Originally Posted by
cleon
Very cool. And some very nice bikes up there. The reason I even ask the question is because there are so many choices available now in styles of mountain bikes that I'm stuck trying to figure out which would be most appropriate for me. My last real mountain bike was a '94 Steel Stumpjumper. I recently picked up a used dual suspension aluminum because it was convenient and a good deal. But prior to that I was all over the place in terms of steel hardtail vs dual aluminum vs carbon, etc.
The gist of my question is really this...as I get (even) older, am I better off just sticking with dual suspension for the comfort level, regardless of the type of riding I do (light technical and lots of singletrack - never flat here)? That seems to be the consensus I get when asking around locally. Curious what the forum's opinion is? My Cannondale was more of a city bike and I definitely am no longer interested in Aluminum hardtails on washboards...
edit: Big John - I read through that other post and wow...beautiful ride! Looks like a blast.
another edit: as an aside, I read on an avid 50+ biker/lifter's blog that carbon fiber handlebars were a huge plus to reduce shock to the arms/shoulders, etc. curious if anyone here has made that switch?
I would stick with a full suspension bike but more specifically a Specialized Epic. The "Brain" dampens rear shock as needed so allows maximum power transfer on the flats while providing a decent ride in the bumps. Whether you want a 29er or standard 26 is up to you. While I like the "roll over" of a 29, I prefer the tighter maneauvering 26.
I am biased as this is what I ride so take it with a grain of salt.
Meh to the carbon bars. I fall too often on rocks for CF bars.
