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Looking to get my first mountain bike since I was a kid. I was originally looking at a Marlin 7 but have reconsidered because of the better components you get jumping up a bit. So I’ve narrowed my choices down to these three. I’m not looking to do anything crazy besides running some singletrack and trails with my family. I’m 5’8 170lbs and not entirely sure what I want. I thought the stache seemed a bit big which is why I was gonna try out the roscoe. I am wondering if maybe the tires were a bit low. So I guess I’m open to opinions on what route to go. I’m thinking the mid fat tire would be good. I don’t really have any sweet mtb skills to speak of other then I rode all the time as a kid. Let me know your thoughts. Thanks!!
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I recently bought the Roscoe 8. All I can say is wow, I have absolutely no regrets and would buy the bike again if I had to. The 27.5+ tires are really nice. Rides a lot smoother than normal HT because those + tires act like a suspension of their own. The NX 1×12 drive train is really, really nice. Climbing is too easy now. Then the icing on the cake is the dropper post. If you’ve never ridden a bike that has one, once you do, you will never ride another bike that doesn’t have one.
If you have the extra $200 I would get the Roscoe 8. If you don’t, I would save up for a little bit longer. You will not be disappointed.
All of that being said, I love my Roscoe because it fits me and my style of riding perfectly. If you can, ride all three of those bikes, ask if they have a demo version and take it to a trail. Just because I’m speaking highly of the Roscoe 8 doesn’t mean it’s perfect for everybody.
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I think for a Trail hardtail, 29+ is best. There’s a reason XC bikes all come with 29er wheels. To my way of thinking, the best plus wheel is a 29×2.8 tire on an inner width i33-35mm rim. A close second is a 29×2.6 tire on an i28-30 rim. Not many bikes come with 29×2.8 tires but they should. I ride the full-sus Trek Full Stache with 2.8 tires on i35 rims and it is incredible. The hardtail Trek Stache comes with 3.0 tires on i45 rims and that is just too much wheel. Even with the too big wheels, the Stache is a great bike. If the Stache came with 2.8 tires on i33 rims, it would be stellar. There are three hardtails that come with 29×2.6 tires—Specialized 29 Fuze, Salsa 29 Timberjack, Ibis 29 DV9. The least expensive Salsa 29 Timberjack sells for about $1200. If I was buying a budget Plus hardtail, the $1200 29 Timberjack would be my first choice. The Timberjack has clearance for 29×2.8 tires if you push the adjustable rear dropouts all the way back.
If you decide to get a 27.5+ bike the same rules apply. A 27.5×2.8 tire on an i33-35 is best with a 27.5×2.6 tire on an i28-30 rim being a close second. My general rule for the best Plus wheels is no tire wider than 2.8 and no rim wider than i35. Old school Plus wheels with 3.0 tires on i40-45 rims are just too heavy and slow rolling.
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In a similar situation to you, but I’m 6’5″ which is why I went with a Stache. However I was considering the X-Cal, Stache & Marlin (7) initially and the Roscoe is something I didn’t go with ONLY because at my ht/length I went w/ a 29er.
Based on what you expressed, I’d recommend (strongly!) the Roscoe w/ the mid fat tires will give you traction and a bit of squish in the rear (it’s a hard tail but that wonderful plus tire gives you some float) and you’ll get more out of that before you have to upgrade in my personal opinion. The Roscoe is likely a better fit for you.
How-EV-er if you feel good on the plus 29er of the Stache? GO FOR IT. As of this response it’s on sale and makes a good deal . . . GREAT. In my opinion, it’s the best value of the bunch at it’s current sale price – hands down.
Granted this is just my opinion, and I hope it helped.
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Thanks for the advice. I’m gonna go in later this week and test out a Roscoe 7 and a Stache 5. I’m also gonna make sure they are set up for me too. I’m pretty sure the stache 7 I rode didn’t have properly inflated tires cause the person that helped me didn’t know a lot about the bikes in the shop and answered a couple questions wrong that should’ve been kinda no brainers for someone in there selling these things. So hopefully come Friday I’ll have me a bike again. I got the okay from the wife so I’m safe on that front.
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Thanks for the advice. I’m gonna go in later this week and test out a Roscoe 7 and a Stache 5. I’m also gonna make sure they are set up for me too. I’m pretty sure the stache 7 I rode didn’t have properly inflated tires cause the person that helped me didn’t know a lot about the bikes in the shop and answered a couple questions wrong that should’ve been kinda no brainers for someone in there selling these things. So hopefully come Friday I’ll have me a bike again. I got the okay from the wife so I’m safe on that front.
