I've been an XC jeyboy lycra clad racing snake rider for years.. happily riding and racing my lightweight 4" HT & 5" FS XC bikes throughout the UK (mainly around the Peak District, N-Wales and Lakes)... but now I have an urge to get some body armour, flat pedals even, and a beefy strong 1600mm travel machine to add in some more extreme stuff (Doctors Gate from top of Snake Pass being a classic example - or riding 'The Beast' without kacking myself each time)
I've recently stuck fatter tyres on my FS (2.3") and found a new level of confidence and ability to do some of this stuff - so it's made me want to tackle more technical burley stuff
So do I realy need a specific long travel XC/AM bike for this?
or am I being sucked into marketing?
I used to have a Nicolai Helius. It was great fun. I'd recommend it to any one really. Long travel just makes you laugh out loud.
Short answer, no you don't.
That said I drag my 7", 35lb Uzzi round the Peaks, as much as I ride my Soda there. It's just a different experience.
Doctors Gate is perfectly cleanable on a hardtail (although you'll be lucky to do all of it feet up in one go). A big bike won't stop you kacking yourself on the Beast because you'll be going multiples faster, so it will be multiples scarier (and I'd say if you're kacking it on the Beast you need to work on skills/confidence before splashing money on new hardware).
Buying a big bike won't suddenly make you a better rider. It will probably make you faster downhill, it almost certainly will make you slower up (if you care). You might crash less often, but when you do it will probably be a lot harder.
All swings and roundabouts.
Throw in some uplift days, pratting about on the DH runs at Wharncliffe, and some big Alpine lift assisted trips and it'll make LOTS of sense though...
Different bikes are fun for doing different things.
I enjoy riding all sorts of varied terrain, and I have 4 bikes that I choose from, so I suppose I'm lucky. I'd not choose my 35lb long travel machine for going on an 8hr XC epic with lots of climbing probably, and likewise I'd not choose my 29er for an uplift day. But I still enjoy all kinds of riding, so I have a bike for every occasion I suppose!
Or at least that's how I justify it to myself... 😉
Before spending a load of money on one though, borrow one for a couple of rides, see if it's your thing... Could be an expensive mistake otherwise!
Throw in some uplift days, pratting about on the DH runs at Wharncliffe, and some big Alpine lift assisted trips and it'll make LOTS of sense though...
that's what I'm thinking...
as for
I'm planning on doing that too... after my 24 years of MTBing I'm still learning and can see I need some more advanced skills.. planning on an Ed.Oxley skills session or two... you need to work on skills/confidence..
What u talkin bout' crazy fool!!!!!
Yes, if you feel the need, harder uphill but with those it's all about the descents, they do get tiresome on longer xc rides though so worth keeping the 4inch for longer days
I agree with JE, but also if you aren't confident pushing it on a hardtail you may not benefit all that much from a long travel bike (7"). they are def a lot slower until there's sufficient gradient to need all that travel. infact I often ride a 4" travel bike on some local DH tracks as it's faster than my 8" Downhill bike. I know one rider who I reckon became slower after buying a longer travel bike (previously rode a short travel XC sus) simply because he felt he had to ride stuff over his comfort zone which ended up just causing him to drag his brakes all day on relatively tame DH tracks.
Go for it!
I had an XC 4" FS which I mullered and now have a HT and an Iron Horse 6.6 which gives the perfect balance.
HT for long all day expedition type stuff and big travel bike for fun.
I actually think I can climb really rocky, steep climbs better with the big bike although maybe it's coz I'm limited skill-wise. TBH I don't really notice the 35lb weight on the climbs anyway seeing as I weigh in at 200lbs myself.
On downhills you really notice the extra speed and you can have a right laugh. It's also fun to have a blast on the HT to make yourself work a bit harder on the rough stuff.
If you're keeping your 2 other bikes then you've got the best of all options.
Sounds like a plan but I'm not sure about your definition of 'more extreme stuff'. 😛
grum -
- yes I'd agree that what I've referred to above is just the tip of the extreme stuff, since they are just burley XC routes. but that's all I've tackled so far and I fancy pushing myself out of that zone and into bigger stuff.I'm not sure about your definition of 'more extreme stuff'.
I guess I'm after a play bike realy... my 2 XC bikes are too delicate to play on imo... (oh god, sounds like a midlife crises - play bike at 40!)
and yes, I'd keep my current machines and have a 3rd for stuff I've never tried before...
I ride a 456 hardtail and a 6" SC Nomad and both are fun on the same trails. I used to have a 5" Kona Coiler built for alpine duties, weighing 38lbs (!), as my only bike and loved every minute of ridng it whether that was in the Alps, the Atlas, or the chilterns.
