The ultimate Yukon mountain bike
July 06, 2009 | Posted by: Geof Harries
I first came to the Yukon over a decade ago. At the time, I was very much still into xc racing, so my bike was a light, 22 lbs. race hardtail with a 3” travel fork.
After a summer spent riding in Whitehorse, I had not only many new scars but also two broken frames. Riding a hyper-light race bike is not the way to go when there’s rocky trails and fast bumpy singletrack all over the place. Whitehorse trails are pretty smooth, just not as buttery smooth as those in Southern Ontario.
Now more than 10 years later, I own two bikes: a 28 lbs. steel 29er hardtail with a 4” fork and a near-40 lbs. all-mountain bike with 6” at either end. They are awesome rides, but I don’t think either represent the ultimate Yukon mountain bike.
To me, the ultimate Yukon ride is a relatively light, but still strong, all-mountain, full-suspension setup. Something under 30 lbs., 5” travel front and back. Fast-rolling, but grippy tires, 2.3” width at maximum. Fairly upright position, but still aggressive enough to comfortable tackle the occasional race or group event.
An example bike that immediately comes to mind is the Norco Fluid.
What about you? What’s the ultimate Yukon mountain bike?
