Ok, some of these may be very basic and sound dumb, but please help. After 4 seasons of road triathlon/duathlon I’m really thinking about giving some off-road stuff a try. But, I know little to nothing about MTB equipment. HELP! I’m finding all kinds of what appear to be great deals on bikes, but other than checking where the components fit in the pecking order of a company’s offering, I don’t know if I’m getting a deal or screwed. Is 8 speed cassettes still viable in MTB gear? Is Alivio decent or crap? SRAM MTB components? Most of the models I’ve looked at have either a Rockshox Judy TT fork or something like a RST Gila, is that decent for someone who does NOT intend on hitting a 5 foot drop intentionally? Any help would be greatly appreciated.
I don’t know much about current MTB stuff, but I just did my first off-road triathlon last weekend on my 18-year-old, 6-speed, rigid-fork MTB. I had a blast! I did the Iron Range Off-road which is an Xterra event. The bike was primarily on XC ski trails. Not too technical but pretty rough in spots. I coulda used some suspension as I could hardly grip the handlebars by the end of the bike.
Personally, I’d go with at least Deore. That’s what I have on my bike and it’s held up well.
Shimano has been 9 speed on the mountain bike line since '99 or so. 8 speed works fine, but finding quality replacement parts can be tough.
Shimano’s mtb line and road equivilent:
Alivio/Acera-X = Sora
Deore = Tiagra
LX = 105
XT = Ultegra
XTR = Dura Ace
I’d stick with LX or above if you’re planning on doing any serious mileage off road.
Thanks for the info. Do you know much about the SRAM MTB components? 7.0 or 9.0? Here’s a couple of examples of what I was considering. Feel free to tell me if they are crap:
Well I see those two mtn bike ads or really similar ones on ebay all the time and I’m not that impressed. The Windsor didn’t look all that great to me but the Motobecane wasn’t bad. What’s your price range? What are your priorities? If you want a fast feeling bike that’s not going to bob around on you and you prize lighter weight then on a budget you have to go hard tail. If you want a smoother ride, don’t mind carrying a few more pounds around, and are okay if the bike isn’t the fastest thing in the world sprinting or climbing go dual suspension. If you spend enough, say $1,200 minimum you can start getting some pretty nice dual suspension bikes which in my opinion make hardtails a literal pain in the ass for most riders. My dual suspension climbs better, descends better, handles better and is only a little slower off the line than my old hardtail.
Components, granted these will vary wildly with price but for Shimano stuff try to stick with at least LX and above, no need to go above XT. Sram, I don’t know the component series that far down but they do make nice stuff. On the forks I’d look for some of the mid-range offerings by Rockshox or Answer/Manitou versus the RSTs. I would say go to your local bike shop and check out some bikes first hand before even thinking of buying online. I don’t think you’ll end up saving all that much on-line anyways. Good luck, Xterras are LOTS fo fun
SRAM stuff is good - many will argue that it’s superior to Shimano. The X.7 group is basically the equal of LX, X.9 = XT, X.0 = XTR.
I’m with Tia on the components choices, but a dual suspension bike for $1,200 will be a piece of crap that will be harder to race than a good hardtail for that same price. Try looking at the Specialized Stumpjumper hardtails or Giant’s similarly-equipped hardtails.
Thanks for the info. Do you know much about the SRAM MTB components? 7.0 or 9.0? Here’s a couple of examples of what I was considering. Feel free to tell me if they are crap:
SRAM makes some incredible stuff - so much so that many pro riders are switching over, and SRAM may approach Shimano levels in terms of market share. Their derailleurs, and new shifters (both twist and regular), are quickly gaining recognition as being the best in the business, thanks to innovative engineering, and stiff, precise shifting response.
I race with SRAM shifters and rear derailleur, (switched over from XTR - Shimano’s best) and will never look back. The quality is far beyond anything Shimano has put out. In the mountain bike world, Shimano seems to be more and more about trying to come out with the “next big thing” while SRAM has caught and surpassed Shimano in perfecting what they have now.
SRAM derailleurs rarely skip gears and rarely need adjustment, a constant problem with Shimano, and it’s for one simple reason. SRAM uses a 1:1 lever ratio, while Shimano uses a 2:1. What does this mean? Reach under the top tube and pull the rear derailleur cable - it takes 2x as much pull from the cable to make the SRAM rd shift as the Shimano. This is important because it means that things REALLY have to be out of wack for your SRAM derailleur to start skipping gears, whereas Shimano has to be finely tuned nearly every ride, and often must be adjusted mid-ride.
I know it’s a long explanation, but the SRAM products are SO superior to Shimano right now, it’s crazy. You’ll see a TON of 2006 brands spec’d with SRAM components next year, and a resulting loss of market share from Shimano. SRAM makes shifters, chains, cassettes and derailleirs, plus they know own Avid (major brake manufacturer), RockShox (we know who they are) and Truvativ (Cranks). With that combo, you’ro going to see a lot of large bike brands spec zero shimano products OEM on bikes next year. Plus, everything is made in Chicago.
Go for x-9 or even x-7 level components - they’re durable, dependable, and are based on teh trickle down technology from the race level x.0.
