Trail or All Mountain?

[cal4ever]

Greetings, Ladies! I've been a long time lurker and have gotten fantastic advice from just reading the forum. I'm hoping that someone can help me with my dilemma.

I'm a road cyclist turned mountain biker. I still love my road bike (I ride a 2010 44cm Ruby Expert [bought a test bike for an amazing deal!!]), but I've recently been bitten by the mountain biking bug. Actually, I've been bitten HARD! I'm currently riding a small 2011 Myka FSR comp. It's definitely fine and suits my current skill level, but it is a little heavy and I wouldn't mind a little more travel.

My dilemma is whether I should look into trail bikes or all mountain bikes? Granted, there are more trail bikes out there that are my size (i.e. safire pro, xxs pivot and so forth), but I haven't found a lot of all mountain bikes that would fit me. I intend to do a lot of climbing with my bike and various descents (though nothing where I would drop 2 or 3 feet!!!!). Would a trail bike be sufficient? And if so, any recommendations would be great!!!

Again, thanks!

[Irulan]

What's the the difference in travel? I tend to put all mountain and trail in the same category which I know may not be accurate. IIRC all mountain has a little more travel and a little more slack geometry... is that correct ( brain is fuzzy this morning)

[SheFly]

What's the the difference in travel? I tend to put all mountain and trail in the same category which I know may not be accurate. IIRC all mountain has a little more travel and a little more slack geometry... is that correct ( brain is fuzzy this morning)

You are correct. The all mountain bikes are heavier, have more travel both front and rear, and do have a different geometry. They' in between a trail bike and a downhill bike - good for free-riding.

A cross country bike will be lighter and have less travel (but likely enough for what you will be doing). I currently have a cross country bike, but have had both. I race, so prefer the cross country, and can still manage any type of free ride-type stuff I want to do (which is limited). Would I ride this down a mountain? Yes, but not on downhill-specific trails, likely.

Try both, but that should help you clarify the differences.

SheFly

ETA: the travel difference is usually 1". A cross country will have 4" vs 5" for an all mountain, for example...

[Artista]

I vote for fit over travel. I ended choosing an XXS Pivot Mach 4 because of the fit. I'm excited about not hitting the top bar the way I have been on my too big Specialized when I have to come off the saddle hard & fast. We small women can improve our skills to overcome lack of travel but we can't grow longer legs or torso if we get a bike that's too big.

About climbing, my understanding is that the XC geometry is more conducive to climbing than all mountain geometry.

[cal4ever]

Thanks for the suggestion, everyone! I've tried a few bikes, and so far, Specialized bikes fit me the best. I'll have to try a Pivot xxs.

[Artista]

Based on my experience, you may have a tough time finding an XXS Pivot to test ride. None of the dealers in my state stocked that size. Fortunately, someone was sponsoring a Pivot demo within a month of when I began shopping. I am so glad that I waited to make my decision until after the demo. The Pivot was awesome & turned out to be THE ONE, but there was no way that I would have invested that kind of $$$ in a bike without test riding it first.

Here's a link to Pivot's demo schedule in case you have the same difficulties locating an XXS that I did. http://www.pivotcycles.com/demo I'd call Pivot if you don't see a demo in your area. They may be able to hook up with an LBS near you so that you can test one, (or 2 or 3 or 4). The great thing about Pivot's demos is that they bring all of their bikes in all of the sizes. You can do back-to-back test rides on Pivot's XC & all mountain bikes in various sizes to determine which suits you best.