Experienced roadie considering 1st MTB…advice needed

[Cato]

I ride all 3 - road, full suspension 26" mtn Flux and hard tail Kona Kula 29'er single speed. The 29'er is my go to bike for most all dirt rides, it's fast, light, fast handling and most importantly FUN!

I would recommend a 29'er, esp. if you've been riding road bikes with similar wheel size, it may feel more intuitive than smaller wheels. The larger wheels roll over obstacles better than 26", helping to smooth out the terrain. If you have the option for tubeless rims and tires, do that. You can run lower pressures (23- 25lbs) to soften the ride up a bit. Wider tires also help. Good luck!

[out_spokin']

Thanks for all the input everyone...looks like I better go ride some bikes! I'm going to talk to my fitter tomorrow to narrow down some options!

[Aggie_Ama]

I saw in the newest Mountain Bike Magazine Specialized has released a Myka Comp 29er. Retail price is $1,200, here's a link http://www.specialized.com/us/en/bc/...cname=Mountain.

[out_spokin']

Well I've gotten to do some test rides over the past few weeks and yesterday finally got to really demo a couple of bikes on trail. The test rides were OK in terms of sorting out a few fit issues, but not much else, as suspected. For example, the Giant XTC 29er got my attention for value and long shot on fit, but after a 5 minute ride my shoulders and neck felt stressed out like on my first road bike -- too long to fix with part swaps. My body is NOT built for stock bikes...

It seems like the WSD 29ers mentioned here are probably not tall enough, but at any rate I haven't yet found them to ride -- either high demand and/or not yet available early in the 2011 model year. I'm still interested and will do some more calling this week.

General thoughts: the FS bikes I've ridden feel more like bulky machines rather than the freedom devices I like bikes to be. However the first time I decided to take one hard, tight and fast around a corner (on pavement, but still) I had the lightbulb moment about why FS can be so cool. Wow do they hook up on turns. Haven't ridden one that sings to me yet, in 26 or 29.

Despite the geometry looking impossible, my closest LBS kept telling me to try their hardtail 29er demo (GT Peace 9er, lots of upgrades including front shock). It's not a total match on fit, but better than most I've tried, and what a fun bike to ride. I was instantly more confident on the singletrack section I rode. Some due no doubt to the similarity to my road/cross bike in some ways...

It also seems that despite quite amazing suspension front and rear (serious improvements from last time I played on any bike with it!) that I am one of those people who is sensitive to aluminum "buzz". I really liked the ride quality of the Peace 9er and forgot it was steel til I thought about it on the way back. And I've not yet really enjoyed a ride on an aluminum bike. I know there are other factors (tires/pressure, quality of the shock, etc.) but that might help me decide.

I had the opportunity to borrow a used Dean Titanium hard tail 26er to demo. The fit is better than some, but still would take some significant tweaks to get even in the "oh heck I'll just learn to ride this over the winter and think about something else later" ballpark. I wasn't as comfortable as with the Peace 9er, but I did like it better than any other hard tail 26er I've tried. The frame just feels good (and light!). I could definitely see what some of you have said about having to pick better lines and stay attentive without FS, and why that might be better for learning.

So....still no decisions, but really appreciating the insights from this group as I think about another round of visiting bike shops.

[jessmarimba]

I most appreciate FS when I really have to pee and the trail is too open to hide anywhere makes the ride back to the trailhead outhouses a little easier!

I definitely appreciate you updating us though! I'll keep everything you've said in mind when it's my turn to buy.

[out_spokin']

Hi all,
I'll post details once I get a couple more rides in and some pictures taken, but wanted to thank everyone for the advice here and elsewhere in the forum. Some thoughts to summarize for future reference:

FS: I really did learn to appreciate FS bikes and if I could have stretched my budget or ridden one that was truly my size I might have gone that direction. I decided to go lower budget in a hard tail which leaves me a bit of breathing room for upgrades and/or a start for the FS bike fund if I really get into MTB. The main trouble for me was not enough options in getting to try a WSD in a demo ride and not just short pavement test rides. I plan on paying much more attention to when travelling demo programs are in and around town over the spring/summer so I have a better chance of riding in real conditions. If anyone has insight on how to be sure to find out about them please post!

29ers: Just too much fun, and yeah, more confidence! There are a bunch of WSD's now showing up in showrooms for 2011. I rode the Specialized Myka 29er (nice, good price/value on the upper level one), the Giant Rainier 29er (good entry level package but felt too cheap for my experience), and a few other non-WSD bikes. Cannondale doesn't indicate anything on their website, but I spoke to an LBS owner friend and it seems they might have a WSD 29er coming, and the specs we looked at made it my favorite concept (geometry/value/components). But didn't want to wait!

Geometry - there didn't seem to be a ton of differences in geometry, at least not as much of a range as with the road bike companies I'm familiar with. The rule seems to be Looooong top tubes. What saved me in my purchase was the seat tube and head tube angles, which got me into the realm of being able to use stem length and angle to get my reach doable. In the long run I can see either going with the shortest WSD top tube possible if they go tall enough, or even going custom again. (more than a few local builders moving to a high percentage of 29ers!)

Learning - In two short-ish rides I'm already seeing the consequences of picking a good line vs. attempting to rely on suspension. I've already lowered the tire pressure and think eventually going tubeless to go lower will make a difference in my confidence/skills/comfort level in a sort of in-between FS and hardtail kind of way. I'm definitely looking forward to skills clinics in the spring and soaking up whatever I can in between now and then.

So....sometime after Christmas I'll post an introduction to my new bike.

[MyRubyE]

That's great that you chose the 29er and nothing wrong with a hardtail. That's how I started. Let me warn you though, trail riding becomes obsessive, and if you do decide on FS down the road; it does make a world of difference. Not so much when you first start out, but after you have been riding it for a while and you go back to a hard tail - you definitely will notice the difference.

Best of Luck and look forward to reading about your adventures.

[bcipam]

To bad you live in Colorado... my SO is finally getting around to thinking about selling his Santa Cruz Superlight. Would be a perfect bike for you... the frame is large. The bike is practically brand new (barely ridden at all). I love my Superlight - perfect bike for singletrack and flowy trails - ie - an ideal cross-country bike.

Will be interesting to see what you think of the 29er... not my cup of tea but is very fashionable right now.