# Gut check on what bikes I should be considering



## Yooperscott (Jan 9, 2021)

45 year old that pretty much stays mostly on the ground. I am (was) a runner and my Strava says ~10,000 miles logged (running) since I joined in the earlier 2010’s so I get out and exercise. Pro? No. More than your average weekend warrior? Probably. Point is I want a bike for fun and exercise. 5+ days/week. I had arthroscopic hip surgery last fall and sadly may still have the other side to do, but we’ll see....at any rate I thought life was over, but biking has been going well and I’ve enjoyed the change and ease on the body. I’ve always had bikes but never really rode much. I bought a Framed Carbon Alaskan fat bike a little over a year ago that I’ve been riding quite a bit. Recently did 37 and 17 mile snow bikes events and had a blast even on virtual events just riding the course with friends. I have a mid level Trek road bike from ~15 years ago, but have ZERO interest in riding on roads and don’t care if I ever ride it again. After riding the fat bike ~5 days/week I’ve decided I want a full suspension bike as my “do everything“ mountain bike when the ground isn’t white. Do I NEED it? Debatable, but I want it. I ride the paved paths near my house (off streets and traffic), local trails, UP of Michigan trails, events like The Crusher and Marji Gesick (UP of Michigan single track) of the 50-100+ mile type. I assume that puts me in an xc bike? I also don’t want to be layed over for hours on my hands and prefer a more sit up ride. I’m also an engineer (”cheap”) and a DIYer about basically everything so building/maintaining/etc are my thing. And bang for the buck. So of course in my searching I have gravitated towards Canyon and YT. The Lux just seems to me to maybe be a little too race? At this point I have convinced myself that I need a YT Izzo or Canyon Neuron. Am I crazy? Should I be looking at other kinds of bikes and I’ve missed the boat? I would go look at Trek Fuel and Top Fuel at the store not far away, but they have nothing in stock and pretty much said August if you order now. No particular budget other than admittedly I get locked into bang for the buck and like nice stuff. Ideas are welcome. Bad year to basically get forced out of running and want a new bike.


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## targnik (Jan 11, 2014)

Ease on the body!?

You my man, need to hit da nah!!

Just turned 48 myself....

I own x4 steeds 

AM HT 29er w/ 140mm fork

29er plus bike 130/130 travel w/ 3.0 tires

29er FS 160/160mm travel

& 650b 170/160mm travel

Reason so many bikes?

Have kids and they'll grow into some of them.

Which bike is my fav??

I love all my children errr... steeds equally.

Buy what you want & ride it like you stole it 

Sent from my HD1900 using Tapatalk


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## NorCal_In_AZ (Sep 26, 2019)

What about a trail bike? 120-130ish travel, 29er wheels, a little more upright sitting than a XC bike. You can do all day rides, but then go hit the mild downhills without being too under-biked. 

Something like a Ibis Ripley perhaps. 

I ran through HS, off and on for the last 20 years. At almost 40 my knees can’t take it


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## *OneSpeed* (Oct 18, 2013)

Yooperscott said:


