Was this printed somewhere? Or did you think of this?
-- Phil, Squid-in-Training
It was printed in the latest copy of Mountain Bike Action, if I recall...
At least I think it was MBA... because Mountain Bike Magazine uses "Black Diamond" instead of the term "Freeride" ...I dunno, they all spew the same flavor of bike magazine opinion it's hard to tell them apart.
Well the Loco frame isn't overly heavy by itself... but I went with your philosophy by building it up tough. Too tough, in my case. I went with heavy parts and got a heavy bike. The lockout helped but the setup of the bike wasn't suited for climbing. The frame was a size too small (I normally ride an XL, and I got a L), and the riser bars put me in a horrible position for climbing. Plus, I never got used to lugging that 30 pound beast uphill. (I know some people do just fine with 35 pound FR bikes after they adapt to them). It was a great bike for going downhill... and even held its own on the flats... but I dreaded pedalling that thing uphill. I hated it so bad I stopped riding for three months. It just wasn't me.
But just so you don't get the wrong idea... I hope you love your Loco. May you have countless hours of fun. =)
-John Morgan
No doubt about it, pounds do matter, even if you aren't racing, and a hardtail will be hard to beat climbing. I'm hoping to knock off another pound by the time I am finished with my Loco-Moto ending up at about 28lbs, but it might not happen. It's hard to get a FS bike much lower than that without spending stupid amounts of money and compromising rigidity and durability. SID forks spring to mind. I will admit I am far from a great climber. For one thing, I avoid clipless pedals. But mainly I just want a bike that is reliable that won't ruin a day with a breakdown on the trail and put another hole in my wallet fixing it.
When I broke the frame that the Loco-Moto replaced I was 7 miles from the trailhead an hour before sunset in a national forest. A fecking nightmare. It would have made for a really depressing RR.