Is Retro faster?

[brocklanders023]

Re:

That's not actually the case though, is it Chopper?

I've got a 29er full suss and think it's ace. It's not light but it doesn't feel heavy if that makes sense.

29ers are 29ers same as retro is retro with all the often stated pro's and cons. At that price range you'll still feel the benifits (faster rolling, flattens the terrain, carries speed better) but the forks and brakes won't be up to much. In my opinion these are the two most major factors in why modern is faster. Saying that, it's still worth getting one and upgrading later.

 

[Matthews]

Re:

Go best of both worlds , tweek your retro frame with a rear disc tab and then go for disc brakes , chuck on some modernish forks and 2 or3x9 gearing and away you go .

 

[gradeAfailure]

Is retro faster?

No.

If it were, professional riders, who look for every advantage possible, would ride retro. See anything more than a year old on the world cup circuit? I didn't think so..

Retro has lots of plus points over modern kit, but when it comes down to it, if winning a race is what matters and money is not a concern, then modern is what you choose.

 

[Skynet]

Is retro faster?

No.

If it were, professional riders, who look for every advantage possible, would ride retro. See anything more than a year old on the world cup circuit? I didn't think so..

Retro has lots of plus points over modern kit, but when it comes down to it, if winning a race is what matters and money is not a concern, then modern is what you choose.

That's all down to sponsors, even if retro were faster the manufacturers wouldn't let them ride them.

 

[mattr]

That's all down to sponsors, even if retro were faster the manufacturers wouldn't let them ride them.

they would. Or at least, the top riders would have retro replicas made for them. Strangely enough, they don't use retro replicas. Cos they are slower.

 

[Skynet]

That's all down to sponsors, even if retro were faster the manufacturers wouldn't let them ride them.

they would. Or at least, the top riders would have retro replicas made for them. Strangely enough, they don't use retro replicas. Cos they are slower.

There's no way sponsored riders wouldn't be riding current kit, it's marketing, they don't spend big bucks for nothing.

 

[gradeAfailure]

Re:

I think you'll find at the top level it's about winning and nothing else. Riders and sponsors/teams will do whatever is needed to give them the best chance of getting round the race the fastest. You honestly think that if 20yr-old technology and bikes were faster they wouldn't be riding them!? These guys get the best and custom versions of everything.

Todays men's Commonwealth XC mountain biking; winning margin was 3 seconds over a 1.5 hour race. World Cup DH races are settled by a matter of seconds. That is the sharp end where every available advantage counts. Look at the majority of the bikes in the race today - carbon hardtail 29ers with hydraulic discs, the most advanced forks available, 1x11 drivetrains, tubeless, wide flat bars, etc.

Anyone who doubts how fast modern stuff is, go ride one of these. Yes, they may cost £3k (and the rest), but I promise you'll be shocked at just how fast they are. I rode a friend's carbon S-Works Enduro 29er, around a £6k build. 6"+ travel front and rear and it didn't matter what the terrain was - up/down/flat/smooth/rocky/rooty/twisty/open - it just monstered everything at speeds I didn't think possible.

Retro may be many things; nostalgic, characterful, affordable (relatively!), durable, inspiring, beautiful - but at the absolute pinnacle, faster? Not a chance.

 

[ultrazenith]

Re: Re:

I think you'll find at the top level it's about winning and nothing else. Riders and sponsors/teams will do whatever is needed to give them the best chance of getting round the race the fastest. You honestly think that if 20yr-old technology and bikes were faster they wouldn't be riding them!? These guys get the best and custom versions of everything.

Todays men's Commonwealth XC mountain biking; winning margin was 3 seconds over a 1.5 hour race. World Cup DH races are settled by a matter of seconds. That is the sharp end where every available advantage counts. Look at the majority of the bikes in the race today - carbon hardtail 29ers with hydraulic discs, the most advanced forks available, 1x11 drivetrains, tubeless, wide flat bars, etc.

Anyone who doubts how fast modern stuff is, go ride one of these. Yes, they may cost £3k (and the rest), but I promise you'll be shocked at just how fast they are. I rode a friend's carbon S-Works Enduro 29er, around a £6k build. 6"+ travel front and rear and it didn't matter what the terrain was - up/down/flat/smooth/rocky/rooty/twisty/open - it just monstered everything at speeds I didn't think possible.

Retro may be many things; nostalgic, characterful, affordable (relatively!), durable, inspiring, beautiful - but at the absolute pinnacle, faster? Not a chance.

This is a fair point, and I think you're spot on. The best of the best of modern MTBs will be faster on a normal XC course than the best of the best of retro MTBs - I have no doubt about that at all.

Some doubts start to creep in when I start to consider ordinary riders on ordinary budgets. Where is the break-even point, where retro and modern are just about as fast?

 

[ultrazenith]

Does anybody have an idea how retro suspension compares to modern forks? Decent modern forks are unlikely to be matched by any retro forks, either in travel and quality of travel. But how about modern Suntour XCT forks? They are said to be pretty crappy, but are they still better than, say, Mag/Q 21's, or a set of girvins, or Bombers, etc.?

 

[legrandefromage]

Modern Suntours are great for about 5 minutes before they turn into a bag of spanners.