Mountain Biking Cross-Satisfaction?

I rode mountain bikes hard (raced a bit) in my 30s. Around the time John Tomac was taking over the racing aspect. To me, downhill single track is as fun and exhilarating as moto single track. A whole different mind set for the uphill climbing. You really have to enjoy the challenge of the grind. That said at 64 I have a nice, middle of the road Specialized Epic Comp that I really enjoy. But I enjoy my 200xc-w and fe350 more.

Do both.  You don't have to drive as far to ride the bicycle and they cost less to keep running.

I had a knee injury in 2021 resulting in a trashed meniscus, cartilage and a reconstructed ACL in early 2022.  My knee doesn't bother me too much, but I decided that running is no longer a good way to get my cardio during the week. 

I bought an old but high end downhill / free-ride bike (Transition Bike Company) to get me through the physical therapy and get back in shape.   Turns out I love mountain bikes and after a little over a year I'm fit and riding local trails almost every day of the week for about an hour.

I've backed down my motocross riding and racing (especially during the rainy Fall / Winter) and I plan to hit the bigger, more fun races each year.   In July of 2023 without riding moto in over a month, I jumped on my YZ125 and I was right in the hunt in 40+A class.

I've been saying that the mountain bike keeps me fit and it matches the rate of inflation at the moto skills bank.

Your BMX skills combined with moto skills will make you a badass on a mountain bike.  I was never a BMX kid, but my moto skills and my open mind to learn have allowed me to be a fast local guy on a bicycle, even on a 16 year old 26" bike.

For all the reasons you stated, mountain biking will help fill the moto void. I grew up riding and racing BMX and I was very against it for a couple years but when the closest track closed and riding was an all day event with 4-5 hour roundtrip driving and having 2 kids it started to make more sense. I first told myself it was just to train for moto but now I ride mainly MTB. I ride at least 2 days a week and after work at that. It is a great workout and I am someone who loves the physical beating of the climb. All we have here is super technical rocky single track but there is flowy, jumpy stuff an hour away and riding the park at Snow Summit is just like moto. Not sure what trails are like in KY but if they are flowy and jumpy you will love it. Most MTB guys are afraid to jump and coming from moto all the jumps are way smaller and easy to send.

Unfortunately, If you like spending your money on moto then you will on MTB also. MTB has come along ways and the bikes are so good these days. Do you have moto buddies that MTB? Rent a bike and go with them to see if its what you want. 

we have/still MX/MTB/BMX

MTB is much cheaper. its wild what the bikes cost, but that intial investment and you are almost done on expenditures for years.  do not buy into the hype of the mtb industry that you need a new bike every year, you dont.  upgrade parts when they wear.  the mtb industry survives off convincing everyone every year there current bike is obselete, 100x worse than mx does.  

i'll be honest, i MUCH prefer mx any day, but i always enjoy my mtb.  ecsp when we DH/go to a bike park with lift/shuttle.  biggest question i'd check on your situation is what sort of trail availibilithy you have. if you are in KY, snowshoe wv (in the summer) is a MUST go.  (and somewhat unrelated, but derby city bmx in l'ville used to be a track favorite for us )

For me the accessibility and convenience of MTB is insane. Outside of the long summer days it’s difficult for me to get a full day of work and some motos in on weekdays, with mtb it’s absolutely no problem. I ride my mtb pretty much every day at this point and while I still ride moto occasionally, it does fill the void. A depressing truth that was rather shocking to me was to come into the mountain bike community and find city plans for new trails, countless trail building organizations, and initiatives to maintain/protect the trail systems we do have. In my 27 years of life I can’t think of very many new off-road riding opportunities here in Washington State or moto tracks that are open to the public. Every year it seems like a few places close and nothing opens to replace them. In comparison to dirt bikes, I’d estimate there are possibly 10-15 times more riding areas for mountain bikes here. Sadly I am quite a bit more optimistic about the future of that sport than I am for the future of moto, but I truly hope I am wrong. At this point, it’s difficult to consider buying a new 450 over a new mountain bike just based on how difficult it is to fit motocross into my life and the lack of riding areas, and if you’re in the same situation I would recommend doing the activity that provides to most opportunity for you to go riding on a consistent basis.

