When Does A Bike Go Out Of Date Dirt Shed Show 555

Hello, and welcome back to the Dirt Shed Show. This week, we are talking about, do bikes go out of date, and all the other regulars. Stay tuned for more. Yes, welcome, everybody. Today, it's myself, Rich Payne. I'm joined by- Myself, James Pickering. How are you doing, buddy? I'm doing well, yes. Good weekend? Yes, it was. We bumped into each other, didn't we? We did bump into each other on the trails, completely unplanned. I liked it. Always a nice surprise. It did, but it got us thinking. There were many bikes out on the trails, and it got us wondering, pondering, if you like, didn't it, about when, if, or do you even need to change or upgrade your bike? Does a bike go out of date? Does it get to a point where your bike needs replacing, or can you just ride a bike forever? I suppose, technically, yes, they do go out of date in terms of if it's brought out in 2015, 2020, and then a new version comes out. Yes, that makes it out of date, but is it out of date? Yes, I guess what we mean by this is, there's always new models coming out that promise to be X percent faster, X percent better downhill, climbs better, longer travel, but do we actually need all of those new things, or is your old bike still relevant and still just as fun? It's tricky, isn't it? Now, I suppose, quick disclaimer, we have a slightly warped view on this here on the channel because we do constantly have new bikes, and they get changed quite often, and upgraded. We are on the latest and greatest, if you like. That being said, though, I've got a few years on James, so I've been riding bikes from a fair while ago. Even yourself, obviously, before work, had your own bikes and started off on certain bikes, so we've come through the years, if you like. I decided I'd have a look back at older bikes to see just how much they've changed because you think about old bikes, you're, oh, God, I couldn't hop on that. I had a look at a 2018 Orbea Rallon enduro bike, a bike that you're very familiar with the newer model, and you have the older one. A quick look, it was 160-mil fork with 150-mil rear travel, so a lot shorter than the new ones. The new one's 180-mil fork and 170-mil fork, so it's probably more similar to the Occam LT now. It is, yes. Bikes have definitely scaled up, I guess. Enduro bikes used to be around the 150, 160 mark, and they're now all nearly 180, 170. Actually, looking at the angle, the 2018 Rallon in an XL had a 64.2-degree head angle, whereas the 2025 has a 64.3, so pretty much bang on the same. The thing that was quite different is the seat angle. They're much steeper now on the modern bikes, and the reach is much longer. The reach is 505 on the XL for the new Rallon, and then the old 2018 one was 485. Bikes have definitely got bigger, but the head angle's the same. I was looking at that bike, and I was thinking it had a SRAM Eagle 1x12 grip set on it, had a Fox 36 fork, SRAM guide brakes, a nice dropper post. If you still had that bike now, it'd be absolutely neat. You're literally describing my bike that I had back then. We're talking about a specific bike here, but even bikes of that era. I say era, we're talking seven to eight years ago, so it's not super-duper old. We'll touch on that maybe in a bit. I rode Fort William World Cup downhill track on it. I did epic rides on it. It was a daily driver, if you like. It was a really good bike. Hank, do you need to, bikes come and go, and the industry is constantly evolving, and new tech comes out. If you had that bike, would you need to, obviously, parts wear out, but would you need to update it, or would that stand the test of time? For me, I look at that, and I think, that's a good question. It almost stands the test of time. Around that era was I think recently, bikes have changed a lot. We got to a point in bike innovation where 2010, the bikes were so tiny. They were very different. When we got to 2017, 2018, the bikes were all so good that I almost think you could get away with riding them now. There's also things like, you can get angle cups and offset bushes. You could even adjust your bike to make it slacker if you wanted to as well. I think the era that we're talking about here, seven to eight years ago, you're hitting back then peak enduro development, I call it. The EWS series was absolutely banging. Bikes were changing all the time in terms of experimentation, sizing, and little bits and bobs, proprietary shocks here and there, and what have you. They were really, bikes were at the forefront of development then, if you like. I think you could take that bike then, and you could tweak it, and it'd be great. You could not tweak it, and it'd still be a