Alabama Mountain Biking Thread

they only have 1 style and it's ugly af and not what I want lol

 

Just bike bare foot. I'm sure flesh will grab those pins really well on your pedals.

 

I'm gonna wear these tennis shoes I have on...

 

Or you can do what you said. Like someone with sense.

 

I'm about to pack up and head out @Jerneyman see you after 3

 

New helmet for the wifey. I’m jealous.

 

Dude. That’s messed up. I’m telling. Lol.

 

yoooooo @Jerneyman I told Amy about what we discussed last night, using our tax returns to finally "treat" ourselves this coming year. her response "I was already planning on doing that"

so I told her I'd like to spend at least a good portion of mine on a bike, told her how much (probably 1500-1750ish) and her jaw dropped lol. she said that's too much but she unwillingly gave in and said fine since it's "unplanned" money

 

People that don’t know bikes don’t understand how expensive they are. It’s not like it was when we were kids anymore.

 

yep not at all, I was like uh...this is on the cheap end. she said "can't you get a used one?" I said "yeah, that's the used price for a really good one" haha.

 

idk how long it would ever be before i race, if ever. I would like to get more involved in our local MTB scene though.

 

I know HAMR (Huntsville Area MountainBike Riders) does some stuff, like ride days, trail maintenance days, even trial/training days for all levels. I just need to actually go to them.....but you literally run into what we saw at Oak Mtn where 12 year olds are on $5k santa cruz bikes and I'm on a $300 dicks bike.

 

is it just me or does it seem like 29ers aren't really all that common and 27.5 dominate the market? wonder why that is...and wonder if I should reconsider my 29inch requirement..

 

I'm not sure what he rides lol. he has too many bikes.

it seems to me that the for good brands their lower end hardtails are 29ers and the higher end ones are more commonly but not exclusively 27.5s and I just don't know why that seems to be the case. varies brand to brand.

I'm strictly looking at trailhead here in huntsville just for an idea. looking at their kona line https://www.trailheadinc.net/product-list/mtb-front-suspension-pg265/

 

the big honzo vs like the mahuna or lava dome, specifically. idk why those two low end bikes are 29ers but then the middle pack guy is 27.5, then the super expensive over 3k ones are 29s too.

 

well the issue with the topic is that people prefer one or the other and it's a highly contested subject of 27.5 vs 29. I just wonder if I shouldn't care? I feel like wanting a hardtail, that a 29er just makes more sense...

 

reading stuff like that makes me think stick to 27.5...partially to make me better at the things I hate, which is why I've always thought 29 would be better because it's easier for me...the climbs, going over roots/rocks

 

that's the thing...at my skill level...does the 1.5" matter? should the tire size be a search criteria or should I find the other components I want and I'll be fine with either lol

 

haha very good points. mine is a 27.5 so I've just always had the thought in my head "29er is better than what I have"

 

I love talking bikes. The difference in those models aside from wheel size is the components as you probably noticed. The Big Honzo also has more travel. More travel = slacker geometry (head tube angle). Slacker geometry tends to be more stable at the expense of slow speed agility. In general slacker tends to be the preference - especially with how trails are now being built. Trails are wider and faster than ever thus a slack head tube angle is the move.

Yeah this tends to be a preference thing for sure. Just ride both and see what you like for your typical trails. With that being said, the general sentiment is 29ers are the way moving forward. For years nobody could figure out how to retain short chain stays and proper 29er geometry. But dropper posts have fixed that issue so there aren't many downsides to 29er anymore but it's worth considering for resale purposes. The 26er used market is nearly extinct and I think 27.5 is next to be obsolete.

The easiest way to identify these trends is to look towards pro downhill racing. Typically new tech shows up on these first and tends to trickle down to us peasants. Most all new DH bikes are 29er now

And to answer your question, component choice is more important than wheel size

Thanks for the mention @InfernoChalupa . Y'all come ride up here some time