conidering becoming overbiked… rambling thinking outloud post alert

afternoon…

right prepare for rambling post… sorry 😳

i will soon be getting a new bike and have had my sights set on a scott spark 920 as i live and ride mostly in hampshire/surrey area… however after doing some thinking i have decided that the genius 920 would potentially be better for my regular trips visiting family and friends around the more mountainous reigons of the uk.
now i cant get the thought of the genius 720 out of my head but for hampshire hills, swinley/surrey hills/qecp it is alot of bike. (that said it does have the traction option which puts the travel to 110mm)
so i guess the crux of the issue… is there anyone else out there who has a similar issue? lots of bike for their usual riding but perfect for the weekends away to the funner parts of the uk.
sorry again for rambling
cheers

I was in a similar situation when it came to replacing my SX. I started looking at a Transition Covert and a Banshee Rune and then went into a tailspin thinking that they’re too much bike and that I’d be better off with something like the Banshee spitfire.

Rode the Rune and the Covert, couldn’t get a demo on a Spitfire so said sod it, I’ll go down the overbiked route.I have been for aged if iI’m really honest with myself but I’ve been happy so far! If you like the bike and am happy riding it, go for it.

i have tested the spark but everything i have read says it gets a little overwhelmed in lots of rocky stuff and the downs which i really like. hence thinking about the 920 or 720… plus if im honest, there is a bit of me that still wants to learn to jump and drop properly and largely!

edit… a skills course is in the pipeline for this, dont know which one yet…

I rode a Genius around the Surrey Hills a couple of years back. Not my normal type of bike at all, but good fun! Used the TracLoc a lot, which isn’t really my thing, but it pedalled well in the big ring, and was nice and light.

I’d have one. Preferred it to the Spark frankly.

njee was it one of the 29er ones? tbh i’m still not really sold on the 29er thing… pleases everyone dont flame me for it. i just havn’t ridden many

150mm travel isn’t that overbiked really; I ride pretty much the same area on a Spesh Pitch and hardly ever bother with ProPedal or lockout.

idb..go into my lbs and tell them that, one of them would have a heart attack and the other would splutter and froth (both ht racer types who think you should only have fs for the alps!!!) 😆

And that’s why I don’t use bike shops.. 😉

i used not too as well but i like to be able to see stuff up close before i buy…

So surely the answer is two bikes then? n+1 and all that.. I do have a rigid ’93 Diamond Back to complement the Pitch..

already got a sc chameleon, currently in ss guise, road bike, ss pub/hack/commuter bike so its now the turn of the carbon full sus (plus the chameleon beats you up too much on anything longer than a couple of hours)… 😀

njee was it one of the 29er ones? tbh i’m still not really sold on the 29er thing… pleases everyone dont flame me for it. i just havn’t ridden many

Nope 26″. Was actually the previous incarnation, but I doubt they’ve made them worse!

Cheers njee… still not convinced by 29er. Maybe the 650b would be a good choice plus the rides are supposed to be similar but the smaller wheel one more involved and playful (dependant on what you read)
And yes I will be getting a test ride on both asap….

go into my lbs and tell them that, one of them would have a heart attack and the other would splutter and froth (both ht racer types who think you should only have fs for the alps!!!)

I completely disagree with this. I go down stuff much quicker on my trek session than my little bike. I still do 90% of the trails on my smaller bike, but I go faster, do bigger drops and have much much more fun on the session!

So I personally think overbiked is a ridiculous phrase, and you should just buy whichever one you like best.

I reckon the Genius 29er isn’t a bad shout. It’s a 130mm travel trail bike, it’s towards and more XC trail end of the spectrum TBH, Ive looked at them for a next bike, I ride the same area as you. I don’t think you’ll be overbiked at all, but it’s nice to have that bit extra for when you do go away.

Anyway, you’re never over biked just under trailed!!!!! 🙂

I live in Hampshire and have owned a Covert for just over a year. Yes it is a lot of bike for the local woods but as you pertain to in your initial post, you wont be riding in Hampshire all the time and will be ready, nicely used to the bike, for the trips to proper hills where you can really let it go.

As Wookster says “you’re never over biked just under trailed”. Love that by the way and will use it.

Yep. I live in Norfolk and ride a Covert with 160 floats. HUGEly overbiked for Thetford 😀

However I don’t really enjoy spinny flat singletrack so I really bought the Covert for away days to Aston, Chicky, Cannock etc, and will be taking it to the Mega next year. I suffer the overbiked’ness at Thetford when I feel like a general fitness ride.

Be overbiked for a few years, be underbiked for a few year one day you will find which one you want own multiple bikes.
If you get out more than you stay at home go bigger, else just get what feels right.
Modern 150mm bikes are a hell of a lot easier to live with than some older ones.

I used to own a 140mm stumpy (2007) but never really felt it was a good bike… the spark that I rode was fantastic but felt a little slow on the turns so I think if I can get a demo of the 720 and give it a propper blast then that may be the way forward… and by the time I buy the summer sales will have started! !!

So I personally think overbiked is a ridiculous phrase, and you should just buy whichever one you like best.

Yep. 140-160mm-odd bikes are very efficient pedallers nowadays. It really isn’t a huge compromise. They are also very versatile, my 140mm FS gets used for natural bridleway rides, uplift days, alps holidays, trail centres. Although a collection of bikes would be ideal, it actually does all pretty well which is the whole idea of these types of bikes isn’t it?

Only got my 160mm MTB working at the moment, really missing my shorter-travel bike!

For the riding you describe something like a Fuel EX would be spot on. Still fast on your local rides but able to handle proper mountain rides if required.

Do it!

Anything by trek is out purely for aesthetic reasons. .. dont like the way they look, shallow but there we go. 🙂
Plus like I said earlier scott have the twinloc thingy which lessens and stiffens the suspension for “easier” trails.

Why not just get some more XC style tyres for the Genius for local duty and more heavy duty one for the away day?

If you can stretch to a second set of wheels that makes it even easier.

I rode my Zesty with HDs at Thetford the other day, it was hard work and overkill for anything that is there but a nice change from the normal 29er HT with RaRa / RoRo. Neither is better, just difference.

Can’t specifically speak for the Genius but not big bikes are “too much”, a lot of ’em work really well even with the bar set low. My own is like a little dh bike in a lot of ways so Internet Wisdom says it’d be rubbish at simple trails but nah, still great fun.

Cheers_dive I am likely to get a second set of wheels anyway as the syncros ones are apparently fairly heavy, quite narrow and I dont think they are tubeless ready tho I may be wrong about this.