Help a Roadie understand MTB things

[Headshot]

20 hours ago, Mountain Bru said:

If you read my other post - Buy the bike thats best suited to 90% of the riding you do, or that's gonna make it the most fun for you. That is after all the goal - to enjoy your rides as much as possible. No bike is perfect for everything, and even in one ride, or in one race, there will be sections where a XC bike is better than trail bike and visa versa. There's no right answer here, just smaller compromises. 

If you do Sani2C, or W2W or whatever race, your bike won't be the limiting factor. Guys do those races on hardtails, and fly, so any dual sus will be fine. In terms of the "going away with a bike" situation - realistically, how many rides is that gonna be in a year? And what percentage of those rides is gonna be over really technical terrain? (Just an honest question to consider)

It doesn't make sense to me to buy a certain kind of bike because I might do 2% of my riding in a year over some terrain where a certain bike might be 20% better. I want the bike that is best suited to 90% of my riding in a year, and is competent over the rest. 
If you can, maybe try test ride a bike or two though even if it's just in the parking lot? If you can jump off one and onto another, the differences will become really obvious, really quickly. I rode a 150mm travel bike for maybe 20 meters in a parking lot and knew it was the wrong bike for me, and jumped on a 100mm travel epic and loved it from the start.

That's one way of looking at it, but at the end of the day all bikes from XC to enduro ride up hills and long distance. I rode 45ks and 1100m climbing on my 170/180 enduro bike a few months ago. I was much slower overall than my friends on their XC bikes, but because the Bo Piketberg trails are quite gnarly I had a total ball on the descents. They will not go a ride there again because they hated it on their XC bikes. The thing is, you won't ever only ride gravel roads and if you want to progress your skillset and try more fun stuff then something in the trail bike category with a dropper post will allow you to do it all. 

[Spafsack]

Maybe its time to ask OP what budget is per bike ????

[Mountain Bru]

55 minutes ago, Spafsack said:

Maybe its time to ask OP what budget is per bike ????

Yes, we need some questions answered for us to vicariously enjoy the new bike experience:

Budget:
Height (for sizing):
Bottle Cage Requirements:
Dropper Post Requirements:
Suspension Travel Requirements:
Sram/Shimano Preference:
Rockshox/Fox Preference:
Carbon/Alu/Steel Preference:
Colour/Style Preference:


But @Jase619 , I'm only semi joking about the bottle cage thing. I realize though that if you're new to the MTB game, it might seem like a stupid comment. On a road bike, 2 cages is standard, but not on mountain bikes. If you want to ride without a camelbak, it's a big advantage to have 2 cages, especially if you want to do longer rides or ride in hot conditions or are a heavy sweater. So it's genuinely something to consider when looking at bikes (and also a tongue in cheek joke about why the new Anthem is rubbish). There are ways around only having 1 cage like the Lyne Holy Rail system, but even that doesn't fit on all frames or all sizes (there's a thread about it somewhere). Or otherwise you have to use seat post mounted cages, which seem to be more prone to bottles rattling out of them, and also might cause problems if you have a dropper post. You can obviously ride with a camelbak and then this isn't an issue, but I personally find it far more comfortable and much better for cooling not to have anything on my back, especially on long rides, which are unfortunately the ones you'll have to use the camelback on if you want to carry more fluids. Others might not mind it though, but they also maybe don't have a choice so they've learnt to live with it, or don't do very long rides when it's hot etc. If you do decide you want a "2 cage bike", it does limit your options a bit, but that's what you want - a set of requirements that narrows down your search to 2 or 3 bikes.   

Like with all things in life, there are no perfect choices, only compromises. Compromise wisely. 

Edited July 27, 2021 by Mountain Bru

[TNT1]

8 minutes ago, Mountain Bru said:

it's a big advantage to have 2 cages, especially if you 

use one to hold a spare tjoob and plugs and gas bomb and use one to hold your bottle.

[Mountain Bru]

4 minutes ago, TNT1 said:

use one to hold a spare tjoob and plugs and gas bomb and use one to hold your bottle.

Or need somewhere to mount your banana:

[Trashy]

I usually try keep my banana protected while riding.

[stefmeister]

On 7/26/2021 at 1:42 PM, Robbie Stewart said:

I ride 120mm front and back. I have not come across a trail that I felt I need more.

Yes, I'll be the first to admit that no-one rides Status Quo on such little suspension travel, but I'm not a lunatic either.

