Uh, don't ask R.C.

[Ridemonkey]

It's official, R.C. just isn't paying attention. From ask R.C. at mbaction.com http://www.mbaction.com/qanda.asp?curpage=2 :

Q. I am looking to up grade my front end of my P.3 I was wondering what would be a good fork? and disk break. I was looking into a 2002 shiver sc and hayes HFX 9 or hayes purple. I have a 2001 z.1 drop off on it now with vs.
aj_mac01@hotmail.com - 12/8/2003 6:51:40 PM

A. Aj, Get the 888 instead and "yes" on your brake choice. RC

Hehe, thats some killer advice. Post ask R.C. gems in this thread so we can all have a good laugh.

[HippieKai]

yup, he's a sharp one alright!:rolleyes:

[IronhorseCT]

To Whom it may concern:

MB Action is a joke. I let my subscription run out because I could no longer take the slant to everything that they write. I have not had much expierience with Santa Cruz stuff, but it seems that anything they make "is the best Bike made for any application" according to MBA. They tend to favor Manitou, SC, Specialized, Turner(I ride one of their bikes), and Zocci almost blindly.

I think that I lost respect for them when they began to Trash DW and Evil saying that Dave was too technical in his explanation of the DW link. Dave is a smart dude, but he takes more than enough time to explain to even the simplest of persons. Because R.C. or whoever was not interested in what he had to say should not apply.

Also, I have to say that MBA was a little better with Firth there. At least he rode DH and tried to move the Mag along in that department. He was a great loss to that Mag.

So, all in all, I guess that because I don't have a Dorado on my DHR, my set-up is not optimal for the conditions... :rolleyes:

So, MBA, you will provide me only warmth this winter as I start my fireplace with you!!!

Sincerely,
Brennan Fraczek

:Rant off:

[Zoso]

I always refer to it as Mountain Bike Hyption instead. Its just one giant marketing bitch. So are most mags, but MBH just makes it really really obvious.

[nick1111]

Let's not forget "black diamond" :rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes:

MBA is the most annoying publication i've ever read, and i've only seen a few issues.

And BTW, if someone DID want a big fork on their hardtail, I'd suggest the Shiver instead, because it's a shorter fork.

[Espen]

Richard Cunningham, HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHaHhahhahahhahahahahhahaha , what a jerk!!

:D

[Curiouscaptian01]

I still read the mag, although I can't stand the way they say "black dimond" and there explination. The word freeride means to leave the trail, and carrys negitive connatation. Why do they get to re-define words. If it isn't broken, don't fix it.

[T-Pirate]

Its better than "mountain Bike" which is a waste of a whopping 30 pieces of paper. But still, MBA sucks, the northstar article was cool, but still they are crappy. BIKE and Mountain Biking, and Dirt Rag all kick its ass.

[SpuTTer916]

Maybe he just got back from his seminar on upselling....

[buck]

How did they start the black diamond thing. I was reading it one time and out of no where they start calling stuff black diamond. I would have to say Dirt Rag is the best, the focus more on s.s and whatnot, but seems more real. MBA is still better the Bicycling though.

[SpuTTer916]

I believe their stance is that the term "freeriding" is promoting people to ride off of designated trails, or at least gives the illusion of said act to non bike people who see the term.

[FRzealot]

Mountan Bike Fiction, for sure. What a joker... anyone who makes claims like he does needs a new job.

[birddawg]

It's not the best answer, but there are a lot of morons running dual-crown forks on hardtails.
I'm sure he has thousands of useful replys, but it's doubtful threads get started about those.

[Ridemonkey]

Originally posted by birddawg
It's not the best answer, but there are a lot of morons running dual-crown forks on hardtails.
I'm sure he has thousands of useful replys, but it's doubtful threads get started about those.

Actually this thread is based on a long history of similar responses from R.C. If you read the question, and then the answer, it is clear that he took no time to even understand what the question was before throwing out a one-line response.

[Espen]

A loooong, 1100$, 200mm fork on a HT like the P3, complete BS.

