Coming back to MTBing; where do I even start?

Hi all; so having been inspired by the mens’ Olympic MTB race yesterday, I feel inspired to get a new bike and get back into the sport I used to enjoy. For background; a severe leg injury and various other issues meant I gave up biking all together some years ago, sold my bikes and other kit. Thankfully, after a long period of rehab, surgery and one or two changes in lifestyle, I’m really thinking of getting back not at least riding a bike off road, if not full on Alpine riding. I used to ride in places like Wales, some of the trail centres nearer London, occasionally ‘up north’, even Scotland. As well as a few trips abroad (Spain, France, Scandinavia,USA, Australia). It was my mate saying ‘you used to enjoy that, why don’t you get back into it?’, that was the catalyst.

So I joined this forum, and spent much of yesterday evening looking at bikes online. Things have certainly changed; I’ve been away for about 7 years or so, but was never really that bothered about ‘cutting edge’ stuff. Had a Cannondale hardtail and an Ibis Mojo, both in the now apparently deceased 26″ wheel size. I never had a problem with the smaller wheels; I’m quite short anyway so that’s maybe why. I currently have an old 26″ commuter bike that I use for short distances (usually 3-10 miles, 20 miles max really).

The ‘XC’ style bikes used by the Olympic riders look great; a bit of suspension but still light and manoeuvrable. But there appears to now be these ‘gravel’ bikes, that look like old school MTBs with drop bars. Never liked drop bars anyway. But those bikes look closer to what would probably actually suit me. The same sort of thing but with flat bars. Dare I say it, a ‘hybrid’? Suspension forks are probably preferably though.

Prices have changed somewhat; I was expecting top end bikes to be in the £5k sort of range, imagine my surprise when some are in fact almost double that??

Any clues as to what I should be looking at? Full suspension is definitely an option, but as light as possible really. Some of these modern bikes look way too heavy. Needs to be under 25lbs for sure. I’m not getting any younger, and the lighter the better in my experience.

Oh, and ‘normal’ type gears etc so I can actually fix stuff myself. None of this electronic madness!

Thanks for any ideas.

Have you considered an emtb? What is your realistic budget?

I am 50, been off the bike the last 3 years due to hip issues, and now I dont have the time, inclination, or the body (aged 50) to get back in shape to really enjoy riding up big hills.

emtbs are mega for people like me. I would say I am still fitter than most avg people, but god an emtb just makes you feel 20 again and be able to do stuff you are never going to be able to do at 50 unless super fit. I demoed loads a little while back. You still work as hard as an analogue bike, just you can get up the steep hills easier and keep going longer.

My current mtb is a 2012 Giant Anthem 26er 100m full sus, maybe 22lbs ish? My new emtb will be 160mm travel 42lbs. However it rides with more fun, feels more nimble, more capable.

I would be looking at things like Orbea Rise you can get some fantastic deals on older models (just dont buy 2nd hand)

https://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/new-ebike-help-me-decide/

Edit : Electronic gears – I was in the no camp firmly until I test road all these emtbs with electric gears. It is so much nicer ! Shimano also has autoshift and freeshift so it will change gear automatically or even when your are not turning the cranks. Sounds gimmicky but is good!

given your use case i’d be looking at a cheap full suspension trail or XC bike. The lowest level of kit that works reliably is probably Deore, so you’re looking at that kinda level.

Don’t focus on weight, it makes almost no difference. Most bikes are heavier these days due to the larger wheels, etc. 5lbs probably saves you £2k and would make maybe a 2 minute difference on an average ride.

I’d be looking at this https://www.paulscycles.co.uk/bikes/mountain-bikes/gt-sensor-st-carbon-elite-full-suspension-mountain-bike-super-teal__12854 – great value for money, if a bit more travel than you need.

“Full suspension is definitely an option, but as light as possible really. Some of these modern bikes look way too heavy. Needs to be under 25lbs for sure.”

Modern bikes are much bigger with bigger wheels, and usually stiffer/stronger than older bikes. You’ll only get something under 25lbs if you go full race XC or spend a lot.

The bigger wheels roll faster which more than makes up for the small percentage increase in total system weight.

