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MotoMo165
6/18/2018 10:47am
6/18/2018 10:47am
Edited Date/Time
7/8/2018 11:22am
Do any of you guys ride steel framed hardtail mountainbikes? I’m considering buying a steel frame off eBay and throwing some 27.5 wheels on it, some quality components, I just don’t know what brand. With the aggressive nimble feel of a 27.5 hardtail, and the flex of steel frame, I would think it would compliment some of the more technical single track or am I overthinking the natural of a steel frame?
How much are you wanting to spend. If you're looking for a high end ride, starting with a Chromag frame is about the nicest build you could do. But that may be out of your budget.
The Shop
What % will be dirt roads?
What % will be sand?
What % will be smooth “path-like” trail?
What % will be rocky, snotty, roots and crap like that?
I live in Boise, and 80% of the trails in the near vicinity are buffed out, and not much more technical than a garden path at a retirement home. A hardtail is all you need.
If you are riding rocks, and getting technical, suspension starts to come into play.
Your first question is to really ask yourself what kind of terrain you will be riding, and then go from there.
I’m an intermediate rider. I’ll double rock gardens, find jumps on the trail, drag pedals through corners if I decide to keep pedaling, jump any thing that makes sense from a safety standpoint lol.
I’d be ok with spending around 500-700 on the frame alone. Ive owned an entry level XC FS style 29er and got rid of it and actually went back to 27.5 hardtail because they allow me to be more aggressive and that feeling of on the edge like an MX bike (probably gonna buy a new 250f at the end of this year after 5 years off)
@308
Cool I’ll look into those brands.
@Shiftfaced
Appreciate it. Most my trails is pretty smooth, but there’s a few around me I’ll ride that are more rocky.
Mostly dirt, but I’d say about 30 percent of my local trail is rocky/root but there’s ways to avoid the real rocky stuff i pretty much do no paved riding unless the trails are wet or I want to do some “urban” style mountain biking lol.
@peelout
I’m a size L on 27.5 frames, and M on 29er frame. You may be able to squeeze by with a L 27.5 frame but probably need a XL 27.5 frame. 27.5 tires are great man you need to try it. I had a 29er M framed giant FS and it wasn’t as fast in corners, the bike was loooong. Granted this was a 2014 bike.
Also jumping a 29er feels a little different. You can whip a 27.5 around Corners, and you can get a beefier tires on the 27.5 to make it closer to a 29er so you don’t lose too much of the rollability when switching to that smaller tire size.
26 in tires are terrible. Maybe for steep downhill gnarly courses on a 26in FS
I would never consider a 27.5, particularly on a hard tail. The 27.5+ bikes are fun, but the regular 27.5 bikes just feel like a 26'er to me.
If you really want to be a baller, go titanium.
http://www.konaworld.com/explosif.cfm
I have always liked Kona bikes and their geometry lends itself to downhill trails.
My home trails are loaded with rocks and roots. I like the feel of the big wheels when rolling over this stuff. But hey, there are no wrong answers here. Everyone has a different preference when it comes to their bikes and how they are set up.
It would probably behoove a prospective buyer to find a demo day for their prospective bike brand and ride several bikes to make the final decision.
The DB is still in my shed. I'd like to restore it, as it's a bit rough.
Edit: Just a random, drunken, rant
It was sad when DB became available from the department store here.
Pit Row
Loved that bike and will likely get another one at some point.
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