A multi-day race and you probably won't use it much ever again? Look for a used full suspension 29er. Shouldn't be hard to find.

That is one of the choices but I still dont understand what I pay for on a mountain bike, type of brakes, derailleurs etc.

It's much the same as buying a road bike. What do you want versus what you can afford.

Frame material: aluminum good, carbon arguably better but more money.

drive train: 3x , 2x, 1x10 or 11 and what level gruppo.

brakes: Hydros or cable discs

Etc, etc, etc.

The good thing about mountain biking is that if you start training a lot, you'll have ample opportunity to replace components that break! Almost any name brand frame you buy is going to be adequate, but I would really look for used first.

edit to add: What race? Just curious.

Multi day race for someone new to mountain biking: full suspension. A hardtail will beat you up, even a carbon frame. IMO, with full suspension aluminum vs. carbon is just weight. Sounds like it will be a cross country race, so look for something with shorter travel - 100mm. A longer travel bike will work, but it'll be a little too plush for the race and weight more - 150, 160mm.

There are various posts online which liken the various levels of mtb groupset to road group set - like XTR is at the top just like Dura-Ace for Shimano. What level you buy into is really up to you and your goals. If you ride somewhat intelligently, you shouldnt go through components that quickly - but nowhere near the life of road components. I've pushed a chain on my road bike to 10k miles, mountain bike chain made it 500 before I bent a link pin. Crashing is more frequent - I used to have some sort of crash once a week (riding 100 mi a week), which significantly increases the chances of breaking something - the RD comes to mind.

I'd recommend buying used, but again, up to you.

dude, the only two words you need is "transition dirtbag"

otherwise check out this post on how mountainbiking is done...http://forum.slowtwitch.com/...post=5232277#5232277


any questions?

 
dude, anything beyond a carbon scalpel is just superfluous ......


http://bertsbikes.com/..._crb_cndale_13_z.jpg

.... unless you want to jump the shark with 6 spoke superlatives .....


http://www.google.nl/...ust=1411331669667738

what is the race you are doing? If it is pretty open terrain with a lot of climbing, why lug a heavy FS bike up the mountains? You can get an elite level carbon 26 wheel bike that weighs 21 pounds for a couple thousand, the 29ers are more popular so the small wheel bikes are inexpensive in the US.

But what's the race, first of all.

Now we are getting somewhere. Its La Ruta in Costa Rica. I am sure of the full suspension but maybe MB wheels are better for this kind of terrain than the bigger size. Definitely weight issues, especially with the need to carry the bike.

I would have bet some good coin it was La Ruta. Get something light because you'll be carrying your bike....a lot! Get something you don't care much about because it is going to be absolutely trashed. I've never done it, but have read quite a bit about it. Sounds to me like jungleneering while toting a bike vs an actual Mtb race.

Curious what made you want to do this? Location and adventure?

ha ha. I did that race years ago, I was the first foreign rider at the close of stage 1, then I slipped into a coma from hyperhydration and slept through stages 2 and 3 which hurt my gc a lot. The coffee at the hospital was good though.

At the time I rode an aluminum hardtail with semi slick tires, I would use the same setup again. It has to last 3 days and you can't bring lots of spares, so something light, good quality, standard parts, etc. Avoid weak shit like eggbeater pedals and thin tires, nice solid, durable bike is what you need for that race, it's lots of dirt roads and some pretty fast riding with a ton of climbing.

Have fun, I'd love to go back and slay that monster from my past, but my wife would not be amused.

im in the second spot here, must have faded later on, I still have amnesia of that day because my brain swelled a bit. The guy at the desk of the hotel saw my picture in the paper and was worried because I did not come down for breakfast, he found me in my room sweating ammonia curled up in a ball. Good thing he read the paper I guess.

Exceedingly awesome, but how much fluids did you take?

Fundamental question, would a 29er make a difference?

i drank quite a lot but did not take in enough sodium, i also lost a lot of weight through sweat. when i finished, i felt relly woozy and had not urinated in some time, so I assumed dehydration and got a big bottle of water. My kidneys had shut down which is why I did not urinate and I went into some sort of ketotic shock. They seated me and used a diuretic and catheter to remove something like 6 liters of water.

A 29er or 26 bike is just fine, people still win world cups on 26 bikes, you can hang with the Ticos just fine if you have the legs and lungs

Have a great time, it's a wonderful country

Much appreciated

how tall are you?
where are you?

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ΜΟΛΩΝ-ΛΑΒΕ
we're doomed

6'3", Twin Cities, I like walks on the beach in the moonlight and quiet evenings in front of the fireplace

lol



and an unrelated pic that I've been waiting to post in a mountainbike thread:

i've got a 19"(???)...


...gary fisher rumblefish i'm selling. i think it's 19, if you were close i was going to offer ya a deal. what will you do for free shipping? do you like moose?

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ΜΟΛΩΝ-ΛΑΒΕ
we're doomed

I thought some on this while I was riding my today and wanted to share my packing list for that race:

you only have room for a single set of wheels on the plane, so a standard 32 spoke setup is nice becaue you can fix it and it will keep going with a broken spoke.

get spare spokes and nipples for all the lengths used on your bike

durable but not overly excessive tires are a good setup, need not be super knobby, tubeless is good. Bring extra tires, tubes, vales and sealant

I packed a small bucket and brush, degreaser and soap in my bike box and loaded it with tools and rags

chain whit
multi tool
lockring tool
cutters
duct tape
spare long der cable
brake pads
chain
extra RH shifter
extra rear der.
extra RD hanger
shock pump
floor pump if it will fit

if you have extra crap like a seat and post, bars, etc. shove it in there too. People who MTB race a lot have crap like that in the garage they can lend you, I have bins of it

replace the chain bottom bracket and brake pads before you head out and take the bike for a good hard ride to make sure the chain doesn't skip

Have fun!

Much appreciated, thanks.

better post a race report!

I trained a lot on the road on the MTB for this race, I still raced MTB and road, but did some long hilly rides on the longest climbs I could find, 5-6 hours if memory serves.

What's tricky is you lose your heat acclimation and it's hot down there, I think that's why I lost so much sodium

The central americans ride pretty aggressive on the road sections in the groups, just bang them hard in the bars and they'll back off, they are good riders but do some sketchy crap sometimes

You really want to go again, don't you?

heck yes. I was able to do the Tour of Venezuella the year before, it was 11 days and about 1200 miles, really amazing for a provincial person like me to see how other people lived and raced. They were crushing us with their downtube shifters and 6 speed freewheels. We gave the Cuban team a ride back to the airport, the riders were looking at things like fingernail clippers like they were the most amazing consumer product ever. It was such cool racing, attacks would just go from the gun all day long in the 100 degree heat, it sucked but was also pretty amazing to have that kind of conditioning.

One of these years Im going to find an epic race that would be OK for a slow middle aged man like me.

Dont have that problem in biking or triathlon, arrived at an advanced age and slower than molasses anyway but remember well from my competitive sports, tennis and soccer. I think the trick is to totally change perspective, participate with the objective to finish while smelling the roses, and of course, when the occasion presents itself, smoke a young buck, however briefly and rarely.

I am have already learned from your comments, much appreciated.