Northeast TW mountain bike meetup at Kingdom Trails (VT) - June 25-26

The Polygon came with decent aluminum flat pedals, with pins and everything.

 

Really? Wow

 

I think this is what I'm going to get. For reference I'm also doing an adventure race in July that involves running some nonsense distance, mountain biking an even more nonsense distance, and ocean kayaking a less nonsensical though still decent distance.

https://www.rei.com/product/184684 Salsa Rangefinder Advent X 29 Bike #REIapp

 

Short jokes aside have you ridden 29s before? I'm 5 10 and they're right on the hairy edge of feeling too big regardless of frame size for me.

That's preference too - but just curious if you've ridden 29s before you spend a grand on one.

Otherwise sweet bike. QR rear TA front is odd to me. You'll need to add a dropper post if you want one.

Depending on your style all that might be overkill and that bike is perfect out of the box

 

Nice bike. There are a couple items that bike doesn't have that, personally, I'd want. Rear thru-axle vs. QR, 1x12 drive train, tubeless ready wheels (couldn't tell if that has them and may not be a deal breaker for many) and a dropper. That's also not overly aggressive geometry so, depending on your riding style, you may outrun that bike's capabilities rather quickly.

 

What race are you planning on doing?

 

Negative. Only thing I've ridden is my old mountain bike from middleschool that's going on 25+ years old....

I was going to just wing it, the fit guide says a small frame size with 29" tires should work...

 

My "riding style" is taking my daughter to the bike path for bike rides up to now...

 

24 hour Maine summer adventure race.

 

Check out Bikesonline and Fezzari for comparison. If you’re interested. You get a lot of bang for your buck with the ‘direct to consumer’ brands.

 

I saw the polygon xtrada 7 29" on there with similar specs, except much narrower tires but air fork and 1x12 drive train. I like the idea of either REI or a local shop because if I don't like it I could easily return it/ trade it in for something else since the only thing I know is my fully rigid 25+ year old diamondback

 

Good on you! That doesn't look like an easy walk in the park

 

I wouldn’t worry about going narrower than 2.6”. 2.6” are pretty fat. 2.2/2.3/2.4 are all fine for trails and have plenty of meat, especially for a 29’er.

 

I have no clue, but I'm going to find out....

 

They have that bike for sale at Landry's in Westboro if you want to check one out. Also a direct competitor to that would be a Trek Rosco 6 which they have in stock at Milford bike. Going up to a Rosco 7 would be more in line with what Mike and Rob have been talking about. Good luck finding one though!

 

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Literally just went and sat on it. Seems fine in size small. Looks dope, which is obviously the most important thing

 

Dropper post, is that really necessary for more XC oriented biking? And is kingdom tails more pure mountain biking or xc? Doesn't really matter to , going to send it and probably injure myself regardless

 

Kingdom has a good mix of everything. When I first got a dropper post, I hardly used it, it's something that you need to develop a habit of using IMO, but it's a great thing to have whether XC or not.

 

Go see if any shops will let you ride one for a weekend even if it's not the same one, if it's the same size and wheel size.

And also keep logistics in mind. I have a short bed Tacoma. A 29 doesn't fit with the tailgate up on a fork mount. A 27.5 CAN fit, depending. A 26 definitely fits so if that matters. Tailgate pads work too.

Or roof racks whatever you're doing with the LC or whatever you're using for transpo.

If I were you I'd be trying a 27.5 - again short jokes aside as someone who is barely taller than you, I'm even on that cusp of thinking 29 is just too big to be comfortable to run on. I feel like I'm wrestling it into turns and things versus bringing it with me

Edit for more - and for riding styles, you might be able to step down in quality a bit and get a QR front axle for ease of use as well. Honestly I'm only looking at TA because I'm a mental case. Chances are I will be comfortably within QR limits 99.99% of the time.

Editing again for more - I'll likely still only have my 26 for this trip so you can give that a spin. If it fits you, could be a good fit. It's a bit....dated, since it's a 26 but otherwise it's in good shape. Needs some modernization. Just throwing it out there.

 

Did you go to Landy's?

I would say after demoing a bike with one that I'm with Eammon. I loved the dropper post and I can't wait to be riding a bike with one all the time. It's new and different but so nice to move that seat away on decents.