7 Downcountry Bikes vs. The Impossible Climb | 2022 Downcountry Field Test

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Hailing from a category of bicycle that puts a premium on pedaling, the seven short-travel steeds we had on test in Quebec would make short work of an Impossible Climb, right? Or, would Mike Levy's devilish course design--when paired with the nearly traction-less surface of this particular slippery slope--prove to be too much for the bikes?
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Пікірлер: 85

  • @ShitStefanShoots
    @ShitStefanShoots Жыл бұрын

    There's no real point in an impossible climb with inadequate tyres for the terrain - or on soil that doesn't allow for traction. One was driven higher on the trail, the rest failed all in the same section. What can I learn from that? Don't get me wrong: I love your tests and I get a ton of info out of them, but this ... was no highlight

  • @MrMojoRisin22

    @MrMojoRisin22

    Жыл бұрын

    These are the type of tires most riders will use with these type of bikes. Most riders aren't going to throw Enduro/DH tires on them.

  • @matth8924

    @matth8924

    Жыл бұрын

    I can’t bring myself to try super light tires. Nothing saps your energy more than crashing because you’re using tires that sacrifice grip for rolling fast.

  • @ghensold

    @ghensold

    Жыл бұрын

    The Impossible Climb tends to have this problem. I think they want to pick a course that some bikes will be able to climb and others won't, but because most bikes these days are quite capable, the margin for getting the difficulty just right is super thin and it's very easy to end up with a course that none of the bikes can climb. They should really consider changing the concept to a "difficult but possible climb" so they can compare how all the bikes perform on the whole course.

  • @petedog9581

    @petedog9581

    Жыл бұрын

    @@MrMojoRisin22 Maxxis DHF/DHR rolls decent w the lighter EXO casing. Every bit as good as the Specialized Ground Control/Purgatory combo. Just get a 2.3 tire, not some 2.5 or something. I swapped that very combo on my Stumpjumper, and it totally changed the handling of the bike for the better.

  • @johnr5001

    @johnr5001

    Жыл бұрын

    @@petedog9581 those aren't "DC' tires though. Heaviest I run is Dissector F/Rekon R.

  • @engine3724
    @engine3724 Жыл бұрын

    Next time it would be helpful to see the rider first attempt the climb on one of their own bikes. Especially in a case like this, where many bikes get stuck at basically the same spot (even tho it’s likely due to those tires not being designed for wet slimy climbs). This would give us some comparison of how the bikes being tested compare with not just each other, but a bike that the rider knows really well. Too often, I find myself wondering- was the climb unsuccessful because of differences/limitations with the bikes, or did the rider just not have enough time to really learn how to maximize each tested bike?

  • @petedog9581
    @petedog9581 Жыл бұрын

    This dude can't ride a shorter top tube bc he won't bury that nose of the saddle into his taint and drive the back wheel down. Shorter bikes w steeper HT angles climb better, if you know what you are doing. Put Levy back on the climbs. Also, why climb in mud? That really emphasizes tire spec more than the bike.

  • @DEXVD

    @DEXVD

    Жыл бұрын

    I think they all used Spec GCs.

  • @323johnnybravo

    @323johnnybravo

    Жыл бұрын

    Lols that Taint move definitely improves traction

  • @petedog9581

    @petedog9581

    Жыл бұрын

    @@323johnnybravo It works for me. I don't want anymore kids and make that climb. Win, win! Taint climbing, you aint riding. Lol.

  • @dytrdr5
    @dytrdr5 Жыл бұрын

    The Allied bias shined strong in this video, how much did they pay for a positive review ?

  • @hardtailparty
    @hardtailparty Жыл бұрын

    Great riding Matt, that was a blast to watch.

  • @FomeDH
    @FomeDH Жыл бұрын

    you should totally change the impossible climb to not stop riding when you dab. would shed a lot more light on what a bike’s strong suits are and what it may struggle at.

  • @EstebanRapido
    @EstebanRapido Жыл бұрын

    I so appreciate that, this time around, there are no stupid obstacles or specific paths that must be taken for this test. The trail itself should always be the obstacle.

  • @thecakeisalie7070
    @thecakeisalie7070 Жыл бұрын

    I'd like to see a video on different techniques to climb short tech section VS long consistent climbs. If you feature some local legends that would be cool too!

  • @AdventureAwaits4u
    @AdventureAwaits4u Жыл бұрын

    Is there a reason they don’t drop the seat on the impossible climb? Might make it more possible.

  • @pauleddy5146
    @pauleddy5146 Жыл бұрын

    The XC tire was going to be the weak link. Saw this coming before the test started. Rekons or Kenda Boosters wouldn't have faired much better. Especially on damp to wet rock, without the mud to fill the tread. That was the end of usefulness with any XC tire. Although, the Karma 2 is made for muddy to loose conditions. Overall, I like XC tires, especially the transition from center to side knob feel. But this is the price you pay in loose/slick or rocky terrain.