great bike. Many enduro bikes and trail bikes from back then would be. XC bikes, I feel, have come on a lot. Having said that, I think for a lot of cyclists out there, and I think a lot of my friends would agree with me on this one, that they could probably jump on their bikes from 10, 12 years ago maybe, and still just have just as much fun. Ride the same trails. A lot of people actually prefer some of the more older bikes because a lot of people don't want batteries on their bikes. Simplicity. They want that simplicity that we reached almost peak simplicity eight years ago. For some people, bikes, they don't need all these different high-pivot, low-pivot, blah, blah, blah. They just want a very simple bike to live with. Like we say, we're in a lucky position that we have mechanics, we have a lot of new bikes, but if you live in with that bike for six, seven years, a lot of people are happy with that simplisticness. That's it, right? Are we at a point in the bike industry, I could get some heat on this, and are we making solutions for problems that don't really exist? Maybe. We're just trying to evolve as opposed to not evolve? That's worded terribly, but do you know what I mean? Evolution is good, and it's got us to the bikes that we're on now. We are on very good bikes. Bikes are incredible at the moment. All genres of bikes are so good across all spectrums of the price range, right? Are we in a point where we're sort of being, gosh, I could get more heat conditions that we need to upgrade? Yes, I don't know if we are. I think the thing is, a lot of people always say to us, we talk a lot about racing, and a lot of people aren't so interested in racing, but racing drives innovation of bikes, because most brands have a factory team with elite and professional racers, and all the bikes, Enduro, XC, are tailored towards them. A lot of these innovations are based around racers, but for your everyday person just riding around the woods, we probably, yes, I don't know. Bikes a few years ago were probably, well, bikes even 10 years ago. Yes, I know. That rail that you spoke of, it is not far off being a 10-year-old bike. Not really when you think about it. Well, if we could figure out a way of blind testing, would your average punter looking to buy a bike be faster on a bike then or faster on the latest version of it? It's very hard to blind test something because you can't easily see it. It's tricky. Another point I want to make, and actually, it's one that you brought up in the office earlier, is when a bike gets to a certain age, we have obviously changed certain standards over the years, haven't we? We've gone from 26 to 27.5 to 29-inch wheels, boost, hub spacing, front and rear. Because of that, say you have a bike that is- It gets to the point where spare parts are harder to find, doesn't it? Yes, non-boost hubs are harder to find. 26-inch wheels and tires, I think, are the most obvious one in terms of, well, no one's really making or developing a 26-inch good off-road tire. In the mountain biking industry, we're a lot better at not getting rid of old standards. Definitely, like I know in road cycling now, if you still ride a rim brake bike as opposed to disc brake, you really struggle to get rim brake parts. A bit of a dinosaur. Yes, or even so much of road is going to electric group sets. Really? Yes, mountain biking, you can still pick up a lot of mechanical group sets. Oh, 100%, yes. Yes, so there is a few things where if you can't get boost or you're not boost or 26-inch, but I think for the most part, we have allowed people to still carry on getting replacement parts for their older bike, which is good because it's sustainable and it keeps people's old bikes running. It's affordable for a lot of people. It's affordable, yes. You don't have to buy a new bike every three years because yours is outdated. Yes, agreed. I think that's a really valid point. I'd be interested to know what you lot think out there. How quick do you think bikes go out of date? How often do you replace yours or upgrade yours or adapt it in any way, shape, or form? Do let us know in the comments down below because I'd love to hear from you. It is now time for the news. We have a new product out this week. Met have brought out a new Trenta 3K Carbon Helmet, which is very fancy. Yes, fancy. It's their top-tier XC and road lid. The new version is claimed to be the most ventilated yet. It's got a 16% improvement in airflow. It's also got a 40% improvement in safety, which is really good. It's also the one that Taddy Pogacar uses. I know he's a road cyclist, but yes, if it's good enough for him, it's good enough for us, right? Yes, right. It weighs only 260 grams, so