andr0id

Been road biking for several decades, but never got into mountain biking where I live. It's hot and humid here and the few times I've gone down a trail in Austin, I've ended up with poison ivy.

But... I've been going on vacation to Utah and Colorado and it looks like mountain biking is a lot of fun there and in the mountains, the higher you go, the cooler it gets.

I think I want a mid priced, general purpose full suspension bike. I'm interested in setting it up 2x11 with the new M8000 XT group that will come out this fall. I'm 6'1" tall and ride a 59cm road, so I think I want 29" wheels.

I'm fine with an Al bike, it seems like CF jacks the price up a lot.

I saw the Fezzari Cascade Peak and that looks a lot like what I think I want.
https://www.fezzari.com/cross-country/cascade-peak

I also looked at Trek and Specialized and they tend to have a mix mash of parts and be a lot more expensive.

Is something like Cascade Peak a good general purpose starter bike and are there other similar bikes in the < $3K price range anybody else would recommend?

Thanks!

FrozenK

I'll tell you the same thing I told the other guy asking about Bikesdirect bikes: on a full suspension bike the frame is key. Fezzari uses catalogue frames, which don't get a lot of R&D. And small changes to geometry, pivot placement, shock leverage make a huge difference. That is one of the reasons why Specialized, Trek, etc... bikes are more expensive.

I would it get too hung up on the parts kit, and look at the bike as a whole package. I'd look into Giant, they tend to be a good value.

osco53

SCOTT Sports - Genius

Turner Sultan - Turner Bikes

Santa Cruz Tallboy
Carbon

I ride a Scott Spark 760, the 27.5" wheeled bikes just fit me better, I am 5'11" 170 pounds now.

Comparing 29er wheels to 27.5" of equal quality:

29er wheels are heavier,
will flex more by design,
Are harder to control In tight stuff,
Roll better out in the open, faster once rolling,,,but getting them there takes a better man than I...

27.5" are obviously lighter and notably stiffer due to size,
accelerate much faster,
tight turns are more fun,
Handles much like the 26" wheel...
Not quite as fast out on the flats but they climb great.

Stronger riders will get more out of 29er's than I could.

Its all about fit really.

IF I could have afforded GOOD, VERY GOOD 29er wheels I would have liked them much better..

I sat ON my 29er,, I Sit IN my 27.5 and they just fit my riding style better....

All the above bikes can be had well equipped for around 3k

jimc101

For wheel sizes, at present, 26" is long dead, 29er's are not far off, 650B/27.5 is the current standard, but if I was buying soon, would look at 27.5+.

Have a feeling that this is the future, and am glad I haven't bought into 27.5 yet as it is maturing into a new spec

andr0id

Thanks for the info about the 27.5 wheels.

My LBS sells the Santa Cruz also, but they were out when I was there.

I will take another look at the Tall Boy when they get one.

FrozenK

26 is dead and 29rs aren't far off? 27.5+ is the future? You guys are the marketing department's dream.
27.5 may make sense depending on where you are (just like 26 inch wheels made more sense than 29 for some places) if you want long travel, smaller wheels are probably better. If you want a short travel race bike, 29 inch wheels make more sense.

If you deal with a lot of roots, 29 inch wheels. Lot of high speed descents on rocky trails? May want to consider the smaller wheels.

Size also matters, it is really hard -if not impossible- to make a small sized full suspension bike with 29 inch wheels. So for smaller people 27.5 will work better. Some brands are already applying this philosophy, the Yeti ASR-c uses 27.5 wheels on the x-small and small sizes and 29 on the rest. It is a kick-ass bike too, but probably out of your budget.

jimc101

No, that's the reality of what you can buy in a LBS today. I'm riding a 26" and have been for the last 20+ years, and am unlikely to change anytime soon (got a massive stash of tires to use which I bought cheap due to the change in sizes)

The question OP asked about was for a new bike, if buying today, would forget anything other than 27.5 & 27.5+, and then probably only look at 27.5+ as that combined with Boost 110 & 148 are the future (at least for the next few years)

For 29er's nothing wrong with them, but they never took off in the UK as they seem to have taken over the US (almost as many people I ride with have fat bikes as 29ers) , but anyone who is buying new today is getting 27.5 as its the only option now.

slowride454

I have all of the wheels sizes for particular purposes and conditions.

XC race - Salsa Spearfish FS 29er
Fatbike/winter racing - Mongoose Vinson rigid 26
XC singlespeed fun - Specialized Carve SL rigid 29+
Trail/stupid fun - Canfield Brothers Yelli Screamy HT 27.5+
barcrawl/grocery getter - Walmart BSO FS 26

if Wisconsin had any serious enough terrain for a long travel DH bike I'd probably go with a 26er.

