New to the PNW. What bikes should I buy?

[Dromond]

You can definitely gravel grind here - I do occasionally. But, prepare to learn to love real mountain biking a lot more because it is so awesome. Leave your TX expectations there. Get a 1-3 year old mountain bike with 140mm+ travel and spend time exploring a lot of new trails.

[phatty]

For me, a gravel/cross bike is interesting for fire road riding for exercise/fitness, especially when weather makes riding single track less desirable. These fire/logging roads can allow for better climbing than a lot of the roads around here (Seattle). Definitely not the type of riding I want my full squish bike on. While I love riding Duthie/Tiger/Raging River, I also like to mix up my riding (when I get a chance to do it).

Kind of how I don't understand people wanting to cruise groomers every day, but I enjoy a few bombing groomer runs every now and then. While I might not want a 75mm ski, I can see why a euro speed freak might.

[jacob_dbu]

You can definitely gravel grind here - I do occasionally. But, prepare to learn to love real mountain biking a lot more because it is so awesome. Leave your TX expectations there. Get a 1-3 year old mountain bike with 140mm+ travel and spend time exploring a lot of new trails.

Why not just spend $500 to upgrade my 2014 Trance Advanced with a Pike/Monarch vs. $2k on a newer bike?

For me, a gravel/cross bike is interesting for fire road riding for exercise/fitness, especially when weather makes riding single track less desirable. These fire/logging roads can allow for better climbing than a lot of the roads around here (Seattle). Definitely not the type of riding I want my full squish bike on. While I love riding Duthie/Tiger/Raging River, I also like to mix up my riding (when I get a chance to do it).

Kind of how I don't understand people wanting to cruise groomers every day, but I enjoy a few bombing groomer runs every now and then. While I might not want a 75mm ski, I can see why a euro speed freak might.

What weather is bad for singletrack? Tons of rain? Seems like riding goes all year here.

Also, what bike do you ride on gravel?

[phatty]

What weather is bad for singletrack? Tons of rain? Seems like riding goes all year here.

Also, what bike do you ride on gravel?

If it's been pouring rain for a few days and trails are slop, I stay off them. I'm sure others will differ. I'm still looking out for a gravel bike and haven't bought one yet.

[rideit]

Why not just spend $500 to upgrade my 2014 Trance Advanced with a Pike/Monarch vs. $2k on a newer bike?

Because...geometry.
But it would be a luxury, not a necessity.

[ACH]

Riding up here in the PNW?? Everything here is Gnar, there are no XC trails.. Be Prepared to get Sendy...

Santa Cruz Nomad
Santa Cruz Mega-Tower
Yeti SB-150
Transition Patrol.

Want it to climb better? Carbon wheels, and put a set of rollers in your garage to get more fit... Otherwise those will do it all..

/end thread

New here?

[D(C)]

Because...geometry.
But it would be a luxury, not a necessity.

The geometry numbers on that Trance are not that out of date. In fact, the current generation Trance 27.5 (one generation newer, though likely due for a refresh soon) is not all that different (here are the numbers of the two generations side by side: https://geometrygeeks.bike/compare/g...ance-2-2018-l/).

I don't know if it would be the bike I'd choose if buying new, but I bet the bike is still fun to ride and I don't think it's an emergency to replace it - unless you want to.

[rideit]

True, but a 67 HTA is not as much fun (to me) as a 65. My Yeti SB100 was a 67, but I felt the need to slack it out a bit for more smashy-smashy. Much mo bettah
But yeah, absolutely nothing wrong with that Trance.

[SchralphMacchio]

Seattle proper or an outerlying burb, and if so what burb? And do you have ample storage for a 3 bike quiver with extra wheelsets?
Such a quiver also implies no kids, and therefore no need to have a ride that would accommodate hauling them around - right or wrong?

Your local area might determine if you've got local flat trails/service roads/parks where the grinder with some knobbies is going to get any before-work/after-work/light-rain riding.