yes, you're barely going to feel that thing on your head. Fancy. Yes, it looks good. I like it. I'd like to try one of those out for a few epics. Yes, definitely. It'd be good in the summer. Fit the old barnet under it? Yes, I might have to squish it down a bit. Mine does too. Mine does too. You don't need that extra ventilation. No, I don't. No, I don't. I don't. I need the extra padding on it. Wooly hat. Yes. Moving on to a slightly more serious note. Now, obviously, myself and Fergus last week spoke about Rampage. Has it gone too far after a whole host of quite serious crashes and riders pulling out before the event even started and during the event, with the most serious being that of Adolf Silva, who sustained quite serious injuries, which upon further updates, has been confirmed that damage to T3 and T4 vertebrae area. Now, this is obviously a life changing moment for himself. It puts a lot of pressure, both physically, mentally, and financially on someone, regardless of who they are. Because of this, Road to Recovery, who are a non-profit organization, have set up a funding page to help cover the costs of things like even just air travel, getting home, equipment needed to allow him to be able to access regular things in his house that we take for granted, getting about vehicles, et cetera, medical bills, which will be humongous. Because of that, they have set up this fund-raising page. If you are feeling even a little bit generous, please head into the description down below, follow the link to the page, and you can make a donation as well as I know I sure will be. Yes, we're sending our best wishes out to Adolf and all his family around him. In other news, there's been, after a turbulent few weeks between Garmin and Strava Beef, Strava basically decided they're going to back down and not going to try and sue Garmin anymore. Basically, if you're unaware of this, Strava wanted to sue Garmin. I believe it's over heat map infringements and a few other things. Yes, like API, essentially. Whenever Garmin data was being used on Strava, Garmin logos, amongst other bits and bobs, had to be displayed. Strava thought this was blatant advertising. A few weeks passed, back and forth, back and forth, as I'm sure there would be with lawyers. It actually came to light that Strava have a similar policy in place when Strava data is used, that little Strava signs or whatever have to be put up. Now, more weeks have passed. It turns out Strava has now backed down to the Goliaths that are Garmin. Essentially, a lot of people who use Strava, the data does come from Garmin. I think it'd be detrimental. It didn't benefit either party, did it? It's just hassle. It just seems unnecessary. Anyway, the case has been dismissed without prejudice, but that does mean it can be brought up back at a later date. Yes, and we can carry on uploading our rides from Garmin to Strava easy and get them KOMs. Yes. Lastly, in our little bit of news now, we do talk a lot about racing because we flippin' love it. It's mostly centered around World Cup racing because it has been an absolute banger year for it. Let's be honest. There are greater, smaller races out there. I wanted to highlight one. It's that entries are now open for the NZ MTB Rally, New Zealand Mountain Bike Rally on New Zealand's South Island in the area of Nelson. Now, this race is organized by the same people who do Enduro 2 in both Verbier and a French resort as well, which is, mine's gone blank. Moving on, the organizers put on a hell of an event where you get helicopter shuttles, 4x4 boat access stages. Definitely one for the bucket list, isn't it? Oh, my God. I really want to do it next year. It is well up there. The area of Nelson is absolutely stunning. I'm so trying to make it happen. If you feel like this is right up your street, then there are entries available. Head over to the link in the description down below. Search them out on socials or NZ MTB Rally if you want to put them in the old search engine to find out. The event runs in March 14th to the 21st of next year and looks to be an absolute belter. Yes, that's definitely on my bucket list. It is now time for a competition. This one is pretty special. Orbea have teamed up with Shimano to give you the chance to win your dream bike and you get to design it yourself. Using the My Orbea configurator, you can follow the link down below, design your bike, and you get to choose from any model you'd like really on the off-road range. Whether that's an enduro bike in the Rallon or an XC bike in the Oiz, you get to design all the colors, the specs, and then you enter it, and one lucky winner will get to get their dream bike. It's mind-boggling. The choices are