Bike Options?

[WindingRoad]

So as some of you know, I'm a complete beginner when it comes to MB'ing. In fact I know absolutely nothing at this point except when I tried it in the past I crashed and scared myself to death. I did a LOT of things wrong back when I first attempted MB'ing. I went out alone, had WAY to much pressure in my tires, my bike was a crappy fit and my bars were so long that was actually what took me down :rolleyes:. I know now I had my saddle too high and I will NOT be clipping in for a LONG time if ever on a mountain bike. Fast forward to now, about 4 years later, wow can't believe its been that long! So I'm ready to give it another go, I feel like I know what NOT to do now. One big thing with me is the bike and how it fits. I'm one of those people that if I have a really crap fitting bike, like before, it just isn't any fun at all and I'm over it. I do a lot of road riding/commuting so now I really appreciate the benefits of a good fitting bike. I'm sure its the same in the mountain biking world. Next issue i have is I would like to minimize the amount of bumps/jars/bobbles as much as possible. I'd like to not punish my body doing this. This leads me to ask should I consider a 29'er bike or a full suspension bike??? Most of my riding will probably be in Pennsylvania however, which is VERY hilly. I get the impression the trails there are a bit more technical than what we have here in Indiana? I'm wondering if there is a drawback to having a full suspension bike or 29 inch wheels. My goal is to get as plush of a ride as possible and be able to use it wherever I am, whether its mid west or east coast. It's a bit hard to justify the cost but like I mentioned before I have 'nice' bikes on average and I really don't want a bike with crappy components because that really frustrates me when they screw up. I guess if I decide I totally hate it I can sell the bike pretty easily, especially in PA. I had a hardtail the last time I attempted MB'ing and needless to say that was NOT a good experience so I'm kinda thinking something different would be a positive. I would love to hear any suggestions, criticism, opinions etc anyone has on the subject. If it were you, how would you handle this?

[Irulan]

What is your budget?

[jessmarimba]

Oh boy. As far as what bike to get - I would try everything for now, because it seems to be a lot of personal opinion. But I'll tell you what I ride and why.

I have a 29er. For me, the bigger wheels really aid in getting up stuff. Going up hills in general, and going over stuff when you're going uphill. That's also aided by the fact that my bike is really light. I might've compromised and bought a bike with 26 inch tires if I could've found a really, really nice full-suspension bike at a price I could afford (Yeti 575, Santa Cruz, etc)...but that didn't happen. But the first time I rode a 29er I came home and told my BF something along the lines of "Now I understand why women buy giant SUVs for what seems like no reason" - the feeling of power was enough to really boost my confidence.

I ride a hardtail. Few reasons here - I couldn't afford full-suspension AND have everything else as nice as I wanted. The bike is lighter without rear suspension. And I had a pretty limited list of full-suspension bikes that I knew would work, and none of them came up in my price range while I was looking. But there's also the fact that, with how I ride and where I ride, I will be out of the saddle on the bumpiest sections of trail anyway, so rear suspension wouldn't do as much good. It'd be nice to have the option sometimes, but I get along fine without it. Especially with the larger tires, which give you more squish than on a 26 hardtail.

One other suggestion I have, is that if you want to avoid bumps/jars/bobbles - do everything you can to get the nicest front fork you can afford. I know when I was looking through the Giant catalog, there were two bikes at about the same price - one had good components and an ehhhh front fork, one had crappier components and a really nice fork. You can always save and upgrade the components in pieces, but a nicer front fork will be a big chunk of money all at once time if you upgrade later.

[WindingRoad]

My budget is under $2000.

Thanks Jess, that's good to know about the front fork. I will try to get the best one I can afford. I test rode a 29'er yesterday and it wasn't anything special but I definitely noticed the SUV and squish factor you mentioned. It felt really easy going over the bumps. I need to go ride some 26 inch full suspension bikes. I was looking at the Cannondale Lexi 2, Giant Cypher 2 and a Trek Fuel EX5 WSD as possibles. I plan to try them out here in the next couple of days.

[limewave]

My personal opinion is that if you don't plan on racing, get a full-suspension bike if you can. It's a plushy ride and a lot of fun. It may be a bit slower, but if you aren't racing, so it's not a big deal. I loved my full-suspension bike and it was the perfect bike to introduce me to the sport. I had a Trek Fuel.

