Which bike/fork and why?

[lulubel]

Nice idea.

'cept lulubel lives in Spain which does rather reduce the LBS options.

It does a bit, but largely because the population (and therefore the infrastructure) is so spread out, so you have to travel a long way to get the kind of choice you get easily in the UK. Population density is quite high where we are, but it's still nothing like much of the south east, for example - more like the far west of Cornwall.

The other thing that's quite funny is that Spanish shops don't tend to reduce prices much. They just keep old stock in at full price until it's sold, and then buy new stock, so you really have to watch what you're buying, or you could end up with something that's been hanging around for a few years. (I haven't really noticed this with bikes because small shops never keep more than a few in at a time, but I've certainly noticed it with other things. Even big chain food stores will keep fruit and veg on the shelves until it can practically walk off by itself.)

 

[lulubel]

I've just seen my doctor this morning (about something totally unrelated) and asked him about my knees and MTBing, and his opinion is that my knees will improve as they adapt to the stresses of MTBing, and as the damage continues to heal. His advice was to get the lightest hardtail I can afford! (Which has thrown me a bit, since I thought I knew what I was getting, but he is a keen MTBer who has been riding the trails around here for years, as well as being a medical professional.)

 

[Cyclist33]

Well anyone could have told you that!!

 

[lulubel]

Well anyone could have told you that!!

What? That the damage to my knees from hitting metal at 20mph wasn't permanent? Generally, the recommendation over in Health, Fitness and Training is that you take that kind of advice from a doctor, rather than random people on a forum.

 

[GrumpyGregry]

No silly "Get the lightest hardtail you can afford"

He would say that, he's an experienced MTB-er.

 

[lulubel]

Yes, I know. I guess I was just a bit irritated by Cyclist33's comment.

I've been hovering over the "buy" button on the Radon Slide Diva for a few days, because I know it's a lot of money to spend on something that's purely a toy and has no chance of ever having any kind of practical application, so I thought I'd talk to my doctor (who has the advantage of knowing me and my injury history, and also being a keen MTBer) and see what he thought. His opinion was that my knee pain is temporary, and I don't need to spend the extra money on a full suss for the sake of my knees.

He also offered the opinion that 2 months isn't long to have been MTBing regularly, and I'll get much better at descending the rocky trails on a hardtail with more experience, so I don't need a full suss for that either!

On the other hand, the man in the bike shop in town thought my idea of getting a full suss was very sensible, and was more than happy to sell me one for €1650.

I think I know which of the two had my best interests at heart.

 

[billflat12]

F.S is defiantly a traction thing , ( unlike 29er,s )
Legendary source of knowledge for all things cycling here , http://sheldonbrown.com/pain.html#knees

 

[Cyclist33]

No silly "Get the lightest hardtail you can afford"

He would say that, he's an experienced MTB-er.

WHat he said! Sorry if it came across another way

 

[GrumpyGregry]

Yes, I know. I guess I was just a bit irritated by Cyclist33's comment.

I've been hovering over the "buy" button on the Radon Slide Diva for a few days, because I know it's a lot of money to spend on something that's purely a toy and has no chance of ever having any kind of practical application, so I thought I'd talk to my doctor (who has the advantage of knowing me and my injury history, and also being a keen MTBer) and see what he thought. His opinion was that my knee pain is temporary, and I don't need to spend the extra money on a full suss for the sake of my knees.

He also offered the opinion that 2 months isn't long to have been MTBing regularly, and I'll get much better at descending the rocky trails on a hardtail with more experience, so I don't need a full suss for that either!

On the other hand, the man in the bike shop in town thought my idea of getting a full suss was very sensible, and was more than happy to sell me one for €1650.

I think I know which of the two had my best interests at heart.

Go back, ask Doc if he has a full bounce, if not why not? Ask him what he's got, I'll wager he'll say a lightweight hardtail. Here's the thing, if you asked me, before this summer what sort of mtb to get I'd have said racy geometry XC HT. Like wot I ride. Steer clear of slack jawed trail bikes and full boingers, they're pants. I'd say. Sure on technical terrain an XC racer is a handful but that is part of the fun, overcoming the built in obstacles.

Ask him what the best tyres are he'll tell you what are on his bike, what brakes,.... you catch my drift.

He does have your best interests at heart as a medic, but not from an MTB'ing perspective, very difficult to be objective about such things.

You don't need to spend extra cash on full bounce for your knees' sake. You need to spend extra cash on a full bounce to get down mountains faster.

well, that's my 2p.

 

[lulubel]

Go back, ask Doc if he has a full bounce, if not why not? Ask him what he's got, I'll wager he'll say a lightweight hardtail. Here's the thing, if you asked me, before this summer what sort of mtb to get I'd have said racy geometry XC HT. Like wot I ride. Steer clear of slack jawed trail bikes and full boingers, they're pants. I'd say. Sure on technical terrain an XC racer is a handful but that is part of the fun, overcoming the built in obstacles.

