Upgrade or new bike?

camber26

Hi all,

Over the last year or so, i have found I have really got into MTB. I have a Specialised 26" FS Camber which I have owned for a bit over a year.

I plan to get into XC riding this year, and hoping to get peoples opinions/thoughts on 29er's. Will it make much of a difference to change or add a 29er hardtail?

I ride quite a lot of downhill on the 26" Camber and therefore reluctant to change the components to anything lighter as I would be worried that the lighter components may break if i ride too hard such as doing jumps etc...

Also I mostly ride on the Isle of Man so hilly terrains are what we encounter most, although it can be extremely varied riding with plenty of technical singletrack.

Anyway, if anyone can help me out with some advice then it will be greatly appreciated. Do many poeple own both a Hardtail and FS to use at different times?

Cheers..

styxd

Buy a road bike. Get fit. Beat all your mates with ease.

It has nothing to do with bike components.

RockmonkeySC

The Camber is a perfectly good xc bike. you could probably replace some of the standard components with lighter ones which are equally strong.
I used to have an XC hardtail and FS. You just end up riding your favorite one all the time.

swod1

you could upgrade your current bike with better brakes, gears, lighter wheels etc depending on things you dont like on it or have worn out.

mrmonkfinger

A Camber will do perfectly well for XC. Buy a few lighter bits if you want.


FYI (to save any confusion )

camber26 wrote:

I ride quite a lot of downhill on the 26" Camber

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U3yHE-qyIao

2 minutes in, is "downhill riding"

dmorton

RockmonkeySC wrote:

I used to have an XC hardtail and FS. You just end up riding your favorite one all the time.

I still do have both and find I ride the one that's easier to fix most....the 29er HT

I like them both though for different reasons

camber26

Thanks, Even though I don't think a few of you grasped my question all that well it is appreciated all the same...

dmorton wrote:

RockmonkeySC wrote:

I used to have an XC hardtail and FS. You just end up riding your favorite one all the time.

I still do have both and find I ride the one that's easier to fix most....the 29er HT

I like them both though for different reasons

Yeah my thinking was that I would like them for different reasons, upgrading the components seems a bit of a waste of money to me.

From feedback from mates, both bikes behave differently in contrasting scenarios. Hopefully I get to hop on a mates 29er this weekend and find out for real.

Cheers..

Northwind

it's only really when you get to extremes that things get complicated- if you build a super-weight-weenie XC bike it can get a bit delicate but I built my Camber to I think 27lbs (or thereabouts) and there wasn't a part on it I wouldn't be happy to ride down an alp or fort william dh. Apart from the frame, anyway, I didn't really like it

As far as XC racing on it, it'll do the job fine. How serious are you going to get? At the pointy end, most people are on seriously light kit and being on a more generalist bike will be a downside for sure, but then most people aren't at the pointy end. I've raced XC on a rigid carrera, a cotic soul and a 150mm carbon 456 and you know what? I was slow on all of them.