The nice thing with 26" bikes is that they can be snappier in tighter, twisty sections of trail.

That being said, I do love my 29er I just got which is a hard-tail. I'm still getting used to riding a hard-tail and having the saddle bounce-up every time I go over some roots or rocky sections. I rode the full-suspension for 6 years, so adjusting to the hard-tail is taking some getting used to. I used to bomb on the downhills, but now its a bumpier ride and I'm learning how to descend all over again.

[Nick]

I'm new to mountain biking, so I have limited experience so far. However, I went from a hardtail to a full suspension this summer. I did a lot of research before buying and also considered a 29er as an alternative. I decided against that because of my size. I'm just barely 5'4, petite in build, and need to feel in control of the bike. A 26 inch full suspension gives me plenty of height, and a 29er was more than a tad too high for my comfort level.

There is a huge difference in feel with the fs vs hardtail. I have the Juliana RXC (Santa Cruz). This bike is much lighter than my hardtail, and very fast. She floats on trails and glides over glass and rocks. The Juliana actually feels "harder" on regular paths than on mb terrain. As soon as I hit terrain she seems to light up and start to fly.

[Catrin]

My FS Jamis Dakar XC Comp would fit in your budget! I HATE how she feels on pavement, but she feels just fine on dirt. I think there are a good number of other FS bikes that would as well, and you are taller than I so you would likely have more choices.

As far as PA being more technical than Indiana, I've been told that it depends on where you ride in Indiana, there are people who come from PA to Brown County to ride our single-track there. I've also heard the trails are much rockier further east because of the terrain.

That's about all I can contribute, but am glad to hear you are considering this again. Let me know if you want to ride the beginners loop at Fort Harrison, it is totally flat, no edges at all, just twisty-bendy through trees and across a couple of VERY low bridges.

[Becky]

It really depends where in PA you're riding. There's a lot of trail diversity. Generally, it's rocky and rooty. You'll see a wide variety of bikes....rigid singlespeeds to full-suspension trail bikes. For me, I think that the ideal "only bike" would be a short-travel (3"-4") 29er...something like a Niner Jet 9 or a Salsa Spearfish.

Do you have a shop in PA that you like? If so, I would ask the staff where they're riding and what type(s) of bikes they're riding for those specific trail systems.

[Aggie_Ama]

I love my 29er FS and have liked the 29er HTs I have rented but given you are trying to love the sport I would go with a 26" FS. The full suspension will help with the fatigue. If you aren't completely hung up on the speed then something plush with 5" of travel would be good but it is going to be heavier. You cannot get a FS 29er for your price but there are some 26er options that will fit.

My typical course is a mix of rock gardens, punchy climbs (ie short usually somewhat steep but not long), twisty, some roots but not as large as what I have heard the NE has. It is good to compare what people ride to see why they like what they ride.

[WindingRoad]

As much as id like to get a full suspension 29er I have decided to go with a 26er. I am having to curtail the budget a bit, decided to go with a Giant Cypher 1. It's dark red and has some really nice parts on it. Since I can't really tell much difference honestly between the bikes and they all seem rated good I decided to go with the one I could get the best deal on. :) I've ridden all the models I've been interested in several times and they all seem fine. I just don't think I have any idea what to feel for? They all feel good! :rolleyes:

[Catrin]

The poor Canondale is going to pine away for you ;) I certainly understand wanting to get a good deal, and I think it is great you decided to go forward with the FS. I know that I would be far less confident on a hard tail and would likely have problems walking afterwards - but I've a few years on you.

Let me know when you bring home your lovely new mountain bike and we will head over to the beginners loop at Ft. Harrison like we discussed :D

Is the red Giant the 2012 model? I thought it only came in white for 2011, but what do I know? Congratulations on the new ride!

[indysteel]

Good choice, WR! I've heard really good things about the rear suspension on that bike. I definitely like that bike in red. The white Cyper 2 isn't nearly as pretty. Let us know how your inaugural ride goes!

