The only problem with buying a bike due to components over frame is components are generally wearable parts that you're going to be replacing anyway so I would get the frame that you love and then upgrade it as your parts wear out.
@@snowman22ism plus if the frame geometry etc is no fun, the best components won’t make it a good ride. Plus you can’t just take all those awesome components a throw them on another frame in the future. Some of the parts can jump over, some will need adaptors etc, sometimes the fork length needs to change to suit the new frame, on and on! Some times a lot of those awesome components jive with that crap bike you bought and won’t jive with much in the future. I’ve played that game.
1. Geometry for sure 2. Spec As someone who rides a trail bike but mostly rodes downhills, Ive loved my Polygon T7. I have had to upgrade the fork and the brakes to cope with the amount of descending Im doing but thats the same story for all trail bikes sub $3000. My Polygon has held up to the abuse and feels like a bigger hitter than it really is. But, if you truly want a Trail bike and not a budget pseudo Enduro bike, there are probably better options. The Poly is a heavy frame and can feel sluggish at times while peddling. Moral of the story, all bikes serve a purpose. Even bikes within the Trail category can lean closer to XC or Enduro. Just do your research as a biyer and figure out what you're aiming for. For me, my 2021 T7 has been the best purchase I could have made. But maybe the Canyon in this video fits your riding style more. Cheers folks
I don’t push crazy hard so the dissectors are perfect for me. They have great grip and they are noticeably fast rolling. They transformed the ride of my Santa Cruz chameleon mullet. For everyday riding I would put the dissectors on all of my bikes.
I've been. A HUGE fan of Bikesonline for years now. My first bike was a Polygon which was a was great first bike starting out. I sold that bike & upgraded to a Marin Alpine Trail 7 Enduro un 2022. Such a great bike, still using that to this day for my enduro & bikepark days. I wanted a second bike for xc & more mellow days that would still take on lighter Enduro rides. Bikesonline started selling Superior. I bought the Superio XF 939. Ultralight 29lb Aluminum frame with amazing spec to go with it. DT Swiss wheels/hubs, Shimano components, Rockshox suspension, short Chainstays & 66° heartbeat angle. Extremely underrated & less known brand. Taken it on 30-40 mile 3-4k elevation gain xc rides & 20 mile enduro ride. It climbs great and loves to jump. $3,000 bike but got it for $1,800. Still on sale for just under $2,000. Def worth a look. Only small gripes , cable routing is meh & i swapped out the tires. Easy fixes, Extremely happy with the bike!
@99spokes for sure!! Sorry for all the misspellings!! 😂 autocorrect & smart phones don't seem to work too well. Although I guess I could always double check. 🤷♂️ lol.
Not a pro rider at all but geo to me means the difference between having fun riding a bike that feels and maneuvers the way I want with the time I’m spending on it or not enjoying my time on a bike that has geo that leaves me feeling like I’m never having the experiences I want on it with my time. I can immediately tell the difference from one bike to the next the moment I put any forces into it. IMO geo is one of the most important things to consider if you understand what experience you want to have with your time. Second priority for me is frame build as far as stiffness in the direction I want and compliance where I want it.
Frame is the soul of the bike, yeah I can feel the difference between deore and deore xt (but mainly on the brakes side). That's why I preferably choose the frame that I like with lower components level (sadly with higher price)
You guys are doing a great job with these videos. Would be fun to see a comparison of $3-5k next. I just picked up a Stumpy Evo LTD for $3400 new and I’m so stoked on what I got for the money.
For non technical terrain, I'd say the Canyon hands down. For climbing chunkier single track I might have to give the Ari the win though, that thing has grip for days!