> 45 year old that pretty much stays mostly on the ground. I am (was) a runner and my Strava says ~10,000 miles logged (running) since I joined in the earlier 2010's so I get out and exercise. Pro? No. More than your average weekend warrior? Probably. Point is I want a bike for fun and exercise. 5+ days/week. I had arthroscopic hip surgery last fall and sadly may still have the other side to do, but we'll see....at any rate I thought life was over, but biking has been going well and I've enjoyed the change and ease on the body. I've always had bikes but never really rode much. I bought a Framed Carbon Alaskan fat bike a little over a year ago that I've been riding quite a bit. Recently did 37 and 17 mile snow bikes events and had a blast even on virtual events just riding the course with friends. I have a mid level Trek road bike from ~15 years ago, but have ZERO interest in riding on roads and don't care if I ever ride it again. After riding the fat bike ~5 days/week I've decided I want a full suspension bike as my "do everything" mountain bike when the ground isn't white. Do I NEED it? Debatable, but I want it. I ride the paved paths near my house (off streets and traffic), local trails, UP of Michigan trails, events like The Crusher and Marji Gesick (UP of Michigan single track) of the 50-100+ mile type. I assume that puts me in an xc bike? I also don't want to be layed over for hours on my hands and prefer a more sit up ride. I'm also an engineer ("cheap") and a DIYer about basically everything so building/maintaining/etc are my thing. And bang for the buck. So of course in my searching I have gravitated towards Canyon and YT. The Lux just seems to me to maybe be a little too race? At this point I have convinced myself that I need a YT Izzo or Canyon Neuron. Am I crazy? Should I be looking at other kinds of bikes and I've missed the boat? I would go look at Trek Fuel and Top Fuel at the store not far away, but they have nothing in stock and pretty much said August if you order now. No particular budget other than admittedly I get locked into bang for the buck and like nice stuff. Ideas are welcome. Bad year to basically get forced out of running and want a new bike.


You gotta break this into paragraphs or I'm not even going to try and read it. Try to be more concise. You may want to start in the beginner forum.


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## brex17 (Jan 31, 2019)

Intense Sniper T.


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## Yooperscott (Jan 9, 2021)

*OneSpeed* said:


> You gotta break this into paragraphs or I'm not even going to try and read it. Try to be more concise. You may want to start in the beginner forum.


Sorry to inconvenience you. Thanks for all the help though, reminds me why I almost never post in forums.


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## Cary (Dec 29, 2003)

NorCal_In_AZ said:


> What about a trail bike? 120-130ish travel, 29er wheels, a little more upright sitting than a XC bike. You can do all day rides, but then go hit the mild downhills without being too under-biked.
> 
> Something like a Ibis Ripley perhaps.
> 
> I ran through HS, off and on for the last 20 years. At almost 40 my knees can't take it


I agree, a Ripley would probably be ideal, as other trail choices in the 120-130mm category. Short enough travel to be efficient, but long enough to be comfortable for all day and give some extra confidence. The Izzo will be a bit more agressive, the Neuron is also a good choice, but the Ripley AF is an amazing value and build for the money. And for the record, I am closer to 50 than 40, so understand the not wanting to be bent way over. The good news is that modern bikes, even cross country are more upright than they were 15-20 yers ago.


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## Monty219 (Oct 26, 2020)

Buy the best bike you can afford and is available between now and as long as you are willing to wait. Go for about 130 mm frame travel give or take 10 mm for the most versatility. It’s hard to go wrong these days. I highly recommend a bike with deore 12 speed over SX or NX, but to each their own when it comes to the 2 big S drivetrains.


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## Cudabri (Sep 3, 2019)

Check out Fezzari, out of Utah..


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## Monty219 (Oct 26, 2020)

Cudabri said:


> Check out Fezzari, out of Utah..


I have heard good things about Fezzari. A friend did not go with them because he felt in between sizes but he wished it would have worked because he liked the feel of the suspension and the company was so cool they let him try two sizes and ultimately return both at no cost. He may be too picky about sizing but he was definitely not trying to take advantage of them. Overall that second hand story earned them some cred' so I'll always recommend them unless I hear anything different.


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## NoisyNinja (Jan 24, 2021)

Yooperscott said:


> 45 year old that pretty much stays mostly on the ground. I ride the paved paths near my house (off streets and traffic), local trails, UP of Michigan trails, events like The Crusher and Marji Gesick (UP of Michigan single track) of the 50-100+ mile type. I assume that puts me in an xc bike? I also don't want to be layed over for hours on my hands and prefer a more sit up ride. At this point I have convinced myself that I need a YT Izzo or Canyon Neuron. Am I crazy?