[WindingRoad]

Indy - Lol yeah I was NOT into the whole white mountain bike thing, I mean it's a mountain bike it's supposed to get dirty right?!?! Just wasn't feeling it with that color scheme. Catrin helped me eliminate that particular one from my list of possibles. I loved the Lexi but just couldn't get a very good deal on it. The Cypher has a lot better components and I have also heard very good things about the maestro suspension too. Let's hope I chose well :-)

[indysteel]

Indy - Lol yeah I was NOT into the whole white mountain bike thing, I mean it's a mountain bike it's supposed to get dirty right?!?! Just wasn't feeling it with that color scheme. Catrin helped me eliminate that particular one from my list of possibles. I loved the Lexi but just couldn't get a very good deal on it. The Cypher has a lot better components and I have also heard very good things about the maestro suspension too. Let's hope I chose well :-)

Brian's Redline 29er is white with black and red details. It's neat. The white Cypher though with the blue scroll work. Well, it's just not as need as the red one.

In any event, I tend to think you choose well. That bike appears to be speced very nicely. I'm glad you got a deal, too. That always helps.

Happy (and safe) riding!

[limewave]

I think you are going to love your new bike! Just looked over the specs and it looks like a really great bike. Happy Trails!

[Catrin]

She is a sweet bike for sure! May she bring you as much joy as my tough little Jamie :)

edited: I meant to say "Jamis" but Jamie might have to be her real name ;)

[WindingRoad]

I am pretty excited about it. :):):) I'm going to take it VERY slow to start this time. I don't want to go by myself either. That was a mistake I made before that I don't care to repeat. Is there anything I can do to work on just getting used to the bike in an off road fashion that doesn't require me to immediately jump into single track?

[indysteel]

I am pretty excited about it. :):):) I'm going to take it VERY slow to start this time. I don't want to go by myself either. That was a mistake I made before that I don't care to repeat. Is there anything I can do to work on just getting used to the bike in an off road fashion that doesn't require me to immediately jump into single track?

I'd be happy to meet you down at BCSP (or someplace closer to home) and run through the drills that we learned at the clinic. It's been forever and a day since I've seen you!

[indysteel]

One other option is to contact the person Catrin worked with for a private session. I'm not sure how much she would charge or if she's currently available, but I think it would be money well spent.

[Catrin]

One other option is to contact the person Catrin worked with for a private session. I'm not sure how much she would charge or if she's currently available, but I think it would be money well spent.

She has a broken foot so is unavailable....I would also be happy to go through the same drills we learned. It does help to go through them multiple times, for sure.

[WindingRoad]

Oh no! What happened Catrin! Did she have a MB accident?

Hey TJ if you are on here, hope you get to feeling better soon ;)

[WindingRoad]

Bike is gonna be here soon..... can't wait ;):D:)

[Catrin]

Oh no! What happened Catrin! Did she have a MB accident?

Yes, it was a fluke kind of thing, just put her foot down wrong.


Bike is gonna be here soon..... can't wait ;):D:)

Whoohooo! Oh yes, I need to come over and inspect it when you get it home....hmmmm... make certain all the parts are there....yeah...that's it! After all, I only live a half-mile away, that is the least I can do for a friend :D

[indysteel]

Oh no! What happened Catrin! Did she have a MB accident?

Hey TJ if you are on here, hope you get to feeling better soon ;)

TJ's not the one with the broken foot; it's another local instructor who taught at the clinic. Catrin can give you more details.....:)

[Catrin]

Thanks Indy, I wasn't going to give the details but that is how I understood it to happen. I didn't catch who Winding Road was referring to until after you posted...

Winding Road, it really helped me a LOT to practice the drills that IndySteel mentioned. Either of us, or both of us, can do them with you. I suspect, however, with your commuting experience that your body will take to it much quicker than mine did. If you only start counting my riding time to when I actually started riding on the real road, I've only been REALLY riding since April-May 2010, so not even a year and a half of experience, you have so much more than that ;) :cool:

[indysteel]

Thanks Indy, I wasn't going to give the details but that is how I understood it to happen. I didn't catch who Winding Road was referring to until after you posted...

Winding Road, it really helped me a LOT to practice the drills that IndySteel mentioned. Either of us, or both of us, can do them with you. I suspect, however, with your commuting experience that your body will take to it much quicker than mine did. If you only start counting my riding time to when I actually started riding on the real road, I've only been REALLY riding since April-May 2010, so not even a year and a half of experience, you have so much more than that ;) :cool:

Sorry if I spoke out of turn. If you'd like me to delete the post, just let me know. I mostly just wanted to correct WR's assumption that it was TJ who broke her foot.