Overall I like the idea of:
1) Ride your Trance as is (or at least with new tires) just to get a feel for the terrain at various places and see how much fun you are having. The Trance is a good bike, the Maestro platform is efficient for climbing and you'll be able to have fun with it. Replacing the fork with a used 15x100 Pike and putting good rubber on your wheels will go a long ways to increasing the fun factor, and it's also the two things I would do if I could only do the minimum ... but it will also open a slippery slope of how much time and money to put into it vs spending that on a 29" mid-travel bike, etc. (Dropper? Wider bars shorter stem? 1x conversion? etc) Try to make some friends who will let you jump on their ride for a quarter mile of trail here and there, demo some new bikes here and there. After a season or two you'll probably have a much better idea of what wheel size, travel, geometry and how blingy you want for the areas you really love.

2) Ride the road bike and see if you really can consolidate to just the Haanjo with 2 wheelsets. If the geometry works out, then selling the Fuji could open the door for (3).

3) Bikepacking / winter MTB can probably all be filled out by the same quiver slot, a 29 x 2.6 or 29+ hardtail. The winter muck factor is very real ... there are probably some decently well armored well drained trails you'll be able to ride in the winter, between really wet periods, without tearing up the trail. And you might have a blast! But you'll still come home looking like a Labrador that's been rolling in a pig shit lagoon for hours, and so will your bike. For those days, I have a 29" hardtail build up with an awesome bottom bracket and all mid-grade components otherwise that I'd barely blink an eye when repairing or replacing. When I get home the bike gets the hose, then my air compressor to blow off the water (yes many will say this is just driving water into my bearings, but fuck that it's the PNW there's water everywhere all the time mid winter), then towel dried and sits in the garage with my fingers crossed it'll be ready to go for my next ride. It's been nice having a 2nd bike and not worrying about linkage bearings or my fancy derailleur or the fact that Maxxis DHF tires suck in clayey mud - when I get to ride between wet periods I grab my 29" hardtail that's set up to ride with mud-shedding tires.

Good luck and enjoy, Seattle sure as shit isn't Texas!

[jacob_dbu]

Seattle proper or an outerlying burb, and if so what burb? And do you have ample storage for a 3 bike quiver with extra wheelsets?
Such a quiver also implies no kids, and therefore no need to have a ride that would accommodate hauling them around - right or wrong?

Your local area might determine if you've got local flat trails/service roads/parks where the grinder with some knobbies is going to get any before-work/after-work/light-rain riding.

Overall I like the idea of:
1) Ride your Trance as is (or at least with new tires) just to get a feel for the terrain at various places and see how much fun you are having. The Trance is a good bike, the Maestro platform is efficient for climbing and you'll be able to have fun with it. Replacing the fork with a used 15x100 Pike and putting good rubber on your wheels will go a long ways to increasing the fun factor, and it's also the two things I would do if I could only do the minimum ... but it will also open a slippery slope of how much time and money to put into it vs spending that on a 29" mid-travel bike, etc. (Dropper? Wider bars shorter stem? 1x conversion? etc) Try to make some friends who will let you jump on their ride for a quarter mile of trail here and there, demo some new bikes here and there. After a season or two you'll probably have a much better idea of what wheel size, travel, geometry and how blingy you want for the areas you really love.

2) Ride the road bike and see if you really can consolidate to just the Haanjo with 2 wheelsets. If the geometry works out, then selling the Fuji could open the door for (3).