the Rise, the Occam, the Wild, the Oiz, the Rallon. Those are some hefty big hitting bikes, right? Yes. You've got till November the 12th to send in your designs. All the details are down below. Yes, that's definitely one to get involved in because who wouldn't want to win their dream bike? I know. I wish I could enter myself. Like I said, we'll reiterate, the link to enter the competition is in the description down below. Design your dream bike, get in it to win it. Right, it is time for Hacks and Bodges where you can be in with a chance to win a prize from the GMBN shop up to the value of £50. We got some great submissions this week, don't we? Yes, we have some really, really good ones. Starting off, we have got Jared here. He said, you needed to true my front wheel after a gnarly crash. Hope you're okay. Yes. Gosh. Had a spare fork lying around, threw it in the vice, added some zip ties, and good to go. I mean- Was easier to have the wheel at a workbench level versus using the fork zip ties on a bike. Agreed, but who has a spare fork like that? I know, I definitely don't. No, I don't, but that is actually quite a good- Yes. I want to say a hack. Yes, I mean, that's one you can do on your bike as well. We've done that before. If you need to true, you use the zip ties. Yes, bodge hack, a bit more hacky to me. That's a hack if you have a spare set of forks lying around. Yes, that's very true. Hey, Jared, great. That's a strong start. Thank you very much, buddy. From Jim Strachan next. Now, this is sort of an old inner tube concoction. It's actually cut it up to use as a tool pouch to strap to my bike. That's very good. It's quite clever. It's very old-school enduro, isn't it? It is, yes. Before we had all these amazing PTs and- Pre-made pouches. Drafts and stuff. Yes, it is. You used to bodge it. I like that, though. I like it, though. Look at all the stuff you squeeze in there. Multi-tool, tire lever, CO2. It stops it from scratching your frame. I'm going to say that's a hack again, really. I think that's actually a real- It's not a bodge. It's a good hack. Jim, that's a strong hack as well. We're on for a good one this week. Last but not least, we've got Easton Jones. He's homemade wood bar control and mech protector for Bosch. It allows me to flip my e-bike over to lube the chain as you can't back pedal your bike. Take the tires off, et cetera. Yes, I think that looks really smart. These are all really strong contenders this week again, aren't they? Who are you choosing? You can only choose one. I know what I'm choosing. Go on, I'll let you choose. I'm going to choose the InnerTube tool roll item. Nice. Because I think it's nice to have all your stuff together. Bit of recycling. Bit of recycling. It's just efficient and neat, and it looks good. Jim, congratulations. Don't forget to send us your details to claim your prize. As always, we do love to see your hacks and bodges. Please use the uploader linked in the description down below to keep them coming in for your chance to win a prize. Things we like this week. This is where we basically just have a little look on social media, see some cool things, and share them with you. One thing I saw outside Brendan, the guy who just makes weird and wonderful things for his bike. He took the rear shock out of his bike and basically made a very small cider press, a little apple press. That's very Somerset. I know. That's why I liked it because I was like, brilliant. I'm not a cider fan. You're northern, what are you? Bitter. I mean, just the name. Bitter. I just thought this was cool. It's just another weird invention of his. Completely doesn't make sense because you've got no rear shock there, but hey, why not? Side on the go. Yes, exactly. Yes, it's quite cool. I like that. Nice one, Brendan. Slightly different vibe from me. It's my usual BMX clip of the week. We've got Dennis Ennison doing a massive, he's got a nice kicker before that ledge. It's a famous BMX spot in Los Angeles. It's a massive gap to manual. The craziest thing for me is, I used to run brakeless BMX, but now I run brakes for manuals. How he doesn't loop out on that manual, he's got no rear brake to grab if he thinks he's going to loop out. Precision and bike. This is just for his weekly Friday YouTube channel video. It's not like an end for an edit. It's mad, isn't it? I'll just chuck it on YouTube. At least he's wearing a helmet. That's my sensible side coming through. Like you said, the balance, the control, the body awareness. Also, the risk. Oh, my Lord. He is in a different league, isn't he? Fair play. Lastly, I was having a look through the comments of your Etna video with Fergan. That was an amazing video. If you haven't