New Bike Recommendations

[Ryanmb21]

Hello,

I'm looking to get a new bike pretty soon, and am seeking some advice and recommendations.

A bit about myself, I'm relatively new to mountain biking, been doing it for about three years. I'm a weekend warrior mostly, riding about 1-2 a week, generally for 1-2.5 hours a time, usually riding 10 - 25 miles a time with ~1000-3000 ft of climbing per ride. The trails I ride and enjoy the most are single track with easy to medium obstacles with lots of shorter climbs and descents. We have tons of great trails near my home, with areas from Santa Cruz to Lake Tahoe all available with pretty short drives. As I get better and progress, I want to ride a new trail every month and do about one bigger (for me) ride a month. I'm not particularly aggressive, but I enjoy hitting natural jumps and improving my skills and fitness.

My current ride is a 2013 Giant Trance 29er with 120mm of travel, here. It's the only mountain I have ever rode for more than 15 minutes. It's stock, other than tubeless tires and weights about 33-34 lbs.

Which takes me to the purpose of this thread. I rode a trek fuel ex 8 for a few minutes in a 18.5" frame. It immediately felt more comfortable, more nimble. This, and my curiosity has me looking for a new bike. I've sold my Giant Trance to a friend who will pick it up in about a month. In the meantime, I would like to demo and check out some new bike contendors.

So far my list contains:
Trek Fuel Ex 8 or 9
Kona Hei Hei Trail DL

I more concerned with a comfortable and fun bike more than fast. But I also want something that isn't too heavy. At 6" I seem to like my 29er but I am open to testing a 27.5 or 27.5+. Maybe even a 29+ like the Trek Stache?

I'm curious about bikes like the Kona Process, but perhaps they are too much bike for what I am doing? I would also would like to try out bikepacking at some point.

Now the hard part. My budget is $2800 - $3500. Do you have any recommendations?

Thanks for the time!

 

[deminimis]

We have a Hei Hei arriving today (or tomorrow) for my kid. I see the Trail is on your list. Not sure about the market there, but if up here, I'd recommend you look for a lightly used bike (whatever brand/model) and save a ton over new. Also, I think you can still the '15 Hei Hei carryover for around $2k (skad frame). With the savings, you could upgrade components if you felt the need and still be ahead. Also, you may wish to look at Evo's clearance section (online). They tend to have some great prices on everything. They have some nice offers that might fit the bill.

 

[Christophe Noel]

Boy, there are so many good bikes out there. For most, it's not entirely about selecting the right bike brand to brand, but first buying the right format of bike. With so many wheel choices, paired to so many suspension formats, it's nearly impossible to make recommendations.

Knowing the Trance quite well, I'd say the bikes on your short list will make for a good transition, and I think they fit your mission very well. As much as I love plus bikes, seems like that's all I rode in 2015, I think they have a place and it's not for every trail and every rider. They are ridiculously fun, albeit a wee bit slower on anything with a slight upslope. I do agree with you that the Process might be much if you have bikepacking in mind, and it really does favor more aggressive riding.

Not to muddy the water, I would also put the Rocky Mt Instinct on your list. I've been evaluating the Instinct BC Edition for the last month and oh boy, is it fun. It rides a little lower in the stroke than some, but it's quick, comfy and the lower priced Insticts fit in your range and offer similar ride attributes.

http://www.bikes.com/en/bikes/instinct/2016#/models/instinct-950-msl



I think maybe I would try to narrow your criteria. First pick a wheel format. Then select a travel length. From there you can search for the bike with the suspension attributes you want.

 

[not another subaru guy...]

Everyone loves the Salsa El Mariachi... It really is a do anything type of bike. It is very easy to customize, bikepacking to single speed ripper. I have one. It's super fun. It replaced a Niner Air9, which I didn't like. (too harsh) It's also made of steel, if you care about that, so that makes for a smooth ride. And last and most importantly, its in your price range.

 

[calicamper]

One thing is for sure each bike is a unique ride and fit. I still ride my 32yr old bike because its such a great fit and I like its ride quality. Granted its been rebuilt three times. Ha!
I just picked up a new MT last yr budget bike but so far its been really good. I like the fit and ride quality. Who cares if its a cheapie GT $1500 29er its been great so far and eventually it will get rebuilt too. In like 15yrs and god knows how many miles. My old bike is my farmers market rig now. Its not seeing the 20-30miles a week it saw in its hey day.

 

[Ryanmb21]

Boy, there are so many good bikes out there. For most, it's not entirely about selecting the right bike brand to brand, but first buying the right format of bike. With so many wheel choices, paired to so many suspension formats, it's nearly impossible to make recommendations.

.....

I think maybe I would try to narrow your criteria. First pick a wheel format. Then select a travel length. From there you can search for the bike with the suspension attributes you want.

Thanks for the thoughts fellas!

That is a good point about first picking a format. Thinking about that a bit more, I think I am looking for 120-130mm travel, full suspension 29er or 27+. I understand that the 29er and 27+ have similar outer diameters. I've never ridden a 27+ but the benefits are intriguing.

I will add the Rocky Mountain Instinct and El Mariachi to my list to consider.

 

[Christophe Noel]

The El Mariache is a steel hardtail, and while it's a great bike, is completely outside the scope of the other bikes in your sites.

