Any of you XTERRA-type folks see anyone riding a single speed MTB during a race? I have never done an XTERRA before, but that will change this summer. There are three races here in Michigan, so the plan is to do at least a couple. I was half considering riding my SS in one of them. Just for kicks.
I have a team mate who rocks the SS at XTERRA events. Although after Richmond last year, he said he may be looking to get gears. I’ve seen a few SS’s here and there at races.
Singlespeeders are usually fast in spite of their equipment not because if it.
I like this line. 
I’ll give it a go on my SS, it will be fun no matter what.
I am a huge beleiver in FS bikes. I have been riding/racing FS bikes since about 99. The technology has come so far that it really makes no sense to go on a hardtail.
To start looking at professional race results is a lost cause, if you look hard enough you will always find what you want that is the whole idea of paying someone to ride your bike. 2008 mtn. bike World Championships Go Sauser! on a FS.
You can get a FS bike to about 20-22lbs out of the box now so there is no real weight penalty.
You gain control overall wether you are climbing, descending or braking by keeping both wheels well planted on the ground.
Then there is the whole beating up the body and losing watts over a course that is hard to measure but I think we all beleive that you do exert more energy when you are on a hardtail. The debate about how much energy I beleive is an open ended question but there is definately some energy being used up there.
Then there is the ability of the rider. Over the years I have seen lots of people try mtn. biking and some have stuck with it while lots of others have not. If a newbie got a full suspension bike that was properly fitted you could instantly see the difference in how well they would pick up the sport. (Example: shaped skis, you wouldn’t ever put a newbie on straight skis anymore it makes no sense! Technology is everywhere in our lives use it.)
Yes there are those that are undbelievable mtn. bikers that usually come from a BMX background that may not need the help of full suspension but I tell you what I still see most of them riding FS b/c they can take better, smoother, faster lines.
Everyone is going to have an opinion when it comes to FS or hardtail the problem is often there opinions are swayed by there pocket book.
Hope you enjoyed my rant about FS bikes and let me leave you with this question if Suspension is so bad how come were not debating Front Suspension?
I was racing FS from '00-'05 and went back to HT. I used to be on the other side of this argument until I started doing much better on the bike vs my competitors when I started taking my HT out. After a full season of HT, I found I liked the HT much better and was riding faster than ever. I have no doubt that beginner riders can take on tougher terrain with an FS, but for the expert level rider, I feel that the HT is still faster.
All of your arguments are perfectly reasonable, but none of them lead to the conclusion that FS is faster. I’m sure it could be faster, I just am not convinced that it definitively is faster. I’m not arguing against front suspension. That’s a totally seperate argument, as pointless as my asking why no FS road bikes.
…and mt HT was about $6500 (retail) in parts, so it was definitely not a pocket book choice. I’m certainly not anti-tech. I have disc brakes and tubeless tires. Although my Ti frame would be considered by some to be old school.
For kicks ok, but expect doing some hike a bikes on the courses. Fort custer and torn shirt, lots of single track with hills. If you are a bullit swimmer and good on a ss you will be able to keep the speed up… but if you are joe average swimmer you will get caught in traffic, no place for a ss
I am faster on my 25 lb FS Titus than I am on my pimpin 20 lb GT Zaskar HT.
The reason: on climbs I have better traction, and on descents, I can bomb the f*cker without even worrying about my line! no tensing up and picking my way through the rocks…just STRAIGHT over everything!
Xterra Buffalo Creek is my first race of the year and I am going to be on the FS for sure.
good point on the FS not having to worry too much about your line, and yeah FS bikes don’t have the weight penalty they used to but none of the x races in michigan have any terrain that you would need to worry about that anyway. I’m a transplant from Utah and find MTBing in Michigan more of a XC sport than all mountain. If your going to buy a mountain bike for Michigan races I cant see the advantage of FS. If you already have FS there isn’t much of a reason to get a hard tail. I’ve got a HT here and a FS out west. Going to make the jump to a niner for the costa rica race, still haven’t decided FS or HT. If I were to buy another 26 HT the Zaskar would be top of my list though.
Right, I ride a 19 pound look ht in mich, it just rips for exterra racing. but for iceman it is hard to beat fs 29 nr
I’m looking at getting a new mtb too.
At first, i thought I would go with a 29er HT. I like the idea of the 29er wheel. After talking to others and looking at designs, I’m leaning towards a 26er FS for all the reasons willrace made. It seems to me that the suspenson in the rear really makes a difference in going down hill. Translation: FREE SPEED. As for up hill, I think it depends on the rider, course, bike fit/geometry, and rear suspension design matching all of the above. In the end, if you get a design that suits you and your most important races, FS is generally going to be a wash compaired to HT, and on some climbs (like the stairs and rocks I see in colorado) faster than a HT.
