# New Bike Build for 50+



## FHS (8 mo ago)

Hi All,

I'm building a mountain bike for my 10 year old daughter. She wants to give mountain biking a try so I'm going to take her to some of the beginner trails in the area. I have no idea where this is going to go. Regardless, I need a bike for myself.

For reference, I'm 50+ years old, 5'10" 155 lb roadie, in decent shape. I ride an aero frame with pretty aggressive geometry anywhere between 10 and 40 miles a ride, about 100 miles a week almost exclusively solo. That's about all I can manage without beating myself up too much, but I go at a good pace. I haven't been off road on a bike in over 40 years though.

What kind of frame would be best to start off with?

I know we won't be doing much more than XC type riding for awhile yet, but if she gets into this as much as she has gotten into other things, she'll be into trails and maybe more soon enough. She'll get an upgrade way before I do but I'd like to tag along for as much of it as I can. I'm thinking 1x12 hardtail to keep the costs down, maybe spend a little more on wheels and components, upgrading to a full suspension and transferring everything over later if necessary. But, since I am older, would it better just to go straight to a full suspension to keep from beating myself up too much?

I'm putting a hard cap of $1500 on this, either off the rack or building myself from the frame up. I'm comfortable with either approach given the state of the bike industry these days.

Thanks!


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## jannmayer (10 mo ago)

I think a hardtail is a good option for you for those sorts of trails. I'd look for one that can take wider tires (2.5" or so) since that will smooth the ride a little bit. I'd also go for something a bit slacker than the typical XC bike. I'm riding a Salsa Timberjack and that geometry gives me a lot more confidence on the rough bits. You budget should get a decent new or a good used hardtail. At that price range, you'll get a lot more by buying a complete bike than by trying to build one up.


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## bitflogger (Jan 12, 2004)

FHS said:


> Hi All,
> 
> I'm building a mountain bike for my 10 year old daughter. She wants to give mountain biking a try so I'm going to take her to some of the beginner trails in the area. I have no idea where this is going to go. Regardless, I need a bike for myself.
> 
> ...


Delay gratification and try stuff. It's not quite same as aggressive on a road bike. There's very race or speed oriented off road riding, gravity oriented and in between. A MTB ideal for a race is not likely as fun or comfy for casual and all terrain riding.

You budget should get something like a long known as fun entry Honzo, Trek Roscoe or the Roscoe's more racy siblings.

It is doubtful you could possibly build up the same quality as a decent manufacturer will price a bike. You just can't get the parts for same costs.


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## ghood (Dec 26, 2011)

Timberjack is the bike I’d get in that situation, although I think it’s more money than your stated limit.


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## FHS (8 mo ago)

bitflogger said:


> Delay gratification
> 
> 
> bitflogger said:
> ...


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## bitflogger (Jan 12, 2004)

Your quotes got messed up but to try stuff, know there are places such as shops and resorts with rentals. Bike brand demo days and just shop test rides.

Another thing on my points earlier is if you don't intend for this to be as aggressive as your road riding, a versatile off road bike can complement that for enjoyable gravel, urban and casual riding. Not a full on bikepacking rig but nice day tours.


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## FHS (8 mo ago)

bitflogger said:


> Your quotes got messed up but to try stuff, know there are places such as shops and resorts with rentals. Bike brand demo days and just shop test rides.
> 
> Another thing on my points earlier is if you don't intend for this to be as aggressive as your road riding, a versatile off road bike can complement that for enjoyable gravel, urban and casual riding. Not a full on bikepacking rig but nice day tours.


Thanks again! Good advice. I'm kicking myself a bit for selling my Giant Contend AR over the winter. I could have definitely specced that for gravel and probably would have been fine on some of the local trails. I'll have a better idea once my daughter gets her hands on the 26er but I think at some point I'm going to "need" a dedicated mountain bike for myself just to keep up.


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## Lone Rager (Dec 13, 2013)

50+ what? I'm 50+20. Def no hardtail for me. I like climbing and ride a lot of chunk, so a nice longer travel full sus XC bike (previously termed a trail bike, and lately referred to by the often derided term, "down country") is def the way to go for me.


