MTB for a road rider.

DeVlaeminck

I was thinking of replacing my cheap, old, shagged Kona hard tail. Mainly because I like the idea of doing some mixed terrain rides and I find a cross bike can soon get out of its depth unless I'm really concentrating. I occasionally do some easy trail centres like Sherwood Pines and would do Cannock etc and also as a bike I can head off down some bridleways on and not worry it's going to get too rough, a go anywhere bike. Have any of you tried a rigid 29er or 29 plus?

I have no desire to ride particularly fast off road or to faff about with suspension settings, service forks or anything like that. A single speed strikes me as too limiting but a big rigid forkMTB with a 1*11 set up appeals for its simplicity. Something I can take out when the mood takes me. However are they a gimmick or are they capable as MTBs. A downhiller former friend was always telling me how a rigid taught you skills of MTBing so much better, but I'm too old for that, is any rigid MTB going to batter me too much or will the bigger wheels and maybe 29+ tyres provide sufficient compensation for the lack of suspension?

kajjal

I ride a 29" wheel xc hardtail with 2x10 gearing to give me hill climbing and also faster gears. I only ride in the drier months so the front suspension needs minimal maintenance. It smooths out the bumps and is fast enough on canals, fire roads and single track. Byways and bridleways are also no problem. The knobbly tyres do drag a little on the road.

N0bodyOfTheGoat

The Voodoo Marasa is a decent rigid 3x8 bike, fine for road or gentler off-road, anything up to ~700x50c tyres, good deal at £320.*

If you fancy something a bit different, grab a Voodoo Wazoo and simply swap the tyres for a pair of Jumbo Jims, £400* is a good deal. The main reason I use my FatNotFat 29er wheelset instead of the fat wheels is because I use mine a lot on the road and I often try to go fast. The fat setup laughs at potholes and soaks up a lot of trail buzz.

*Before 10% British Cycling discount

ovi

I like this and has no suspension:

Garry H

I was thinking along similar lines and was tempted by this

http://www.marinbikes.com/gb/bikes/desc ... mountain-1

ovi

and you could sharp stick some drop bars on too

N0bodyOfTheGoat

Iirc those Marin Pine 1s have recently had a major fork fault recall.

Garry H

NitrousOxide wrote:

Iirc those Marin Pine 1s have recently had a major fork fault recall.

FAKE NEWS, SAD.

Just kidding. Thanks, i'll put that one on hold.

Charge cooker looks decent as well, the one with rigid forks.

DeVlaeminck

Garry H wrote:

I was thinking along similar lines and was tempted by this

http://www.marinbikes.com/gb/bikes/desc ... mountain-1

Looks the kind of thing I was thinking about. Like the single chainring - pretty sure I can get by on 11 gears.

Big_Jack

DeVlaeminck wrote:

Garry H wrote:

I was thinking along similar lines and was tempted by this

http://www.marinbikes.com/gb/bikes/desc ... mountain-1

Looks the kind of thing I was thinking about. Like the single chainring - pretty sure I can get by on 11 gears.

What did you end up deciding? I find my XT 11spd absolutely fine up on techy stuff but you'll run out of gears fast if you have a 34 or 32 chainring and any sort of power in your legs.

Moonbiker

I just bought the the laura trott mtb with 1x11. You have to go pretty fast before you spin out.


It also has a 42t ring cassete so will go up any hill.

Very happy with it so far.

stueys

I've got a hard tail 29 (focus black forest) which originally came with a triple but I put a Shimano 1X11 on a few months back. Works really well for the mainly trail stuff I do, with the occasional hack on something a bit more technically interesting. Can't recommend 1X11 enough, it's great not to be faffing around with front gear shifts when you are focussing on the terrain.

veronese68

Moonbiker wrote:

I just bought the the laura trott mtb with 1x11. You have to go pretty fast before you spin out.


It also has a 42t ring cassete so will go up any hill.

Very happy with it so far.

If you're on an MTB like that you're probably not in a race or a desperate rush so spinning out probably wouldn't be a problem anyway as you could just freewheel if down hill or back off a bit. That's what I'd do at any rate.
I still take my old rigid pub hack MTB off road on occasion, it's no problem that's how we used to do it anyway.

bendertherobot

Isn't 27.5+ the new black?

step83

bendertherobot wrote:

Isn't 27.5+ the new black?

That it is, I had a go on one of those Marin Pines at my local shop, great little bikes to be honest no suspension of front mech means less to go wrong an as said the big back cogs mean hills are no issue.

bendertherobot

I miss my old 29er. It was a real go anywhere thing. But was a bit unwieldy. I'd very much like a 27.5+ bike. Would be just the thing for Battle on the Beach etc.

mrb123

http://www.tredz.co.uk/.DiamondBack-Hei ... _95740.htm

I'm tempted by one of these. My LBS stocks them. Looks a pretty fantastic spec for the money, particularly if they're reduced a bit later in the year.