- [Neil] Today is GMBN's climbing challenge. We're going to try three
different types of bike, see which comes out as the all-around best climber.
- [Marc] We all know that a light bike is best for that epic climb,
but what about when you consider geometry and grip?
- Let's put it to the test.
♪ [music] ♪
So the first bikes, 29er carbon cross-country bikes, low front end,
big wheels, on paper, the best climbing bikes.
- Secondly, we have enduro race bikes, renowned as being able to not only
descend, but also climb competently.
- Finally, the joker in the pack, the fat bike, big, fat tires,
loads of grip, but how do they climb?
- We have three different types of bike, and we have three climbing
challenges for those bikes. Should be interesting.
- We're going to mark them by points. So the best bike on that challenge gets
three points, then it's two. The worst bike gets one point. The bike with the
most points is the best all-around climber.
- Challenge number one, the timed climb. It's 150 meters' ascent and 4
kilometers long, containing a single track andfire road.
- We're both going to ride each bike and we're going to award the points by the
fastest time between us per bike.
- Are you ready, Neil?
- I'm ready.
- Let's have it then.
- Cross-country bike first.
- Go.
♪ [music] ♪
- No surprises here. The cross-country bike climbs like a whippet and takes the
full three points. In second place the enduro bike takes advantage of the
lock-out on the shock for two points, and in last place, the slightly chubby fat
bike takes the lowest score of one.
- Number two, the technical challenge. We have a rocky and rooty climb.
Yes, not all about times here. We are going to award the points by how well we
judge the bikes to have handled the tech stuff.
♪ [music] ♪
Oh, easy.
♪ [music] ♪
Grip and geometry was key for this challenge and the fat bike has grip by the
bucket load. The low pressure, massive tires drive the bike up the tech stuff.
You actually need to be careful to keep your front wheel from wheelie-ing.
The fat bike surprises and takes the win.
In second, the cross-country bike is light and nimble with low handlebars
making it an aggressive climber. The downhill geometry of the enduro bike
really doesn't suit the hardest of the tech climbs. When seated-climbing,
the weight is over the back of the bike much more than the others
and does not help.
- Challenge three.
- The impossible climb.
Are you ready, my little mountain goat?
- I'm going to do it.
- Go!
- Watch this.
♪ [music] ♪
Be the hill. Be the hill. Be the hill. Be the hill. Be the hill.
Fatty on track. Stand back.
♪ [music] ♪
It beats it. By a hair. Fat bike wins!
- Well, nothing short of a motocross bike was going to get up that hill,
but the fat bike shines yet again. The back tire digs in, and away you go.
Again, the big problem was just keeping the front wheel on the floor.
The XC bike might have low profile, fast tires, but the low bars and front bias
of weight help it to take second. The enduro bike needs aggressive approach.
Click it into the lowest of the 11-speed cassette and go for it full-bore. It will
only get you some way up the impossible climb, and then it loses drive,
finishing third.
The scores are in. Cross-country bike's got 7. The enduro bike,
4, and the fat bike, 7.
- Dead heat.
- Who would have thought that?
- No, I wouldn't. One thing that was interesting riding the fat bike is how
much traction you have over anything and you're going really slowly.
It's goes without saying that the XC bike is the faster way to the top of the hill,
but it's just weird riding the fat bike.
- It's not to say that the enduro bikes are slower going uphill,
they're just much faster going downhill.
So Marc, what would you choose to climb on?
- Enduro bike. What about you?
- Cross-country bike.
So there we go. There's the GMBN climbing challenge, another non-scientific,
slightly controversial test.
- Definitely controversial.
- We're good at doing those. If you want to see more videos on GMBN,
you click up there for Marc's "How to climb switchbacks" video.
- And if you want to see me make a fool of myself and challenge
World Champion Nino Schurter to a descending challenge,
just click down there. It's a brilliant watch.
- He loses, by the way. Bit of a spoiler there.
- Oh, he's ruined it.
- And as always, click on us if you haven't done already if you want to
subscribe to GMBN. Thumb-up like if you like the video, and if you find it
controversial and non-scientific.