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Question: What Type of Mountain Bike?

bounceswoosh

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
I agree - there are a lot of good bikes out there these days. I know people who manage/have managed just fine without good clearance, so you do hear conflicting guidance. But why deal with it if you don't have to? Especially at the price of top end new bikes these days - at that price, they had better be PERFECT for you.

And the search is on again ... for as long as I want to torture myself.
 
What is stand over (as the newbie asks with a sheepish smile)
 

altagirl

Moderator
Staff member
What is stand over (as the newbie asks with a sheepish smile)
It's a height measurement on the frame. Literally, stand over the top tube. Do you have room or no? Basically, bikes have different frame designs and even in small sizes, some are better for people with a longer inseam.
 

bounceswoosh

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
What is stand over (as the newbie asks with a sheepish smile)

Gap between top tube and your crotch. IIRC you want at least an inch. Can be difficult for short people. I suspect that the new popularity of 27.5 and 29 are making this more of an issue, too.
 

SallyCat

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
Thanks so much, everyone! Sorry for the radio silence; I've been up at the Kingdom Trails in VT with not much cell service. I really appreciate all of the helpful comments: you Divas are amazing, and you've given me a ton of great information to think about!! This is absolutely my favorite internet forum!

This is my current bike, btw:

https://www.jensonusa.com/Charge-Bikes-Cooker-3-Bike-2015

@bounceswoosh that is a great question, and no: I haven't tried riding it on lift-served dh trails. I will give that a try at Okemo this weekend; they have some easy downhill trails, and I'll see how it feels.

I did order a non-hydraulic dropper post, which I'm still waiting for. I think that might make a big difference on mixed trails--I can't really drop my outside foot on berms, and the trails I've been riding are varied up-and-down, so I just leave the seat up. I keep my pedals level and lean the bike as much as I can on turns. I was actually doing just fine on the Kingdom Trails the past few days, but there is one trail, Sidewinder, that has huge swooping drops and rises-into-banks, and I thought it would be a blast, but it really was nerve-wracking. I think it was the sheer speed accumulated on the drops that made me nervous. I don't really know how much of that is operator error vs. bike. Probably 99%/1%.

"Sidewinder" shows up at :29 in this video, and it is MUCH steeper than it appears in the vid, though it is utterly non-technical. I should have just let go the brakes and embraced my inner dumbass, but I was leery of hitting a rut or rock and taking a serious fall.


I'll keep working on my skills on the Cooker and see how things go--I definitely want to make sure I know exactly what I'm looking for if and when I do make a big bike purchase. It's one thing to take a chance on $149 skis; another entirely on a 3k bike.

Thanks so much for all of the helpful advice!!
 

bounceswoosh

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
I did order a non-hydraulic dropper post, which I'm still waiting for. I think that might make a big difference on mixed trails--I can't really drop my outside foot on berms, and the trails I've been riding are varied up-and-down, so I just leave the seat up.

Yes. I forgot about that - when I ride my XC bike on lift-serviced trails, the seat goes down.
 

geargrrl

Angel Diva
The dropper post should be a game changer for you. If you've got a strong attack position, slamming the saddle out of the way frees up body/bike separation. This is a key component to cornering and berms. Perhaps don't focus on your feet so much, but on what's happening with your whole body as you turn. Cornering is one of those things that even the ultra experts are always working on. There are lots of different theories on how to tech it, how to do it, and where your feet should be. The way we teach it is to get the head, shoulders and hips turning with level pedals to start, as you get more agressive, start adding the feet in as you counterbalance. Hope that make sense,miss hard to explain. There are lots of good photos out there. It might be worth it to work with a coach for a session to maximize learning to use the dropper.
 

SallyCat

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
@geargrrl Thanks, that's very helpful. I practiced cornering with level pedals yesterday, focusing more on hips and head/shoulders and it was a revelation! I practiced on a pump track and on some easy dh trails; can't wait to get back on my xc with this new skill set.
 

SallyCat

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
I attended the very awesome Vermont Mountain Bike Festival this past weekend and had the chance to demo quite a few bikes. I was really surprised at how weird and awkward it felt to ride a bike with slacker geometry on regular (i.e., not pure dh) trails. I came away feeling as though I have less of an idea of what I want than before I demoed, because the bikes handle sooooo differently from what I'm used to. (One thing about riding a 29-er hardtail: I NEVER hit my pedals on anything despite slovenly pedal position. Full-suss trail bikes: wow! You really have to pay attention to your feet!)

Fwiw, my favorites were the Scott Genius 710 and the Kona Process 134. The Genius climbed really well. The Kona fit well and was lighter, and had a huge amount of standover clearance, which was nice. I didn't like the Pivot Mach 6 or the Transition Scout very much at all. They felt like too much bike for me--too much going on waaaay out front of my bars, and the bikes felt heavy and cumbersome. Tried a Rocky Mountain Pipeline with plus tires, and though I really liked the feel of the bigger tires, the bike was loud and not as nimble as I'd like.

So, back to square one trying to figure out what I want. I think if I can narrow my choices down to three or four bikes that I know fit well, I should try to demo each for a longer period on trails that I'm familiar with. I'd like to try a Genius with plus tires.

