Can a bike be too good for a rider?

smartn

OK, may sound strange but I am fairly new to this game (been cycling off road for a few months now but really love it). I have recently changed my bike from a Spec Hardrock Sport Disc to a Diamondback Axis 2012 as I got an offer I couldn't refuse. The Axis is a very lightweight hardtail as opposed to the hardrock being a pretty heavy hardtail. On uphill I love the Axis but on downhill and cornering particularly in the wet the Axis feels very skittish. I'm pretty convinced its down to my inability as a rider and hope I can improve! I was wondering what other peoples views are.

YeehaaMcgee

Can a bike be too good for a rider? No.
Can a bike be unsuitable for a rider? Yes, probably.

smartn

Do you think that its possible that with time I can adjust to the bike and if so how long would you expect that to take (I know, how long is a piece of string type of question) but I'm guessing you experienced guys have tried many different bikes over the years so know how quickly you can get used to a new bike. The other thing is the handlebar width feels a lot wider than on the hardrock (670mm bar on the axis, not sure what it was on the hardrock but felt considerably less).

waby1234

Yes, could be 6 minutes, 6 hours, 6 days, 6 weeks... You get the idea!

YeehaaMcgee

Just ride it, until you form your own opinion about it. There's no point listening to how long I, or any other rider would take to adapt, or what we'd prefer in a bike.
Skittishness can be a result of either a lot of weight on the front wheel and a steep head angle, or it can also be the result of weight being quite far rearwards, and a slack head angle.
But either one is manageable, it just takes some time to adapt to a bike.

paulbox

I used to think a bike is a bike, end of. When I decided to get a full sus XC bike, I wanted one that rode pretty much like my hardtail, and I fell in love with the Anthem. Great bike for XC riding.

Then I started going to Swinley, Cannock etc. plus the odd trip to Aston Hill and although the Anthem was great, I personally (not being the bravest person in the world!) didn't have any confidence on the downhills. Was very slow and carefull, but still came off occasionally, which didn't do my confidence any good.

Then I bought my Yeti... I love it, no I'm still not the fastest person on the trails, but I feel much more confident and enjoy it so much more. obviously the angles on the bikes are completely different, but having a 50mm stem instead of 120, wider bars, dropper post etc. are all making things much more fun for me. Off to Swinley in the morning, can't wait!

Is the bike too good for me, probably, do I care? Not a bit!

Try experimenting with different set ups, bars, stem etc. Just borrow some bits off mates if you can to see how they feel.

cat_with_no_tail

The axis is a very different bike to the hardrock. It's actually designed to be easier to ride down hills than the hardrock is.

For starters you've got 150mm travel now, coming from your other bike, that's probably going to take some time to get used to.

You almost certainly have more adjustability in the fork too, so you may just need to mess around with the settings for a bit until you find the sweet spot.

I think the fork is a coil fork, so you may even need to replace the spring with a softer/firmer one depending on how much you weigh. I've found even a couple of notches more/less rebound can make the front feel very twitchy in loose corners.

Just ride it, tweak what you can to improve the ride where needed, replace what can't be tweaked if it's still causing a problem.

smartn

Many thanks for all the replies guys. As Cat with no tail says it certainly is a very different feel compared to the Hardrock so I'll persevere with it and see how I get on - I guess I was just hoping I'd jump on it and instantly become a better/faster rider (in my dreams!!).

I also bought a second hand Boardman Team FS to see how I'd get on with a full suspension bike which I will be trying shortly. Ultimately I think I'd like to get something like a Canyon Nerve but want to try a few things out first before committing lots of cash.

paul.skibum

Which ever bike you ride your balls are always the same size!

I personally find I get better riding but there is still my inner grown up telling my outer child to be careful!

smartn

Tried the Boardman out for the first time this morning, I felt a lot more confident on it and cut down my time on a local loop from 11:47 to 10:55 and think I could have gone quicker. Agree with you Paul (I'm mid 40's) that the inner grown up does tend my style towards careful....

tupcmx

I do not think that a bike can be too good for a rider, but everyone has different needs and what is best to find the bike that best suits them.

The most important factor is that you feel comfortable and safe, but there is this because you will not have confidence in your travels and be very visible.

Giraffoto

Well, in the case of the shiny blue Stumpjumper M5 I've just seen, a resounding yes. Saddle too low, rider with his knees sticking out sideways, weaving along pretty much between the yellow lines and the kerb. My first thought was that he'd stolen it