Oh and for those not familiar with the area, trails seem to be mainly in redwood forests. Lots of bumps and roots, not super rocky. Lots of "flowy" trials. Whatever that means.

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/kj

http://kjmcawesome.tumblr.com/

My vote is hardtail.
Since the crowd rides the full spectrum of bikes, you are not doing anything to gnarly or too gentle. Hardtail is a nice middle ground.

I helped a couple friends pick some out this weekend. Since I jumped in a couple years ago, stuff is way better for the same price!

One got a cannondlae with XT mix, decent tires to start, good enough fork, dropper post for $1400. Wow. The other got a Giant for $1100. Worse fork, lower components, but tubeless ready.

You forgot an option...Unicycle...



I saw a group that road from downtown SC up into Wilder Ranch (photo from web but is at WR).

Maybe take a visit to Santa Cruz Bicycles and demo a few...

https://www.santacruzbicycles.com/en-US/factory-demo

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Chris
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“Life should not be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside in a cloud of smoke, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming "Wow! What a Ride!”
― Hunter S. Thompson,

Recently went through the same process, seems like we ride similar trails.

Full suspension was out for me. Too much weight and maintenance. Also was not a huge fan of the suspension 'squish' while pedaling.

So it was a hard tail for me. Went with Trek Stache 7, which is a 29er+ (or mid fat 3" tires) as it is unlikely I will ever race, but can always put narrower tires on a wider frame bike.

My suggestion would be something similar to a Spez Epic. This category of XC bikes are great for all around riding. Marginally heavier than a HT, so still a great climber, but enough suspension to smooth out some of the roots, rocks, etc.

I went from F/S to HT for the past few years, and this year, I'll likely go back to F/S, or, the proper thing to do would be to have both.

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TEAM F3 Undurance

It's hard for anyone to make a good recommendation because nobody truly knows what you plan to ride, how you plan to ride it, or how much skill you have or plan to improve on. Someone could easily ride a trail with a CX bike and choose a line that's appropriate for them, and you could take a 140 mm FS bike and ride that same trail in a different way because you have more suspension. Or you could get someone on a CX bike and ride the crazy stuff because they got skills like Danny MacAskill. It's not to say either way is the right or wrong...or fun or less fun...it's up to the individual.

For myself personally, I could have gotten away with a hardtail, or 100mm FS, but I went with a 130 mm FS because it's a lot more forgiving and allows me to challenge myself with more technical lines that would take a lot more skill on a hard tail or smaller travel bike. The bottom line is for me to have more fun. I sacrifice in a heavier bike that may give up a few seconds on a hill or flat non technical areas...but I'm fine with that.

Personally it is mountain biking so go with a mountain bike, (that means no monster cross). It seems you are new to biking so full suspension will be easier on harder trails than a hard tail. I don't know the area but if there isn't big roots and rocks then I would just go with a XC bike with low travel if there is more downhilly trails then bigger travel will make them easier and more fun. Plus even though the longer travel is heavier it can make riding uphill easier too.

You really need to try some bikes to figure out where to go there is so much variance in what is being ridden that it is pretty clear that it is mostly personal choice that is driving the decisions.

Ben

FS for sure. Going to be the most versatile. The historical issues with bob etc. have been ironed out in recent designs. I'd go 29er if you're over 5'4".
Demo a few choices before you jump.

I am not sure why this myth continues to be perpetuated but if you are experiencing "significant squish" on a FS bike, your suspension is likely setup up wrong. Worldcup XC races are won on FS bikes all the time. If there was that significant of an issue with squish and pedaling performance the guys that race at that level would not be on FS.

Additionally, FS will open up way more terrain options for most people and it is more forgiving. There are also some awfully light XC bikes that are FS but a hardtail can be lighter but I would argue for most people slower because of lack of technical skills. There is added maintenance for the rear sock and the linkage but this is minimal.

Yes, it is hard.

I've had some full suspension bikes, some hard tails, and have a 3TExploro.

The 3T is an awesome all around bike. With a high volume tire, its fast on flowing single track, and a ton of fun. But, without suspension, you're probbly going to get fatigued faster, and the ride isn't quite as comfortable. A good mountain bike rider can haul on trails on a bike like this, but it's not the best beginner bike.

