All mountain advice

[HaydenWilson]

Hey all.

 

I am toying with the idea of getting an all mountain bike. basically i mostly ride XC which i do on a Giant boulder ( no good for drops) and i also do a fair bit of dirt-jumping on my mongoose fireball. which is great, but tends to need nice sculpted jumps and is really no good for pedalling around to get to the jumps you are keen to ride.

 

thus, i am looking for a bike that inspires a bit of confidence when doing things that are out of the boring XC range of obsticles (drops, rough jumps etc) but can still be peddled. and some possibly do some very light downhill.

 

Does an all mountain bike sound good? i know that their travel seems to vary but most are above 140mm which seems like quite a lot for a bike that is being peddled. that being said, i do not want a 120mm bike that makes me feel nervous and twitchy when doing a rapid descent...

 

I was thinking something like a mongoose teocali or a giant reign but have heard many mixed comments on both.

 

or should i just say bugrit and leave the XC for XC and get a downhill for downhill and leave the jump-bike for jumps?

[Elan Sarkis]

An all mountain bike is perfect for what you want to do , but it all depends on how much you want to spend .

[wesley_r]

Sounds like 140 - 150mm travel would be perfect for you. You could look at:

Giant Reign

Commencal Meta 5.5

Santa Cruz Blur LT

Santa Cruz Butcher

Specialized Stumpjumper FSR

 

The list goes on... like Elan said - how much do you want to spend?

 

O and don't discount the Giant Trance - it may only have 120mm of travel, but you can run a 140mm travel fork upfront without hassle, and it'll rip. You may even end up doing your XC riding on it...

[Captain Fastbastard Mayhem]

+1 on the Trance / Reign thing.

 

Don't worry about the 140mm thing. Most bikes nowadays are so dialled in on their suspension design that they're really efficient pedalling machines, when looking at the AM sector.

[geecee]

reign always a good buy.

 

i wouldnt discount a mongoose teocali tho, check your budget. i picked mine up for 5500 in almost new condition

 

myself and 2 friends are on teocalis and they take a heap of abuse.

[Grebel]

+1 on what geecee said. I am on a Teocali Elite which I snapped up off Obike for R12k (2009). Added some bling and a dropper post and I am really enyoying mine. Not a XC race bike but more than capable of finishing midpack on a 40km Have a look at Obike. They have a goos selection from R5k to R15k deliverred to an approved dealer close to you. (And I got extras. A set of rechargeable Blackburn Flea lights and a pair of Giro MTB gloves valued together at about R1k! Not sure what they are offering at the moment)

Edited March 11, 2012 by Grebel

[nolipoli]

I have had a trance and thought it could have done with a 140 fork. Now I have a Reign which is my "do everything except dirt jump and downhill bike".

I have been chasing a true do-it-all bike for years, and it doesn't exist. Even my Reign is a compromise.

[ThePubSA]

Did everything on my fuji outland 08, that bike had great geom and standover clearance (was my only mtb , so that y it was do it all only 100m rear but felt so good , like it could do anythng , but thats the plushness compared to a bmx) . Have a Ht for the longer rides . Recently got a 2011 trance for a steal.. still riding it with the 120 upfront , might go 130mm-140mm soon.. but then again might just get 180+ for the ruff stuff wanting a bike above my dh needs so theres no way ill break it . Idk if there is a 1 for all bike really.. need horses for courses. My mirra bmx is my test a jump bike for now that def takes more abuse then my trance could ( dj frame or bmx def best for abuse). If u wanna throw down with no worries of frame would say 180+ . Reign 160mm not the best pedaler . Khyber could maybe do the job with rear lockout . my 2 C

Edited March 11, 2012 by 2nutz

[The Drongo]

reign always a good buy.

 

i wouldnt discount a mongoose teocali tho, check your budget. i picked mine up for 5500 in almost new condition

 

myself and 2 friends are on teocalis and they take a heap of abuse.

 

+1 for that !

[RiderX]

I wouldnt go with a bike that is too heavy since its going to make it really hard to use for general XC riding and decrease your enjoyment of uphills ALOT. Also it is important that the bike has a decent pedalling platform that does not bob.

 

I am currently riding a GT Force which I bought around 1 1/2 years back at the Obike sale and all I can say is the bike is great for both XC (used it for wine2whales) and light downhill (did the easier courses skipping the big features). Very stable going through rough terrain and handles small to medium drops and jumps with no problem whatsoever. 140mm/150mm front and 150mm rear suspension and about 1 to 1 1/2 kgs heavier than a trailbike. Obviously its not a dh bike but neither is a beefier 160mm travel frame.

 

For me personally I would not want to pedal anything uphill and for XC distances that weighs more than 15 kg and would only recommend a heavy bike if you are going to continue using your boulder for XC. In that case get a Freeride or dh specific bike.

[HaydenWilson]

thanks for the advice everyone! I think i will sell the boulder and try to get something with 140mm of rear travel which should not really affect my XC riding much because as far as i recall my boulder is no featherweight, 15.5kg and i would like to ride something that is designed for medium drops. i will keep the DJ bike.

[Grebel]

thanks for the advice everyone! I think i will sell the boulder and try to get something with 140mm of rear travel which should not really affect my XC riding much because as far as i recall my boulder is no featherweight, 15.5kg and i would like to ride something that is designed for medium drops. i will keep the DJ bike.

 

I think my teocali is around the 15kg mark. That Boulder seems heavy?

[HaydenWilson]

If a nuclear apocalypse happens I plan on hiding under my giant boulder......

 

its quite old so i think that may have a bit to do with it!

Edited March 11, 2012 by HaydenWilson

[wesley_r]

thanks for the advice everyone! I think i will sell the boulder and try to get something with 140mm of rear travel which should not really affect my XC riding much because as far as i recall my boulder is no featherweight, 15.5kg and i would like to ride something that is designed for medium drops. i will keep the DJ bike.

 

My Commencal Meta 5.5 is built tough with freeride rims and a coil shock - and it's 15.4kg. So yeah, you'll do just fine

[covie]

I would look at a trailbike like a giant trance or the specialized Camber, both awesome bikes, and good enough for jumps drops and tough trails. They are generaly more in teh 120mm region but its a better mix for rough stuff and XC performance, and none of those two will break the bank.

 

The Camber will be my next toy

[DJR]

If you are ligtht, get a Giant Trance X. The 120mm travel is enough, it is light and tough enough. It can be abused and will do a decent XC race. You can put a 140mm fork upfront if you want to do more severe jumps and drops. You can put a lightweight wheelset on for marathon and XC stuff.

 

If you are heavier, get a Giant Reighn. This will not limit you at all in the AM and even downhill departments, but it will make your XC climbing a bit slower and tougher. It will also tire you out over marathon distances. If you are strong, it can be done.