cyber.snow

I am looking for an aluminum mountain bike to use for some long rough trips like the cont divide. Looking for:
Disc Brakes
Rear Rack capable
2.25" tire capable
Air Shock in front
Hardtail
700cc or 29" wheels

I just can't seem to find one, but then I only know the google references. Does anyone make a bike like this or do I need to buy a frame and just build one?

CliffordK

There are a number of ways you cold approach it. And, it depends a bit on how far you diverge from "standard"

You could pick out a bike that has all the features you want, but lacking items like the air shock, so you just have to add a new fork.

I see a lot of bikes that seem nice, but for some reason the manufacturer chose to use very cheap drivetrain components. Putting in a 9x drivetrain instead of 10x or 11x. If you are picky, then build your own.

Some features like 29er, direct mount hydraulic brakes, and thru axles are all relatively new, and could knock you out of the vintage market... I.E. Everything gets quite expensive.

I bumped into this page. Perhaps it would give you some inspiration.
Complete List of Off-Road Adventure Touring Bikes with Pricing - CyclingAbout

I wouldn't completely ignore the steel frames, although it is possible that many steel "touring" bikes lack the emphasis on lightweight frames that road bikes had adopted over a half century ago.

jmeb

I certainly can't think of one -- as what you are looking for is basically a hard tail 29er with rear rack braze-ons.

A few things I'd consider:

- There are lots of adventure bikes that are suspension corrected that could take a 100mm air fork up front, but don't come with one stock. See Surly/Salsa. (Yes they are steel).
- You could fit a rack to many HT mtbs with p-clamps. Or alternative mounting solutions. Old Man Mountain racks have the most versatile mounting solutions I've seen.
- Are you sure you want a rack? Most people tackling the sort of adventure you're talking about have moved away from racks as they add extra weight and another thing to break down on singletrack. You can fit a lot of stuff (certainly enough for a self-supported tour) using an assortment of bags (frame bag, saddle bag, handle bar bag, fork bags, etc.)

niknak

Not sure why you want an aluminum frame, except for weight savings. At most you'll be saving two pounds. But then you plan to use a rack and panniers, so I'm assuming that you won't be packing light, which negates the frame weight savings.

If you switch to steel you have a huge range of options.

fietsbob

I'd say buy complete, then change details to suit your needs.. you cannot beat OEM Wholesale for parts cost.

Sacramento has Bike Shops.. but you have to go into them .. don't like those? Chico to the North or Davis to the south.






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jefnvk

Not positive about the 2.25" tires, but my buddy just bought a Specialized Rockhopper Comp for our upcoming tour that ticks every other box. It comes with 2.1" tires, can't imagine too many scenarios a stock bike would fit 2.1" but not 2.25" (or in which 2.25" is much more beneficial than 2.1").

SparkyGA

Honestly there are dozens of great models of bike with that description; your basic our ally after a fairly standard MTB that has rack mounts. The bigger question is how much do you want to spend? I personally would be looking around the 1200 to 1500 buck range as I feel it offers the best value vs performance. Avoid Suntour suspension forks as they don't offer great performance overall. And try to buy a wheel set that is already tubeless ready.

Edit : 700C is the exact same thing as 29".

J.Higgins 

The awesomeness would be a Surly Krampus or ECR in Ti. I'm meeting with a framebuilder next week to discuss a 29+ frame for my GDMBR ride. He specializes in hardtail 29ers and Fatbikes, but he also makes a road bike model as well. With the email and phone conversations that I have had with him so far, he's quite adept. I'll have him make my frame so that I can use a suspension fork, and there will be some braze-ons, but the bike will not need to be plastered with them like a Surly because I'll be using bikepacking bags.

So basically, if you are happy enough with a steel frame, then a Krampus or Fargo would be the ticket. Otherwise, any aluminum-framed hardtail would work. Don't worry about rear rack capable. Old Man Mountain and others offer plenty of solutions for no rack braze-ons and such. OMM is particularly disc-friendly.

I have a Trek Wahoo 29er, which isnt a high-priced bike, component-wise, but the aluminum frame is a sweetie. I'm thinking that you could get one on Craigslist, strip all the crap Bontrager components off it and build it back up with DT Swiss, Stans, or whatever you like.

Here's what I consider to be the best deal on a Ti frame: Save up to 60% off new 29er Mountain Bikes - MTB - 2010 Motobecane Fly Titanium 29er You even get a Reba!

bradtx

cyber.snow, Take a look at the Trek X-Caliber line-up.

Brad

cyccommute 

There are a number of bikes that fit your needs...with the possible exception of an oil/air fork. The Trek X-Caliber and Marlin series as well as the Specialized Rockhopper would work nicely. The Jamis Trail X Expert would also be a good choice. The Jamis is probably the best value as well. Similar to the X-Caliber but about $200 less and it's available in a 27.5" instead of a 29er.

