This theme is kind of better asked as a two part question.
One question is about what is your bare minimum trail/riding style before you lose interest. Id say you can get away with a pretty low-end bike as long as you keep it on the low-end trails and riding speeds. But the idea of essentially downgrading your abilities and giving up your relatively safe/reliable access to more advanced terrain is a difficult pill to swallow.
And the second question is what is the bare minimum type of bike/equipment could you safely/repeatably/reliably use, without forfeiting the terrain and style you are currently comfortable riding. This minimum should also still allow for riding progression without requiring you to constantly repair or replace parts.
Drivetrain is pretty easy. Really doesn't matter a whole hell of a lot anymore as there are good and reliable options at pretty budget levels.
Frame could for sure be a robust enough and well designed steel or aluminum hardtail.
I think the most complicated parts of this question are brakes, rear hub, and a fork that isn't actively gonna kill you or blow up every time you ride it. Tires are UBER important, but they're also the most frequently replaced wear item and the price differences arent SO enourmous so they kind of get a pass. Run what you want to run. Contact points and bar preferences are more personal of course, but they dont need to be bling to work in a way that doesn't hold you back or threaten your well being. Rims/wheels need to be up to the task, but they dont need to be anything crazy. Good alloy rims arent exactly cheap either though and will need replacing at some point.
The sum of all these parts definitely puts the price up in the thousand(s)ish range, but it doesnt have to be in the MANY thousands range.
I experienced a bit of this myself when my primary bike was stolen, and all I was left to ride in the interim 5-6 months was my Rocky Mountain Blizzard fatbike. I was pretty terrified to have only my fatbike to ride during the summer to try and keep up with friends and still enjoy more gnarly terrain. Some adjustments to riding style and expectations needed to be made obviously, but I got by surprisingly fine once I adapted to riding it, and honestly had a Lot of fun on it. Essentially Just a basic but serviceable hardtail with good enough brakes, good gear range, and a barely but more or less a good enough RS Bluto fork.
Feb. 15, 2022, 9:16 a.m. - Metacomet
This theme is kind of better asked as a two part question. One question is about what is your bare minimum trail/riding style before you lose interest. Id say you can get away with a pretty low-end bike as long as you keep it on the low-end trails and riding speeds. But the idea of essentially downgrading your abilities and giving up your relatively safe/reliable access to more advanced terrain is a difficult pill to swallow. And the second question is what is the bare minimum type of bike/equipment could you safely/repeatably/reliably use, without forfeiting the terrain and style you are currently comfortable riding. This minimum should also still allow for riding progression without requiring you to constantly repair or replace parts. Drivetrain is pretty easy. Really doesn't matter a whole hell of a lot anymore as there are good and reliable options at pretty budget levels. Frame could for sure be a robust enough and well designed steel or aluminum hardtail. I think the most complicated parts of this question are brakes, rear hub, and a fork that isn't actively gonna kill you or blow up every time you ride it. Tires are UBER important, but they're also the most frequently replaced wear item and the price differences arent SO enourmous so they kind of get a pass. Run what you want to run. Contact points and bar preferences are more personal of course, but they dont need to be bling to work in a way that doesn't hold you back or threaten your well being. Rims/wheels need to be up to the task, but they dont need to be anything crazy. Good alloy rims arent exactly cheap either though and will need replacing at some point. The sum of all these parts definitely puts the price up in the thousand(s)ish range, but it doesnt have to be in the MANY thousands range. I experienced a bit of this myself when my primary bike was stolen, and all I was left to ride in the interim 5-6 months was my Rocky Mountain Blizzard fatbike. I was pretty terrified to have only my fatbike to ride during the summer to try and keep up with friends and still enjoy more gnarly terrain. Some adjustments to riding style and expectations needed to be made obviously, but I got by surprisingly fine once I adapted to riding it, and honestly had a Lot of fun on it. Essentially Just a basic but serviceable hardtail with good enough brakes, good gear range, and a barely but more or less a good enough RS Bluto fork.