First thing, where do you live and what will you ride +90% of the time for the next year or two?

You want a Downcountry bike.

Id be going for one of these;

https://www.certini.co.uk/bikes/mountain-bikes/2023-specialized-epic-evo-mountain-bike–satin-harvest-goldblack__92622?currency=GBP&chosenAttribute=94823-7004&gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAjwnqK1BhBvEiwAi7o0X5TmE02Fvc5L0HkvjXg59H7wi9xzC2hfBHhm06Tjqthr-YZ4W428yRoCLaMQAvD_BwE

^ what intheborders asks.

A lot of the additional weight is larger diameter wheels and associated longer forks, then the larger frames and things like dropper posts add a bit more. The rest hasn’t really changed that much, so bikes around the 27-28lb mark will ride no differently in reality than the 25lb bikes you were used to riding a few years back. 29ers carry a bit more speed than 26″ wheels used to, so you’ll gain a bit of extra momentum to offset the weight gain at least.

Ignore the mega bucks super bikes, no one buys them. A £5K budget will get you a perfectly decent all round mountain bike, and if you don’t mind shopping about, you’ll get a bargain on older stock if you’re looking at sizes outside of med/large. Bike prices are being slashed all the time these days becasue of post-Covid overstocking.

Got any trail centres near you that you can rent bikes for a day?

Coming back to MTB means your view on what you want is based on what it was like when you left, which often means less travel, lighter, steeper angles and 2.3″ tyres being considered big. Times have changed, as have bikes.

If you can get out an rent a bike for a day you may find you don’t want the above. I tried a fairly midrange Trek at Cannock Chase and on paper it was everything I didn’t want (not light, huge tyres, lack angles and in my head far to much bike). I was wrong, it was magnificent climbed well, descended even better, and was just fun. For the rental fee of £60 it was well worth the trial.

Still a few bargains about! Decent spec Scalpel comes in under 25lbs & would make a wicked flat-bar gravel bike

https://www.westbrookcycles.co.uk/cannondale_scalpel_carbon_2_full_suspension_mountain_bike_-_stealth_grey_2023-26744?stockid=376220&gad_source=1&gbraid=0AAAAADtxIuw2daWpnSr5zIAalalyrdXoU&gclid=CjwKCAjwnqK1BhBvEiwAi7o0X3_2duClanwnJQvFbUutDnZUJUchXx3rTg9OPgKcR2TVKz3cqU_62xoCHywQAvD_BwE

Id be going for one of these;

I’d be very of an Epic Evo.  I’ve just bought one, I blame the Chisel thread ?. Took it for it’s first shakedown ride yesterday evening and the bloody thing was a nightmare. It just kept screaming faster faster faster at me the whole way round.Up, down, flat it didn’t give a shit where and it just wants to try to chase ebikes I tell you my 59 year old body couldn’t wait for it to be over! ?

Last time I rode a full suspension bike it was a 1998 Marine East Peak. To say they have come on a bit is a slight understatement. Even my rigid Whippet is faster everywhere than that was.

Anyway as above downcountry bikes are a lot of fun

Anyway as above downcountry bikes are a lot of fun

What the hell is a downcountry bike?

Edit: Ah just googled, a modern XC bike.

XC does appear to be a banned word in mtb these days

Have you considered an emtb?

No. Don’t want or need the hassle. Plus E-MTBs are a nightmare to travel with, from what I’ve heard. Airlines don’t like them. Train companies don’t like them. And they weigh a ton, so not much fun if you have to lift them over an obstacle.

Modern bikes are much bigger with bigger wheels, and usually stiffer/stronger than older bikes. You’ll only get something under 25lbs if you go full race XC or spend a lot.

So that’s fine. My old bikes had XTR/XT/Hope level kit on them. I appreciate this kind of stuff costs money. I was jjst a bit surprised just how much more money it costs now; bikes seem to have risen in price a lot more than most other things.

First thing, where do you live and what will you ride +90% of the time for the next year or two?

