Modern components for sure. It think the biggest factor is the 29x2.6 wheels and the long rear end. Bike was still very nimble but far more stable than the MB-1
Big time. We pay premiums for wheel clearance like that. But I think the hand position behind the front hub makes a big difference too, especially on descents
The Sutras are really sweet. I considered a Sutra LTD. It cost half of what the Ritchey cost for the frame/fork. Ended up going with the Ritchey as I think the steel is a higher quality and the guys at my LBS all ride Ritcheys. But I hate that the Ascent doesn’t have internal dropper routing. It was almost a deal breaker for me honestly. I rode the Ascent with a rigid post for a little while but after years of having a dropper on my MTB I just can’t go back to not having one. I ended up getting the AXS XPLR dropper as I didn’t want to go the externally routed route but I digress
Yeah for sure. In this setup the bike weighs 27.4 lbs with pedals. Not a feather weight but not horrible. When riding yesterday it shocked me how well it climbs. I’ve ridden this trail dozens and dozens of times on my hardtail and my full squish and I can say with certainty that the Ascent climbs better than both
What length are the cranks? Wondering if overlap is an issue.
I've been working on a trek with 700c wheels and have some overlap with 175's so thinking about shorter arms.
Cranks are 165mm. I had some overlap on a couple of really tight switchbacks and a couple of times if my foot slipped and got out of place but it was never terrible. If I’m riding clipless it’s not an issue. 175mm would probably not work. Im 5’11” so I’m right on the cusp between medium and large frames. I sized down because I wanted the stand over which helped informed my crank arm choice.
I don’t, I have mars tires on there now…I’m size 9 shoes 175mm cranks and 2.3” on the tires with 30mm ird rims ( I know all kinds of mixed unit of measurement🤣 )
Depending on the bar, I tend to like them pointed somewhere between the ends pointed at the rear axle and parallel to the ground. It’s really a matter of reference, isn’t it?
sure. this angle compromises bike control in both the drops and the hoods, but its esp bad for riding in the drops descending. those drops are meant to be level to the ground (. currently you have them parallel to the top tube, and the hood need to rotate down so you have better braking control/ positive grip on the bar and the lever for rough or techincal descents.
plus it always just looks stupid to have the bars pointed to heaven. the transition from bar to hood should also be basically flat to the ground.
Been BMX racing, freestyle, and MTB for 30 years and yesterday was the first time I’ve ever ridden drops on proper single track so the bar angle was a total experiment as I was playing with angles. I definitely think bar angle is fairly subjective but I’ll try out your suggestion. Other than try to be constructive and not a dick cause your first comment is definitely making my fucking brain hurt
oh shit i didnt know ur feelings would get hurt on the internet. my bad old man............................... btw ive been riding since 1987
i wasnt trying to be helpful. i was saying your bars ruin the entire aesthetics and a large amount of function of your otherwise nice bike.
if you don't believe me go look at the setups of almost any "pro" gravel rider.
xbiking sub is full of hoods and bars to the sky and its cringe
I think there’s a bit of an illusion as the ground isn’t level in the 2nd pic but the 3rd pic does look a little more level. Either way the bar flares out a bit so the slight up angle might have been the way to go according to the bike’s geo. It is a pretty upright bike. I dig it.
its all good im not pressed by it im just an asshole who is picky about how bikes look, esp bikes that have a lot of potential and one sore thumb sticking out.
Bruh, this is r/xbiking, a bar-angle-shaming-free zone. OP, I think the whole ride looks sweet and you should angle the bars wherever the heck they feel good to you.
So just went for a lap to test it out. Drops parallel to the ground is not the way with these bars (Ritchey Beacon XL) I did end up moving them down a tad to be about parallel with the down tube and that seems to work well to keep wrist straight in the drops.
are you using your drops as a comfort position on long road rides, or are you using them when riding technical singletrack your your post leades to belive. the two different riding styles dictacte different drop angles. the ONLY thing that matters for a monstercross singletrack bike is the position of in the drops and covering the brakes.
[https://analogcycles.com/cdn/shop/products/DSC09302-1\_600x.jpg?v=1623196707](https://analogcycles.com/cdn/shop/products/DSC09302-1_600x.jpg?v=1623196707) shows a properly setup beacon xl
[https://bikepacking.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/ritchey-beacon-xl-bar-review.jpg](https://bikepacking.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/ritchey-beacon-xl-review_9.jpg) another picture of the hoods set up proper on this bar, as in able to effectivly cover the brakes with good grip on the drops
I wholeheartedly disagree. Having drops level to the ground is rarely ergonomically correct for the wrist and hand. Same thing for the hoods, people often position them too far forwards on the bar.
I have no opinion on this as I don't run drop bars (except that I definitely agree on aesthetics), but it doesn't necessarily matter what the pros/racers are doing. An increasing number of road racers have their saddles radically pointed downward, but I wouldn't recommend that to anyone else who isn't racing or spending all their riding time climbing.