Not crazy. Both reasonable choices. I rode the Neuron for all of 5min and it was a nice comfy bike and pretty light. You'll want something 130mm or less, in the range of XC, "Downcountry", or light Trail. I'll second the other folks and say Ibis Ripley is also a good option (great climber), as are Transition Spur, Specialized Epic EVO, Revel Ranger or Fezzari Signal Peak. If you're doing those long rides, you'll want a light weight bike. You'll need to decide if you want to prioritize climbing, descending, or balance between both. Any of the above bikes I think would meet your need, so might be go for whichever is in stock that you like the parts, price and color.

As for riding position, sounds like you want a neutral or upright position. That can be adjusted a fair amount on any bike by swapping the stem or bars and putting spacers in the fork stack (if there's room for it) below the stem. You can adjust height and reach to get your desired riding position. Fezzari's 23-point fit let's you pick upright, neutral, or aggressive and uses your measurements to select the parts and set you up correctly. I don't know if Canyon does that. If you can't adjust the stack below the bar and above the top tube, you can get riser bars. I think you can get stems that rise, too. Changing the width of your bars can affect riding position, too, but also affects steering dynamics, so you won't want to get too crazy from what the bike comes with (e.g. if 800mm width, you can cut down to 780 but definitely not below 760).

If your bike dealer doesn't do adjustments a la Fezzari, you'll have to work with a local shop to do a "fitting" and get parts to swap out. Some shops will charge for a fitting and give you their recommendations, then you can go buy elsewhere, but I think it's best to buy local even if you don't have them do the installation.

Something that can help your hands is a carbon bar, since they flex a little and soak up a little more of the small vibrations (forks soak up bigger bumps). OneUp bar is a good one. Comfy grips, or "ergo" ones like Ergon GA3 can also help.


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## cat3shark (Feb 4, 2021)

NorCal_In_AZ said:


> What about a trail bike? 120-130ish travel, 29er wheels, a little more upright sitting than a XC bike. You can do all day rides, but then go hit the mild downhills without being too under-biked.
> 
> Something like a Ibis Ripley perhaps.
> 
> I ran through HS, off and on for the last 20 years. At almost 40 my knees can't take it


Yep, ran all the way up to 40 and after my 3rd knee scope doc said "no more" running (so no more triathlons). Kept biking and just pulled the trigger on a 2021 Ripley XT Factory build. My L shoulder is crap as well (2 dislocations and SLAP2 tear) pretty much has me gutting through most activities. I needed something with a bit of cushy, but not so heavy I can't race old man races. I don't leave the ground much but like to zip up and down the trail.

I would say the Revel Rascal, Ibis Ripley, Trek Fuel or Santa Cruz tallboy would be good for giving you a comfy ride while still being able to get up and go.

Best of luck - enjoy the ride!


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## Yooperscott (Jan 9, 2021)

Thanks for all the ideas and letting me know I am at least seemingly in the correct world for ideas. Definitely some more to look at. A friend of mine thats “big“ into bikes keeps telling me Ripley. Sure wish I could try some. Probably would be happy with any of them though as long as it was comfortable enough to ride for several hours and didn’t feel like a pig.


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## FrankS29 (Oct 23, 2019)

If you’re into value, I would try and get my name in the ring for one of the new Ripley AF’s.

Crazy good value, good spec and top notch DW link suspension design.

If Carbon is where your heart is, then yes the carbon Ripley is amazing. But it’s $1,000 more for essentially the same bike and if you place an order right now for a carbon Ripley you will be lucky to see it before 2021 ends.


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## Northofus (Oct 9, 2020)

my 2 cents would be to focus more on the xc bike side and not the trail or down-country. If your like me and you ride to the trails, so some roads, gravel and trails or planning to do 50 plus km rides - 130 or 140 mm travel is too much, plain and simple. You dont state your weight, but if your a lean former runner, a budget build 140 mm bike will feel heavy. Look for 100 mm in the back, 100 to 120 in the front (or a Giant trance pro 115 back 130 front if you really want more travel). In your xc build look for a newer design with a tad slacker head angle. The current bike designs are so much better today, they basically ride themselves compared to 20+ years ago. A modern 100mm/120mm bike can rip. Speicalized epic evo is another good bike if you want a hair more travel and some slack.

