JohnFyf

I purchased a used 29er diamondback recoil that also came with a cheap rear dnm airshock. The bike weights around 35 pounds, and I really notice how sluggish it feels. To give you an idea it won't hold its speed for very long, bobs a lot especially uphill. Some pros I can give it though is that it plows through the terrain very easily, I have never been uncomfortable and always in control. The major issue is the amount of energy being lost, I lock out the suspension very often on the trails unless I'm going down the hills.

I'm thinking maybe the rear suspension is not necessary for my type of riding. Would maybe a hardtail trail bike with lets say 100mm-120mm of travel be more ideal? I don't know necessarily if the trails I ride are mostly XC oriented since when I look at XC races I usually find it to be smooth and flowy for the most part. But then again I see XC full suspension bikes going over rough terrain and it kinda blurs me between trail bikes and XC.

Kapusta

I would not say that you have the wrong type of bike for your trails, you have the wring type of bike for your budget.

I don’t think the issue is that it is a FS bike, but that it is a dirt cheap FS bike. I believe that bike sells for ~$500 new.

I am more tolerant than most of heavier bikes, but 35 lbs for a 4” travel bike (which these days is considered a short-travel XC bike) is pretty over the top.

Also, the wheels and tires are probably very heavy and slow.

And weight aside, on a suspension design like that, the shock matters. A cheap shock without good damping characteristics and a proper tune for the frame can give a lousy ride.

It is pretty conventional wisdom that once you are looking at bike prices under $1K, hardtails start to make more sense. At $500 there is no way I would be looking at FS bikes.

grubetown

+1

Also make sure you have everything set up correctly, tuned up and are using the gearing correctly.

If that is all you can afford, ride it like you stole it.

JohnFyf

Yes, I also realized that FS bikes under I'd say $1200 are not ideal unless you upgrade the components.

And also I may not be using the gearing properly, I am always on the middle gear in the front and use either the 3rd or 4th gear in the back. I always feel like I am having too many spin outs or it is very difficult to pedal. I can't find an in-between in gears where it's not super easy to pedal or super hard. On top of that I hear a lot of bad things with these 3 by 7 drive trains, I haven't really completely understood it.

WannaGetGood

You can ride a lot of the same types of trails on a hardtail as a FS. I used to ride a hardtail when all of my buddies had FS bikes. Unless you are trying to burn time of your personal records, just worry about the fun that your having.

Black Sunshine

The only issue with a 3x7 is that you have to anticipate the trails more. You have to plan what range(front ring) you plan to use.

Stay in the middle to start.

Then if you encounter a fast section instead of immediately going to the higher gears in the rear move to the large ring in the front. Then trickle down to the faster gears in the rear. After the fast section remember to down shift ranges by moving to the middle ring in the front before downshifting at the rear.

Oppositely, when encountering a climb drop into the baby ring first. Sometimes I'll even cross-chain a little before I start shifting down the rear gears while climbing. Once you crest the hill remember to move back into your neutral middle range in the front again.

That's how you run a triple ring overall. With a little practice you'll know how aggressively you can shift the front derailleur. Some don't like any tension on the chain at all while others will run almost as aggressively as the rear.

Other than that you just have practice keeping a steady cadence while changing gears to regulate the amount of effort you have to provide to maintain the cadence.

L0n3Gr3yW0lf

Are there electric mountain bikes that work generally well for trails? I am on the big size and it's difficult to go uphills (I am trying to lose weight but there are other health problems that prevent me from pushing myself hard) but still love to go offroad and trails because of my interest in more secluded trails, locations (for photographic reasons as well).

Kapusta

Sure, electric motorcycles are great. But check to see if they are legal on the trails you are interested in.