New XC MTB for me!

[Tom K.]

Just remember that the Navy is building it's new fighter jets with carbon airframes. They will be catapulting them and splatting them onto carrier decks for like 50 years. Besides, it's not like nobody has ever broken an aluminum bike.

Every mtb part can be broken, even if only occasionally. My personal record is that I've broken EVERY aluminum mtb I've owned since 1988, and ZERO carbon frames.

On that note, BF will be selling his 2017 Trek Fuel EX 9.8 soon. He gets a new one every year thanks to discounts. It'll be a screamin' deal. It's a 19.5", so about a L. Trek seems to run small. Caveat is it's a 29er. And it's in Utah

Jeebus, just buy this bike, if the size is correct for you. It's the Swiss Army knife of bikes. It can run 29 or 27.5+ wheels, though for plus, you'll need to stretch the fork travel 10 mm to avoid bashing the daylights out of your pedals.

When negotiating price, tell him you know what "ninja" pricing is, but don't tell him how you know.......

 

[Ron]

i recall several years back when I bought a carbon Ibis, people were freaking out about how they were going to snap in half. now every high-end bike is carbon.

 

[scott43]

i recall several years back when I bought a carbon Ibis, people were freaking out about how they were going to snap in half. now every high-end bike is carbon.

They're beefy. In the early days I was definitely not buying carbon..the bonding processes were poor and I personally saw some fairly mundane failures that could have been catastrophic. But Trek (and others..) figured it out after a few tries and I've played around with some carbon parts and frames..they are definitely strong. It's an unbelievably great material to make stuff out of. You just have to be careful about crash or other self-inflicted types of damage.

 

[AmyPJ]

Every mtb part can be broken, even if only occasionally. My personal record is that I've broken EVERY aluminum mtb I've owned since 1988, and ZERO carbon frames.



Jeebus, just buy this bike, if the size is correct for you. It's the Swiss Army knife of bikes. It can run 29 or 27.5+ wheels, though for plus, you'll need to stretch the fork travel 10 mm to avoid bashing the daylights out of your pedals.

When negotiating price, tell him you know what "ninja" pricing is, but don't tell him how you know.......

Hey now, no trade secrets! He does baby it. He takes both bikes apart weekly, and gives them a good once-over after every ride.
It really is a great bike. I'm getting the 2018 version also. Now, if it would just be ready. I guess they are taking pre-orders.

 

[Monique]

You just have to be careful about crash

This just seems perverse for a mountain bike.

 

[Monique]

He does baby it. He takes both bikes apart weekly, and gives them a good once-over after every ride.

I have seen this in action. She's not kidding.

 

[Monique]

I am really wondering what benefit a guy like me who puts on 500 miles or less a year get from a $5K bike vs a $2.5K bike? I know the more expensive bikes have better components and are lighter, but geometries in particular models will be the same, right?

I've been thinking about cost/benefit since buying my bike this season - perhaps a bit belatedly. I hadn't ridden with other people much/at all the last few years. Recent riding with you and others made me realize how important the rider is, rather than the bike. And if someone stole my bike off my car, I'd be miserable. In some ways, not having a very expensive bike is freeing. ("Very expensive" is of course in the eye of the beholder.) In the meantime, I watched my friend on a hardtail bop down a rocky descent that I absolutely would not try, never mind my fancypants full suspension bike. Definitely the rider.

There are some bikes that you just can't get fully built at 2.5k, but you can at 5k. So in that case, if you really liked a particular geometry or suspension design or whatever, you'd have to pony up.

But yes, for bikes that are available in build kits from 2.5k to 5k (or whatever the range is), the difference will be in the components. I tend to think that the increased component levels do add something, but that could just be confirmation bias.

 

[luliski]

I've been thinking about cost/benefit since buying my bike this season - perhaps a bit belatedly. I hadn't ridden with other people much/at all the last few years. Recent riding with you and others made me realize how important the rider is, rather than the bike. And if someone stole my bike off my car, I'd be miserable. In some ways, not having a very expensive bike is freeing. ("Very expensive" is of course in the eye of the beholder.) In the meantime, I watched my friend on a hardtail bop down a rocky descent that I absolutely would not try, never mind my fancypants full suspension bike. Definitely the rider.

There are some bikes that you just can't get fully built at 2.5k, but you can at 5k. So in that case, if you really liked a particular geometry or suspension design or whatever, you'd have to pony up.

But yes, for bikes that are available in build kits from 2.5k to 5k (or whatever the range is), the difference will be in the components. I tend to think that the increased component levels do add something, but that could just be confirmation bias.

You could also go best frame, lower components, and up-grade as necessary. I think upgrading's kind of fun.

 

[scott43]

I've been thinking about cost/benefit since buying my bike this season - perhaps a bit belatedly. I hadn't ridden with other people much/at all the last few years. Recent riding with you and others made me realize how important the rider is, rather than the bike.

