For sure the modern bikes do a good job of covering almost all the bases, but there's still going to be some compromises, especially if your fav type of riding slides more towards one end of the spectrum like DH or XC. ymmv
Where do I start?
Posted by: heckler
Pipeline isn't a beginner trail?
It's not a green trail?
Posted by: FatBear
Posted by: Sethimus
i‘d get a good spec‘ed aluminium bike. something like the ripmo af. doesn’t hurt as much if you crash and break something. and you will crash.
Maybe something from Knolly, they still make a lotta aluminium bikes right?
Knolly makes wonderful aluminum bikes. I ride a fugitive and it's the bike I have always been looking for. If you are going to prioritize climbing there might be better choices though. Knollys aren't the lightest or fastest, but they are amazing on technical climbs and on the downhills.
Posted by: Kevin26
Posted by: syncro
I'd start with spending $2K on something used but relatively modern just to give yourself an idea of what you want to get into. After about 6 months you can then sell it for close to what you paid for it and move into what you really want. I'm a big fan of going used and having multiple rides for different types of terrain than going new and having just one ride to try and cover everything. The added bonus is that if your main ride goes down due to repairs you still have another bike to ride.
Except when I sold a used bike (for 2600) last summer I had 40 messages in a day and people were practically fighting over it... Reasonable used bikes and budget new ones might be tough to find. And a high end 150m(ish) trail bike would do a darn good job covering everything!
OP doesn't sound like he needs to save a few bucks buying used. I still think he should take some lessons and try some different bikes to get a feel for what works best for him before buying something new.
Posted by: skooks
OP doesn't sound like he needs to save a few bucks buying used. I still think he should take some lessons and try some different bikes to get a feel for what works best for him before buying something new.
Yeah for sure, but even people with money like to save money. I agree on the lessons thing and demo'ing some different bikes to help get a feel of what direction to go in. That said in the beginning I think it's most beneficial to learn on something with less travel like a hardtail as you learn trail skills faster than having lots of travel and tech save you from your mistakes.
Last edited by: syncro on Feb. 17, 2021, 3:03 p.m., edited 1 time in total.
Posted by: syncro
Yeah for sure, but even people with money like to save money. I agree on the lessons thing and demo'ing some different bikes to help get a feel of what direction to go in. That said in the beginning I think it's most beneficial to learn on something with less travel like a hardtail as you learn trail skills faster than having lots of travel and tech save you from your mistakes.
Maybe it’ll be worth it to buy FS and hard tail right off the bat? I’m a miserly bastid, my wife hates it, but I’m not scared to drop some money when I feel like it’s worth it. I’m not too stoked on the idea of buying used, but I’m open anything, where’s the best place to look? BST on this site seems pretty dead to me
Posted by: skooks
Knolly makes wonderful aluminum bikes. I ride a fugitive and it's the bike I have always been looking for. If you are going to prioritize climbing there might be better choices though. Knollys aren't the lightest or fastest, but they are amazing on technical climbs and on the downhills.
The fugitive is the bike I was ogling. It ticks some important boxes for me: trail focused, and from a local company being 2.
I really appreciate all the points of view, it’s really helping shape my plan of attack.
You know what, I was thinking about the POS 1990 Marin Eldridge Grade fully rigid I learned on, and the even worse Trek after that, and eventually the badass black rainbow glitter '99 Rocky Mountain Slayer I ponied up for when I got serious.
Fuck it, I say go straight for sexy. That Fugitive is going to be your favorite thing in the world.
Posted by: Hepcat
You know what, I was thinking about the POS 1990 Marin Eldridge Grade fully rigid I learned on, and the even worse Trek after that, and eventually the badass black rainbow glitter '99 Rocky Mountain Slayer I ponied up for when I got serious.
Fuck it, I say go straight for sexy. That Fugitive is going to be your favorite thing in the world.
*crosses Hepcat off the Christmas card list*
Posted by: FatBear
Maybe it’ll be worth it to buy FS and hard tail right off the bat? I’m a miserly bastid, my wife hates it, but I’m not scared to drop some money when I feel like it’s worth it. I’m not too stoked on the idea of buying used, but I’m open anything, where’s the best place to look? BST on this site seems pretty dead to me
My POV comes from my perspective on riding and related to that there are a fair number of people on here that love their hardtails as they are whole lot of fun in very different ways from a FS bike. If you've got the jake there's nothing wrong with spending it on a nice bike and I think most here would agree with the idea of a nice hardtail with a burly fork and a higher end trail bike like a fugitive. Come summer time, you may find yourself wanting a DH bike for the park as well if you really get bit by the riding bug. Of course the correct number of bikes is always n+1
I disagree on learning on a 'lesser' bike or hardtail, I think it would hold you back especially sea to sky and lower mainland. If you're keen to do lessons to get started that will help your learning curve way more anyway.
Best sources for used bikes are pinkbike's buy n sell, and Facebook marketplace and a few buy n sell pages. But I think you should get a sweet new bike, and start building a relationship with a good shop.
