A complete noob wants to get into mountain biking

[noobski]

Buy nice or buy twice!

Love this quote!

 

[noobski]

I'd just get a Stumpjumper Evo and be done with it.

These are in the shop. Which Evo?...quite the range on price...

Will discuss with my favorite sales person there.

 

[tball]

Used to ride Triathlons, but that's it and that was 10+ years ago.

Something to consider is if you think you might want to do any Xterra races (off-road triathlons) at some point. They are a blast, and you can do them on any mountain bike, but a more cross-country-oriented FS would be preferable over a heaver longer-travel bike.

 

[noobski]

Something to consider is if you think you might want to do any Xterra races (off-road triathlons) at some point. They are a blast, and you can do them on any mountain bike, but a more cross-country-oriented FS would be preferable over a heaver longer-travel bike.

Thanks! I didn't know about this...I will investigate post bike purchase. I gave up Tri's 12+yrs ago because I just had my first kid and kept having too many close car-hit calls (got nicked/mini hit three times) and felt road biking wasn't worth the risk where I live. I miss the Tri-experience, though. I love swimming. Getting old though...Unfortunately I have Tachycardia now, so even if I reentered that world, I'd go slow from a health standpoint.

 

[Tom K.]

I'd just get a Stumpjumper Evo and be done with it.

Not 100% sure this what the OP wants for riding in the Midwest Driftless Region?

From Specialized:

Let's get something clear—the Stumpjumper EVO Comp Alloy 29 isn't a "normal" trail bike. It's built to get gnarly, and there's no real way around that. It has a slacked-out front-end and a longer top tube, so the EVO has heavier steering, exceptional front-end traction, and it begs you to boost every lip and do cutties as often as possible.

 

[Tony Storaro]

I'd just get a Stumpjumper Evo and be done with it.

If you can find one. And that's a whopping big IF right now.

 

[Tony Storaro]

Yep, we are looking at November for some of our bikes already.

Guess whose order on SL7 has been ruthlessly canceled without any explanation apart from "Sorry, can't do that"?

Also, guess who was smart enough to strike a deal on TCR Advanced Pro when opportunity came his way-late last fall, just to be on the safe side. Another proof that more gear doesn't hurt.

 

[Erik Timmerman]

Guess whose order on SL7 has been ruthlessly canceled without any explanation apart from "Sorry, can't do that"?

Also, guess who was smart enough to strike a deal on TCR Advanced Pro when opportunity came his way-late last fall, just to be on the safe side. Another proof that more gear doesn't hurt.

Ouch.

I really wonder when COVID is over does this all end and we have these companies blowing out excess bikes?

 

[wooglin]

Got a Wheel and Sprocket nearby? Looks like they’ve got some inventory. Hard to say what the size ranges are though.

 

[AmyPJ]

Ouch.

I really wonder when COVID is over does this all end and we have these companies blowing out excess bikes?

Or a glut of lightly used bikes being sold by individuals.

 

[Mike Thomas]

I really wonder when COVID is over does this all end and we have these companies blowing out excess bikes?

It doesn't seem like there are any excess bikes, my guess is there will be a robust used (like new, never ridden!!) bike market as folks return to normal and sedentary.

 

[Tom K.]

Guess whose order on SL7 has been ruthlessly canceled without any explanation apart from "Sorry, can't do that"?

Also, guess who was smart enough to strike a deal on TCR Advanced Pro when opportunity came his way-late last fall, just to be on the safe side. Another proof that more gear doesn't hurt.

GREAT save with the Giant!

 

[Tony Storaro]

GREAT save with the Giant!

Yeah, love it. Only missing the 3T Superergo which is arriving in March and it will be perfect.

 

[scott43]

Thank you.

No big hits. Too noob to know my terrain.

Budget is open to those numbers you list. The Yeti retail was $6k according to the person renting it to me.

I'd like to optimize the purchase (i.e. okay with that budget, but don't want to overpay relative to my experience and capabilities).

The reality is, you can get a kick-ass hardtail for $2500 that weighs 25lbs. For $3-$4k you get a decent FS that weighs 35lbs. So it's really about budget. I can ride pretty much anything on a hardtail, doesn't mean it's the best tool always. And it's not as easy. But for $2k, I'll suck it up.

 

[noobski]

The reality is, you can get a kick-ass hardtail for $2500 that weighs 25lbs. For $3-$4k you get a decent FS that weighs 35lbs. So it's really about budget. I can ride pretty much anything on a hardtail, doesn't mean it's the best tool always. And it's not as easy. But for $2k, I'll suck it up.

