returning after 12 years.. not sure what to get.

silentbutdeadly

silentbutdeadly

has some good things to say
I had a squiz at a Trek Marlin 7 today. $1,300. Pretty reasonable spec for the money these days but certainly entry level. There's cheaper versions of it but driveline spec drops precipitously. The one thing I couldn't get past is that this thing has a square taper BB!!
 
Squidfayce

Squidfayce

Eats Squid
silentbutdeadly said:
I had a squiz at a Trek Marlin 7 today. $1,300. Pretty reasonable spec for the money these days but certainly entry level. There's cheaper versions of it but driveline spec drops precipitously. The one thing I couldn't get past is that this thing has a square taper BB!!
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I've got a marlin for my ratbike. I would not take this on a trail. Head angle is 69.5 and does not feel stable descending. I've done some really tame stuff on it and it's kind of frightening in a not nice way.
 
Chamelion

Chamelion

Likes Dirt
Having spent the last 7 hours doing a LOT of research and I've come to a few decisions.

Will be buying second hand. Something around the 2018-2019 vintage seems about right to get what I want in terms of having the newer 1x gear sets and I definitely like what newer frame geometry has to offer.

Definitely want dual suspension. I wanted it so much last time that if I buy a hard tail now ill be wanting to upgrade it in a month anyway. My son is buying a hardtail and we'll have the same size bikes so it wont be hard to use his if I'm in the mood for that. I'll also borrow his bike to go to-from work and when I just do casual path rides with my wife.

Dropper post absolutely required. Either included or upgraded to soon after. Backup being fashioning a 'slider' post out of my wifes gigantic black dildo.

Shimano deore gears at a minimum, GX if SRAM. From all of my reading SRAM SX is dearer than deore, but lags behind it.

Fork... not a massive deal as I'm happy to upgrade it at a later point should I not be totally happy with what comes with it, buuuuuut I'll be hoping for something better than a set of 2007 RST Gilas :p ... I did notice that sr suntour air forks are a bit nicer than others of the brand used to be back in the day, but still a bit... sticky? compared to better dearer forks.

Only thing left is wheel size... I guess, based on what I've read, I'd prefer 29" but if I see something that meets all other requirements and it has 27.5 then so be it.
 
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Chamelion

Chamelion

Likes Dirt
BurnieM said:
Whats the budget ?
$1500 is not going to buy much of a full sus bike.
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im going to find a few things to sell that i no longer use so I can stretch out to $2000... my wife will have kittens, but I think she will allow it given ive just kicked cancers ass for the second time and I finally want to get my fitness and health back.

That said, I'm not in a rush and I am VERY good at finding bargains... Basically, unless I want something very specific or I need it now, I live on marketplace until I snap up a properly good deal. I'm only doing a few hours at work whilst I recover, so I've got plenty of time. :)
 
Mr Crudley

Mr Crudley

Glock in your sock
Glad you are on the improve @Chamelion

What are the trails like that you will be riding the most? - more XC-ish , flowly singletrack, fire trails, sandstone chunk with drops, something else etc?
I would suggest getting a bike that is suitable for 80% or more of where you will be riding. Make your decision based on that.

To echo @Halo1 Slack HA's do give more confidence since it just feels stable when descending but it just doesn't feel as snappy for quick turns as a 68 degree plus HA feels to me. If you a blessed with twisty singletrack then something less slack might be a better fit.

It is a minefield trying to pick what could work the best before throwing your hard earned at it. If you have the opportunity to take a bike for a test ride then get on it.
 
M

MacMan

Squid
FWIW, I went from a late 90's GT Avalanche 26" with a whopping 65mm front travel and rim brakes, to a relatively recent XXL Trek Fuel EX8 29" with the tricksy single front ring, dropper, hydraulic brakes and SRAM GX. I still have the GT and love it to bits, but found that the style of most trails has completely changed to the point it's not the right bike tool for the job anymore. I was never into DH stuff and never raced, but I had an epiphany riding around the You Yangs trails that involved breaking a rib, and spending most of the time beforehand just waiting to come off. The Trek has been AMAZING, and recognising the confirmation bias I still have because ***new shiny bike*** I say save your pennies and do go dual suspension, do go 29". It climbs better, stops better, and as someone who never did or even wanted to race, it's as playful as I need. I spent a decade trail riding motorcycles so any MTB is snappy in the corners by comparison.