In regards to getting a decent setup, I recommend getting a fairly new bike. The geometry and general way a mountain bike is made seems to have changed drastically over the past two decade compared to dirt bikes. I could take a 2005 YZ250 to a motocross track and have a great time, not trash the bike, ride my normal class, etc. but I have no interest in riding a mountain bike from that era and would likely destroy one pretty quick. The geometry, suspension, wheel durability/size, bars and everything else from that era or even the early 2010s feel completely irrelevant to what bikes are today. As you sound like an experienced dirt bike rider, the frame geometry, wheel/bar/stem sizes, and suspension will feel much more familiar to you on a 2018+ trail or enduro bike. 

I think there's a reason we have a vitalmx and vitalmtb . Once you get comfortable on the mtb and can push yourself like you can on a dirt bike, the feeling is almost the same. The sills don't exactly transfer over 1:1 but like surfing/skating they're pretty close and doing one at least keeps you in basic shape for the other. 

This will have a lot to do with the rider/person you are - do you think you will find joy in earning your descents by climbing, or are you solely seeking an adrenaline rush?

After answering this, consider accessibility to relevant trails in your area - are there bike parks or gravity based trails with shuttle bus access? How far away are they compared to local MX facilities?

What makes me love MTB so much is the proximity of great trails within half hour and a lack of noise pollution to consider - I'm on the bike at sunrise, done an hour or 2 later, home for breakfast completely fulfilled. WIth moto, its at least an hour to the nearest facility that likely doesn't open before 8am. Not to mention that its 20 minutes to wash and detail my bike, immediately ready to go again for its next ride. Next to no maintenance. 

Budget/athletic ambitions factored in, consider an E-Bike also - either full power or light weight lower powered versions. I am time poor and exercise the excuse of being a dad, so absolute fun, not fitness, is my priority. I can punch triple the amount of laps, maybe more, at my local bike park than a non E-Bike can (I ride a Specialized Kenevo SL for those following along). I get maximum fun factor in a minimal period of time. The other cool thing with E-Bikes are the ability to modulate the amount of assistance depending on how fit you are feeling.

Note: I am a gravity guy. My cup is filled by bombing down the hill not being the fastest and fittest getting to the top. It completely fills the void for me that is not having a dirt bike. 

All the best! 

I changed from mx to mtb about 10 years ago after racing mx/enduro for 30 years. There's not the same adrenaline rush as mx (nothing can match that) but it's so accessable. In the UK, riding my mx bike meant a day committed to travelling to a crowded track waiting for a session, or all day at a track waiting for three ten minute races. If I want to ride mtb, I can get fit on zwift indoors, or just ride anywhere outdoors locally in the evenings in summer after work. It's easy to grab an hour or two even in a busy schedule.

I got into the long distance multi day stuff, and have seen places I would never have gone near before or even heard about. It's not the adrenaline rush doing this, but the freedom and the opportunities to explore that it opens up, if you go more into the XC side of things. You can go pretty much anywhere and not upset the locals.

The only downside is; I'm fitter now at 53 than I ever was during my mx days and wish I knew then what I know now! Ah, hindsight...

I recently made a major life change too...less money now, fewer moto opportunities. But now instead of track houses, I'm in a rural setting. Plus, I ended up near some really good MTB trails and bike parks. I can ride my MTB to a gondola straight from my house. So I've been doing more MTBing recently.

The verdict: I miss MX.

I was planning to upgrade my MTB but I decided to put the money toward a used MXer. I can't live without motorcycles. For me, as fun as it is....MTB isn't cutting the mustard

Have been a Bmx guy my whole life, then Enduro Mtb as I could never afford dirt bikes and all that comes with it until more recently. 
 

