Originally posted by dennisk
well, the only thing is, I hate touring bikes, and I like the position of a mountain bike, its just how i like it... Can you guys recomend a good mountain for touring then? Something with 36 spokes, which has no front suspension is what your saying is good, right?
...for a mountain bike, I lean toward the Treks - my cro moly 850 might be a wee bit on the heavy side, but it's built like a tank. After 4 years of ownership the only repairs are cables, brake pads and tyres. The only alterations were the seat and the rigid front fork (tossed for a Rock Shok).
Today, I won't tour without front supension - I've ran both fire and logging roads with and without front supension. Take it from me, on these roads a rigid fork would beat you to death (over the years I've been working on putting together an asphalt free Trans Am, maybe in a few more years it'll be done). Front supension may make you less efficent mileage wise, but in dirt and mud you get much, much better braking control, which could, in the long run, really mean better mileage since you don't have to walk out of the back country with a broken bike.......