# Urban "Mountain" Biking?



## J_Ghost (Sep 10, 2016)

I don't mean BMX and doing stunts off stairs or backflips. Fitness riding that includes jumping off curbs, dodging potholes, parking lots that look like a warzone, cutting across grass, that kind of thing. Anybody think this kind of riding is fun? My Trek 830, while pretty heavy (steel frame) is mostly used for this. If I wanted a lighter bike, what would be a good choice? I saw the Raleigh Redux online which looks like a ball to own, but no place around here seems to sell it.

https://www.raleighusa.com/redux-491

Edit: or is my old 830 the best option still because steel? Compared to the prices of some new bikes, it may as well have been free 

Or I could get a new trail bike like a Trek Marlin or X-Caliber and do some occasional wooded singletrack too if it could handle it.


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## Harold (Dec 23, 2003)

Plenty of that sort of urban riding to be had around here. Most "urban" rides here get a huge mix of bikes. Some people show up on road bikes, or cross bikes, or classic bikes with baskets, or hybrids, or mtb's, or whatever. They're usually a run-what-you-brung affair. Some people have fun riding stairs and curb skinnies and loading dock drops and whatnot if they've got the bike for it, and others just cruise along on their pavement bikes. There's usually drinking involved somewhere (sometimes it's hard liquor and a bonfire under a bridge, and sometimes it's brewery stops).

Whether the Raleigh or the Trek is better for you just depends. The Raleigh you linked to isn't really a mtb, but it's a burlier hybrid sort of a thing. I'm not excited by the aluminum fork for rougher conditions, though. I'd expect the ride quality to be sorta harsh unless a test ride proved otherwise. I'm going to bet that Raleigh is relying on the big rubber to smooth out rough pavement instead of frame/fork compliance.

The Trek 830 wasn't known for having particularly high end steel, but it should be a little more comfy than the Raleigh, though.

Even though the two bikes in question are very different from each other, I'm having a tough time deciding whether one is appreciably better for the sort of riding you're talking about.


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## root (Jan 24, 2006)

We just call it urban, and fitness was the last thing on our minds. It was horsei ng around and riding with friends. a smaller group got into a more specialized aspect into trials, similar bikes used until some got way specialized into mods. Hardtails, the more hardcore on rigid forks too. 1x decades before 1x was a trendy term. As fat a tire you could find and fit. 
You can play bicycle games too. A fave tha we came up with that is actually a real sport, cycle-ball. Not that bicycle polo that some local fixie hipsters are doing, f the mallet. All bicycle guys, it will work your bike handling skills and give you a decent workout. We came up with bicycle sumo too, that was kinda silly and you had to be good enough to back tirenhop tho.


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## J_Ghost (Sep 10, 2016)

I'm just trying to find a good value fun ride that is an upgrade from what I have now, but the thing is, anything I get as an upgrade will be more usage-specific. Its a fitness bike, a mess around town bike, and a light mountain bike. Picking the direction to go in next is hard..... I don't want 2 $1,500 bikes. I just can't do that now.


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## Harold (Dec 23, 2003)

If I was going to upgrade what you've got with a similar vein, I'd probably stick with a mtb (but a little nicer/newer and maybe built with a rigid steel/carbon fork), unless I'm mistaking your penchant for tomfoolery. If actual tomfoolery will be minimal and you're just talking about riding over rough pavement, then the Raleigh would be fine.


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## phlegm (Jul 13, 2006)

Building on Harold's reply, any bike can be ridden in an urban environment, but not every urban bike can function well on trails. A hardtail mountain bike should suit your needs, be lighter, and cost effective.

You can switch to more urban friendly (less blocky tires) if you wish, or if the goal is truly "fitness", leave the OEM chunky mountain tires on for more rolling resistance.


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## J_Ghost (Sep 10, 2016)

Ok thanks guys. So it sounds like the Salsa Timberjack or Rockhopper from my LBS would work well then. Goal isn't really treadmill style fitness, more get a better, more versatile and fun bike that can go to state parks occasionally without spending $2000 on a dedicated mountain bike. I was looking at the Trek Dual sport as well but not sure if it could handle trails at all. Any good rigid mountain bike options under $1500 if I wanted to go that route?


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## FJSnoozer (Mar 3, 2015)

I believe "urban" mountain biking is most fun on a bigger travel endure bike. My interpretation is riding skinny walls that get progressively higher off the ground until it is a full on Park style ladder drop, sending staircases, Silly trials moves here and there. There are some 4-6 foot natural dirt/grass ramps in parks if you look around where a nice sprint can get you some real air time.


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## FJSnoozer (Mar 3, 2015)

J_Ghost said:


> Ok thanks guys. So it sounds like the Salsa Timberjack or Rockhopper from my LBS would work well then. Goal isn't really treadmill style fitness, more get a better, more versatile and fun bike that can go to state parks occasionally without spending $2000 on a dedicated mountain bike. I was looking at the Trek Dual sport as well but not sure if it could handle trails at all.


You can also look at some Dirt jumper MTB hardtails. You can get all the fitness you want and they will take the hits and have better stronger components.


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## slapheadmofo (Jun 9, 2006)

FJSnoozer said:


> You can also look at some Dirt jumper MTB hardtails. You can get all the fitness you want and they will take the hits and have better stronger components.