[jessmarimba]

Not relevant to the new bike (congrats!!) but I did the same foot thing. Not mountain biking, I walked down the stairs off of a bus and broke mine. If you turn your ankle slightly the wrong way the torsion can snap your 5th metatarsal pretty easily. Stupid easily.

Just one more reason for my reputation for breaking things in ridiculous accidents.

ETA - don't want to imply that I'm currently broken. That happened a couple years ago.

[indysteel]

Not relevant to the new bike (congrats!!) but I did the same foot thing. Not mountain biking, I walked down the stairs off of a bus and broke mine. If you turn your ankle slightly the wrong way the torsion can snap your 5th metatarsal pretty easily. Stupid easily.

Just one more reason for my reputation for breaking things in ridiculous accidents.

I can't believe I haven't managed to do that at some point in my life. Knock on wood.....

[Catrin]

Sorry if I spoke out of turn. If you'd like me to delete the post, just let me know. I mostly just wanted to correct WR's assumption that it was TJ who broke her foot.

I don't have a sense of how private a person she is, perhaps just give her first name? Of course everyone who knows her knows of her injury so it is probably OK.


Not relevant to the new bike (congrats!!) but I did the same foot thing. Not mountain biking, I walked down the stairs off of a bus and broke mine. If you turn your ankle slightly the wrong way the torsion can snap your 5th metatarsal pretty easily. Stupid easily.

Just one more reason for my reputation for breaking things in ridiculous accidents.

ETA - don't want to imply that I'm currently broken. That happened a couple years ago.

Glad to hear that was in the past (whew!) I've seen other people have similar injuries, sometimes just from not knowing a step-down was there and not finding the floor where we expected it. I've had a large number of ankle injuries over the year, but that had to do with my mother having an incorrect set of instructions for my feet ;) I had major foot reconstructive surgery in 2004 to fix the worse of my two feet, no falls since then (knock on wood).

[WindingRoad]

That's a bum deal breaking your ankle on a complete whim! Hope SMC gets better soon ;)

I'd love any and all help Catrin AND/OR IndySteel wants to give me with this mountain biking bit. I don't plan to ever go out by myself again. I really think being alone scared me in some ways worse than just the crash itself. It's an awful feeling knocking yourself silly and realizing that no one knows where you are. Buddy system from here on out! :)

[Catrin]

That's a bum deal breaking your ankle on a complete whim! Hope SMC gets better soon ;)

I'd love any and all help Catrin AND/OR IndySteel wants to give me with this mountain biking bit. I don't plan to ever go out by myself again. I really think being alone scared me in some ways worse than just the crash itself. It's an awful feeling knocking yourself silly and realizing that no one knows where you are. Buddy system from here on out! :)


No need to do what you are uncomfortable doing :) I find I like going out by myself, but someone generally knows where I am and I text them when I am done. She knows who to call to come looking for me should something happen and I don't check in :cool: :D I am less self-conscious working on new things solo, but it is very nice to ride with others as well. Nothing wrong with the buddy system, for sure.

Are you planning on clipping in from the beginning or starting with a good pair of BMX or other platform pedals?

[indysteel]

Brian and I usually head out to BCSP every weekend/every other weekend weather depending. We're going on vacation soon, but hope to make it out there sometime this weekend. We're camping there the weekend of the 15th. You just let me know if you'd like to meet. Of course, we don't need to meet at Brown County, but I tend to think that you might want to take a lap around Pine Loop after some drills. You just need to get your mojo back. :)

[Catrin]

Might I suggest hitting the beginners loop at ft Harrison before heading to brown county? Pine is indeed a beginners loop, but thus other trail is even less technical and would allow you a chance to start getting the feel of things a bit before Pine.

Until the snow flies I will be at BCSP every Saturday that I can make it and will camp every weekend that I can afford it. Next Saturday I will be at the Hope Ride. Of course we dont have to meet in Brown County...

[kimikaw]

Hey WR...
First off. Love the new commuter (I know off topic, but I kinda lust after Salsas) *and* your new MTB.

Back on topic.

