MBA Frustration part: Fuck, who's keeping track?
Dear HBCTC,
My wife bought me some stocking filler so against my will a copy of MBA came my way. More accurately, the January 2009 edition. And yeah, I'm still angry about it.
Inside is a review of one of those Marin Quad Link bikes with the four-bar-linkage-meets-single-pivot-massive-swingarm thingy. I was really keen to read that review since the design is relatively new, I've never ridden one, and I'd love to know how she rides. MBA is gonna tell me how well Quad Link works, for sure!
Under the sub-heading "How does Quad Link work" MBA says the rear wheel moves back, then zero chain growth and finally ramps up. So no real news on how it feels or rides, perhaps that will come under the auspicious headings of Spinning, Climbing, Descending and Braking. Great, it sounds like I'll soon learn all I need to know about that Quad Link shit.
'Spinning' tells me that there is 'virtually no unwanted rear suspension movement, especially with the Fox RP23 flipped on' - yeah, just like every other bike with a stable-platform shock. MBA then goes on to talk about the RP23. We are all familiar with the RP23, tell me about the Quad Link!
Under 'Climbing', MBA says that it hunkers down due to the platform provided by the RP23, the tires provide good grip and the wide bars keep the front end under control. So fucking what. What I want to know is if it bobs like a bitch while standing, if the rear wheel digs in from chain tension or does the suspension open up when you put the power down? Does it feel like a hardtail or does it soak up every rock it climbs over? How's it compare to VPP et al, FSR, single pivot etc? C'mon MBA, my wife paid good money for this rag, do your job!
'Descending'. Surely now MBA will say something about the grand daddy function of a trail bike? Does Quad Link soak up the big hits but skips out on the turns because the small bump sensitivity is shit? If I set it up with 25% sag am I gonna blow through the travel or is it still as rough as guts? Does it feel like a steel cafe chair or a Lay-Z-Boy? Too bad, boys and girls, MBA once again goes into component land and talks about how well the Fox shock and Fox fork work together. No shit, dumbasses, they were designed to do that. And they are on half the bikes out there and have been reviewed to death. How does Quad Link work on the descents, you fuckers?!
Let's move on to braking. Does it stink bug? Brake jack? Chatter like a chipmunk? Squat like a girl in the forest? What does MBA write about? - fucking frame sizes available and how wonderful the XTR brakes are. Yeah, I already KNOW XTR brakes are light and work nice, what I want to know is how the Quad Link reacts when I hit the anchors. Denied!
End of article. I now know the same about this "intelligent four bar linkage" Quad Link as when I started - nothing! Absolutely nothing. Now this makes me suspicious. Even more suspicious is the fact that in the same issue MBA reviews the Giant Anthem and the Trek Remedy, and specifically talks about how the Meastro and ABP (respectively) suspension designs work uphill, downhill, and while cornering and braking. So why not for Quad Link?
Did MBA take the Thumper rule of "If you don't have anything nice to say, say nothing."? I thought they were supposed to tell it like it is? Is there nothing nice to say about this bike, I mean, other than components? Why didn't they talk about the FRAME?
It doesn't take a genius to figure out the the MBA test riders all agreed that Quad Link rides like a dog. And why didn't MBA say so? Could it possibly be because Marin paid for to the double page Quad Link ad in the first few pages of the magazine? Surely not - MBA tells it like it is, and they constantly publish letters saying so.
MBA would be more useful if it was printed on paper that was soft, absorbant, and perforated down the spine.
My wife bought me some stocking filler so against my will a copy of MBA came my way. More accurately, the January 2009 edition. And yeah, I'm still angry about it.
Inside is a review of one of those Marin Quad Link bikes with the four-bar-linkage-meets-single-pivot-massive-swingarm thingy. I was really keen to read that review since the design is relatively new, I've never ridden one, and I'd love to know how she rides. MBA is gonna tell me how well Quad Link works, for sure!
Under the sub-heading "How does Quad Link work" MBA says the rear wheel moves back, then zero chain growth and finally ramps up. So no real news on how it feels or rides, perhaps that will come under the auspicious headings of Spinning, Climbing, Descending and Braking. Great, it sounds like I'll soon learn all I need to know about that Quad Link shit.
'Spinning' tells me that there is 'virtually no unwanted rear suspension movement, especially with the Fox RP23 flipped on' - yeah, just like every other bike with a stable-platform shock. MBA then goes on to talk about the RP23. We are all familiar with the RP23, tell me about the Quad Link!
Under 'Climbing', MBA says that it hunkers down due to the platform provided by the RP23, the tires provide good grip and the wide bars keep the front end under control. So fucking what. What I want to know is if it bobs like a bitch while standing, if the rear wheel digs in from chain tension or does the suspension open up when you put the power down? Does it feel like a hardtail or does it soak up every rock it climbs over? How's it compare to VPP et al, FSR, single pivot etc? C'mon MBA, my wife paid good money for this rag, do your job!
'Descending'. Surely now MBA will say something about the grand daddy function of a trail bike? Does Quad Link soak up the big hits but skips out on the turns because the small bump sensitivity is shit? If I set it up with 25% sag am I gonna blow through the travel or is it still as rough as guts? Does it feel like a steel cafe chair or a Lay-Z-Boy? Too bad, boys and girls, MBA once again goes into component land and talks about how well the Fox shock and Fox fork work together. No shit, dumbasses, they were designed to do that. And they are on half the bikes out there and have been reviewed to death. How does Quad Link work on the descents, you fuckers?!
Let's move on to braking. Does it stink bug? Brake jack? Chatter like a chipmunk? Squat like a girl in the forest? What does MBA write about? - fucking frame sizes available and how wonderful the XTR brakes are. Yeah, I already KNOW XTR brakes are light and work nice, what I want to know is how the Quad Link reacts when I hit the anchors. Denied!
End of article. I now know the same about this "intelligent four bar linkage" Quad Link as when I started - nothing! Absolutely nothing. Now this makes me suspicious. Even more suspicious is the fact that in the same issue MBA reviews the Giant Anthem and the Trek Remedy, and specifically talks about how the Meastro and ABP (respectively) suspension designs work uphill, downhill, and while cornering and braking. So why not for Quad Link?
Did MBA take the Thumper rule of "If you don't have anything nice to say, say nothing."? I thought they were supposed to tell it like it is? Is there nothing nice to say about this bike, I mean, other than components? Why didn't they talk about the FRAME?
It doesn't take a genius to figure out the the MBA test riders all agreed that Quad Link rides like a dog. And why didn't MBA say so? Could it possibly be because Marin paid for to the double page Quad Link ad in the first few pages of the magazine? Surely not - MBA tells it like it is, and they constantly publish letters saying so.
MBA would be more useful if it was printed on paper that was soft, absorbant, and perforated down the spine.
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