Roadie needs help with Mt Bike selection

[Takamine]

I’m a roadie that wants to put more cross country mileage on a mt bike. I have an old Specialized Rock Hopper (7 yrs old) and it’s time for an upgrade. I was thinking about a used Santa Cruz Blurr and was wondering which year and model would be a good choice to build up since there are so many variations of this bike.
Thanks

[Syd Patricio]

Well for one ask yourself what kind of riding your intending on doing….Cross country with very little stunts and drops or more aggressive riding with more than a few small drops or you intend to do almost anything falling short of big drops like 6 footers and such…IF that is the case then you have a choice of the Blur XC and put a lighter weight build like XT with a 100mm fork with either a brand wheel set like DT, MAVIC, Industry nine. OR something a bit more agressive with more travel like the Blur LT with a 140mm fork and the same brands wheels but a bit more tough like MAVIC ST or DT1850…Or a bigger bike like a Nomad with 160mm 20mm axle fork and beef wheels.

But if you had a choice of only one bike get the 140mm do all bike like the Blur LT just mix up the build so it is on the ligher side of things that way you still can go quick, keep the tires under 2.3" perhaps a Specialized Eskar S-Works and 2.2" is a good choice….A balance from traction and light weight.

[Bombardier]

If you’re heart’s set on a Blur, I suggest looking for a used ’05-’06 BlurLT; they’ve got the updated VPP linkage, more travel, and a strengthened frame over the older models.

But…. Even though I’m a loyal Santa Cruz fan-atic, since you’re mainly a roadie, I suggest taking a good hard look at an ’08Gary Fisher SuperCaliber, or an ’07 Gary Fisher Hi-Fi Pro.
The Fisher Genesis2 geometry is a huge improvement over standard MTB head-tube & fork geometries. Check out Fisher’s website for the technical in’s-&-out’s of the G2 geometry. But to make it short, the G2 setup greatly increases steering sensitivity at low speeds without sacrificing stability, making it twitchy at high-speed descending, or being prone to wandering while climbing.
Fisher’s rear suspension setup is fairly simple, responsive, durable, and in ’07 they fixed a problem with the swing-link on L/XL frames.

When I have more time, I’ll answer any questions you’ve got on this subject, m’kay? 😎

[Author]

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