Mountain Bike

I need a little help. I'm looking to buy a new mountain bike but have no clue what bikes I should be looking at.

What I do know is I'm pretty sold on a 29er and I'd like to keep the price under $2500.

I ride about 250 days of the year. 99% of my riding is in Corner Canyon on mostly single track. I ride about 10 miles each day. I ride to the top of the mountain and back to the bottom, none of that pussy car shuttle crap for me. The last new mountain bike I bought was 15 years ago, at the time I was racing and bought a top of the line Diamond Back, and I was pretty damn fast.... but now I'm just and old man trying to stay in shape by riding my bike.

Anyhoo... all suggestions and thoughts are welcome....

Full suspension or hardtail? 29er's are great in rocky terrain, but I personally still prefer the tried and true 26er for tossability and fun factor on singletrack. I am personally a Specialized fanboy (I have an 08 Stumpy FSR and a Camber Comp 29 er). The Camber Comp is a stripped-down but very capable (albeit heavy) trailbike and you can pick one up new for around $1500-1800. The Stumpy is lighter and fully decked out (with the Brain, which I highly recommend-especially if you are a climber and not just a shuttle runner) it will run you right around $2500. A hardtail bike is rough on the lower back and glutes if you ride daily and log over 25 miles on rough terrain. On smooth terrain and for sheer speed, they are the only solution. The prices for hardtails can be as low as $700 for a decent one to close to $2000 for carbon, high end components, etc. I've had excellent luck with my Specialized bikes. The Enduro and Stumpjumper are excellent models to start with, and if you can afford them, the S Works lineup. As for other manufacturers, Giant makes some pretty capable bikes as does Trek/Gary Fisher. Giant is a lot more affordable, but you get what you pay for component wise. But for sheer dependability and options as well as great components, stick with a Stumpjumper Expert. The Brain does all the work for you as far as locking out the rear suspension on climbs to eliminate pedal-bob, and you don't have to futz with a lockout lever every time like on the Camber Comp. Just set it and forget it. A buddy of mine went from a Specialized to a Giant lately, and he admittedly misses his Specialized, since the ride was a lot more smooth and predictable.

I ride Corner Canyon all the time, probably seen you up there. I honestly don't think there is anything at Corner Canyon that requires full suspension, but that is of course a personal preference. I ride a FS but constantly find myself wishing for a hardtail for the climbing ease and the connected to bike feeling. You of course have some options on frame material, from standard aluminum to steel to carbon fiber. A steel frame offers a much smoother ride than aluminum, with only a minor weight penalty, plus you get incredibly long life/durability. In my opinion steel is the way to go for a hardtail. That being said, there are a lot of companies starting to create steel, hardtail 29ers. I would definitely take a look at Civilian Bikes. They build frames locally in Park City, and can be had for about $1200+ depending on the way you configure fork, drivetrain, etc. I've personally never ridden one, but have heard great things from friends about them. Also, since they are a local company I imagine you could arrange a test ride.
Check out their Young Turk model http://www.ridecvln.com/bikes/young-turk/

Another company worth looking at for 29ers is Vassago cycles. They claim to have basically invented the category, and the bikes I've seen around look pretty sweet. They also build steel hardtails.
http://vassagocycles.squarespace.com/

That being said, you surely know the most important things are fit and feel. If you prefer a FS or a hardtail from one of the bigger brands, I don't think you can really go wrong at this point. Lots of nice offerings on the market in the 29er All-Mountain category from Specialized, Giant, Cannondale, etc., etc. If you have a shop you like, just check out what they have on offer.

Hardtails are fun, but for day in / day out comfortable riding, a full-suspension bike is the ticket! My buddy owns a bike shop in Logan and he has one of these left over:

http://www.jensonusa.com/Ibis-Mojo-S...end-Build-Bike (in the electric blue color). MSRP is north of your target, but he has had it for a while and would likely be willing to deal so he could move it. How tall are you?

Anyway, this is the same bike I ride and I love it. It's a 5.5" travel bike front and rear, but the rear suspension design is set up to climb very efficiently. All the marketing people from all the brands will tell you this about their bikes too. However, I have ridden a bunch of bikes and I truly think this is the best I have been on in terms of climbing performance. The trade-off, is that it isn't super plush on some of the small chattery bumps like some other suspension designs are, but it still gets the job done.

Let me know if you're at all interested and I can give you his number and put in a good word for you.

Not a 29er. So if that is a hard limit, then forget I gave you this recommendation.

Attachment 61854

I like #1 Santa Cruz

Also Rocky Mountain and Kona...

Was anyone here switched to a 29er and regretted it? From what I understand, unless you are hardcore downhill you will never look back after the switch.

Something else of interest I noticed... at this years Olympics, all the mtn bike racers were on 29ers and 90% were on hard tails.... thoughts?

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My steel frame 29'er is amazing. Absolutely a pure pleasure to ride. It climbs like a billy goat but springs in and out of the turns on the downhill. I run it SS but I'd never go back. I don't even ride my geared specialized aluminum geared 29'er anymore.

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Originally Posted by Iceaxe

Something else of interest I noticed... at this years Olympics, all the mtn bike racers were on 29ers and 90% were on hard tails.... thoughts?

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A lot of racers will have hard tails, but if you want comfort and are out there to enjoy the ride and still get a good workout, I'd stick with full suspension. Maybe my body is just getting too old for the hard impact.