There's not enough choice of affordable frameset at this level from reputable brands with warranties, it would be a great income for bike shops and it's pretty fun to have a personalized selection of components. Oh wait that was the 1990's model of bike shops... Onlinebrands /mail order bikes should be customizable from A to Z the selection or "grouping" of components at this price point is heartbreaking 😅 Too much compromises, rarely spot on, manufacturers have a price in mind not the greater good 😂
That’s true, it’s a bummer there’s not more affordable alloy frames on the market! The Ripmo AF was the only one from this group of bikes that you can purchase as a frame only
If you can’t build a wheel, it’ll probably be cheaper to buy an affordable tubeless wheelset than buy rims and pay a shop to lace them to your likely crappy hubs
@@99spokes That's why my question was, I have an aluminum hard tail and I want to change to a full suspension and that's why my question was directed, whether to buy an alloy or carbon one, and here in Mexico there are not many brand options, and that's why I was interested in your preferences. Thank you for what you said about durability since it is something that I must take into account.
Good question! I think what he meant there is given the aggressive part spec (Fox 36/Float X, Maxxis Assegais, etc.) we'd expect to see something a bit longer and slacker these days. But if anything the more conservative geo will make it a bit more well rounded!
I totally disagree with you! The bike is to look at reliability of the frame, ball bearings, pivots. I really don’t care about geometry unless you are a true pro rider. Don’t get hand up on geometry! Pros can make work on any bike regardless of geometry. Again reliability is the most important. I like bikes to be overbuilt! Twitchy bikes are a no!
When you own some brands and models of bikes you come to shop very carefully, I got massively screwed more than once, now I understand the concept of riding a bike for a season and leaving service to the next owner 😂
The only problem with buying a bike due to components over frame is components are generally wearable parts that you're going to be replacing anyway so I would get the frame that you love and then upgrade it as your parts wear out.
Great point! Thanks for chiming in!
@@snowman22ism plus if the frame geometry etc is no fun, the best components won’t make it a good ride. Plus you can’t just take all those awesome components a throw them on another frame in the future. Some of the parts can jump over, some will need adaptors etc, sometimes the fork length needs to change to suit the new frame, on and on! Some times a lot of those awesome components jive with that crap bike you bought and won’t jive with much in the future. I’ve played that game.
1. Geometry for sure
2. Spec
As someone who rides a trail bike but mostly rodes downhills, Ive loved my Polygon T7. I have had to upgrade the fork and the brakes to cope with the amount of descending Im doing but thats the same story for all trail bikes sub $3000. My Polygon has held up to the abuse and feels like a bigger hitter than it really is. But, if you truly want a Trail bike and not a budget pseudo Enduro bike, there are probably better options. The Poly is a heavy frame and can feel sluggish at times while peddling.
Moral of the story, all bikes serve a purpose. Even bikes within the Trail category can lean closer to XC or Enduro. Just do your research as a biyer and figure out what you're aiming for. For me, my 2021 T7 has been the best purchase I could have made. But maybe the Canyon in this video fits your riding style more.
Cheers folks
I don’t push crazy hard so the dissectors are perfect for me. They have great grip and they are noticeably fast rolling. They transformed the ride of my Santa Cruz chameleon mullet. For everyday riding I would put the dissectors on all of my bikes.
Right on, thanks for sharing!
I love the different ideas of what make a good trail bike. It's rad to see a bunch of different riding styles and perspectives on the trail bike!
Right on, glad you enjoyed it!!
I've been. A HUGE fan of Bikesonline for years now. My first bike was a Polygon which was a was great first bike starting out. I sold that bike & upgraded to a Marin Alpine Trail 7 Enduro un 2022. Such a great bike, still using that to this day for my enduro & bikepark days. I wanted a second bike for xc & more mellow days that would still take on lighter Enduro rides. Bikesonline started selling Superior. I bought the Superio XF 939. Ultralight 29lb Aluminum frame with amazing spec to go with it. DT Swiss wheels/hubs, Shimano components, Rockshox suspension, short Chainstays & 66° heartbeat angle. Extremely underrated & less known brand. Taken it on 30-40 mile 3-4k elevation gain xc rides & 20 mile enduro ride. It climbs great and loves to jump. $3,000 bike but got it for $1,800. Still on sale for just under $2,000. Def worth a look. Only small gripes , cable routing is meh & i swapped out the tires. Easy fixes, Extremely happy with the bike!
Right on, thanks for sharing your experience!
@99spokes for sure!! Sorry for all the misspellings!! 😂 autocorrect & smart phones don't seem to work too well. Although I guess I could always double check. 🤷♂️ lol.