If he would like to help the guy, and ment a dualcrown would be nice, he should take some time to tell the dude about geometry and maybe tell him to go for a 150mm Boxxer or Jr-T

E

[MikeD]

He wasn't trying to say that a dual-crown would be nice. He skimmed the question, saw the word 'shiver,' went to his 2004-product-endorse/hype-flowchart, and followed the line from "customer asks for Shiver" to "recommend the 888."

He didn't bother to notice it was a hardtail with a singlecrown fork.

I think it's proof that RC is a computer, or at least a badly-written macro.

MD

[Curiouscaptian01]

Originally posted by MikeD
He wasn't trying to say that a dual-crown would be nice. He skimmed the question, saw the word 'shiver,' went to his 2004-product-endorse/hype-flowchart, and followed the line from "customer asks for Shiver" to "recommend the 888."

He didn't bother to notice it was a hardtail with a singlecrown fork.

I think it's proof that RC is a computer, or at least a badly-written macro.

MD

He is a robot without the cool noises a robot makes when it is mad. He just sits there and sulks. He doesn't even have lasers... what a d-bag. Just found out you can make colored text. That is neat.

[Evel Monkey]

I wish he would get fired so he and ZAP could start a mag..................yeah whatever.

[smp747]

Originally posted by birddawg
It's not the best answer, but there are a lot of morons running dual-crown forks on hardtails.
I'm sure he has thousands of useful replys, but it's doubtful threads get started about those.


hey there buddy! i resent that one! i have a dc on my evil... just wondering... why dont you agree with dc's on hardtails? and why am i a moron for it? sorry for arguing... but i think your opinion of it is quite wrong? ever tried riding a ht with a DC?... and remeber.. its not the bike...its the rider... and the cool clothes he/she is wearing!

[Full Trucker]

http://www.littermag.com/

[thaflyinfatman]

Best one I ever saw was (not quoted, this is going from memory):

Q: Dear MBA, I have a Specialized Enduro Comp (I think it was the Comp...) with Fox Float RL forks. I am considering purchasing some Hayes hydraulic disc brakes, will I need an adaptor to mount the Hayes to my fork? If so, approximately how much would this adaptor cost, and where will I be able to get one? Do most bike shops stock them? And lastly, is there a designation I need to know for which adaptor I would need?

Thanks,
Whoever it was

A: I believe the Enduro Comp comes with Manitou Black forks, which use the same post-mount system as Hayes, so you will not need an adaptor.




Unfcukingbelievable! There was another one in that same issue, but I can't remember it.

[FRzealot]

A bash so nice I did it twice...

He doesn't even give practical information!

He belongs on Fox News!

"The best way to fix it, may be to check with Supergo's mail order site. They feature new ProFlex frames very low prices. "

-RC

I'm finished muckraking for another fiscal quarter.

[jaydee]

I dunno. Not to get personal, but it seems to me that a lot of the bike part opinions I read here on RM are loonier and more lopsided than RC's. The guy's not a 15 year old dirtjumper or cardropper and the mag doesn't really go after that group. He misses the boat sometimes, but opinions are, well, uh, opinions. MBA is still stuck on the retro XC weight-weenie thing, which is a bit annoying, but at least they review lots of different kinds of bikes. And what's wrong with Turner and Intense and SantaCruz and Specialized? I also seem to see lots of reviews on small company bikes. Just fashionable to bash MBA I guess; some things never change.

[Pip3r]

aha the only reason i still read that magazine is that my school carries it in the library so i have nothing better to do.

I mailed him like 2 years ago and had the same deal.
This was right when the MRP LRP first made its appearance. I asked him something along the lines of 'I was running a kore chain tensioner that allowed me to keep all 3 of my front rings, but i just recently purchased a k2 animal frame which prevents me from running the kore. Are there any other options out there for people looking to keep their front rings and still keep their chain on? Whats the deal with the new MRP LRP any idea on price and expectancy?"