Realize you don't know me, but I think Indy and Catrin would vouch for me. I'll be down at BCSP the late afternoon of the 16th and morning of the 17th. If you wanted someone to try Pine Loop and LimeKiln with, happy to do so. I'm a pretty new MTBer. Plan on pushing myself a bit out there (which means maybe, just maybe if I get my nerve, doing Green Valley). But I really love LimeKiln. So would be glad to ride a couple of out and backs if you wanted to come down Saturday morning. I just have to leave by 12-1pm and head to STL. The Foo Fighters will be anxiusly awaiting my arrival. (or something like that(

[indysteel]

I'll vouch for Kim! She's more experienced than either Catrin or myself. I'm bummed I'm going to miss her this visit.

[Catrin]

I'll vouch for Kim! She's more experienced than either Catrin or myself. I'm bummed I'm going to miss her this visit.

Same here...I will be doing the Hope Ride the day she is available.

[WindingRoad]

Kim - I just got back to notice this, unfortunately I work both of those days. I would have definitely taken you up on that had I been free. Raincheck maybe?
Thanks for the mutual Salsa love, lol. I love that bike, it makes me want to go to work just for the ride :D

Here's the pics of my new Cypher :D I JUST got to ride it for the first time around the neighborhood so far so good. :):):)

[indysteel]

Neato, WR. Has anyone helped you set up the suspension? In my limited experience, it may take some time and more than a few rides to tweak it to your liking, and you may want to make additional tweaks depending on specific trail conditions. My shop set up the Juliana based initially on my weight. After a few rides, though, DH and I reset both the fork and shock and played around with the settings. It's still a work in progress to some degree as I've gotten a feel for the bike. I would suggest reading the instructions on Fox's website how to do that. I also had to do some independent reading to get a better understanding of certain terms, e.g., rebound, dampening, sag. It's a whole different world from road bikes.

[Catrin]

You will need to put a few miles on that suspension to break the seals before a sag test can be done - that is optimum to get the best fitting on the suspension (Nebo Ridge was very clear about that). Will your LBS do that as part of your new bike fit?

Beautiful bike! She looks very close to the same color as my Gunnar - can't wait to see it in person!

You know, before I hit the trails I would take my Jamis over to Eagle Creek and ride in the large grassy area back in the circle drive to help me adjust to the feel of my bike and shifting. There are small things to roll over, trees to circle, and the ground surface differs though it is flat. Not a bad place to play, the only thing that would make it better would be a grassy hill :)

[indysteel]

You might find this (http://www.giant-bicycles.com/backoffice/_upload_us/bikes/models/manual/08SuspensionQSGuide20070609.pdf) from Giant's website helpful, too.

[WindingRoad]

Ok so now that I've got to ride my bike some I have discovered that my rear shock is blown out?!?! I have not really been able to ride it but maybe 5-6 times. As anyone who rides off road with me knows, I am certainly not doing any crazy jumps. I haven't had the bike for more than a year yet so I am correct to assume that their is a warranty from either Giant or Fox?:(

[Catrin]

Ok so now that I've got to ride my bike some I have discovered that my rear shock is blown out?!?! I have not really been able to ride it but maybe 5-6 times. As anyone who rides off road with me knows, I am certainly not doing any crazy jumps. I haven't had the bike for more than a year yet so I am correct to assume that their is a warranty from either Giant or Fox?:(

Is it possible that it just needs air? I am sure you would have already checked that but wanted to mention it just in case. When they did the SAG test when you originally had the suspension set up for your weight they should have told you at what pressure it should be set.

[WindingRoad]

I just brought it to a local shop yesterday and it is aired up and they did help me tweak things a bit more too. I dunno if you remember my friend we rode with on the beginners trail in Indy but her shock would always lock out and the lever felt like it was actually doing something when you pushed it. I know this shock doesn't do a complete lock out but from what I can tell and the shop guy could tell its not doing anything when you adjust the lever.



Is it possible that it just needs air? I am sure you would have already checked that but wanted to mention it just in case. When they did the SAG test when you originally had the suspension set up for your weight they should have told you at what pressure it should be set.

[Catrin]

I just brought it to a local shop yesterday and it is aired up and they did help me tweak things a bit more too. I dunno if you remember my friend we rode with on the beginners trail in Indy but her shock would always lock out and the lever felt like it was actually doing something when you pushed it. I know this shock doesn't do a complete lock out but from what I can tell and the shop guy could tell its not doing anything when you adjust the lever.

Sounds like a warranty issue to me... I figured you had checked the air but had to ask :)