New Mountain Bike Day!

This isn't very GRM, but I know there are some mountain bikers on here so I figured I'd share.

Chris and I mountain bike together a fair bit, and for years we both rode entry-level aluminum bikes. He rode a hardtail Trek, while I had a Cannondale XC bike that I bought hella cheap off my neighbor. The frame was a size too small for me, but a longer stem and seatpost I was comfortable enough.

I put thousands of miles on that Cannondale, not including all the time it spent behind the GTI going on adventures. 

Then, well, things escalated... We started doing riding trips to North Carolina. And Chris went out and bought himself a real trail bike, brand new with a warranty and everything:

Then I made the mistake of riding it, and realized just how much I was missing. Modern trail bike geometry and suspension is just so much more capable and more comfortable, and it still climbs just fine, too. I kept riding my Cannondale, but basically stopped maintaining it for three years: Every dollar saved on chain replacement or suspension service was a dollar in the new bike piggy bank.

And I finally smashed that piggy bank last night. Bike prices were insane during and after Covid, but now the tables have turned and Marketplace is full of lightly used bikes selling for a fraction of their original value. Which is why I picked this up for $1900 last night. I didn't even get a screaming deal: That's just what a couple-year-old carbon full-suspension trail bike goes for these days.. 

In theory this bike lands pretty much perfectly on the line between a cross-country bike and a trail bike, and should be as fast as I'm used to while being WAY more fun on the descents. First ride is tonight--we'll see how it goes!

Again, I know this isn't GRM, but if you're into bikes then now is the time to embrace depreciation and start lowballing on Marketplace!

I have been bullying Tom to buy a new bike since our last trip to NC when he realized an XC bike was not the ideal choice for those trails. I am excited to ride tonight to see how he likes his fancy carbon fiber bike. 

When is the next trip to NC??? Can I get an invite?

Nice bike!  I loved my Switchblade before it got stolen :(

Congrats!

I also went from cheap aluminum Dicks bike (Diamondback Outlook) to a Cannondale Lefty that was a size too small for me I got cheap off a neighbor. Now it is with another neighbor as I was gifted a slightly more-correctly sized bike that is much more modern. This bike rides much better and is more enjoyable, but I do miss the weirdness of the Lefty sometimes. (It was a Cannondale Rush I now remember)

TravisTheHuman said:

When is the next trip to NC??? Can I get an invite?

That's what I was thinking too!

Congrats! 
I think I'm more geared towards XC, though for some reason I double downed on enduro and bought an EMTB (YT Decoy). Like cars, you can never have enough bikes. Maybe it's time for me to pick one up. 

NBD is best day. 

You guys need to make your way out west for some wide-open spaces...

Enjoy the ride!!!

In reply to Recon1342 :

Biking out west in on my list, the trails look so wildly different from what we have here. I have family in Arazona, just a matter of making it out that way to visit.

Pivot's are great bikes, I came close to buying a Mach5.5 instead of my Yeti

In reply to Chris Tropea :

Yep. Lots of rocks out here. And heat. And sometimes rattlesnakes... 

wvumtnbkr said:

TravisTheHuman said:

When is the next trip to NC??? Can I get an invite?

That's what I was thinking too!

There's also that north Georgia mtn bike cabin resort thing... GRM meetup??

In reply to Tom Suddard :

Sweet bike - conrats!!!

I'm liking the forum meetup idea! 

Rode a local trail last night and LOVE the bike. Chris followed me on the old Cannondale, and it was hard to focus with him screaming in terror over every obstacle. This thing is just so capable!

In reply to Tom Suddard :

If anyone was wondering why I was on the Cannondale and not my Stumpjumper its because I was in a rush to leave and forgot to put my through axle in the car with me when I took the wheel off in my garage to fit the bike in the car. A lesson I wont forget. Turns out a lefty is not my favorite bike to ride and I don't know how Tom rode it on the trails in NC the last few times we went, it is terrifying how it wants to throw you off at every chance it gets. It is really fast though.

On a positive note, Toms new bike is sweet, I took a little ride on it and it is really similar to my Stumpy but way lighter. Ill also add I like the meetup idea. 

In reply to Chris Tropea :

There's gotta be some good riding halfway between Florida and Idaho...

thank you for the inspiration to get out on my old school Specialized today.  I also browsed FB marketplace for a newer bike.   I'm visiting Colorado in a few weeks.  I'll rent something cool to see what I've been missing out on.  Keep posting..   This forum is bad for wallets but now good for fitness :)

Glad I could help!

I'm up at the HPX show in Charlotte, which means I should be able to sneak away for an afternoon and ride....

I'm a big fan of Pivot geo and pedaling characteristics. A few years ago, there was a big race to the long/low and slack geo, even for a trail bike, and they could sometimes feel like a dump truck on tighter north east trails I usually ride. Obviously older race geo was also not ideal, but Pivot was being more sensible. Where they ride in Phoenix is similar to where I ride, in that you have a lot of short steep ledgey climbs, so you need something that won't sink deep into it's travel under power and be agile, and not have to faff with suspension remotes constantly, but then not toss you on your face on the backside. 

Tom Suddard said:

Glad I could help!

I'm up at the HPX show in Charlotte, which means I should be able to sneak away for an afternoon and ride....

Where'd you ride? I enjoyed the trails by the airport and the whitewater center when I was down there delivering a Europa a couple years ago.

Want to come out here and ride the legendary Fruita and Moab trails? This is close to my house. I'm sure you can justify coming out here to cover some sort of offroad event.

I picked up mountain biking a few months ago as a replacement for rallycross.  I hiked a few mountain bike trails and really liked the flow of them, but I wanted to see them at more than a walking pace.  When I moved to South Carolina, I sold my beater subaru and I was toying around with getting a small dual sport motorcycle or a mountain bike to try out the local trails in the Greenville area.  I found a Scott cross country bike before the motorcycle and I've been enjoying the trails in the area.  I haven't made it up to Pisgah in North Carolina yet, but it would be fun to join in on a ride in the area if something starts coming together.

In reply to Keith Tanner :

Success!

I did 16 miles around the DuPont Forest today, and basically knocked out its greatest hits.

My guide? None other than the SCCA's Heyward Wagner, of course. Sorry for not inviting some forum peeps to tag along, but we needed to have a chat about some upcoming events anyway and the forest is way better than a conference room!

So how'd the bike do? Frankly... incredible. It climbs great like my XC bike, but then the downhills are actually FUN! I even started jumping towards the end of the day, and it was awesome re-learning that skill. I'm going to call Operation New Bike a success!

DuPont is a ton of fun!  Next time I recommend chestnut mountain or fire mountain.