Also, as someone working in cancer care, I know you know nothing teaches someone the value of here and now like surviving cancer. Congratulations, do what you need to achieve what makes you happy and do cool stuff with your family. :)
 
Cardy George

Cardy George

Piercing rural members since 1981
silentbutdeadly said:
I had a squiz at a Trek Marlin 7 today. $1,300. Pretty reasonable spec for the money these days but certainly entry level. There's cheaper versions of it but driveline spec drops precipitously. The one thing I couldn't get past is that this thing has a square taper BB!!
Click to expand...
Ex-Vice Captain's not only came out of the box with a square taper but a 28t chainring as well. Bit useless around here but was useful in Melrose. And locked in to FSA, which I can only find from the Germans.
 
beeb

beeb

Dr. Beebenson, PhD HA, ST, Offset (hons)
Chamelion said:
I'll be using my bike commuting to the train, then the train to work, which is only about 2km in total, though I may ride to further train stations to increase my fitness. I'll be doing casual footpath rides with my wife too.... but my son and I have been talking and we are both keen to hit the trails too. So I'm just not so certain what I should be looking at.
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@Chamelion - I think this paragraph is probably the one worth focusing on from your opening post.

As others have suggested, it sounds like you're after two separate bikes. While the newer geometry on modern MTBs makes them a bunch of fun off-road, it can make them a bit laborious to ride on-road. 2.4" tyres roll slowly, slack head angles angles are "floppy" at slow speeds and make steering feel vague on paved bike path/roads, plus steeper seat tube angles often put quite a lot of weight on the hands/wrists when riding along flatter terrain. Some people do it, but it's definitely not my cup of tea.

I'd advise getting a cheap commuter to start if you plan on commuting by bike anyway. This was you can build something light, simple and reliable, and you'll be building up your base fitness while you save a few extra dollarbucks for an MTB down the track. "Hybrid"/commuter bikes are probably the most efficient non-curly bar pavement bike, and the 700c wheels and rigid fork are a bit of a bonus for rolling efficiency. Or you can get an older 29er XC MTB and put some 700c (fine-tread) gravel tyres on it.

But yeah, riding a dually on bikepath is pretty blergh. Even most "lockouts" are not actually rigid and feel pretty mushy on the bikepath, plus you're putting wear and tear on your suspension, expensive drivetrain, and trail tyres in the process.

Not saying don't get a sweet MTB, just that if 90% of your riding hours are going to be commuting, a modern "progressive geometry" MTB is likely not going to be a good fit for that task.
 
B

BurnieM

Likes Dirt
Is full sus and spending more the right approach ?
It has been a while and your first bike is a learning experience.
Whatever you buy it will end up in 12 months not being the bike for you.

A HT purchased new will be enough to get your fitness and endurance back up again.
And you will probably get 80% when you sell it in 12 months.
You willl notice things on other bikes and start to build a list of what you want on this second bike. No amount of research or advise can do this.
A few small mods on this first bike will keep you going right up until you decide to add something that is 50% of the original purchase price. Hopefully you will stop yourself realising that you need a bike with all components at a higher spec point and start looking around for the bike you really want.
 
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Mr Crudley

Mr Crudley

Glock in your sock
MacMan said:
FWIW, I went from a late 90's GT Avalanche 26" with a whopping 65mm front travel and rim brakes, to a relatively recent XXL Trek Fuel EX8 29" with the tricksy single front ring, dropper, hydraulic brakes and SRAM GX. I still have the GT and love it to bits, but found that the style of most trails has completely changed to the point it's not the right bike tool for the job anymore.
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Ahem.........I, for one, am a big fan of GT's early 90's golden era. I've ridden this one a lot BITD at places it probably shouldn't have gone.
Cost me a bunch at the time and still buffed up well after it all.

This bike would be fine on trails that haven't changed and have added chunk but also your older body isn't as good for it as it was BITD. It is too hard to go back. The difference in feel when I swapped to my now old Heckler with discs and 100mm rear travel compared to the GT HT was huge at the time.

GTAvalanche.jpg
 
M

MacMan

Squid
Mr Crudley said:
Ahem.........I, for one, am a big fan of GT's early 90's golden era.
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That's why I actually have two :)

My original XL is still in MTB trim, and very much original with the Marzocchi Z2s still working superbly. Only change is a set of wider bars on a shorter stem.

I bought a second as a parts bike a few years back, supposedly XL but turned out to be L. That one now has some Surly Troll forks, a 130mm stem and the original flat bars. It was my commute-basher for a few years, known affectionately as "The Tank." My partner says it's ugly...

Anyhow, enough digression. 29" dual susp is where it's at.
 
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