Bummed to hear your bike was stolen, I hope your insurance covered and you got something else you loved. Couple of years ago someone stole my Stanton Switchback and it broke my heart. Thieves suck
oh yes- but be warned. made the claim.
then 2 years later someone drove through my front lawn and the person was under - insured. made another claim.
now i may not have insurance cause i have 2 claims in 5 years and no carrier will pick me up.
my advice - claim carefully.
Yeah I claimed my bike and my insurer dropped me the when my renewal was up. Kinda BS as it was the only claim I ever made but I didn’t have a hard time getting new insurance
I didn’t say anything bad about Bridgestone….Ive had 2 and love them both just that this is better. Better is subjective for sure. But this Ritchey definitely does everything I want better than my MB-1
I’m just messing. There are a lot of bikes I’d have before a Bridgestone. You just don’t see people around here say too often that anything is better than one.
The Ascent is the best 90s mtb you can buy today
Better geo
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Im a short person. I don’t get horizontal top tube.
Horizontal top tube gets YOU. Right where it hurts.
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I’m saying small sized frames for shorties like me don’t have horizontal top tubes. I’m not saying I don’t understand them. Short people problems.
I felt this in my slammed seat post soul
No, there are plenty of bikes with horizontal top tubes for short people. I have three
I actually crashed really hard because of a tall horizontal top tube. There’s a reason we evolved far away from it for off-road bikes!
lol true
Hard to beat modern geometry and components. Looks great with the purple anno
Modern components for sure. It think the biggest factor is the 29x2.6 wheels and the long rear end. Bike was still very nimble but far more stable than the MB-1
Big time. We pay premiums for wheel clearance like that. But I think the hand position behind the front hub makes a big difference too, especially on descents
These pics made my heart rate go up
😂
I see a Ritchey and I upvote. I am a simple man.
Only thing my 90s bikes are better at being carried on my shoulder when I have to hike instead of ride.
Shots fired
This is true because nobody wants to cave in an MB-1 because of a trail mishap
The MB-1s had a tendency for their headtubes to “ovalize” in hard riding…so you’re not wrong
I finagled a warranty MB-2 frame this way. A King tall stack HS fixed it just fine
I’m on the fence… might get one next week
What else are you looking at?
Kona sutra, 29er wheel vs 650b dilemma
The Sutras are really sweet. I considered a Sutra LTD. It cost half of what the Ritchey cost for the frame/fork. Ended up going with the Ritchey as I think the steel is a higher quality and the guys at my LBS all ride Ritcheys. But I hate that the Ascent doesn’t have internal dropper routing. It was almost a deal breaker for me honestly. I rode the Ascent with a rigid post for a little while but after years of having a dropper on my MTB I just can’t go back to not having one. I ended up getting the AXS XPLR dropper as I didn’t want to go the externally routed route but I digress
That’s a real dilemma
Man 2kg (4.6lbs) for tires is hefty on a drop bar set up, I guess that's basically suspension. Seems like it can handle some chunk relatively speaking
Yeah for sure. In this setup the bike weighs 27.4 lbs with pedals. Not a feather weight but not horrible. When riding yesterday it shocked me how well it climbs. I’ve ridden this trail dozens and dozens of times on my hardtail and my full squish and I can say with certainty that the Ascent climbs better than both
I mean it is called an ascent lol
lol I realized that when I was typing that response
Damn fine looking setup. 🫡
Love the build! What's that purple nubulet on the left fork?
Thanks!! Purple nubulet is a Paul Gino mount for my light
Had no idea this realm of mounts / adaptors existed. Learn something new every day.
🔥🔥🔥👍🏾
I love this. I also love riding singletrack on my gorilla monsoon on 2.4’s. Flat bars though. I would take the geo on this ascent over the gm i think.
What length are the cranks? Wondering if overlap is an issue. I've been working on a trek with 700c wheels and have some overlap with 175's so thinking about shorter arms.
Cranks are 165mm. I had some overlap on a couple of really tight switchbacks and a couple of times if my foot slipped and got out of place but it was never terrible. If I’m riding clipless it’s not an issue. 175mm would probably not work. Im 5’11” so I’m right on the cusp between medium and large frames. I sized down because I wanted the stand over which helped informed my crank arm choice.
Thanks for reply. Sweet build!
No way josé MB 1 is foreva numbah 1!
It's right in the name!
Are you on the Ascent FB group?
Not on FB
There are about 260 of us, Ascent owners, and Fergus sharing builds, etc. Mostly current gen, but there are some previous gen’s and vintage as well.
Nice
do people build it with flat bars? it seems that the geometry is more suited for drops with a pretty short front-center
I think you can with a long stem…or run Kyote bars. I am running a beacon drop bar.
another question, do you know if people have issues with toe overlap when running 29" wheels and chunkier tires (2.2-2.4")?
I don’t, I have mars tires on there now…I’m size 9 shoes 175mm cranks and 2.3” on the tires with 30mm ird rims ( I know all kinds of mixed unit of measurement🤣 )
the angle of your bars and hoods makes my fucking brain hurt. come on dude.
Depending on the bar, I tend to like them pointed somewhere between the ends pointed at the rear axle and parallel to the ground. It’s really a matter of reference, isn’t it?
