"rides like a bike with less travel"

With so many manufactures using suspension linkages like Maestro, DW, and VPP; is this an outdated "go-to" phrase that bike reviewers use? I'm just bitching, but I'm get tired of seeing this in almost every review.

 

You could check out the Airborne Hobgoblin. One tester said it, "rides like it has more than it's 100mm of travel."

I know what you mean. Another thing I noticed lately as I was researching FS frames is that no one gives a bad review. Are you telling me every bike is a fantastic design? The most uncomplimentary reviewer would add 1 or 2 cons to endless lists of pros. "Overall it is an excellent bike. If I could change/suggest one thing it would be (insert insignificant negative trait). With a little tweaking [bike X] would be a stellar performer, yadda, yadda, yadda." Too afraid to say the bike rides like a piece of farm equipment in fears you won't get anymore free swag?

 

Only for the last 20 years or so...

 

"My new SC JohnDeere plows through chunk and climbs like a tractor. Handles ruts like a backhoe and chews up terrain like a combine. Plenty of cush in those big a$$ tires, and overall pays for itself in a season or two. I give it 5 *****'s and that ain't no bull."

 

Unfortunately most of the reviews are wrote by individuals that are tied to a publication. Thus a bad review would be less revenue from the manufacturer to the publication. Considering the size of the industry these publications are doing everything they can to produce revenue. That is the down side to a small industry and product reviews.

 

I remembered seeing a couple great reviews here from people who rented some bikes and put them through its paces.
Probably as much unbiased review you'll ever get from these rare kind of reviews.
Even most customer based reviews are skewed after proud owner's goggles kick in.

That being said, I like both my rigid hardtail and full suspension bikes.
Once you get on a bike with the geometry that works for you, other things can be just minor nuances.

 

My Tallboy LTC steers like a Mack Truck. It lets me go down things I have no business going down, in control. Ive been riding more XC bikes as rentals lately and can really tell the difference. The XC bikes are much better going slow (or fast) on switchbacks up or down. But make it much more dangerous to bomb down rocky terrain. There is a significant amount of pedal bob on the LTC if Im going up a smooth hill. But on really technical terrain it is great.

 

Agreed about most reviewers only saying mostly good stuff. But have found a site called Blistergear that seems to be pretty no BS/matter-of-fact and detailed. They don't have a ton of reviews though (they also do snow sports and other stuff). Some good stuff on tires and why some work better than others, forks, shocks, frames etc. http://blistergearreview.com/

 

How about "super short chainstays"??? That's all I read about.

 

Reviews are pointless. No two people will have the same opinion of a bike unless they've read someone elses opinion first and gone into their test ride with that expectation.

...but my favorite was when MTB Action would get some bike that's only sold frame-only, then build it up with some plain-jane XT kit, and then for their token complaints of the bike, complain about the XT brake levers or tires.

It's been a couple decades since I read a review worth writing.

 

I like when DirtRag went to listing the bike stats: e.g. That way I can skim for what I care about, and just focus on looking at the pictures.

[h=2]Bike stats[/h]

• Wheelbase: 47”, 1,193mm; 45.7", 1,161mm
• Head Angle: 69.5 degrees
• Seat Tube Angle: 73.5 degrees
• Bottom Bracket height: 13.75”
• Chainstay Length: 18.1", 460mm
• Weight: 31.7lbs.
• Sizes: S, M, L, XL (tested)
• Specs based on size tested
• Price: $2,949 (complete) $1,399 (frame and rear shock)
• Made in Taiwan

 

Same in the car magazine world, gushing over a new model, then four years later when the next version of that model comes out, they talk about all the shortcomings of the old model when they reviewed it (but didn't write about) and how they those shortcomings are fixed with the new model. And on it goes...

 

My pet peeve is reading about how this bike's ______ are _____ which is a common issue with 'some other bikes'. Every new bike review claims to have fixed/improved/eliminate an issue that is common with 'other bikes in the category', yet I never read a review that lists issues that go beyond nit-picking on subjective topics such as price, cost, weight, geo, or sizing for any other 'bike in its category'. It's always 'a half degree slacker would be great, but that's where the angleset or talas comes in if you agree' or 'carbon is still expensive', or 'it could lose 1/2 a lb, but it's really not an issue', etc. Really small nuanced deficiencies which give no sense of the inherent faults that are present in terms of the bike's maintenance schedule, design choices, suspension characteristics, build limitations, etc. The only explanation would be if bikes now a days really were each 99% perfect, but no article that I have ever read has ever come close to making a statement like that.

The degree to which pro bike reviews attempt to compare top bikes to one another is pitiful. They specifically only mention another bike in terms of which is more outstanding, but never compare one another when there is a winner that can be determined, even when the comparison is obvious and helpful in understanding more about the bike. Every new bike is perfect...except for one minor token issue which is easily a non-issue.

Every time I get hype about splurging on a new frame I just read enough reviews till I get to the point that I'm so confused that I am no longer interested in it and go with a new part instead. Hopefully going to Outerbike this will allow me to feel comfortable about getting a new bike or just frame.

 

I like this review, in which MBA compared two vastly different builds of the same Pivot Mach 429 frame. I thought it was hilarious the way they compared and critiqued some of the components given that they spec'd most of them (sew-up tubulars on a mountain bike....really?), but it was interesting to see what different experiences they could get from the same frame.

http://pivotcycles.com/mediapdf/MBAmach429c(2).pdf

I read a lot of bike and equipment reviews, but you definitely have to know what you're looking for and read between the lines for the genuinely useful information. Most of it is marketing fluff.

 

It was a good article, and informative for me as I am looking for a new bike and will consider the Pivot 429. I can imagine being a writer for a magazine and every month having to create articles of interest to the reader, even if there is nothing interesting! I am also a fan of high-end audio, and the crap that is generated every month in those publications is amazing. One really has to "read between the lines".

 

You want the truth? My eight year old Enduro is a pedal bobbing POS. My 9 month old Yelli is the best bike I have ever owned.

 

[video=youtube_share;I2iUQqp-zU8]http://youtu.be/I2iUQqp-zU8[/video]the best bike review ever!
http://youtu.be/I2iUQqp-zU8

 

The link below has the 2nd best bike review ever
http://www.nsmb.com/5588-the-most-badass-of-bikes/

 

Well I have a GIANT DEFY ADVANCE 2 that rides like it has NO travel!

 

"It rides like a bike with less travel"... Is that suppose to be a complement?