3) Bikepacking / winter MTB can probably all be filled out by the same quiver slot, a 29 x 2.6 or 29+ hardtail. The winter muck factor is very real ... there are probably some decently well armored well drained trails you'll be able to ride in the winter, between really wet periods, without tearing up the trail. And you might have a blast! But you'll still come home looking like a Labrador that's been rolling in a pig shit lagoon for hours, and so will your bike. For those days, I have a 29" hardtail build up with an awesome bottom bracket and all mid-grade components otherwise that I'd barely blink an eye when repairing or replacing. When I get home the bike gets the hose, then my air compressor to blow off the water (yes many will say this is just driving water into my bearings, but fuck that it's the PNW there's water everywhere all the time mid winter), then towel dried and sits in the garage with my fingers crossed it'll be ready to go for my next ride. It's been nice having a 2nd bike and not worrying about linkage bearings or my fancy derailleur or the fact that Maxxis DHF tires suck in clayey mud - when I get to ride between wet periods I grab my 29" hardtail that's set up to ride with mud-shedding tires.

Good luck and enjoy, Seattle sure as shit isn't Texas!

Yes, I'm in Seattle proper with no kids but a girlfriend...I have the space for 3 bikes, but just barely, which is why the preference for 2. From the little I know it sounds unlikely that I'll have any good post-work gravel riding available nearby, so that may turn me more into a roadie. In comparison, I lived last summer in Portland and I loved to rip gravel around the city (Forest Park was < 5 minutes from me). I miss that for sure.

Your comments make a lot of sense to me, which leads me to a few questions / additional comments:

1. Should I also upgrade the rear shock on the Trance? I'm not familiar enough with FS bikes to know what kind of difference this will make. I know I want a burlier fork up front though, so I think a Pike is definitely in my future when the trails open back up / when I find a good deal on one. I've got 780mm bars, a dropper (albeit only 125mm - can't fit more) and 1x11 SLX. I need to get an 11-46 and/or drop the front chainring down from 32T. Will play that by ear when I can get out on it.

2. I'm really curious how I'm going to feel about trying to do double duty with the Haanjo. I run 1x (36T) on the Haanjo with a 9-46 e13 cassette. Love this setup for gravel and took it on a brutal ride (which was better suited for a HT/FS) last summer. I just don't quite see how I can get the gearing I want for a road bike and without a mess for flipping things around.

3. This leads me to 3. I'm really tempted by a 29+ bike if that wasn't clear. You're really solidifying that idea for me. I'm curious how I would like it to replace the Haanjo for what I normally take that on. I went to Grinduro in September and rode with Sklar next to his 29+ bike (feat. on The Radavist). He out classed me handily on that bike and that's the type of terrain I love. If road riding really is what I'll get pre/post-work then maybe it would make more sense for me to get a road/gravel bike with a 2x setup and two sets of wheels, but which is more road than gravel oriented. Currently I'm running 27.5x2.1s on the Haanjo and it's a singletrack "ripper" by drop bar standards. I think this is something only time will tell at this point so I'm trying to not be eager at jumping into changing the quiver so fast.

P.S. A couple pics from my Gifford-Pinchot bikepack this past summer.

[SchralphMacchio]

What’s currently on the rear end of your Trance? Float CTD?

A larger negative air can (Fox “EVOL” or RS “Debonair”) piggyback shock is pretty much standard kit for long PNW trail descents. If you currently have the Float CTD, you won’t notice much difference on the uphill except maybe a tad bit more traction due to the reduced stiction of the new neg air can, and on the downhill you’ll cut out a lot of square edged chatter and get a more consistent response throughout a descent (you’ll be less likely to feel your rear end start to stiffen up as the shock heats up). On piggyback vs inline (no external oil reservoir), I tried to save weight going with an in-line because I’m so light but even at my riding weight an inline definitely starts to feel like it packs up on long trail descents ... and because some of them in the PNW are 4k sustained you’d eventually want that reservoir. I do know some people who insist on coil spring shocks for their trail bikes, but if you were already that kind of person you wouldn’t be asking whether you needed to upgrade your shock.

But none of that probably would be the game changer like swapping the fork from a Float 32 to a used Pike or used Fox 36. The updated fork will be so much stiffer, much better traction, much more control and comfort leading to being more able to properly weight your front wheel.

