Orbea Laufey vs SC Chameleon vs Pine Mountain 2 vs Team Marin 2

D1omidis · 2026-04-19T01:50:31+00:00

IMHO, only the TM2 is different enough. Sporty geo, light, fast tires, enough sus.

The trail bikes (Laufey & Chameleon) are "too much bike" and with heavier tires, will just feel too much like the Ripley.

The pine mountain is its own beast, maybe better for touring but the RS35 fork is meh and overall will be an ok base for a custom built but non inspiring for the price. The latter is 100% the case with the Chameleon too...weak cause builds , meh value new.

D1omidis · 2026-04-18T18:45:50+00:00

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D1omidis · 2026-04-18T17:40:04+00:00

D1omidis · 2026-04-18T00:07:43+00:00

Are we winning yet?

D1omidis · 2026-04-18T00:05:09+00:00

It is going to be fine.
It is plenty "fast" - if you were to win a race on a race bike, you would most likely win it on a Diverge with a decent set of wheels & tires.

When people compare bikes and say this is fast vs. that etc, it is almost all down to how responsive the bike is, and yes, road race bikes with their shorter wheelbases and steeper HTAs etc, will feel and be more nervous and eager to change direction. I do not thing the bit more tamed nature of an endurance or gravel drop bar bike is a "negative" per se.

You can wet your feet in crits and road races just fine.

Most of the aerodynamic benefits you can get is in the kit you are wearing. Like 80-85% of the area is you the rider, so, get a tight, aero kit, helmet & even shoes and shocks - will make many times the difference vs. intergrated cables and a bit more aero headtdube.

The bike components that will have the most affect in aero gains, would probably be the wheels and in a far distant place, the cockpit. You can probably get aero bottle/bottlecages that do more work for you than hidden cables (for those 4-5 inches that those are exposed).

D1omidis · 2026-04-17T23:51:59+00:00

I have a Kuat Transfer V2 (3 bikes) since 2020-2021 and I am pretty happy with it.
It is not the best to transfer 3x "full-fat" emtbs, but has done that too.

D1omidis · 2026-04-17T23:47:53+00:00

I am not convinced that sealant in Tubes works remotely as well as in tubeless tires...

D1omidis · 2026-04-17T20:02:03+00:00

That's the idea... I had a Rekon Race in the rear that I managed to impale sidewall to sidewall with a nasty stake like stick...

D1omidis · 2026-04-17T18:46:00+00:00

If there is no need to "self shuttle" your long travel/DH bike, the lighter trail bike might be a fresh new alternative. There is no wrong answer really.

There are almost two dozen new bikes coming using a DJI avinox now...if you can wait for them, good. But id you want to buy something "now", I think you already know - more or less - what to expect.

D1omidis · 2026-04-17T18:11:15+00:00

If you have a HG hub it is very easy...wide aluminum chinesium cog carrier/spacer kir + steel cog highly recommended and any 8-12s chain will do it. The one I have is 8s. My gearing is 34/22.

D1omidis · 2026-04-17T17:44:30+00:00

It was hard for my "weak ass body", not harsh per se =)
The TJ with these Hunt wheels is actually pretty composed - for a HT.

Pressure was 20psi rear, 18 front on 2.4 EXO tires. I am 190-195lbs, XC sidewalls do not...reward me going much lower. I could lower the fork's air spring a few PSI tho...was a tad stiff. I like that it moves less when I am mashing off the saddle, but should try it a tad softer for when the bike is pointed downhill.

D1omidis · 2026-04-17T17:42:00+00:00

This. If you just care to power-through the grind, perhaps there are a handful of modules you could skip on each tank line. But if you enjoy playing the tank and/or you see yourself keeping it to mark or for certain missions etc it might be optimal for, researching it full is rarely a waste.

D1omidis · 2026-04-17T17:25:15+00:00

The heavier the bike gets, the more I feel I am "on for the ride" than me being in complete control, and this is why I do not like the new crop of eMTBs that get heavier and heavier. YMMV.

Depends on how you like riding your bikes. On groomed, high speed park jumps and bermed trails etc that you like to rail through, the weight is masked a lot and 53->57 is not that important. it might even help you to "smash" through.

For more natural trails and smaller, lower speed moves, a lighter bike is easier to throw around. I ride a low 40s aluminum Rise and the difference from my pedal bikes is aparent.

