Carbon Unit

I have a lot of experience as a roadie but know almost nothing about mountain biking. However, I live in a place with some great mountain bike trails within 10 minutes of my house so I thinking about getting a mountain bike.

From what I have heard so far, I should be looking at 29ers and probably with full suspension, but these bikes are not cheap.

If money was no object, I would buy a Ellsworth Evolve, but don't think I should spend that kind of money for a first bike. The Specialized Stumpjumper is a little less money but then I wouldn't really be able to change the drive train much or so I have been told. Not sure if this is important or not. I have changed the drive train on my road bike and will probably do it again within a year.

Any other recommendations on 29ers with full suspension? I think I will probably want it equipped with SRAM components.

ed 

I recommend an Enduro or Pitch. Fat 26" will satisfy more than 29".

Carbon Unit

Is there a reason that I would choose a 26 over a 29? I am 6'3" and that is why I thought a 29er would be better for me.

pablosnazzy

if money was no object, i would recommend a turner or a pivot. turner makes the sultan, i think pivot has the mach 429, and i can tell you from experience, turner is an EXCELLENT bicycle. i don't think you *need* full suspension, i rode for years with a hardtail, and you can get a super nice hardtail for the price of a half decent full suspension, but full suspension is rather comfy and makes riding more fun. i don't know if your height automatically makes you have to ride a 29" bike, they, like everything, have good and bad points. my point is, go for the 29" bike because you want it, but don't discount a good 26" bike that is comfortable and you like and is in your price range.

ed 

Given the fact that you are actually a roadie...I'd say a 29'er XC bike would be good for you. Sometimes I forget myself. Roadies tend to stay seated...avoid trail obstacles...stay glued to the ground...grit their teeth when they see a root or crevice. (not poking fun at all, mind you) I just don't see to many roadie cross-overs that like to shred.

Carbon Unit

You are probably accurate in my case. I want to ride the way I do on the road but without traffic. Riding fire roads and trails is what I see myself doing. I think sometimes I should just go cheap for starters and get a 26 hard tail. I am not sure how often it will be ridden since I do not plan on giving up my road riding.

Bosock

If you have the money go full-suspension...totally different ride. I ride road as well, not as much as i have wanted this year, and enjoy my full suspension stumpy as the ride truly gives me a different experience from the road bike. Both types of riding will compliment each other. Mountain biking helped my climbing on the road and road riding helped with endurance mountain biking. Going 29 or 26 is personal preference and determined by the type of riding you do. Some good articles on the net pertaining to the pros and cons of both 29 and 26 inch bikes...google baby. Also, how aggressive you believe you will get mountain biking and type of riding you do will dictate the type of mountain bike you want as well. If you are going to do fireroads and single tracks with very little jumps or rock gardens then a XC bike, cross bike, or hardtail would do the trick. If you will be going through some rocky sections or 1-2 feet drop-offs or jumps, then stumpy or some type of bike with 4-5 inches of travel. If you are going to be doing larger drops offs, big rock gardens, or jumping then all mountain with 6+ inches of travel or speciality bike. From post above it doesn't seem that you plan to be that aggressive.

For the bike, as you can see i enjoy the Specialized bikes. They ride very well, are durable with very little maintenance needs, and for the price point you pick they are generally well equipped. When i went looking for my bike everyone in my riding group told me to go with Yeti, Pivot or Santa Cruz. After riding them all i liked the stumpy and its ride by far the best. However, ride preference is very personalized and you may like something totally different. Several good bike manufacturers to choose from like Specialized, Yeti, Pivot, Cannondale, Giant, Santa Cruz, Kona, Trek, Fisher, and so on. Ride as many as you can and pick which one you feel most comfortable on...keep in mind a good fit makes a world of difference and being a roadie that is probably already entrenched in your head. There are some mountain enthusiasts that will tell you that you need to go hardtail with your first bike as a hardtail has you more connected with the trail. You learn to pick your paths better and the feedback from the trail is truer and so on. I didn't like the ride of a hardtail anywhere near the ride of the full suspension. Then again I like hauling and the flexibility of the full suspension allowing me just to fly over rocks and roots when i want rather than picking paths is great. The trails i ride have some rock gardens and small drops so that is why I ride a stumpy...4-5 inches of travel on these types of trails works great.

No matter what bike you chose, if you ride it, you will love it. I think you will enjoy mountain biking. It takes a little more hand-eye coordination and dexterity then road riding...but it is these things that make mountain biking such a great compliment to your road riding. Research, test ride them all, and enjoy...welcome to mountain biking.

