Buying bike

kremley

Hi! I'm looking to upgrade my current mountain bike, which is basically the bottom of the barrel. I live in Colorado and like to ride all levels of trails though if it gets too technical I still need to get off and walk my bike. Something that would be good for say Monarch Crest. I'm looking for a bike that is more suited to uphill riding, has 26 inch tires, disk brakes and full suspension. I don't need carbon fiber, aluminum is good. Let's pretend price is not an issue, do you guys have any suggestions?! Also does it make that much of a difference for women vs men?

The Rookie

This is a UK based website, so we aren't really up on US prices and best deals. Probably best if you post up links to a few bikes you are interested in and the prices and we can suggest what may suite.

Not sure of US pricing but the Giant Anthem or Stance would fit your bill.

kremley

This is one that was recommended to me.

Santa Cruz Tallboy
http://www.santacruzbicycles.com/en/us/tallboy

I like the Anthem.

Any other recommendations?

rockmonkeysc

Tallboy is good but you said you want 26" wheels

kremley

I would go with 29 or 26" wheels. I was thinking the 26" would be cheaper since 29" is the current trend.

codfather

There's a wide variety of wheel sizes available these days. 26" is very uncommon on new bikes, with the exception of dirt jump bikes and a few freeride and downhill bikes. The 29" shift was quite some while ago and since then manufacturers have shifted to 27.5" the most prevalent size currently. More recently still, we've seen a shift towards plus sizes (27.5+, 29+) which are broadly the same, but with wider rims, forks, chainstays to accommodate tyres up to 2.8-3.0". Fatbikes are another matter entirely but almost certainly not what you're after. Tallboy will be good for the climbing aspect, pricey though.

batmo

Codfather wrote:

Tallboy will be good for the climbing aspect, pricey though.

A bit less pricey stateside. In the UK the alloy Tallboy starts at £2600, the US price is equivalent to under £2000.