Yes, they all have coil spring forks but the fork is lockable and the springs can be changed to tune the ride. It's easier with air but springs will still do the job.

cyber.snow

I will go look at the 4 bikes that were recommended. A couple of corrections though.

Aluminum frame. Not weight sensitive so steel is a good option. I do want the ability to add a pedal assist at some point (and be able to remove it for long unassisted tours), so my point was that I am not looking for carbon.


Price range...up to $2K

Oh, I no longer live in Northern CA, I live in Central ID. Less people, more conservative, great mountains, etc. in a small town ...perfect for a retired couple.

Ok, back to biking!

fietsbob

Good because most decent MTB's are welded Aluminum frames now..
you're asking about a 29er ...High end fork may push it past $2K

My LBS has done Mid drive conversions for MTB's, for Hunters.. that kit [lectric cycles] add another K$



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cyccommute 

Don't get hung up on the "steel can be fixed by the village smithy and aluminum will shatter like glass" thing. Neither is true. Steel has it uses but the world of mountain biking has moved on. Aluminum is strong enough for rugged off-road use as evidenced by the millions of aluminum mountain bikes out there. I even do road tours on an aluminum touring bike.

As for being able to be repaired by the village smithy, there are lots and lots and lots of aluminum framed motorcycles out in the world so anyone who repairs them can probably repair an aluminum bicycle. And modern steel frames are more difficult to repair than most people think they are. They are easy to turn into a pile of rust in the hands of someone who hasn't worked on the thin steel we use.

For your budget, the problem doesn't lie with paying more money but with what the bikes have to begin with. There aren't a lot of front suspended mountain bikes made with rack mounts. They tend to be on the lower end of most company's offerings if they have them at all. "Adventure" bikes tend not to come with front suspension which makes me wonder what the point is for "adventure". My adventures tend to be rugged enough for a full on mountain bike.

You might want to look at the Jamis Dragon series adventure bikes that fit well within your budget and look like they have at least some thought put into them rather than just a fad bike. They have a few warts in my opinion. They are steel (heavy at about 31 lbs) and they have 1x gearing (I'm not a fan). Their wheels are unnecessarily heavy and they could have 36 spoke wheels instead of 32 but they are also true mountain bikes with good forks.

At least they aren't like the Trek "adventure" bikes that don't know what they want to be (low spoke count wheels and loads don't mix well).

cyber.snow

Cycommute,
Any idea if I can stick a rack on that Jamis Dragon27.5+.?

cyccommute 

Yes. According to Jamis

The mounts look a bit high up on the seat stay so the load will ride a bit higher than would be optimal but it does have mounts. You could look for racks that have some height adjustment which decreases their carrying capacity but at least they would ride a little lower which is better for handling.

alan s 

Check bikes direct. Save up to 60% off new Mountain Bikes - Shimano XT/SLX MTB - Gravity 29Point5 29er Mountain Bikes

LuckySailor

Nope! If you save 2 pounds on frame weight, and carry 40 pounds, you are still 2 pounds lighter than if you did not save 2 pounds with a lighter frame. 2 pounds is 2 pounds. Period. If you didn't save the 2 pounds with the lighter frame, you would have to generate the energy to move that 2 pounds. Which, to probably all of us, is pretty simple to move 2 pounds. EXCEPT when you have to move that 2 pounds with the other 40 pounds mentioned above. Then you have to generate that energy over a days, weeks, and months of a tour. THEN it becomes significant.

I am far from a weight weenie. In fact, my touring bike is a Trek 520, with double wall 36 spoke wheels, and HEAVY, 2 pounds EACH, 700x35 Schwalbe Marathon Tour Plus tires. On my last cross country tour, I was always at the back going up hill, compared to my tour mates with carbon fibre bikes. But after the tour, I tried a little experiment. No fenders, regular wheels, 700x25 tires, one water bottle instead of 3, no rack, no trunk. I fly now.

cyber.snow

For touring with the wife, and that is mostly credit card touring, I will stick to the DS4 now that I changed the tires to 1.7" on the back and 2" on the front. I added a pedal assist setup and use some 52v battery technology developed in the USAF labs and we easily get 100 mile daily range with a 3 hour recharge. But for the two upcoming rides this spring, I need wider tires. I did have a Surly Disc LHT and 12 years as an Army Ranger taught me how to live for weeks with what I could carry and I don't carry a lot of ammo anymore (thank God for that). So I am not too worried about 2 lbs or racing up the hill.

I am going to the local (over 100 miles away) bike shop that carries Jamis and will check out the Dragonslayer 27.5+.