[chaka]

Don't listen to the gravel deniers Call it whatever you want, but there are a shit ton of stunning fire roads with a shit ton of awesome climbing and viewpoints around here that are very much enjoyed on a gravel, cross bike. I'm another current haanjo owner/fan and have been eyeing Rodeo Labs HARD for my next do it all drop bar. If you are into cx racing there are two very good local series (MFG, Revolution) which hopefully by Fall will be able to operate races. Agree with everyone on Mtb comments, we live in a great area. If you are more into XC like me you will really enjoy Olallie, Raging River, Grand Ridge, Tokul. If you enjoy more trail, more aggressive riding, Tiger, Exit 27, Tokul great. I'm old school riding a Ti SS 29er so take that for what its worth. Enjoy!

[carlh]

There is good gravel in the pnw but it is often further away than the mtbing.
I would say you will get better bang for your buck selling your trance and buying something 1 year old with all the upgrades you want. Transitions are good bikes, a bit heavy but any of the post 2018 stuff is appropriate for the terrain. Sentinel is supposed to get an upgrade this year so old models will be cheap and it is a great pnw bike as long as you have the fitness to haul it up hill. Pair with a slack hardtail for mellow rides and bikepacking, I wouldn't bother with a plus option. I moved but have a sentinel and nukeproof scout hardtail which was a great pair for the pnw.

[NW_SKIER]

Which bike should you get for riding up here? The answer is yes.


Seriously though, if you pick up a modern geo mid travel 29'er, you'll never get anything else out to ride. It will do everything you want out here. Like others have said, you just need to be fit enough to get it up the hill.

My suggestions for you would be to go demo a few. Start with bikes other NW riders have mentioned so far like evil or transition.

[nwslider]

The urban area of Seattle is hilly, with a lot of traffic, and a lot of fucked up pavement. I have a Haanjo (actually the HaanJenn) set up 1x, 36 and 11- to something (not sure here). I never wish I had 2x. It's terrifying going fast enough to spin out in the top gear in the city with the shit pavement and traffic. Maybe if you're mainly getting out into the burbs you'd want different gearing or wheels. I enjoy the wider rubber on the wet days and my commute hits quite a bit of nasty pavement and broken glass (tubeless seems to help).

Short version, I'd ride your Haanjo as is for a while and you might find you don't need road gearing or different rubber.

[D(C)]

1. Should I also upgrade the rear shock on the Trance? I'm not familiar enough with FS bikes to know what kind of difference this will make. I know I want a burlier fork up front though, so I think a Pike is definitely in my future when the trails open back up / when I find a good deal on one. I've got 780mm bars, a dropper (albeit only 125mm - can't fit more) and 1x11 SLX. I need to get an 11-46 and/or drop the front chainring down from 32T. Will play that by ear when I can get out on it.

I wouldn't bother upgrading the rear shock. The benefits are diminishing. Overall, I'd be looking to put as little into that bike as possible. It's more about getting it set up so it's suitable to ride the terrain you're in and doesn't drastically reduce your fun and turn you off. Tires and maybe the fork are as far as I'd go. In the long run, if you really like it, I think you will want to buy a new mountain bike. It doesn't make a ton of sense to pour a bunch of money into the Trance.

One thing I thought of - your bike probably has that Overdrive 2 silliness. If you upgrade your fork, you will likely need a new stem and headset, so factor that into the cost.

[SchralphMacchio]

Oh shit I totally forgot about those Giant steer tubes ...

[Sandbox]

I wouldn’t put much if anything into the Giant... ride it on some trails and see what you think. I’d put any money used to upgrade that bike into a newer bike. For the most part upgrading a bike is a lot more expensive then buying an entire new bike if you start doing suspension and drive train. That’s just my opinion tho....Check Pinkbike in Seattle, could score some deals

[volklpowdermaniac]

Soon to be living in the PNW this thread has me questioning I should be selling my road bike- it’s sweet and I love it, light as heck, but it’s also worth a few bucks and I’ve been riding my mtn bikes more than anything last two years....Carry on

[phatty]

Soon to be living in the PNW this thread has me questioning I should be selling my road bike- it’s sweet and I love it, light as heck, but it’s also worth a few bucks and I’ve been riding my mtn bikes more than anything last two years....Carry on

If you are in Seattle proper, you'll be driving 30+ minutes for decent MTB. Probably longer. You'll have decent to good road riding out your door. I live a lot closer to the good MTB and still find myself grabbing my road bike close to 50% of the time. Mostly because I need a new MTB but have a hard time justifying $2k+ for a bike to my wife.

