Mountain Bike - Hard tail

I have an older version of the shimano saint flat pedals.

They're good for freeriding, commuting or basic trails. The little pins are super grippy and make short work of cleaving through your shin if you should slip off. The take a hell of a beating too and hold up well.

 

Some good shoes and personally I love these pedals, cheap, very slim, light and I think plastic is more friendly to my feet than alloy. Me and a couple of buddies have been beating on them for a while and sure at some point they'll shed a pin or two but that's solvable. Note I'm a bit of a flyweight 150lbs, maybe heavier dudes would find them too flexible?

http://www.jensonusa.com/Platform-Pedals/Deity-Compound-Pedals

 

The main reason I ride clipless is because they keep my feet on the pedals going down technical stuff. I can clear any technical obstacle in flats that I can clipless, its just a matter of a bit of technique tweaking. I've seen some really nasty injuries from feet slipping or bouncing off of flats. Those little pins can really do some major damage.

 

You won't find me disagreeing with that. Catching a pedal to the shin is one of the more devastatingly painful injuries I can think of and I have the scars to prove it. I ride flats on my freeride rig which I ride more like a BMX bike so I don't like to clip in. It just took a while before I smartened up and started regularly wearing shin guards.

If you're going to do anything more serious than a casual ride or commute, then clipless is really the only way to go.

 

Loaded pedals work really really well. get 5.10 shoes for flats. you'll never wear another pair of bike shoes. they grip almost as good as being clipped in. and i ride XT clips on my XC bike... but i don't wanna be off the ground and attached to my bike. i can't fathom hitting freeride or DH lines clipped in. then again i'm no pro here so maybe that's a big part of it.

 

Hoping to get a little advice, since there is alot of knowledge here.

first, i'm a very 'simple' mtb rider. just having fun pedaling up/down the local hills. i honestly have no idea how technical they are, but i sweat my ass off and enjoy the riding (especially the downhill bits, of course). i'm in it for equal parts exercise and fun. i'm NOT looking to be fastest and, due to schedule, often ride solo so not too worried about keeping up w/ peeps.

currently have a giant nrs2, which i bought used maybe 10 yrs ago from a friend. without any other point of reference, the bike works well enough for me, but there are a couple points i think could use improvement. and, the basic question is: upgrade or sell/buy new?

fork: i've never serviced the stock (skareb?) fork. that said, when riding, the fork feels like shit. first, the action feels way harsh....like there is too much compression damping. there is an adjuster, but it has poor resolution. also, the thing feels kinda 'noodly'. like its flexing about and causing the bike to dig in on tight turns and run up ruts going straight. poking around, i found this and thought it might be a decent solution: http://www.performancebike.com/bikes/Product_10052_10551_1167172_-1___

saddle: how the hell do you figure what saddle might 'fit' best? trial and error? are there any general fitment guidelines? i need a new seat, if for no other reason than the one i have is pretty shagged. it also seems to be a little more 'fluffy' than alot of the ones i see out an about. how are the more narrow/racy seats in comparison? i heard once they can actually (counterintuitively) be more comfy?

dropper post: since my rides inevitibaly include both some pretty steep climbing and pretty steep decending, i currently manually raise/lower my seat. and since i have to stop, i'm not doing it everytime i would really like to. i see all the dropper posts, but have held off on biting the bullet due to a perceived-by-me reliability / maintenance downside. do i really need to spend >$300 to get a good one? any particular options that people like?

now, before firing off with "just buy a new bike", i REALLY dont want to spend $2000+ on a bicycle. it is really hard for me to justify given my current level and intention. and, i think it would take that kinda loot to really give me something 'better'.

am i wrong? what sayeth the beeb experts??

oh, and thanks in advance!!

vince

 

definitely buy new. if it was like an 08'+ i'd say upgrade, but bikes are completely different than they were in the early 2000's.

1) fork: night and day from 10 years ago. probably closer to a dirtbike fork now than an older bicycle fork of last decade. for instance, most higher level forks have air springs, now with bladder dampers even, and high/low speed compression, and rebound, and if they're spring models they have options for different spring rates or Ti springs or whatever. the forks are way more stiff, stanchions are thicker, axles are less bendy with the 15mm or 20mm maxles.

2) saddle: you can go to a bunch of bike stores and they have a sit-finder that measures your ass bones and gives you the width that you'll want to buy. they might also have loaners for you to try. i've had good luck in the last 3 years now that i know generally what i should be looking for, but when i started riding road bikes like 6 or 7 years ago before mtb's the saddle was the hardest thing for me to find. i bought 4 before finding the one that was right for me.