FrozenK

Well, driving on the right side of the road never took off in the UK either, but it seems to still be quite popular throughout the world. And the OP is in the US. Go to a shop in the US and you'll see as many 29rs as you will 27.5.

Of the big players, the only one that seems committed to 27.5 and slowing down/dropping 29r is Giant. Trek, Specialized, Cannondale, Kona they all have plenty of 29r models. Boutique brands (Santa Cruz, Turner, Yeti, Pivot, Ibis, Niner) are also still producing plenty of 29rs. 26 inch wheels are slowly phasing out, but with as many floating around it will be decades before they become scarce.

(Are there even any full suspension 27.5+ with boost wheels available now? )

Gallo

I am 5 10 and love my 29r. I think 29 is far from dead lots of options out there. As far as the 26 I think many riders will be on these bikes for a while to come. It is not that the manufacturers are unwilling to build them the public is at this point unwilling to buy them in the high end market. Turner said it would take a 200 production order for them to build a 26 and so far the interest is zero. Who knows maybe someone will come out with a high end 26 in the future. It will be the greatest thing since the 27.5. This is a trendy industry.

As far as budget either 27.5 or 29 at a LBS many of them carry a GE capitol 12 month interest free to stretch the budget.

I would concentrate not only on wheel size but suspension. Lots of choices and lots of studying, test riding before I would pull the trigger. I ended up with a short travel bike but was intending on buying a mid travel when I set out.

It was about a year ago I got my bike after riding about 20 bikes from idk how many manufacturers and various wheel sizes. My switch to the 29 from my 26 hardtail was easy. My mechanic said this was in a large part due to my road riding which has a similar size wheel. I ended up with a Pivot 429c and will ride it with a smile tonight in our group ride. It was more bike than I intended to buy and the bike is better than the rider. Spreading the pain over 12 months was helpful. The bike has been through twisty single track, drops, chunky, technical and more. I love this bike though and no regrets on wheel size, travel or price.

Take your time and find the right bike for you.

and no matter what bike you get I would suggest a dropper post if you do any descending. It was a game changer for me.

Pendergast

Over the past several months, I've been taking notice of the number of people viewing the 26", 27.5", and 29" forums at mtbr as an indicator of how "dead" the various wheel sizes are. The 29er forum usually has at least double the number of viewers that 27.5 does, but 26 has a very small fraction of viewers. Maybe it's because mtbr is U.S. dominated, but there's no sign 29ers are going away any time soon judging by the interest over there. No problems finding 29ers for purchase or rental in the shops where I am either, and I live in one of the main MTB areas in the country(Fruita/Grand Junction.)

Leebo

Demo some at a mt bike event. Get a feel for what fits you best. At 6'1", the 29er would work well for you. I love my spec enduro, look at a stumpjumper or something with 5" of travel. What kind of use would it see? Flat trails, rocks and roots, lots of climbing?

I <3 Robots

For the price...that Fezzari is pretty well equipped. For a full XT bikes from a big brand bike would cost probably 500+ more.

29er dying out? Good one...

MisterK

I ride 26 still and am in the "probably will for awhile" group.
however, if I were to buy NEW, i would go 27.5. I just don't like 29. It sluggish and not as nimble to me, but that's just opinion and I haven't ridden a 29 much so it's opinion based on a 15 minute spin

I <3 Robots

You really need to get out and ride a 29er to feel the difference. I rode a 26 HT for the longest time. Then I rode a 29 HT...put the 26 up for sale the next day.

I also have a 26 FS...I plan to ride that for a while. I spent an afternoon with a 650 Stumpjumper...I'm gonna pass on the 650 for now. I didn't feel much difference. IMO...the difference I felt was in the geometry and not wheel size.

29er blew me away the first time I rode it, Fatbike blew me away when I rode it (super fun downhill), the 650....not so much.

Mountain Mitch

Depends where and how you ride. 26 is great for speedy technical descents where you want great travel and nimble manoeuvrability. 29 is a better cruiser/trail bike. 27.5 is a compromise seeking to be the best of both worlds. For my riding I prefer a 26 er. Not sexy and hyped currently, but proven on the mountains.

i second the Santa Cruz recommendation but would also recommend checking out the Specialized bikes in your price range. I have found one to be strong, reliable and quick. Always a pleasure to ride up or down.

Duke of Kent

29ers are dying?