DRietz

Well, given the fact that your 700c wheels are the same diameter as a 29" mtb wheel, I'd say go with the niner. As for full suspension...if you're just riding fire trails and things like that, go fully rigid, or at most suspension in the front. Those 29" wheels do more than you think (larger surface area of tire on ground=a certain amount of suspension lost in 26" wheels), and I love riding them even though I'm tiny.

Svr

Not even close. The rim size is the same, but the overall diameter of the wheel/tire combo is totally different. A 700x23 tire mounted and inflated measures approximately the same diameter as a 26" MTB wheel with a 2.1 tire. A 29" wheel/2.1 tire combo measures a little over 28.5 inches in diameter.

A demo ride on your local trails is worth 1000 internet opinions.

BillyBob

I have just started to get into mountain bikes coming from the road. I went for a used hard tail with front suspension. I ride fast on rails to trails and fire roads for exercise. It is quite a workout.

mtnbiker66

The OP should really look into a nice 29r hardtail with a fork that has a lock out on it. It may be just what he needs for the type of riding he's wanting to do.

Donegal

I bought a Stumpy for my first mountain bike and now own a Cannondale Rush also. I have converted virtually all of my hardtail friends to full suspension over a period of 10 years. We don't ride for an hour and go home. We live in Georgia with some of the best singletrack anywhere. Lots of terrain and open area. The new suspensions cause very little power loss and it's great to just ride over virtually any obstacle you find. I had a triathlete friend who loved his hardtail because it was light and he could really climb on it, but last time out I ran him hard with my rush and since it was more stable on a fast, rough trail I was faster overall on a 2 hour run.

I am also 54 years old and don't want to beat myself up unneccessarily. I ride over roots, rocks and through streams, etc. I appreciate the suspension travel and feel somewhat bulletproof letting the wheels bounce off of all kinds of obstacles, especially when running downhill as fast as the cajones factor will let me go. Rule one, only use the brakes when necessary as whatever momentum you give up will have to be replaced by you.

If you have a bike shop near the trails, they will usually let you try a couple different bikes to find what you like. That's the best way to find out what works for you.

cryptid01

1) good advice
2) no wisecracking
3) helping a roadie

Who are you and what have you done with ole 66?

Carbon Unit

I am considering just getting a hard tail for my first bike, but I too will be 54 on my next birthday and am looking to reduce the beating on my body. I may go with a 26" Full suspension bike just because they are more abundant and probably cheaper than a 29er. I will probably buy used for my first mountain bike not knowing how much I will get into mountain biking. I had the same feeling when I started road riding and bought a used bike. It ended up costing me more than a new bike because I kept replacing componets which drove up the cost. However, I now have a road bike that fits me perfect and I can ride for the next 25 years.

mtnbiker66

Shut up!!! I have to give some advice every now and then that is semi-logical. This will not happen again for a year or two. Oh, the weather here is perfect for some riding. You should try to get down this way soon.

cryptid01

That's more like it. Ive been riding all summer but not much on anything with pedals. The bike trails here suck. I'll be at Beech at end of Sept for Bryan's wedding and we're all bringing bikes. I just picked up a rigid singlespeed 29er I'm dying to try out.

dminor 

Braaaaapt!

droptop

im a former roadie and i love my 29er hardtail. i have a friend that had a 29er hardtail that wanted a 29er full suspension, but ended up liking the 26" full suspension with 5" of travel. just go ride several brands, several types and see what you like the most. doesn't matter what we ride, or what we think you should ride.

i love my raleigh xxix, but hate my girlfriend's talus29 (suppossedly the same geometry, per the website), but they are obviously very different bikes side by side.

JUST GO TEST SOME BIKES!!!

after the initial tests, find a place in your area that will allow half day rentals of really nice bikes. then go hit the trails. i recommend going with a friend that's the same size, so you can switch back and fourth between bikes. this will keep you from buying the wrong bike. some bikes feel great in the parking lot, but wear on you after an hour or so on the trail. when you find the bike that feels good, you know what you need.

grahny

I'm a former mountain biker turned cross rider turned roadie turned, err.., roamountcrosstainodie

Gotta test ride, especially with the whole 26/29 FS/HT combinations available. I'm 6'1" and ride a 26" HT. I've had a 29'er FS, but sold it, just didn't like how it felt like I was steering a bouncing boat. It seemed sluggish. The FS was awesome, but for the riding I do isn't really necessary. I love my 26" HT... it's quick, responsive, comfortable, and has gotten me up and down technical single track just fine.