Rhodent Posted June 23, 2016 Posted June 23, 2016 Hi Guys, I have searched extensively on the forums and read loads of reviews and advice from loads of sources, and i'm still helluva conflicted. The short story, I am selling my car (check the classifieds ) and the wife-to-be has told me to go ahead and use some of the proceeds to fulfill a long time desire and buy a mountain bike (Keeper much?). I have been shopping around for ages, but now that things are coming to a head im not sure what i should be aiming for. Not too stressed about the Brand at this point, but mainly need some advice on the following: 27.5 vs 29erDual Sus vs Hardtail Im not planning on blowing the budget. But i can get a 27.5 Trance for 19K, but would it be better to go 29 hardtail in the same range? Theres also the Stance which is in the right price range. Whats better - 29er or Dual Sus? Would you drop to 27.5 and have dual sus, or rather take the hard tail so that you could have 29 inch wheels?
Meezo Posted June 23, 2016 Posted June 23, 2016 first off, what type of riding, then sit back this will not end... Giant will be the most mentioned. Fanboys of Spaz and Pyga will appear and no you'll never be entirely happy upgrades or infinity
Rhodent Posted June 23, 2016 Author Posted June 23, 2016 Thats what i was worried about.... hence why i dont wanna ask too much about brands. more about the set up. Would be looking at an all rounder... first off, what type of riding, then sit back this will not end... Giant will be the most mentioned. Fanboys of Spaz and Pyga will appear and no you'll never be entirely happy upgrades or infinity
lerouc Posted June 23, 2016 Posted June 23, 2016 How long is a piece of string? how long is a piece of string... How long is a piece of string!
Rhodent Posted June 23, 2016 Author Posted June 23, 2016 Seems the conundrum will continue..... maybe i'll sell the fiancee's car as well and buy one of each
Meezo Posted June 23, 2016 Posted June 23, 2016 How long is a piece of string? how long is a piece of string... How long is a piece of string!http://pictures.thewebawards.com/1000/118/A-String-Bicycle-Lock.jpg
Odinson Posted June 23, 2016 Posted June 23, 2016 Hi Guys, I have searched extensively on the forums and read loads of reviews and advice from loads of sources, and i'm still helluva conflicted. The short story, I am selling my car (check the classifieds ) and the wife-to-be has told me to go ahead and use some of the proceeds to fulfill a long time desire and buy a mountain bike (Keeper much?). I have been shopping around for ages, but now that things are coming to a head im not sure what i should be aiming for. Not too stressed about the Brand at this point, but mainly need some advice on the following: 27.5 vs 29erDual Sus vs Hardtail Im not planning on blowing the budget. But i can get a 27.5 Trance for 19K, but would it be better to go 29 hardtail in the same range? Theres also the Stance which is in the right price range. Whats better - 29er or Dual Sus? Would you drop to 27.5 and have dual sus, or rather take the hard tail so that you could have 29 inch wheels? Where are you planning on riding and what are your ambitions? Also keep in mind that you have to budget for the necessary accessories when starting out (helmet, gloves, bib and baggies, tools, etc. etc.), which can add up to a fair bit quite quickly. Regarding wheelsize, for me personally, I now enjoy 650B wheels alot more than I did 29ers. They generally make for more manouverable and playful handling. 29ers are great if you value speed above all else. A Trance would be a pretty dope starter bike, but mid-to long travel dual sussers can be double edged swords when strarting out, as they soak up all your mistakes and are more forgiving of bad technique. I'd avoid your run of the mill 100mm XC hardtail *** that you can buy at Sportsmans or Cycle Lab. Those bikes are most often twitchy and crap descenders. I'd recommend a 120-150mm hardtail with up to date geo and a good fork and 1X drivetrain. Ooohhh... What do we have here?
Rhodent Posted June 23, 2016 Author Posted June 23, 2016 Where are you planning on riding and what are your ambitions? Also keep in mind that you have to budget for the necessary accessories when starting out (helmet, gloves, bib and baggies, tools, etc. etc.), which can add up to a fair bit quite quickly. Regarding wheelsize, for me personally, I now enjoy 650B wheels alot more than I did 29ers. They generally make for more manouverable and playful handling. 29ers are great if you value speed above all else. A Trance would be a pretty dope starter bike, but mid-to long travel dual sussers can be double edged swords when strarting out, as they soak up all your mistakes and are more forgiving of bad technique. I'd avoid your run of the mill 100mm XC hardtail *** that you can buy at Sportsmans or Cycle Lab. Those bikes are most often twitchy and crap descenders. I'd recommend a 120-150mm hardtail with up to date geo and a good fork and 1X drivetrain. Ooohhh... What do we have here? untitled.png Thanks thats really useful - interesting comment about soaking up mistakes, never thought of that. That said, i dont see myself having the budget to upgrade for quite a while after this though! I am keen on doing a bit of everything on the dirt... so definitely would be looking at an all round option... Luckily i have a fair amount of kit already (yes its from the road, but its a few less things to buy initially and i can focus on the bike).
