When do you know you've outgrown your bike

[JoeBlow]

I have a Trek Powerfly 4, which I bought about 4 or 5 months ago without realising how obsessed I would become with this hobby. The trouble is that I am now appreciating the differences between cross country and downhill. I probably sit somewhere in between with what I want to do. I am very unlikely to become either an out and out downhill-er or a competitor. I also now realise that my bike is more of a cross country bike than an enduro one but changing out the forks and the wheels to longer travel and wider rims seems to be a lot of money. Another bike, something like a Specialised Levo could be more appropriate for the riding I'm currently doing. There is no way I am the fastest but I'm not the slowest either. I'm considering enrolling for a couple of hours 1:1 coaching so this is something I may ask the intructor but in the meantime what is your opinion. I suspect my limited abilities would make it difficult to justify buying a new bike but one can but dream. Should my Trek Powerfly be good enough for my modest aspirations or am I on to something?

Al

 

[Gary]

Being completely honest a £150 Halfords Apollo hardtail is probably good enough for most of the "mountainbiking" done in the UK.
By all means get a Levo if you think it's more suited to your preference though.

 

[JoeBlow]

So sell the Trek and buy the Halfords Apollo would be your advice? Come on it was a serious question although I can see some logic in your argument but do I detect a degree of tongue in cheek?

 

[Gary]

Neither purchase needs justification from me.

enjoy your new bike (either way )

 

[JoeBlow]

What ever made you think I was looking for either approval or justification? Opinion and advice is all I am after. At the trail centre I get told that I need more travel on my suspension and wider tyres, which necessitates new wheels, for the riding I am doing. I'm looking for a wider viewpoint. Justifying a new bike so soon would be hard to do but similarly updating components may be even less cost effective and a little bit of me says my current bike is capable of handling anything I am capable of throwing at it anytime now or in the near future.

Al

 

[Mikerb]

I know nothing about your bike but I can vouch for the fact that a Levo is very capable. You are only going to be able to contrast and compare by trying out some other bikes. Talking in terms of xc enduro and downhill is not very helpful in my opinion. The ability of bike and rider to tackle different types of terrain and trail features like drops etc is a better guide....even then a lot depends on how fasf and how hard you want to push it.

 

[Mikerb]

In general I think your bike is likely to be capable whilst some mods and/or another bike may make life easier. A new bike sounds a stretch so I would be inclined to do some mods on your Trek.

 

[JoeBlow]

I know nothing about your bike but I can vouch for the fact that a Levo is very capable. You are only going to be able to contrast and compare by trying out some other bikes. Talking in terms of xc enduro and downhill is not very helpful in my opinion. The ability of bike and rider to tackle different types of terrain and trail features like drops etc is a better guide....even then a lot depends on how fasf and how hard you want to push it.

My bike has 2.3 tyres and 140mm of travel. I have also noticed, as I get faster, that the brakes could be a little better. All of these "shortcomings" are addressed by the Levo which is the bike I have been lusting after when I go in the shop.

I have added more aggressive tyres and a dropper post as well as better pedals as my feet were slipping off.

Al

 

[JoeBlow]

Deep down inside I know that my bike can handle anything I'm capable of throwing at it. It's just that if I went out to buy a bike now, knowing what I now know, I would probably have gone for something a little more enduro focused.

Al

 

[Gary]

A Levo isn't enduro focused at all.
it's a trail bike

 

[JoeBlow]

A Levo isn't enduro focused at all.
it's a trail bike

I bow to your superior knowledge but 160mm travel and 2.6" tyres sounds more "enduro" than mine. So what in your opinion is a more enduro fucused bike?

To be fair I did see a Levo appraised in an Enduro context and it came out well so perhaps it's just a matter of opinion.

Al

 

[lumpy]

How about renting a full suspension and take it out on your trails to see if it's for you?

 

[JoeBlow]

How about renting a full suspension and take it out on your trails to see if it's for you?

Why would I want to rent a full suspension? I already own a full suspension. The essence and context of the debate is about wheel/tyre size, the amount of suspension travel and braking efficiency.

Al

 

[Pdoz]

Why would I want to rent a full suspension? I already own a full suspension. The essence and context of the debate is about wheel/tyre size, the amount of suspension travel and braking efficiency.

Al

Because you said you had a trek powerfly 4 , not the FS ?

I'd go with the rent a few bikes advice . I've spent the past year telling myself I should have bought a levo / merida 160 rather than my giant, but a few hours on each was enough to make me perfectly happy with my choice. Worst case scenario, you come away from the experience knowing you want a levo

 

[JoeBlow]

Because you said you had a trek powerfly 4 , not the FS ?

I'd go with the rent a few bikes advice . I've spent the past year telling myself I should have bought a levo / merida 160 rather than my giant, but a few hours on each was enough to make me perfectly happy with my choice. Worst case scenario, you come away from the experience knowing you want a levo

OK my mistake! Yes trying other bikes is a good idea. My local shop has some demo bikes coming in next week so I may give that a go although I was thinking more along the lines of identifying the shortcomings of my existing bike if indeed there are any real ones.