Haven't you noticed how people often say that riding a hard tail keeps them sharper on their FS bike?
Well fuck there goes the reason for that season.
⛄
Of course it's true and practical that a hardtail will build skills, but it's not as baller which is more important.
Pump track and a DJ/hardtail best choice yet 🤔
Last edited by: Hepcat on Feb. 17, 2021, 5:50 p.m., edited 1 time in total.
I talked to a local (Guangzhou) bike shop. They offered me a sweet deal on a Santa Cruz 5010 X01 and Chameleon package. They basically offered me a carbon chameleon as a bonus if I buy the 5010.
I’m thinking it might be worth it to buy here in China and ship em back home when I move back. It’ll let me cruise some of the very limited trails out this end of the earth
Any thoughts on the bikes, and the shipping home idea?
Last edited by: FatBear on Feb. 18, 2021, 12:11 a.m., edited 1 time in total.
Posted by: syncro
Haven't you noticed how people often say that riding a hard tail keeps them sharper on their FS bike?
It certainly does this for me, in spades! That said, if I was just starting out, and had my choice of both, I doubt I'd be reaching for the hard tail very often. I learned to appreciate them out of necessity, and then after years of riding dual-suspension-only, it was rekindled once I could afford more than one mtb.
A note on JVB's comment above, ("modern bikes and modern suspension are magic"), this certainly also applies to modern hard tails, aside from rear suspension. But tire inserts have made a huge difference in how a rigid rear end feels, without diluting the experience.
Plenty of solid advice has been provided already. But I am going to add a bit more based on my own experience of getting into biking on several different occasions.
My back story for perspective:
As a kid I rode BMX bikes and even did a few races. spent countless hours at a local park jumping small crappy jumps. was a fat little kid who liked sports
As a teen I got a fully rigid Fusion and rode all over the place on the bike but nothing technical or demanding. Was a tubby kid who liked and played numerous sports.
Late teens early 20's actually got into MTBing borrowing my brothers Kona Poe hoe CC aluminum hardtail, promptly crumpled the frame doing a rock roll as that was the cool thing at the time. Got 1st iteration of the Kone Chute (really fun bike) frame on crash replacement. proceeded to eshew climbing for descending joy and gnarly lines (or as gnarly as they could be in Victoria's "Dump") Cracked the Chute frame after a fair bit of riding and than spent a mint on a RM7. Rode the hell the out of the RM7 put on a Monster T and continued to ride challenging lines and drops, eventually cracking the frame and getting another RM7 frame.
Moved to Vancouver and stopped riding for about 5 years, sold the RM7 as it was a pig to ride uphill and I realized I couldn't ride for shit when it came to not sessioning sections of trail. Realized I wanted to ride a full trail continuously up and down with all the joy and ugly warts a trail had to offer with no sessioning. Went out an bought a Norco Range 3 deeply discounted at end of a season. Was a cheap entry level FS bike and basically and proceeded to ride it for 7 years. Probably the best decision I made, the bike was manageable uphill and was very competent while descending. My limitations were my own fitness at this point. Now a fat ass fledgling father who still loved sports.
On this bike I learned and explored the NS trail system. The best piece of equipment I bought was the Wade Simmonds Map book, with its great trail descriptions and suggested roots to ride. it was joy to head out and just ride trails on this bike.
Took a small break of about 3 years ( new kid induced), and just got back into biking again this past year for like the 3rd or 4th time and decided a new bike was in order. But this time I thought about my bike purchase long and hard and what I would need and what I wanted based on my past experience. My considerations were: Low maintenance, not expensive, needed to have a 1 * 10 or1 2 drivetrain, be a competent descender ( as I enjoyed my descents), needed to be a comfortable climber (still abhor climbing, but I do consider it a LABOUR of love now). Ended up going to back to a hardtail, getting a specialized Fuse. Read a bunch of reviews, found it rated fairly well as a competent descender and wouldn't be a burden on climbs. It was under $2,000. Headed back to the trails this time armed with Trail Forks app and my handy map book, while reconnecting with a riding buddy and have not looked back. One of may favorite years of riding to date and the hardtail bike choice has not held me back from riding most trails on NS and the terrain I enjoy.
So after this long winded history, here is my advice to you starting out.
1. Download Trailforks, this is a must for identifying the trails you want to ride and should be riding.
2. read NSMB.com, Pinkbike etc. to keep abreast of evolving gear and equipment and get a feel for what to look for in a bike and equipment you will need for what you desire to ride.
3. Get a bike a bike you feel comfortable with and it suited for what you plan to ride.
4. Make time to ride as our windows to ride can be fleeting.
5. Lessons are a good idea if that is your jam. - I went to Sun Peaks a couple of years back to ride the park there and took a lesson just to learn the mountain. I ended up not only learning the mountain but learned a couple of cornering tips that have made an immense difference in my riding ability.
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