First of all, when it was put in the magazine he completley took out the part about the LRP and asknig about other options. He then went to reccomend i check out the Truvative chainguide for 45 bucks that was nice and cheap (but for single rings only)

AWSOME!

firth was the best thing that mag ever had

[bubbawenchy]

Originally posted by birddawg
It's not the best answer, but there are a lot of morons running dual-crown forks on hardtails.
I'm sure he has thousands of useful replys, but it's doubtful threads get started about those.

hey, i take offense to the moron comment. i have run a 6" dc on my norco and won dh races in the sport class on it...

[where_am_i?]

Oh Oh my turn!

I was flipping through one in the supermarket and it went something like this (not exact quotes):

I have a specilized stumpjumper fsr, and I dislike it. What bikes could you recomend, if i weigh 175 pounds and race expert class XC in Colorado on technical trails.

R.C: If you dont like the stumpjumper, your not going to like any bike.


brillant!

[wujj]

Today, I received the TECH-IN T-11 fork back from MBA....

I called them up and sent them the fork for a test review back in the first week of May '03. After 7.5 months, I finally got the fork back from them, and all they did was put one tiny picture and a couple sentences in the Jan. '03 issue.

When I tried to follow up with them, they kept giving me bull****... saying that the fork will go onto their Foes DH test bike but they just haven't gotten to it yet. After Interbike, TECH-IN kind of gave up their hopes and told me to get the fork back. I've since been calling and emailing to request the fork back... never heard from them. Today, the fork finally showed up, but the extra springs that were sent with the fork weren't inside the package.

I'm sure they don't treat all companies sending in products for reviews like this... but I wonder if they treat all small companies, esp. ones that are not yet known, with no budget for ads like they did to us.

Mountain Bike Action and Mountain Biking were the two magazines that got me started with mountain biking when I was in 6th grade. I've been subscribing to MBA since '93. Once my subscription ends, I won't be renewing it for sure.

As long as I'm in the bike industry, I'll do everything I can to not advertise or support MBA in anyway for CAT EYE or any other company that I might work for in the future.

[wujj]

I meant the Jan. '04 issue in the above....

[Skookum]

Serves you guys for actually reading the words in them rags. Don't you know that the sole purpose for biking mags is for us to pick them up breifly to leaf thru the pages, look at all the pictures, and put em back on the rack. C'mon people!!!! ;)

[nydave]

Yea it is a great rag...I just get sick of reading their extreme left wing political trans whatever it is peace on earth while I stick my head in the sand bs. But on a positive note, when it comes to bikes...they rock. As for MTA...I love my Specialized bike, and my 'zoke, and quite a few other things that they have recommended in the past, imho the worst thing they have done is try to push that black diamond thing...that makes me sick too. Now yins guys got my two cents...later and call it what it is MTA...FREE RIDE.

[Repack]

I miss Capt. Dondo:(

[shocktower]

When I first started MTB I went to BB to watch some races and check things out in 99 ,so I`am there checking things out and talking to Jenn the Mech ;) ,and RC shows up so I try to chat with him about riding ( cause I believed about the cool rides he supposedly does :rolleyes: :rolleyes: ) and though since he was so into it that maybe I could go ride with them :eek: :eek: :eek: ,the douche bag does not even reply ,he just looks at me :rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes: ,like he`s so special .And after that I quit reading his BS cause I saw the light ,BTW he`s a RICHARD (DICK) CUNTINGHAM For a reason ;) ;) ;)

[Espen]

I would love to see him respond to this tread.


e


:p

[Zoso]

Someone should email the link for this thread to him.

[gorgechris]

Originally posted by Repack
I miss Capt. Dondo:(
That guy was FREAKIN' hilarious!! I used to read his articles several times over.

[huckleberry]

granted that jerk-off has no idea what he's talking about but running a dual crown on a hardtail has it's pros. i crack the crowns on all my single crown especially zochs. now i use a dual crown(superT) on my hard tail for beating on and a single for racing and parks. some people do to weight and terrrain or whatever are always gonna break single crowns. the extra strength you get with a dual crown can save some headaches.

