Xc mountain bike. You can add skinny tires to a mtn bike but harder to go wider on a cross bike.

Or...if your budget is 2-3k, just go with one of each and go entry to mid level, you can upgrade later.

You forgot NX, NX eagle, GX, GX eagle, X0, X01 which are all between X9 and XX

By quoting you...







...I would suggest a Trail-oriented hardtail.

If you want it a little bit faster, be it a 29er (with narrower tires), if you want it a bit "plushier", slower uphill, float better downhill, be it a 27.5+.

Not having a rear sus is a plus for your intented use and scope.

Most 27.5+ can also take 29 inch wheels. Usually they are built around Boost hub spacing.

Something like a Santa Cruz Chameleon would be perfect for you.

I recently purchased a Marin Pine Mountain 2 (steel frame) built around Deore XT, discounted 2018 model. It's a charm

In your price range and for your use case, I would go with a hard tail XC bike.

If you want to be as fast as possible, then a full suspension makes sense. If you don't think you'll be doing much racing and want to have a really good time, a hard tail is where it's at. They require a lot less maintenance and tinkering. They are less expensive, so you can get better specs for the same amount of money as a full suspension.

For example, the Specialized Epic Expert Hardtail is about the same price as the Epic Comp Full Suspension.

The Full Suspension comes with a Reba fork, NX groupo, and alloy wheels.
The HT comes with a SID fork (upgrade),GX groupo (upgrade), and carbon wheels (upgrade).

Plus you don't have to send the brain out every year for service.

This is true. A friend of mine, a good longtime road cyclist, has been getting into mountain biking by riding with me. We ride natural singletrack that is mostly used for hiking. It has taken me back and has been amusing as hell, if only for the swearing. It really emphasized that unless you grew up riding street on a BMX it doesn't matter how good of road cyclist you are or how long you have been riding, you will ride like a muppet on real trail that is minimally technical.

Unless the OP has no intention of ever riding something other than fire roads, gravel, or smooth and buffed singletrack, I would suggest a FS rather than a hardtail. A mid travel FS (about 120mm these days) is a do-it-all bike that will work for what most people coming from an aerobic endurance background will be doing. Step down to 100mm on both ends if XC and marathon racing is a possibility and a less general purpose MTB is not a concern. You have to keep in mind the whole MTB marketing machine is targeted toward endurobros. These guys in their motocross costumes value their worth as a mountain biker based on how fast they can descend through gnar, how far they jump, and how big of a drop they can do. They and the industry along with them are always pushing for more travel. Talk to a shop rat and they'll give you some bullshit about how well their 150mm ride climbs. There is a real tendency to put people on more bike than they need.

on the Shimano side, I don't think Shimano has an LX level anymore. Now it goes Deore, SLX, XT, XTR (That's ignoring the Zee / Saint side of things).

and SRAM has too many options to count. NX, GX, XO, XX, plus Eagle variants....

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Swimming Workout of the Day:

Favourite Swim Sets:

2020 National Masters Champion - M50-54 - 50m Butterfly

Cannondale F-Si

I was very much a muppet (and still am to a certain extent) when I first started. I too was concerned about how much bikes weighed, and how well they could climb. But then I realized I had no aspiration to race XC...and I just wanted to have fun. So for me that meant not really caring how fast I could climb...I generally now climb everything at a leisurely/moderate pace just to ensure I save energy for the descents and faster/flowing sections. So a 130mm FS bike is what I ended up settling on and have no regrets.

I contemplated a hardtail, but since I'm not interested in MTBing full time and completely refining my skill set, I just wanted something that could lower the learning curve so I could better keep up with my friends and walk less.

People 100% will try to put you on more bike than you need. You need to take everything with a grain of salt. But that said, those new long-travel 29er bikes are really, really fun and far more capable than people assume when the trail pitches upwards.

I just spent five days in Moab with two full days on a 2019 Ibis RipMo (i think that's about 145mm travel) and three days on an Evil The Wreckoning (160mm). Bottom line, i was riding down features i would not have attempted on any but the beefiest, slackest hardtails (and only with a dropper post). And once you get used to them, they do climb surprisingly well. They pedal well and the suspension can help you get over technical climbing because really it's all about traction, not weight, so big wheels, big tires and big suspension actually help rather than hurt (it's like youre on a dirt bike). I have a Salsa Horse Thief and a Spcialized XC hardtail at home, and on the Salsa i am faster over every bit of terrain other than fire roads

Best deal out there; I like deals but also nice bikes. Cannondale F29 or FSI 29er's, used of course. Hardtail carbon rocket! They weigh in at around 22 lbs w a tubeless set up. Don't worry about the lefty fork, you'll like the way it tracks. These usually come with a front fork lockout . I switch mine to rigid when I'm on the street. My last F29 I bought off of CL was well taken care of, came with Stans tubeless, nicely equipped SRAM. End cost w shipping was was $1,200. Most are around $1,500 to 2K. I also have a team Scalpel full suspension but love to ride the hardtail rocket that gobbles up any bump on the trails. Good luck!