Used bike sites have some 2019/2020 nice rides in the states, you just need to be patient and fish everyday on the site. Im building an xc specific bike this year, (within budget) off that site, but it is very very hard.


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## cat3shark (Feb 4, 2021)

FrankS29 said:


> If you're into value, I would try and get my name in the ring for one of the new Ripley AF's.
> 
> Crazy good value, good spec and top notch DW link suspension design.
> 
> If Carbon is where your heart is, then yes the carbon Ripley is amazing. But it's $1,000 more for essentially the same bike and if you place an order right now for a carbon Ripley you will be lucky to see it before 2021 ends.


Shop in NH (Cycles Etc | Manchester & Salem, NH) has a few carbon Ripley's in stock. I just ordered one from a shop in WI and will have it by April! 

I just went to Ripley's website and looked up dealers and then emailed about half a dozen of them until someone got back to me.

Salt Cycles in UT are very helpful as well.


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## NorCal_In_AZ (Sep 26, 2019)

Northofus said:


> my 2 cents would be to focus more on the xc bike side and not the trail or down-country. If your like me and you ride to the trails, so some roads, gravel and trails or planning to do 50 plus km rides - 130 or 140 mm travel is too much, plain and simple. You dont state your weight, but if your a lean former runner, a budget build 140 mm bike will feel heavy. Look for 100 mm in the back, 100 to 120 in the front (or a Giant trance pro 115 back 130 front if you really want more travel). In your xc build look for a newer design with a tad slacker head angle. The current bike designs are so much better today, they basically ride themselves compared to 20+ years ago. A modern 100mm/120mm bike can rip. Speicalized epic evo is another good bike if you want a hair more travel and some slack.
> 
> Used bike sites have some 2019/2020 nice rides in the states, you just need to be patient and fish everyday on the site. Im building an xc specific bike this year, (within budget) off that site, but it is very very hard.


I'm running a Fezzari Abajo Peak, 130/140 aluminum trail bike. I ride lots of gravel, bike paths, XC trails around my home. I just lock out the suspension and it pedals just fine. I'm not doing 25mph like a road bike would, but I'm laying down a decent pace.


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## Le Duke (Mar 23, 2009)

Sniper T or Epic Evo.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## 2sharp7 (Aug 29, 2013)

If you want something that probably none of your friends have and if you’re not obsessed with carbon, check out Knolly bikes, I can’t recommend them enough, having owned a 2016 Endorphin, and now 2020 Warden, as well as having ridden a Fugitive. I’ve also demo’d a handful of top tier big name carbon bikes from Trek, Santa Cruz, Ibis, and Pivot and never felt like any of them were any better than what I already owned. Having said that, in my opinion most brands since around 2016-17 have great trail bike offerings.


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## prj71 (Dec 29, 2014)

Yooperscott said:


> I ride the paved paths near my house (off streets and traffic), local trails, UP of Michigan trails, events like The Crusher and Marji Gesick (UP of Michigan single track) of the 50-100+ mile type. I assume that puts me in an xc bike?


I've ridden those trails in the U.P. it's a mix of XC, Trail and some downhill. You'd probably be best off with a trail bike that has between 120-140 mm of suspension.



> I also don't want to be layed over for hours on my hands and prefer a more sit up ride.


Some of the new geometry bikes with the steeper seat tube angle will make you feel like this.



> So of course in my searching I have gravitated towards Canyon and YT. The Lux just seems to me to maybe be a little too race? At this point I have convinced myself that I need a YT Izzo or Canyon Neuron. Am I crazy? Should I be looking at other kinds of bikes and I've missed the boat? I would go look at Trek Fuel and Top Fuel at the store not far away, but they have nothing in stock and pretty much said August if you order now. No particular budget other than admittedly I get locked into bang for the buck and like nice stuff. Ideas are welcome. Bad year to basically get forced out of running and want a new bike.


