#!markdown
This is a very viable way to get into mountain biking; in fact, it's exactly
what I did. Bought myself a 3×9 Deore hardtail – and proceeded to enter
Theseus' paradox. Within three months I had replaced many of the parts,
including the frame itself. Within a year the only original parts left were
the rear M475 hub (only one freehub replacement), the rear rotor, and the
11-34 cassette.
My current definition of "rideable" is determined not as much by my biases as
by the rider's needs. The reader in last week's column said that he wanted a
bike to race BCBR and continue to ride on the Shore. I would not recommend a
$1500 hardtail for that purpose, as in my experience, it's a recipe for
replacing all the boards in the ship. And in 2015, I'll stick to my guns and
say that a clutch derailleur is… clutch.
Sept. 29, 2015, 7:43 a.m. - Morgan Taylor
#!markdown This is a very viable way to get into mountain biking; in fact, it's exactly what I did. Bought myself a 3×9 Deore hardtail – and proceeded to enter Theseus' paradox. Within three months I had replaced many of the parts, including the frame itself. Within a year the only original parts left were the rear M475 hub (only one freehub replacement), the rear rotor, and the 11-34 cassette. My current definition of "rideable" is determined not as much by my biases as by the rider's needs. The reader in last week's column said that he wanted a bike to race BCBR and continue to ride on the Shore. I would not recommend a $1500 hardtail for that purpose, as in my experience, it's a recipe for replacing all the boards in the ship. And in 2015, I'll stick to my guns and say that a clutch derailleur is… clutch.