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## FHS (8 mo ago)

I'm 57. Yeah, MTB terminology is something I'm just learning. So a full suspension XC bike is a trail bike? So, basically, Hardtail = XC, maybe some trail, Trail = Full Suspension XC, maybe some DH, Enduro = Downhill? Does rear suspension position make a difference as far as classification goes? I've seen vertical and horizontal mounted dampeners.


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## hwcn (Jul 31, 2010)

59. Ride a timberjack with 29” plus tires. No problems with PA Singletrack. All the bike I’ll ever need. Love the simplicity of a plus hard tail.


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## 33red (Jan 5, 2016)

Your budget is for HT. I would look at 11S 11/50. Some 29x2.6 or even 2.8.


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## canyoneagle (Sep 27, 2007)

Used Surly Krampus or ECR.

Lots of fun to be had there


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## paramount3 (Jul 13, 2014)

You're riding with a 10 year old girl. (Not meant as a putdown for either of you.) A very basic hardtail will work, but go a couple of rungs off of the very bottom, e.g. the level of the Trek Marlin 6 @$849, and you get a pretty functional drivetrain and (I think) brakes. Brand doesn't really matter--Trek, Giant, Specialized, Fuji, Diamondback, Orbea. If you're comfortable with internet orders and putting a bike together yourself, you can try BikesDirect for a better deal (Motobecane, etc), I've ridden a bike with comparable specs to the Marlin 6 (mentally adjusting for the ten year difference) thousands of miles, over some pretty rough terrain, and it worked--not as well as the FS bikes I've subsequently owned, but it worked. If you both get seriously into MTB (you'll probably know within a few weeks or months), then you can sell off your first bikes and get serious bikes. Minimum ante is about $3000 these days for a new FS bike.


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## Fuse6F (Jul 5, 2017)

Fs just lets you hit the trails faster. But eventually any hard tail will upset your back. They require a lot more standing pedalling for comfort. I started that way and was miserable. Then with my fs i can ride all the time and feel great. Look for a local club and get her some mtb classes. Take one yourself and you will love it. Roadies like to sit in the pain cave. Imo. So long distance trail rides will get you stoked. Look at a. Trek fuel ex 5. entry level. Look at canyon neuron. Its more of a traditional fit. Will be less of an adjustment coming from roadie.

good luck.


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## paramount3 (Jul 13, 2014)

"I'm putting a hard cap of $1500 on this." To me, this would seem to preclude the Trek Fuel EX-5 ($2500). For perspective, I had my kids on nice bikes at every stage, from BMX racing bikes to their earliest multi-speed 20" wheel bikes, on up to decent 26" hardtails (purchased used and cheap, when that was a thing), and tried to get my daughter on a FS bike at one point. They're grown up now, and neither kid really got into it, as much as I tried (some would say "forced"). I would say enter now as cheaply as you can without buying junk, and if the riding takes off, there will be ample opportunity to spend many thousands of dollars later.


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## 33red (Jan 5, 2016)

Riding is an art. On a HT you get used to be off the saddle, you save energy just going up the level you need than the saddle just comes under you. They are a lot of fun so you might want to keep it and maybe ad an other bike at the end of the season when prices go down for used bikes. The famous group thinking is not a mandatory thing to hop on their train. Online many brag but often the trails are empty. They do not ride that often. A good rider, 2 good tires with proper PSI and the price and age of the bike make no difference. That geo ,,,new bike is better ,,, is BS A great 2016 beats tons of 2022.


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## canyoneagle (Sep 27, 2007)

At your budget, the dollars go a long way with used or with BikesDirect.

Pinbike, eBay, Craigslist, here - tons of places to find a good bike on the used market.
Also, FS is not a practical choice at this price point unless you are buying used, and quite frankly unnecessary for anything but aggressive, technical "black/double black" trails, IMO. 
It may take a few bikes as the years pass to find your sweet spot. Each person is different, with different riding history and perspectives/preferences/goals.