Not a pro rider at all but geo to me means the difference between having fun riding a bike that feels and maneuvers the way I want with the time I’m spending on it or not enjoying my time on a bike that has geo that leaves me feeling like I’m never having the experiences I want on it with my time. I can immediately tell the difference from one bike to the next the moment I put any forces into it. IMO geo is one of the most important things to consider if you understand what experience you want to have with your time. Second priority for me is frame build as far as stiffness in the direction I want and compliance where I want it.
I’d have to agree with you there!
Frame is the soul of the bike, yeah I can feel the difference between deore and deore xt (but mainly on the brakes side). That's why I preferably choose the frame that I like with lower components level (sadly with higher price)
You guys are doing a great job with these videos. Would be fun to see a comparison of $3-5k next. I just picked up a Stumpy Evo LTD for $3400 new and I’m so stoked on what I got for the money.
Glad you’ve been enjoying them! And thanks for the video idea, we’ll see what we can do. How have you been liking your new Stumpy so far?
@@99spokes first FS bike, what a difference! I’ve been dialing in the Fox Factory suspension and it’s like butter.
Frame GEO is most important as everything else can be upgraded!
So which one would be best for climbing ?Im a little off lol , I like the climbs more than decents
For non technical terrain, I'd say the Canyon hands down. For climbing chunkier single track I might have to give the Ari the win though, that thing has grip for days!
There's not enough choice of affordable frameset at this level from reputable brands with warranties, it would be a great income for bike shops and it's pretty fun to have a personalized selection of components. Oh wait that was the 1990's model of bike shops... Onlinebrands /mail order bikes should be customizable from A to Z the selection or "grouping" of components at this price point is heartbreaking 😅
Too much compromises, rarely spot on, manufacturers have a price in mind not the greater good 😂
That’s true, it’s a bummer there’s not more affordable alloy frames on the market! The Ripmo AF was the only one from this group of bikes that you can purchase as a frame only
5:16 wait... Just because the rim isnt tubeless, you replace the whole wheelset?!!!!!
If you can’t build a wheel, it’ll probably be cheaper to buy an affordable tubeless wheelset than buy rims and pay a shop to lace them to your likely crappy hubs
Where are you guys located? What state or trail system was this at..may i ask? @@99spokes
We are based out of Bellingham, WA, but this was filmed in the Phil’s trail system in Bend, OR
@@99spokes great point right there💯💯
YEA BUT WHAT MATERIAL YOU GUYS PREFER?? MISSED TO SAY IT IN THE VIDEO
The three of us in this video are alloy fans, just because of its durability and price savings. What about you?
@@99spokes That's why my question was, I have an aluminum hard tail and I want to change to a full suspension and that's why my question was directed, whether to buy an alloy or carbon one, and here in Mexico there are not many brand options, and that's why I was interested in your preferences. Thank you for what you said about durability since it is something that I must take into account.
carbon or alloy bike??? greeatings from sinaloa mexico
This are all alloy
So," A deal breaker if a bike doesn't have a dropper post. But, they're really cheap. " 😅
Haha yeah had a bit different options on those questions, which is why we try to have more than just one reviewer for these tests!
What parts of the polygon geometry are outdated?? Curious for my own education
Good question! I think what he meant there is given the aggressive part spec (Fox 36/Float X, Maxxis Assegais, etc.) we'd expect to see something a bit longer and slacker these days. But if anything the more conservative geo will make it a bit more well rounded!
I totally disagree with you! The bike is to look at reliability of the frame, ball bearings, pivots. I really don’t care about geometry unless you are a true pro rider. Don’t get hand up on geometry! Pros can make work on any bike regardless of geometry. Again reliability is the most important. I like bikes to be overbuilt! Twitchy bikes are a no!
When you own some brands and models of bikes you come to shop very carefully, I got massively screwed more than once, now I understand the concept of riding a bike for a season and leaving service to the next owner 😂
It's like some brand of cars, you lease you don't own 😂🙄🫰🙄
Fair enough! Lots of important things to consider when buying a new bike!
If you don’t like twitchy bikes then sounds like geometry is important to you