If you are doing 90% of your riding on flat gravel, then you'll find the comfort a trail bike gives much more appealing than riding a very uncomfortable XC bike by comparison. You will also not regret buying trail oriented if you end up doing W2W, Sani etc.

The LBS oke telling you you'll be overgunned on a trail bike should be given some sympathy. Obviously he's not ventured anywhere beyond the dust bowls he rides daily.

There's a video out there of Nino riding Status quo sans dropper, on his skinny wheels and all, showing how it's done.

[Robbie Stewart]

27 minutes ago, stefmeister said:

There's a video out there of Nino riding Status quo sans dropper, on his skinny wheels and all, showing how it's done.

there's a reason he's N1NO

 

[Headshot]

36 minutes ago, stefmeister said:

There's a video out there of Nino riding Status quo sans dropper, on his skinny wheels and all, showing how it's done.

*..,showing the wrong way to do it.

[DieselnDust]

3 hours ago, Headshot said:

That's one way of looking at it, but at the end of the day all bikes from XC to enduro ride up hills and long distance. I rode 45ks and 1100m climbing on my 170/180 enduro bike a few months ago. I was much slower overall than my friends on their XC bikes, but because the Bo Piketberg trails are quite gnarly I had a total ball on the descents. They will not go a ride there again because they hated it on their XC bikes. The thing is, you won't ever only ride gravel roads and if you want to progress your skillset and try more fun stuff then something in the trail bike category with a dropper post will allow you to do it all. 

true...true....????......however OP is in the Free State.....and wants a bike that is suitable for 90% of his riding, not 1% of the riding

[Robbie Stewart]

22 hours ago, DieselnDust said:

drum roll......and the can opener award goes too................drum roll

On Sunday I rode without my trusty camelback for the first time probably this year. Every time I wanted a sip of water I reached for the tube only to find it was missing. I felt naked. And afraid. And alone. But mostly like some part of me has been amputated. I had bottle remorse the whole ride. I love my camelback. I also have mates OFTEN asking for a top up to their bottles when they run dry.

Now my bottle cage is there for no real reason. Perhaps I should take it off and clean the bike up some.

[Mountain Bru]

34 minutes ago, Robbie Stewart said:

On Sunday I rode without my trusty camelback for the first time probably this year. Every time I wanted a sip of water I reached for the tube only to find it was missing. I felt naked. And afraid. And alone. But mostly like some part of me has been amputated. I had bottle remorse the whole ride. I love my camelback. I also have mates OFTEN asking for a top up to their bottles when they run dry.

Now my bottle cage is there for no real reason. Perhaps I should take it off and clean the bike up some.

Your mates obviously only have 1 cage on their bikes. If they had a proper bike with 2, they wouldn't need to sponge off of you so much. 

In terms of feeling naked, afraid, and alone without a camelbak.... I'm proud of you for being brave and starting the journey towards recovery. Maybe we can start a support group for you? I'm sure some healthy community support will help you with your withdrawal symptoms and help you overcome your nasty habits of strapping unnecessary things to your back. You might feel like something is being amputated and that you're losing something, but in fact you're gaining something supremely valuable from this whole process... Dignity. 

Let this be a lesson to the OP. Camelbak's are like drugs. Once you start on them, you become addicted and can't function unless you have the sensation of a weak koala hugging you from behind while you ride. 

[Spafsack]

That is frikken funny Bru????????

[Trashy]

Cyclists are a strange bunch.

They'll spend tens of thousands of ZAR saving a kg of bike weight, then add 1-1,5Kg of water bottle weight.

Carry that weight on your back however, and it gets lost among the other 80kg+ you're already carrying there...

[Steady Spin]

@ the OP… which part of the Free State are you in? 

The Free State is definitely not flat everywhere. 

[eala]

3 hours ago, Trashy said:

Cyclists are a strange bunch.

They'll spend tens of thousands of ZAR saving a kg of bike weight, then add 1-1,5Kg of water bottle weight.

Carry that weight on your back however, and it gets lost among the other 80kg+ you're already carrying there...

I carry one large one litre bottle on my bike and another 750 ml in my stomach before i set off and i might add i weigh 100kg .Has worked for me for years now .The problem is to find a decent one litre bottle .Sponser made a very nice sturdy one ,but i lost it  .Getting back to the original thread now. Get an XC bike and add or build it with a 120mm fork .Any 90,100,120mm rear travel is enough .Slacker head angles are worthwhile and i don,t use a dropper seat post yet 

Edited July 27, 2021 by eala