I did an adventure race this weekend and fell in love with the team aspect. Triathlon is great, but sometimes the long lonely miles get to me. Mountain biking and doing some off-road tris and adventure races seems like a fun way to branch out and keep things interesting. Assuming I have about $2,000 and maybe a little more to spend, should I look full-suspension? Do I need it?
I can get a shop discount on Specialized and Cannondale. The Stumpjumper FSR Comp and FSR Elite seem like great deals for well-equipped full-suspension rigs. I don’t see much in the line of nice hardtails from Specialized. I love my Cannondale tri-bike, but am hesitant about the Lefty fork and therefore a little turned off to Cannondale.
But instead of a well-equipped full-suspension bike, should I consider a very well-equipped hardtail? Trek has the 8500 which seems like a nice bike.
Go with FS. Seriously. Better descending, but also better climbing in a lot of situations.
I really like my Giant NRS Air (it is a couple of years old) and the new version of the NRS, whatever it is called, is apparently very good as an XC rig. I have heard very good things about Specialized as well.
I agree with you on the Cannondale, especially given the recent Lefty recall and the fact that putting something else on there is a bit of an ngineering nightmare. That said, I don’t think you need a FS. Unless you’re doing some serious downhilling and need the ride, sure. Otherwise I’d bet the rear will be locked out 90% of the time as you’ll simply waste too much energy trying to climb with it engaged. Also, do you really want to haul around the added 2-3lbs of a FS?
I have both. One with zero suspension (Trek 8000) and one with full (Trek Y-11).
I’ve had the 8000 for many years and raced alot in Virginia. I won most of the races I did off-road with zero suspension. Never had any desire to buy suspension. The trails were wooded single track.
When I moved to Sedona I rode the first 6 months with the 8000 and about killed myself. The trails here are 90% rocks, full desert with lots of “stairs”. The bike was constantly beating me to death. So, I bought a used Y-11 and love it. It glides over the rocks and is much more fun.
SO, it all depnds on the terrain you are racing on. If I raced in the woods again I’d use my 8000, its lighter and faster. if the trails were more rocky I’d use my Y-11.
BTW - If you are just getting into all this there’s no reason to spend lots of money if you’re not sure about what bike to buy. My Y-11 (carbon frame) is awesome and only cost me $400. My 8000 was a tad more new.
If you are looking to do long distance races (< 25 mtb miles at a time), and/or over rocky courses, and/or your technical skills/line picking ability is relatively novice then go FS ( the FSR series is solid, I ride the FSR Expert and have no complaints).
If you are looking to ride short distances, and/or go as fast as possible, and/or your mtb skilllz are dialed in then go hardtail (Specialized Stumpjumper Carbon, or an Epic pseudo FS)
Of course, FS in general is going to be more expensive than a hardtail.
In my opinion the frame itself is meaningless, its more about the quality of the shocks and the components as those are the two biggies that, if kept working properly, will keep a smile on your face (and money in your pocket!)
I really think it depends on the terrain you are riding on. But I have an 8500 and never once wished for full-suspension…the Trek has served me very well, fwiw.
The FSR is HEAVY and I don’t think its a good choice for AR. I have been doing 24 hour ARs (3 so far this year) with a hardtail (6 year old stumpjumper) and it has been fine. I just upgraded the wheelset to Mavic Crossmax’s. My hardtail is old and probably 23-24 pounds. The FSR that a fellow teammate has (which he is replacing) is 29 pounds. I plan on doing multiday events so am looking for a softtail or full suspension. The softtails I have seen (Moots and Seven) are 2650-$3300 just for the frames, but also titanium. If you can get a good deal on Specialized, I would look at the a carbon Epic. That comes in around 25 pounds. Cannondale has the Scalpel, which has limited travel as well, but I haven’t heard anything good about them. Our sponsor carries Specialized, so I am pricing out an carbon Epic right now. But, I love titanium and may just suck it up and get a Seven Teres.
okay, just noticed the budget constraints. I agree with other posters that recommend getting a good hardtail versus a low end full suspension (heavy). I don’t think you need a full suspension in AR. A few races have a lot of technical trails, but most of them spend a lot of time on road and carriage trails.
My advice is that it is better to get a higher-end hardtail, rather than a lower-end FS. With a budget of $2K, you probably won’t be able to get a decent FS bike, so I’d use that $2K on a hardtail and get better components, and disc brake if you can.
Plus, if you are fairly new to mountain biking, the hardtail will help you develop better handling skills and not pick up bad habits that a FS would cover up.
Yes, and you can build up a FS bike to be pretty light. Another one to consider would be the Santa Cruz Superlight. The suspension technology is older, but still very good for XC type riding. With V-brakes and decently light wheels low 22-25# would be easy. You can also look at the Blur XC, but that is more $$$.