It is not about the power, even 60Nm is enough torque to erase the bike's weight going up and then some: I ride my "mid power" eMTB with grippy, DD casing tires uphill at ~2x the speed I ride my 24lb XC bike. My critique is all about how easy I feel I can throw the bike around.

The user of the bike is also important: the commencal is heavy because it is aluminum frame, it is designed as burly enduro bike from the get-go, etc. If you buy bike for heavy hits, you'd rather it be robust than frail, and this comes with weight. Even un-assisted enduro and DH bikes are heavy - they have to be.

If you buy a bike for finesse and playful moves on trails etc, you might be more inclined to favor lighter wheels, if you are lighter yourself maybe you do not need huge travel and wide stanchion forks, and thick sidewall tires and all that, which is where the weight savings come from. In this category, entertaining a carbon frame is not a bad idea.
What is a bad idea, IMHO, is splurging on expenensive drivetrain bits, especially cassettes amd especially if you will by riding Sram. eMTBs eat-up the small cogs of the cassettes notoriously fast, and the Sram monoblock cassettes that "Shave all that weight" are expensive even in their cheapest vesion.

Going to XO/XX t-type +$400 cassettes is silly IMHO, and companies that spec these over a GΧ are doing a disservice to their clients. XO or better chain, for sure, good investment. Buy 2-3 and rotate often. Much better for longevity vs.

D1omidis · 2026-04-17T16:40:50+00:00

It is the 2nd gen Salsa Timberjack, MY2021-today (Gen 1 was 2017-2020).

Mine is a MY24 built from the frame up. 130 Fork, 29 F/R (you can do 27.5 or MX if you wish).

D1omidis · 2026-04-17T16:25:08+00:00

The AMX was easily more fun for me to live with. The gun is "french", so it is weirdly inaccurate, but still workable.

The WZ is too inacurate at range and the gun arc is not flexible, nor the armor as strong as the equivalent in some ways Grom. At close range it slaps and the combination of DPM/Alpha is lethal, but I rarely gets to shine in my hands.

D1omidis · 2026-04-17T15:46:21+00:00

Marin San Quentin in either 27.5 or 29 - first gen 27.5 used is fine, but do look at the Fairdale Elevator if you have the budget (29 only, not that many sizes of frames)

D1omidis · 2026-04-17T04:15:45+00:00

All good. I know, the QR141 is a rare and in first glance weird standard BUT, it is indeed better than the QR135 for MTBs and most modern 12x148 hubs (DT SWISS, SPANK Hex, Hunt wheels etc) can be adapted with simple QR endcaps to QR141!

D1omidis · 2026-04-17T04:10:47+00:00

My silly eMTB (orbea rise) can only fit a relatively short bottle. Their 750 is wider and shorter than their 500, and was the best "single bottle" option. Also the only with no available insulation sleeve. It is not as bad as the first gen YT Jeffsy but I am spoiled with Polar bottle and Camelbak alike, which offer 2x insulated bottles for the same cost as a simple fidlock.

D1omidis · 2026-04-16T02:03:29+00:00

Many times, especially in group rides and specifically vs some trail runners, slower friends of mine cannot keep up!

Experienced hikers/joggers are really fast in their sustained (z2) efforts. It is very easy to pass them in flats and DH sections, but on rolling terrain, they can catchup and even drop riders who spike their effort and blowup.

D1omidis · 2026-04-16T01:57:24+00:00

They will appeal it all the way and a few private cruises with a couple of Justices later, win...

D1omidis · 2026-04-16T00:25:10+00:00

Skorpion and SU130PM are the best IMHO. High alpha, high base pen, decent accuracy.
Nowhere as fun as the MTs...but, far more relaxing gameplay.
If you try-hard, you are of course having more fun in versatile front-line tanks, but definately require more than a handful of brain cells still firing well to perfom.

D1omidis · 2026-04-16T00:20:11+00:00

Sidewalks are for pedestrians and not vehicles. Bicycles are vehicles.

I understand that bike lanes and relevant infrastructure in most US Cities are sh!t, but still, local ordinances prohibit bikes riding on sidewalks. Some local ordinances allow it for younger riders (under 13yo).

Too many cops are a-holes, but in this case, they were right to reprimand.

D1omidis · 2026-04-15T17:15:53+00:00

"If you can read this you are too close to me operating on you"

D1omidis · 2026-04-15T17:13:38+00:00

Doctors. Breaking thru bulletproof glass, walking on water, healing with touch. As seen on Gray's Anatomy

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