Good place to research mountainbikes?

[54ny77]

Is there a good forum for reading up on mtb stuff? I don't often see MTB stuff on here, only on occasion. Am toying with idea of getting one. Know next to nothing about 'em, other than I rode 'em a bunch in my youth (pre-suspension fork era) and my most recent rig was from mid-late 90's (about when I last rode it too).

I don't think I want dual suspension, but I dunno. When they first came out I tried one and hated it, no lockout and it kept squatting while trying to ride uphill. Which makes me think I'd like a regular hardtail with a suspension fork (which is what I have, an old Stumpjumper).

Suggestions appreciated. Thx.

[gomango]

Google up Guitar Ted.

I like his style and he has his fingers in all sorts of off road mayhem.

Also, don"t miss mtbr.com.

FWIW I ride a Salsa El Mariachi hard tail and love it.

I also have a ss Bob Brown that will survive just about anything I throw at it.

[RedRider]

In Manhattan, Sid's Bikes probably has the largest selection, of high and low price points, and supports a few pro level mtn racers. The staff are very informed on mtn bikes.

[Kirk Pacenti]

MTBR isn't great, but better than most MTB forums and the only place other than here, that I bother to post to. Suspension has come a long, long way in the last 20 years. It's nearly impossible to get a 'bad' one today. Of course you have to set them up correctly, and ride them differently than a hard tail.

[josephr]

I wouldn't discount a FS so quickly...especially if you're looking at longer rides with more of an endurance approach. We know a LOT more about suspension bikes and even the new cannondale carbon FS bikes have no lower pivot point, just flexing carbon chainstays. Of course, a lot of the folks say you don't 'need' it as there's more air volume in a 29er, etc....but then these are the same folks that oooh and aaaah over the latest FS 29ers.

MTBR can be a good place to search, but most of the folks on there are folks from Colorado or out west...One guy here in Alabama was known as a forum whore and ended up with a Yeti ASR7...a FS enduro style bike with 7 inches of travel. For 99.5% of the trails within a 250 mile radius, that's complete overkill. If you have to have a new bike, then find a mtb buddy who can help.

Bottom Line -- as with this forum or any other, I wouldn't go to the internet for much advice on bike selection as there's just way too many variables to be considered - fit, age, intended riding style, available trails, budget.... That being said, your old Stumpjumper has a major advantage over anything else --- its PAID for!
Joe

[54ny77]

best point. :hello:

maybe i could toss a new fork & wheels on there and ease back into it? can these old forks be serviced?

this pic of bike is literally a time warp. bike's been in garage, i unearthed it and dusted it off last summer. quick lube of chain, spin down street and the thing shifted and rode almost perfect. rims a little out of true though. it's been unused & untouched in at least a dozen years. i bought this from a lbs in san mateo up in bay area in mid-90's. went in one day to get a replacement part for my then-fisher mtb (had since the 80's), and with new job and a few bucks in my pocket, i got tempted walked out with a fancy new high tech rig. :banana:

how time flies....

http://i191.photobucket.com/albums/z113/jpmz06/Bike/IMG_1875.jpg (http://s191.photobucket.com/user/jpmz06/media/Bike/IMG_1875.jpg.html)

That being said, your old Stumpjumper has a major advantage over anything else --- its PAID for!
Joe

[buddybikes]

Do they need service? May want to research if fork is elastomer or fluid. My wife's bike is same age, and appears to be same fork, she rides it every fall, and refuses to look at anything new.

[54ny77]

old rock shox, presume fluid since a few minor drops of oil trickled on the tubes over the years.

i'll have access to the bike in a few weeks and will look into it.

Do they need service? May want to research if fork is elastomer or fluid. My wife's bike is same age, and appears to be same fork, she rides it every fall, and refuses to look at anything new.

[mcteague]

Just got back into it after a 10 year absence. I had to do a lot of catch up as I was not sure what was worth buying these days. After lots of reading, the best full suspension setups today appear to be Specialized Brain and Giant's Maestro. The Spec is proprietary and not cheap to service, so I went Giant. Mind you, this is for 100mm travel, XC type bikes I was looking for. No interest in jumps or major downhill action and I mostly wanted a bike that could climb well and coddle my old bones a bit.

The hot thing now is 650b\27.5 wheel size. However, I went 29er as I wanted the better roll over ability and 29 is a bit more established. For bikes with lots of travel, 27.5 may be worth checking out.

http://www.mtbr.com/
http://twentynineinches.com/
http://www.pinkbike.com/
http://www.bikeradar.com/mtb

http://forums.thepaceline.net/attachment.php?attachmentid=1697865595&stc=1&d=1376324915

Tim

[BryanE]

Go buy a Specialized Epic.
I had a 2006 and loved it.
Sold it because it was a 26er and wanted to go the 29er route.
Got a good deal on a Stumpy S-Works hardtail 29er so
now I am saving money to buy the Epic Expert model.
Good value for the money.
I was very happy with the Brain.
Set up properly it works great.

