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Here's my new Broken Road:
I took it for it's first ride last weekend - a wee bivy trip up a local hill:
Build:
XT groupset & brakes
DT Swiss hubs/rims from fitwheels.eu
USE/Hope finishing kit
RS Rebas
First impressions:
Well, awesome really. It's my first foray into 'modern' bikes (it's replacing a 2006 rockhopper and 2010 stumpjumper) and I'm taken with how confidence inspiring it is. Maybe it's the geometry, or the big wheel or the graphene in the tyres or the cassette the size of my head. I've taken it out a few times this week and ridden stuff that I would have been scared of on my old full sus.
Have just installed a dropper on it, which has allowed me to enjoy two of life's great pleasures simultaneously: riding a bike and skooshing an office chair up and down.
I'm not sure what 'downcountry' really means, but it's an XC bike that's not for racing on. And I fully plan to ride it in some remote places.
Nice Bike!
Not sure on the "downcountry" tag (I hate marketing terms at the best of times), that tag seems to be being used for 100-120mm travel full sus XC bikes that are being beefed up with burlier tyres and short stem and wide riser bars and a dropper post.
Yours is a nice example of a traditional 29er HT for just riding... Up hill, down dale, through forests, traditional "XC" in my book...
I too am unsure about the term 'Downcountry', but my reading is that it's an XC bike built for comfort and fun rather than speed.
short stem and wide riser bars and a dropper post.
Genuine question: is a 40mm stem considered long these days? Also 740mm bars are as wide as my shoulders will take. It has a dropper post now!
(I hate marketing terms at the best of times)
IIRC it was first coined by a journo, as a bit of a joke, then ran with it for a while, now everyone is getting involved...
Genuine question: is a 40mm stem considered long these days?
No, I'd have said that was considered pretty short.
My Spanish friend described my bike as a countryside bicycle.
That sums it up nicely.
is a 40mm stem considered long these days?
Yes if it has LLS geometry 😉
That looks very nice, so good to hear you are liking it.
Enjoy.
Good spot @piemonster!
A perfect distance from home so I can get out after the wee ones bedtime and be home in time for breakfast.
countryside bicycle
Like.
That's a really nice build. I'm a huge fan of wide flat-ish bars...
My XC thoroughbred got modified since I'm not racing XC... just using it to have fun and came into its own over lockdown. When I first modded it I thought I'd just ride it till I snapped it but it's been so much fun I stopped doing really stupid stuff ... ride from home round the single track and back home...
However, I started to find the shorter stem a bit tiring on the back on long 50km+ days so just swapped back top a 2005 XC stem... and it still handles half decent in the air just a bit more work than my "proper" bikes.
IIRC it was first coined by a journo, as a bit of a joke, then ran with it for a while, now everyone is getting involved…
Yup, Mike Levy from Pinkbike dropped the term a couple of years ago in a pisstake kinda way. Too many marketing men and other journos were listening, and just at the same time that shorter travel XC-all round-capable bikes like the Rocky Mountain Element that Levy was running at the time were starting to make a come back amongst many general trail riders, the term seems to have taken hold...
What pisses me off now is that EVERYONE is trying to pigeonhole exactly what it is... Benji Haworth did an article for MBR recently, in it he's even made the bold claim that a Downcountry bike MUST have a sub 67deg Head Angle FFS! 🤦🏻 Honestly... Stop the bus, I want to get off!
Levy originally termed the phrase (taking the piss like I said) to describe the XC bike he was running, but with a dropper, slightly chunkier tyres and a 50mm stem with 780mm wide bars.
https://www.pinkbike.com/news/staff-rides-mike-levys-rocky-mountain-element-2017.html
Basically, what he meant was "an XC bike with a spec optimised for more speed on the descents". Exactly what most of us did back in the 90's when all MTB's were XC bikes, but most of us didn't use them for XC racing... 🤷🏻♂️
Not a fan of tan wall tyres, but the new epic Evo comp and your bike are 2 that they look great on. Sweet looking build, best of luck with it.
Looks great.enjoy
Nice bike, my next rig will be a downcountry, just seems perfect.
Exactly what most of us did back in the 90’s when all MTB’s were XC bikes, but most of us didn’t use them for XC racing… 🤷🏻♂️
A bit like gravel bikes then?
**** names, if it does what you need and want it to just ride it.
@stevious - nice bike 😀
A bit like gravel bikes then?
Pretty much!
Though unlike John Tomac, I remember most of us running flat bars or riser bars (albeit they were quite narrow) and not drop bars on these bikes... But the capabilities were certainly very similar.
My kind of bike that is, lovely build.
I’m not sure what ‘downcountry’ really means, but it’s an XC bike that’s not for racing on. And I fully plan to ride it in some remote places.
If you’re experience with it is anything like mine. You’ll figure out what it’s for after 9hrs or whatever of riding when you realise your still fresh and comfortable.
Thanks for the kind words everyone.
You’ll figure out what it’s for after 9hrs or whatever of riding when you realise your still fresh and comfortable.
I like the sound of this!