This is probably the most important issue (even more so than budget really). So I live in London, but do travel a fair few times a year, and will probably be travelling a lot more in the future. I may be living for a short while in Germany, so would be good to have a bike there. But we already have France and the USA planned for this year, and have just returned from Germany (2nd trip this year), and may even be going to Spain as well.  Italy is on the agenda for next year for sure. In the past I cycled in Scandinavia, the Netherlands, France, Spain, the USA and Australia. So really, a good ‘all rounder’ is what’s needed, if such a thing even exists.

What the hell is a downcountry bike?

That’s exactly what I was thinking. Yet another new marketing term? Because cycling can never have too many new marketing terms!

Yeah, like the RM Element I was looking at this morning. Light XC bike.. but has (no, I got that wrong!) 130mm 🙂 travel. Don’t see many in the olympics, but I bet they are great to ride 🙂

^ what intheborders asks.

What Matt says.

I was in a sort-of-same boat except I’d more or less given up MTB due to just doing road and gravel and only having an ancient MTB. 26″ wheels, QR, triple chainset, the works!

When I eventually bought a new MTB (just a mid-range hardtail, the Specialized Chisel Comp which was on sale and got several threads on this forum), it was night and day difference and I pretty much had to learn to ride MTB all over again.

Everything was different – wheel size, geometry, handling, riding position, bar width. But it was also way more capable (unlike me!)
So yes, a significant period of adjusting to the new bike.

Good luck getting back into it – don’t sweat the weight and spec too much by the way. My new bike is (in theory) a lower spec than the XTR/XT/Hope hardtail that I had previously but it all just works at least as well if not better.

No. Don’t want or need the hassle. Plus E-MTBs are a nightmare to travel with, from what I’ve heard. Airlines don’t like them. Train companies don’t like them. And they weigh a ton, so not much fun if you have to lift them over an obstacle.

Travelling – agreed, no flying with them, not sure about trains! As to weighing a ton, full fat yes, but not the ‘lighter’ versions that realistically come in about 19-21kg. Yes more than a standard bike, but you really dont notice the weight whilst riding. If anything most people agree the extra weight low down improves bike handling.

But if emtb isnt for you thats fair enough

First thing, where do you live and what will you ride +90% of the time for the next year or two?

This is probably the most important issue (even more so than budget really). So I live in London, but do travel a fair few times a year, and will probably be travelling a lot more in the future. I may be living for a short while in Germany, so would be good to have a bike there. But we already have France and the USA planned for this year, and have just returned from Germany (2nd trip this year), and may even be going to Spain as well. Italy is on the agenda for next year for sure. In the past I cycled in Scandinavia, the Netherlands, France, Spain, the USA and Australia.

You haven’t actually answered the question here… Well, ok, you have literally, but not in any meaningful way.  Within that plethora of countries, what locations did you ride? What type of trail?

Or even what exact trail. Which ones do you want to do?

Eg, does The Danube Trail float your boat

Or the new DH at Leogang

In the UK do you fancy canal towpaths, mellow trail centres, picturesque bridleways, hideous gnarrrly lakes bridleways, Cairngorm epics

etc

What is your actual budget by the way, I know you said that you thought £5K would get a top end bike, but is that how much you want to spend?

You haven’t actually answered the question here… Well, ok, you have literally, but not in any meaningful way.  Within that plethora of countries, what locations did you ride? What type of trail?

Or even what exact trail. Which ones do you want to do?

Eg, does The Danube Trail float your boat

Or the new DH at Leogang

In the UK do you fancy canal towpaths, mellow trail centres, picturesque bridleways, hideous gnarrly lakes bridleways, Cairngorm epics

Yes, fair point. At this stage, it’s going to be gentler dirt trails rather than high Alpine passes etc. River valleys more than mountain tops. Those lovely all day rides where you take in the scenery and stop for lunch at a nice cafe. I’ve ridden a fair bit in the UK, and there’s not much I’d consider truly difficult really, perhaps some of the more remote Scottish mountains but I’m unlikely to be going there anyway. In many places in Europe, it’s possible to ride fairly undemanding trails with a total ascent of higher than anything in the UK; hard work for sure, but not ‘hardcore’. So a nice light bike is preferable to one that can plummet down the side of a mountain with 8″ of suspension, if you get my drift.

