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8/15/2006
Location
Woodstock , NY
US
Edited Date/Time
9/2/2014 4:13pm
Looking to get into Mtn bike racing. There is a local series that I would like to try. W
Any suggestions on a bike that would get the job done but not break the bank? I have a. High end road bike but I am looking to stay under $1500. Should I look used or is the something new that would work in that price range? I would be racing XC in the cat3 40+ class
Any suggestions on a bike that would get the job done but not break the bank? I have a. High end road bike but I am looking to stay under $1500. Should I look used or is the something new that would work in that price range? I would be racing XC in the cat3 40+ class
$1,500 will get you a good hardtail. It's probably a bit on the light end of the fully suspended market.
If you're any bigger than 185 lbs and around the 6' mark, I'd highly suggest a 29er or maybe the 27.5 sized wheels. the 27.5 bikes are a new option that seem to be a happy medium between the 26 and 29.
I got my Cannondale Trail SL3 29er for about $1,100 in early 2013. I love the bike. No problem with it at all after probably 1,000 to 1,500 miles. I ride it on and off road regularly. I've only replaced the chain and tires on it. Leave yourself some room to put on a new seat, pedals and shoes. Maybe some new grips as well.
Things to look for in a mountain bike that are pretty standard on bikes in your price range are double walled wheels (don't even consider anything with single wall wheels), deore rear derailleur or better, I forget what the front derailleur is on my bike. Hydraulic brakes make for much more comfortable braking but mechanical disk brakes work just fine. All bikes in that price range should have disc brakes of some sort. For the most part, dollar for dollar, each bike manufacturer offers comparable components at each price point. Each brand fits slightly different so go sit on a few of the different brands and see which one feels most comfortable.
About 14 of us in our dirt bike club have also started or restarted riding mtb in the last year.
Wreck, I saw where you mentioned clip less pedals the other day. I do them on the street, but switched on mtb back to not clipless or whatever, do to riding in a group and everyone stopping every .5 mile or so.
If you are strictly racing XC and want to be fast, go for a hardtail. If you want to dabble in racing and have more fun just riding, look for a lightly used full suspension bike. Pinkbike and MTBR have good used bikes as well as craigslist. Make sure to look at geometry, suspension components and drivetrain components and get the best for exactly what you want to do.
Don't buy a bike thinking you can upgrade components later because by the time you need to upgrade components you will need a lot more than what you plan to upgrade. And cross country geometry is not great for steep terrain but the newer trail bikes are pretty good for beginner cross country trails/racing.
I have a 27.5 Raliegh Tokul2 that I got for $650. I bought it as a trail bike and it was the most I could afford. I does okay getting up the mountain and does well going down. I'm at its limit for both most of the time. The stock tires it came with were terrible so I have new tires now but be aware that tires can be up to $80 each! The fork is entry level (Suntour) but it works okay for the capabilities of the bike. The geometry is more for trail riding than racing and it has nice wide, flat bars that make for a comfortable, controlled ride.
I have two mtn bikes right now: a Salsa Spearfish; and a Specialized Stumpjumper.
The Salsa is an aluminum-framed dual suspension bike that is made for endurance racing. While it has rear suspension, it is not "plush" by any means. It is only meant to round off the sharp edges so that you can stay seated. With carbon wheels, it weighs in at about 27 lbs.
The Stumpjumper is a carbon-fiber hardtail set up on a 1x10 drive train. It also has carbon wheels, and weighs about 22 lbs.
If I was going to race, I would be on the hardtail all the way. Weight is EVERYHING, and sacrificing a little bike extra work (lifting your butt off the seat over obstacles) is well worth the effort. Fully suspended bikes are very fast and efficient, but to get one that is light enough for serious racing, you are looking at $2,500 plus.
Like was said above, spend until it hurts; DO NOT buy with the mindset of up-grading later. They (the manufacturers) can get a much better deal on the components than you can, so buy all the bike that you can afford. Plus, if you get something that REALLY makes you smile, you will ride it that much more.
If you can sneak a little more money into it, go to www.light-bicycle.com , and get a set of carbon wheels. You will not get a bigger bang for your buck than getting a light wheelset. Use your stock wheels for training, and on race day, slap on the carbon wheels (set up tubeless) and you will feel like your bike is turbo-charged.
The Shop
Each wheelset has its own advantages and disadvantages.
26" Accelerates quick and Light, but does not roll over trail obstacles as well as others
29" Rolls over EVERYTHING, a steamroller when it gets up to speed, but a bigger wheel weighs more
27.5" Accelerates like 26" wheel, quick turner, rolls over everything, steamroller when going. No disadvantages!
In my opinion, the 27.5" is a combination of the best traits from the other wheelsets. It is not a compromise in any way, but displays the better traits of each of the other two wheelsizes.
My previous bike to these two 29'ers was a 650b (27.5") single-speed, and it was a GREAT BIKE. Frame size was a little small, and I got tired of single-speeding.