Between 29er and 27.5+ the differences are more subtle than you might suspect. It's wholly about contact patch, which is where the 27.5+ has a clear advantage. I'd brake it down like this:

Rolling efficiency: Advantage goes to 29er until the surface gets progressively rougher, then the 27.5+ has the advantage. (think gravel vs. rock gardens)
Turning efficiency: Advantage 27.5+ due to contact traction, but subtract a tad for the added weight of the wheel package. Not quite as quick with the steering, but faster high-angle turning.
Acceleration: Advantage 29er due to lower rotational weight.
Climbing: Same as above unless the surface is really rough allowing the larger volume tire to overcome rough surface intrusions.
Comfort: Advantage 27.5+ but suspension has a lot to do with comfort.
Descending: Advantage 27.5+ due to the sticky footprint and big rolling mass
Soft conditions: Advantage 27.5+ due to bigger footprint

For many 27.5+ bikes, it's easy to just slip on a narrower tire if you want to bolster speed and efficiency for less rough terrain.

What is a good surface for 27.5+ FS riding? Look here: https://vimeo.com/162165049

 

[Co-opski]

Flounder awesome post thanks for the info.

I road my first 27.5+ bike this weekend when my friend let me take out his ride, Jones trussed space frame, loop bars and all. He built up some 27.5 Velocity Duallys wrapped in surly dirt wizards. It was fun but kind of a quirky ride.

I also got to see Nicholas Carman's Meriwether and Lael Wilcox's White Mountain 100 ride a full carbon Specialized (don't sue me) Fatboy as they stopped by the bike co-op last week. https://gypsybytrade.wordpress.com/

It is good to have your perspective with all the bike formats you have been on.

 

[Christophe Noel]

There are just so many bikes out there and so many of them are truly amazing. It's just about matching the right bike with how and where you like to ride.

 

[Ryanmb21]

Agreed, thanks for in depth perspective Christophe and everybody! These bikes provide so much fun, but are Lots of dollars! I wish I could ride them all.

So as of now my demo list is:
•Trek fuel ex 29er
•Kona hei hei dl trail
•Rocky Mountain instinct
•Something 27+

 

[Nick52]

I have an almost new 2015 Norco Carbon Sight 27.5, 1x11, XT, Thalas 32, NoTubes, remote seat post, Med, $2.5k.

Or

2016 Intense UZZI Special Fab paint and serial number, decked with Extra set of rims Ck it in pink bike $3.2

Way too many bikes in the garage, SoCal Txt me if interested (949). 212-8824

 

[kootenay]

Agreed, thanks for in depth perspective Christophe and everybody! These bikes provide so much fun, but are Lots of dollars! I wish I could ride them all.

So as of now my demo list is:
•Trek fuel ex 29er
•Kona hei hei dl trail
•Rocky Mountain instinct
•Something 27+

The Kona Hei Hei DL trail is an unbelievable bargin of a bike. Just really nice bike for riding anything. The weight of the frame is also shocking for its price point. The wide rims and XT drivetrain are really well speced. Now in full disclosure I am a Kona Dealer. I also sell Santa Cruz Ibis Norco, Intentse.... etc. The Hei Hei DL trail frame and shock is the same weight as my Ibis Ripley Frame and Shock. The main difference is you can fit a decent sized tire onto the Kona, the Ripley was crippled by its rear end.

As a long time cyclist my advice is buy the bike that has the best local shop support behind. All of the bikes you listed are great, each will have its pros and cons, and unless something is glaringly awful they will be pretty similar. So the service and support of a local shop could be the difference. When it comes to 27.5+ try one if you like, you can always convert it to 29" wheels if you don't want to get bounced around on rough trails.

 

[jayspies]

Just another datapoint for you: think about how much you favor speed over fun (yes, the two can be had together in spades if your cojones are metallic enough), but what I really mean is that the paths that you can comfortably take and the places that you can comfortably go are often limited by the geo and setup of your given bike. If your thing is exploring new trails, then you may want to think about tire platform first. A FS 29er will typically give you more speed and rip, so if that's your thing, then I'd lean that way, and narrow the field by travel, geo, ride feel and budget. A 27+ (or out on a limb a 29+ like the Lenz or a lightweight fatty like the Beargrease) will typically offer more "explorability", as the platform's bigger footprint allows trails to be ridden that may otherwise be cumbersome or not doable at all on a 29er, at the expense of speed and acceleration. I also find the added squish to be more adept at soaking up trail chatter, but that may be also be due to the Lefty fork I ride more than anything else.

I can't offer much in the way of experiential info, as I ride a hardtail fatty year round, but I (and my 46 year-old body) have long ago traded speed for fun, and I find that a bigger footprint format allows *me* to ride places that I could never go on my old hardtail skinny tire bike. YMMV. Plus, as Christophe said, an inherent advantage of a 27+ is that a somewhat different bike is just a wheelset swap away. Easy to go from 27+ to 29 if conditions dictate, but going from a 29 to 27+ is prob not gonna happen due to the frame limitations.

Good luck in your search!

Jay

 

[Christophe Noel]

A 27+ (or out on a limb a 29+ like the Lenz or a lightweight fatty like the Beargrease) will typically offer more "explorability", as the platform's bigger footprint allows trails to be ridden that may otherwise be cumbersome or not doable at all on a 29er, at the expense of speed and acceleration.

Jay

I agree with you Jay with the exception of the Beargrease. Judging by the times I record on the local trails that I've ridden for over a decade now, I'm as swift on my Beargrease (with carbon wheels) as I am on anything else, which baffles me. Granted, this on trails that are relatively buff and favor a hardtail to some degree. That bike is such an anomaly. It's also my favorite bikepacking rig for most trails. So strange.

 

[jayspies]

I agree with you Jay with the exception of the Beargrease. Judging by the times I record on the local trails that I've ridden for over a decade now, I'm as swift on my Beargrease (with carbon wheels) as I am on anything else, which baffles me. Granted, this on trails that are relatively buff and favor a hardtail to some degree. That bike is such an anomaly. It's also my favorite bikepacking rig for most trails. So strange.

I've never ridden a BG. Considering your statement, I probably shouldn't either, as I will likely never look at my Mukluk the same again...