3) dropper: i had one at one point for half a season. they're handy if you want a do-it-all bike. they add about a pound to the weight of your bike, and i didn't want more cables, so i got one with a lever under the seat itself instead of a handle bar mount. it was just something else to service in my eyes though, started acting up, i got it warrantied then got rid of it. now i have 2 bikes, one XC and one DH so i never touch the posts on either. i just take the different bike to whatever i'm gonna be riding.

i'd say this... i try to ride like 5 days a week. but i have a similar outlook as you. i just like being in the woods and having fun, and getting exercise while i'm at it. i'm not trying to race anything, and i'm not trying to be on the FMB tour... that being said i have $10k worth of bikes now. maybe i got way carried away, but what the hell. they get lots of use. a good bike is night and day over a middle of the road bike, is night and day over a shitty bike as far as the experience. pretty much my opinion for whatever its worth. spend $2000 for something on sale or slightly used that cost twice as much new retail, and then keep it for another decade just like your other one and you'll get more than your money's worth.

 

Don't spend a penny on that Giant. Sell it to recoup some of the cost. Pick up a used modern bike off CL or on sale in the fall.

 

thanks guys. that POV (buy newer) seems to be consistent, if not appealing to my cheap-assed-ness.

good news is i only have about maybe $5-600 into the bike total, including all the tubes, chains, pedals, pads, grips and other wear-item stuff i've replaced over the years.

i've been doing some basic surveying, and based on what (i think) i'm doing, looks like an all-mountain rig would be the best solution for me. any particularly good bikes to keep an eye out for? brands/models?

and, Sweaty, you're makin me a little nervous w/ your current inventory level. that is EXACTLY what i fear!! lol

dak, thanks for the tip re. fall sales. that might be the ticket. seem to be alot of bikes on CL around here too...just need to pick through and find one that fits, etc.

ok...onward and upward.

vince

 

Yep. I agree. Buy something new, or newer. Bikes have improved a lot in the 12-13 or so years since that bike was new.

 

It's unlikely to be economical to add new major parts to that bike. If you went over it what else is in a state of disrepair that shoukd be looked st in the next 12mths, eg drivetrain etc. I'd opt for cheap 2nd hand replacement parts, stick to a budget. Whatever you spend you are unlikely to get back. I'd also disagree about the forks, I don't think they've come that far recently. Maybe a little but it's incremental improvements and I think it's been the smallest changes since susp forks graced mtbs.

 

It's been a good way for the industry to make some $$$. Just saw that Kona is coming out with new 26 models although magazine editors (shills) swear 26 is dead.

 

One thing to consider is go away with the front derailleur. You're not racing so no need to squeeze the last bit of performance. Still mashing it when you already go mach 3 downhill or spinning steep uphills aren't a requirement. Get a 1x10 drivetrain with a clutch derailleur, skip any kind of chain guide. If you want more range get an aftermarket bigger last chainring in the cassette. Saves a bunch of hassle and the bike looks clean and simple. I have one of those fancy fat/skinny tooth front chainrings and a Zee derailleur and in a year of riding this combo haven't dropped a chain once. And we got some serious drops in the bike park, dual slalom course, some nasty baby head downhills. Takes it all and asks for more.

 

For wheel size debate check out this interview (hopefully mods don't frown too much, technically it's not a video link):

http://www.bikemag.com/gear/exclusive-video-bronson-santa-cruzs-new-650b-trail-bike/

Joe Graney is bike designer at Santa Cruz and he swears a lot when it comes to discussing wheel sizes, for the right reasons

 

It's kind of like with supersport replicas. The market is so bloody competitive now that there are no bad bikes there if you stick to major brands. They're all at least good. Some very good. Since you don't care to get the latest and greatest I'd stick to something from a major brand and then the decision is mostly driven by the level of components bolted on to that frame and price. Budget drivetrains are usually a PITA, budget brakes are usually a PITA, etc. Look for at least SLX level in Shimano.

 

OK, I read that entire article and I still don't know what a 650b is. How about translating it for us non-bike guys.

 

Watch the interview, article is optional There are 3 wheel sizes that are popular now. 26" has been there forever. 29" used to be the new fad a few years ago. Now it's mainstream. Then they came up with 650b which is 650mm which is ~27.5". So people are going "WTF you want to sell us bike #3 just based on a different wheel size??".

 

Can you build a 27.5 bike out of a frame for 26 inchers?

 

Depends on the particular frame if there's enough clearance. A really big DH tire is pretty close to the diameter of a smaller 27.5. The size has been around a while and guys have been running converted 26ers for years. I'm pretty interested myself but dig my current 29er so who knows.

If you're super curious: http://forums.mtbr.com/27-5-650b/list-27-5-compatible-26ers-376656.html

 

Not in most cases if any. Clearance is typically tight in the rear triangle already especially in full suspension bikes. Many start to rub even with a tire change.
There are some that are made specifically to accommodate both sizes. But they require pivot changes and spacers to maintain geometry just like a motorbike.