[DrSpoke]

For forums I like mtbr.com too. There are also some groups at Bike Forums and Weight Weenies. Although it's more of a blog I also like Bike Rumor to sort of keep up on the latest technology.

Technology has a way on inching forward little by little and when you look back 5 or 10 years the models can look almost ancient. Having said that, I always say just ride what you've got. That is, unless it can't do what you want it to do.

My main ride is an early 2000s Santa Cruz Superlight and I'm often the only one on my rides with V brakes. I just laugh. IT's all in the legs and I can still, at 62, keep up with most.

I've also have a couple of Bontragers from '96 & '97 and though both are capable I don't ride them as much anymore. I recently restored the '96 Privateer S and the '97 Race Lite is almost done. I will be riding both though. BTW, my first mtn bike was an '82 Stumpjumper. I'd still have it if it wasn't stolen. It wasn't much of a mountain bike but was a great beach cruiser and was, I think, the 2nd year of production so would be sort of collectible.

The price point for new bikes seems quite high but there is a lot of technology in them for the price - especially compared to road bikes. But there are some great values out there in the used market. I would also recommend FS and as new as you can get.

As far as new wheels I don't think I'd bother. As far as new fork I would say that is an option assuming it's a 1 1/8" fork. Your Stumpjumper is of about the vintage when they were coverting from 1". The 1 1/8" size are still available though quality 1" are becoming very difficult to find. I've got a Marzocchi Marathon on the Superlight and like it. And they are pretty easy to still find.

Love that shade of blue on the Stumpjumper! Have you considered just rebuilding/restoring it and then finding something more modern in addition to it?

Good luck.

[Ken Robb]

I think my Marin Rift Zone is 12 years old so it's not the latest technology. Besides the cushy ride and bump absorbing ability I was amazed how much better it was for climbing on bumpy or loose hills than a non-suspension bike. It maintains traction in places that I used to spin my rear tire and stop on my non-suspension bike with similar tires.

If there is a company near you that rents decent mtn. bikes you can learn a lot about your own likes/dislikes before you decide what to buy. I think most well-known mountain biking areas/resorts have pretty good bikes for rent where you can try them in real riding conditions. A ride around a parking lot jumping up/down curbs is better than no test ride but that really doesn't tell the whole story.

[ofcounsel]

Some basic indicators of the different types of MTB's , based on suspension length:

80-100mm = Generally XC bikes. Great for climbing, tend to be more efficient pedalers. Not the greatest on serious downhill/technical trails as they don't have a ton of suspension and head/seat tube angles that are great for putting you in position for climbing make things a bit nervous on the downhill. Currently, these are mostly all 29" wheeled bikes, as the 29er wheels are just outright faster. And most all the new hardtails out there are 100mm forked 29'ers. Note: for 2014, Giant is making a big push for 27.5" XC bikes. You may see more 27.5 XC bikes in the coming few years. But for me, 29"ers work really well in the XC category. 26ers are dead for XC.

Representative hardtail bikes in this category are: Niner Air 9, Specialized Stumpjumper and Trek Superfly

Representative full suspension bikes are: Niner Jet 9, Specialized Epic Trek Superfly and Giant Anthem X. Note: Full Suspension bikes have come a long, long way since the 90's. Most all modern FS bikes pedal efficiently.

120-140mm = Trail/All Mountain Bikes: For 2013-14, these bikes are gonna be found as 29'ers or 27.5 wheelsizes. These bike are kind of "do it all" bikes that are comfortable over long distances. Many climb pretty good and yet are a bit more playful on the downhill than XC bikes.

If I had to choose "one" bike, it would likely be either a full suspension XC bike or a full suspension trail/am bike.

A few representatives in this category are: Niner Jet 9, Specialized Stumpjumper FSR, Trek Rumblefish, Ibis Ripley. Giant Trance.

140-160mm tend to be more "All Mountain/Free ride" And as you can imagine, climb a little less well, but descend better. Invest in a set of pads and have some fun.

160mm and above = Downhill oriented bikes. If you're buying one of these, you're like You're gonna be doing less climbing/pedaling and more shuttling to find downhills... Buy a full face helmet.

Here's my bikes: I've got two: A Niner Air 9 RDO Carbon and a Trek Rumblefish. I tend to use the Niner if I'm riding two hours or less, or if I'm going to a local with lots of climbing and less technical downhills. I use the Rumblefish if I'm going on longer rides, more technical stuff, or if I'm on a new trail where I've never been before.

http://i150.photobucket.com/albums/s81/ofcounsel/Air9RDO4_zps4f032c18.jpg (http://s150.photobucket.com/user/ofcounsel/media/Air9RDO4_zps4f032c18.jpg.html)

http://i150.photobucket.com/albums/s81/ofcounsel/photo8-2.jpg (http://s150.photobucket.com/user/ofcounsel/media/photo8-2.jpg.html)