Thread: Do I need a full suspension 29er?

Yeah yeah -Tech Talk Jong. Figured I would get better answers here.

Avid road biker and was out on trails yesterday with a buddy in Mianus (yup - real name of a park in Greenwich, CT) riding my old Trek 930 hard tail. Had never ridden trail before and had a total blast. Im hooked. My old Trek is fine, but I want to upgrade.

Do I need a 29er? Im 5'11, 200 lbs and I've been told that many people over 5'5 that are riding trail recreationally could benefit from the bigger tire. Is this total bs? Most of the trails I plan on riding arent overly technical and I like to go fast and hit the occasional air. I felt way out of control on the downhill, which I why I think I could benefit from the full suspension. Given the road bike background, climbing most hills isnt problematic.

Also - any recommendations? Would like to spend $2500 or less. Was looking at:
- Specialized Stumpjumper FSR Comp 29er
- Trek Superfly 100
- Santa Cruz Tallboy 29 DXC29

Thanks, in advance, for the help.

HJF

If your new to the mtb world go demo some trail bikes of different varieties and figure out what you like.

But.... I would suggest a steel hardtail for anyone starting out. Easier to climb with and you will learn valuable bike handling skills much quicker. You could also get a top of the line hardtail for $2500 vs a mid to low range fs bike. Just swap the frame in the future of you want to go fs and you will have a perfect frame for a SS or commuter....

As for 29 vs 26 vs 650b... it really is just a preference. You are tall enough to ride a 29er. But only you will know if its better than a 26er.

I just picked up a salsa El mariachi. Good price point and a fun ride. Giants also have a good price point if you go the fs route. The anthem 29 is a good bike.

Good luck getting any of those bikes you listed for $2500.



sent from the future using my mind powers

I was going to throw in the anthem 29er as well. I owned one and raced it for a season, fun bike and can be had for less than $2500.

But I would agree with the above post about starting with a hardtail. If you end up going the 29er route, Ventana el padrino is a pretty sweet frame. My friend had one and I was pretty impressed.

kona satori and transition bandit 29...slack headtubes, 5 ish inches...decent builds for just above your price point. both have stiff 12mm thru axle rear ends, and thru fronts on the fork...dont get a steel hardtail first. you already like mtn biking. get a sick bike to keep you psyched and progressing while you learn. get a steel bike later.

What do most friends/others ride where you want to ride? Usually a fairly good indicator of what you should be looking at.

I generally agree with the HT 29er comments above.

Originally Posted by fatkid

kona satori and transition bandit 29...slack headtubes, 5 ish inches...decent builds for just above your price point. both have stiff 12mm thru axle rear ends, and thru fronts on the fork...dont get a steel hardtail first. you already like mtn biking. get a sick bike to keep you psyched and progressing while you learn. get a steel bike later.

Good advice. If you're looking for a do all 29er, the Bandit 29 is a great choice. A long travel full suspension as your first bike will probably make you enjoy it more than getting rattled around by a hard tail. You might want to look the Santa Cruz Tallboy long travel. Same idea as the Bandit.

I generally think it's a bad idea for folks getting into mountain biking to buy an FS bike. Hardtails teach you a lot about line choice and riding smoothly, and you'll get a nicer bike for the money. For XC-type riding (which is all we have in MA and CT), when you're getting rattled around on a hardtail, it's because you're riding shitty lines, not because the bike doesn't have a rear shock.

Go 29 for New England riding, whether you get FS or a hardtail.

better question: Why DON'T you need a fs 29er? eh eh? get one and make all the guys jealous.

Originally Posted by Yeah!

I generally think it's a bad idea for folks getting into mountain biking to buy an FS bike. Hardtails teach you a lot about line choice and riding smoothly, and you'll get a nicer bike for the money. For XC-type riding (which is all we have in MA and CT), when you're getting rattled around on a hardtail, it's because you're riding shitty lines, not because the bike doesn't have a rear shock.

Go 29 for New England riding, whether you get FS or a hardtail.

That's like saying someone looking to spend time skiing powder shouldn't get fat skis b/c the skinny ones will teach them more.

Originally Posted by Yeah!

I generally think it's a bad idea for folks getting into mountain biking to buy an FS bike. Hardtails teach you a lot about line choice and riding smoothly, and you'll get a nicer bike for the money. For XC-type riding (which is all we have in MA and CT), when you're getting rattled around on a hardtail, it's because you're riding shitty lines, not because the bike doesn't have a rear shock.

Go 29 for New England riding, whether you get FS or a hardtail.

Most people don't want a bike that punishes them for riding shitty lines by pounding their kidneys and sit-bones. Negative reinforcement doesn't work on parrots or people.

It's like saying people should learn how to ski on race-stock skis because they'll be forced to use proper technique.

I've been around the mtb scene since 1990 and other than a few weirdos and single-speeders, just about everyone has more fun on full suspension bikes. That being said, I spend most of my time on a hardtail, but I'm a weirdo. (I also like to rip groomers on race stock skis... weirdo.)

