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Field Test: 5 Trail Bikes & 3 DH Bikes Hucked to Flat in Slow Motion

Dec 16, 2022
by Matt Beer  


PINKBIKE FIELD TEST


5 trail bikes meet 3 downhill bikes to launch the largest ramp to date




Hosting a Field Test in Whistler, surrounded by jumps, meant that we had to up the ante on our scientific Huck To Flat test by bringing in the big guns. Speaking of jumps, how about that bow-legged schley-able top cold opener?

Sending it over that sign was a joke with the ramp that MTB Hopper generously offered us. That 'Lil Air' collapsible ramp was anything but little - look at the height of it compared to the barrier. Bikes were going to be bottomed out - even the downhill bikes.

Wait, where did those bikes with twice the suspension travel come from? In addition to the regularly scheduled Trail Bike Field Test, we added a few downhill bikes to the schedule since we had gathered our talented team in bike park heaven. Our videographers appreciated the extra cushion while moving about the mountain, but we made sure to use all of it when dropping back down to earth in slow-motion.

Sitting politely at the shorter end of the travel spectrum, the 130mm-travel Norco Fluid and its mighty little Fox 34 fork winced as it sped towards the MTB Hopper ramp. We discuss how that combo stacked up against the rest of the trail bikes in our latest podcast because it’s clear as day how much the Fox 34 chassis flexes compared to the 36mm-legged forks. This was the highest Huck to Flat that we’ve hosted yet. Heck, even the dual crown forks show some signs of bending - check out that RockShox Boxxer on the Nukeproof!

Almost every bike we launched used a different suspension system. It’s pretty dang cool to watch how the suspension articulates, like the Yeti and their Switch Infinity system where the lower link changes direction twice while being compressed, or in the case of the Scott Ransom, you can’t even see the shock move.

Watch the metal, carbon and rubber take some serious punishment in slow motion in the latest and greatest Huck to Flat.



Pinkbike's Huck to Flat is presented by: CushCore and MTB Hopper



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107 Comments
  • 113 1
 that wasn't slow enough=(
  • 69 1
 outside is really cutting back the cool factor at pb
  • 38 0
 And too much shadow on the good bits.
  • 9 1
 If you watch it on Youtube you can slow it down: youtube.com/watch?v=r8g2cJ3QNQk
  • 42 0
 Yep, just went back and looked at some older huck to flat videos... they were way slower and way more interesting to watch because of it. Also turn the set-up so we don't have a giant shadow over all the interesting bits...wtf?!

Also, the one I watched had the Grim Doughnut in it... so obviously Outside killed that as well. Does Outside hate fun?
  • 3 1
 Needs to be on Youtube again so you can edit the playback speed
  • 6 0
 @NoGrip61: it is also on youtube: youtube.com/watch?v=GLyYPXQGFQY&t
  • 2 0
 @DirtBagTim: Voilà Smile ))
  • 1 0
 At least it's not behind a paywall anymore...
  • 3 12
flag onawalk (Dec 16, 2022 at 21:14) (Below Threshold)
 @islandforlife: Jesus,
Could you bunch complain anymore about something as cool as a the buck to flat with DH bikes.
You’re a bunch of whiny wankers, absolute muffin stumps!
  • 6 0
 @onawalk: If we don't complain then it doesn't get corrected.
  • 1 3
 @zephxiii: Jesus,
Don’t buy it, that’s what matters,
don’t support companies that make the things you’re not into.
Stop whinging about something that’s marginally more difficult to service.

Or buy the bike, convert it to full exterior cable routing, and be happy
  • 5 0
 @onawalk: Xanax
  • 1 0
 Agree. Was a bit disappointed the vid has no speed setting for my fav 0.25 rate. Someone posted the youtube version, thanks. 1:29 in fun. Front wheel at dead stop, but rear keeps moving while things compress. That's why 25% is best.
  • 1 1
 @DizzyNinja: Nah, I’m good.
Im happy in the knowledge that I’m perfectly capable of servicing a bike, that is marginally more difficult.
I have no issue with those that have certain things they want or need from a bike, and purchase accordingly. Having a water bottle is on my list of priorities (one of the reasons I don’t have a Spectral 125) but to constantly complain about it….

I do see the irony in whinging about others whinging….so I’ll try a different approach

