I'm looking at a Felt nine 60
Whats the good, bad and ugly low down on this thing. Is it worth the money for someone new to the sport?
I'm new to mt biking but have done some road peddling.
Any mt bike suggestions?
Refurbished Hip
It just depends on how much you're willing to spend. What kind of trails do you want to ride? How tall are you and what size wheels do you want? 29" will roll over rocks and roots better, but you're less agile and farther away from the ground. 26ers are kind of being phased out at this point, but 27.5" wheels are kind of the new happy medium.
Regarding the Felt, you can probably pick any bike at that price range and they're all going to be around the same thing: aluminum hardtail with okay components and a crappy fork.
If you have the money to spend, a friend once gave me the advice to buy a bike I would grow into. So you need to decide how much you think you'll get into the sport. If you do it and love it, you'll soon be itching for a more expensive and lighter bike than that Felt.
Do you have somewhere you can rent bikes from? That can help with decisions too.
Running is dumb.
Mr Jangles is going to give it, and you, the evil eye unless you promise to ride slow enough to take him along .
To be honest I know very little about Mt bikes these days. The last one I bought was back about '99. A 26" Raleigh hardtail that was good for it's time. I've been glancing at them again. Thinking about getting a fat bike. Supposedly they roll over almost anything.
DS got a 27.5" full suspension and the little bit I rode it I know that I can hop over rocks and roots a lot better then with my 26". I may try to rent a Fat bike this summer to see how I like it.
I see that the nine 60 is aluminum. That's what I would choose over carbon. I have a few really nasty dings in mine from it rubbing other bikes on my old hitch rack and I still trust the frame. I wouldn't really trust carbon quite as much.
Humm good idea, they rent mt bikes in Marquette, come on spring.
I'm 5'11" and the sale guy at the bike shop kept saying I needed a large fame. He was pushing the Felt bike pretty hard, made me wonder how long it had been sitting on the floor
Well I mtn. bike a lot. I have a biking trail system 10 minutes from my cabin that may be the best in the state so I'm a little spoiled and don't even ride around here anymore. I'm a Trek guy so I'll be a little biased and had to do some research on your bike mentioned. Personally I recommend the Trek Excalibur 8 for a good entry level or start up mt. bike. Probably can find a dealer hoping to get rid of a 2017 for a good price. My own preference for the type of riding we have in our region would be a hardtail with an aftermarket seat for a little more cush, 29", hydraulic disc, and make sure your seat post has a quick release lever for easy adjustment which in previous models the Felt didn't. At least initially an upgrade to a more grippy pedal and eventually clipless pedals and shoes as you become more experienced. Helmets are mandatory for mtn. biking.
I know we had a small debate here a couple years back on 29's vs. 27.5's vs 26's. IMO there is simply no debate unless you are doing stunt stuff to ride anything but a 29. I know of no one who has ridden 29's go back to riding the smaller wheels other than to dust off the old bike.
If you show a commitment for riding and gain experience then you'll have an idea on what you may want in your next bike and maybe full suspension, etc, etc. Your wallet becomes the only limit. But I think an expense of $1000-$1500 is all you really need to ride for many years if you take care of it.
Thinking about getting a fat bike. Supposedly they roll over almost anything.
Well they do but it requires some addt'l effort to keep those fat tires rolling. Very tiring. You can get some slightly wider tires with studs that will still fit a conventional mt. bike if you intend to do some limited snow and ice mt. biking and they roll a whole lot easier. Though if you would be doing a lot of snow riding they are pretty nice. You really don't get enough snow that sticks around there all season do you?
I'm 5'11" and the sale guy at the bike shop kept saying I needed a large fame.
Now there is one thing I can speak of from personal experience. Size does matter, and bigger is not better when it comes to bikes. Especially mountain bikes. Had a cyclocross that was just 2 cm too big for me and while it rode OK I could tell it affected the handling. I've had the opportunity to pick up a mtn bike or two that were a size too big for just a few pennies on the dollar and passed because of the size.
For comparison sake I'm 5'8" and ride a medium and could easily get away with a small. DS's 27.5 is a medium and it feels slightly big for me compared to mine.
I've been told that the bigger the tires the smaller the frame should be. Don't really know if that's true or not but when I test out the medium 29ers they feel bigger then my medium 26"
Some years the snow does stick around, especially on the dirt roads and trails, but it's hit or miss. For riding the trails in the snow the Fatbike would be the way to go around here. For the dirt and regular roads a 27.5 of 29er with 2.3-2.5 tires would be enough. I used to ride on some pretty icy stuff with the 26".
I'm definitely concerned about the greater inertia with those big tires. That's why I'd have to take one out on a trail and compare to the 27.5 and 29er before I'd buy one. Also don't think they would be very good on railtrails and dirt roads.
Now there is one thing I can speak of from personal experience. Size does matter, and bigger is not better when it comes to bikes. Especially mountain bikes.
+1 It's much easier to make a slightly small bike fit bigger, than a slightly too big bike fit smaller. Ask me how I know.
The frames are designed with that in mind. Definite changes in the geometry. You can also bottom out on the crank at times and your pedals will scrape the ground on breakovers. Picture your pickup truck getting hung up on the top of the pyramid. You become aware of it in short order and it's not something you even think about while riding. If you go on Treks website they do have a sizing "guide" for their models. It certainly works in my case.
This fall when I was having some work done on my bike after a crash the dealer spent a lot of effort trying to sell me a new bike with an end of season deal but it was the next size up. Nope, can't go outside the proper fit zone. Comfort, safety. handling are all compromised.
Tim
All good advice.
When I was looking to make a leap onto a more expensive bike, I went to a Demo day at a local ski slope. I rode all kids of bikes and could tell very quickly what wasn't comfortable. In the end, I had 2-3 choices that all felt pretty much the same. I went with a Trek.
Look to see if there is a demo day anywhere near you. It's a big purchase not to be happy with. Also get it fitted right for you.
“Paralysis-to-50k” training plan is underway!
Faster Than Your Couch!
Agree with Harrier that you can't easily change the tire size without it having a huge impact on geometry and handling.
We got a used mountain bike for my son from our bike store, it was a $1,000+ bike, lightly used, very well refurbished, for less than $300. Condition was really like new. We found that tire size is less important if you are small and lightweight (like my son or me), but it becomes more important the bigger you are.
Eventually it is the overall geometry of the bike that determines how well you can handle it and if it is comfortable for you or not, so trying it out is essential.
We have tryout weekends from local bike stores, you register, and they are held right at the mountainbike area. This is much better than trying it out up and down the road.
Run for fun.