  • @mrvwbug4423
    @mrvwbug4423 Жыл бұрын

    so the takeway, the Exie is a tech climbing beast as expected and Ground Controls are crap in wet-ish conditions

  • @antrace92
    @antrace92 Жыл бұрын

    Do all the bike have the same cassette and chainring?

  • @kahoycrafts
    @kahoycrafts Жыл бұрын

    Curious how many times the rider practiced the climb on his own bike or a bike he was familiar before the test? It seems like it would also be confusing to switch bikes without a warm up period.

  • @VasylDemianov
    @VasylDemianov Жыл бұрын

    I think it is quite unfair for the first bike in line: the rider is getting better with each try. I think it would be fair for do a couple of tries on each bike, and may be mix tries on different bikes. Then give overall impression from all tries on each bike.

  • @TeddyParker
    @TeddyParker Жыл бұрын

    Lol the delivery... Sounds like they were so bummed the Allied didn't win and reluctantly talking about the Ibis as a winner. Considering it was the ONLY bike that made it through that shit with those shit tires, that's pretty impressive. Lucky, maybe, but impressive nonetheless.

  • @ElderlyAnteater

    @ElderlyAnteater

    Жыл бұрын

    can't really criticise the tyres for being inappropriately picked. similar tyres like rekons wouldn't have really done any better in the conditions

  • @TeddyParker

    @TeddyParker

    Жыл бұрын

    @@ElderlyAnteater Why would you use... Similar tires? All bikes run the same tires for testing purposes so there's nothing they could do. Aside from trying to find a different spot to climb that wasn't pissing wet, but ultimately they wanted that. To make it 'impossible'. Guess it was... Least with the incorrect tires. It's just a 'flaw' in the test design. And this feature has been criticized in the past when it gets too hard too quick, because then you learn fuck all. Go back to the older impossible climbs, they were INTERESTING. Usually starting with some more mellow cornering so you can see how shit it handles while climbing, THEN you have some impossibly steep moves. Shit Levy did a full loop on a flatter wet slab that shit was great. This course was just a poor choice, particularly since the tires can not be changed.

  • @Biking_with_Akiva
    @Biking_with_Akiva Жыл бұрын

    Seems like the bikes are all capable they just need better tires. Have any of the tester's made it up the climb with their personal bike?

  • @braulioalvaradolema9128
    @braulioalvaradolema9128 Жыл бұрын

    Espectacular

  • @darkwinter-lll
    @darkwinter-lll Жыл бұрын

    Give me the bike ffs hold my beer

  • @chefsmac6910
    @chefsmac6910 Жыл бұрын

    Another great Pink bike video! I would like to see out of category bikes in these comparisons, for reference. How would these down country(ugh) bikes compare against a hard tail or a true trail bike? Make some more work for Mike.

  • @Emolokz
    @Emolokz Жыл бұрын

    There aren't really many xc tires made to shed that kinda mud, can't really criticize the tires here honestly.

  • @CWBmtb
    @CWBmtb Жыл бұрын

    How many years will it take you guys to listen and use more than ONE rider for this test?

  • @JohnSmith-mi8zy
    @JohnSmith-mi8zy Жыл бұрын

    Most bikes would have made it further with tires that shed soil a little better. Back to Maxxis next year?

  • @petedog9581

    @petedog9581

    Жыл бұрын

    This was essentially a tire test. Dumb. All these guy cry egads! when a bike has a shorter top tube. Learn to ride it.

  • @Gransport1965
    @Gransport1965 Жыл бұрын

    Sad. Sad that Exie crushed it but didn't get the cred it should have. Sad that Matt was really rooting for Allied to win which gives the whole test a bitter taste.

  • @diylee
    @diylee Жыл бұрын

    It's not the bikes. It's the rider.

  • @davidfw938
    @davidfw938 Жыл бұрын

    it looks more like a tire test than a bike test, ground controls are more capable in mud than the others, the nobs are more separated and taller. For a real test all the bikes should use the same tires and pressure.

  • @johnr5001
    @johnr5001 Жыл бұрын

    Stalling out is a trait of the rider, not the bike. I would have guess the Exie would go the furthest, given dw link awesome climbing performance.

  • @stevevarga8621
    @stevevarga8621 Жыл бұрын

    Honestly that test is not informative. The climb is too technical to determine the bikes qualities. It’s more telling of the riders skills then the bikes capabilities. I would simplify the test sections to determine the bikes traction ie a straight line through a root garden. Try to limit the importance of the riders skills. Even a great rider would not consistently ride through something like that, it’s so on the edge. Personally if were to ride that climb I’d drop the pressure a lot. I did not see much deflection in those tires. Soft tires are everything in those conditions. They tend to wrap around the roots rather then bounce off them.