Fit will play a big role in bikes too.
My team gave me a HT a long time ago. I hated going out with the guys because I could NOT keep the front wheel on the ground climbing. I tried different bars, stems, forks, saddle positions… I tried it all. In the end that bike only made it out on the trails once or twice a month. I just didn’t like riding it. A few years later, I picked up a different HT on ebay. It had a totally different geo from my first bike, but was about the same level quality. it made a WORLD of difference! That bike just fit me better and I was firmly planted on the ground on even the super steep climbs.
From what I hear, 29ers can be harder to get rolling on technical climbs, a place where I lack skill, and tend to dab a bit. The larger wheels seem like they are better on the decents, but 4" of travel is hard to beat when bombing down a rocky slope. A light 29er FS would cost way too much for me, so I end up back at a 26" FS.
The real question to me is how much travel do I want? I’ve ridden with some amazing mtbers, but the fastest guy I’ve ever seen rode a 30lbs, 6" travel all mtn bike. He was super strong and just rolled over everything on the climbs. Never lost a step to the pro mtbers that would ride with us. On the downhill, forget about it. He was gone. I never saw anyone stay with him going downhill.
So with the advancement of rear travel bikes, my quest for a new ride (for xterra) has boiled down to what bike will fit me best and what design of rear suspension will give me the most travel without being overly heavy. Bikes like the Santa Cruz Heckler, or Blur LT look nice. I’ll set it up with a 100m travel lock out fork, and off I go. I personally dont feel that the extra 30mm travel is going to slow me down on the climbs, but on the decents, LOOK OUT! I’ll take an extra 10% in speed in downhill over 10% in uphill any day.
The other factor to think about is what a good FS bike can do for your legs on the run. In the one Xterra I did (ht bike) my legs took a beating on bike. I could really feel it when running, espically on the uphill sections. they just felt heavy. Normally I LOVE running uphill and can catch quite a few people… not that day.
In the end, I think if you’re a great mtber and have a ton of cash, a FS 29er may be the way to go but you’re limited in selection. A FS 26er is a proven winner, has a load of options in fit, style, fork setup ect, and would serve an xterra racer very well. HT would be fine and I’ll keep mine to train on so I gain more handling skills that HT bike force you to have (something a lot of riders told me to do) but when buying a new ride to race on, 26FS is my choice.
(I wrote that over 2 hours at work in between helping people, so if it jumps around a bit, sorry)
So at the end of the day buy the bike that fits you and your budget but don’t forget the race. For me, the costa rica race goes from sea level to 8000+feet and back down if 4 days. The climbs are brutal and many of the decents are unridable (at least for me.) There is a section of railroad tracks that will beat you silly on a 26 but the 29 will (i think/hope/and my kidneys pray) spread the gap better between the ties, to hopefully make up some of the lost by hiking your bike up a friggin volcano. FS is sweet but not the answer to everybody’s needs.
‘’ if Suspension is so bad how come were not debating Front Suspension? ‘’
Well, that debate is currently raging in the world of 29er’s. I’ll let you know what I think when the 1.25 lb Niner CF fork comes out this spring.
Dude!
Who is bringing that fork out?
Nice
I am so close to pulling the pin on a 29 HT
I am 6-2
tp
The fork is coming from Niner, but they are being very quiet about it.
Here’s a link to the article about the fork;
http://bike29.com/ride29er/?p=591
I’ve only had one ride on my Niner EMD9 on the frozen trails of Long Island but I’m sold
Here’s a link to my review of that ride;
http://forum.slowtwitch.com/Slowtwitch_Forums_C1/Triathlon_Forum_F1/First_ride_on_my_new_Niner_P2159376/
And lastly here’s a pic of the new bike;
Give a Niner a try. You won’t regret it.
I have a niner one ss full ridged…I LOVE THAT BIKE…I heard about the new carbon ridged fork, thanks for the picture, that and a set of stans wheels will make the bike perfect
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can you use an xc bike frame for xterra?
You can use anything you want. hard tail, f/s, cross bike, single speed.
Very cool. I have been thinking of trying an xtrerra and this probably put me over the edge for it. I commute on a specialized tricross and I’d like to see how it performs in an xterra race!
‘‘can you use an xc bike frame for xterra?’’
Yes, an XC bike is what you want. Anything else is just more weight to drag around the course.
Be careful; Xterra is addictive!
Here’s another pic of the fork on one of the Niner race team bikes:
I’ll be standing first in line to get one when it comes out.
Let me try that again:
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