why not hardtail?

[joosttx]

Get a 44. These hardtails are awesome and made for you.

[dancinkozmo]

Originally Posted by .RJ

I've got my eye on trading (or supplementing) my current hardtail (Niner SIR 9) with a Chameleon. It looks like an awesome bike, but I think the big tires and geo would make it pretty awful if you are used to road/cx bikes and plan on doing any gravel trail riding.

.

im thinking a plus hardtail is a nice compromise between full on hardtail and fs.
especially if you add a dropper ppst.
fat tires provide some added suspension and you get the lower maintenance/simplicity of a hardtail.

[.RJ]

Originally Posted by dancinkozmo

im thinking a plus hardtail is a nice compromise between full on hardtail and fs.
especially if you add a dropper ppst.
fat tires provide some added suspension and you get the lower maintenance/simplicity of a hardtail.

They really are. My SIR 9 is setup as 27.5x3 (front) and 27.5x2.8 (rear) and with a rigid fork its surprising how quickly I can ride it.

The only downside is the 27.2 seatpost, not really dropper friendly. I use this bike for camping over my 29er FS bike.

[Tony]

Originally Posted by .RJ

They really are. My SIR 9 is setup as 27.5x3 (front) and 27.5x2.8 (rear) and with a rigid fork its surprising how quickly I can ride it.

The only downside is the 27.2 seatpost, not really dropper friendly. I use this bike for camping over my 29er FS bike.

That's a BIG downside!!

[djg]

Originally Posted by joosttx

Get a 44. These hardtails are awesome and made for you.

So 44 is the size in cm (as in, give or take, 2.54 x 17.5)?

[.RJ]

Originally Posted by djg

So 44 is the size in cm (as in, give or take, 2.54 x 17.5)?

I think he means - http://www.44bikes.com/

[joosttx]

Originally Posted by djg

So 44 is the size in cm (as in, give or take, 2.54 x 17.5)?

44 Maurder #666
69 degrees 16.5in chainstays. Hardtails rule.
r

[djg]

Originally Posted by joosttx

64 degrees 16.5in chainstays
r

Got it.

So where's the mountain lion?

[joosttx]

Originally Posted by djg

Got it.

So where's the mountain lion?

somewhere on Mt Tam, I think.

[d_douglas]

I am on vacation right now on a small island with some great MTB trails. They don’t warrant a FS for me as they’re not demanding ( though they’re technical) so I brought my hardtail. Every time I have a great ride on a hardtail it reminds me of the joy it brings . Today was one of those days.

In spite of Chromags being ‘all mountain’, they’re only as rad as the pilot, and I have also experienced days of riding this bike when I was wayyy over my head and cursing as I descended black diamond trails on this, wishing I was riding my Banshee FS bike.

That said, if I could only keep one, it’d be my Chromag.

[djg]

And, btw, I didn't mean to hijack the thread, but thanks to folks for the suggestions -- maybe I'll take the plunge within the week.

[djg]

Originally Posted by chris7ed

Specialized chisel

This looks good.

Still kicking (or seeking to kick) tires. It's surprisingly hard to see things in-person at local shops, although there are plenty of shops. I would think that mid-priced bikes from the likes of Specialized and Trek would be well-stocked but it turns out that, for example, Trek procaliber bikes showing up as "available" on lbs web pages are actually available for the lbs to order from out-of-state. There's a Giant Fathom at another shop that I can look at.

With the chisel, I've been able to see the expert in the wrong size (although another branch of the same shop has a medium I could see/ride/purchase) and a comp in what seems to be the right size -- medium. I had a brief "test" ride on the comp, albeit with the cheap platform pedals and, really, just a few laps around a couple of adjacent parking lots with a short excursion onto a mostly flattish vacant lot. That's not exactly putting it through it's paces but, then, I'm not really an mtb rider, so there's only so much I can tell besides getting a basic sense of my seated position. It felt as if I could get it set up right without much trouble -- adjusting the saddle fore/aft and maybe swapping for a different model. Seemed responsive. The fork and parts upgrade on the expert seem as if they'd be worth the extra 250.

I've been combing local CL and not seeing quite what I had in mind. Online -- intrigued by this and that, but wondering a bit about things unseen, given my lack of experience. A former team mate has a Diamondback Carbon Pro that can be ordered at a healthy discount (even a little less expensive than the Spec expert) -- not a brand that was ever on my radar but the guy I know has been riding and racing a long time and has good reports; and Excel has a Ritchey Timberwolf in a 27.5, which looks interesting at the price.

[cachagua]

Can I ask a related question here? People have mentioned how much they like a hardtail with a short-travel suspension fork, and I'd like to know what forks like that people are riding. I'm a month or three out from a hardtail from another New England builder, and I've been thinking rigid fork, a segmented Igleheart most likely, but I suppose I should educate myself.

So what's the fork of choice for just a little bit of squish? What are the features to look for?

[joosttx]

Originally Posted by cachagua

Can I ask a related question here? People have mentioned how much they like a hardtail with a short-travel suspension fork, and I'd like to know what forks like that people are riding. I'm a month or three out from a hardtail from another New England builder, and I've been thinking rigid fork, a segmented Igleheart most likely, but I suppose I should educate myself.

So what's the fork of choice for just a little bit of squish? What are the features to look for?

I am riding a 130mm fork (2019 Fox 34 Elite). So, I am not going down the short-travel. My prior mountain bike had a 120mm fork (Magura ???) which was not short travel also. I am loving the 130mm fork. And would recommend anyone who is not racing or something like that to get a longer travel fork on a hardtail with modern geometry.

[cachagua]

Originally Posted by joosttx

I am riding a 130mm fork... and would recommend anyone who is not racing or something like that to get a longer travel fork on a hardtail with modern geometry.

Okay, that's welcome information. What are the selling points over a short-travel fork? My uneducated guess would be, if all this time I've been used to zero travel, then I should start with just a little... but maybe the better logic is go big or stay at home? Don't even bother unless I get enough travel to make it worthwhile?