The paradox of choice

monkeyrider

Observer
How does one choose the right bike? So many choices now. 26x4, 27.5x3, 29x2 or 3. Hardtail, FS, how much travel?

I've spent the last 25 years riding in the Midwest. A hardtail SS 29er was awesome. Now I live in the mountains and gears would be nice. My knees might require it. FS too. I've been admiring Salsa's options. Pony Rustler, Horsethief, Bucksaw, Deadwood, and Spearfish. Each day, I could choose a different bike.

At this point the choice is overwhelming so I've decided to wait. Get out and ride the bikes I have and let the riding guide my choice.

Any advice would be welcome.
 

p nut

butter
Choices are good, but it can get overwhelming.
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Fortunately, with choices comes with so many bikes that will fit your needs. If I were you, I'd get a full-susp 27.5 Plus bike (or 29 Plus, depending on your height). Like a Santa Cruz Hightower, Deadwood, or many others out there.
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They're a great compromise that excel in a lot of areas. Traction for days on dirt, nice float on sand or snow, cushy everwhere else. Can't go wrong with a modern day Plus bike.
 
I would agree with p nut. I have a SS 29er and a fatbike. I love the 29er, the fat bike can be a little much for daily use. It's a fantastic second bike though. Plus bikes seem to me to fall into the sweet spot. Plenty of tire for traction and plushness, still light enough to be fun.
 

kojackJKU

Autism Family Travellers!
I have the real correct answer....BUY ALL OF THEM! ha ha. I am just getting back into biking again now...and I agree with all the different sizing for tires. Can you get 26" plus setups? or can a 27.5" plus setup fit my 26" frames????
 

ericvs

Active member
I think your idea of riding what you have and then decide what you want/need is a good plan. Here is my situation/bike choice/reasons:

I ride around the Seattle area (Cascade mtn range). Most of my rides consist of a long-ish fireroad climbs (with some mixed singletrack) followed by a descent on fast, flowy single track with some rough/rooted stuff, some jumps/drops and such. So for me I wanted a bike I could climb, but with a bigger focus on the downhill portion of it. My thought process is sacrifice a bit of ability on the uphill to gain a bit of ability on the downhill side of things.

I have been riding a 27.5 5+" travel bike. It is a bit more slack than a dedicated XC bike, but I want more stability on the down. I have been very happy with it. I am running a 1x11 Sram drivetrain and I can make it up everything no problem (a 44 tooth cassette helps!). My lady rides a 5+" 29er and is in love with it. When 29ers first came out, they all felt really tall when you were in the saddle, everything just seemed to be higher off the ground. They have figured them out and the 29ers of today are low slung rockets. She rode a 29er trail bike at whistler and I couldn't keep up with her on a 26" DH bike. They are super functional now.

I would say don't buy a 26" bike. I think they are going the way of the dodo, so you might as well invest in the future. I think it is going to get harder to find 26" stuff in a couple years (like rims, tires etc). I could be wrong, but that is how I see the industry heading.

For travel, I wouldn't bother with anything more than 5" unless you are really hitting the gnarly stuff on the regular. The bigger wheels coupled with the 5" of travel really make for a smooth ride. That being said, a really tall friend of mine is riding a 6" 29er and says it is the best bike he has ever owned. He rides similar stuff to me.

One thing you def should do is demo all sorts of bikes. Most bike shops will have high end demos for people to try. Try them all. See what feels right, that is the ultimate decider. Also, at the end of the day, you just gotta 'run what ya brung' so there technically can't be a bad bike buying decision.

The one thing that isn't up for debate, however, is the dropper post. Whatever bike you get, invest in a dropper post. Best mtb invention since, uh, sliced bread!

Good luck & let us know what you get!
 

dman93

Adventurer
+1 on demos. My wife and I both ended up on non+ FS 29-ers when upgrading from 26 a while ago, although we were both intrigued by 27.5. For us, short-travel 29 just worked. FWIW friends who are faster and more skilled riders than me don't seem to care for 27.5+, at least with the full 3" size tires ... maybe 2.5 or 2.8 is better. But I'm already contradicting what I just said, ride them yourself and make up your own mind. Also, local conditions do make a difference.
 

p nut

butter
+1 on demos. My wife and I both ended up on non+ FS 29-ers when upgrading from 26 a while ago, although we were both intrigued by 27.5. For us, short-travel 29 just worked. FWIW friends who are faster and more skilled riders than me don't seem to care for 27.5+, at least with the full 3" size tires ... maybe 2.5 or 2.8 is better. But I'm already contradicting what I just said, ride them yourself and make up your own mind. Also, local conditions do make a difference.

Man, I gave up trying to model my riding style and bike choice after the "fast guys." Comfort and confidence trumps speed for me. But either way, that's the beauty of the 27.5 Plus bikes. They're fully compatible to run 29 inch "skinny" wheels or 27.5 Plus wheels.
 

Christophe Noel

Expedition Leader
I've deduced that any bike will work for nearly any condition. How well is the question. I've ridden the Porcupine Rim on a 29er hardtail single speed. Worked okay, but it was waaaay more fun on a Rocky Mountain Instinct BC (130/140 29er with 2.4 tires).

So, it's really about buying a bike that suits where you ride most and how you like to ride. Anything outside that is going to illuminate the weaknesses of your chosen steed. Where I live, in the land of fast and buff singletrack, my Spearfish is perfect. If I lived in Moab, I'd be all over an enduro-inspired whip.
 

deuxdiesel

Observer
120mm full suspension 27.5+ that can also take 29er and 26 fat wheels. I have a Bucksaw, and it is near perfect except that a touch more travel (120 vs current 100) would be nice. I think there are a few bike like this on the market now. Lenz/Trek/Spec maybe? Right now I am really smitten by 27.5+, because it has 85% of the benefits of full fat in a lighter, more compact package.
 

Christophe Noel

Expedition Leader
Last summer I attended a 3 day media event with a ride day hosted by Scott Bikes at the Deer Valley Mountain park. If you've never been, it's killer, with huge burms, kickers, and terrain perfectly suited to a medium to long travel full susser on 2.4 or larger tires, particularly given the dust-on-crust conditions that day. But...I was handed a beautiful bike worth probably $11,000 that had no business on those trails. An XC race pony with 2.3 low profile tires and 120mm of stiff-legged suspension, it was terrifying to ride. I do think my skills got better that day, but sheesh. It was a perfect example of right bike--wrong place.

It's not just about wheel size.
 

intheways

New member
120mm full suspension 27.5+ that can also take 29er and 26 fat wheels. I have a Bucksaw, and it is near perfect except that a touch more travel (120 vs current 100) would be nice. I think there are a few bike like this on the market now. Lenz/Trek/Spec maybe? Right now I am really smitten by 27.5+, because it has 85% of the benefits of full fat in a lighter, more compact package.

+1

I have had everything from folding bikes to freeride bikes and currently have a Ventana El Gordo. I'm hoping Ventana will come out with a full suspension fat bike.

Or have a bike for every riding condition.

Wes
 

kojackJKU

Autism Family Travellers!
I have often said that if I came into silly money (millions and millions, hold pinky to mouth). I would wake up a week later with hundreds of bikes, wondering how it happened.

ME too....and about the same amount of motorcycles!
 

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