A friend of mine has an Izzo. I took it for a spin. It's a nice ride. It was on my short list but crossed it off due to a press fit bottom bracket. Any bike I own from now on will be threaded BB. Ended up with a Spot Mayhem.

Whatever you decide, it seems the boutique bike companies have been able to replenish their inventory a bit quicker than Trek, Specialized or Giant. A friend of mine just ordered a Transition Spur. Supposed to be ready to ship in May.


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## fredcook (Apr 2, 2009)

I'd lean toward a trail bike as others have mentioned. I ride a new geo 140/130 trial bike almost exclusively now. With its suspension in a nearly lockout setting (which is possible "on the fly"), it's as good as my XC bike on pavement and XC trails, with the exception that it is a bit heavier. But to be honest, I hardly bother with detuning the suspension for XC rides much at all any more. A 140/130 trail bike is a blast when the trail gets rougher, more technical, tighter, and steeper. And if you do find yourself getting off the ground, a good trail bike will be right at home. From an age and battered body perspective, going to a newer geo trail bike was a revelation for me. I'm 59 and ride 5+ days a week most weeks year 'round. I've also been pretty active in my years. I had always maintained a herd of XC and more enduro kinda bikes (which in my mind covered everything I wanted). New geo "trail" bikes changed that position. I ride more and farther than ever at my age on new trails bikes. You're more "upright", but not beyond being efficient. The more playful feeling a trail bike tends to be really enhances riding, in my opinion, and makes it easier to ride more aggressive, especially as we age.


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## blackflys64 (Feb 15, 2006)

I'm a Marquette local and ride basically everything the UP has to offer.
I would be looking for a Downcountry or short travel trail bike.

As you know the singletrack here is burlier than other Midwest trails, but it is mostly tight and twisty.
Stay away from the long low and slack trend if you can. Slack head tubes and steep seat tubes are not ideal for 90% of the trails you will be riding.

Being budget oriented, a last generation short travel trail bike would be ideal.
Something along the lines of a 2017-2019 Trek Fuel EX, Ibis Ripley LS, Pivot Trail 429, Salsa Horsetheif are perfect for the area.


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## akmtnrunner (Dec 12, 2020)

Find something cheap or used to find out what style of mtb is optimal for you, then spend for something nice that you know is right.


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## houndogone (Oct 16, 2017)

So, I've got nearly 20 years on you (63), but used to do a fair amount of running (in teens, twenties and early thirties), As I got older I kept breaking down. Started working in biking (mostly road) but some mountain biking as well. Then did a few duathlons. About 15 years ago threw in some shorter triathlons as well. Usually could finish in the top 20-25% of my age group - so fairly fit, but certainly not a stud. Then I screwed up my back, so a layoff of about 6-7 years. I guess what I'm saying is that I have a pretty long fitness background, and I think I understand what you are looking for.

Retired about a year ago, and decided to try to get back into mountain biking (the trails around here are awesome). After doing a ton of research decided to spring for an Ibis Ripley and was able to find one in stock without too much trouble. It took me about 4-5 rides to get used to the bike because it's completely different than my previous bike (a 25 year old Independent Fabrication steel hard tail). However, as someone who is older, wants to do some lengthy rides and will be going on what I assume are at least intermediate trails I think a bike like the Ripley would be perfect for you and should be on your short list. Maybe take a look at the Revel Rascal as well. These are not cheap bikes but are amazingly capable. Being older and with some injuries you're going to want a bike that takes some of the edge off rocks, roots, dropoffs, etc. particularly if you plan on doing longer rides. But the runner in you will go nuts if you're stuck on something that's a pig when it comes to climbing.


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