Btw, I took a women's skill clinic/ group ride, and I found it enormously helpful. I was the slowest, most timid rider in the group, and the instructors were fantastic: patient, supportive, and helpful. I ended up pedaling faster than my usual pace and got out of my comfort zone in ways that helped me improve and gain confidence. It just reaffirmed how great it is to have women's-specific groups in outdoor /adventure sports.
 

geargrrl

Angel Diva
That's great you found some bikes you love. A small caution: it's easy to demo too many bikes and start getting into overload mode.

I too found more slack geometry awkward at first when I moved to it from a more pure XC type of bike. "Sit up and beg" is one thing I've heard it called, lol. I wouldn't trade it for anything, now.
 

bounceswoosh

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
I came away feeling as though I have less of an idea of what I want than before I demoed, because the bikes handle sooooo differently from what I'm used to.

This is what we call progress ;-) Now you know what you don't know!

The pedal hitting stuff thing - I forgot about that. I had a lot of issues with that when I got on my downhill bike the first few times, too. And I thought I was already pretty good at ratcheting pedals for obstacles ....
 

elemmac

Angel Diva
@SallyCat - Just an FYI on the Genius, you can actually change the bottom bracket height (makes the bike feel less "slacked", and will give you additional clearance for your pedals). There's a "low" and a "high" setting on the rear linkage, which allows you to "flip" the washer 180 degrees, which in turn changes the geometry of the bike. You'll see on the Scott Webpage that there's 2 measurements under "Geometry". I have the same linkage on my Scott Spark, and my SO has it on his Genius. I flipped my link on my Spark and hated it (WAYYY too upright for my liking), but my SO flipped it on his Genius, and he loved it...climbs better and allows for a less relaxed more XC feel to the bike. I've been itching to get on a Genius Plus too...if you get a chance to try it, let me know how it goes!
 

geargrrl

Angel Diva
This is what we call progress ;-) Now you know what you don't know!

The pedal hitting stuff thing - I forgot about that. I had a lot of issues with that when I got on my downhill bike the first few times, too. And I thought I was already pretty good at ratcheting pedals for obstacles ....

Funny, this came up when I was with my friend on her hunt. That's one of the design things right now: shorter chainstays and lower bottom bracket make the bike feel more playful and track better, but the trade off may be more pedal strikes.
 

SallyCat

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
@SallyCat - Just an FYI on the Genius, you can actually change the bottom bracket height (makes the bike feel less "slacked", and will give you additional clearance for your pedals).

@elemmac That's good to know, and a nice feature! It might help my transition from an xc bike to a trail bike if I can adjust the angle. I don't know how it was set when I demoed, so I'll make sure to be aware next time. I may be able to get on a plus within the next week or two, so I'll report back!
 

SallyCat

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
I finally had a chance to try the Genius plus, and wow, it was a fun ride. I tried it at a bike park for a couple of hours, so I can't comment on how it climbed, but I whipped it around the pump track easily, and after a couple of runs to get the feel of it on the trails, I felt like it gripped the berms with tenacity and went over rocks like they weren't even there. It was especially good on loose rocks/scree.

The only thing was, it didn't feel as nimble as the regular Genius, or the Contessa Genius, both of which I also really liked. It was just a bit heavier/clunkier feeling. The big tires were fun and confidence-inspiring, but I'm going to wait and see what happens to the plus tire trend and demo both again before I decide. I live in eastern Pennsylvania, famous for it's boot, bike, and soul crushing rocks, so I would seriously consider going with a fattie bike even if that means sacrificing a bit of weight.

On another note, I had my first really big crash the other day--slipped off a wet wooden bridge and fell down a culvert. Nothing injured but my dignity. If I were a good biker and had been gong fast, it would have looked awesome. In the event, I think I just looked like an old cat lady being really lame really slowly. :becky:
But I fell twice that day and didn't cry once, so I treated myself to ice cream. :jumphappy:
 

altagirl

Moderator
Staff member
It is funny how much of demoing is what you are used to. My husband rides a pivot mach 6 as his XC bike. And does a lot of climbing (and is reasonably fast) . But he has tried real XC bikes and just doesn't like the feel, so.... same problem from the opposite perspective.
 

Soujan

Angel Diva
It is funny how much of demoing is what you are used to. My husband rides a pivot mach 6 as his XC bike. And does a lot of climbing (and is reasonably fast) . But he has tried real XC bikes and just doesn't like the feel, so.... same problem from the opposite perspective.

So true. I have a custom built hardtail Lynskey. I went to NEMBA Fest and demoed a Yeti Beti. I hated it. I was so upright and the handlebars were so wide. Not what I'm used to but that is the standard now.
 

SallyCat

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
@Soujan it's funny you mention that; I just switched from a hardtail xc bike to a trail bike, and I love being more upright, because it's so much easier on my old back! :becky: Though the slacker geometry is taking some getting used to on technical and uphill sections. It's amazing how many subtle variations make such a huge difference in comfort and handling. Now I get the point of the super-geeky convos about geometry I used to not understand at all. Here's my new soulmate!

upload_2016-9-27_5-7-23.png
 

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