I switched to SRAM about 6 years ago. I have had nothing but great luck with the 9.0 half-pipes(twist shift). The indexing is very positive and it puts less stress on the cable-head. Also, the shifter never blew up when I have crashed. I have seen many s/o levers literally explode when crashing; tearing the pod completely off the handlebar. These are just the benefits that I have grown to like about SRAM.
Another SRAM-head here. I’ve had their rear der and shifters on my MTB since '97. The first dear der. had some sorta flaw in it, and even tho it was after quite a bit of use before it failed, they replaced for free under warranty. The replacement has been literally beat to shit, but just keeps on plunking off clean shift after clean shift.
Actually, I think I even went to their twist shifters on my prior bike (which I still also have, and still works fine) before that. So, I’ve been twist-shifting for nearly a decade, I’d never use Shimano shifters on a MTB again.
Avid brakes are the shizznit too. Best in class.
Shimano or Sram both make higher quality and lower quality components. I agree with previous responses atleast get SHimano LX or Sram x7. Unless you can find a dual suspension with XT level components I’d go with a really good hardtail. I did 3 Xterra races this year and they all were a blast. You’ll have tons of fun.
KC
Correct except for:
SRAM makes some incredible stuff - so much so that many pro riders are switching over, Plus, everything is made in Chicago.
Pro riders have shifted over since 2003 when the majority of NORBA riders rode with SRAM shifters/derailleurs and that continues to-date.
Nothing is made in Chicago. The chains (formerly Sachs) were made in Germany but I think that’s gone East, and the forks were formerly made in the US and they’re Eastern-made as well.
Correct except for:
SRAM makes some incredible stuff - so much so that many pro riders are switching over, Plus, everything is made in Chicago.
Nothing is made in Chicago. The chains (formerly Sachs) were made in Germany but I think that’s gone East, and the forks were formerly made in the US and they’re Eastern-made as well.
Sorry - meant to say “headquartered” in Chicago. The point is that service is more readily attainable through SRAM and it’s North American lineage, than via Shimano and it’s domestic-via-Japan presence.
I’m Canadian, but the point is that it’s nice to support and encourage what used to be the ‘little guy’ in mountain biking, SRAM, an American company.
Regardless…outstanding products, throughout their entire line.
Go with a dual suspension if you can. MTB racing on a hardtail sucks (no matter what the course is like). Specialized makes a FSRxc which is a nice entry level bike.
Lots of '05 stuff on sale right now - check shops for deals.
SRAM will be very prominent as OEM for many of the '06 lines - it just works better. Most people prefer trigger shifters to the dual-control, but Shimano still offers triggers too - maybe not OEM, though.
Thanks for all the great info. One last question. Same brand bikes, price within $20, one with full Deore (not LX or XT) and the other with X-7. So which would be the better deal. Oh yeah, the one with the X-7 has a Manitou Slice Elite fork and the other has a Manitou Axel Comp. Much of a difference or pretty much the same?
Thanks
Well, same brand doesn’t mean a whole lot - I’d like to hear what models.
X.7 is the better group - as long as you know what’s X.7, and what’s not. Parts are swapped to keep prices down.
One fork is clearly better than the other if you made the mistake I believe you did. Manitou has a Splice fork, not a Slice fork. The Elite model has 80mm of travel with TPC lockout, but it’s made for riders under 170lbs, which means it’s lightly sprung. You can order stiffer springs if that’s a problem.
The Axel Comp is a junk OEM fork, 80mm of travel, no TPC or lockout capabilities. It’s really a no brainer if the Elite suits your weight.
I’d still like to know the models, though.
Go with a dual suspension if you can. MTB racing on a hardtail sucks (no matter what the course is like). Specialized makes a FSRxc which is a nice entry level bike.
http://www.specialized.com/bc/SBCBkModel.jsp?spid=9675
Care to explain how racing on a hardtail, regardless of the course, sucks? Why do the majority of the pros in XTerra and NORBA still use hardtails on all but the rockiest courses?
Stick with a light hardtail with a good fork and you’ll be smiling as you pass all the noobs trying to climb on cheap, heavy dual suspension bikes.
If you’re going to go dual suspension, then go with the Specialized Epic which is light and the suspension does what it’s supposed to do. It’s not cheap though, but you can’t go cheap with a dual suspension bike. The FSRxc is an OK bike, but it’s considered a trail bike and not an XC racing bike. It’s also very heavy and climbs like a pig.
Stick with a light hardtail with a good fork and you’ll be smiling as you pass all the noobs on cheap, heavy dual suspension bikes.
I agree. All other things being equal the hardtail wins everytime.
The one person that won a WC on a DS bike had to use EPO. 
It seems like he’s looking entry-level so there’s no question that he needs to go hardtail. If you’re willing to pony up big bucks, the new VPP and stable-platform dual suspension bikes get very close to hardtails in climbing ability but they’re still a couple of pounds heavier and much more expensive. People here are concerned about an extra 100g (e.g. the difference between the P3 and P3SL) on a bike racing on a flat course, so think about dragging an extra 800g climbing up a mountain at 8,000 feet and you’ll quickly see why hardtails dominate off-road racing.