[Tully]

I think that MBA's bike reviews do contain some good information, as long as you wade through all the weight-weenie-expensive-bikes-are-naturally-better-especially-if-they're-made-by-foes-ellsworth-intense-or-turner-and-we-are-the-greatest-thing-to-happen-to-mountain-biking-since-the-wheel crap.

[Scurry]

ywah i dislike MBA, not goign to go into the resons, but for the part about usind dcs on htails is ok but since the reader suggested a sc then you think that he is looking int hat direction, plus p3 geo witha dc would be odd

[RideND]

I liked the nicest issue. Thought it was pretty good.

[MikeD]

At least RC has a moderate grasp of the English language...

[huckleberry]

alright let me just tell the truth. they could make much more money on race coverage and race hype oherwise keep your dumb ass shut. your mag is worhtless. oh' what yur gonna teach me to freeride. " you have to learn to crash rigtht before you can learn to ride." it's all fun peace out

[huckleberry]

there is perfectly good reason for dc"s a on hardtails. anyone whose ridden lynn woods knows. but where talking an oblivious jackass who gives a......................

[Tully]

Originally posted by slowride

"Along came a Spider: Looking for a cross-country bike that climbs well and can handle all-day epic rides? R.C. cuts through all the hype and comes up with the right bike."


Those little sentences are so friggin' retarded! That reminds me of the one from March or April 2003 where it says something like, "He needed a bike that could drop off cliffs between races, and costs less than $3500. RC nailed it by suggesting..."
It doesn't take a genius to "nail it." In fact, any idiot with a slight knowledge of the industry could suggest a $3500 downhill bike.

[Tully]

What is the point of e-mailing Ask RC and waiting a long time to possibly get his semi-worthless opinion, when you could just call your favorite bike shop and get an instant reply?

[Ctfphotos]

Originally posted by Pip3r

firth was the best thing that mag ever had [/B]


Really, I think that guy is a jerk!

[Scurry]

Originally posted by Tully
What is the point of e-mailing Ask RC and waiting a long time to possibly get his semi-worthless opinion, when you could just call your favorite bike shop and get an instant reply?
or eihter that get more opinions from making a post on ride:monkey:

[Trond]

U dude over here has spotted a number of similarities in different articles.

He wrote a letter to RC, no answer yet:


Dear Mr. Cunningham

I have bought your pubilcation here i Oslo, Norway several times, although it costs about 10$. Now, I'm really curious about one thing

In your February 2002 issue you test the Turner XCE:

The byline reads R.Cunningham, and one note on "Descending" is: "The rear wheel tracks the ground, even if the rear tire is skidding, which redefines the concept of late braking into corners".

Then, comes December 2003 you test the Turner 5-spot:

This time there is no byline, but the same note on "Descending": "The rear wheel tracks the ground, even if the rear tire is skidding, which redefines the concept of late braking into corners".

Exactly the same scentence!

Another recycled phraze is "The [name of bike]'s [deg.] head angle is purposely on the slack side to add stability in technical situations, and to keep the Turner's steering predictable at higher speeds. Both attributes are clearly evident and give the Turner pilot a "bring it on" attitude when rock drops or sketchy chutes loom ahead".

There are other striking similarities as well.

In the XCE article, you refer to the Burner, which the XCE succeded (briefly). In the 5-spot article, a similar note on the RFX appears.

My question?
1) Who wrote the test of the Turner 5-spot?
2) Who approved the article?
3) If a forigner who buys the magazine infrequently can spot the similarities, why could none of the editors?
4) Why has the XCE test disappeared from the website?
5) Will you print this letter and a plausible explenation? Will you reply to this e-mail and tell me which issue the reply will be printed in? It's difficult to get hold of the magazine here...

Sincerely,

Arve Søreide
Oslo
Norway

[Stiff]

I'm dating myself here but back in the day when the Manitou EFC was a DH fork with 3" travel, I owned a bike made by RC's company, Mantis -- the Mantis Pro-floater, supposedly one of the baddest-ass of the badass bikes of the day.