Meh..having a more expensive bike is not a detriment. If you like it and can afford it, it will only make you better!

 

[Tom K.]

It really is a great bike. I'm getting the 2018 version also. Now, if it would just be ready. I guess they are taking pre-orders.

I've been loving my new 2018 Fuel EX 9.9. Only about 25 hours on it so far, but so much goodness. Full review coming in a week or so, but for now, you both might consider stretching the budget to whichever models have the new through-shaft rear shaft shocks. SO supple over fast chatter like rock/root gardens.

And 7 mm more BB clearance is much appreciated by me, and will be even more so by those that choose the plus wheeled versions.

 

[AmyPJ]

I've been loving my new 2018 Fuel EX 9.9. Only about 25 hours on it so far, but so much goodness. Full review coming in a week or so, but for now, you both might consider stretching the budget to whichever models have the new through-shaft rear shaft shocks. SO supple over fast chatter like rock/root gardens.

And 7 mm more BB clearance is much appreciated by me, and will be even more so by those that choose the plus wheeled versions.

So, I believe that the 9.8 will have the new shocks, and more BB clearance?? Really? That'd be great! Guess I'd better get mine ready to sell, too!

 

[Tom K.]

So, I believe that the 9.8 will have the new shocks, and more BB clearance?? Really? That'd be great! Guess I'd better get mine ready to sell, too!

Not 100% sure, but I don't think the 9.8 Fuel EX will get the through-shaft shock, even though the Slash 9.8 does.

We'll know in a week or two, with certainty.

 

[AmyPJ]

Not 100% sure, but I don't think the 9.8 Fuel EX will get the through-shaft shock, even though the Slash 9.8 does.

We'll know in a week or two, with certainty.

Anxiously waiting to hear! I'm glad to know that the new shock seems to do what it advertises. There is a Trek demo coming up here on Sept. 21st. Hopefully I'll get a chance to try it out.

 

[Monique]

Meh..having a more expensive bike is not a detriment. If you like it and can afford it, it will only make you better!

Hah! Well, I do think there's a level of anxiety about leaving the bike on the car that would be less with a different bike. And of course - whenever you spend money on one thing, you are not spending money on something else (or saving it for retirement). So there's that ...

I do love my bike, though.

 

[AmyPJ]

@Tom K. I found this spec sheet of the new Trek Fuel EX 9.8 on a NZ website, I do believe it has the new suspension design in the back??
http://www.evolutioncycles.co.nz/index.php?route=product/product&path=&product_id=88508
REAR SUSPENSION Fox Performance Float EVOL, RE-aktiv 3-position damper, tuned by Trek Suspension Lab, 210x52.5 mm

Oh, wait, it's called Thru Shaft. Well, here's hoping it does, in fact, come with it.

 

[Doug Briggs]

Meh..having a more expensive bike is not a detriment. If you like it and can afford it, it will only make you better!

The difference in derailleurs and shifters, might not make such a big difference. But in thinking about this a bit more, I can see that given the same frame across builds, better components, particularly shocks and dropper post, could improve the ride considerably.

Boy, I wish I could start test riding soon. All the shops are aiming to sell out their stock this weekend. :-|

 

[Monique]

The difference in derailleurs and shifters, might not make such a big difference. But in thinking about this a bit more, I can see that given the same frame across builds, better components, particularly shocks and dropper post, could improve the ride considerably.

Boy, I wish I could start test riding soon. All the shops are aiming to sell out their stock this weekend. :-|

Question is, how much of a demo do you need? I can develop a pretty strong opinion just riding around the block - at least eliminating certain candidates. Can you drop off a curb, or is even that going to suck too much?

I would definitely advise a dropper post - but of course you could do that aftermarket if you got a great deal otherwise. And you're right that higher end builds have different shocks and particularly different forks.

What brands/bikes are available for the demo stock?

Another thought is buying a frame and building it up yourself. In most cases, I'm not sure the build kit saves you much (if at all) vs buying components individually. I may be wrong about that!

 

[Doug Briggs]

I'm trying to figure out how much demoing I can do.

I'm kind of leaning towards 27.5 with its greater travel and agility. All I've ridden so far have been nice; I haven't had a 'wish it did xxx' moment on any of them.

I'm not interested in building up a bike. I'd rather buy complete then work from there. I know things will work together. ;-) I've had too many after market component 'crap it fits but...' moments. I'm not that demanding on perfection anyway. I just want something new to ride.

The other part of the equation is that the insurance check won't be coming for a while and I don't have any CCs, just debit, so I need to wait for $. I suppose the local shops might lay-away for a local. ???

 

[Erik Timmerman]

Complete is going to save plenty compared to building custom.

Regarding carbon bikes, I saw a friend today who I knew had just gotten a new carbon wonder bike. I asked her how it was, and she told me that she had broken it on the very first ride. She crashed it into a tree kinda like that Minnaar video.They are giving her a new frame though, so it's OK.

 

[Monique]

Sigh.