  • @petedog9581

    @petedog9581

    Жыл бұрын

    I climb hiking trails that steep often. Don't use XC tires in mud, and this guy is not a great climber. He cannot ride a shorter top tube bike bc he doesn't weight the nose of the saddle at all. He sits neutral or he stands.

  • @pytek23

    @pytek23

    Жыл бұрын

    It is for fun ffs

  • @johnr5001
    @johnr5001 Жыл бұрын

    3:03 doesn't quite look like the top. Behind you is where the actual impossible climb is.

  • @barnyrockford
    @barnyrockford9 ай бұрын

    WOW. What was your angle here? Lets try something we can't do on any bike and compare how well we can't do something on different bikes and talk about how the bikes are different? My gosh

  • @Sjako7361
    @Sjako7361 Жыл бұрын

    Bet several of them could go further with diffrent technique and lines

  • @CharmerFilms
    @CharmerFilms Жыл бұрын

    Should have run all bikes with the same set of decent tires..

  • @nickadams8952
    @nickadams8952 Жыл бұрын

    Should of stuck some grippier tyres on all those bikes, then tried again

  • @spiral99able
    @spiral99able Жыл бұрын

    I would love to know if all the tyre pressures were the same. It looks like the ibis had lower pressure in the rear tyre. Lower the pressure only a small amout and traction will exponentially increase.

  • @mountaincruiser817
    @mountaincruiser817 Жыл бұрын

    No banana peels necessary.

  • @HelplmAlive
    @HelplmAlive Жыл бұрын

    That white balance...

  • @FreshToTheExtreme
    @FreshToTheExtreme Жыл бұрын

    Another thing he is clipped in. and clips out in fear of falling before he can clip out...and really get going.... try with not being clipped in... and better tires.. I guarantee he will get further up the hill not being clipped in. 😎 and if it is wet and you are vertical...there aint no traction anyway...thus impossible climb...

  • @dillonfreman2726
    @dillonfreman2726 Жыл бұрын

    Think woulda gone much better with better tires. Spec. Ground Controls? Yuck.

  • @ribotc40
    @ribotc40 Жыл бұрын

    What shoes is he wearing here?

  • @JAFO.
    @JAFO. Жыл бұрын

    *_Hmmm,_** IBIS **_wins again - who'd uh thot, 'eh?_*

  • @firewolf078
    @firewolf078 Жыл бұрын

    maybe it would go better with spd

  • @stoneybowmann
    @stoneybowmann Жыл бұрын

    I'm an Ibis guy, and happy to see the Ibis do well, but this test was pretty lame. And the word "downcountry" is pretty lame, too.

  • @daswienerle3018
    @daswienerle3018 Жыл бұрын

    Lets be honest, this "test" was absolutely useless

  • @janeblogs324
    @janeblogs324 Жыл бұрын

    These tests a BS. Do multiple runs per go or do it golf style at take a Birdie. Pick the bike up, skip that obstacle and score accordingly

  • @sillybilly8028
    @sillybilly8028 Жыл бұрын

    Was I supposed to learn something?

  • @jou3708

    @jou3708

    Жыл бұрын

    No. You was supposed to waste precious 10min of your life.

  • @trollingthunder152
    @trollingthunder152 Жыл бұрын

    the impossible climb was a lot cooler when its actually climbable. This segment has lost its magic.

  • @nicholasbrierton6851

    @nicholasbrierton6851

    Жыл бұрын

    This is absolutely climbable…

  • @eliwilliams8133
    @eliwilliams8133 Жыл бұрын

    Early

  • @DrJGang
    @DrJGang Жыл бұрын

    If you want to diss a bike, take it for the first attempt

  • @Drogos79
    @Drogos79 Жыл бұрын

    might have as well flipped the coin

  • @cnay2983
    @cnay2983 Жыл бұрын

    Its the rider not the bike

  • @jaredtopilko1313
    @jaredtopilko1313 Жыл бұрын

    The rider is the issue.

  • @dtheopha
    @dtheopha Жыл бұрын

    yawner. how about the not so impossible climb which might highlight what the bikes are really capable of. this told us nothing.

  • @adampalma3765
    @adampalma3765 Жыл бұрын

    “Downcountry” 🤦‍♂️

  • @scorpiosmoke
    @scorpiosmoke Жыл бұрын

    If it was GMBN they would cry until they could use a battery bike

  • @ChannelZeroOne

    @ChannelZeroOne

    Жыл бұрын

    GMBN has sold out over the last few years, and not because of the ebike, but because they are not people focused any more its all about their sponsors now. I am not a fan of the new presenters. The older content is still great for improving skills.

  • @gunnar6726
    @gunnar6726 Жыл бұрын

    what a pointless video

  • @Sixbillion1
    @Sixbillion1 Жыл бұрын

    why did i watch this....

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