp speed it can feel a bit dead. Try just reducing your sag a bit, i.e. More shock pressure. You might find that it´s all the help you need. Because it´s so progressive a lot of people run the Wild with more sag than recommended, I do and it feels amazing but definitely not playful. The geometry is spot on and the 29" wheels aren´t stopping it being manouverable, it is much more likely it´s just the suspension kinematics.

FWIW I was on my Wild yesterday with one of my guides and we were flat out. It´s a long time since I rode the Wild flat out and it really reminded me of what I love about it. Riding it at 80% i don´t get that happy feeling, it needs to be 100%.

Having said that, for example the Rise is a totally different beast for descending. It´s much more like a normal bike. The Wild is much more DH.

Hey Doug. How's it going?
Great advice. As per.

How progressive is the orbea? Are we talking super progressive OG YT Capra levels of progression? (ie. 75%) If so I'd definitely echo what you've said. I yoyo in weight and if I put on just half a stone and leave the Capra's shock pressure the same I won't be blowing trough the travel to bottom out but the reduction in support and pop off lips is massively noticeable.

 

[Daverichardson]

I’ve 200 miles to my entire mtb career...

it was dialled in from a shop for me and felt fairly nice actually, I’ve tackled stainburn inc off piste sections and surprising took it on well but maybe I just got lucky that day, I had 4 offs but that was actually on the flat rocky slower stuff and since I don’t have enough handling skills it’s harder, but then the thing is a tank im not sure many would be able to go slow and tackle techs stuff without a fight on a 25kg bike.

Don’t get me wrong, there are times where I’ve felt in my element with it but most the guys are non e and on dh I overtake them without peddling! ?. The other lads I’ve been out with (on emtb cubes) at times get stuck on steep boggy hills ive managed so there are some things I love, I just hate the turning arc....oh and the DH speed at times! They must use special BB or something ?

I’ll be learning setup stuff by next week and some
nobbing

Dude, you are over thinking almost everything. Just go rode and have fun.

 

[Daverichardson]

Dude, you are over thinking almost everything. Just go rode and have fun.

Sorry, ride

 

[basqueMTB]

Hey Doug. How's it going?
Great advice. As per.

How progressive is the orbea? Are we talking super progressive OG YT Capra levels of progression? (ie. 75%) If so I'd definitely echo what you've said. I yoyo in weight and if I put on just half a stone and leave the Capra's shock pressure the same I won't be blowing trough the travel to bottom out but the reduction in support and pop off lips is massively noticeable.

Hey Gary! Good thanks and you? The Wild is about 47% I believe. Wow, the YT is pro-o-o-gresive! The Wild feels stuck to the ground, super fast, but more like a DH suspension for me. It´s fun but it sort of needs you to be cranking it!

 

[Mteam]

Hey Doug. How's it going?
Great advice. As per.

How progressive is the orbea? Are we talking super progressive OG YT Capra levels of progression? (ie. 75%) If so I'd definitely echo what you've said. I yoyo in weight and if I put on just half a stone and leave the Capra's shock pressure the same I won't be blowing trough the travel to bottom out but the reduction in support and pop off lips is massively noticeable.

info here

Linkage Design: Resultados de la búsqueda de wild fs

 

[carlbiker]

Carl, maybe this might help you. You are finding the wild difficult to manouver? The bike is very progressive, that means that the first part of the suspension is soft and it gets harder as you go through the travel. It´s part of what gives the Wild that magic carpet feel. But, until you get up to warp speed it can feel a bit dead. Try just reducing your sag a bit, i.e. More shock pressure. You might find that it´s all the help you need. Because it´s so progressive a lot of people run the Wild with more sag than recommended, I do and it feels amazing but definitely not playful. The geometry is spot on and the 29" wheels aren´t stopping it being manouverable, it is much more likely it´s just the suspension kinematics.

FWIW I was on my Wild yesterday with one of my guides and we were flat out. It´s a long time since I rode the Wild flat out and it really reminded me of what I love about it. Riding it at 80% i don´t get that happy feeling, it needs to be 100%.

Having said that, for example the Rise is a totally different beast for descending. It´s much more like a normal bike. The Wild is much more DH.

Just noticed this!

Your spot on, others who knew better said the same thing and my suspension was pretty rock hard and reboundy so after letting some air out and working to about 3 clicks soft it’s lovely atm, it’s almost too responsive now so I’ll play the more I start to learn, there’s plenty to get your head around with this stuff but easy when you know how I imagine. The suspension is just the forks thought isn’t it and not related to the bike or would something like fox 36 be similar?

 

[carlbiker]

Sorry, ride

You know there’s an ‘edit’ button right? ?

Unless your missing comments about the Wild, it’s being noted about its DH prowess/speed.......hence the whole idea of me replacing it. It isn’t a good bike to learn on, Gary mainly has said if right to me more than once (and others) that I should be on a learner bike really.

My overthinking came prior to my accident because I knew maybe the fact it’s called an Enduro DH bike might actually spell trouble regardless of the shops advice. Then like mystic meg I fecked myself

But then I never pictured ever trying to go over boulders, drops, jumps either....

 

[RacerX]

So I did my best to get the right bike for me, me being an enthusiastic type willing to literally ‘throw’ myself into things (I’ll not mention what) and instead of getting the higher specced Cube I
followed advice from various sources stating ‘but the geometry’ is way better on the Orbea xyz.....

What this translates to for a novice is something super aggressive on DH, way too fast but turns like a bloody battleship in the trails, it’s not me I’ve tried other bikes, they turn better (cube, voodoo).

Now maybe it’s the 27.5 wheels, maybe the poorer geometry actually suits a starter better, maybe less travel 140-150 would also help but I’m fairly sure my DH enduro 29/160 isn’t the bike Im going to pick up necessary skills on as fast as something else, if anything it’s just making life harder then it probably should be.

So what is that something else? I’m seeing levos with 150 travel but I think there still 29 inch wheels and I’m not so sure about 140 with 27.5 like the Cubes but that probably is a safer bet than the one Im on currently, basically Im
just after something more agile I’ve more control
over then being my Wilds bitch!

Appreciate any thoughts, I’ve a couple training courses coming up, ones labelled road to enduro!! (Not planning to race ofc just learn! Slowly!)

Make it a mullet and issue solved.

 

[RacerX]

Make it a mullet and issue solved.

Little more detail for you. I rode mine as a 29er for about 2 weeks and then stuck a 27.5 on the rear and it handles like a dream through corners. I thought I might keep the 29 for when I was riding real rocky, rooty uphills. After 3 moths of never wishing I had the 29 on the rear I sold the 29 rear. Never looked back