Advice on his and hers bridal path MTB £4K total budget
Discussion
With these feet said:
Swinley on a HT must hurt a bit, done it twice on the FS and was good fun.
Swinley is fun on a full suss, but it's overkill really. I would say it's ideal hardtail territory.Now, the guy I saw riding the blue on a folding rigid Dahon.... That looked like it hurt a bit!
Kermit power said:
With these feet said:
Swinley on a HT must hurt a bit, done it twice on the FS and was good fun.
Swinley is fun on a full suss, but it's overkill really. I would say it's ideal hardtail territory.Now, the guy I saw riding the blue on a folding rigid Dahon.... That looked like it hurt a bit!
The argument of "you don't need a 29er" is pretty irrelevant. Both my bikes are far better than my ability, this whole (wheel) strength, slow steering yada yada yada gets a bit long in the tooth when the majority of people ride at 50% of what the bike can do. Add in many don't have a clue what compression, rebound or sag are and suddenly wheel size is an issue??
I'm faster than my mate on his 650b through trails, he is faster up hills. How does that work if you read magazines? Buy what you feel you need, not what MBUK Evans or anyone insists. I'm 5'7" and ride M framed 29ers, when it comes to a change I might go 650b, but I had the choice when I bought my Evo and went bigger wheels.
I'm faster than my mate on his 650b through trails, he is faster up hills. How does that work if you read magazines? Buy what you feel you need, not what MBUK Evans or anyone insists. I'm 5'7" and ride M framed 29ers, when it comes to a change I might go 650b, but I had the choice when I bought my Evo and went bigger wheels.
With these feet said:
Kermit power said:
With these feet said:
Swinley on a HT must hurt a bit, done it twice on the FS and was good fun.
Swinley is fun on a full suss, but it's overkill really. I would say it's ideal hardtail territory.Now, the guy I saw riding the blue on a folding rigid Dahon.... That looked like it hurt a bit!
Kermit power said:
Interesting. I'd have said the exact opposite! I've also got a Stumpy - albeit a 160mm travel 27.5" - and whilst it's great fun round Swinley, I'd say I get more use out of it at Bedgebury, if only because there's more rocky bits at Bedgebury. It's certainly more comfortable round both than my 115mm, 26" steel hardtail, but the latter is more than able to soak up anything either throw at me. Given that my 8yr old rides both on a rigid Frog bike, I'd look like a right wuss if I claimed I needed full suss!
Im far more familiar with Bedge than Swinley (100+ visits vs 2!) and sure there are some great bits that a FS works at Bedge, the downhill part after Gloomy Wood is one where the FS excels as it clatters through off the brakes! Also its fun seeing how many of the steps I can clear exiting the first run after the bombhole. Something on a carbon HT I wouldn't do. My Cannondale has 90mm travel, its my fitness that holds it back! Strava wise Im a little quicker through some runs (cake run) on the FS but climbs the HT kill it as it weights 22lbs vs 29!Hopefully off for a ride round Friston with the SiL later - another FS 29er - Whyte T129rs.
Jimboka said:
jshell said:
Why don't you just get two 650b's and be able to buy corresponding tyre sizes? 6'6" doesn't mean a need for a 29'er.
650b looks like a toy bike though when ridden by 6'6''. And (it's important to her) they are matching in the sense of spec and you can see they are from the same company (this nonsense matters to girls
)Jimboka said:
jshell said:
Why don't you just get two 650b's and be able to buy corresponding tyre sizes? 6'6" doesn't mean a need for a 29'er.
650b looks like a toy bike though when ridden by 6'6''. 26 looks the best and always has done, 27.5 just about acceptable but only on larger frames. Also it seems impossible to get a high end bike in 26 anymore.
Marketing has a lot to answer for in MTBs over the years.
BaronVonVaderham said:
Nope. 29 looks wrong ridden by anyone. All 29 bikes look woefully out of proportion and crap as a result.
26 looks the best and always has done, 27.5 just about acceptable but only on larger frames. Also it seems impossible to get a high end bike in 26 anymore.
Marketing has a lot to answer for in MTBs over the years.
You'll be saying V brakes are better than discs next..26 looks the best and always has done, 27.5 just about acceptable but only on larger frames. Also it seems impossible to get a high end bike in 26 anymore.
Marketing has a lot to answer for in MTBs over the years.
Manufacturers are killing the 26" off, try getting tyres for them now...
A friend was in a bike shop watching some guy frantically cleaning the shop out of them.
Im not into 35ft road jumps nor entering the Red Bull Rampage. Look at the UCI XC bikes - spot anyone on 26 or indeed 650b? Even enduro is a split of the bigger sizes.
I disagree that 29 looks wrong, though some people probably thought fitting a chain and pedals on those wooden push bikes was the devil incarnate....
Edited by With these feet on Thursday 28th April 22:18
Edited by With these feet on Thursday 28th April 22:20
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