My current bike is a hard tail specialized stumpjumper carbon. The benefit of a hard tail is that its usually cheaper than a similarly spec'd out full suspension. In other words, for the same amount of money, you get a better fork and components. The fun factor is very high. It takes less skill to be fast on a HT than on a CX bike, but more skill than a full suspension. The top mountain bikers are sometimes faster on a HT and FS, but weekend warriors are still probably faster on FS on most trails. HT bikes are typically easy to maintain because they don't have as many moving parts as a FS. That also helps keep the price down.

A nice Full Suspension bike is easy to learn on, and probably the fastest option for most people. Now that I'm thinking about racing a bit more in 2018, a new FS is very temping. Bikes like the Specialized Epic with a brain offer a great ride, amazing grip (FS keeps the back tire in contact with the ground better, giving you more grip), and yet they are still light enough to climb well, and the brain helps keep you from bobbing while climbing. All of that is great, but FS bikes cost more, and require more maintenance. I went through 3 rear shocks in a year a few years back, and that's what put be back on a HT. I was tired of dealing with maintenance. Plus you have extra pivots to worry about. YMMV

So, I'd go with a nice HT and call it a day, unless you plan on racing or care about being the fastest guy you ride with, in which case I would shell out the extra money for a nice FS.

I agree with all of this.

Thanks for the input. I'm not racing - goals are fun and fitness, in that order.

Hardtail is appealing because it does seem you get a much better spec for less $$ and I don't love the idea of extra maintenance.

I used to have a 2008 Specialized Epic (26 inch), but it seems like for my purposes, a FS XC bike is the worst of both worlds - more expensive than the HT equivalent and not as much forgiving as a Trail bike.

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/kj

http://kjmcawesome.tumblr.com/

Check out the Trek Stache. I got one last year (9.7 with Eagle 12 speed) and it is more bike than I will ever need. The grip on the thing is phenomenal. The 3" tires make it ride over pretty much everything as well.

Can you demo/borrow a few bikes and see what feels right?

I'm an hour south of you, and love riding my hardtail XC bike on flowy Ft Ord trails. But even on consistently mild/moderate trails, the vast majority of riders are on either FS XC or trail bikes (with an even split between the two ends of the bellcurve, hardtail at one end and more hardcore enduro/downhill bikes at the other, and very rarely a cross bike).

If you want to ride mild to moderate trails and work a bit harder on technical stuff (both up and down) and develop your skills, I vote hardtail.

If you want to get into more technical stuff and you want your bike to make you feel like a hero on the harder stuff, I vote FS.

I’m on a Scott scale 940. Recommend it absolutely.

The things I did to make it better was upgrade tires, short stem, wider bars, and switched the 2x drivetrain to 1x11.

Absolutely in love with the Bike.

If I got to pick another bike, it would be a 110-130 mm 29er with relaxed/ slack geo.

check out transition bikes for a cool brand.

Hah dude I'm not even joking there was some guy on this kind of a unicycle wheel literally passing folks at 20mph on the road en route to the trails this past weekend. I had to actually work to pass him on an incline!

Given your wants/needs and the area you will ride, I would look at a trail/xc bike (110-120).

Scott Genius in 29er form. Great on the down, but a capable climber. Has potential to be a great climber if you get the SL or throw your wallet at it.

I've been thinking about a 27.5+ hardtail. Lighter and less maintenance than a FS, great cornering grip, less rotational weight than a 29+.

Just feeding some ideas. It's all going to come down to what bike you feel comfortable on and if you like the way it looks.

If you are truly new to mountain biking I would recommend the cheapest 27+ Hardtail or (29+ if over 5'4") that you can find that has hydraulic brakes and at least a 9 speed drive train. You're probably looking nearer $600. Ride a while and see what you like.

If you like it then you going to buy something else anyway, might as well save a few bucks on your first bike.

If you have a lot of time to choose then try and find mountain bike demo days near your area. Ride some bikes, ride some more, ride some friends' bikes, ride some friends' of friends' bikes...see what you like.

That's all I've got.

(I hope I got all of those apostrophes right)

Whats your budget?