Certainly not in XC racing. Last year, 7 of the top 10 men in the World Cup were on 29ers. This year, it's 9 of the top 10.

Can't remember off hand, but it's increased for the women as well; most notably, Yolanda Neff and Gunn-Rita Dahle Fresja are on 29ers; they've won all three World Cup races and the Marathon world championship between them this year.

Sixty Fiver

Testing different wheel sizes yielded some unsurprising results (to me) when it came to comparing 26, 27.5, and 29 inch wheels.

There is not a lot of difference in the performance of one wheel size to another unless we are looking at marketing which is important to an industry where mtb sales have been flat for a long time.

They want you to drink that kool-aid.

You always have to be offering something new and those of us who still roll our 26r's aren't looking at the grass on the other side of the fence because we are too busy tearing up the trail on bikes we know work.

If there is anything new and exciting it is the massive improvements in fat bikes and for 3k you could get a very nice rig that would take you anywhere and suspensions are optional when you are rolling 4-5 inch tyres.

The new Rocky Mountain Blizzard nails it... I'd love to pair one of these with my classic Blizzard hardtail.

FrozenK

No. I have been riding fat bikes for eight years now and no, half an inch of undampened cushion from the tires is not a substitute for suspension. Which is why they have a Bluto.

Fat bikes are fun, can be used as a year round bike but they have their shortcomings. They are great in a monster truck kind of way, forget about picking a line just roll over things. They do have good traction, but the wheels are significantly heavier than any other mountainbike.

As for the difference between wheel sizes, on rooty trails the difference between 26 and 29 is noticeable. 26 to 27.5 will be less noticeable (just put the two wheels together) on smooth trails it may be less noticeable, but it is there. If you like 26 inch wheels, enjoy them but let's not fool ourselves.

osco53

I rode a fatty finally, It was fun but I like to go fast and the hard tail fat I rode did not like speed when things got rough.
That back Undamped, Unsuspeneded rear wheel was not on the ground much, very little control as the speed came up regardless of air pressure...
IMO Hard Tail fats are never going to be good fast single track bikes, and a good slow trail bike I have no need for.
Remember, speed Is your friend
I need to go fast downhill to make it up the next hill...

Then came the Bucksaw, Salsa Cycles
my one short ride on this bike was real nice, BUT now that I could go fast and have great control at big speed
with this full suspension bike I was now wondering why I needed all that tire.
The busload of traction was overkill.
I was now able to go fast down hill but to make it up the next hill I had to haul all that tire and wheel up,,what a grunt out that was.
I was on a bike with super heavy wheels and It handled slow, I'll pass, too much money for all that extra rolling mass.
I am just not strong enough to ride one of these like the young agile riders often seen in video's.



Now Check this out::
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EkrsoVdYYzQ

I <3 Robots

Its about dialing in the pressure on a HT fat bike. It looks like you ran way too much pressure. It will bounce like a basketball. Dial in the pressure and it'll ride good.

I spent an afternoon with a Foes Mutz. I rode it at a local shuttle spot with a 6.5 mile downhill. Rocks, roots, and ruts. On flat land it's not that great...but going downhill over chunk...it was a game changer for me. Also the big wide tires felt like it has unlimited traction. Blown out and sandy turns were no problem. Getting up to speed and plowing over everything makes the fun factor very high.

shopkins1995

I would look at an electric assisted mountain bike like the Haibike FS RX. It rides the same as any mountain bike going downhill and makes it easier to ride uphill. The end result is that you are spending more time having fun and less time riding to the top (think skiing where you ride a lift to the top). If you want to ride like a 100% normal bike just turn the power off. Plus under full power you can ride it on the road with no problem caused by the knobby tires/weight.

FrozenK

You misunderstood, he wants a mountainbike not a moped that isn't allowed in most mountainbike trails.

shopkins1995

Hi FrozenK,

Not sure why you are calling an electric assist a moped? If you don't pedal you fall down just like any other bike. There's no throttle. Assisted bikes take normal pedal power and divide it in half I would say. Assisted bikes are legal on mountain bike trails. There are some electric bikes that are not legal which are have really large motors and a throttle that does not require you to pedal. Maybe that's what you are thinking of.

Sam

FrozenK

Motorized vehicles are not allowed on our mountainbike trails. Call it what you want, it is still a motorized vehicle. We are talking about mountainbikes.

The analogy with lift served skiing doesn't work. If you want to do lift served biking go to a park that provides that. Otherwise, keep the mopeds out of the trails designated for non-motorized use only. And yes, I do have a strong opinion on this. No, it isn't like hikers that don't want bikers.