But it sucked harder than the suckingest sucks that ever sucked. My friend's Kona Sex (remember that?) was a zillion times better, so it wasn't just outdated tech -- it was fundamentally bad design and I was a fundamentally idiotic consumer for buying it. I went back to hardtails for 5 years after that.

[nicklin]

Originally posted by Tully
What is the point of e-mailing Ask RC and waiting a long time to possibly get his semi-worthless opinion, when you could just call your favorite bike shop and get an instant reply?

Because if you live where I live and ask the LBS guys q's, you would, 9 out of 10 times, be walking out with a King headset, santa cruz frame, raceface northshore dh crankset, and the most expensive helmet on the face of the earth, no matter what your budget is.

[Tully]

Originally posted by nicklin
Because if you live where I live and ask the LBS guys q's, you would, 9 out of 10 times, be walking out with a King headset, santa cruz frame, raceface northshore dh crankset, and the most expensive helmet on the face of the earth, no matter what your budget is.

Yeah, there's also a shop like that near my house. Fortunately, I've gotten savvy enough (and poor enough) that I never completely trust the guy who works there.

By the way, you ought to cite For Whom the Bell Tolls (Metallica) for the quote in your signature thingy.

[nicklin]

Originally posted by Tully
Yeah, there's also a shop like that near my house. Fortunately, I've gotten savvy enough (and poor enough) that I never completely trust the guy who works there.

By the way, you ought to cite For Whom the Bell Tolls (Metallica) for the quote in your signature thingy.

consider it done

[nydave]

Back to RC. His articles in the Feb. MBA Tech sections are pretty darn good. I got to admit though that some of the answers in "Ask RC" are pretty funny sometimes.

[Tully]

He really does know a lot about technical stuff; it's too bad that he embarrasses himself so badly in Ask R.C.

[SebringMGB]

Q. RC, I am purchasing a Bighit Expert this year but don't want to get rid of my '96 Stumpjumper M2FS comp. The bike is in good shape but lacks in the way of the new tech developments over that last few years. I would like to upgrade the Gripshifts to the new LX or XT shifters, same goes for the brakes. The problem is that I don't know if my XT rear hub will mate with the new 9 speed cassette? Obviously the rear derailleur would need to be swapped as well, does anything have to be done to the front derailleur?
chris.malden@sasktel.net - 3/10/2004 9:19:48 PM

A. Chris, Keep your Stumpy and buy a Specialized Enduro to go bumping and jumping. RC



did he miss the question entierly?

[MikeD]

Originally posted by nicklin
Because if you live where I live and ask the LBS guys q's, you would, 9 out of 10 times, be walking out with a King headset, santa cruz frame, raceface northshore dh crankset, and the most expensive helmet on the face of the earth, no matter what your budget is.

So it's better to write and get a crackpot answer based on whimsy and whatever product is advertising most in MBA that month, instead of advice based on personal experience of the shop guys?

Not saying shop guys aren't interested in selling you stuff to make profit (or pushing whatever happens to be on the sales floor), but they also don't want you back on their doorstep complaining that something broke. And they still can't force you to buy stuff that's outside of your budget...

This is why salesmen of all sorts aren't always the best places to get product info. Good ones are, but they're few and far between.

MD

[nicklin]

Originally posted by MikeD
So it's better to write and get a crackpot answer based on whimsy and whatever product is advertising most in MBA that month, instead of advice based on personal experience of the shop guys?

Not saying shop guys aren't interested in selling you stuff to make profit (or pushing whatever happens to be on the sales floor), but they also don't want you back on their doorstep complaining that something broke. And they still can't force you to buy stuff that's outside of your budget...



MD
If by personal experience you mean a bumch of 15 year-olds who has never heard the word velo-news, if you mean the roadie old guys who never heard of FSA, if you mean the guys so much in allegiance to Santa Cruz bikes that they will convince you that you will die riding an Iron Horse, then no I will not trust them.

