In a much-noticed blog post on bike-test.com, author Maxi Dickerhoff accuses the mountain bike industry of increasingly moving away from the actual needs of riders. While most people get on their bikes to experience nature, exercise, flow and community, the industry is now dominated by high-tech, electronics and overloaded product lines.

In Dickerhoff's opinion, instead of lightness and intuition, heavy e-mountainbikes, complex systems and constant service cases often bring frustration. The specialization of the model ranges - from downcountry to super enduro - also overwhelms many (potential) mountain bikers and dilutes the shared experience of the sport.

Mountain bikes are becoming increasingly complicated and complex with high-tech features from suspension to electronics. Yet high-tech companies such as Apple and Google are delivering the model for success: simplicity on the outside. Mountain bike technology is developing in the opposite direction. 

Dickerhoff calls for a return to simplicity: mountain bikes should become simpler, clearer and more intuitive again. Instead of constantly fighting for market share with new categories and features, the industry should provide inspiration and focus on the original feeling of mountain biking. After all, this is precisely where the current boom in gravel sports lies. This is where the character traits that have been lost from mountain biking are coming back.

The detailed blog post is worth reading at
bike-test.com/mtb-industrie/is-the-mountainbike-wrong-turn

There are a lot of interesting comments in a related Linkedin post: