Lost my touch?
Discussion
Recently got back into cross country biking again after quite a break after leaving uni. Went up around Langsett reservoir last week with a guy from work, really enjoy the ride but my poor old bike is lacking.
Currently have a Ridgeback MX4, which is getting on a bit, still a relatively light frame but I really struggled on some of the rocky bits, especially uphill. The brakes are getting beyond their best so the downhill bits weren't brilliant either (really felt it in my arms with the brakes continuously on!).
Half way through the ride I had a go on my mates Specialized Stumpjumper FSR, it was a revelation. He bought it 2nd hand about 6 months ago for around £700. Lovely bike. Brakes especially were 100X better!
Talked to a few biking guys I know and they reckon I’m just out of practice and should work on my technique. However, being a big head, I think that it was the bike... (poor work man blaming tools???)
So I'm now in two minds, start saving for a new one. With a theoretical budget of £500 what can I get? Or do I stick with the old ridgeback and stick some new brakes on it and learn how to ride a hard tail again?
Any advice welcome....
Cheers
Chris
Currently have a Ridgeback MX4, which is getting on a bit, still a relatively light frame but I really struggled on some of the rocky bits, especially uphill. The brakes are getting beyond their best so the downhill bits weren't brilliant either (really felt it in my arms with the brakes continuously on!).
Half way through the ride I had a go on my mates Specialized Stumpjumper FSR, it was a revelation. He bought it 2nd hand about 6 months ago for around £700. Lovely bike. Brakes especially were 100X better!
Talked to a few biking guys I know and they reckon I’m just out of practice and should work on my technique. However, being a big head, I think that it was the bike... (poor work man blaming tools???)
So I'm now in two minds, start saving for a new one. With a theoretical budget of £500 what can I get? Or do I stick with the old ridgeback and stick some new brakes on it and learn how to ride a hard tail again?
Any advice welcome....
Cheers
Chris
Erm, first quite obvious thing is that you are not comparing apples for apples - I am not familiar with the Ridgeback range but having googled for the XM4, you are comparing a budget MTB with mechanical brakes, against a well respected MTB with hydraulic brakes.
Also, not wishing to state the obvious, but if you were one the same ride/trail and the Stumpy was head and shoulders above your bike you have your answer!
I got back into MTB-ing a few of years ago on a £250 Felt Q220 with mechanical brakes and heavy front forks. At the time I had nothing to compare it to so thought that it was perfectly OK, although on long descents I could smell the brakes burning and often had the brake levers against the grips! I was well and truly bitten by the bug, and after fracturing the frame of the Felt decided to spend a bit more on a replacement bike, and was lucky enough to find a Giant Trance in a local bike shop for half price - the difference was night and day.
I could ride the same trails I used to ride the Felt significantly quicker on the Trance, I found that I had total faith in my ability to scrub speed with little effort with 'proper' brakes on the Trance. The forks also made a HUGE difference, the Felt had heavy Suntour forks that were not effective - again I didn't know just how awful they were until I bought the Felt.
If I were you I would keep riding the Ridgeback, 'cos saddle time is saddle time, but in the meantime save as hard as you can and keep your eye on the second hand market for a bargain - they do come up!
Oh, and here is a thought for you. About 18 months ago I did an intermediate MTB skills course, the instructor was excellent and pushed all of the course attendees to their limits - and beyond. Before attending the course he contacted us to ensure that the bikes we were using would be OK for the terrain we would be riding. At lunchtime I quizzed him on why he wanted to know what make/model of bikes we were riding. He told me he had a list of bikes he would not allow on the course due to failures he had experienced in the past (wheels bending in half, brakes failing, etc). In his opinion you can put a mediocre rider on a decent bike and they will get away with a lot, but if you put a decent rider on a badly built bike they will damage the bike, or worse still themselves!
Also, not wishing to state the obvious, but if you were one the same ride/trail and the Stumpy was head and shoulders above your bike you have your answer!
I got back into MTB-ing a few of years ago on a £250 Felt Q220 with mechanical brakes and heavy front forks. At the time I had nothing to compare it to so thought that it was perfectly OK, although on long descents I could smell the brakes burning and often had the brake levers against the grips! I was well and truly bitten by the bug, and after fracturing the frame of the Felt decided to spend a bit more on a replacement bike, and was lucky enough to find a Giant Trance in a local bike shop for half price - the difference was night and day.
I could ride the same trails I used to ride the Felt significantly quicker on the Trance, I found that I had total faith in my ability to scrub speed with little effort with 'proper' brakes on the Trance. The forks also made a HUGE difference, the Felt had heavy Suntour forks that were not effective - again I didn't know just how awful they were until I bought the Felt.
If I were you I would keep riding the Ridgeback, 'cos saddle time is saddle time, but in the meantime save as hard as you can and keep your eye on the second hand market for a bargain - they do come up!
Oh, and here is a thought for you. About 18 months ago I did an intermediate MTB skills course, the instructor was excellent and pushed all of the course attendees to their limits - and beyond. Before attending the course he contacted us to ensure that the bikes we were using would be OK for the terrain we would be riding. At lunchtime I quizzed him on why he wanted to know what make/model of bikes we were riding. He told me he had a list of bikes he would not allow on the course due to failures he had experienced in the past (wheels bending in half, brakes failing, etc). In his opinion you can put a mediocre rider on a decent bike and they will get away with a lot, but if you put a decent rider on a badly built bike they will damage the bike, or worse still themselves!
k-all these days when it comes to MTBs. If your current bike is a decent weight and you reckon it's worth it, some better brakes and forks could be the answer.Read this the other day. Have to say... some of the specs on the Carrera models look really good value.
http://www.bikeradar.com/mtb/gear/article/best-mou...
The Kraken in particular...
http://www.bikeradar.com/mtb/gear/article/best-mou...
The Kraken in particular...
Gizmoish said:
Read this the other day. Have to say... some of the specs on the Carrera models look really good value.
http://www.bikeradar.com/mtb/gear/article/best-mou...
The Kraken in particular...
I'd say the VooDoo looks the best of those, mainly because it has the best fork.http://www.bikeradar.com/mtb/gear/article/best-mou...
The Kraken in particular...
TheGreatSoprendo said:
I'd say the VooDoo looks the best of those, mainly because it has the best fork.
Of that group, true.However I was mooching around the Halfuds site and the Carrera Kraken (hence my post) is £50 cheaper, still has the air fork, hydraulic discs, decent gears etc... and it's half a kilo lighter than the Voodoo. I've been pondering picking up a low-budget MTB too (n+1...) and this sort of thing doesn't help
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