[cocheese]

Ok, so now I have a SS. Now I need a geared bike. I live in WA State where the trails can be a little gnarly, though I rarely leave the ground...on purpose. I end up doing some road riding to get to the trails and such, so that may be something to take into consideration. There is quite a bit of fire road riding around as well. Lots of ups and downs. Not a ton of long gradual slopes or such. I'm thinking either a Ti hardtail or a lighter (Lenz Leviathan/Ventana/???) full suspension frame are in the running. I'm not a racer at all, I'm much more into a good long ride.

Right now I'm stuck between the two. For the Ti hardtail you have the "bike's prolly gonna last a lifetime" thing whereas the full sus will wear out andor be obsolete at some point in the future. The full sus has the pure comfort issue in its favor but has more maintenance involved. Though I must say that I am susprised by how comfortable the hardtail 29er SS is. With low tire pressures in the back it is not killing me at all, the way my 26er used to. A Hardtail will be lighter than the full sus... Aaaahhhh! Choices, choices!

Anyway, you see my crossroads. Anybody have any moments of brilliance they might care to share? Experiences? I could zig or zag at this point. Thanks for the help.

 

[ne14cycling]

How can I say this best....before my 0.02$ you should get to know me a bit as you may find you do or don't ride like I do........ Like most I love to "just" ride and love to race XC and have done much of it from Roahde Island to New Zealand and everything in between [WV, PA, Poto, Hermosa Ck, Slickrock, Flag, Elko, LV, Noble, blaaah-diddy-blahville]

The roll call...in order beginning 1991:

TREK 950 HT, Cannondale Delta V HT, Cannondale Super V FS, Cannondale CADD3 HT, Cannondale CADD3 HT [yes - two], Cannondale CADD5 HT, Cannondale Scapel FS, TREK Fuel 100 FS, TREK Fuel 98 FS, Trek Top Fuel 98 FS, and the only bike currently in my garage is a GARY FISHER PARAGON 29ER!!!! HARDTAIL, and a Carl Strong Ti HT 29er in the works!

Bigger is better.

If you love simplicity and no worries a Ti custom 29er is the way to go...IMHO. Plus I'd rather be the guy passing a flash FS on the knarly downhill than the other way around.

Cheers C in Wellington via Poto

 

[ne14cycling]

...Dooh...."Rohde Island"

 

[cocheese]

ne14, I'm reading you loud and clear. I'm thinking that I may go that route only because it will be a bike that will hold up with less maintenance and less fuss. I may even get one that has an EBB as well as gears. That would cover it all!! Thanks for the info.

 

[Nat]

Ok, so now I have a SS. Now I need a geared bike. I live in WA State where the trails can be a little gnarly, though I rarely leave the ground...on purpose. I end up doing some road riding to get to the trails and such, so that may be something to take into consideration. There is quite a bit of fire road riding around as well. Lots of ups and downs. Not a ton of long gradual slopes or such.

Based on the above, it sounds to me like a hardtail would suit you better.

The last time I rode a FS (it was a 29er) it was irritating how mushy-mushy it felt. I don't think much of the "last a lifetime" aspect since I buy new bikes often, and occasional maintenance doesn't bother me at all. For me it's about how the bike handles its assigned duties.