Mtb is the best, and most convenient hobby. Great fitness, you can load up in 5 minutes, ride any day of the week, and avoid so much maintenance. Trails are everywhere for holidays too, accessibility is the best. People get paid to build trails for you (depending where you live). And you don’t need much gear to get going. 
 

I find it’s only as expensive as you let it be. Lots of new second hand parts going around to save $$.  

I was missing moto after not riding for a long time, and bought a mountain bike hoping it would be a safe way to scratch that itch. After casing a tiny jump on it, and breaking a bone for the first time in my life, I got frustrated at the skill gap I had from MTB to moto, bought a new bike and started racing after a decade off. I keep the MTB wheels on the ground now, but I definitely noticed it helps keep me in shape and I enjoy it now and then. Helps having trails a couple miles from my house.

I would keep a dirtbike if you can. Even if you only get to ride a third as often because of "life", you will appreciate it that much more when you do get to ride! Plus its not that expensive to keep a bike and gear around if you already have it. Cost of maintenance goes down with how little you ride it. It will be more expensive to sell your stuff, find out you made the wrong decision, and have to start over.

That said mountain biking definitely helps fill the void. Especially if you have not rode mx recently, the adrenaline factor is there more. It tapers off the more you ride moto though as it becomes comparatively less exciting. It may be more exciting if we lived where there are actual mountains, and had gondolas at our disposal. But XC stuff is still fun. Also XC trails are good exercise and super accessible. 

I ride mountain bikes 3x as much as moto, even though I like moto much more. Its only as expensive as you make it. I'm riding a used 10 year old bike, and seem to get around a lot of people on really expensive new stuff. And very little maint. time and cost.

 

My true love is dirt bikes but for a few years I worked away from home for between five to fourteen days at a time, with only one or two days off after the shift. I was provided a van but it was too small for a dirt bike. I rode when I was back at home but often it would be ride one week then maintain the bike the next week and ride the next etc. 

I tried buying and taking bikes with me to fill the void and ended up using MTB then an E-MTB then going to a BMX. For me personally nothing ever came close, every ride on the mountain bikes I just wanted to be on a dirt bike. I literally never rode a mountain bike on a ride that I didn't just want to be on a dirt bike. The BMX is different enough that it was its own thing and I still ride BMX now as it's fun and I feel it translate into my confidence offroad.

Mountain bikes are just a bit of fun that's cheap (after the initial investment) and good for fitness, I'd ride MTB on a week night and if I worked away again and if you live in an area you can cycle to shops or the gym etc they are really good for that too. But if you offered me a day out on a top of the range EMTB or a ride out on my KTM its dirt bikes every single time.

Vet 30A and cat2-1 xc mtb racer. Mtb is great and does help fill in the void, although there is something special about moto that cannot be matched. Mtb generally requires less time and money, but don’t be fooled, you will spend a lot of time and money doing it. 

There is one thing about moto that is different from any sort of bicycle; if you don’t do it often enough, it takes awhile to build your pace up again. This obviously depends on your skill level to some degree but those first few rides back are brutal 😂 

If you are only going to miss a few weeks at a time between sessions or if you can schedule a couple days in a row once or twice a month, I’d say keep the bike. I ran that schedule for a few years and it filled the itch. Kept it safe, had fun and really appreciated every lap. 

Yeah I’d say it fills that void 90-95% . Last rode dirt bikes in 2017 but had to get back for scoliosis at 27 in the end of 2021. I took a big hit money wise. Got MTB is love the convenience. Only takes up 1-3 hrs of the day and can go anytime of day. I’m in the best shape I’ve ever been. Over 12000 miles this year. A have a state park 10 mins away. Probably 10 trails with in a hour. I demoed 2 e-bikes ( specialized and orbea) that closes they gap even more. It was so fun and you aren’t drained after a 10-15 mile ride. I’m definitely getting a emtb as soon as can. I got a full suspension under 2000, Marin riftzone. I have fun on it but definitely eyeing up a emtb

Get a long travel EMTB. You will get shiiit loads of riding in and it let's you really hammer rough stuff.

