If you could have one mountain bike, would it be a trail or XC bike?

[Eldron]

The question that always needs to be asked is... What riding do you do or want to do?

 

The requirements for enduro, DH, XCO, XCM and cruising the spruit with your other half are all different - one will say you need a hardtail big hit bike with flats whilst another will answer your question with 120mm front and back with sluds and a 1x12 eagly groupset...

 

"Fit for purpose" should always be considered when choosing a bike. There is no one bike to rule them all.

[DieselnDust]

While I agree with you on principle, there are a few places on Mud island that are proper. There are lines in Wales and Scotland that need long slack machines.

 

The obsession with 'travel' is wrong. You know this.

 

A 140mm long, low, slack bike is not the same as a 140mm 'trail' bike. 140mm does not equal 140mm

 

You know better than this... 

 

 

A few lines in Wales? Maybe those on the coffee table ya! 

Edited April 5, 2019 by DieselnDust

[Ispeed_V]

Rule number 12 - The correct number of bikes is n+1

[rudi-h]

As many people here have suggested, you can ride almost anything on an 80mm hardtail.  

 

So why then buy a trail bike which is slower and a LOT more expensive?

 

My take:  A trail bike is less about the mm's of travel than it is about the geometry, i.e. slack head angle.  This means you can "easily" lift the front wheel (by simply leaning back and pushing your feet forward - arms straight) which is the movement you use to get into a manual (what you would call it if you can keep it there).  Also, having less weight on your front wheel typically sets you up to corner better without your front wheel washing out..

 

Why is this important?  A manual (even if you can't hold it for long) is the fundamental technique behind a proper bunnyhop (not lifting your bikes with the cleats) and therefore also the fundamental technique behind jumping.

 

do you need to be able to manual:  No

do you need to bunnyhop 40cm obstacles:  No

do you need to land massive gap jumps:  No

do you need to be able to rail bermed corners like Semunuk:  No

are all of these things fun to do:  Yes

do you need a trail bike to do it:  No, but a trail bike does make all these things a LOT easier to learn (and do)

 

i almost forgot the dropper... not having your seat shoved up your @ss also makes it a lot easier to manual, jump, hop and wheelie

Edited April 5, 2019 by rudi-h

[Dexter-morgan]

I got my Scott Genius on a Clearance sale, not quite educated as to what I wanted to ride, but with this bike has transformed my riding into more trail riding and loving it but saying that, I will be riding the 75km Cradle mountain trophy race this week-end on it, bring on the technical bits.

[patham]

SA is marathon bevok.

 

 

You mean SA is Marileze bevok ?

[DJR]

.......................There is no one bike to rule them all.

 

“Three Rings for the Elven-kings under the sky,

Seven for the Dwarf-lords in their halls of stone,

Nine for Mortal Men, doomed to die,

One for the Dark Lord on his dark throne

In the Land of Mordor where the Shadows lie.

One Ring to rule them all, One Ring to find them,

One Ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them.

In the Land of Mordor where the Shadows lie.”

― J. R. R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings

 

I think 9 is a good number of bikes to aim for, as a start, unless you are an elf or a dwarf  

Edited April 5, 2019 by DJR

[Robbie Stewart]

Well I must admit that my sample group is very small, but the guys I ride with here in SA are all XC mal, like Grease Monkey said. They believe 100mm XC bikes are all you need, even for shredding the single track trails, jumping, etc.

 

This is in contrast to the guys on GMBN and other EU or USA riders who are all riding 140-180mm travel bikes and sort of look down on the XC guys in their lycra kit. 

 

With that said - Clearly the vast majority of voters on this poll have also opted for the trail bike route, so maybe the Saffas that I talk to are just the minority.

 

 

PS: This post has made me feel very happy about the 2017 Spez Camber that I just bought.

 

Boiki...

 

Well done. I too ride a '17 Camber Comp, and it is 'da bomb.

