WTB: beginner mountain bike

@DangerDirtyD $4501 for the Giant AC2!

 

I'll give ya $4500.00 for it, but you need to include a longer seat post.

 

That's OK, he can just slam it down when he wants to desce.... wait a minute... hmmmm...

 

That’s a nice package that a rider could do anything with. At a nice price. Frame bag and carbon bar

Got your ears on, shoppers?

 

Really!? PM me, cash only please.

The frame is a medium size and i’m 6’ so the Thompson is the solution. A lower quality seat post would bend from my weight and no longer drop into the seat tube, which happens to curve at the shock mount junction, thus limiting the amount of travel for any seat post.

The seat tube angle precludes a reliable dropper post. I found the sweet spot length for me, but it can be cut further for shorter riders. It drops low enough for me to ride Yeager Mesa.

@Erckalf, really tho, you can borrow it in the mean time for a Marshall’s Canyon jaunt. I’ll even try to accompany you if my stars align.

 

Such serious replies! Y'know we're just funnin' on ya, right?

 

Special discount just for you! $4,501.02

 

Well this thread took an interesting turn.

Buying @BonsaiNut Motobecane tomorrow!!

 

Thanks, I built it as a go anywhere bikepacking bike, that I never got to use it for. My bikepacking buddies moved.

 

Congratulations!!

 

You scored! Buy a good helmet!
https://www.rei.com/product/153005/...MIoJmXo5em4gIVldlkCh1JYgV_EAQYBCABEgLfq_D_BwE
20% off for REI members.

 

Now time to upgrade!

 

Woohoo, congrats on your new bike! Have fun, be safe.

Props to @BonsaiNut for the IMTBro deal.

Got you, Dan. Depending on friends to BP is risky. Lots of people like the idea of it...

 

If a thread isn't derailed, you're on the wrong site

 

It sounds like living the dream to me! One day...

 

Well I got the chance to meet @Erckalf today! Super nice guy and the longer he stayed in my garage the more free stuff I found to give him.

Nice to meet another cool IMTBTRAILS member. I invited him to Jim's Summer Solstice ride even though Jim hasn't put it up on the calendar yet

 

Congrats. Looking forward to see what you get next.

 

Hehe, ouch. We all rode 26ers for XX years. We had fun. Until we learnt better.

@Erckalf, ride it like you stole it. You practically did!!

 

It is an addiction... buying bikes! Each of my last three bikes has been more expensive than the prior one... and yet has fewer gears. Not sure how that works

In terms of money per mile ridden - I probably got the most out of my CostCo bike. It only lasted a year, but for $300, I rode that thing all over Aliso / Wood Canyon. It was the opposite of an e-bike. It actually made biking harder than it was supposed to be. When I bought the Trek, it felt like I was floating! That said, the entire "buying bikes" process only works if you use them. It is really difficult to purchase a bike unless you have ridden enough to know what you need. Even on this site, there is a pretty broad range - from single speeds and hard tail minimalists, to enduro wannabes, to full mountain bomb jockeys.

I enjoy my 29" frames... but I am also 6' tall. Even so, there are definitely times when I miss the 26" agility. It just isn't the same riding experience (at least not to me). But since I mostly ride cross-country, the 29" enduro seems to be the best compromise - but it isn't the best solution for all trails or all rides.

I was actually considering selling my other 29" and keeping the 26" for Joplin and San Juan

 

Time to put the bike to use.

 

Have you ridden the Hightower on San Juan or Joplin yet?

I think you will be pleasantly surprised by how well it handles these trails.

 

No I haven't had the chance yet. Was thinking about Joplin the other day, but when I remembered that it hasn't been brushed or had the tread worked since some time early last year(?) I expect that the trail is unrideable. Last time I went down it after a heavy rain it was almost un-HABable with a 24" deep trench running right down the middle so narrow that your pedals couldn't clear both sides - and no room to walk to the left or right of the trench.

If the Motorway has brush problems right now... can you imagine Joplin? I've ridden it some times in a 'normal' spring when you can't see the trail because of the brush.

Joplin in a drought year:

 

Post up some pics already!

 

Any info on joplin cond .. i was thinkin of hittin it but had same thoughts as bonsai..even the floop has bushwakin...

 

+1!

Bonsainut, I predict you will come to prefer your Hightower for any tech descent eventually. More saddle time on the tricky stuff and you'll adapt.

Wheel size is a slice of the equation. I have been able to clean the tightest situations on 29ers. Ones with a pretty long wheelbase. Something about being comfortable and confident to take things with a little more momentum. To me, tight = low speed, and when you add rough, a 29er wheel gives an advantage. IMO!!!!!!!!!

 

I rode Joplin last weekend for the first time. Definitely has some overgrown sections, and some HAB/water crossings, but it took less than 20 minutes to get to Old Camp. It was a nice change of pace. The worst part is the bugs on the climb imo.

 

Couldn't keep up with TB, huh?

 

He is an excellent rider, and knows that trail much better than I do (16:06 vs 16:54). Trails in the CNF can be a lot to handle when you arent trying to push your limits, and as a newer rider, I am just happy when I survive them.

Staying within ones own abilities is an important discipline to learn, even if that means that you often ride trails blind. All the best rides have one thing in common, still being in 1 piece back at the car.

 

Maiden voyage with new owner tomorrow afternoon.