Al

 

[steve_sordy]

Before I bought the emtb that I have, I used to ride a 130mm travel FS a Whyte T130 full suss (clockwork bike). I sold it because I wasn't riding it any more after buying the Focus Jam2 (knee problems was the trigger for me). But I used to ride that Whyte all over the place and it was a very confidence inspiring bike indeed. The bike before that was another clockwork bike, YT Capra, a 160mm FS. What I'm getting around to saying is that when you are developing, it is easy to feel that you will be a better rider if you had a better bike. I now know that is not so, which is what I believe Gary was hinting at. You could give your bike to a much better rider than you and he will astonish you how much faster he will descend or climb what you were struggling with. He (or she, let's be realistic!) will also jump higher and further than you and ride your bike over stuff you would baulk at.

In short, it's not the bike, it's you! Go on a few courses, pay attention, and practice. This will be much better value than upgrading your bike with expensive forks and or buying another bike. Its probably not what you want to hear, but it's what you need to hear. What you do next is up to you.

 

[JoeBlow]

No worries Steve, I wasn't looking for justification to buy a new bike, not that I wouldn't like one I am thinking about booking a course, I'm just waiting for the weather to settle a bit. But with regard to the OP I was thinking in terms of signs that you are riding a bike in excess of it's design intentions.

Al

 

[Mikerb]

....which is why I daid earlier that a more capable bike would make life easier. I reckon for most us the success of any given trail run is partly the bike and partly our input/skill. I call it "the bike looking after me"! For me the 29 wheels and the geometry of the Levo sort stuff out even if I mess it up. I am a bit confused about the exact bike you have at the moment though. The info I looked up said it was 130mm front and rear unless it is the LT which appears to be 150 but also a more stretched geometry. The 130 version does look a bit limiting but I doubt wheels and suspension upgrades would make much difference if the grometry does not suit.

 

[lumpy]

Why would I want to rent a full suspension? I already own a full suspension. The essence and context of the debate is about wheel/tyre size, the amount of suspension travel and braking efficiency.

Al

I mean like a Kenevo. You want big travel to explore your enduro tendencies and that's the one to do it with.

 

[Titch mortimer]

I would do some coaching as you will probably be surprised at how much your bike can handle. i completed a one day course in dalby and learned a hell of a lot about what my bike can do and how much I cannot yet.

 

[33red]

Your bike is better than you.
Stop blaming the bike.
Ride, practice.
In 5 years you will get your answer.
Youtube is full of free videos

 

[Jamsxr]

I would learn and get better on your current bike, switching quickly is not usually the answer. Learning on a less capable bike will actually help you in the long term.

There seems to be a trend in EMTB to focus too much on the bike rather than rider or trail type. The Levo also seems to be the go to bike, and it’s a great bike, but there are literally dozens of other bikes which are equally/more capable and better value so look around.

 

[JoeBlow]

I was actually more concerned about damage to the bike if I'm doing things with it that it wasn't designed to do.

 

[Jamsxr]

You don’t need to worry about that..

 

[Doomanic]

ooooh, sketch!

 

[JoeBlow]

I take the point. It's the rider not the bike but the first time I tried mountain biking, many years ago, I went to Cwm Carn and managed to demolish my Dawes Hybrid bike in only two runs so the bike does matter to some extent. I am currently considering getting some coaching.

 

[Jamsxr]

I take the point. It's the rider not the bike but the first time I tried mountain biking, many years ago, I went to Cwm Carn and managed to demolish my Dawes Hybrid bike in only two runs so the bike does matter to some extent. I am currently considering getting some coaching.

You wanted some advice ?
I fly down Cwm Carn on my 140mm trail bike, although to be fair, there are a few sections that have me wishing for a little more travel.

The Levo is probably not a big step up from you Trek if you’re looking for a downhill bruiser. I would be looking Kenevo, Whyte, Commencal, etc..

 

[Doomanic]

The Frame on all Trek Powerflys is the same, for more travel you just need forks and shock, no need to change bike. Depending which forks you've actually got, you may be able to increase travel by fitting a new airspring.

 

[Pdoz]

. He (or she, let's be realistic!) will also jump higher and further than you and ride your bike over stuff you would baulk at.

I.

I had to chuckle. When I bought my emtb, i handed the 130 mm clockwork to daughter 1(13 yo at the time) ...yup, she's faster than me. So I blamed the bike and extended my forks...still faster than me. Now she has started borrowing the emtb to ride it over things I'm not going to walk down

 

[Swissrob]

Why would I want to rent a full suspension? I already own a full suspension. The essence and context of the debate is about wheel/tyre size, the amount of suspension travel and braking efficiency.

Al

When it comes to a lot of things the internet is your enemy, too much information and opinions! I have been convinced a few times that my bikes need this or that upgrade. Case in point, I spent the last 2 weeks at Les Gets are Livigno at bike parks on a 2002 Specialized Enduro which I had written off as not fit for purpose after buying a Levo. Well I rode the Levo 2hrs one afternoon and put it away as I was having too much fun on my old bike with it clearly in my head that it was fast but limited. So on the last day I rented an all singing and dancing carbon Santa Cruz and whilst it was good it wasn't a massive improvement that I was expecting.

If you can rent or trial some bikes then it's worth spending a couple of hundred to work out what you don't need as much as you do. Gary makes this point regularly albeit a bit bluntly, with enough time and skills you can ride anything anywhere! Modern bikes in my case are so good at covering up lack of skills and fitness that I have thought with a better bike I would be faster but it is about the fun not the speed at times.