You dont "need" a big bike but they are a lot of fun, dont isolate you from the trail as some suggest, and most are light enough and pedal well enough for all-round duties. My Nomad sits between 30-32lbs depending on exact spec which is a similar weight to many "hardcore hardtails" (ive seen Evil Sovereigns on here which way a chunk more).
Just buy an old Stinky, have some fun and sell once bored - you'll lose very little.
oh god, sounds like a midlife crises - play bike at 40!
Nothing wrong with that at all. Cheaper than a sports car or a mistress.
Do it!
Riding bigger bikes has made me a happier person, its all about the fun and scaring myself these days. I had got stuck in a rut with my riding and riding mates so it was a good excuse to move on!
you want one so get one. 🙂
I'm not convinced an inch of travel makes much difference.
I reckon it's mostly the riders head.
I can ride 'shore on a 5inch fullsus trailbike & get rinsed by my mate on a 100mm scandal
I can rinse other mates on their 25lb race rigs through classic singletrack, on the same fat tyred short stemmed 30lb 'long' fork rig.
I'm convinced gee atherton would rinse all of us on pretty much any rig & any trail.
more point is: Unless you are trying to win a race, just [i]riding[/i] the trail is mostly in the riders head.
Is 2.3" classed as Full Suspension? ;o)
But I'm liking the AM hardtail option....one of the new Ragleys looks nice !!!
I bought a 4" Trance, stuck 6" forks and big tubeless tyres on it and my confidence/speed on DHs has dramatically increased. I often ride with a couple of Nomads with 7" 36 forks and keep up/beat them. The bike definitely helps, but it's not all about 6" plus in the UK, unless you're doing full-on DH tracks.
its all about the quality of the suspension, as above some 4 inch travel bikes will keep up with and outperform longer travel bikes, it is also about the geomtry of the frame for me, ideally headangle 68.5. I have never felt happy on lightweight bikes e.g 25lb yeti asr but have liked my overbiked overweight30 plus pounds bikes, confidence and security. Parts are important wide rims with fat tyres, wider handle bars and so on
I want a bike that will help me descend better i can climb/haul/grind my way up most things and some of these bikes have been better climbers than the yeti or intense tracer that i had, my older trance was great with 140 mm forks, just have a think on before you buy, hecklers are great and will handle some serious stuff, maverick ml8 fab all round bike, trances and reigns excellent bikes BUT above all do a skills day i took up an opportunity to go with ED O brilliant.
and of course enjoy
If you have the dosh and the nuts to ride it in a way that makes you happy the go for it mate!!!!!
Everyone should own a big* bike at least once, give it a proper shot. You might like it, you might not! But you [i]will[/i] have fun finding out. And isn't that what it's about?
*by their standards. For some it's a 6" bike, for others a full on DH bike.
I love my 5" full sus but wanted to give a bigger bike a go. I got a Trek Scratch 7 - its a bit of a luxury but it was amazing in the alps - did the PPDS on it and rest of week played in Les Gets and Morzine - gave me confidence to tackle stuff I backed off when on 5" full sus. Have also had fun here at local "DH" track and Aston Hill and PORC. Will take with me on weekend away to south wales in Novemeber. It can just about be pedalled up hill but is heavy - about 36lbs I think. Go for it.
So I test rode a Helius AM on Sunday.. omg! what a brute, yet what a brilliant ride. ok it was heavy, and definitely most would call it overkill for the ride I did, but I flew down stuff that I used to cack myself on and even more interesting was the fact I flew up stuff, overtaking XC guys since the Conti Rubber Queen 2.4's had tonnes of traction over rocky sections where shorter travel and narrower tyres couldn't cope. at the end of the ride I spent about an hour going up and down the 'Beast' as many times as I could be bothered with a grin from ear to ear. I was hucking off stuff with confidence. and then rode my fave cheeky singetrack trails home and amazed myself at how much faster and more shure footedly you can ride technical rocky outcrops.
Yes I was knackerd after 3.5hrs on a 35lb machine compared to my usual 25lb machine, it's not an every day bike to replace my usual machine, but what a great training device and oh so much FUN!
it showed me that I could take lines and drops that often I'd freeze on, and I recon it'll help me ride burly XC better as a result, it also made me realise I should be riding mostly 2.25/2.3 tyres, rather than the 2.1's I normaly choose.
I'm even more seriously thinking about getting a big bike. I can see trips to the Alps becoming the norm for me.
I took the 39 lbs? patriot 7+ round Crag Quarry yesters, i was puffing like a steam train, stopped for very frequent breathers and even pushed in some places, but by god was it fun! Last time i was there i hared round on a 28lbs 4 inch full bouncer or sometimes 100mm travel On One, but i swear i had more fun on the big boy- i just need to get fit enough to pedal the bugger around there!