Non-negotiables

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    • #236649

      I am curious what everybody’s non-negotiables are when buying a new bike.

      On paper, the Marin Pine Mountain 2 seems to tick every box for me with two exceptions 1) price and 2) not boost hubs.

      I like that it is steel, geometry seems to be about right for the riding I plan to do, good components but I am slightly concerned it will be hard to take advantage of good deals on replacement wheels since it is not boost (which seems to be the direction everything is headed for now).

      Regarding the price, I am comparing to a Canyon Spectral that can be had with GX Eagle and full suspension for $2,500. Probably not a fair comparison.

      Very curious to see where the community comes down on this. Frame material? Components? Suspension? Thru-axles? The list goes on…

    • #236650

      Everything is negotiable. 🙂

      I guess another way to say it is, there are always tradeoffs, and there is no such thing as a perfect mountain bike. I honestly can’t think of anything that I have to have on a mountain bike, or couldn’t work around. A dropper post comes to mind, but I could always add one if a bike didn’t come with it. A water bottle mount (or two) is really important to me, but I wouldn’t pass on a bike if that was the only thing it was missing.

    • #236654

      I think the non-boost is kinda an issue as it will be a limiting factor going forward. If you plan to keep the bike long term I would say keep searching. For me I shopped for a long, long time before I found the bike that had everything I wanted at a price I could afford. I geeked out and created a spreadsheet with +/- to help me decide on my must haves and ultimately to help decide my purchase.

      Must haves were 1 by 11, 160mm of travel or more, a dropper (because adding it later was a lot more expensive after the fact and I can ride happily without one) and most importantly upgradability with at least current standards.  For me it was a Commencal that ticked all the boxes and I couldn’t be happier.

    • #236655

      Are you by chance looking at a leftover previous model? I’m just asking because a quick check on the 2018 shows 110/148 spacing…

      I’ll admit to sort of compromising on the boost spacing on my most recent purchase (a 2017 YT Jeffsy AL One 29). It’s oddly 100/148 spacing, but I decided the 110 spacing up front wasn’t worth the $700 premium on the 2018. Forks are easy to replace…

    • #236657

      Thanks for the input. I must have confused the pine mountain 1 and 2 on that rear hub.

      I think I was too hyperbolic about non-negotiable. I was more thinking where is your starting point when you are shopping. I am trying to avoid making a rookie mistake on my next purchase.

      • #236672

        No problem, after spending 2 months comparing specs I know exactly how easily things get blur together. To be honest, I miss the days when all you had to look-out for was whether the frame had a 1” or a 1 1/8” steer tube (yeah, I’m old…).

    • #236665

      1×12 (but 1×11 would be acceptable), no SRAM brakes….I’d get the Canyon….or a YT….or an Intense. It’s hard to touch what these “direct to consumer” guys are offering right now.

    • #236673

      I wouldn’t worry about boost just yet.   There will be plenty of 142 wheels on the market for the foreseeable future and you might even get better deals on them.

      As for me, a lifetime frame warranty is non-negotiable.   Good customer support and good LBS.   Aside from the frame geometry, I can upgrade everything else if I need to.

    • #236674

      I will not buy a frame that doesn’t have long reach, low BB, slack HTA, steep STA, room for my 160mm Revive, and a bottle mount.  There are too many options out there for me too compromise with my money.

    • #236676

      I won’t buy a frame with a press fit BB.  Even if they are reliable it drives me looney that I can’t replace it myself.

    • #236679

      What are the thoughts on quick release vs thru axles. I have had the misfortune of bending a skewer and snapping an axel. No idea how.

      I am hesitant to get another bike with qr.

      • #236680

        Interesting.

        I’m a 200+ pound, bull-in-a-china-shop type rider.  I’ve broken just about every thing on a bike you can imagine, including three frames now.  My friends are always amazed at the damage I inflict.  “I’ve never seen that before” is a constant comment.

        I’ve never broken a QR axle.

        I do like thru axles as I can feel a difference in performance and I like a front end that tracks exactly as I want it to, but on the other hand, I like the ease of maintenance that comes with a QR.   But that’s really a minor difference, so overall, I prefer thru axles.  But I still have two bikes with QRs, and I’ve never felt the need to upgrade the fork/wheel or replace the bike just because of that.

    • #236682

      Like @JohnFisch above I too have broken everything one can break on a bike, I however have broken and bent QR axles. I switched to thru-axle forks in ’00 and have not ridden anything else since outside of one w/ a CX bike. The increased precision and steering predictably are measurably different and thus a non-negotiable. I don’t have a QR front or rear on any bike I own including my commuter.

      Other non-negotiable bike items change over time. Currently, I would not purchase a non-29er mountain bike, but this was different five years ago. I like the simplicity of being able to swap most of the components b/t my bikes. I also wouldn’t purchase a bike with a pressfit bottom bracket. I have none in my stable and there is nothing out there that would convince me I need one. I happen not to like Fox suspension nor Shimano components. One of my bikes came with Shimano brakes which I know many adore, but I would not go out of my way to buy them and may swap them for SRAM. As for Fox, I’ve yet to ride a bike (and I ride many bikes) that had Fox suspension that was I blow away by. That combined with years of durability/maintenance issues keeps me away from them. This is all of course subject to change.

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