 

That bike is more than enough bike you'll need. It is slap bang in the middle between Spez' Epic and Stumpy, and as such is the best of both worlds.

 

I strongly disagree with your mates, though. Unless you're N1NO, riding a 100mm on a techy trail is just not going to cut the mustard, and then I am not even touching on basic trail bike geometry versus XC oriented geo.

 

I seriously would not want to bomb down Hoogies Cobra, Jonkershoek Armageddon et al on a bike with tight geometry, such as most XC bikes are. The window for forgiveness on those bikes is very small, and errors are amplified, especially up front. Slacker trail geometry bikes allow for more lee way in terms of trail riding, and are waay more forgiving on techy trails, especially downhill sections. 

 

Also, the jumps I hit with my Camber, I am (personally) not so sure I would attempt them on a bike with less travel than my 120mm Revelation.

[dannygirl]

 

 

I think 9 is a good number of bikes to aim for, as a start, unless you are an elf or a dwarf  

 

And there was I, thinking it was always n+1...

[PhilipV]

It really does depends where you ride most. I'll rather drag my 140mm Trance through the occasional stage race, than have to live with an race focused bike like the epic every day.

And I know the Grease Monkey's idea of riding has changed since he moved to down to the colony, but I think he has gotten involved with the wrong crowd down here, they are a bad influence on him.

 

My perfect one bike is the 29er Trance. Or a Stumpjumper ST.

Party up front with just enough business at the back.

 

And enjoy the camber. Camber is kief!

[DieselnDust]

And there was I, thinking it was always n+1...

 

 

 

well as long as n+1=9 then its solvable

[dannygirl]

I got my Scott Genius on a Clearance sale, not quite educated as to what I wanted to ride, but with this bike has transformed my riding into more trail riding and loving it but saying that, I will be riding the 75km Cradle mountain trophy race this week-end on it, bring on the technical bits.

 

I'm also wanting to upgrade, and face the same dilemma.  The Scott Genius (or Scott Spark 710 plus - but $$$$) seems, on paper, to hit the spot...more travel and slacker geometry, but the option to take both 27.5 wheels AND 29...so with 1 bike and 2 sets of wheels, I could potentially have the best of both worlds?  

 

How are you finding the bb clearance / pedal strikes?  This seems to be an issue flagged on some forums...

[Ascension]

And there was I, thinking it was always n+1...

 

It has now been revealed that the value of n is in fact 8

[Wayne pudding Mol]

“Three Rings for the Elven-kings under the sky,

Seven for the Dwarf-lords in their halls of stone,

Nine for Mortal Men, doomed to die,

One for the Dark Lord on his dark throne

In the Land of Mordor where the Shadows lie.

One Ring to rule them all, One Ring to find them,

One Ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them.

In the Land of Mordor where the Shadows lie.”

― J. R. R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings

 

I think 9 is a good number of bikes to aim for, as a start, unless you are an elf or a dwarf  

sitting in the lounge in Durban waiting to fly home - thanks DJR, I genuinely spat my coffee down my shirt "unless you are an elf or a dwarf"  Turns out I'm a dwarf

[DieselnDust]

It really does depends where you ride most. I'll rather drag my 140mm Trance through the occasional stage race, than have to live with an race focused bike like the epic every day.

And I know the Grease Monkey's idea of riding has changed since he moved to down to the colony, but I think he has gotten involved with the wrong crowd down here, they are a bad influence on him.

 

My perfect one bike is the 29er Trance. Or a Stumpjumper ST.

Party up front with just enough business at the back.

 

And enjoy the camber. Camber is kief!

 

 

That new Trance is a lekker bike. Easy to be lekker on one of those. I hope Mr."the Missile" Lima rides one in next years Epic

[Ascension]

A modern XC bike is very trail capable. For 90% of the trails a trail-bike is overkill. I prefer the faster bike overall and I do not want a bike that makes the trails too easy.