I think RC deserves a lot more credit than some of us give him. No one is perfect.

[MikeD]

Originally posted by nicklin
If by personal experience you mean a bumch of 15 year-olds who has never heard the word velo-news, if you mean the roadie old guys who never heard of FSA, if you mean the guys so much in allegiance to Santa Cruz bikes that they will convince you that you will die riding an Iron Horse, then no I will not trust them.

I think RC deserves a lot more credit than some of us give him. No one is perfect.

My point was that both of them could be pretty suspect...it came across differently...but that the shop guys could at least be held *somewhat* accountable for what they tell you. Also, the idea of 'forcing' someone to buy something out of their budget made me laugh. "No! NO FSA HEADSET FOR YOU!" They're salesmen, and will push their most expensive product, duh.

Personally, I'm with you...I don't use an LBS. Haven't found but 2 occasions where they were helpful.

However, that's 2 more times than RC has made sense. I found it rare (when I read MBA) to find even a coherent, relevant answer to a question in that column.

MD

[nicklin]

Originally posted by MikeD
My point was that both of them could be pretty suspect...it came across differently...but that the shop guys could at least be held *somewhat* accountable for what they tell you. Also, the idea of 'forcing' someone to buy something out of their budget made me laugh. "No! NO FSA HEADSET FOR YOU!" They're salesmen, and will push their most expensive product, duh.

Personally, I'm with you...I don't use an LBS. Haven't found but 2 occasions where they were helpful.

However, that's 2 more times than RC has made sense. I found it rare (when I read MBA) to find even a coherent, relevant answer to a question in that column.

MD

Mike, I'm not trying to dispute your point. The truth is though, that R.C.'s column in MBA magazine, not the website, are actually quite helpful when it comes to XC products. He can diagonose problem on a mechanic point of view for FREE when he hasn't even seen the parts that are in questions of, and if you actaully read the magazine, and if you are a pure xc rider, his advices strike me as some what helpful. But i tun my deaf ear to him when the discussion turns to any bike with a fork of 5+inch travel.
Nick
:)

[SpuTTer916]

I couldnt stop thinking of this post when I was reading this joke from The Onion:

http://www.theonion.com/onion3205/navyseal.html

[Stiff]

Hilarious. I like this week's headline: "Bush to American Unemployed: Get a Job!"

I'm a huge Onion fan.....and the Brits think us Muricans lack clever sarcasm. Hey, maybe RC is taking the piss?

[MikeD]

Wow, that was one of the first Onion articles I ever read...it was a classic, and a huge hit with my military friends, along with "Clinton Deploys Very Special Forces to Iraq."

MD

[dankk]

after all this time i thought it was just me-r.c really does suck and i'm glad other peaple realize it as well!!!:thumb:oh r.c i think walmart is having a sale on barbasol so stock up guy,cause your legs can never be smooth enough:blah:

[WheelieMan]

Have any of you seen R.C.s latest?

Q: What do you think about the Haro 8.3 as a stunt/jump bike?

R.C.: If you are into hardtails, the 8.3 is a perfect jumping bike. Youll need to upgrade the fork to a beefier, longer stroke type, like the marzocchi 888, before you start launching north shore type stunts.

HAHA

also, someone asks about how to set up the suspension on their 03 yeti asx, and rc tells them how to set up the fork with SPV, even though the fork that comes stock on 03 ASXs is the breakout with TPC+. He shouldnt assume the rider has the breakout plus.

R.C. is only one reason why I will let my subscription to MBA expire, and I will switch to a decent mag like decline. ;)

[nicklin]

Originally posted by WheelieMan
Have any of you seen R.C.s latest?

Q: What do you think about the Haro 8.3 as a stunt/jump bike?

R.C.: If you are into hardtails, the 8.3 is a perfect jumping bike. Youll need to upgrade the fork to a beefier, longer stroke type, like the marzocchi 888, before you start launching north shore type stunts.