[SchralphMacchio]

One thing I thought of - your bike probably has that Overdrive 2 silliness. If you upgrade your fork, you will likely need a new stem and headset, so factor that into the cost.

Jongy, do you remember your build kit and if you have “Overdrive” (standard tapered steer tube) or “Overdrive 2” (proprietary steer tube)? One way to confirm would be to pull the top cap off the steer tube and throw some calipers on the tube diameter.

[jacob_dbu]

Jongy, do you remember your build kit and if you have “Overdrive” (standard tapered steer tube) or “Overdrive 2” (proprietary steer tube)? One way to confirm would be to pull the top cap off the steer tube and throw some calipers on the tube diameter.

Yes I have the OD2 which is a bit of a pain, but I can just replace the upper headset and that's all that needs to be done. On top of that, I've been wanting to get a shorter stem (it has got a 80mm!) but I didn't want to shell out for an OD2 stem. So this could be a win-win.

I'm thinking for this season I'm not ready to drop $3k on a new FS bike. I'd rather rag on this one first. One idea I have is to get a boost Pike and some boostinator spacers then resell the fork separately when I'm ready to dump the bike. I doubt I could sell the OD2 fork separately.

The other thing I have to figure out is that I got some pretty nice non-boost Stan Arch CB7s on the bike. I'm thinking I would move that over to the Haanjo as the gravel set when I'm ready to get a new FS bike, but I'd probably need to get some cheap wheels on the Trance to sell it as a complete to someone looking for something to ride.

[volklpowdermaniac]

Yes I have the OD2 which is a bit of a pain, but I can just replace the upper headset and that's all that needs to be done. On top of that, I've been wanting to get a shorter stem (it has got a 80mm!) but I didn't want to shell out for an OD2 stem. So this could be a win-win.

I'm thinking for this season I'm not ready to drop $3k on a new FS bike. I'd rather rag on this one first. One idea I have is to get a boost Pike and some boostinator spacers then resell the fork separately when I'm ready to dump the bike. I doubt I could sell the OD2 fork separately.

The other thing I have to figure out is that I got some pretty nice non-boost Stan Arch CB7s on the bike. I'm thinking I would move that over to the Haanjo as the gravel set when I'm ready to get a new FS bike, but I'd probably need to get some cheap wheels on the Trance to sell it as a complete to someone looking for something to ride.

There is nothing wrong with raggin on what ya got, heck I ragged on this thing for like a season and change before I even bought a used bike- a friend found it in a storage closest. Some tubes and grease and I was able to rock it over a lot of CO high country. Sketchy yes, but helped me find my love for the sport. It ended in a drunken taco one night. But damn, good fun.

#neverforget


Oh for fahks sake, stop rotating.

[El Chupacabra]

I have a minimally used RockShox Revelation RC for sale in local Craigslist. Has 35mm stanchions - same chassis as Pike, just has the motion control damper.

Pics in link. Cheaper for maggots. PM if interested.

https://reno.craigslist.org/bop/d/re...091462068.html

[D(C)]

I have a minimally used RockShox Revelation RC for sale in local Craigslist. Has 35mm stanchions - same chassis as Pike, just has the motion control damper.

Pics in link. Cheaper for maggots. PM if interested.

https://reno.craigslist.org/bop/d/re...091462068.html

That’s a good deal! Just throw a $40 160 air shaft in there and you’re there.