Ask him what the best tyres are he'll tell you what are on his bike, what brakes,.... you catch my drift.

He does have your best interests at heart as a medic, but not from an MTB'ing perspective, very difficult to be objective about such things.

You don't need to spend extra cash on full bounce for your knees' sake. You need to spend extra cash on a full bounce to get down mountains faster.

Oh, I totally agree with this. I know most people don't rate Tektro canti brakes, but I can lock the wheels on my road bike, on dry tarmac, with one finger on the lever, using CR720s, so I'd tell you they're great.

My doctor rides a hardtail because he doesn't want to lose speed on the climbs.

More detail? His hardtail cost him €450 about 6 years ago, but since then practically everything has been replaced except the frame, so it's a much better bike than it was when he bought it. He aims to average 10k/h on climbs and, to quote him, he told me with a grin that, "I go down hills fast."

His friends all ride hardtails for the same reasons, but they don't all ride downhill as aggressively as he does. His worst crash resulted in a broken finger. One of his friends had a noteworthy crash on slippery ground after the rain at the end of last week, which resulted in a gash in his arm that my doctor stitched for him.

There was probably a lot more to the conversation, but that's what comes immediately to mind.

He's invited me to join them on one of their rides, and I probably will when I've got my new bike. At least if I crash trying to keep up, I know there's a doctor nearby!

 

[VamP]

There' one easy answer to all this you know

N + 1

Actually, without being facetious, you probably cannot know whether you prefer a HT or FS in your situation until you have a bit more experience with a (with all due respect to your current bike) properly suspended bike on your terrain. And you'll always wonder if the grass isn't a bit greener on the other side.

Which is how we all get into this mess in the first place.

 

[lulubel]

You're right. I won't know for certain unless I try both, and trying both isn't an option when you don't know anyone with bikes your size that you can try. So, all I really have to go on is the knowledge that the vast majority of people round here ride hardtails - in fact, I haven't noticed a FS out on the trails at all, but it may have passed me downhill so fast that it was a blur! I'm starting to think that, if everyone else round here manages fine with a HT, and I don't have any medical reasons to ride a FS, I should just get a decent HT and practice until I can ride better.

I also agree that a decent HT is going to feel a world apart from what I have been riding. I wouldn't be at all suprised if the forks on it are only 80mm travel (that seems quite common on cheap, small-framed bikes), and I'm also curious about the head and seat tube angles. I'm going to get a protractor and actually measure them, but I'm not sure how accurate my measuring will be.

I'm actually wondering about buying an On One Inbred frame, sticking 120mm travel Rebas on it, and seeing how I get on. If I don't like the frame, it hasn't cost me much to find out, and I still have some nice forks to put on another bike.

 

[GrumpyGregry]

In the Picos last year FS were are rare as hens teeth when I was holidaying there, everyone was either on a high end road bike on road or an XC race style HT off it. No trail bikes, no AM. 'cept those brought over by fellow tourists.

I thought it was probs a cultural thing. Road racing is big in Spain, messing about at trail centres isn't, racey XC riding, with bragging rights on the climbs, is where it is at.

 

[lulubel]

I agree with that too. Here, it's road bikes for on road (and no tyres wider than 23mm either!), fast HTs for off-road. Nothing outside of that, nothing in between. If you have the slightest concern about fitting in, you certainly wouldn't be seen dead on a hybrid.

Bragging rights on the climbs? I can see that, and feel it too. I'm quite competitive. I have the QOM on all the climbs I've done on Strava, except a couple of road climbs that I've only done on the MTB, and I'm mixing it with the stronger, fitter, more experienced male MTBers on the off-road climbs. If I'm not in the top third of the list, I'm very dissatisfied with my performance, and I'm always looking to move up a place.

I suppose, if you asked me if I prefer climbing or descending, I'd say climbing. I thought that was because of my lack of confidence on the descents, but I actually prefer climbing on the road too, now I think about it. Unless it's too steep, when it becomes a slog. Steady road climbs, between 5-10%, which we have a lot of around here, suit me very nicely. (The thing I love most about MTBing is being high in the mountains, with only the wildlife and the spectacular views for company, and you don't get that if you don't enjoy climbing.)

So, maybe I should get a bike that plays to my strengths and climbs well, and accept that I'll have to be careful on the descents. (Rather than a bike that will compensate for my weaknesses, which is the route I was going down.)

 

[GrumpyGregry]

It's useful to have conversations to refine one's thinking.

Right now I'm thinking: lulubel needs a light HT with a long travel 120+mm fork with lock out and one ideally on which she can cut the travel for the climbs she loves (Cubist will remind us of the correct terminology). Riding such a bike over several months and putting what she's read in to practise (and she will need to practise over and over not just ride for kicks all the time) her descending will improve in leaps and she will learn to accept the sketchy feel of a HT going full chat down a mountain side. (A feeling I love btw)