Oh and TX24, as for clipless, you get guys on both sides of the arguments. I see the benefit in both sides. If I were stopping regularly in a group, I'd probably do the same thing. Clipless shoes are not fun in the "oh shit" moments either but there are a few root patches and rock gardens that I kept losing my feet on so I decided to make the change. I could take it or leave it at this point.
Might look at a few bike shops to see if that's standard in your area also. That means quite a bit. I've had a few times where I was going on a ride and I noticed something was off on my bike and my LBS fixed the bike immediately just so I could make my ride.
Examples, I have seen 5'0" girls on size-XS frames with 29" wheels. It's ridiculous. They would almost always be better with 26 or 27.5 from both a weight and handling perspective. And I've seen 6'3" 225 pound guys on all-mountain or enduro bikes with 26" wheels. Looked crazy and you could tell the bike would be better suited to them with 29 wheels. I guess what I'm saying is at the extremes of frame size and body size, geometry comfort, and handling get compromised by sticking to certain wheel sizes.
I have a hardtail and a FS bike, both carbon, both medium, and both 29". They turn plenty quick enough. I also am +40 Cat 3. I would only use the hardtail for racing if the course was almost completely smooth. We have lots of rock gardens here and the rocks beat the piss out of you on the hardtail. common logic is that a hardtail is lighter and climbs better but I have found that the FS allows me to stay seated and pedaling through the rocks and keeps driving forward. With the hardtail, either my ass is bouncing off the seat or the tire is bouncing off the ground. That said, my FS bike is a Specialized Epic Carbon-Comp. About a $4k bike with not much weight penalty compared to the hardtail.
Coming from road biking, mountain bikes are more expensive and more maintenance intensive. You've got suspension and disc brakes to deal with and dirt and mud getting in everything.
As for clipless pedals, this is almost not even a discussion. That would be like a newbie MX racer trying to decide if he should wear MX boots or not to race. No one trying to race XC MTB except for a total basher would use flat pedals. Clipless is HUGE advantage. As for group rides, well, if you are going to use clipless to race you better be comfortable with them on group rides. Yes, you could use flats for group rides, but it's easy to get used to clipless and clipping in/out at frequent stops becomes instinctive. You can also set the tension up loose for those oh-shit moments. Yeah, you will fall on your ass a few times initially, but you'll get used to them.
You might be better off going out on local group rides. Sometimes those get competitive. That's all I needed to know I'm not racerboy material. Good luck.
You will definitely need a large frame. I'm 6' and 210 and ride a Large. And at your size, I'd recommend a 29er. I don't have any experience on a 27.5 but I wouldn't shy away from them at this point either.
What brands are you leaning towards?
26 is not even really an option for a new bike......
I'm 6'2", 190lbs and ended up getting a Jamis Dragon 29er large frame and this is what I learned:
- Craigslist was great but it took about 5 weeks of searching to find a bike I wanted in my size and price range.
- Some may disagree but frames seem to be about the same and it's the components that matter. Anything in your price range should have hydraulic disk brakes, quality shifters and a decent fork. After a few test rides, the fork makes a huge difference. Do some research to know what to get from RockShox, Fox, Manitou etc. Same with SRAM and Shimano.
- Brand names like Cannondale, Giant, Trek etc. are good but you pay for the middle man/local bike shop. I came close to buying an Airborne and the Seeker and Goblin get really good reviews. Look at Bikesdirect.com as well. You'll do some basic assembly but it doesn't look difficult.
- Wheels/tires = weight. I'm OK with my bike at 28lbs but I wouldn't want to race it at that weight. See Shiftfaced comments.
My only other advice is to not ride with anyone more serious about it than you are. Most of my riding is with friends that have high end, full susp bikes so I'm constantly thinking about how to get a better bike. Plus, most of the riding in Austin is rocky with lots of dropoffs and ledges so they tend to drop me in those areas. On the plus side, it makes me feel better about myself when I can keep up with them. Good luck with your search.
http://aushiker.com/where-was-my-bicycle-made/
Pit Row
Best bet, sit on both, preferably at a shop that has some mountain bike oriented staff that can help size you up. Some shops are more road oriented and some shops have sales staff that hardly ride themselves.
if you want to get best buck for the money in new bike purchase..29r singlespeed.
Bigger frames weigh more, flex more, and are not as quick. If you can reasonably make up any difference is a seat post and/or steering stem, that is the route I'd go.
his best bet is to try a large at high speed negotiating trails. he may or should feel its too twitchy and wont hold its line well.smaller frame bike always feels great at lower speed or parking lot test.een there done that.
When you get into more technical riding, stand over clearance becomes CRITICAL.
Too big of a frame, and you can start smashing Frank and Beans.
Talk to somebody at a shop. They will set you straight.
I like gears.
Funny enough though, I sometimes question how much the suspension really does for you. On several occasions I've gone out with my fork locked out and didn't realize it until I got back to the truck.
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