Looking at new MTBs or even Hybrid/Dual Sport

[ButchA]

Good morning…

I believe you all know I still ride an [i:1efkc0cl](upgraded by a bike shop)[/i:1efkc0cl] Schwinn Aluminum Comp. Hey, it works – and it was FREE. My brother-in-law gave it to me after he bought his Trek police bike (both for duty and personal use). It was a basic, no frills, Wally World bike and my brother-in-law spent some $$$ replacing some of the cheesy components. Now it is a pretty cool MTB!

Anyway…. I like the Schwinn but I am ready to upgrade and move onto something else. I’ve read countless websites and read all sorts of blogs and posts and articles on this website. At 51 yrs old, I am in no shape or skill level to get an advanced, full suspension, MTB. I’ll leave the advanced rock hopping and "defy the laws of gravity" stuff to you younger guys. 😛

So I have narrowed it down to these very common hardtail MTB’s:

Trek 4300
Specialized Hardrock
Raleigh Talus 5.0

I have checked out, sat on, and briefly rode a Raleigh Talus 3.0 in the bike shop parking lot. It was really nice, but they didn’t have a 5.0 in stock. I sat on the Trek 4300 but didn’t like the seat. I’m not sure of Specialized and because the bike shop didn’t carry them as a brand name.

Another choice that I am considering, and have no idea how rugged they truly are, is the "dual sport" versions of MTB’s. Has anyone ever ridden one? They are built like a lightweight MTB but yet have smoother tires for road riding too. You see, besides going MTBing, I also ride with my wife, and my sister & brother-in-law, and just go on nice casual street rides in the neighborhood for about 7 or 8 miles tops.

EDIT: I just looked at Trek DS and Specialized Crosstrail "dual sport" bikes on their websites. Does anyone know if these are truly rugged enough to handle MTB’ing?

My main question: Is there a nice MTB that can be happy splashing through the mud, going over tree roots on single tracks, but also enjoy a nice relaxing ride on the street?

What would you recommend?

[Corey Maddocks ✓ supporter]

Hybrid bikes tend to be too weak for real mountain biking. You will break stuff and end up spending more in the long run.

Don’t discount a full suspension bike. Even if you’re not shredding the gnar, your 51 year old bones will appreciate the softer ride, even on XC rides.

If you do go hardtail, in that price range, have a look at the Giant Revel or Talon.

[Jared13 ✓ supporter]

I bought an ’08 Hardrock XC model when it was new. I still have it and rode it both the street and singletrack. The Fast Trax tires did alright on both. I did raise the pressure by 20-30 lbs when I was using it on the street though.

For the price, it did everything I wanted/needed it to do. I think any of the entry-level hardtails you listed would fine (or from any bike manufacturer). However, like maddslacker pointed out, a full-suspension bike is much easier on the bones/joints.

You mentioned riding on the street with your wife and other family members for 7-8 miles. How much singletrack riding do you plan on doing? If the majority of your riding will be offroad, I would recommend getting a real mountain bike. Something that can handle roots, rocks, and dirt can easily adapt to riding on the street. Something designed for the street can’t as easily be adapted to the dirt.

[Greg Heil ✓ supporter]

As has been mentioned above, hybrids probably won’t hold up to real mountain biking… but the beauty of a mountain bike is that it can handle gnarly terrain, and if you want to ride it on roads you can do that too! Can’t really take a road bike off the roads and onto the singletrack, but you can definitely ride a mountain bike on the road with ease.

[ButchA]

Thanks guys… That’s what I was wondering. I guess you can take a mountain bike anywhere you want, and it’ll do fine. But you can’t take a DS or obviously, a "Lance Armstrong racing bike" out on a rugged singletrack trail. It’ll get bent/broken all to hell.

Here’s the Trek DS 8.2 that I was looking at originally.
[url:95na2r0z]http://www.trekbikes.com/us/en/bikes/mountain/dual_sport/ds_series/8_2_ds/#/us/en/model/details?url=us/en/bikes/mountain/dual_sport/ds_series/8_2_ds[/url:95na2r0z]
It looks nice, but then again, it doesn’t look rugged enough like you could go over tree trunks, rock gardens, etc… without it getting twisted into a pretzel.

The inexpensive Specialized Hardrock has caught my eye, but I don’t think my local bike shop carries Specialized…
[url:95na2r0z]http://www.specialized.com/us/en/bikes/mountain/hardrock/hardrock[/url:95na2r0z]

[Corey Maddocks ✓ supporter]

The Hardrock and Rockhopper models are both very capable entry level mountain bikes.

What brands do you have a available locally?

[ButchA]

"maddslacker" wrote

What brands do you have a available locally?

Agee’s Bicycles carries Trek, Fuji, Diamondback, and Raleigh.

There’s another shop called Conti’s [i:p89nxn7y](..I think)[/i:p89nxn7y] somewhere in town, but, I have never been there and don’t know what they have.

[Jared13 ✓ supporter]

"ButchA" wrote

[quote="maddslacker":2z8h5rfn]
What brands do you have a available locally?

Agee’s Bicycles carries Trek, Fuji, Diamondback, and Raleigh.

There’s another shop called Conti’s [i:2z8h5rfn](..I think)[/i:2z8h5rfn] somewhere in town, but, I have never been there and don’t know what they have.[/quote:2z8h5rfn]

My local shops carried both Trek and Raleigh. I wouldn’t have a problem buying either of those brands. I would rate Trek over Raleigh just because I have more experience with them but that’s not to say a Raleigh bike isn’t as nice, if not nicer than a comparable Trek model.

I don’t have any experience at all with Fuji or Diamondback so I can’t comment on either of those.

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