Not sure what tight budget is to you but this is a smoking deal I saw go on sale, it will do it all and can hold its own in the bike park. You can find something used worthwhile for $1500-$2000 if you look for a while the bike market is really low currently. 

Stumpjumper EVO Elite Alloy (specialized.com)

I rode moto when I was younger then got super into bikes the past 5 years and now back into offroad riding/racing again 4 years ago. As far as riding vs moto its hard to compare apples to apples since there is so many different kinds of mountain biking.

XC riding just pedaling along relatively flat trails is good exercise but is not going to give you many thrills (this is what 80% of people do when they say they mountain bike). 

Enduro riding basically pedaling up a big hill and riding back down it, really good riding on the east coast for this, this is really fun and has the aspect of an adventure especially here in Pisgah forest as you are very remote and can ride some really gnarly stuff. But you will spend atleast an hour of pedaling uphill to every 10 minutes of descending (the fun part). 

Bike parks is the most fun way to mountain bike and you can get good at riding substantially faster, I prefer this anytime but this also gets expensive you are breaking parts more often and you are usually spending $40-$60 each day on lift pass. 

You are in a good location to be able to do all three, but dont get a bike and ride XC trails and expect that to remotely compare to dirtbikes. 

I just bought a new YT Capra. Fairly decent pricing compared to other brands and you get good components. I tried a hardtail and found myself really wanting a full suspension right away because IMO it feels way more like riding a dirt bike. I also feel like I've gotten better at moto from riding my mountain bike because you're forced to keep your feet on the pedals, so it improved my balance. 

Can't really add much that hasn't been said! 

Same boat, dirtbikes my entire life with BMX mixed in. I have ankle fusions left and right and some joints in my feet fused. On top of many other racing injuries. I started riding on a $400 used hardtail to help recovery and fell in love with it. (2019). Then I bought a 2016 Intense Carbine for $1900 that was mint when I bought it. I figured I'd upgrade again at some point, but I'm still on the same bike (albeit with replaced parts for maintenance) and I climb for miles and enduro down, hit the local bike parks and send pretty good jumps on it, and just ride it all. 

I'm planning to upgrade soon, dirtbikes still take the majority of my money, I just bought a PC exhaust that cost more than  half what my Intense did. But the skills and fitness cross over and it's hecka fun.

Make friends at you're local bike shop and buy used bikes and parts off employees of the shop is my 2 cents 👌

Mountain biking will definitely fill the void of moto. I love riding my KTM but it's much more easier to get out on my mountain bike. But when I'm talking Mountain bikes, I'm talking get yourself a Ebike and you'll love life. I got a specialized ebike and my regular Amish powered bike just hangs on the wall

YT GANG! 
 

currently riding a 22 jeffsy super fun bike. Nimble and climbs well but can also rip down some rough stuff! 

YT is great until you need warranty support. My buddy has been waiting 2 years for a replacement rear triangle for his Capra lol. 

I ride both. I'm a much better mountain bike rider than motocross rider but biking deff comes second as far as pure fun factor. Moto still gets my jollies going a little bit more. biking is way more convenient though.

Good bikes are expensive but also make the riding more enjoyable when you are on a good capable bike. 5k seems to be the sweet spot for buying a decent bike that can handle most terrain. They really aren't too much to maintain but it depends on how hard you tend to ride. I'm on the east coast so our trails are steep fast and very rocky. Spending $$$$ money on a good wheelset is almost a must around here. 

imo they make for an excellent transition. mtbs are exhilarating in their own way, plus cycling keeps you young and lean. I prefer to ride xc / downcountry bikes, and if you look at most MX champions who ride that’s what they’re riding - they’re hauling the mail on mostly non technical terrain. imo blitzing through a forest on unimpeded singletrack is where it’s at for mountain biking. I equate that more to a transition from motocross than super technical and/or downhill.