Posts
8
Joined
10/26/2020
Location
Folsom, CA
US
Ok, so I am a over the hill MX racer (60) still hacking away at vet motocross. I have ridden and raced moto, cross country, enduro and trials all my life in one form or another.
I decided that I wanted to pick up ... something mtb. I want to work off some of this covid-lockdown weight. Plus work on more CV and have fun on. I despise road biking (have one, don't use it)
Yeah, I'm on a budget. Hence, looking for the most that I can get, used, and something that would be suited for trails around a local lake. Kind of a mixed bag of terrain, and no call for a downhill bike.
I had been looking in the local classifieds for sometime. Ran across a -cherry- 2015 2016 Trek Carbon Fiber Remedy 9.8 *Large 19.5. for $2k. Was ready to pull the trigger with a devil-may-care attitude. Apparently the seller wasn't ready. So the search continues.
My question is -- what is out there in the $2,000-$2500 (max) range that would be comparable?
E-bikes excluded please. (couldn't afford one anyways even I wanted one)
Pros? Cons? Obvious things to look for? I can talk mx bikes and moto minutiae all day long, but the modern day mtb, I've got a lot to learn. Probably more so than I want to.
I decided that I wanted to pick up ... something mtb. I want to work off some of this covid-lockdown weight. Plus work on more CV and have fun on. I despise road biking (have one, don't use it)
Yeah, I'm on a budget. Hence, looking for the most that I can get, used, and something that would be suited for trails around a local lake. Kind of a mixed bag of terrain, and no call for a downhill bike.
I had been looking in the local classifieds for sometime. Ran across a -cherry- 2015 2016 Trek Carbon Fiber Remedy 9.8 *Large 19.5. for $2k. Was ready to pull the trigger with a devil-may-care attitude. Apparently the seller wasn't ready. So the search continues.
My question is -- what is out there in the $2,000-$2500 (max) range that would be comparable?
E-bikes excluded please. (couldn't afford one anyways even I wanted one)
Pros? Cons? Obvious things to look for? I can talk mx bikes and moto minutiae all day long, but the modern day mtb, I've got a lot to learn. Probably more so than I want to.
1) Used, as you mentioned.
2) Direct-to consumer brand. (Commencal, Canyon, YT.) You can get a lot of bang for the buck with $2500 on one of those. You said no call for downhill, but you race MX, so I'd look for a trail or "all mountain" bike. You can bomb trails and have fun. They're a little more comfortable than full XC bikes and they pedal pretty well. (We MX guys don't know what a "bad" pedaling MTB feels like, anyway.)
Here are a few suggestions:
https://www.commencalusa.com/meta-tr-29-origin-brg-2021-c2x31920272
https://www.canyon.com/en-us/mountain-bikes/trail-bikes/neuron/neuron-6…
(oops, YT Jeffsys are sold out.)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DSYwTlth1oc
Dropper seat post - a must? (I'm thinking yes)
In fact, buy a dropper post with a bike attached.
So, I should have known... covid madness. New bikes pretty much impossible to get, at least in the budget entry line. ($2k). Been calling local shops (within 50 miles and shopping dealers online, no joy) I had decided on the Fezzari Abajo Peak but they are quoting delivery in April. But I want to ride. Now.
I'm going to have to put in some sweat equity in my searches.
Online market places (i.e. Facebook market place) seems to be producing some good leads. Craiglslist, that will take some time in searching daily or more frequent.
Dropper post, for sure. On the top of he list.
Another question - 27.5 or 29er? I think either would work, and honestly, I probably wouldn't be able to tell unless I did a side-by-side comparison on the same runs..Maybe not even then.
This is a similar can of worms question that get's asked over on vitalmx akin to: What premix do you run or what is your jetting? LOL.
I run Yamalube at 36:1, BTW. :-)
I'll be doing some research on Nukeproof. Prolly sold out anyways....
I asked this question earlier this year when I got bit by the bug. I had some great suggestions, and wanted to buy the Canyon Spectral or YT Jeffsy after reading the replies. But the problem is, if you want one of these affordable direct-to-consumer brands is that they were ALWAYS out of stock when I was ready to buy and I didn’t want to wait either.
My budget went from 1200 to 2000 to 2500 to 4000, so beware! You do get what you pay for, but the fun factor depends on you. (Just like the “obsolete” kickstart Suzuki is good enough for anyone, but gets ragged on the forum all the time compared to the latest and greatest) Also, asking 650B vs 29er is like asking 2t vs 4t IMO lol
Anyways, I would suggest something with at least 140mm travel front and 130mm rear for a good all around bike. I was glad I didn’t get less. If there are hills, I’d get a 12spd-it made my life easier. Dropper? Yes. I use it almost as much as I shift. Carbon is great, but Al is nothing to snub. I was worried about 29s feeling clumsy-I love them. This is just what I’ve learned after purchasing 2 bikes this year. Pinkbike is a good place to look, as well as FB Marketplace.
Good luck man!
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