$2.5K is an entry level FS? That's some yuppie bike nerd shit right there. You don't need an expensive bike, if you want to spend $2.5K that's your choice. As for HT/FS/26/29, I'm not the expert. What I know is this, get a bike...go ride it. I've but literally thousands of miles on a Specialized Euro...stock except pedals. I don't know what year it is or how much it weights. For some reason bike dorks like to obsess about their equipment. Bottom line, most bikes these days are pretty sweet.

"$2.5K is an entry level FS? That's some yuppie bike nerd shit right there."

Where did I say I wanted an entry level FS for $2.5k? If I wanted an entry level bike, I'd keep my Trek 930. As I said above, its fine. I asked people if I should get a FS 29er. Feedback seems to be mixed. For a new FS 29er, pricing seems to be in the $2k range with some notable exceptions that people have named in this thread which I am definitely going to check out.

Thanks to all for the help.

Originally Posted by stradissimo

Most people don't want a bike that punishes them for riding shitty lines by pounding their kidneys and sit-bones.

Then they can go ahead and buy an FS bike instead of relying on the opinion of some internet clown. He asked a question, I gave my answer - No, you don't need a full squish 29er. He'll have plenty of fun on one, but it's amazing to me how many people absolutely suck at riding a mountain bike because they have more money than skills and tried to use technology to absorb the learning curve.

A full sus bike is more cushy and comfortable, but I believe riding a hardtail will make you a better rider, faster. Moral of the story - get whatever you want. The only wrong way to ride a bike is to not have fun doing it.

Originally Posted by stradissimo

...just about everyone has more fun on full suspension bikes.

It really boils down to this. Full suspension bike = more fun for any rider. The beauty of today's bike tech is that full suspension bikes are less money and more accessible so there really isn't a reason to buy a hardtail unless you really want one.

My first "real" mtn bike was a steel hardtail. I love that thing, and joke with my friends about buying FS when I'm burning them up our local fire roads. I'm not into super-tech DH, so a HT is perfect.

Steel is fun.

I must be an idiot. Pretty much in the same boat as the op... Just picked up a minty '03 Giant NRS1 for $400 & thought I had the bee's knees. Only 1 ride so far but coming off a full rigid I feel like I'm on cloud 9.

Originally Posted by flatNshallow

I must be an idiot. Pretty much in the same boat as the op... Just picked up a minty '03 Giant NRS1 for $400 & thought I had the bee's knees. Only 1 ride so far but coming off a full rigid I feel like I'm on cloud 9.

Good bike. Climbs like a goat.

sent from the future using my mind powers

Originally Posted by VTsession

It really boils down to this. Full suspension bike = more fun for any rider. The beauty of today's bike tech is that full suspension bikes are less money and more accessible so there really isn't a reason to buy a hardtail unless you really want one.

A fs frame costs about $500 more than a hardtail frame and requires more maintenance. Oh and I sold my heckler because my El Mar was more fun. Its completely personal preference.

sent from the future using my mind powers

Originally Posted by Yeah!

I generally think it's a bad idea for folks getting into mountain biking to buy an FS bike. Hardtails teach you a lot about line choice and riding smoothly, and you'll get a nicer bike for the money.

Wouldn't you learn even more riding without a front and rear suspension?

You guys, he already has a hardtail, he wants to upgrade.

yes. you do.

The riding the op describes pretty well matches what I do... I'm pretty sure the 3.5" revel on my NRS will be fine for my riding but everyone seems to be talking 5ish" here... What are the assumptions for that recco? Regular 5' drops? Frequent 1000' + downhills?

Asking because no one has mentioned something like the NRS as a low cost option for exploring FS but this is exactly why I went the route I did...

The riding the op describes pretty well matches what I do... I'm pretty sure the 3.5" revel on my NRS will be fine for my riding but everyone seems to be talking 5ish" here... What are the assumptions for that recco? Regular 5' drops? Frequent 1000' + downhills?

Asking because no one has mentioned something like the NRS as a low cost option for exploring FS but this is exactly why I went the route I did...

Because he is asking about new 29er full squish. not old but still cool 26 inch xc rigs.

point taken - missed the 2500 budget part - obviously not looking to go bargain basement.

Apologies, carry on.

Originally Posted by flatNshallow

The riding the op describes pretty well matches what I do... I'm pretty sure the 3.5" revel on my NRS will be fine for my riding but everyone seems to be talking 5ish" here... What are the assumptions for that recco? Regular 5' drops? Frequent 1000' + downhills?

Asking because no one has mentioned something like the NRS as a low cost option for exploring FS but this is exactly why I went the route I did...

5 inchs now is like 110mm waisted skis, there's no reason to get anything skinnier because the tech is so good that there's little if any weight or pedaling benefit to
getting less suspension. Anything less is a "race specific" XC setup.

In 2003, 3 inches was the same as 5 inches now. Much like 90mm skis used to be "fat powder boards"

If you can find a used, not abused full squish 26'r that's by far and away the biggest bang for the buck. Giant bikes are generally a good choice to look for used since they are a good value when new and there tend to be lots of them around.

29'rs are fun, but you'll pay a premium for the bigger wheels right now and there isn't much on the used market.