Roadie moving off the tarmac

steves999

So I've always been predominantly a roadie (don't hate me!) - main love is climbing Alps in the sunshine and pushing myself harder and further than I thought possible..... However, I really want to get away from the road and enjoy the trails more. My wife was a competitive MTBer back in NZ so is very supportive! (Lucky man I know ;-))
I've got an old Cannondale F1000SL, upgraded with new wheels, disc brakes etc which I've used quite a bit at Swinley, Surrey Hills etc and I really like it cos its light. But I think it's probably time to move beyond 2001 and get something newer.... I get downhill and it'd not really what I'm after, but I'm pretty confused on XC vs trail vs all-mountain, 650b vs 29, even fatbikes!
I know that the real question is what type of riding will you be doing, but until I get to know more, I don't really know.... realistically, it'll be trail centres and some Surrey Hills -

So my question (eventually!) is - what would the group mind suggest I look at in terms of style of bike? I'm guessing I'm looking at spending ~£2k ..... over to you guys!
Thanks
Steve

njee20

Try a few, see what you like.

Most of the terms you mention are basically marketing terms, don't get too hung up on them.

Broadly, and at risk of slipping straight back into pigeon holing and marketing twaddle bikes are something along the lines of:

XC - hardtails, or <100mm FS, 29ers are most common, lightweight, steep angles, fast uphill, skittish down hill.

Trail - mainly FS, some hardtails, up to 140mm ish of travel, slacker angles, shorter, more biased toward riding down hills at the expense of some efficiency up hills. Plenty of 29ers and 650b.

Enduro - up to 170mm travel, slacker, tougher, heavier, designed more to point down the hill. 650b is 'the' size to have, but there are 29er options too.

Few rubbish bikes these days, Swinley and the Surrey Hills will see a mix of everything, and the owners will tell you why their bike is ideal, there's no right answer. I have a lightweight carbon XC hardtail for similar riding, it's great, it's fast, it's fun, it plays to my strengths - I'm not interested in 20ft drops and what not!

If you have aspirations to get better down hill then you may prefer something a bit more stable that will help out on the descents.

Ideally, you need to try a few bikes and see what works for you.

steves999

That's really helpful...many thanks.
I've just googled Pedal and Spoke in Peaslake who look like they do demos....can anyone recommend them or otherwise??
Hoping for some decent weather at the weekend and I'll give them a go!

wilberforce

Not sure where you are based but you mention Swinley - Mountain Trax are close by and have a good range of bikes available for demo. Also found the staff very helpful and friendly
http://www.mountain-trax.com/page/39/Demo_Center

steves999

Thanks - I'll give them a try... Looks like a fair bit of demo-ing coming up!!

njee20

Can vouch for Mountain Trax, great shop.

rockmonkeysc

Get some demo's on a variety of of bikes. If you enjoy covering big miles and challenging climbs then I would probably forget anything with more than 140mm suspension although amount of suspension doesn't really define a bike.
For some reason ex-roadies often seem to like Trek 29ers. Not sure why. Perfectly good bikes though.

stubs

Your bucking the trend it seems at the moment the big movement is from dirt to tarmac. Seen several MTBers who used to be mad keen join the dark side buying lycra bib shorts and getting the Ladyshave out.

passout

A light weight trail bike might do the trick - Whyte 905 / 909? Anway, I too wouldn't go over 140mm travel.

Ferrals

cyd190468 wrote:

So what kind of riding does your wife do?

bit personal isn't it?

Something for the weekend sir? suits you sir!

steves999

Oo er missus! ;-)

Her NZ riding was what I'd call cross country singletrack.... Look up the Rameka Track - that's one of her faves.... we rode it a couple of years ago... I ended up walking a few bits, especially the creek crossings!

rockmonkeysc

I guess something like a Giant Anthem, Trek Fuel or Specialized Camber would probably suit you.
Light and efficient for big rides but not at all racey, nice and stable and beginner friendly.