If you’re in the market for a new mountain bike, one of the first things you need to figure out is how much bike you nee… Want. Are you the type who sees no downsides to pedaling a relatively long-travel, heavier machine around all day, even if it’s “too much bike” for the terrain? Or are you the opposite, preferring a relatively light-duty machine that might be more exciting to ride, even if you’re going slower down the sketchy stuff? It’s the old under-biked versus over-biked argument for episode six, with Kazimer and myself looking at the situation from completely different angles. Of course.

If we’re really just talking about travel, RC’s recent poll on the topic shows that opinions are nearly split down the middle, with 5,751 of you saying that your next bike will probably have more suspension and slacker geometry, and 6,410 likely to end up on something with less travel but still good geo. The top two comments sum things up pretty well. Pinkbike user @gooutsidetoday said, “I like to be ‘under-biked’… When you ride faster than your buddies, you can rub it in… And when they drop you on a descent, you have an excuse.” While @Mattntp takes the opposite approach, saying, “Over-biked makes up for me being underskilled.

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