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Started riding my mountain bike regularly, for the first time since college. I think the bike is around 14 years old now, it sat for a long time when I moved from the mountains. When I got a tune-up this spring, the tech told me not to spend any more money on replacing parts. They said I would be wasting money investing in what I currently have, considering all the new technology.
I do understand that frame geometry and drivetrains have come a long way, but don't know that I need to abandon this bike. It's 26", full suspension (coil), 100mm travel, XT 3x9, and weighs in around 32lbs. This was considered a mid-level bike when I bought it, and it looks like this configuration/weight is not that different from the current budget bikes still being sold. The problem is, I will need a new wheelset soon, and the fork needs an overhaul. I am on the fence about fixing what I have or buying something new.
It looks like air suspension and a 1x drivetrain is the way to go, if I go new. My budget will probably place me in a hardtail ($800-1200). Looking for recommendations for rebuilding what I have or what to look for if buying new.
Save your money and get something like a Trek Fuel EX. Chain rings and Rds are cheap, suspension parts and wheels aren't. I think there was a bit of a revolution in bicycle design ~2016, hoping the engineering fully matured as I'd like to get many more years out of my Top Fuel. If I lived where you live, I'd be on a Trek Fuel EX or Santa Cruz Tall Boy if I were drunk-buying or money fell out of the sky. What a modern MTB does over a rock garden is insane, it's like a trophy truck.
New bike day! I picked up a 2016 Trek Crockett 5 Disc cyclocross bike. It's mostly for training, I'm more of a trail guy. But it'll be nice to keep the legs in shape when the trails are wet! Now I've got a CX, 100mm hardtail, and a 140mm FS.
New bike day! I picked up a 2016 Trek Crockett 5 Disc cyclocross bike. It's mostly for training, I'm more of a trail guy. But it'll be nice to keep the legs in shape when the trails are wet! Now I've got a CX, 100mm hardtail, and a 140mm FS.
Now I've got a CX, 100mm hardtail, and a 140mm FS.
This is probably the perfect 3-bike garage. I have the CX bike (Stigmata) and a 135mm FS 29er (Hightower) and have no desire to augment that pair anytime soon, but sometimes I wish the Hightower were bigger and/or smaller depending on where I am.
Just need to add a fat bike for when the roads are too covered in snow to ride the CX haha. I really like my brothers lineup (other than his Specialized fanboyness), he's got a 2018 carbon Stumpy, 2018 carbon Epic HT, Framed Alaskan fat bike, and a Specialized Crux CX bike. Then he's got both carbon 29er and 27.5+ wheelsets that he can trade between the Stumpy and Epic. I would never get bored with all that variety!
6th.
Started 28th of 30 riders due to my late entry. Got to about 10th by the top of the first hill about 2 minutes in. Worked my way up to 4th briefly. Last lap was a mano a mano battle with a French guy for 5th. Really happy with my ride. Rode smart, cleaned all the technical sections. Pushed the whole way. Thinking 3rd might have been possible with a front row start. Next year I'll enter earlier. Anyway, had a blast. Now for a beer or three.
Tomorrow I'm going to ride in Serra de Collserola Natural Park overlooking Barcelona.
Scored I moved from 2.2 Ikons to 29x2.2 Saguaros. Tire is way more round, feels softer, slightly wider tread-block spacing in the center and I'm looking for a more positive front tire on turn in with less load-up feel like I'm in car entering a corner. I'm going to also give Mezcal 29x2.25s a shot next, then hopefully settle on "my tire". Please share your thoughts and prayers regarding a guy who's afraid of corners and it's seriously holding me back as I have the fitness now to ride all local trails below threshold at "race pace" because I can't carry enough corner speed to match the fast dudes.
Finally rode this thing, new tires are way different from the Ikons. They feel heavy as ****, even though it's only 100g per tire, feels like there is way more grip, way more predictable. I think I'll be faster on this tire, going to try Mezcals next.
What's the verdict? If those vittorias grip better then why not put an Icon on the rear- save some weight, gain some speed and have less grip on the back end so you don't understeer.
What's the verdict? If those vittorias grip better then why not put an Icon on the rear- save some weight, gain some speed and have less grip on the back end so you don't understeer.
and then take the vittoria off the front as well and run a maxxis. Because, maxxis master-race.
some people must learn for themselves. Vittoria=garbage.
Indeed. If you must have a lower weight tire in front. 2.25 Rekon Front (3c/exo/tr - 670g) and 2.25 Rekon Race Rear (EXO/tr/dual - 670g). Tires are subjective, but in the end it's all about rider confidence. Really, really experienced XC racers (especially xc epic or back country xc racers) will swear by the maxxis aspen front and rear. That's an amazing tire in terms of rolling resistance and bite point... but you better damn well be ready and able to handle the bike drifting.
That being said... I stand by @dcamp2 and I's previous recommendations... over tire yourself (especially on the front) until you can ride your mtb like you drive a miata. That is 6-10 degrees of yaw angle in every corner. Once you feel comfortable with that, keep tiring down until you feel the right amount of sketchy.
If any thing else, I'm super stoked to see you on a mtb. On days when you're getting slayed by sandbaggers classing down, at least you can double up a few jumps, manual through the heckle section and high five your competitors at the end.
What's the verdict? If those vittorias grip better then why not put an Icon on the rear- save some weight, gain some speed and have less grip on the back end so you don't understeer.
Need to ride them again, definitely less free than the Ikons, feels like too much tire but that tells me I need to push it more.
Originally Posted by EErockMiata
and then take the vittoria off the front as well and run a maxxis. Because, maxxis master-race.
Ikon has a higher rolling resistance than these according to the website which tests that ****.
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