watched it, go watch it. It appears, Rich, that you're a bit of an idiot. What I'm referring to is, I believe Etna is the oldest live volcano. Oldest active volcano. Active volcano. It's been active since 396 BC. Yes. I know where this is going. Rich says, dinosaur time. It was a throwaway comment to be like, oh, that's very old. But the YouTube commenters were very quick to correct you. Oh, man. Dinosaurs were not around. No. I know. Okay. There's some great comments. Thank you for watching the video. I'm going to have to read these out. I'm going to do them in a funny voice. Mancurian counterweight put, The Romans would have been very surprised to hear that there were dinosaurs sneaking about the rocky crags of Etna. Rich is pretty accurate. Just add 65 million years to that. Oh, just 65, Rich. I know. I got another one. It's really, and I, do you know what? Thanks for calling me out, because we do love to read them. We're very glad to have some historians who watch our videos. Ultra two extremes, but 396 BC, Rich, dinosaur time. Rich, we had dry docks, the Archimedes screw-to-pump water, water wheels, navigation gimbals. People were drinking wine. FFS. Do you not realize in 396 BC, we had the Archimedes screw-to-pump water. You didn't know that. Come on, man. Everyone knows we had the Archimedes screw-to-pump water. Oh, guys. Thank you. Thank you for pointing that. I love it. It's good. Keep your comments down below and go watch the video. It just keeps us grounded. Idiot. It is now time for the caption competition. Last week, we had a really funny photo of Owen at the bespoke bike show. What's our first caption? Just pondering life a little bit. I just feel confused. Confused. Oh, the big O-dog. Right. Sled5196 says, when you get a little too high on the PE's brake cleaner supply. No comment. JasonTrue2018 put, the look you get when your wife buys a more expensive bike than yours. Yes, mine's got a Yeti. Really? Yes, it's well nice. TheWillieFamily, crikey, well, they put, when you visualize the footlong at the end of the ride. Footlong? Wow. Rich, what is your favorite? What's your favorite caption this week? I think TheWillieFamily have commented before. They're regular viewers of the Dirt Shed Show. They have popped up? Wow. When you get a little high on the PE's brake cleaner supply. Sled5196, congratulations. You've won a prize up to the value of 60, 50 pounds. 60? It was 60. I nearly gave away an extra 10. 50 pounds from the GMBN shop. Don't forget to send us your details to claim that prize. For your chance to claim the prize this week, here is the caption contest photo. Oh, wow. Pretty special. Pretty special. TheWillieFamily, I look forward to hearing from you. It is now the time of the show where James reaches for his bell and it's the Bike Vault. You've had to draft me back in this week because you nearly forgot last week. I did nearly forget. Me and Fer got carried away and I was like, what? It's like that young brain. It's an old brain. I was going to say there's too much going on here, but it's just maybe not enough. I don't know. It's a bit hollow. Oh, my God. What have we got first? Justin Hardy has sent this one in. Ended out with his young'un for a spin and he's put 2025 Rockhopper 29, 2021 Hot Rock head into the trails. I like that rack in the back of the pickup. That's good, isn't it? In the back of the pickup. Yes. Speed when you drive to the trails, so I'm not sure the bikes would stay there. They wouldn't stay there. We're always in a rush to get to the trails. Where you live, they wouldn't stay there either. No, they would be gone, robbed. Yes, they would. That's a nice for a superbike. I think that's a nice to start with. It's a nice. It's not the best photo. The cool bikes, cool rack, but not the best photo. Okay, nice picture though. Justin, thank you very much for sending that in. Second up, we've got this photo from Razvan, which is a lovely photo. It says, one last dance in a high country before the snow. Oh, the Carpathians. Carpathian Mountains in Romania. I wanted to do a big ride there. Razvan, if you drop us a note or a comment or something and tell us some great routes in the Carpathians because I really want to go there and find some really good routes. What bike is it? Is it a Cube? Yes, it's Cube. It is, 155. Yes, nice. I like how he's matched the tool strap color to the handlebar grips. That's pretty cool. I think it just looks epic, doesn't it? Razvan. Super nice. Super nice and get in touch. Yes, please do. Now, we've got another banger from Matt Limacher. That's a bit of me, that. It's a Canyon Lux World Cup bike. Gold Foxes. It's just blinged out, isn't it? They've got that upside-down DT Swiss. I