Mountain bike. For me, the biggest improvements in handling skills have come from riding technical singletrack, where a CX bike wouldn't be feasible, and trying to keep up with better riders. Plus it's just a blast.

As you can see from the responses here, you'll get plenty of opinions on what type of bike is best. That depends largely on what type of riding you plan to do and what kind of terrain is available to you, but IMO most people who want to do what you've described are best served by a modern full suspension trail bike. Almost every bike manufacturer makes a solid trail bike that can climb well, descend well, handle confidently and make riding really fun. Fast enough for an occasional Xterra or local mtb race but really fun for everything else. A hardtail is probably better for true skill development but FS will make more riding more accessible quicker.

Someone above mentioned staying away from direct-to-consumer brands. While it's certainly tougher to test ride them, it's hard to ignore the value offered by brands like YT and Canyon. You can get a solid new FS bike with excellent components for $2-3k, you just need to do your homework on geometry and fit. Have fun!

I'm in this position right now. Got a 2016 Giant XTC Advanced (Carbon HT 29'er, 1 x XT drivetrain). Got lucky and found it from a local bike mechanic who got a crash replacement frame and built it up. So frame is pretty much unused and he said he'd fix anything that goes bad for 6 months.. For $1000, I was pretty happy.

Until I took it on my first trail and realized I'm a spaz. Trails marked beginner have me white knuckled. Pretty much just rooty, short climbs since I'm in a flat area in Texas. It's a good workout, but I went down once and had to put the feet down quite a bit on my very first ride. Everything is slippery and angles constantly changing. I'm on flat pedals until I get confident due to that. But then I'm so used to being clipped in that I fly off the pedals thinking I can pull up a bit on a climb. Then I catch a metal stud in the shin. It's been a learning experience that's for sure.

Keep at it. Your subconscious mind is totally uncomfortable causing you to do things like touch the brakes, stick your foot out, or turn the handlebars when you don't need to. When you see a technical section ahead of you, your mind is already telling you that you might not make it...because you've never experienced making it...so it's reacting appropriately to preserve you from possibly injury. Those reactions almost always involve a reduction of speed...which only makes it harder to actually ride through.

So my advice is to find a technical section that has low consequences. No drop offs, or big rocks sticking out that you can fall on. Then just ride it over and over again. If you mess it up the first few times, it's okay...you're just trying to train your mind that the bike has enough beef on the tires and enough front suspension to roll through it if you just keep pedaling (or not braking) instead of bailing out. You're also teaching yourself the subtle art of shifting your weight around the bike which you almost never use on a road bike the way you need to on a MTB. Once you make it through the first few times okay, then try going in with more speed and don't touch the brakes and see how much easier it actually is. This is another thing you need to train your brain to understand because it thinks the opposite...that it's easier to go slower.

MTB is a lot of skill mixed in with fitness. And with any skill...it takes lots of practice.

An XC bike will be a sweet spot - but not too racy. Front travel of about 120mm will be a pretty good gauge.. bikes with less than 100mm are usually dedicated race bikes with steep head tubes that can lead to rookie endo's. There are good arguments for HT or FS, hardtails will be lighter and probably build more good habits, rear suspension can be more fun and comfortable. If you have a likely riding group, get a similar bike to what they are riding.

For components, your will probably be looking at SLX/XT in that price range from Shimano, NX/GX from SRAM. They are all great and reliable, maybe a bit heavier than the higher specs, so hard to make a mistake.

My advice besides the equipment is to find a close, fun training loop you can ride 1-2 times/week. Something about an hour, with enough technical stuff ( a steep climb or two, a couple rock gardens, etc..) that you can ride an build skills and confidence on. Ideally, a grunt of a climb that you can't make it up today, but once you learn to carry some momentum, shift your weight and a proper shift or two you can clean with a bit of practice.

Have fun!

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" I take my gear out of my car and put my bike together. Tourists and locals are watching from sidewalk cafes. Non-racers. The emptiness of of their lives shocks me. "
(opening lines from Tim Krabbe's The Rider , 1978

Just a comment about SLX/XT

My old XT bike was the best shifting 2X11 bike I ever had, even when it was dirty, the stuff just works.

My new bike has an XTR rear derailleur on it, other than the weight, it shifts the same.

spend your $s on the shifters. You won't "feel" the derailleur, it just looks neat on the spec sheet. Yeah, there are differences aside from weight (say better bushings or a more robust spring... ...etc.).

I definitely got lot better very quickly. Learning that I could get over a root sticking 5 or 6 inches up without much issue happened quickly. But I still had to pay attention. And that led to focusing on things 5 to 10 feet in front my wheel,which led to me not paying attention to my line further up, which meant I put myself in a bad spot. That coupled with a steep grade slows my momentum. Now I'm powering through the pedals and slipping off due to not being used to flats (picked up some 5.10 freerider pros after that ride).

