what is more important for climbing?

[Irulan]

What is more important for climbing? The weight of the bike, the weight of the bike and the rider on it, the absence of rare suspension, or the skills of the rider?

you left out frame geometry, and fit. Those, and skills would be the top of my list.

Don't over think your first mountain bike purchase. Trust me, I know how easy this is to do.

Center of gravity is more about where YOU are on the bike. If your frame is too big, esp too long in the top tube then it becomes and issue, but honestly, I think you are over thinking this.

Saddle height relative to handle bars is about riding style. For a standard XC riding position and especially old school XC racing, the saddle is always higher than the bars. Once you move more towards all mountain geometry ( more slack) the rider position becomes more upright.

Some words of advice. If you are spending less than $1000, (you say entry level) you will always get more bang for your buck with a hardtail. Inexpensive FS bikes are heavier and more poorly componented that their hardtail brethren. If you can't spend at least $1500 on a FS I think you should forget it. I am also of the school that you learn better bike handling skills on a hardtail.

Wrenchscience is a good place to start but most importantly, get thee to a bike shop and ride/try lots of bikes. That will tell you more about what feels right than any web site calculator. Road bike fit is not the same as mountain bike fit. About the only thing that will be the same is actual saddle height for climbing. Most folks I know who have used road bike sizing to buy a mountain bike have ended up with a mountain bike that is too big, too long for them.


Irulan