HAHA


well, let's see. R.C. was definitely right about the haro 8,3 being a good dirt jump bike, I've tried it for street situations and it's very nimble.

and then on the other hand, he is not completely wrong about the long travel fork for the shore type stunts, why do you think kona and norco are slapping on 6-inch travel DC forks on their DT's for the hsore. granted, a 888 woould be overkill. But he has the generally right idea.

on the second one, did the reader tell him which fork he was running? if he doesn't tell RC, is RC supposd to be Ms Cleo to know which fork is on there?

yeah, let's all jump on the wagon and point out the instances where RC's wrong and conclude he is a jackass:rolleyes:

[chicodude]

:stupid:

hey, is that common sense i see breaking through?

[Bullitrider]

I prefer to call it "Man on Bike Action."

[larry east]

that would be so hot! then they could combine the mba state ride guides with zaps "love" of mexican food and put together state guides of mexican food!

wonder if there's good taquitos in wisconsin??

I wish he would get fired so he and ZAP could start a mag..................yeah whatever.

[bpatterson6]

The only reason I read ANY Mountain Bike Magazine is because it's about...
MOUNTAIN BIKING. I read every publication I can get my hands on.
Especially during the winter months here in Colorado when you cant ride because it's snowing. I go thru withdrawls without being able to Ride.
So If I can't Ride, I might as well either buy Videos and watch in Envy or Read every mountain biking publication I can get my hands on!

I guess the Key is to take what you can use from the magazines and leave the rest.
I do.

:D

[Tully]

I am still amazed by the fact that people actually go to the trouble of writing and sending an e-mail and waiting months for a response, when the question was along the lines of, "How much air pressure should I run in my shock if I weigh 180 lbs?" I do like MBA's reviews, but you definitely have to wade through a lot of stupid editorialization, not too mention the fact that, as we all know, anything made by Intense, Santa Cruz, Foes, Ellsworth, or Turner will always get a perfect review.

However, I do have a couple suggestions for them, having read their review of the 2003 AS-X, and an issue a few months later:

1) Fix your scale! They said that the AS-X with the factory build kit (with a Sherman single crown) weighs about 42 lbs, which is ridiculous.

2) In the review, they repeatedly griped about the AS-X weighing so much (which was obviously a mental thing, because it really doesn't), yet a few months later, they praised it as one of the best freeride bikes on the market.

[genpowell71]

I hate having to admit that I own the same ride as that jerk. I saw a picture of him and his tracer in the magazine, and now I'd like to get rid of mine. I feel so... dirty

Is he a tool for big business or is he just a ackjass who gets paid to spout his mouth

[chicodude]

he's just a ackjass :D

[Bicyclist]

I honestly can't believe anyone thinks that R.C. EVER has anything good to say.

[Bicyclist]

Oh, I once saw a question along the lines of
"I want to buy my boyfriend a new DH bike, as he is just getting into the sport"
R.C. answered: "Get him the $6,000 Foes Fly. That is a great DH bike."

[ioscope]

Q. I HAVE RECENTLY PURCHASED A LE TOY III FROM 24BICYCLES WHITCH HAS A BMX BOTTOM BRACKET, I ALSO PURCHASED A SET OF PROFILE DJ CRANKS. RIGHT NOW IT IS NOT BUILT UP BUT IT WILL BE AS SOON AS I GET MY MAIL ORDER PARTS. I JUST WANTED TO KNOW IF YOU GUYS KNOW OF A WAY I COULD RUN TWO RINGS AND A BASH GUARD WITH AN LRP CHAIN TENTIONER, WITHOUT USING A MTB ADAPTER. I TRIED TO CONTACT MTNSPEED VIA EMAIL BUT TO NO AVAIL. MAYBE YOU GUYS HAVE SOME INSIDE INFO ON THE SUBJECT I ALSO HAVE A FEW FREINDS OF MINE WITH THE SAME STYLE BB.. I WOULD LOVE TO HAVE A BETTER GEAR RANGE THAN JUST 8SPD WITH A SINGLE RING. HELP US PLEASE. PS I LOVE THE MAGAZINE KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK I WOULDNT CHANGE A THING. AZ BURTON BROOKLYN NY
AZBKNJBX@AOL.COM - 12/2/2001 9:18:57 PM

