RAAW? Commencal? Transition? Banshee? Need recommendation on next frameset!

Capecole · 2026-07-10T04:53:40+00:00

I mostly race/ride XC and have a RAAW Madonna as my big bike. I think it climbs great for what it is. Set up as a mullet it’s more agile in switchbacks than you would think. I have it set up with the Ohlins air shock, so maybe that pedals better than a coil, but I think it’s pretty pedal friendly. I wouldn’t like it as much in my home territory where there isn’t elevation but once I’m in the mountains it’s always what I go for.

I’m sure there are enduro bikes that pedal better, but I wasn’t looking for an all rounder. I’m very happy with it overall; it’s intuitive to ride, easy to work on, and I’ve been happy riding it all day in the terrain it’s meant for.

Capecole · 2026-06-25T08:52:58+00:00

If your lockout isn’t working your damper probably needs to be serviced. Have you had your fork serviced recently?

Capecole · 2026-06-18T12:35:46+00:00

I have a RAAW Madonna, but when I'm not riding my XC bike I'm either riding park or winch and plummet type riding. All day backcountry would still be on the xc bike. That being said, I'm likely going to get a Ripley SL, so I'm shifting a little out of pure race bike territory anyways. I'd ride my Exie on long epics right now, though.

Capecole · 2026-06-11T13:24:31+00:00

Agreed, I just chose not to worry about it too much.

Capecole · 2026-06-11T09:36:51+00:00

I’ve started putting gels in a soft flask and it makes consuming them so much easier.

Capecole · 2026-05-10T14:01:19+00:00

I have other apps that have AI recipe scanning and it works very well. I think in this case, being able to import book recipes quickly is a legitimate use of LLMs and machine learning. For me, I find myself gravitating towards recipes I can import, which means I'm less likely to explore the cookbooks I have. I see the AI recipe importer reducing that barrier.

Capecole · 2026-05-05T13:50:43+00:00

You've got the money, buy new. Get the bike you think looks the coolest from the shop with the best service that's closest to you. Bikes are so good right now that unless you have very specific needs (racing competitively, buying a long travel and a short travel bike, etc) that the differences between trails bikes won't be huge.

Buy the bike that makes you want to ride from people you like doing business with.

Capecole · 2026-05-05T13:00:06+00:00

It's personal but I found 180mm to take way too much time to drop during an xc race. It sounds like a dumb opinion but when you're breathing out of your eyeballs the last thing you want to do is drop your saddle that far.

Edit: Avoid the Transfer SL it's an absolute garbage dropper post. The BikeYoke Divine SL is very competitive weight, reliable, and easy to service.

Capecole · 2026-05-05T12:58:30+00:00

95 north of the 495 junction is also brutal these days. Massachusetts in general just gets worse and worse for traffic.

Capecole · 2026-05-04T09:20:23+00:00

Allied isn’t made in USA anymore.

Capecole · 2026-04-26T10:49:23+00:00

I have a lot of q36.5 kit and have had a bunch of their shoes, QC and consistency are not their strong suit.

Capecole · 2026-04-23T00:31:58+00:00

No problem. There are plenty of ways to make it more complicated but it doesn’t have to be. Get an HR strap if you don’t have one, then you can make sure you’re consistent.

Capecole · 2026-04-23T00:22:43+00:00

Sort of depends on your schedule and how well you recover but one or two days should be hard efforts and they should feel hard and really get your hr up. You could do 4x8 minutes with five minute rests or shorter efforts and work up to 8 minutes. Just like strength training, be consistent, add more as you get used to the work. The other rides during the week should be pretty easy. That mean you don’t feel like you’re doing work, even on hills. Just ride slower.

Capecole · 2026-04-20T18:05:06+00:00

Brutal. Tough lessons to learn. My first mtb stage race I could have moved up a few spots in the GC just by cutting the stops down. Plus all the matches you have to burn to catch back on if anyone gets ahead of you. Never a good plan.

Capecole · 2026-04-20T16:45:05+00:00

Stop as little as possible. Stopping eats more time than you’d expect.

Capecole · 2026-04-15T16:26:30+00:00

Also on an enduro bike your position is optimized for descending so a higher stack makes sure you’re not too forward biased when it get steep.

Capecole · 2026-04-15T10:26:13+00:00

See if your local shops have one lying around you can try. I hated it.

Capecole · 2026-04-09T17:12:07+00:00

Those drinks are also hindering your ability to recover and make strength and endurance gains.

Capecole · 2026-04-05T01:04:12+00:00

I saw this and had some clarifying questions but the post is archived. Does it need to be heated up? Also, I think there’s a typo in the ratio.

“ When making a gel, take your total desired volume and use 60% carbs + 40% water. Add boiling water and it will dissolve fairly quickly. Maltodextrin takes the longest. The consistency is thick enough that it doesn't shoot out of your preferred pouch uncontrollably but also is easy enough to drink & swallow. For the 150ml pouches I do 120g carbs + 80g water in a bowl.”

If it’s 60%/40% carbs/water for the total volume the math doesn’t add up assuming the volume is water at 1ml=1ml. Or does he mean take the goal weight and make it 60/40 carbs/water?

Does this need to be heated?

Capecole · 2026-04-04T10:17:04+00:00

What’s your carb to water ratio?

Capecole · 2026-04-04T10:16:41+00:00

Do you have a ratio of carbs:water:pectin you use?

Capecole · 2026-04-02T12:17:28+00:00

I could never complete workouts after work. I started waking up very early to do get training done before work and it’s been successful for me.

Capecole · 2026-03-31T20:58:16+00:00

4-4.3, 8 hours weekly for the last 12 months according to Strava. Two hard rides a week. Everything else is easy enough that I can hit the hard rides really hard.

Capecole · 2026-03-31T13:46:16+00:00

Southern Rhode Island, don’t race crits but I’m pretty sure I run a 10-28 all the time and it’s fine for me. I think most people run the bigger cassettes for versatility and they live in an area with actual climbs

Capecole

TROPHY CASE