So far, the Cannondale Scalpel looks a good contender.

What is your actual budget by the way, I know you said that you thought £5K would get a top end bike, but is that how much you want to spend?

As little as possible, preferably, but realistically, I’d say £5k is probably around the upper limit. I’d be reluctant to pay anymore, I can’t see any real benefit in doing so. I’m also open to a frame and s/h parts kind of option too. I know there’s plenty of decent kit sat in people’s homes, bought on a whim and seldom used. My Ibis was bought like that, a real bargain and had hardly been ridden.

I’d either get a Specialized Stumpjumper. There’s a new one out so you can get a bargain on old stock (like £7000 bikes being sold at nearly half price), especially in the smaller sizes, It’ll do pretty much everything you want straight from the box. Misses your weight point though.

Or I’d be scouring the Pink Bike/Singletrack small ads for a Santa Cruz Tallboy if you wanted something a bit more bling. They get a lot of stick new for being overpriced, but 2nd hand they’re actually pretty good value, and because of the folks who buy them,  they’ve often had some nice upgrades.

Under the “recommend what you have”, just get a Cotic FS, even the short travel Flare Max will do anything you’ve mentioned.

Yes, fair point. At this stage, it’s going to be gentler dirt trails rather than high Alpine passes etc. River valleys more than mountain tops. Those lovely all day rides where you take in the scenery and stop for lunch at a nice cafe. I’ve ridden a fair bit in the UK, and there’s not much I’d consider truly difficult really, perhaps some of the more remote Scottish mountains but I’m unlikely to be going there anyway. In many places in Europe, it’s possible to ride fairly undemanding trails with a total ascent of higher than anything in the UK; hard work for sure, but not ‘hardcore’.

In that case, I’m not sure you need rear suspension.

A 120-140mm hardtail will do all that for you.

In the recent past I’ve had a 26″ hard tail and a “modern geometry” 29″ full sus.  Now I’ve got a long travel full-power ebike and a gravel bike with a tiny bit of suspension. (Specialized Diverge).  I have a very nice road bike too

Unless I’m using the ebike to it’s fullest capability (both up and down) I find myself wishing I was on the gravel bike.  Especially on the road.

We ride all sorts of stuff on them. You just have to go a bit slow sometimes.  I did Follow the Dos and Monkey last week and a bit of Stile Cop downhill.

It’s like you wished your mountain bike was 20 years ago.

I’m doing a day at Coed y Brenin next week (with my son and 14 year old grandson – who was given my excellent Giant Trance for his birthday).  I really can’t decide whether to take the ebike or gravel.

I’d buy a cheap gravel bike £500-1000 and get out biking on the easy trails and gain the fitness.

Then I’d buy a MTN bike next year.

I’ve not been away from MTBing, but with more recent bikes, it can almost feel that way.

I had a Stumjumper M2 for a long long time, as well as a 1995 rigid Kona. The M2 has gone; the Kona still here.

I upgraded twice as it were, to two Singulars – Swift with either plus tyres 27.5″ wheels or 29″ wheelset. Both are perfectly adequate for my needs – bit more squish on the plus tyres obviously. The riding position just feels brilliant to me.

Second upgrade was a Pegasus – took longer to get to grips with that, bar width, fork travel, stem length (or lack) but feels better now and it’s very capable – again, for my needs – old school XC. I’ve need has a FS though so that colours my opinion a bit.

yer not sure about getting back into it, looking at £5k and under 25lb’s

Be aware that if you’re fitness isn’t really on point, a true XC bike might be too focussed on racing, not enough focus on cruising around in comfort.. IMHO

Although the epic evo mentioned above would probably be an option, to suggest what you own, a Trek Top fuel, but even mine comes in at 31lbs, makes no odds to me, is super quick everywhere, but i struggle with the lower front end after extended periods

But do you need a short travel fs bike for what you are doing? a well specced gravel bike would smash a lot of what you mention, and also kill the commuter bike off potentially.. and even give you the option of a decent trail bike within the 5k budget if it was interesting in the future

That Scalpel looks amazing, it’s def built for speed rather than all day pootling tho. You might be fine but I would find my hands and neck getting a litttle achey after a while

What the hell is a downcountry bike?