I once heard someone say, don’t complain about things being too difficult, look at it as an opportunity to be better. I much prefer that to publicly whining about mild inconveniences
  • 37 0
 We're getting closer to a dh field test! That's the first time I've seen the abbreviation for Downhill bike in a pinkbike post in what seems forever!
  • 20 0
 Yup and a jedi n darkmatter too.. please test more of the cool stuff..
  • 8 0
 @bat-fastard: Yep some really cool bikes here for sure. More DH!
  • 3 0
 Listen to yesterday's podcast. Matt b talked about the bikes he rode at Whistler for it. Not a dh guy so in one ear out the other when he talked about it
  • 2 0
 Impatiently waiting for the gravel bike Field Test huck to flat flat flat flat flat flat...
  • 27 1
 I get that with right foot forward, and the linkages, it makes sense to show NDS to see the suspension at work, but I would love to have a camera on both sides so you can see chain growth as well.
  • 2 0
 I made the mistake of making a drive-side foot forward HTF video. The chain just kinda flops around, I don't think there's much to make sense of: youtube.com/watch?v=r8g2cJ3QNQk
  • 22 0
 Wtf pinkbike? Who messed with the lighting angles? I couldn't see at all the rear shock bottoming out on that Scott.
Next time more direct sunlight and less shadows.
  • 18 0
 I missed the part where they took the DH bikes up the impossible climb
  • 1 0
 That's GOTTA be a thing. 28t chainring and 50t cassete must be in the mix too. AND an efficiency test!! We need it!
  • 14 0
 The canfield is a good example why i only run saddles with a whale tail shape
  • 2 1
 I have to run the saddle on my jedi 29 super high to prevent buzzing. Its really the only downside to that bike I've found yet. Needed to be mullet IMO.
  • 2 0
 Yeah, now I realize why so many full suspension bikes don't have shorter seattubes. Even when slammed, most of these bikes would have the tire hitting the saddle as you bottom the rear suspension. Extra sad for those who run a battery under their saddle, a little sad for those who have a clever storage bag over there, potentially sad of you liked your saddle and likely sad if you compressed behind your saddle and then got bucked forwards during the landing. Dumb huckers like me should better stick with hardtails Wink .
  • 1 0
 @vinay: extra extra sad when you have legs as short as mine Confused
  • 14 1
 Argh, too bad the shadow of Matt's leg partially hides some of those suspension platforms :-(
  • 12 0
 But is the Norco the complete package ?
  • 10 0
 Wild how the DH bikes pretty much deck out their bottom brackets at full compression
  • 2 5
 Thats without bottoming the fork too the boxxer only went to like 160 and dead stopped seemed odd? fox left a little as well
  • 2 0
 Yeah. Those chainrings look so close to the ground.
  • 3 2
 they are made as low as possible for stability
  • 3 7
flag mikedk (Dec 16, 2022 at 7:54) (Below Threshold)
 @Nopantsdougie: Fox air forks are notorious for rarely getting their full travel.
  • 6 2
 @Nopantsdougie: Boxxer was flexing a lot and thus not getting full travel!!!
  • 2 0
 @Nopantsdougie: that was full travel it doesnt bottom out at the crown for some reason
  • 2 0
 @Nopantsdougie: not quite. Shorter head tube means the stanchions don’t reach the lower triple clamp at full travel.
  • 1 0
 @EarIysport: that’s what I was going to say.
  • 1 1
 @MrShreddypants: no one in this thread ever heard of adjusting fork height in the clamps on doublecrown forks?
  • 1 0
 @EarIysport: having a boxxer and a 110mm headtube that amount left is not because the crowns are high
  • 11 1
 Is it just me, or did the yeti beat that shock like it owed it money?
  • 10 2
 Out of the trail bikes, the Yeti had the most flex and the Trek looked the stiffest. You wouldn't want to bottom that dark matter out in a rock garden....
  • 8 0
 That boxxer looks like it is bending quite a bit
  • 6 3
 Yeah, it totally is but I think it's just more obvious (being a longer tube) than the shorter forks. Also, not necessarily a bad thing either.
  • 7 2
 Slack ass head angles to flat is why...
  • 3 2
 @ryan77777: Flexing along front to back is not good at all! Loads of friction causing the fork to work like crap. Plus under braking it'll do the same! USD forks don't flex like!
  • 2 0
 @SintraFreeride: binding on the Boxxers bushes looked mental. Either that or it was full of tokens.
  • 2 0
 @bigkev123: Seems to flex even more than the single crowns, eh?
  • 6 0
 Boxxer bottoms out at about 160mm travel! It come to a sharp dead stop no way near full stroke. The flext must be binding up in the bushes
  • 1 0
 Or they had to slide the stanchions down in the crowns because of the short head tube. Nice thing about dual crown forks.
  • 8 2
 The only autoplay vid I've ever wanted to look at, and there's an ad instead. Missed your chance PB.
  • 6 0
 I'd like a little more run-out time to see if any of them sprung back up in the air like the last field test showed.
  • 7 0
 DH Field test
  • 8 0
 I hope there won't be a DH bikes timed climb test. Hm, no, I hope there WILL be a DH bikes timed climb test. For "sciense"
  • 2 0
 @faul: DH Efficiency Test!
  • 1 0
 @JibbyTheScout: pedalling downhill with a 52T chainring, right?
  • 3 0
 @JibbyTheScout: Coasting in an aero tuck.
  • 1 0
 @faul: We need a baseline! Hahaahah Levy is going to love it
  • 6 0
 next year let's do huck to UPSLOPE.
  • 3 0
 Huck to brick wall
  • 6 0
 The Canfield have the saddle touching the tyre.
  • 1 0
 I want to see that one again with the saddle all the way down. Crunch!
  • 3 1
 This is highly dependent on setup but I think its cool how you can see the Fox 40 use its progressive air spring going into and out of deep travel vs the Ohlin's slowing down the compression via damping and a more linear spring on the way up.
  • 5 0
 you're mainly seeing frictions related to which wheel hit the ground first on these flat landings. And average spring rate.
  • 4 2
 It sure seems like the front ends of these trail bikes are a LOT stiffer than the first round of trail bikes PB did this with years ago. The first time I saw this I was really surprised at just how much flex there was.
  • 10 0
 I think the slow mo used to be a lot slower. These aren't stiffer, you just can't see the flex as much
  • 2 0
 @thegoodflow: What he said
  • 1 0
 @thegoodflow: interesting, i'll have to rewatch some. I was thinking a lot of it may be fork updates but I could be misremembering.
  • 1 0
 @ICKYBOD: none of these forks have seen significant updates that would affect stiffness to any appreciable amount
  • 5 0
 The mo wasn't very slo this time.
  • 5 1
 Scott genius, "nothing to see here!"
  • 5 0
 Hope 155mm cranks ftw!
  • 3 1
 Wait, they said they had 4 dh bikes in the podcast? Only 3 here, wonder if one was broken before this?
  • 4 0
 Or one isn't officially released yet?
  • 1 0
 @Dagabba: Ah. In the podcast he says it's an Orange 327 (I think that's what he says, the audio is a bit poor at that point). Which used to be in the line up but not now, so you might be right.
  • 1 0
 @kcy4130: oh great, looks like an amazing test lineup!
  • 3 0
 So are we going to see a field test of the dh bikes?!
  • 4 2
 Why is the Yeti the only one that looked completely smooth throughout the stroke?
  • 1 0
 I was gonna say the same thing. Looked the stiffest for sure.
  • 1 0
 I think the efficiency test, impossible climb and huck to flat need to be combined somehow....struggling with how you could do that.
  • 2 0
 Shit video orientation??? The biker makes a shadow on the bike wrf! Basic photograpy haha lol
  • 1 0
 Did the Antidote darkmatter even bottom out? With how progressive it is, the HBC on the ext arma I’d be surprised. Looked the least jarring on Matt’s knees too.
  • 1 0
 It did. So the thing is we don’t know their settings. Did Matt leave it on stock / neutral tuning? How stiff is that coil?