Odinson Posted June 23, 2016 Posted June 23, 2016 Thanks thats really useful - interesting comment about soaking up mistakes, never thought of that. That said, i dont see myself having the budget to upgrade for quite a while after this though! I am keen on doing a bit of everything on the dirt... so definitely would be looking at an all round option... Luckily i have a fair amount of kit already (yes its from the road, but its a few less things to buy initially and i can focus on the bike). I'd still recommend a mid-travel hardtail with a head-angle of between 68 and 66° and 120 - 150mm of travel. They're also cheaper to maintain and generally less fuss. There are also a few dual sussers, but you'll probably have to go 2nd hand on your budget. Also keep in mind the maintenance costs associated with these type of bikes, particularly when buying 2nd hand. It'll leave you with a sour taste in your mouth if you buy 2nd hand and a month or two later have to replace bearings and/or have the shock serviced or rebuilt.
BDF Posted June 23, 2016 Posted June 23, 2016 After all my pontifications when I was looking, I bought a 120mm travel 68.5deg 650B Dual Sus. Have loved every moment of it.
Rhodent Posted June 23, 2016 Author Posted June 23, 2016 After all my pontifications when I was looking, I bought a 120mm travel 68.5deg 650B Dual Sus. Have loved every moment of it. Thats what i like to hear... think im leaning that way. Anyone wanna buy a car????
Mntboy Posted June 25, 2016 Posted June 25, 2016 Thats what i like to hear... think im leaning that way. Anyone wanna buy a car????Then start looking for options! Personally I have a 100mm travel HT which I love. Don't find it twitchy going downhill but then I don't especially push it too hard, nor have I ridden a dually so can't give you a comparison on that. If your budget is 20k then scoure the classifieds as I don't think you'll be able to find a decently specced brand new bike at that point. Sent from my GT-S6790 using Tapatalk
BenReaper Posted June 25, 2016 Posted June 25, 2016 Where are you planning on riding and what are your ambitions? Also keep in mind that you have to budget for the necessary accessories when starting out (helmet, gloves, bib and baggies, tools, etc. etc.), which can add up to a fair bit quite quickly. Regarding wheelsize, for me personally, I now enjoy 650B wheels alot more than I did 29ers. They generally make for more manouverable and playful handling. 29ers are great if you value speed above all else. A Trance would be a pretty dope starter bike, but mid-to long travel dual sussers can be double edged swords when strarting out, as they soak up all your mistakes and are more forgiving of bad technique. I'd avoid your run of the mill 100mm XC hardtail *** that you can buy at Sportsmans or Cycle Lab. Those bikes are most often twitchy and crap descenders. I'd recommend a 120-150mm hardtail with up to date geo and a good fork and 1X drivetrain. Ooohhh... What do we have here? untitled.pngThat is one helava good looking bike, but I'm not sure if it would be a really good starter bike though. Also think a hardtail would be a good choice, but I'd recommend something like a XTC with a, 120mm fork on.A hardtail usually teaches you to make better line choices as theres not so much suspension to 'soak up youre mistakes'. To the OP - Such a hardtail should fit youre budget well and should last you for many years. However if you feel that you might want to convert to a dually a year from now and dont want to have to spend money twice, then a Trance, or even an Anthem would be a good choise and offer you good value for money. On the wheel size I don't really want to go there. Generally 27.5" wheels are recommended for trail riding as they offer "better handling in the tight twisty stuff", 29" wheels are recommended for marathon type riding as "the bigger wheels roll faster and offer better stability".All this can change with sizes and geometry's of different bikes and also influenced by the skill level of the rider. Draw up a short list of potential bikes,with diffent wheel sizes(eg.27.5"+ 29“ Anthem,27.5 “ Trance etc.) and see if you can test a few of them to get a feel for the bikes and then make a decision from there.You can get alot of advice here, but in the end its youre money and you'll have to live with the bike for a while. Try to choose wisely. Sent from my S40 using Tapatalk
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