Bikesdirect offers great bang for the buck if you take some time to explore their offerings. For example: Alot of bang for the buck here: Save Up to 60% Off Plus FREE SHIP 48 STATES ON ALL BICYCLES FREE SHIP* Motobecane NEW TAZ3 COMP 29er PLUS NEW Boost 29er PLUS Mountain Bikes, Boost Mountain Bikes

You'll notice as you search that 2x and 3x chainring setups are pretty much a thing of the past. It is rare to see a front derailleur any more. The new 1x drivetrains are pretty awesome - excellent range and less complexity in the drivetrain.

One thing that I forgot to ask before suggesting big 29ers - how tall are you?

Good luck in your search!


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## Dkayak (12 mo ago)

33red said:


> Riding is an art. On a HT you get used to be off the saddle, you save energy just going up the level you need than the saddle just comes under you. They are a lot of fun so you might want to keep it and maybe had an other bike at the end of the season when prices go down for used bikes. The famous group thinking is not a mandatory thing to hop on their train. Online many brag but often the trails are empty. They do not ride that often. A good rider, 2 good tires with proper PSI and the price and age of the bike make no difference. That geo ,,,new bike is better ,,, is BS A great 2016 beats tons of 2022.


Great advice here. It's a different style of riding but is just as much fun as FS (maybe more in some ways). Learning to carry weight on your pedals while flexing your knees is a *very* good habit and one you might not pick up quickly if you start on FS, especially in higher travel "Barcalounger mode" with your daughter. There's a saying among motorcyclists that it's more fun to ride a slow bike fast than riding a fast bike slow.

If you get a good HT, you might keep it indefinitely. Riding properly, your back will be happy on any trail your daughter is going to ride for a while. I'm finding a rigid fat bike to be a blast even on tough technical terrain and it's teaching me better riding habits. I keep setting new PR's vs. my previous SC Blur as I look forward to a new Top Fuel in a couple more weeks. I'll be 67 years old in a few months and my road bike is an endurance model, since my back won't tolerate race geometry like yours. Even so, the rigid fatty doesn't bother my back, but does provide a great full body workout, including core muscles.

Last week I ordered a set of HED carbon wheels for the fatty. New plan --- I'll do more dirt riding on it than originally envisioned, even after I'm back on FS. You might find a HT fits a similar niche in your future MTB riding scheme. Good luck and enjoy! It's all good stuff.


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## FHS (8 mo ago)

Thank you all! Lot's of choices, but fantastic advice. I doubt I could go wrong with any of the options and I'm learning a lot just searching through the suggestions. 

Based on everything I've read, I'll probably spend the summer following my daughter around on my wife's hybrid. I'll do some modest upgrades as needed but, as mentioned and definitely no offense taken, I'll be following a 9/10 yo old around on her first mtb outings. I doubt I'll need more than a new set of tires.

Knowing me though, and the trajectory I've taken as a roadie in the 2 years since the beginning of the lock-downs, I'm going to end up with a full suspension something at some point, whether she takes to it or not. Since I love building bikes as much as I love riding them, I'll probably end up building one. Lot's of research to be done, parts to source, a frame to choose and, um, a fair amount of funds to squirrel away.

Thanks again!


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## TBoneAz (Aug 28, 2012)

The "Grand Canyon" by Canyon bikes ticks alot of boxes, hits your price point perfectly, and most importantly they have a bunch of bikes in stock. 









Grand Canyon 7


This modern hardtail brings together a lightweight, aluminium frame with 120 mm of responsive suspension and a dropper post for better handling and more fun on the trails. Whether you’re gearing up for your next epic adventure or want to hit your local trails: just go out and ride!




www.canyon.com


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## D. Inoobinati (Aug 28, 2020)

Coming into this as a roadie, anything not a xc bike with a steep head tube will feel like you're riding a chaise longue. A xc hardtail is a good plan, get it a little smaller so you can slap on a dropper when you get the itch for steeper descents. A used bike is excellent advice.


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## 2sharp7 (Aug 29, 2013)

FHS said:


> Hi All,
> 
> I'm building a mountain bike for my 10 year old daughter. She wants to give mountain biking a try so I'm going to take her to some of the beginner trails in the area. I have no idea where this is going to go. Regardless, I need a bike for myself.
> 
> ...


I'd go with the best most modern geo hard tail you can afford, especially with a $1500 cap.


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