Thinking of a new MTB but just can't get excited about current bikes....

[I like Skol]

This is kind of a 'What bike?' post, but specifically for MTB so posting in this section seems appropriate.

I ride a 1996 hardtail MTB and find it serves me quite well, certainly doesn't hold me back when riding with buddies where I am often quickest up the trail and without fail fastest down the other side!
A few times over recent years my mates have made comments along the lines of 'Jeez Skolly, heaven help us if you ever get a decent modern bike'! This usually prompts me to look at the current availability before dismissing the idea because nothing takes my fancy and besides, I'm plenty quick enough with my old 26" dinosaur

However, the niggle that maybe I am missing something won't go away. Could a modern bike' actually be better handling and give more enjoyment?

Trouble is, having just looked again, there is still nothing to excite me.

1x drivetrains are not good for me as I like to pedal downhill between the bends.

27.5" wheels would be my natural choice but all the high end bikes tend to be 29"

Aesthetically I want a frame that doesn't look like a full suss but with a rigid rear end.

My son has a 2016 GT Zaskar carbon expert which would be my ideal bike if I could find one the next size up from his and throw on a double chainset.

Why do I feel so left out by modern bikes, or am I missing something?

 

[wiggydiggy]

Sounds like you need a custom build👍

My Genesis Mantle 20 (profile pic) started as a 3x(forgot) but is now a 2x9. It is a 29er but Ive never ridden a 27.5 so can't compare. I have Marathon + MTB tyres on it and it rolls very well.

One thing I do like about it it as a very wide handlebar, I also fitted some Ergon GP1 grips.

It's definitely more of a cross country bike than a downhiller but I've had it since 2008ish so I understand the reluctance to buy something new!

 

[Grant Fondo]

This is kind of a 'What bike?' post, but specifically for MTB so posting in this section seems appropriate.

I ride a 1996 hardtail MTB and find it serves me quite well, certainly doesn't hold me back when riding with buddies where I am often quickest up the trail and without fail fastest down the other side!
A few times over recent years my mates have made comments along the lines of 'Jeez Skolly, heaven help us if you ever get a decent modern bike'! This usually prompts me to look at the current availability before dismissing the idea because nothing takes my fancy and besides, I'm plenty quick enough with my old 26" dinosaur

However, the niggle that maybe I am missing something won't go away. Could a modern bike' actually be better handling and give more enjoyment?

Trouble is, having just looked again, there is still nothing to excite me.

1x drivetrains are not good for me as I like to pedal downhill between the bends.

27.5" wheels would be my natural choice but all the high end bikes tend to be 29"

Aesthetically I want a frame that doesn't look like a full suss but with a rigid rear end.

My son has a 2016 GT Zaskar carbon expert which would be my ideal bike if I could find one the next size up from his and throw on a double chainset.

Why do I feel so left out by modern bikes, or am I missing something?

Nope, not missing anything. Tried a couple of 'modern' MTB's and rigid 1995 M500 Cannondale way better, just over 10kg could be the secret? Mind you, the canti brakes are the only downside, really poor compared to modern kit.

 

[chriswoody]

Hard to say if your missing out or not, if your enjoying your current bike and you can still happily ride the trails you want to, then keep with it.

With all this new bike technology though, Modern Mountain bikes can be a very different beast and a lot of fun to ride. Disc brakes and tubeless are brilliant off road, as are 1x systems in my opinion.

Have you tried a 1 x 12 equipped bike? I've personally found with a 10 tooth cog, matched to a 36 tooth chainring, I can still pedal a lot going downhill and the gaps between ratios are a non issue because I'm going up and down the cassette a lot because of the rough terrain. 1 x is a very divisive issue I know, but I heartily recommend trying one with an open mind if you haven't already. It is tricky though to find anything else on mountain bikes these days.

Personally I've been looking at Sonder bikes recently, especially the Frontier, it looks a bit more traditional than other more modern bikes and you can specify it with 27.5" wheels or 29", dependant on preference. It does only come with 1 x though, so if that's a definite no, then it's not an option. Alpkit do have a number of stores around though and you can take a bike out for a demo and see what you think. I wouldn't mind doing it myself, but sadly they have no stores in Northern Germany!

 

[nickb]

Nope, not missing anything. Tried a couple of 'modern' MTB's and rigid 1995 M500 Cannondale way better, just over 10kg could be the secret? Mind you, the canti brakes are the only downside, really poor compared to modern kit.

I bought the same bike in 1997 (from the now sadly closed Reg Braddick's in Cardiff) and it came with an LX groupset including V-brakes which were much better than cantis. Over the next few years I changed the entire groupset to M739 XT which turned it into a great bike. As well as serving me well offroad until I bought a full-sus, it was my regular commuter for 12 years and never let me down.

 

[Threevok]

This is exactly why I build my own. Not only do you get what you want, but you don't waste more money changing stock things you didn't like

 

[Cycleops]

Why don’t you consider a hybrid? Many are now Mountain bike lite with fat tyres and MTB like geometry. Some still come with a double or triple up front. You could also ditch the front suspension to save weight. Something like this:
https://www.balfesbikes.co.uk/bikes...ghroad-slr-2-hybrid-bike-2022-in-metal__32906

 

[I like Skol]

Sounds like you need a custom build👍

This is exactly why I build my own. Not only do you get what you want, but you don't waste more money changing stock things you didn't like

I'm not averse to this and have considered it as an option. Two things put me off though....

