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Hi guys. I certainly wouldn't class myself as 'new' to mountain biking, having been doing it for the last 24 years or so(!) but I have been rather 'out of the loop' for a while.
Some years ago, I came into a bit of money and built myself what I considered to be my perfect bike: It was based around my 1995 Kona Fire Mountain frame (owned from new) with an IS rear disc mount (bought from Hope, don't know if they're still available) brazed on to the seat stay, disc supporting brace brazed in between seatstay and chainstay, canti nbosses shaved off, Crud Catcher bosses under the downtube and stove enamelled white. I finished it with a full 2005 XT groupset, Hope Mono Mini 160mm rear and Mono M4 180mm front brakes, Hope XC hubs on Mavic XC717 disc rims, Hope stem, Easton EC70 flat bars, USE Alien carbon seatpost and a Fox F80 RLT fork.
I loved that bike dearly and I don't think I changed a single component on it (other than wear and tear drivetrain consumables) in the 6 years or so since I built it. Hence why I drifted away from bike magazines and just got on with riding the bike I had no desire to change. Unfortunately, some scumbag lowlife broke in a couple of months back and stole it.
Now I come to my point, (sorry it's taken so long!). I've replaced the bike for now with a 2007 Kona Caldera from eBay and, after replacing the seized Hayes 9 brakes with a set of 2012 Deores (M596 I think), it'll do until I can afford something decent. But what to buy though? As you may have guessed from the spec of my old bike, I'm very much an XC rider, I like to keep my wheels on the ground, wear lycra when I ride and like my bikes fast and light. The bikes of today seem to bear little relation to what I knew though. Very short stems and very wide bars (for XC, 100mm was considered short and anything over 580mm was considered wide last I knew) now seem to be the norm, forks have about a mile of travel (does anyone do an 80mm fork anymore? I can't find one) and head angles are slacker than a serial killer's morals. Oh, and anything marketed as an XC bike seem to have 29" wheels, which were a quirky little fad in Gary Fisher's catalogue my 'last time around'. Oh, and a 'cheap' bike now appears to cost upwards of a grand!
I think I have a whole lot of re-learning to do, as I feel very much the bewildered novice all of a audden. What sort of spec is now considered to be the benchmark norm for light, fast, XC trail riding (not jumping, 4X or any of that malarky) bikes? Please help!
I'm very much an XC rider, I like to keep my wheels on the ground, wear lycra when I ride and like my bikes fast and light.
Seriously, try a 29er if you can. Most Rock Shox forks can be reduced to 80mm travel by means of a spacer but most XC frames these days are designed to use 100mm of travel.
So what's the deal with them then? Is 29" now the established norm for XC bikes, as in here to stay with 26" being dead and buried? As you may guess by my OP, I'm not the kind of person to buy a new bike every couple of years or so. OK, the current Caldera is an interim as it's heavy, too slackly angled, too softly sprung (Marzocchi MZ Race that I almost bottom out just by applying the front brake) and too big for me at 20". It's purpose is purely a cheap method of keeping me on wheels until I can afford something decent again. When I get that something though I dont't want to A) buy a 29er then find they all disappear or B) buv a 26er (is that what 26" wheeled bikes are now called?) and find it's obsolete.
Go and test ride as many as you can!
You may find you like of of the 'progression' or you may not!
they also have this new stuff called full suspension, its crazy, it makes riding on rough trails like riding on the road, its the future...
Rich, it may be woth getting in touch with Charlie the Bikemonger in Swanage. He has a fleet of demo 29er's in stock and has just taken delivery of the new Ritchey P-29, this could help with a train of though so to speak
I'm quite prepared to move with the times and embrace new standards, I just want to be sure those times HAVE actually moved. I like to buy something then keep it and care for it for as long as possible. It may be something to do with being a tight arsed Northener, it may just be that I'm of the 'if it ain't broke, don't fix it' school of thought. As I said, I'd like to know if 29" is now the established standard for XC bikes and not a flash in the pan. Is the general concensus that 29" is here to stay, or is a return to 26" more likely?
they also have this new stuff called full suspension, its crazy, it makes riding on rough trails like riding on the road, its the future...
I have no problem with suspension, I just like it to be on the firm side and on the shorter end of the travel range.
I'd say they are here to stay, i still think you will continue to have both options available for XC, just depends what you prefer.
Over half the bikes sold in the USA last year were 29ers, I think that says they are here to stay.
29er wheels use the same 622mm rim diameter that has been the 700c road and cyclocross standard for decades. All that's happened is that wider rims and fatter off road tyres are now available for that diameter rim.
It's definitely worth trying a few different bikes on the trails you like to ride to see which makes you grin most.
Given your brief...a 29er with rigid carbon forks.
Both 26 and 29 are widely available and both will be sticking. In your situation, I recommend looking at a Scott Scale... Awsome cross country mtb. You can buy them with 80mm forks and the head angle is well cross country, 71 I think? Light and tight bike, goes like a rocket and available in both 29 and normal.
Good luck to you mate.
I built up a new (shop went into liquidation and split bikes on ebay) 2008 Rocky Mountain Vertex frame for £150 with 2nd hand (may as well have been new)2007 Rebas from classifieds £150, hope mono mini and m4 brakes 2nd hand , xt, xtr. Race face turbines, Thompson finishing kit, Monkeylite bars,all 2nd hand, but pretty much as new. hope pro 2's on Mavic 717's new from merlin. for less than £700. ace xc machine.
29ers are a lot more common here in the US than in the UK. They're different markets though, and only time will tell if 29ers become as widespread where you live.
There have been a lot of changes since your last bike. 4" full suspension bikes are now considered XC race bikes, as are 29er hardtails. 5"-6" full suspension bikes are very common for average trail riders; they're not downhill machines anymore!
In the end though, it all comes down to personal preference. Different trails, riding styles, etc. mean different bikes. As above, test ride as many as possible.
BTW I ride a 2008 4" full suspension 26" wheeled bike.
Light, fast, XC, steep angles?
[url= http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=57158 ]Cube Reaction GTC Race?[/url]
Bit over your £1000 benchmark but rather tasty...
I'm liking that a lot...