This would be my preference if the riding was pretty much all 'urban' and I had a BMXish demeanor about it. For a mix of trail and street though, specially minus BMX-influenced trickery, a HT MTB would be perfect. You don't need to spend anywhere near 2k to get a decent hardtail that would suffice.


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## Jays19832 (Jun 1, 2017)

Maybe get a hybrid and get a second set of thicker wheels outfitted with 1.9 tires. It's not perfect, but something worth investigating.


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## J_Ghost (Sep 10, 2016)

My first "real" bike was actually a Haro kid's bike when I was like 8. I could go to a place that sold Haro and look at them. They are a BMX/mountain brand. They seem great too, and cost a ton less than Specialized. I could even get a Shift if it would work for the street. They start well-under $2,000. https://www.harobikes.com/mtb/bikes/dual-suspension

https://www.harobikes.com/mtb/


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## slapheadmofo (Jun 9, 2006)

I currently ride a Haro Shift Plus and just talked 2 of my 'novice' friends into buying their Subvert HT5 hardtails.

Some of the best deals around for the money IMO and they've been great about backing up their stuff warranty-wise. (This coming from someone who has half a dozen+ handmade in the US "boutique" bikes in the shed as well as a number of other high-end mass-produced rides).


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## J_Ghost (Sep 10, 2016)

Hey slap, you are NEMBA? I live in southeastern MA. I just joined that FB group. Cool.


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## mack_turtle (Jan 6, 2009)

if you want to focus on jumping gaps, bunnyhopping over things, bombing stairs, etc, a dedicated urban or dirt jump type bike would be superior. getting from one point to another on a bike like this might be cumbersome, so you'll probably end up riding short distances and sticking around to "session" an interesting spot for a while. from years of riding BMX and a little skateboarding, this is a similar style of riding. a bike like this will not be great for mtb trails though.

if you want to go on longer rides and mix in some urban technical features, there is no reason you need a special mountain bike for that. The bike you feel comfortable riding trails would be just fine. put some semi-slick tires on it for urban riding and have some chunky knobs for trails.

if you have the budget for two bikes, get a trail bike and a park/street/DJ.


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## J_Ghost (Sep 10, 2016)

Mack, the second one. So thanks for reinforcement. So I need a new trail bike then.


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## slapheadmofo (Jun 9, 2006)

J_Ghost said:


> Hey slap, you are NEMBA? I live in southeastern MA. I just joined that FB group. Cool.


Yessir - I'm north-central MA, long-time NEMBA memba. 
Got some buddies that ride Wompatuck, etc all the time. You're in a great spot for trails. :thumbsup:


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## J_Ghost (Sep 10, 2016)

Borderland and Gilbert State Forrest mainly. Wompatuck is about 40 mins away. That Haro Double Peak even looks good.


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## slapheadmofo (Jun 9, 2006)

Sweet - couple other good spots!

The Flightlines look decent for the price too; like that 26+ version.


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## Clayncedar (Aug 25, 2016)

Urban assault fatbiking ☺ 

Throw a suspension fork on it and some big low-tread tires and you're good to go.


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## JACKL (Sep 18, 2011)

It's been a while, but I do get into urban riding from time to time. There is an amphitheater not too far from my house that has a variety of stairs and skinnies and stuff. It also has a wall with a descending ramp that will allow you to do drops to flat from 1 to 6 foot. On concrete drops, knee / elbow pads are a good idea.

Highway underpasses can sometimes have some good riding underneath, best when there is no road below, but maybe just a creek or culvert. Steep but grippy concrete. A few years ago there was a subdivision being built near my friends house. We'd go at night every week for months, until we were getting chased off by the cops. It was different every week, and in some ways more fun than riding trails.

In general, the attributes that make my AM 29er good on the trail make it capable for urban riding as well. Although it's not like it's good for BMX-type stunt riding.


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## NoCurb2Hi (Jun 26, 2019)

JACKL said:


> It's been a while, but I do get into urban riding from time to time. There is an amphitheater not too far from my house that has a variety of stairs and skinnies and stuff. It also has a wall with a descending ramp that will allow you to do drops to flat from 1 to 6 foot. On concrete drops, knee / elbow pads are a good idea.
> 
> Highway underpasses can sometimes have some good riding underneath, best when there is no road below, but maybe just a creek or culvert. Steep but grippy concrete. A few years ago there was a subdivision being built near my friends house. We'd go at night every week for months, until we were getting chased off by the cops. It was different every week, and in some ways more fun than riding trails.
> 
> In general, the attributes that make my AM 29er good on the trail make it capable for urban riding as well. Although it's not like it's good for BMX-type stunt riding.


Urban MTB'ing is a heckuva lotta fun....once you can jumps curbs w/out flipping like I've done a few times.


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## *OneSpeed* (Oct 18, 2013)

We do "urban assault" rides when the trails are too wet. It's super fun. There are some hills to pound, small sections of trail, stairs, curbs, benches, whatever. 

Rigid or hardtail MTB works great. I also sometimes use the SS cross bike. Last year I converted one of my cross bikes to flat bars and put gears on it. It's pretty awesome for that kind of stuff, but it needs a dropper post in a bad way so I can hit more stairs without nearly killing myself.


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## bcriverjunky (Jul 8, 2014)




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