A. AZ, Buy a standard crank adaptor at a Pro BMX shop and switch over to a TruVativ crankset (low buck--good crank). That should solve your problems. A standard Chain idler should fit once you have a screw-in bottom bracket in the adaptor. RC

"WITHOUT USING AN MTB ADAPTER."
just grind out the hole on the iscg adapter, and press the bb cup over the adapter.

[Tully]

Oh, I once saw a question along the lines of
"I want to buy my boyfriend a new DH bike, as he is just getting into the sport"
R.C. answered: "Get him the $6,000 Foes Fly. That is a great DH bike."

The said boyfriend wrote to MBA in a later issue and said that she actually bought him a bike (but I thought he had recommended the $3000 Mono frame, not the complete bike).

By the way, I think RC has possibly the worst haircut I've ever seen. :stosh:

[Bicyclist]

Whatever the bike was, I just remember it was an astronomical price for a beginner.

[Tully]

Definitely--it was probably $6000+ by the time he built it up. That's way more than my bike, and a lot of others', as well. On the other hand, racing beginner class on a custom Foes Mono gives the other racers plenty of license to call him a poseur!

[N8]

Q. Q: I ride an '04 Specialized S-Works Enduro with the Brain shock, and I'm thinking about getting an ID cartridge from Stratos for the Fox TALAS fork to make the bike feel more even, but I'm afraid it's going to feel unnatural and I'm worried about being able to preload it for jumps. What do you think? Also, the XTR brakes have given me nothing but trouble, they don't give me nearly as much power as I need, and they get really hot. I'm either going to get some Saint calipers, or I could get some 8” rotors, but that wouldn’t solve the reliability issues. I'm primarily a cross-country racer and I'm worried about modulation for either choice. I weigh 170. Thanks!
Trenton/mbaction.com - 3/29/2005 7:06:35 AM

A. RC: Switching to a larger diameter rotor will help cool your overheating problem and will give you more stopping power too. Addling the Stratos inertia-valve damper to the fork will keep your Enduro riding level through the turns and boost the pedaling platform. DT/Swiss makes an adaptor that will allow you to upgrade to any bolt-type rotor, but you'll need a riser adaptor to get the XTR caliper to fit the larger discs.

[ioscope]

And the point of the last post (which dug up an evil memory btw) was??

[genpowell71]

Hey! Who let N8 out of the politics forum?

[d-sop]

damnit. then why the hell do i subscribe to mba? how does one subscribe to decline?

[blt2ride]

Mountain Bike Action is a joke. I wouldn't trust any magazine who uses Moe Hutchinson as a test rider...

[genpowell71]

If he'd just die, I'd listen to his advice...

[Changleen]

Q. Q: I ride an '04 Specialized S-Works Enduro with the Brain shock, and I'm thinking about getting an ID cartridge from Stratos for the Fox TALAS fork to make the bike feel more even, but I'm afraid it's going to feel unnatural and I'm worried about being able to preload it for jumps. What do you think? I think you're ****ing ghey.

[Changleen]

http://www.littermag.com/Word.

[elRey]

I read mba, dirt rag, bike and decline. I think decline is the best out of the three. If you don't read it, you should, especially if you are into "freeriding".

[DH biker]

Decline is the best.

[hellonasty]

Another good example of ''Don't ask RC''

Question:
Hey R.C. I can buy an ‘05 Stumpy FSR Expert 120 for $2300(cdn) or a Trance 2 for $2600(cdn). There have been many positive things said about the Trance and some critical comments suggesting that the septune shock on the Stumpy makes it an uninspired climber. However, the Stumpy is lighter, has XTR rear der. and Talas forks, and for the difference in price I could send the septune to PUSH. What would you do?


A. RC: Good call.