Help Please Choosing a MTB

[Ysterman]

Jip, another one of those threads ?<?: prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" />

 

So the Ride Before You Buy at Groenkloof did not give me any more clarity on what MTB I want/should get ?  I?m just more confused ?

 

I enjoyed all the rides, but didn?t get to ride all the bikes ? and then all the brands were not there either.  The difference to me was the following, and I?m making these assumptions for you to correct and help me decide:

 

?                It was my 1^st time on a 5? travel bike ? the biggest decision I think I need to make ? 

o      I?m competitive, like racing ? but I?m no racing snake & am not going to get a podium finish soon

o      How much time/energy/whatever is really lost if I were doing a 75km Dirty Harry or S2C on a 5? travel bike

o      2 of the 5? bikes it did feel as if I were ?losing? the rear wheel on tight corners ?

o      The Cannondale Rize surprised me, didn?t have that ?couch? feeling, maybe it was just setup correct, etc

?                A lekker/good ride was a 10kg 4? carbon Giant dual suspension, but again this is probably to be expected of a 10kg bike

?                Major differences I think between the bikes was due to bike setup and components

?                Could not really experience the different dual suspension technology that the brands claim makes their bikes better that the other brands ?

?                And then there was the GF 29er ...

 

So, this is my thinking:

 

?                There is no way I will be able to test ride all the MTBs out there

?                Make a call between 4? & 5?.  I really enjoyed the more comfy ride of the 5?, but want a frame that is least ?couch? like

?                Decide what brand/technology is generally accepted as ?good? and that I like and get the frame.  Budget will decide ?

?                Build up with selected components to achieve weight/budget/bike setup constraints

?                Target weight = 12kg

 

So where did I miss the boat here ? Ysterman2009-09-21 07:35:14

[XTC OKE]

het your target weight down to 11kg

[AndreZA]

Bikes with over 4" of travel are intended for trail riding. The BB is higher so on technical XC rides when you have/want to dismount you might struggle. The angle are also a bit more slack so got a bit more sluggish responce. But they are more fun for when you want to do trails and jump. I would not go for anything more then 4" of travel. Easier do get weight down aswell.

[Ysterman]

My current bike weights in at a whopping 14kgs ?<?: prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" />

 

Is there any rule of thumb that will guide you to achieve a certain weight e.g. for a 11kg bike:  if frame is 2.5kg, then wheels & tyres needs to be ?x? and rest of components ?y?

[AndreZA]

Is there any rule of thumb that will guide you to achieve a certain weight e.g. for a 11kg bike:? if frame is 2.5kg' date=' then wheels & tyres needs to be ?x? and rest of components ?y?<o:p></o:p>[/quote']

 

 

 

not in relation to frame but rather rider weight. And normally it is only wheels and pedals (titanium axles) that have a weight limits.

[crasher]

What is your budget to buy/build your bike as this is going to have the most influence on what its going to weigh

Agree with Mampara that 4" will be plenty

 

 

 

 

[Ysterman]

The plan was a follow:

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-          replace the frame now:  R15-20k (import frame eg can get Ellsworth for R20-22k) (not sure what other frames one can get separate ? any recommendations?)

-          current bike has XT components ? rebuild onto new frame as much as possible, and just replace what?s needed

-          replace rest of components with time before s2c (current components about 4yrs old and have done some hard riding)

-          total budget:  as close to R30k as possible (second hand & imported parts)

-          need to last another 4-5 years