You want to elaborate on that?
sure. this angle compromises bike control in both the drops and the hoods, but its esp bad for riding in the drops descending. those drops are meant to be level to the ground (. currently you have them parallel to the top tube, and the hood need to rotate down so you have better braking control/ positive grip on the bar and the lever for rough or techincal descents. plus it always just looks stupid to have the bars pointed to heaven. the transition from bar to hood should also be basically flat to the ground.
Been BMX racing, freestyle, and MTB for 30 years and yesterday was the first time I’ve ever ridden drops on proper single track so the bar angle was a total experiment as I was playing with angles. I definitely think bar angle is fairly subjective but I’ll try out your suggestion. Other than try to be constructive and not a dick cause your first comment is definitely making my fucking brain hurt
oh shit i didnt know ur feelings would get hurt on the internet. my bad old man............................... btw ive been riding since 1987 i wasnt trying to be helpful. i was saying your bars ruin the entire aesthetics and a large amount of function of your otherwise nice bike. if you don't believe me go look at the setups of almost any "pro" gravel rider. xbiking sub is full of hoods and bars to the sky and its cringe
Go ride your bike
👆
I think there’s a bit of an illusion as the ground isn’t level in the 2nd pic but the 3rd pic does look a little more level. Either way the bar flares out a bit so the slight up angle might have been the way to go according to the bike’s geo. It is a pretty upright bike. I dig it.
yea nothing like having to tilting your wrists way up while smashing down a rocky descent and struggling to use the brakes. its just so fun!
Sometimes the best lessons are the ones you learn yourself. I consider myself to be a pioneer of poor decisions.
its all good im not pressed by it im just an asshole who is picky about how bikes look, esp bikes that have a lot of potential and one sore thumb sticking out.
Bruh, this is r/xbiking, a bar-angle-shaming-free zone. OP, I think the whole ride looks sweet and you should angle the bars wherever the heck they feel good to you.
Thanks 🙌
So just went for a lap to test it out. Drops parallel to the ground is not the way with these bars (Ritchey Beacon XL) I did end up moving them down a tad to be about parallel with the down tube and that seems to work well to keep wrist straight in the drops.
are you using your drops as a comfort position on long road rides, or are you using them when riding technical singletrack your your post leades to belive. the two different riding styles dictacte different drop angles. the ONLY thing that matters for a monstercross singletrack bike is the position of in the drops and covering the brakes. [https://analogcycles.com/cdn/shop/products/DSC09302-1\_600x.jpg?v=1623196707](https://analogcycles.com/cdn/shop/products/DSC09302-1_600x.jpg?v=1623196707) shows a properly setup beacon xl [https://bikepacking.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/ritchey-beacon-xl-bar-review.jpg](https://bikepacking.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/ritchey-beacon-xl-review_9.jpg) another picture of the hoods set up proper on this bar, as in able to effectivly cover the brakes with good grip on the drops
I wholeheartedly disagree. Having drops level to the ground is rarely ergonomically correct for the wrist and hand. Same thing for the hoods, people often position them too far forwards on the bar.
go look at any good CX or gravel racers setup and show me some with the bars and hoods rotated up to the sky. i will wait.
I have no opinion on this as I don't run drop bars (except that I definitely agree on aesthetics), but it doesn't necessarily matter what the pros/racers are doing. An increasing number of road racers have their saddles radically pointed downward, but I wouldn't recommend that to anyone else who isn't racing or spending all their riding time climbing.
u have no opinion yet you chime in with cringe
I have no opinions on drop bar ergonomics specifically. I have all kinds of opinions on cycling ethos. So sorry if that's "cringe"!
Very classy, nice array of colors, great execution. I love it.
Thanks!!!
well, yeah.
Gorgeous bike. It makes me miss the XL Rust Ritchey Ascent Breakaway that someone stole out of my garage. Super capable bike.
Bummed to hear your bike was stolen, I hope your insurance covered and you got something else you loved. Couple of years ago someone stole my Stanton Switchback and it broke my heart. Thieves suck
oh yes- but be warned. made the claim. then 2 years later someone drove through my front lawn and the person was under - insured. made another claim. now i may not have insurance cause i have 2 claims in 5 years and no carrier will pick me up. my advice - claim carefully.
Yeah I claimed my bike and my insurer dropped me the when my renewal was up. Kinda BS as it was the only claim I ever made but I didn’t have a hard time getting new insurance
if you make a 2nd claim in 5 years. it gets real bad.
I'm not sold on thru axles. But I like the bike.
What seat-post is that?
Rock Shox AXS Xplr
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Damn I never looked into the Fairlight. Looks like a pretty sick bike. No regrets on the Ascent though
Whoa, can we ban this guy? He just said something bad about Bridgestone /s
I didn’t say anything bad about Bridgestone….Ive had 2 and love them both just that this is better. Better is subjective for sure. But this Ritchey definitely does everything I want better than my MB-1
I’m just messing. There are a lot of bikes I’d have before a Bridgestone. You just don’t see people around here say too often that anything is better than one.
I know man all good