In the last 2 weeks have just got back on a bike after a 5 year ( yes you read it right ) layoff. Many moons ago I had a fairly big off in Howarth in which I broke collarbone, an arm, a leg in 2 places, 4 ribs & 3 small cracks in vertebre. Initially after doing as my doc said and taking healing time I started riding again but fairly quickly was having loads of pain in left knee. had usual referal to specialist by GP who took xray & pronounced I had the onset of rheumatoid arthritis brought on by the earlier injury & my days cycling had ended.
Many tablets & physio sessions later I moved house still in loads of pain so asked new GP for a review, was surprised when told they had a joint specialist in the surgery so I was sent straight to see him. 10 minutes of pulling/prodding & many expletives later I was told I did not have arthritis but instead had extensive ligament damage. 8 months in a knee brace & I can cycle without pain again but have been told I will need an op to fix it properly

It is not really a question of material as much as it is a question of construction/builder.

You have to remember that any “standard” commercially available bike or frame is going to be built en masse in a factory and even the best of them suffer from an element of sacrificing design elements to aid building.

If you do want a really good riding experience go for a handbuilt frame ( and by handbuilt I mean just that & not a factory bile that is braised/welded by people ) An experienced framebuilder can make both steel & aluminium feel alive, A really good one will talk to you to find out how you ride and then advise you on the best materials for your needs.

Look on Ebay can always pick bladders up on there at a good price. I saw a pack of 2, 3ltr bladders for £8 not so long ago.

Find a helmet that you like & is comfortable to wear then get yourself on ebay and pick up a couple of Zandana’s. They are essentially a pre shaped bandana and all you do is plonk them on & tie at the back no fuss or messing about.

This brings back lots of memories.

Using hairspray as a lube & adhesive for grips is very old school & yet it still continues to be one of the best. Been using it since late 70’s first for tri bar grips on road bikes then carried on through every MTB I have had.

One warning though you MUST use the cheapeat nastiest hairspray you can get, the more expensive stuff is now designed not to be sticky so it wont work. If you can get it the basic Insette in a blue & white can that sells for 69p near me is the one I have always used.

Yes

I currently use a Dura Ace S/C rear mech on my XT 10 speed rear end & apart for a very short while when XT/XTR shortcage rear mechs were easily available I have used a road rear mech since I first started riding MTBs in the early 80’s

If you are going to go for a torque wrench don’t go for a cheap one they can be so inaccurate you may as well use an old tea bag to check if something is tight enough.

If you are budget conscious look at Teng or Silverline I have used a Teng for years with no problems at all. Give thought to size of drive. Whatever drive size you use for accurate results don’t use a drive adaptor to make othe drive size sockets fit.

A hope hub/ mavic rim combination is my personal fave but dont forget that no matter how much you spend on components the wheel will only ever be as good as the builder.