The superlight frame was >$1500 in the past and now you can get a complete bike for $1600 through colorado cyclist. Components aren’t great, but…
I have a SC Blur and love it and ride with a lot of people who have FSRs and they really like them. I personally don’t like the whole lefty concept, and that would preclude me from buying a C’dale.
I’ve had a specialized stumpjumper fsr comp (07) for about 5 months now. The bike is awesome. I say get the specialized FS bike. The suspension is amazing. Specialized has the bag on horst link suspension which forces companies like santa cruz and others to run older/different linkage designs. Anyway, the component spec on the comp is good enough. The cool thing about mtn bike components is that they are relatively cheap for the stuff that you’ll go through anyway. XT shifters can be had for 110 bucks. Rear derailleurs aren’t bad either. I’ve had good luck with the avid juicy 3’s, but some people have different stories. I think that it boils down to maintenance and general setup knowledge. Anyway, definitely get FS. I really don’t think that HT offers any advantages except for fire road style power climbs. All else, the edge goes to FS. - E
Trek 8500 in my stable as well. I agree with most posts above about the hardtail. In addition, if you’re interested in AR you’ll find that you’re on a paved road or a fire road at least 3/4 the time anyway. I find that in WI you’re riding to something more than you’re on singletrack (gotta get to the canoe put in, gotta get to the O course, gotta get to land nav, over, and over, and over, AND OVER).
I had a Scott Scale 30 hardtail for about 6 months, it was a great bike. However I then had to have the truth pink ellsworth, so the Scott went bye-bye. I love the ellsworth FS and would never go back to hardtail. Let me just add I was always certain I’d stay on a hardtail, but my old beat-up body appreciates the FS!!
You might be able to have both… Especially since you get discounts on Specialized bikes. The new Epics are amazing. They re-engineered the brain (the automatic lock-out in the rear suspension). I have an '06 and an '07 and the new brain is literally seamless and instant. IOW, it rides as a hardtail until you hit a bump (or land a drop, etc) then it becomes active until there is no more input from the trail, then it locks out again.
The bike is relatively light too. My S-Works builds up to about 24lbs stock and the AL version(s) are only like one pound more. For a full-suspension racing bike built with stock components this is pretty light. Some pros build their Epics to under 20lbs…
They have some builds that are close to the price you mention (with discount). They are essentially the identical frame with different components to control cost.
I mainly race mine in XTERRA (as does Conrad Stoltz who has been dominating on his). The bikes are popular on the xc race scene too.
The FSR is a fun bike, a bit more forgiving than the Epic, but does not climb as well IMO partly due to greater weight and partly do the softer rear end (suspension). Really fun bike though.
I don’t know much about C-dale other than the recalls and special parts needed. Some of them look kinda cool I guess.
The Slowtwitch solution is simple: take out a signature loan of about $20K or more and buy one of each. Make sure they are full XTR kits with super premium forks that have hi tech features you don’t fully understand. Make sure the hardtail is polished ti and the full suspension is as close to a motorless motocross as possible. Take pictures of them and post 'em here so the rest of us can drool over them and ask you strange questions about your lawn, furniture, and pets.
Seriously though, it all depends on the type of terrain you’re riding on. However, when I read your post, a Specialized Epic came to mind. Perhaps I’m psychic and see your inner desire for a bike that has full suspension and lockout.
The Slowtwitch solution is simple: take out a signature loan of about $20K or more and buy one of each. Make sure they are full XTR kits with super premium forks that have hi tech features you don’t fully understand. Make sure the hardtail is polished ti and the full suspension is as close to a motorless motocross as possible. Take pictures of them and post 'em here so the rest of us can drool over them and ask you strange questions about your lawn, furniture, and pets.
Seriously though, it all depends on the type of terrain you’re riding on. However, when I read your post, a Specialized Epic came to mind. Perhaps I’m psychic and see your inner desire for a bike that has full suspension and lockout.
$20K is too much. You can probably get by ok with just $15K…
I would go FS. The weight penalty isnt what some people would like to make it out to be, and in many cases FS climbs BETTER than hardtail. I have owned, ridden, and crashed both. Sometime when I am out West, hardtail works just fine. Other times, FS is the way to go. Here in FL and the SE, FS is the way to go. So many roots and rocks that bounce hardtails around, while the FS soaks em up, leaving your tires in contact with the ground- making you faster.
From a budget standpoint, as long as you are willing to accept less than high end components, you can get a solid FS for under $2k. Looking to spend under $1500? Go hardtail. Gary Fisher HiFis are great. I got a Fisher Cake DLX frame for $600 and built it up moderately (Sram X-9, Zocchi MX Comp fork) and it is 30 pounds with 5 inches of travel. Climbs like a goat and bombs like a scalpel. I would be looking for comfort and efficiency for an AR or 24 hour race. Suspension with SPV or similar does that for you. No need to sacrifice comfort for efficiency.