Also the leverage ratio on the DM29 / MX isn’t as progressive as the DM27.

Also the camera isn’t moving slow enough, along with poor lighting, I can see the confusion.
  • 1 0
 @kroozctrl: I think it could be assumed that the settings were what he would ride and test the bike at. Unless the sag he’s running on one bike is vastly different it doesn’t really matter. Also saying the DM27 is more progressive doesn’t change the fact that the DM29/MX is still a very progressive bike, more progressive than Canfield for sure and likely the Nukeproof too. I believe the damping of the EXT shock is a factor here too of course.

Looking at it some more (and on YT at 0.25x speed) I agree that it does bottom out, but the amount of deceleration that’s happening in the shock/linkage (and therefore the lack of it required by the body) on the DM looks to be far greater than that of the 2 other dh bikes. But who knows, this isn’t a scientific test and there’s a million variables we could dispute. I was just commenting on the DM comparatively looking very controlled at bottom out.
  • 1 0
 Tell me if Im wrong but shouldn’t the shock be set up to not bottom out on such a small huck to flat? Looks like most of the landing force gets transferred to rider.. ?
  • 1 0
 Did anyone else see the reservoir on the shock on the Trek hit the down tube?
  • 1 0
 @Masonlord There's an indent in the top of the tube, plenty of clearance for a piggyback/reservoir.
  • 3 1
 Finally one where autoplay makes a sense
  • 2 0
 I think the Nukeproof had a little more to go in the back.
  • 2 0
 Matt Beer is considerate to inanimate objects like in Japanese culture.
  • 2 1
 is there no way to adjust quality on the new pinkbike player? always stuck in 1p resolution for me
  • 1 0
 Seems a little weird to me the rider didn't have level pedals for this one, poor left pedal...
  • 2 0
 I'm interested to see the DH bike field-test!
  • 2 0
 I want to see more on that Trooper...
  • 1 0
 It's impressive how well the clutches work on the derailleurs. most of the chains didn't hit the ground.
  • 1 0
 You ever huck that Isuzu Matt? Looks minty
  • 1 0
 Looks like he bent the steerer tube on that trek
  • 1 2
 but yet people still want to argue for short headtubes.... My "downvoted" comment from the review page suddenly Proves PB users know very little.
  • 1 0
 My phone couldve had better production quality than this....
  • 1 0
 Did you guys hire Chromags photographer?
  • 1 0
 Djfjjffhcuuvujehrggrvivytciebe94t63u3y93u3tcu298fgyej
  • 2 0
 Huck to Shadow.
  • 1 0
 Touchdown for Nukeproof!







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