I also think the better you get on a mtn bike the LESS you crash…With time comes skill and that skill will help you save yourself in situations you could not at the beginning.
True, to a point.
But, I would also add, this is relative to the difficulty of the terrain, especially as one gains confidence along with skills. As experience, speed, and trail difficulty progress, so do the odds of the inevitable misjudgement - happens to everyone. A mtb friend and I always joke, *“a little confidence can be a dangerous thing!” *
Anyway, the point is to keep in mind the inherent risks of mountain biking, especially when training for other, perhaps more primary, athletic events.
Agree with the bikesdirect idea, but that presupposes that you know what size you need. The GF or a Trek, Specialized, Felt, whatever your LBS may be a good choice if you want some input from a real person at a shop. OTOH, if you pretty much know the sizes you're interested in, then used becomes an option, and you can get more bike for your buck that way.
As to the GF line, I've had 2 of their 29ers and found the long wheelbase a detriment to enjoying the tight twisty singletrack that is part of most riding/racing in the east. This is just to point out that the use of the bike really does make a big diff as to what bike is the "best"...again, local knowledge may be invaluable in informing this aspect of you buying decision.
Make sure to post up what you end up with, and expect that if you enjoy adrenaline driven riding, you may end up dropping triathlon (at least the roadie variety) and being off-road much of the time.
26ers are not going away. The vast majority of MTB racers, myself included, greatly prefer the feel of a 26er (for racing). They are lighter, stiffer, quicker accelerating, quicker handling through tight twisties, handle switchbacks better, and are just generally more flickable.
That being said I like a 29er for freeriding, I like the feel of a 29er on a wide open climbs and flattish gently turning singletrack. That’s about it though.
Anyway, the 26er is also the lowest cost option where you will get the most bang for your buck in the new and used markets so for a $1,000 pricepoint that’s what I’d recommend.
To the OP: test ride a 26er and 29er if you can. You are going to like the feel of one or the other much better.
I am not quite getting the comments on the GF long wheelbase and the comment on their G2 geometry. I have been looking at new mtbs myself. My understanding of the GF G2 geometry is that it shortens the longer trail of most 29ers to create a more responsive 26er like feel. GF has also manipulated their geometry to shorten the chain stays to almost the length of comparably sized 26" bikes. I have been looking at the GF HiFi Pro if I decide to go 29er. I’m just not sure yet though because of the constant back and forth comments about 26er vs 29er. The top of my list for the 26er right now is a Trek Fuel EX 9. I liked the Pivot 429 but after comparing to other options it doesn’t seem like the best bang for the buck. The Giant Trance seems like great bang for the buck. I am obviously looking for a full suspension based on the bikes I have listed. I currently ride a 26" hardtail that I have gradually upgraded and speced out pretty nice: FOX f100 RLC, SRAM X.0/X.9 mix, Avid Elixir R brakes. Biggest improvement I could make to it now would be nice wheels.
well if a DW link isnt important to you then the pivot definatly isnt best bang for the buck, Im sold on the DW link and I dont really care about “bang for the buck” as much as which bike handles better and feels better to me, pricewise, whats a few hundred bucks when you are already spending 3500-4000…Ill take the one that feels better, the pivot has full xt and a fox as well as mavic wheels, hard to beat.
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I have seen the DW Link on other manufacturers and the Giant Maestro is virtually the exact same thing. So much so that supposedly the creator of DW (Dave Weagle) tried to sue Giant but he had to drop the case because he couldn’t afford to fight Giants high dollar legal team basically. I am not sure how true that is. Just what I heard/read somewhere so it’s total hearsay. If the DW is your main selling point then the Giant is by far the better bang for the buck. I saw a video from the Sea Otter Classic also that Giant will be releasing a Full-Suspension 29er Anthem with the Maestro. I bet it will be cheaper then the Pivots. Don’t get me wrong, the Pivots are sweet but from what I have seen you can get what the Pivots are offering for less.
hey, you can read all the bike reviews you want, or you can get out and ride them. when giant makes a bikes that rides as sweet as a pivot, I may get it…but I would realyl hate to ride Giant. that being said, I can get a sweet deal on the pivot…
GF and wheelbase. I’ve had a bunch of 29ers, the latest GF was an 07 Rig, but looking at the numbers, the bikes I like for my riding end up on th eshort side (Surley Karate Monkey, Spot Longboarder), and 4 - 5 cm shorter than the GF bikes in same size. It’s something I appreciate for the “flickable” feel of the shorter frames. The OP won’t be so picky at this point, and local advice should probably carry more weight than more generic stuff from us anyway. Good luck on the new bike decision, I’ve not been on a 26 fs that rides as nice as my old Maverick, but have not been on any of the new and improved bikes in probably 3 years…
Giant had some sweet bikes at Sea Otter, but I’m thinking this would be an awesome birthday present for me next year (I’d say Christmas, but its not released until Jan 2011):
Listen to them! Get a used 29er hardtail off ebay or craigslist. I’ve raced every type of bike, 26er hardtail & full, 29er full and now hardtail. The 29er hardtail is, in my opinion, the best do-it-all bike for racing. My Niner weighs 22 pounds and just blows through rock gardens. You can get a Niner EMD frame for $300-$400ish and build it up. For $1000 i bet you could build a pretty nice rig off ebay.
There are only so many opportunities to test ride certain bikes if at all. If you are thinking about dropping the amount of cash we are talking about you need to get all the info you can. If you can get a great deal on Pivot then great. Hook a pal up. That 429 is a sweet ride. Just not sure that it is $4k - $5k sweet.
Right about the crashes. For a while, I used to think it was not a good MTB ride if I didn’t come home bleeding. At least where I ride I’m hitting dirt or grass if I fall off, as opposed to pavement on the road bike. Not to mention the lack of cars on the trails.
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