Glad to hear it! The Stache 5 was second on my list . . . and I understand getting the ok from the spouse (mine was a prezzie from her.) I think the Stache 5 is on sale for about $250 more than the Roscoe 7 . . . so I don’t think you can go wrong with either.
Looking forward to hearing about your new ride!
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I ordered a stache 5. What i33 rims would be reasonable for that? Something I may do in the future but i’ll just ride it the way it is for now
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Unlike tires, which have a standard labeling sytstem like 29×2.6 or 700×66, etc., rims don’t come with standard labeling and it can it can be difficult to find a particular rim width. It sure would be great if rims/wheels were labeled 29i33 or 700i33 for a 29er size with an inner width i33mm rim. All I can say is go to rim/wheel websites and read the fine print to determine inner rim width.
The Sun Ringle Duroc 35 rims have an inner width of i32. The Ibis 938 rims have an inner width of i34. Many rim/wheel companies make i35 rims like WTB. However, buying even an inexpensive wheelset is going to cost $600+. Instead, I would recommend buying narrower tires for your new Stache. Tires as narrow as 2.6 work fine with i45mm rims. In fact, I would get your Trek dealer to trade the 3.0 tires the bike comes with for some 2.8 or 2.6 tires before you even take the bike out the door.
I use 29×2.8 Teravail Coronados and I like them a lot. WTB and Terrene also make 29×2.8 tires. I would also consider putting some 2.6 tires on the Stache. When you put a 2.6 tire (which are made for i35 rims) on a wider i45 rim the tire gets wider and becomes a 2.7 tire. In the opposite way, when you put a 2.8 tire (which are made for i40 rims) on a narrower i33 rim the tire gets narrower and becomes a 2.7 tire. Almost every tire company now makes 29×2.6 tires. Something like a 2.6 Maxxis Minion on the front and a 2.6 Maxxis Rekon on the back could be quite good.
Don’t be afraid to put narrower tires on your Stache. I think using 2.6 or 2.8 tires will improve the bikes performance without losing the Plus goodness.
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Plusbike Nerd,
Wouldn’t 2.6″ tires turn a Stache into just a regular 29er?
Would you say this is worse or better than the 29er versions of the Fuse, Timberjack or Chameleon? They all run 29×2.6, but lack the jacked up geometry of the Stache.
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I consider 29×2.6 a Plus tire. A 2.6 tire mounted on an i45 rim would puff out to 2.7 width. A 2.8 tire mounted on an i33 rim would shrink to 2.7 width. To my way of thinking, the perfect Plus tire would measure a true 2.7 width when mounted on an i33 rim.
In my opinion, the perfect 29+ hardtail Trailbike would be built his way. 2.8 Trail tires like the Teravail Coronados (not Enduro tires which are too heavy and slow rolling) mounted on i33 rims (which would then have a true tire width of 2.7). I’ve been riding this wheel for a while now and I love it. A 130-140mm fork which seems to be just the right length for a Trailbike. Progessive Trailbike geometry with a 75-76 degree seattube and a 66-67 degree headtube and a long enough toptube so that 35-50mm stems work. Trailbikes with this geometry get glowing reviews. I’ve been using 35-40mms stems for a while and I love how they work. Stems longer than 50mm feel weird.
By comparison, the Stache has wider rims and tires, less travel, longish stem, and old-school less-progessive geometry. By modern standards, the Stache has gotten a little stale and is due for an update into a more modern progessive Trailbike. The Fuze has the most progessive geometry compared to the Chameleon, Stache, or Timberjack. Given the Staches old school geometry, I wouldn’t call it “jacked up”. Don’t get me wrong. I think the Stache is great bike. I just think it could be better if built the way I would like to see a modern 29+ hardtail Trailbike built.
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<p style=”text-align: left;”>Thanks! By ‘jacked up’ I meant what Trek did to fit 29×3 tires. It would seem jacked up with thinner tires, I think.</p>
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Roscoe 8 is a excellent bike and hard to beat with components and price. I run 12 psi for the comfort and traction and seams to be a good air pressure for me at 170 and lite in the saddle in the rocks and roots.The judty air fork is just fine as i ride some nasty single track and a occasional downhill tech sections and do just fine with the float concept. If your looking for comfort and faster downhill then rear sus is a given but if your looking to just ride everything and not race then roscoe hardtail is a good option.
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