The hard tails are for efficiency, improving your time and wearing spandex :lol8:

I’m old AND I ride a hardtail! After riding full-suspension for years, I switched to a 29er hardtail about a year and a half ago. My strength has always been climbing however, so the hardtail suits me fine as it rockets uphill. 95% of my riding is along the Wasatch Front and for the x-country style of riding I do, I have never wished I had my full-suspension back. I love the 29er and wouldn’t go back. The only drawback to the 29er I’ve found is it definitely isn’t as quick around the switchbacks, but that could have something to do with the XL frame I’m riding. I also can’t bomb downhill like I used to with the FS. At my age though, I really don’t want to or should anymore. The only time I wished for a FS was on my ride-around-the-White-Rim-in-a-day ride this past spring. Just for comfort sake, 80 miles in a day on that rough 4x4 road was brutal. My bike is the Trek/Gary Fisher Superfly which I highly recommend if you go that route.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Iceaxe

Was anyone here switched to a 29er and regretted it? From what I understand, unless you are hardcore downhill you will never look back after the switch.

Something else of interest I noticed... at this years Olympics, all the mtn bike racers were on 29ers and 90% were on hard tails.... thoughts?

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I have a full suspension 26" bike as well as a hardtail 29er. I really enjoy riding them both, but the one that sees the most action is the full suspension bike. I have not tried a full suspension 29er, but have a buddy that rides one and won't go back to small wheels. He is 6'4" and I think that helps to makes his case for the larger wheels.

I don't think the wheel size can be pinned strictly to "hardcore downhillers." 26" wheels are decidedly quicker around very tight turns and more agile for those that ride aggressively. With the longer wheelbases and geometries of 29er bikes, it's much more difficult to manual and jump. For those that like to keep the rubber firmly planted on the ground, this is a non-issue.

For $2500 you can get a very very well equipped hardtail. For the same money you are looking at a lower component spec on a full suspension bike. The slightly lower end (but totally functional) components on a full suspension are a worthwhile tradeoff for me to jump to rear suspension. Besides, a 2nd or 3rd teir component group is going to feel hugely better than your 15 year old stuff.

How's this for a conflict of interest:

http://www.bogley.com/forum/showthre...095#post520095

What I meant to say earlier, is that you definitely need a hardtail 29er frame!!:lol8:

FWIW- I'm now in my 50's, my days of jumping and riding aggressive are now a memory of my youth.

These days I'm happy when I can pedal some young bucks ass into the ground on a long climb.

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I'm 45, so I'd say stick with a full suspension 29 er. Your back and rear will thank you for it!


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Disagree. I've had a full susy before and there's too much weight penalty and every one I've been on has been way bobby and climbs like ass. If you're not jumping I'd say 29er hardtail all the way. Extremely efficient and they can be really light.

That's because they haven't set their suspension up properly and don't have the right shock. Fox offers a pro pedal feature that locks out the shock on climbs, and the Specialized Brain also operates the same way. Pedal bob is virtually nonexistent on those setups. People who use too little air pressure on the shock also experience significant pedal bob. Most people don't bother setting proper sag or even have an understanding of it. My bike utilizes the Brain, and I can say that my bike works as well as a hardtail on the uphills. And I have ridden both.


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Yep, some full sussers do climb well. My Salsa does great and has a fox in the rear so I reach down and lock it out when climbing. I use the pro pedal (stiffer) in some situations (flat terrain) and open in others, like hardcore downhill.

We ride enough rough stuff in the wasatch for me to want full suspension. I do like bombing the downhill though. Maybe you could demo a few bikes to get a general feel for it before buying.

I'm a 29er convert and own both, I would not look back fom a full squish unless racing was in mind and yet the new suspension designs on every platform are bad ass climbing now too. I ride a trek superfly and love it. You kind find a great deal in the shops close to your house, I know Infiniti cycles has some great cannondales that would be light, fast and full suspension. Take a look at the scalpel if you spend most your time in corner canyon, not a ton of travel but enough and also efficient for your " non pussy" shuttles, so that tells me you want to climb. I will let you try out the superfly. I stay away from the bikes with no lifetime warrantee ie Santa cruz, salsa aluminum, and many others. Suspension design has came so far in the lat 15 years that you can get away with a 3 inch bike and properly set you will not bottom out and love it.

I guess it is all relative to the bike you ride on how it climbs, my fs superfly 100 elite climbs crazy fast.

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Originally Posted by nelsonccc

Disagree. I've had a full susy before and there's too much weight penalty and every one I've been on has been way bobby and climbs like ass. If you're not jumping I'd say 29er hardtail all the way. Extremely efficient and they can be really light.

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If a manufacturer needs a warranty, what does that say? :naughty: :lol8:

If you compare a 29er to a similar equipped 26 inch wheeled bike, The 26 inch should be lighter weight. If weight is truly an issue that affects climbing ability. 29 inch wheels have more metal and rubber in their make up. This added weight has an effect on the rolling resistance; however a larger wheel does roll over obstacles easier. Generally speaking a hardtail is a more effiecient climber. For me personally a hardtail bikes beats me up enough to rob me of efficient pedalling and endurance. My preference is for full suspension. I have been riding downhill 8" plus bikes on cross country trails now for 13 years. I could probably be much faster on a 6" travel but I have no intentions of racing anyone up or downhill.