I am a hardtail fanboy - I have a 2017 Scott Scale 940 29er - aluminum frame with XT for $1799. It is very capable, simple, relatively cheap, really fun, comfortable to ride for hours. I upgraded the wheels after 2 seasons to Stans Crest. It weighs 24 lbs. Goes fast uphill and down.

Hey....look up whycycles.com
I have 2 of the S7’s. Once you take a look and talk with Greg at Whycycles the choice is easier. They are awesome bikes and ride like a dream. Pieces of art with wheels!
Larry

I'd look at a trail bike with ~120mm of suspension. I made the mistake of buying a hardtail XC bike (Cannondale F-Si) which is an absolute rocket on fire roads and pristine trails but it really exposes my lack of experience if the trails are at all rocky/rooty/technical. I've tried some full suspension bikes and it's really night/day how much easier it is (for me) to deal with rocks/roots/etc.

Get a Santa Cruz Tallboy. You’ll fit right in with the Santa Cruz brand. The newer Tallboy is a 29er but can also run 27.5+. I think a hardtail would not be as much fun if you are doing Wilder Ranch because you can certainly tear it up more with full suspension, plus if you guys ride far enough to do Demo you’ll appreciate full suspension.

Congrats - awesome area.

2 choices are obvious .... Ibis Mojo and Santa Cruz Bronson or Hightower. Both are local SC bikes. Both shred. Lots of amazing trail in the area. Can't go wrong with either.

or ... a 3rd choice ... Guerrilla Gravity Shred Dogg. More of a front range trail killer but it would do just fine in SC.

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*****
"In case of flood climb to safety"

I'm going to go against the grain here and suggest a "Monster Cross".

Background:
- I've been MTBing since 1986, when I bought my first MTB (fully rigid Diamondback Apex), right after moving to Santa Barbara.
- Acquired my first front suspension fork in ~'90 (Tange Shockblades - massive 12mm of elastomer travel)
- Bought first full-suspension MTB in '93 (ProFlex 853)
- Bought a MTB tandem (Yokota Twin Peaks) as a "Christmas Gift" for my wife in '95 - best part was she tried to buy the exact same bike for ME that Christmas. Still have it :-)
- Acquired 2nd FS MTB in 2000 (close out '99 K2/Proflex 4000RS)
- Raced MTBs in the mid-90s through early 2000s, including the old "Trees and Breez Classic" in Santa Cruz...so, I'm slightly familiar with the nature of those trails (which are much less rocky than the SB trails).

So, as you can see, I've spent a TON of time MTBing over the past 3 decades, going from fully-rigid steel bikes to 5" travel FS. More recently I've been spending nearly ALL of my "dirt time" on what I call a "full-rigid, drop-bar MTB", or what you are calling a "Monster Cross" style bike (Fuji Jari).

Here's why I'm suggesting that:
- One thing I realized when going back to a full-rigid bike is the skills that were learned and reinforced early-on in my riding that just make things better as you go on. Things like line selection, weighting/unweighting, limited traction climbing balance, switchback control...etc. You just learn those things more acutely on a rigid bike. As others pointed out above, when you start adding suspension it makes things easier...which I feel ends up limiting your total skillset. Later, if you start hankering for doing more technical trails and/or fast descents, then you'll be well set up to use suspension.
- When I was riding pure MTBs, I tended to drive to the trailheads...not just because MTBs aren't as enjoyable to ride on the road, but it wears the tread blocks more quickly. With the "All-road", or "Monster Cross", I use smoother, better rolling tread...and if the tire is wide enough, you really don't give up much traction or control off-road due to the extra low pressures you can run. The tire just conforms. On the "flowy" trails in the redwoods around SC, I imagine they'd do just fine. However, now you can ride to the trails (and back) in an enjoyable manner. This has greatly expanded the types of loops I do these days that incorporate dirt
- If you have any thoughts of branching out into any bikepacking or "adventure rides", that's going to be the more appropriate rig.

Lastly, for anyone new to MTBs, or off-pavement riding in general, I highly recommend picking up a copy of this book:
https://www.amazon.com/...rds=mountain+bike%21

It's an oldie...but well worth the read. It cuts down on much of the MTB skillset learning curve, and does it in a humorous manner.

Anyway, just my 2 centavos from a MTB old man...

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http://bikeblather.blogspot.com/