That’s exactly what I was thinking. Yet another new marketing term? Because cycling can never have too many new marketing terms!

Another marketing term but basically something like this, an XC bike that’s aimed at descending more than climbing

…https://startfitness.co.uk/products/santa-cruz-tallboy-5-c-s-carbon-mountain-bike-2023-matte-taupe

Go and demo some bikes, proper rides not just round a carpark. A modern full suspension bike is so different to ride, it will require learning how to stay in a more centred / balanced riding position especially when it get exciting. None of that hanging your arse off the back because the bike is too short.

Make sure you get some help with proper setup: Controls; don’t try to make the bike feel like an old bike, geometry has changed for the better but it will take some getting used to.

Suspension; not just roughly setting sag, don’t try to making it feel fast by being too firm and losing all the benefits of modern dampers.

Tyres, they don’t need to be any where near as hard as they used to be, they are so much better now. Softer is grippier and faster.

I have just returned to mtb ing after a 12 year “break” and I am 10 years older than you!

I am absolutely loving it. However, my first thought was to upgrade an old bike but after looking at the cost and taking advice on here I bought a 2022 Stumpjumper for around 3K and its an awesome bike.

Bike have have changed loads in the years I have been away especially he geometry. In the old days the pedal crank to front wheel and rear wheel hub were roughly the same. Now the crank is closer to the rear wheel so you don’t have to stick your backside over the rear wheel when you do steep technical descents. I would recommend you buy a new bike (new but not necessarily the latest model say 2022/2023 rather than 2024/2025) and get some coaching

If you’re not riding ‘proper’ off-road, just mostly tracks then a hardtail would probably be a good option. I would go full xc race as they aren’t always the most comfortable – they’re aimed at going as fast as you can over a relatively short distance. Just a trail 29er with say a 120-130mm travels fork gives you options if you do decide to do proper off-road in due course. A gravel bike doesn’t really give you the same option.

If going full suspension then stuff like the Specialized Epic Evo / YT Izzo / Transition Spur are in that burlier than an XC race bike but not a full trail bike.

£5k would get a nice ebike, but I see thats not the route you want to go, which is fair enough

A modern hardtail will be more capable than an older short travel full sus. I had a Rockhopper HT in Canada 3 years ago and it was far more capable than my 26er full sus.

Not sure how old OP is, but you may be surprised how hard it is to get real fitness/power back in your legs (if your getting 45yrs +)

Thanks for all the responses. It’s clear that the MTBing marketing machine is still just as rampant as it always was. I’ve considered all the arguments re wheelsize, geometry etc, and it all comes down to compromise ultimately; no one geometry is perfect, gains somewhere mean sacrifices somewhere else, and everybody is different so we all have different tastes and requirements.

yer not sure about getting back into it, looking at £5k and under 25lb’s

Be aware that if you’re fitness isn’t really on point, a true XC bike might be too focussed on racing, not enough focus on cruising around in comfort.. IMHO

I used to race* a little bit, and a fast, light bike is definitely still ok for cruising around. I do prefer the old school geometry of being more forward over the bike, and had no problems descending even with a long seatpost. Rode a fair few UK trail centres and abroad on a hardtail with 80mm suspension long before I bought a full suss bike. My fitness is ok; I exercise regularly in other ways, and still use a bike for general commuting and getting around as much asI can. I’m not going to be doing big Alpine style runs regularly (if at all), and a relatively short travel bike is fine in the UK unless you really do need a skill compensator. Those olympic boys were doing fine on 100mm or so travel, even off some nice drop offs and down the little rock garden sections. I will want something that can climb well; 1500-2000m climbs in Europe won’t be fun on a heavy ‘trail’ bike.

* I say ‘race’; I wasn’t committed enough to get into it seriously, so I was much more about just having fun than trying to podium for a few quid and a bottle of Muc Off. Reasonably quick mind; in the top 25% for times in most races I entered.

