He had a Norco Fluid 2016 7.2 with a fair few upgrades (slx crank, hope etc)

He has around a £1000 coming his way and was looking at getting a jump or fat bike but can’t find one he likes in stock.
He is now thinking about getting bigger travel forks and a dropper instead of a new bike.

I don’t think such upgrades will give that much of a benefit. The right bike will turn up and two bikes are better than one.

He thinks I’m too old and out of touch with “modern” kit.

Who’s right?

He’s right, dropper is the best bit of kit on my bikes.

All bikes without droppers are death traps

those things will improve that bike.

i wouldn’t spend £1000 on it though.

😆 @ legend

Dropper and another bike.

Dropper makes a huge difference to my fun MTBs.

Sounds like the answer, is a 2nd bike and a dropper…

He feels he needs more travel (I ride rigid so have a different point of view, suspension makes up for lack of riding skill) so wants forks.

Dropper posts are awesome, this is from a massive skeptic. I wouldn’t ride without one.

But I’d put it on a full suss.

NS Movement 2 DJ bike, Brand X dropper post

How about you let him buy what he wants and then make his own mind up based on experience? 😉

Brand X dropper
RS Sektors??? (Depends on his current front axle??)

Should leave enough for a second-hand fat bike from eBay

His money though

Dropper post and a skills course..

Both will improve his enjoyment. Sometimes better technique is better than longer travel.

(*Not a reflection on the skill he has as I don’t know)

Just had a quick look

Currently at least 2 Calibre Dune fat bikes on eBay. Both could be had now for £400 or less (Buy it now)

I’ve nothing to do with either btw

£600 leaves plenty for dropper and forks, maybe even a skills course too!

Sometimes better technique is better than longer travel.

They aren’t really the same thing. It’s not about simply progressing down hill faster. You do completely different things on a long travel bike to a short travel one.

@molgrips

Absolutely correct but sometimes i find people just move straight to longer travel when their enjoyment of mountain biking can be greatly improved by simply improving their skill set.

Without knowing the OP’s level of skill or what he wishes to achieve it becomes difficult to say what he should do. All I can do is offer my personal opinion.

Take the £1000 off the cheeky sod, spend on coke and hookers. Sorted

Get to Go Outdoors and buy their fat bike – it is about £700 so change for a dropper as well.

Agreed lucorave.
He’s 14. Regularly rides swinley red/blue with no problems, recently getting good air and hitting roots etc at speed.
At 43 I learnt on rigid bikes and have the mentality that you push your skills to the limit before needing more travel. New forks won’t offer that much of an improvement will they ?
I can’t help think two £1000 bikes is better than one £2000 bike. N+1 etc.

and have the mentality that you push your skills to the limit before needing more travel

More travel isn’t about compensating for skill.

A long travel bike is a different thing to a short travel one. You ride it in a different way. In the same way as a 3 wood is different to a 9 iron, or XC skis are different to DH skis are different to telemark skis.

Age 14 and £1000, lucky boy! Never had that sort of money when I was a lass…
Tell him to get a hardtail and make mountain biking even more fun.

Rigid steel singlespeed – that should sort him 🙂

He’s right, dropper is the best bit of kit on my bikes.

Do you not have brakes?

A 14 year old on a fatbike? Surely he’d die of shame?? Aren’t BMX & sister’s jeans in any more?

Rigid steel singlespeed – that should sort him

Exactly… he’s inherited my Soloist which is slowly being built.

Will the frame even accept longer travel forks?

@bobbybobbyb

Admittedly I now have a range of bikes in my stable from road to DH and would like to feel I have an above average level of skills.
I have raced various Scottish Enduro events on a 130mm h/t and a 150mm h/t and placed better than many people on Bronsons and the like.
It wouldn’t? have been that way without a good skill set developed on shorter travel bikes and taking myself out of the comfort zone.
Like many people, we didn’t have the luxury of longer travel bikes when I started but we didn’t let it hold us back.
Dropper posts have made riding a different game these days so I would recommend that upgrade.

Rent a fat bike – he will realise they are stupid if you’re not on a snowy piste (where they are awesome), especially at Swinley.

Swap the Fluid for a s/h Sight or Range with a set of Pikes.

Have fun bombing down the Swinley jump runs 28 times in a row 🙂

Fat bike is awesome fun at swinley, and everywhere else. Jump bike only useful if he’s going to use it on Bmx tracks and jump spots, dragging it around swinley would be fairly dreary.

Let him get on with it and offer him £30 for his old fashioned scraggy 2016 forks

dragging it around swinley would be fairly dreary.

Bollox it would! You really think a jump bike isn’t as drag-enducing as 4″ wide tyres??

I regularly ride a 4x bike round Swinners & it’s muy bueno

Rigid steel singlespeed – that should sort him

+1 🙂

All bikes without droppers are death traps

^True!

Yes to dropper,

Don’t bother with forks,

2nd hand Jump bike or fat bike (with front suspension) with the change.

Going against the grain, I’m not convinced droppers are all that.

Suspension service and internal upgrade if there’s one available (Push, latest RS damper etc) and the chassis parts are good.

+ Skills course and/or a weeks holiday in Spain.

Bollox it would! You really think a jump bike isn’t as drag-enducing as 4″ wide tyres??

[pissingconsiderablyhigherthanyou]

I once rode a lap on a BMX

[/pissingconsiderablyhigherthanyou]

It was good fun, but the fat bike probably does it in half the time and doesn’t try and kill me on every corner.

I once rode a lap on a BMX

I once rode a lap on your Mom.

Edit:I’m sorry, I’ve been drinking.
Still made me laugh…

He thinks I’m too old and out of touch with “modern” kit

He is right.

I ride rigid so have a different point of view, suspension makes up for lack of riding skill

You are so very, very wrong.

Looking at the spec I’d get a better fork and a dropper. A decent quality 120-130mm fork would transform the bike without screwing the geometry. My experience with recons is that I’d rather be riding rigid. The best I can say about them is that they connect the bars to the wheel.

A dropper is probably one of the best purchases I have made for maintaining the fun.

If there is some change get a – 1.5 degree headset from superstar to really make it a bit more of a trail bike.

Don’t forget decent tyres too. For some reason lots of people ride shit tyres an wonder why their bike is crap.

Without calling your parenting skills into question, what works for you at 43 might not work for him at 14. From my experience with my dad, being told what I should do instead of being able to learn from my own choices didn’t really make me want to do what he did

However – Fluid seems a pretty decent bike but with new forks, a dropper and a slackset it could make for a more fun bike. Wider bars and decent tyres will add grip and then if you both spend a day with Jedi then you’ll bond a bit and actually get a lot more from the cash

Good luck