Noob bike reco

rick81721

rick81721

Lothar
Decided to take the plunge and get a bike for xmas. As I'm new to this I'm setting an upper budget limit of 2000. Primary stomping grounds are the sourlands as I live a few miles away and run the trails there regularly. Went to Halters yesterday and a guy (Alan) showed me a Giant XTC 29 and then a Cannondale Trail (that's what he wrote on the card but looking it up and checking the price I think it was the F29 2). Tried both around the parking lots and liked the Cannondale better but obviously a parking lot is a bit different from a rocky/root covered trail. Now I see what a "lefty" means - looked weird but rode well and seemed more nimble than the Giant. Both were hardtails - would that work on the sourlands? I ran there today and talked to a couple that were just heading out on bikes and both said they really like their FS bikes, tho I guess they are out of my price range?

Open to any/all suggestions.
 
$2k can get you a wide range of bikes, I would never ride a hardtail at sourlands lol
 
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If u ride the Sourlands the last bike I would want is a hardtail. If sticking to Halters check out the following:

Giant Trance 26 or 29er
Salsa Horsethief or Spearfish

These all come in models close( in biking terms ;-)) to your budget. Yes they are heavier than what you mentioned but I just think you will enjoy these more, a lot more.
 
I ride a hardtail at the Sourlands. Go for a full suspension if you can afford it. You can ride any kind of mountain bike at the Sourlands if you want to, it just won't be as much fun as a FS bike.
 
Lets start this thread by "which one is better" "a 26er or a 29er"??? "Squish" or "no squish"???😀


Welcome! By the way.
 
A couple of random thoughts:

- Halter's is a great shop, my 'go-to' shop actually. But they are heavily biased towards 29er's and hardtails, because that is what works for their typical customer. You are not their typical customer.
- Sourlands is not very beginner friendly. You seem to have a "can do" attitude, which will take you a long way.
- I have both a hardtail and FS bike, both of which have been to Sourlands many times. I have way more fun on the FS. And your 54yo body will thank you as well.
- Don't let people push you into getting clipless pedals right off the bat. I drank that kool-aid for over a decade, and clipless do have their place. But for a beginner on very technical terrain, they are more of a liability than an asset IMHO. Get a good pair of flat pedals and a shoe with sticky rubber to start out.
- Consider some knee pads. You will crash. Fact. Plan for it.
- Welcome to your new addiction
 
rick81721 said:
Thanks for replies so far.

Excuse my ignorance, but I'm just learning here. The difference between a hardtail and FS on trails like sourlands - is this an ease of technical execution issue, a comfort issue, or a safety issue? Not sure if it's relevant here but I'm a young 54.

Also maybe I forgot to mention it but not killing myself the first few tries would be a plus 😀

Regarding shop, I went to Halters first because they are the closest.
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My vote - its a comfort issue which can lend to a endurance issue. If your legs serve as your suspension and take the full brunt of every hit, bump, rock and root you get tired. With a FS, the bike does a bunch of the work for you, which saves your legs (and core) so you can last longer on a ride before you start feeling beat up.

After I ride Chimney Rock or the Sourlands, after a while I feel really beat up and even sometimes I get some overuse injuries that start to nag me.

Technical execution is all about bike handling no matter what you are riding, and safety... Well it's the Sourlands 😀
 
My advice would be a full suspension bike if you plan on doing most of your riding at Sourlands.My 2nd bit of advice would be to NOT have your 1st ride be at Sourlands.This place is one of the toughest parks in NJ, although loads of fun once you get to know it. Six Mile would be the ideal 1st destination.Then Chimney Rock just before Sourlands.And as mentioned above go with flat pedals before thinking of clip-in's.Good luck in whatever direction you go in.
 
J-Dro said:
A couple of random thoughts:

- Halter's is a great shop, my 'go-to' shop actually. But they are heavily biased towards 29er's and hardtails, because that is what works for their typical customer. You are not their typical customer.
- Sourlands is not very beginner friendly. You seem to have a "can do" attitude, which will take you a long way.
- I have both a hardtail and FS bike, both of which have been to Sourlands many times. I have way more fun on the FS. And your 54yo body will thank you as well.
- Don't let people push you into getting clipless pedals right off the bat. I drank that kool-aid for over a decade, and clipless do have their place. But for a beginner on very technical terrain, they are more of a liability than an asset IMHO. Get a good pair of flat pedals and a shoe with sticky rubber to start out.
- Consider some knee pads. You will crash. Fact. Plan for it.
- Welcome to your new addiction
Click to expand...

I second this, with an additive: Even though you may not be Halters "typical" customer, they will still take great care of you. I am not the "typical" customer either, but have been going there since 1997 or so and they have NEVER let me down.

Put on elbow and knee pads.

Good pair of gloves too.

FYI I like full squishy bikes 🙂

And....WELCOME!
 
jdog said:
If you are at $2000, you should really consider this bike:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yIWl_1WL4xQ&feature=youtu.be

We have an 18" and a 20" on closeout.

http://salsacycles.com/bikes/2012_horsethief

It will be just a bit more than you want to spend, but I truly believe that this is right tool for the job you described.

or this:

http://www.giant-bicycles.com/en-us/bikes/model/trance.x.29er.2/11514/55874/
Click to expand...


Watching this videos gives me an idea of what and where I'm going to get my next bike.
 
I have a cannondale flash 29, giang xtc composite 29, gf rig ss and an giant anthem 29. If i was going to ride 6 mile run then the cannondale would be ideal there. Very fast bike great handling bike in those conditions. But if your going to more techy stuff then i highly recommend a giant anthem 29er or a giant xtc composite if your looking for a hardtail. Hands down best allround fs 29er i would say is the anthem. Amazing bike and i say ditch cannondale cause its the worst bike i've owned.
 
gingertooth said:
I have a cannondale flash 29, giang xtc composite 29, gf rig ss and an giant anthem 29. If i was going to ride 6 mile run then the cannondale would be ideal there. Very fast bike great handling bike in those conditions. But if your going to more techy stuff then i highly recommend a giant anthem 29er or a giant xtc composite if your looking for a hardtail. Hands down best allround fs 29er i would say is the anthem. Amazing bike and i say ditch cannondale cause its the worst bike i've owned.
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You have to elaborate on how the worst bike you have ever owned is also the one you might recommend.
 
Sorry jdog. I live in an very tecnical riding area and the cannondale flash doesnt handle it well. It definately a solid feeling bike but for non techy riding and racing only.
 
rick81721 said:
Thanks for all the recos everyone.

I think the Giant Trance X 29er 2 is the best fit. JDog is this a bike you have in stock or would have to order (FYI I am 5'10" - 170 lbs - is that a medium frame?). I'd like black, too.

This is a busy weekend but I'll be able to stop back in to Halter's next week.
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I will check in the am.

I know we have zero on floor in a lg.. (too much $ I know) but you can come take it for a spin to check out the size. I rode a LG for 4 days this summer and at 5-10" it worked great for me. I found the med too short of a tt.

You owe it to yourself to check out a leftover Horsetheif too. You just get so much more bike for the $.

J
 
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