adore the tan walls. Rick Race XC, some sort of power meter on there. Yes, I was just trying to zoom in on that. With the oversized jockey wheels as well. That is. It's a cool shot actually in that sort of driveway of trees. That is a super nice bike, Rich. I don't know about you, but- No, that's a super nice. Always love the XC bikes. Send them in. Yes, very nice. Very nice. Next up, Henry Sheffield. Now, he sent in, well, basically what he says, I might be an X race prototype bike, but I'm not allowed to say. Looks like it's maybe- Whose is it then? Let's do some zooming here. Now, this is from, he said, Henry Sheffield. Henry. From the track factory racing team. Yes, that paint job. Is that a Cade one? Yes, I was thinking Cade. I think that's a Cade and it's got the red mavens on it as well, which look- That's early day, mate. Is that Woburn Sands in the background? It looks like it. Potentially. Hey, that's cool though. Yes. No. I'm going to have to be a party pooper, Henry, because it's non-drive side. Nearly rang it then, Rich. That was close. Maybe I'm all over, between the ears, forgetting my ways. Thank you very much for sending it in. It's a wicked looking bike, but non-drive side, dude. Come on. Come on. Next up, we've got another track from Finley Frith. Yes. He said, track remedy, Lyric Select Plus, Super Deluxe, XT drivetrain, Shimano MT400 brakes with plenty of stopping power, DMR pedals only customization, because I'm so happy with it. Oh, that's awesome. It's a mega, mega bike, but when you've had the mountains of Romania and then you've got this guy's greenhouse. I quite like the portrait style picture where it's blurred background. He's put a little bit of thought into that. It's a good photo. It is a good photo, but- What are we thinking? I'm going to let you make the call because I feel mean. The standards are pretty high these days. It can't just be the bike that has to be the background. Finley, it's real nice. It's real nice from Rich here. Sorry, Finley. It's a very good bike. Go to Romania, though. Bloody heck. Last up from Alistair Bain. Now, this is an old Nomad. 2017-ish, as we were talking about. Look at those Nomads were peak back in the day. This is from, like I said, Alistair, and it's just a 2017 Nomad. Not only is it a banging freeride beast, but it carries an interesting story. I've ridden many enduros and taken the bike up and down the length and breadth of the UK and to the Alps. This was my first bike through lockdown back when the parts and shops were scarce, and during this time, I ended up with an assortment of parts. Looks like a cool bike. Yes. I remember watching- Oh, hang on. I've read more. After lockdown, sadly, the bike was stolen and then gone, but after seven months, the feast was caught and the bike walked back to here. Oh, super nice. That is a super nice. It rounds out what we were chatting about at the beginning about how these sort of, I don't want to say older bikes, but bikes from not too long ago are actually still banging. I bet that's an absolute whale of a time to ride. Yes, Alistair. Thank you very much for sending that in. That is a super nice with a cool back story behind it, but we're getting towards the end of our show. Sad times, I know. We do have some cool things coming up on the channel this week. Now, you got a little bit technical, didn't you? Yes, would you believe? I would because you're a smart guy. He's smart. Don't be fooled by his looks. He's a smart guy, James. Yes, I tried the bar roll that Jackson Goulston runs. Really far forward and whack flat levers. I saw if I could ride like Jackson Goulston. I'm intrigued to see. Obviously, I didn't. Spoiler alert, I was better. Double spoiler. It's an interesting topic though because it's something that a lot of us don't really think about and I think even more of us don't really know what we're doing other than just what looks about upright. It's one of those things in duty bike that's completely free. Why not give it a go? Yes, Ferg got a bit tech as well. Believe it, it happens. He went about adding weights to his bike. Now, this is a bit of a trend that's happening more and more in enduro and especially downhill. He went to delve in a little bit further to see if it actually makes any difference. Should we all be doing it or is it a pro-only kind of thing? That's coming out towards the weekend. Stay tuned. From us, we're done. Thank you very much for watching, everyone. It's been an absolute pleasure. Let us know in the comments below. Do you upgrade your bike quite regularly? Is it worth upgrading? Is it unnecessary? What do we think? Let us know. Thanks for watching all. We'll see you later. See you in the next one.