But do you need a short travel fs bike for what you are doing? a well specced gravel bike would smash a lot of what you mention, and also kill the commuter bike off potentially.. and even give you the option of a decent trail bike within the 5k budget if it was interesting in the future

Probably not, really. Would be a little more comfort on bumpy bits mind. ‘Gravel’ bikes seem to invariably come with drop bars; are there flat bar options? A little suspension at the front at least would be preferable.

ATEOTD, I was pretty happy with the bikes I had, I’d be happy with similar. I’ve had a try of a few more modern bikes; I found the more ‘trail’ type ones to be just too heavy and sluggish for my liking, I can see the appeal for descending though. Hence my preference for the lighter and faster end of the scale. Right now, a hardtail is looking more the kind of best compromise for what I want. Not ruling anything out at this stage though (bar drop bars).

The Epic 8 Comp or Epic 8 EVO Comp would be perfect for you OP. The EVO is a touch more relaxed in geometry with a little more front travel.

https://www.specialized.com/gb/en/epic-8-comp/p/220872?color=362028-220872

https://www.specialized.com/gb/en/epic-8-evo-comp/p/220878?color=366180-220878

They’re cross country bikes that are capable of a whole lot more. To the likes of you and I who are used to steep angled, ultra light 26in wheeled bikes they’ll feel very relaxed and ‘big’ but they’re immensely capable. Ignore all the stuff about them being twitchy or only for racing. That’s from a perspective of people are only riding modern big bikes and are usually completely over-biked for what they ride.

They also come in at sensible weights of 25lb and 27lb respectively. People have been condition to think heavy bikes are acceptable.

and a relatively short travel bike is fine in the UK unless you really do need a skill compensator.

Does it not depend entirely on your local riding, there’s no need for the passive-aggressiveness. In that there London and the woods and forests locally, 100mm is probs more than enough, in other places not so much. As you say its all compromise.

I think you’re right though, a hardtail is probs. the right choice.

Rode a fair few UK trail centres and abroad on a hardtail with 80mm suspension long before I bought a full suss bike

Just be aware that alot of the trail centres have moved on too, and the majority have been ‘upgraded’ to suit modern geometry bikes as many became boring on the more modern bikes.

I was riding stuff at Gisburn on the modern bikes with ease that would have been over the bars stuff on an older bike

@FormerMountainBiker

 no one geometry is perfect

Maybe not, but the overwhelming consensus is that modern geometry and wheelsizes, droppers etc make modern mountain bikes far more capable than bikes from even 5-10 years ago.

My current hardtail is much more confidence inspiring than my old full sus that it replaced, purely because it’s the right size for me and doesn’t try to throw me OTB as soon as I lose concentration. And that’s using the same parts and fork.

The Epic 8 Comp or Epic 8 EVO Comp would be perfect for you OP. The EVO is a touch more relaxed in geometry with a little more front travel.

Yes, that first one is not bad at all. Thanks for the link. Definitely one to consider.

Does it not depend entirely on your local riding, there’s no need for the passive-aggressiveness. In that there London and the woods and forests locally, 100mm is probs more than enough, in other places not so much. As you say its all compromise.

I think you’re right though, a hardtail is probs. the right choice.

No ‘passive-agressiveness’ here, sorry if you interpreted it like that. This won’t be a bike for riding round London; I have a commuter for that. This is more for holidays and short tips elsewhere. My last ‘big’ trip with a bike was in the Pyrenees in Spain; I took the hardtail because it was lighter. 100mm front fork. Was fine for all the descents I did, and they were a lot longer than you’d find in the UK.  The full suss bike would have been comfier, but was tipping into excess baggage charges so got left at home.

Just be aware that a lot of the trail centres have moved on too, and the majority have been ‘upgraded’ to suit modern geometry bikes as many became boring on the more modern bikes.

My most recent experience of UK trail centres were the ones round Betws in 2018. Have they become significantly modified since then? That was with the Ibis, but nothing I couldn’t have coped with on the HT. I’m no ‘riding god’, and probably not the fastest down hills, but my bikes then were fine for what I wanted to do with them. Bear in mind I’m going to be riding less trail centres, and more natural stuff. If I do encounter the odd section that’s beyond my skills and ability, I’ll just either ride round or get off and walk. No biggie. As for ‘boring’; has the view changed? It was fantastic last time I was up there.