Thank you. So presumably shaving that 10 lbs compared to a hardtail is probably a few more $thousand? And you're thinking the weight-to-price ratio is not worth it?

 

[scott43]

I mean, the money thing is your deal. Whatever you're comfortable with. For me, I can't do it. If I could afford it, I'd be riding a FS XC carbon bike that costs $10k. But..that ain't happening for me. I'd rather have a 25lb hardtail for $2k than a 35lb FS for $4k..that's me. YMMV...

 

[noobski]

I mean, the money thing is your deal. Whatever you're comfortable with. For me, I can't do it. If I could afford it, I'd be riding a FS XC carbon bike that costs $10k. But..that ain't happening for me. I'd rather have a 25lb hardtail for $2k than a 35lb FS for $4k..that's me. YMMV...

Thank you. $10k is too rich for me. $4k is obviously a lot but I can cover that. I appreciate your notes and I think I should try to demo hard tail v. FS here since the majority of my riding will be midwest and then I would like rent FS out west anyway.

 

[dovski]

Realize I am coming in at the end of this thread, so if this has already been mentioned, my bad, but has anyone directed the OP to Pinkbike.com? Ove the last year I have picked up 3 amazing gently used bikes off Pinkbike at very reasonable prices:
Highly customized Trek Top Fuel 9.8 (upgraded to Fox Factory Suspension and SRAM XX Eagle full drive train, shifters and cranks) for my wife
Trailcraft Maxwell for my son with lots of upgrades
Yeti SB 150 Turq 2 for me

Lots of great used bikes out there, granted you need to be patient to find the right one at the right price and there is definitely more demand now than ever before. With that in mind I should probably try to sell my Diamondback Mission Pro before the bike shops are able to get a reliable source of inventory

 

[tball]

Thank you. $10k is too rich for me. $4k is obviously a lot but I can cover that. I appreciate your notes and I think I should try to demo hard tail v. FS here since the majority of my riding will be midwest and then I would like rent FS out west anyway.

You can get a sweet and light FS bike for that. An Epic Evo is on my radar:

Epic | Specialized.com

www.specialized.com

Reports are the $4400 Evo Comp is around 26lbs stock:

Anyone knows the weights for Epic EVO 2021?

Hey Does anyone know the weights of Epic EVO comp and Expert? Thinking of getting the comp and I like shimano components and just upgrade the shocks to ultimate, wondering what weight to expect.

www.mtbr.com

I totally get @scott43's point about the value of a hardtail. It could be all you need where you ride.

For me, even though I'm cautious going down and don't do big drops, FS adds huge value in 1) keeping me from getting beat up on long descents and 2) making long days in the saddle tolerable.

 

[Lvovsky /Pasha/Pavel]

@noobski

Here is my two cents after a year into the new hobby:

- Borrow a bike and ride it. There must be someone with a bike collecting dust. After 5-10 rides, you'll know more about what you want such us sizing, components, bike features (e.g. drop post, head tube angle, 1x12 or 1x11 or 2x10, 29” vs 27.5, etc)... You will also get a way better idea of what you want to ride and where. I did not really understand what mountain biking really and did not apreciate the difference between different mnt biking styles.
- Learn fundamentals of the sport. There are many tutorials on youtube. Doing figure 8 on a driveway pays dividents! If you want to learn bunny hops or manual, do it on softer grass. It will still hurt when you wheel out but with less road rash. Ask me how I know.
- Learn about different level of components and decide what is important: entry level components on a fancy brand bike or nice components on a direct to consumer bikes. (or just a bike that you can order now!)
- Now that you know your size and components preference, consider direct to consumer brands. Polygon cough my attention in this article:
https://www.pinkbike.com/news/first-look-2021-polygon-siskiu-t.html

I got a Polygon Extrad 7 hard tail for SO in the fall, and, finally, got my FS bike (Siskui T8) delivered yesterday. Yes, they are often out of stock and it took a bit of hunting and sweet talking to customer service manager to get my T8
For the road bike I went with a Vitus from chainreactioncycles last summer.

You should be fine with making some assembly, torquing the bolts, etc. or ask a local shop to assemble the bike for you...

As far as HT vs FS: are you speed seeking dare devil? Then get a hard tail first and learn to ride properly without relying on the full suspension to bail you out. If you are smart and deliberate about where and what you ride and know that you will not be taking excessive risk anyway, than get FS, enjoy a smooth ride while you learn without recklessly "sending it".

Welcome to yet another expensive and adrenaline providing hobby!

- most (if not all) of the advice in this thread is spot on. I understand it all better a year later tho