Fixing that, plus knowing how I can shift my weight on the incline before losing weight on my front wheel are where I know I have to improve. And I know I can. Have a few really short, very steep climbs by the house I plan to practice on without dealing with ruts and roots. Once I get the hang of it, I feel like it's an awesome HIIT type training that I can have fun doing. Really spiking the power. 9-10 miles of that and I'm whipped.

nice, dude. You'll also start getting better at applying the power with more finesse so as to get up and over those short poppers without the wheel slipping on rocks, etc.

And you are spot on about the power spikes, it's a whole other ball game from a sport like triathlon. Some of those hills are such that unless you're going all out, you just won't get up it. I ride with a power meter, not to direct my effort but rather to have data afterwards. And from a 3 hour or so ride, there'll be 25 or 30 minutes at anaerobic on up, sometimes even more.

One thing also that might help is get fatter tires for your hardtail. They are heavier but overall you will be faster and, i think, have more fun. People think that speed is all about light weight, but unless you're on the smoothest of fire roads it's really not. Speed is rather about traction.

A realistic appreciation for this is what has me thinking, perhaps I'd actually be better off with a super rugged gravel bike instead of a full on MTB. Outside of the "post-season" I don't anticipate getting onto MTB trails more than 2-3x month. I recently saw a dude rining a 3T Exploro 650BD wheels. Bike looked kick ass. Taking realistic stock of the amount of time I have and the terrain nearby, would I be better off doing some gravel races, maybe the occasional gravel fondo?

Too many words in this post.

As an Xterra racer and a mountain biker racer for the past 15 years, I am bias to racing bikes. I've ridden the Epic since the day it was released, so I'm bias despite really not liking some of Spesh past unethical moves. With Xterra's you spend a lot of time passing roadies who are in over their head. I'm a middle of front pack swimmer so it can't be so frustrating if you are a fast mountain biker.

I use to ride their s-works line but there's no value there. Just too damn expensive and over kill for AGers. The expert level is the best value and a very very fast bike. This is the ideal race machine with Scott a close second. Both companies have an excessive amount of price points which makes buying one confusing.

Some folks say the Epic is uncomfortable after 40 miles but I'm not sure about that. I've done more than one 100 mile race with zero issues. If you're opting to casually race and casually ride, then a stumpy is a good option as well.

I've do bike demos for every brand that offers them. I've done five this year. Brands I'd personally stay away from:

Trek. Trek. Trek. Felt. BMC. Cannondale is also a tough sell but wouldn't rule it out. The other three I mentioned all rode very clunky. Did not track well at all. Trek and Felt has loose read ends. Yes I had perfect suspension set up.

Personally I'd start with Epic and Scott. If still unsure, Cannondale.

Also, buy used. I bought my last three Epics (15, 17, 18) all as demo's....which means parking lot rides. All thousands under retail. If you are unsure about buying used, ask to meet at a bike shop with a prearranged agreement for bike shop mechanic to look it over. If bike shop won't find another bike shop.

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The curious task of economics is to demonstrate to men how little they really know about what they imagine they can design.

I would echo this sentiment.

I had/have a 2006 epic disk I got new in 2006 which replaced my 1998 sworks hardtail. I replaced the 2006 epic with a 2018 epic expert dual squish (until it was stolen this summer). the bike is absolutely amazing. I consider myself to be at the pointy end of the pack for mountain biking. (one and only Xterra race I passed 20 people on a all single track course and still had FTD on the bike against some excellent competition... now if only. I could swim better, lol).

while the epic expert was amazing, I did notice some shortcomings of it that the more expensive models should address. the brakes suck on it. the bottom bracket needed to be rebuilt in 300 miles, and the rear hub could be better (needs more teeth for engagement). I also thought the demo bike I tried had really crappy shifter, but im a grip shift person so I had them change the bike. bought to XX1 grip shift. im planning on going with the swords epic this go around. just need to save more Pennys cause its expensive!!!

Improving your bike handling skills takes time. In terms of return on your time investment, you'll get more out of mountain biking because you're pretty much constantly in situations that require focus and skill vs. road or gravel riding where you spend more time just pedaling away. Plus, you might end up riding more once you discover how fun mtb is.

Yikes! I just ordered a Top Fuel 9.9 to replace my S-Works Epic FS that got stolen from my LBS. Hopefully that wasn't a mistake!

"Endurobro" could be the best new noun / adjective stereotype ever for the typical Mtn bike persona, gone are the days where mountain biking was mainly an endurance sport.

I was riding at a new trail area near me the other day and there was a pack of "endurobros" car shuttling to the top of a 800' climb that I rode up in about 25 minutes. Full body armor, full face helmets, one step removed from motocross.

I know 150mm bikes are capable of climbing but there is a big audience out there that just wants the thrills, which is why we now have e-bikes.

I think 120 mm suspension is the sweet spot between fun and capability. There are a lot of bikes there, Santa Cruz Tallboy, Yeti SB100, Scott Spark (non RC).

Also I would add that mountain bike price points really 3-5K, with 4-5 being most popular in the market, so get your wallet out.

Did some test rides today and settled on the Trek Procaliber. I'm very excited about it. I might pull the trigger a bit early and have Christmas in October.