Suggestions for a decent mtb?

[Big Kahuna]

Good friend works at Trek Store here. Other than a few bikes they will get in, he said they are not expected to get any new bikes til 2022. If that EXC9 is fairly new, that may be worth looking at. Its a good Hardtail.

 

[Waverunner Eagle]

If you don't mind a hardtail, I have been really happy with my 2021 Commencal Meta HT that just arrived a few weeks ago. I went for a higher specced bike and it came out to 1900 delivered to my door

 

[headshock]

Went from a SC Blur 26er to a SC Tallboy 29er about 7 years ago. First day riding it I road a local loop that I had ridden a zillion times. Didn't feel that much faster during the ride and I wasnt trying to prove anything. Strava recorded PRs for just about every segment of the ride, Im sold on 29ers now. Seems like a lot of people that went to 27.5 a few years back are moving back to 29ers. No matter what you buy be sure it has a 1x11 or 1x12 drivetrain, this technology is a must.

 

[tipafew]

Totally agree with the 1x drive train.

 

[mikesx]

Looking to add a real mtb to the fold here. Dropper post and fork lockout would be nice, not particularly loyal to any certain brand but tend to shy away from trek because of the infighting with greg lemond. Any suggestions? Not sure if I would want 29er or 27.5 and what I gain/lose from each one? What you got budget under 2k.

How tall are you ? If you're 5'5" or under you can get top of the line 26" gear for steal, keep you under that 2000 budget. I wish was, I just put together a Titanium Racer X for my girl (5"2) with all the goodies ( Xo 1x11spd, DT hubs, Chris King BB & HD set, etc.). I'm actually jealous of her ride.
If you're taller, over 5'11" go 29er. I went 27.5 (I'm 5'11) and clear things now that I never did on a 26er. I wish I went 29. Frame geometry and suspension tech has evolved to the point that 29er's don't feel so goofy like the early ones.

 

[mxmark4]

Im 5'10. Rode a 26 for years but was excited to try out a 29er for the next bike. Always heard they roll over roots and rocks like they arent there. All of the money I had for the new bike just went out the window though. Apparently I had bought a bike a while back that was reported stolen. Had been using it on my trainer for zwift races. Tuned it up and threw it on craigslist to sell it to fund this new mtb. Police set me up posing as an interested buyer, and had sales receipt with a matching serial number on it. Needless to say I was shocked so I managed to dig up the number of the guy I bought it from. Hoping they get him, glad the owner is getting their bike back, but pissed that I am out 1500 dollars now and will have to shelf this for a while. So lesson learned. Keep track of what you buy from marketplace cl etc and cover your a$$!

 

[mxmark4]

Ordered this

COMMENCAL : Bike, Frames, Parts, Textile, Outlet, Second Hand...

COMMENCAL

www.commencalusa.com

Bought the trek excaliber from my buddy. Didnt care for it. Sending it to atl with a buddy for a friend of his to buy. Lookin forward to the new bike getting here. Rode last night, goimg to start working on hitting the wood drops built into the trail. In my mind you have to be flying to clear them but in reality you dont need much speed just have to nut up and hit one.

 

[Big Kahuna]

Sweet

 

[mxmark4]

Im excited for it to get here. Had I ordered it last week, it was a hundred dollars cheaper. I took the trek rear wheel to the local shop because I thought the freehun sounded like it was bad( bike had only had 2 rides on it in 2 years) they told me it was a "cheap bike" and a new freehub would probably be just as loud when freewheeling. Bike rode fine and was only noisy freewheeling. Sounded like a bad trailer wheel bearing. Never heard such a noisy freehub.

 

[Ducky]

Im excited for it to get here. Had I ordered it last week, it was a hundred dollars cheaper. I took the trek rear wheel to the local shop because I thought the freehun sounded like it was bad( bike had only had 2 rides on it in 2 years) they told me it was a "cheap bike" and a new freehub would probably be just as loud when freewheeling. Bike rode fine and was only noisy freewheeling. Sounded like a bad trailer wheel bearing. Never heard such a noisy freehub.

Wait to you hear a bike with Industry9 wheels lol. The freehub is loudddddddd!

 

[wydopen]

Best bang for your buck is a YT or Commencal if you dont have a LBS to support..with trek and specialized you pay allot for the brand..A used bike is the way to go though if you are on a budget

 

[Big Kahuna]

Bontrager hubs make some noise (mfg by formula or some mfg similar). My EX9 hubs sing at you. Most make some form. Find someone with Industry 9 Hydra's. Talk about some racket!

 

[mxmark4]

The ratcheting doesnt bother me it was the wheel bearing like roar freewheeling that got me tore it all apart everything was silky smooth. Apparently its just that formula freewheel. None of my local shops really had anything in my budget. One guy kept trying to sell me a 7500 dollar jekyll. I thought the commencal was the best value for the money I could find. Just need to find a dropper post and its ready to go. Used market is awful around here right now, and after my incident last month with used bikes I am a bit gunshy right now. Police were able to find the guy who sold me the stolen bikes, so hopefully I can get my money back from him.

 

[Big Kahuna]

Wow Mark, I never saw that comment about the stolen Bike... Hope you are able to recover some of it.

 

[mxmark4]

Look what showed up today!

 

[Big Kahuna]

Cool! Congrats, Nothing like new bike day!!!!!!!!!

 

[mxmark4]

Man its awesome. Only issue so far is that stem seems to want to keep spinning, torqued to spec, worried I will strip stem out. Of course 5.5 nm aint poop and I have tightened it down a bit more but other than that its feelin good. Need a dropper post,but it wheelies well, feels good. Gonna try and hit the pump track tomorrow for a bit and see how it does.

 

[mxmark4]

Anybody got tips for tubeless that doesnt like holding air? Comverted my commencal and it doesnt show leaks any where when sprayed with soapy water. Muc off tape, stans sealant and valve stems. Cant figure out where its leaking. Driving me crazy. Any ideas tips tricks etc? Everything was clean and new when assembled.

 

[wydopen]

Anybody got tips for tubeless that doesnt like holding air? Comverted my commencal and it doesnt show leaks any where when sprayed with soapy water. Muc off tape, stans sealant and valve stems. Cant figure out where its leaking. Driving me crazy. Any ideas tips tricks etc? Everything was clean and new when assembled.

I used gorilla tape for a rim strip. Always worked better than tape they sell..Do a few layers should be super tight getting tire on. Also tighten valve stems down as tight as you can. Just poke a small hole in gorilla tape for the valve stem then force it in. Dump the sealant in before you finish putting tire on..blow up with compressor and then spin it. Never had a leak even with tires back in the day that weren’t “tubeless” tires.

 

[Big Kahuna]

Anybody got tips for tubeless that doesnt like holding air? Comverted my commencal and it doesnt show leaks any where when sprayed with soapy water. Muc off tape, stans sealant and valve stems. Cant figure out where its leaking. Driving me crazy. Any ideas tips tricks etc? Everything was clean and new when assembled.

What tires. I found maxxis tires to not hold air really well. Use Bontrager XR4's on both bikes. But still have to add air if its been more than 4 or 5 days