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What bikes should I be looking at?

cantunamunch

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But I just want to ask one pointed question to get feedback and make sure that my thinking was correct:
Given my entry level price point, I am thinking that my money is best spent getting a better quality hard-tail than a full-suspension that is the same price. Correct, or no?

MSA= rocks and roots and mud. To quote @Ron , rocks hurt. Pop over to mtbqc's channel on youtube and have a look. OOOF.
 

crazycanuck

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MSA= rocks and roots and mud. To quote @Ron , rocks hurt. Pop over to mtbqc's channel on youtube and have a look. OOOF.

True... but the great majority of time I would be doing more XC trails than downhill, and for the couple of days a year that I might do downhill I would probably just rent. Hence I guess I am really looking for more of a solid entry level XC trail bike rather than a true downhill bike where I would need FS to deal with the rocks and roots at high speed! :)

I actually was just over at a bike shop on my lunch hour and had an interesting discussion with the owner. I had made the comment that I presumed (as a neophyte to this) that I would be better off getting a 1x drivetrain just to make it simpler to use and easier to maintain. How comment was that the economics of that are bit more murky that that. The thing he said that I need to think about, to balance things out, was that I could replace the chain on a 2x8 setup 2 or 3 times before it equaled 1 replacement of a 1x11 setup, and that the derailleur on the 1x11 was also much more expensive. Hence he said that his view was that the cost of ownership/maintenance was probably a wash and it was in part personal preference on how one uses it.
 

tball

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But I just want to ask one pointed question to get feedback and make sure that my thinking was correct:
Given my entry level price point, I am thinking that my money is best spent getting a better quality hard-tail than a full-suspension that is the same price. Correct, or no?
I think HT vs FS depends on your price point. Can you clarify beyond not wanting to spend thousands?

My view is a $1000 hard-tail will always have decent utility in a quiver. The same isn't true for a similarly priced full-suspension bike, nor even one up to $1500ish. It starts to get more interesting if you get up to $2000-$2500.
 
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Wilhelmson

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I'm actually in a similar-ish situation. We just bought a chalet at Mont Saint-Anne, primarily for skiing, but we also plan to spend time there in summer and fall, and hence my son really wants us to get into some mountain/XC biking. He is a fairly avid athlete and like many ski racers sees this as a great x-training opportunity. I used to trail bike a TON when I was a teenager, but am now late 40s so it is a different world. haha Before dropping thousands on a bike, I want to ease into it. I've read this thread and a few others with interest, and it answered most of my questions.

But I just want to ask one pointed question to get feedback and make sure that my thinking was correct:
Given my entry level price point, I am thinking that my money is best spent getting a better quality hard-tail than a full-suspension that is the same price. Correct, or no? I am also looking on kijiji for used bikes that might be a good deal (and actually saw one this morning for a Cannondale hard-tail where the poor guy got divorced and now has to move and is forced to dump his bike!).

1x all day. Way better If only to make cleaning a piece if cake.

I went mtb there when I was 16. Had a good time but it must have changed a lot over the last 26 years. At your desired price range hardtail is the way to go. Depending on goals determination skill and fitness you can do rocks and roots on hardtail. Wider 29 tires and a 120 fork probably help.

A good question is at what price is one better off going to full suspension. $2,5O0?
 

crazycanuck

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I think HT vs FS depends on your price point. Can you clarify beyond not wanting to spend thousands?

My view is a $1000 hart-tail will always have decent utility in a quiver. The same isn't true for a similarly priced full-suspension bike, nor even one up to $1500ish. It starts to get more interesting if you get up to $2000-$2500.

Yeah my take was similar, and my thought was that a $1k budget would get me a reasonable hard-tail that I would be happy with, but that it would take me twice that money to get an FS that I would be happy with long term.
 

Wilhelmson

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The problem is without a discount the components at $1,000 aren't going to help you much. A few hundred more and you wont hate your tires derailleur and fork after a few years. But then you can always grab some xt off crc but then you are in it for $1,800 anyways!
 

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