1, I might invest a lot of time, effort (and money) to build a bike to my standard and not actually gain much in the way of benefit other than actually just adding another bike to the stable? Possibly I am giving the bike manufacturers more credit than they deserve, but I would like to think they play around with component choice and geometry tweaks to make it all work together nicely and ride well. You just can't do that kind of R&D when picking (and committing to) a combination of frame/forks/etc off the page.

2, I'm not sure self build is as easy as it was 3-4 years ago before the current supply issues kicked in? Availability and prices seem to have suffered seismic shifts so my go-to spec of Shimano XT and components of similar standards might be hard to achieve?

Why don’t you consider a hybrid? Many are now Mountain bike lite with fat tyres and MTB like geometry.

Thanks, but no thanks. There's a reason I posted in MTB rather than the general 'What bike' section.

 

[Threevok]

I'm not averse to this and have considered it as an option. Two things put me off though....

1, I might invest a lot of time, effort (and money) to build a bike to my standard and not actually gain much in the way of benefit other than actually just adding another bike to the stable? Possibly I am giving the bike manufacturers more credit than they deserve, but I would like to think they play around with component choice and geometry tweaks to make it all work together nicely and ride well. You just can't do that kind of R&D when picking (and committing to) a combination of frame/forks/etc off the page.

2, I'm not sure self build is as easy as it was 3-4 years ago before the current supply issues kicked in? Availability and prices seem to have suffered seismic shifts so my go-to spec of Shimano XT and components of similar standards might be hard to achieve?

I didn't have too many supply problems building the Inbred, or getting air forks for the Kinesis KM210 for Mrs V (which ashamedly I still haven't finished).

Although, building a 26 is probably harder these days, all other size parts appear to be easier to get than complete bikes, at the moment.

I can see your point about just adding one for the sake of it though. Which is why i'm getting rid of my 3x10 Inbred, as I use the Single Speed for everything these days.

 

[nickb]

Why don’t you consider a hybrid? Many are now Mountain bike lite with fat tyres and MTB like geometry. Some still come with a double or triple up front. You could also ditch the front suspension to save weight. Something like this:
https://www.balfesbikes.co.uk/bikes...ghroad-slr-2-hybrid-bike-2022-in-metal__32906

With wide-range cassettes and clutched rear derailleurs, is there any reason for the complication and faff of triple chainsets these days?

I wouldn't touch one with a bargepole any more. I can't remember the last time I used the granny ring on my old Gary Fisher XC bike and would love to ditch the triple on that if I could justify changing the drivetrain.

 

[roubaixtuesday]

Your bike sounds perfect already.

Get a custom paint job for it.

https://mtbrules.com/how-much-is-a-paint-job-for-a-mountain-bike/

 

[Threevok]

Your bike sounds perfect already.

Get a custom paint job for it.

https://mtbrules.com/how-much-is-a-paint-job-for-a-mountain-bike/

OMG look at that Sudario pic

Who on earth wants their bike to look like Pat Butcher's curtains ?

 

[roubaixtuesday]

Who on earth wants their bike to look like Pat Butcher's curtains ?

@I like Skol ?

 

[dan_bo]

Here's what you're after mate.
https://www.cannondale.com/en-gb/bikes/electric/e-mountain/moterra-neo-lt

 

[figbat]

In my fleet I have:

- full carbon full-sus, 27.5" boost, 1x12, 36T x 10-50T, discs (13kg)
- carbon hardtail, 29", 1x10 (converted from 3x10), 36T x 11-46T, discs (11kg in stock form, might be a bit different now)
- 1998 full rigid Saracen, 26" wheels, 3x7, V-brakes
- 1997 full rigid Trek XC converted to a gravel bike, now 700c, 1x10 (36T x 11-42T), mechanical discs.

In terms of outright speed, over the terrain I ride the first two are fairly matched, but given a choice I'd take the full-sus as it is just easier to ride quickly - not only on descents where it soaks up the bumps but also on climbs where it digs in and grips on rough terrains, where the HT might lose momentum. The gravel bike holds its own on typical bridleways and tracks, but suffers on rough descents. I actually rode the Saracen to work today, along the Ridgeway, where it put in a time comparable to other bikes I've ridden over the same route, although I'm not really pushing on a commute.

For me it's horses for courses, no single bike is quickest over everything, but the full-sus is generally quickest over most of it if we're talking proper offroad rather than fire roads or canal paths. You also have to ride the bike you have, so technique differs across them.

Gearing - the 10-50 on the full-sus pretty much covers me for anything and everything - I might spin out on a fast road descent but this is pretty rare so I just live with it. I have noticed that on the 3x7 I am changing gear a lot more often, because there are smaller gaps between the gears - on the 1x bikes you sometimes have to compromise on cadence or speed if you're between gears (the 12-speed is better in this regard).

Disc brakes offroad are just better. My V-braked Saracen works OK in the dry but in the wet is a bit sketchy.

Is anybody willing to let you have a go on their bike so you can get a feel for what it's like? In my MTB group we sometimes swap bikes to let people try something different if they are musing a change. Someone recently had a go on my full-sus to feel what wide handlebars felt like - they then went out and bought some to replace their narrow ones and are now much more confident on rutted tracks.