Mountain Bike - Hard tail

I just got upgraded by the wife to a FS 29er from my 26er HT. I am no faster over the mixed single track terrain than I was on the HT (slower by a tick actually on everything but the downhills and more aggressive trail). But it is 1000% more comfortable on the back and shoulders and I can ride longer and more consistently on it for sure.

 

You went 26 -> 29 and didn't notice an immediate improvement? That should be like night and day.

 

Nope. It isn't really IN MY EXPERIENCE that big of an "improvement" depending on your terrain, your riding style, and your bike setup. My 26er was decently setup and I am/was very comfortable on it. It is quite fast on climbs, very quick steering and agile, and I had acclimated to riding it fast in my line choice and how and where I hammered the pedals. The 29er rolls over everything easier and is much much more stable. But the trade off is that it doesn't accelerate nearly as well, it turns slower and loses momentum when forced to be agile and quick. I am sure it is a much much more capable bike and there was absolutely an immediate (and massive) improvement where it has its strengths. But it isn't better everywhere and I haven't adjusted to maximize its strengths either.

 

it being agile or not has to do a lot with the geometry of whatever you bought. 29ers for a long time where long wheel based, and long chain stay lengthed. not fully the case any more. they've got it pretty sorted. head tube angle could account for the less agile turning sensation. the FS will sap some of your pedaling effort compared to the HT. it also most likely weighs more than the HT.

all that stuff will affect what you're describing in some combination. you'd have to give us the exact bike/setup to truly compare.

 

I just can’t justify spending motorcycle money on bicycles.

Then again, i ride the bicycles 2-5 days/week for hours at a time...

 

I used to say the same thing. Now I have Trek ProCal and TopFuel RSL's. It's like they're teammates, which makes it look cool/okay in some not-right-sorta-way.

 

I was in that boat as well, but once you are riding 3-6 days a week you start justifying it a bit more. I still don't like the prices of the bikes in my garage, but they get so much use and having quality bikes means less downtime, more enjoyment, etc.


And a lighter bank account.

 

How often all you fellas crash? I ride with a bunch of dudes that crash all the time (and we're no pro's by any means), so I really took pride in not crashing. I hadn't crashed in 4 or 5 years, but boy I took a digger Wednesday night like never before. Mangled my leg. And my pride.

 

The last two years I've had a few lame tip overs that weren't much of anything out on the trails, but three weeks ago I took a major spill that left a huge hematoma on my left hip, some cuts and scrapes, a busted to shit helmet and concussion. To be honest, I should have been hurt far worse than I was and it still has me riding downhill quite tentatively. Beat me up more than any of my roadracing crashes ever did.
But it will pass.

 

Just one real crash for me. Not sure what I would call it, sprain or jammed wrist I guess. Bunch of near misses though. Mostly because I'm new and I need to find a mellower trail system to practice on. The jump trails are fast and bermed with jumps immediately coming out of, or going in to corners and getting my eyes up and relaxing has been a problem. Plus, as the speeds pick up I revert to motorcycle type body positioning where I want to get forward and inside into the corner. Pushing the bike underneath me still feels funny. Working on my fitness and will get some actual instruction here soon though.

That said, I am head to toe in armor every ride at this point. I wear the G-Form stuff and you don't even notice it, plus it works for snowboarding this winter.

 

its been a good few years since I've had anything like that though. i don't think i've crashed at all this year, and that includes riding Whistler and other DH. i'm not super pushing my limit though really these days, and still a few close calls, but good saves i guess.

 

I crashed about 4 hours ago. Sprained my left thumb. Right wrist is mildly sore. Right knee is cut up.

I will road ride until my race on 9/7 to rest my hands.

 

For the crashers out there, get some coaching. All the theories from motorcycle racing apply, just different techniques. There's some great clinics and one on one coaches out there.

 

this showed up this mornlng with another rider... nice bike

 

I never got the full squish hate. Ive been on one since ~1997 when Mongoose made the VRS 3.o...lol. It got a couple of other guys on MTBs as well when it became a loaner and I eventually gave it to my riding buddy. A friend that started on a 29er called the mongoose a "piece of s^^^"...lol.
I was pedaling this morning with my buddy on his new 29er... going at a good clip while I was on his 6 the whole time. He'd hit a root or rock in a turn and the back shock would absorb the impact then rebound the wheel just a few inches enough to get the bike pointed straight out of the turn with no drama or momentum loss. It took him a few years to come to the soft side...and he loves it. No more belly aching about the hard tail beating him up. I noticed he is dramatically faster... so much so this other roadie fella we ride with has spent some loot on his bike in the past few weeks with new Enve carbon wheels, low roll resistance tires, carbon bars, etc... because he didnt like the way he was getting smoked on the straights...lol. Tomorrow should be hilarious for the roadie guy. He takes casual riding sundays way too serious...lol

 

I just struggle to rationalize the cost of a quality rear shock rather than having better parts on a hardtail.

Fat bike is fun, but not plush. I am probably asking too much of it.

May shop for a used carbon hardtail this winter. May not. Gotta figure out how much play money i have.

 

the LUX is a lovely bike to ride - nearly went that route myself

I am convinced that a FS is better in pretty much every way when equipped with similar spec hardware. I am still glad I started on a HT and started very inexpensively, but to me it is VERY obvious now that spending money on a higher end HT vs a slightly lower spec FS doesn't make sense unless you ride VERY specific terrain. For me personally, I still have to adjust my riding technique to get the most out of the FS in terms of speed but its comfort and momentum conservation of rougher terrain is undeniable.

 

Also I tend to have an easy "crash" once every couple of months or so. And by easy crash I mean like a lowside slip or slide where a body part or handlebar touches the ground with little to no damage to the bike or myself. I have only had two actual big crashes that have damaged the bike significantly or me significantly. And the one that damaged me was the last time I rode without gearing up with protection for the extremities - never again as the $1800 to stitch me back together is a lot more expensive compared to the cost of some pads and some sweat.

 

got to demo a few bikes over the weekend...
https://www.giant-bicycles.com/us/reign-advanced-pro-29-2-2020

this is one thats on the short list.
God damned the bike industry! 29ers rock... whoops we meant 27.5 plus is the new hotness... nope now its 29er plus with 36mm forks and boost axles I do like my 27.5 Decree and dont see me ever retiring it or ever ditching a dropper.
Anyway... the Reign confirmed what I suspected... same 4 mile segments back to back with 29 & 27.5... I was a minute faster on the 29er w/o pushing it hard. The thing was just rolling over inclines and obstacles. So back to 29ers I go.

 

Speed aside, how fun did it feel vs. the 27.5?