# Advice for Bikes



## jdhutch5454 (Oct 10, 2015)

My question is: can you race (not legally, but as in, _is it a good idea to do so) _to race a 120 mm trail bike such as a Spesh Camber or Rocky Mountain Thunderbolt in a high school race, maybe with the shock hard or should I just scratch this idea?


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## Silentfoe (May 9, 2008)

You can, but no...it's not a good idea. There are many things that should be discussed and I'm not going to be able to do your question much justice just by typing here. 

Most high school kids can only afford one bike, especially a nice bike so I always tell the kids to get the bike that makes them happiest. If you like to ride rougher trails in your own time, then get a bigger bike. However, you need to realize that the bike will be a hindrance to your race performance. Just like anything else in life, there is a proper tool for any job. A 120mm travel trail bike is not an XC race bike.

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## jdhutch5454 (Oct 10, 2015)

Ok, got it. 
Thanks for the input!


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## Walt (Jan 23, 2004)

A 120mm trail bike will do just fine in any kind of XC race you want to use it in. Get some racy tires if you want, otherwise, just ride it. 99% of the result will be you, not the bike.

If you're on a budget though (and don't already own a bike) and your mail goal is racing, just buy a hardtail. Cheap, fast, and perfectly competitive for anything but enduro/gravity events.

-Walt


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## J-Flo (Apr 23, 2012)

A good number of kids in the NorCal League ride 120mm bikes -- Tallboys, Cambers, 5010/Solo. A rider on our team made Sophomore podium twice on a Camber last year. I've also seen some kids on even bigger bikes (e.g., even Hecklers, SB-66, Mojo HD), they are having fun and usually not going for podium. As noted above, it is not the ideal XC race machine. But so what? A bigger bike helps on the descents and more technical courses, and the goal is to have fun anyhow. What matters is what bike will the kid most want to ride. If his or her goal is speed and possible victory, then a more XC-oriented short travel or hardtail is best.


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## MyZenNolan (May 30, 2011)

Utah: I have a freshman who placed first three time in a row on a trail bike, he switched to an XC and placed second in the fourth race. Trail will be fine. ;-) It's more about the rider than the bike.


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## Metamorphic (Apr 29, 2011)

FS doesn't make a lot of sense for the high school racer. 

Its less competitive on most courses. 
Its more expensive to purchase. 
Its more expensive to maintain. 

I'm on my 5th NICA season and thre has only been 1 race where a FS presented an obvious advantage. That was the first year at Stafford Lake where the newly cut course was so rough there were extended sections where it was too rough to pedal in the saddle. At that race coach's and parent's FS bikes were getting drafted. 

HOWEVER, FS bikes are a lot more fun. There's definitely an argument to be made for having your race bike be FUN! Fun bikes get ridden further and more often which is great for the overall well-being of the athlete.


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## rpearce1475 (Jan 24, 2015)

Metamorphic really hit the nail on the head here. NICA race courses have to follow a specific set of guidelines, and one of the big ones is that they be easy enough for all the middle school riders to do. A full sus is just not necessary for 95%+ of any NICA race (certainly none of ours in Alabama last year). That being said, for normal trail riding outside of NICA races a full sus is definitely going to be more fun than a hardtail, so if you're getting the bike for everything but will also be racing it, go for it


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## Nickagriffin (Jul 28, 2015)

Oh yeah 120 is fine for sure, I got 3rd place on my 2008 specialized stumpjumper in my 2nd Nica race.


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## dev-frankenyeti (Dec 5, 2015)

This Past season, 2 people on my team rode Specialized Cambers, one rode a Santa Cruz 5010/Solo. All three of the made it to state Championships. If you want to look at how they did, go to racerite.com under results. Plate numbers 4010 and 524 have Cambers, 4006 has a 5010. They are all competent riders but encountered bike or health problems throughout the season. (Bear Creek Team)

I don't know about other Leagues, but in Colorado, bikes range from from 80mm hardtails to 160mm bike like the Santa Cruz Nomad. It all depends on what type of bike you enjoy riding and how confident you feel riding it. Here is the bike I raced this past season. 80 mm hard tail. This was my first season of training or racing ever. I had to adjust a few things on the bike to get the setup right the first couple races, but I never felt like I needed a different bike to perform better. Get to know one bike really well, and own that. Let the bike you have be an advantage to you.


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## DiRt DeViL (Dec 24, 2003)

Back when I was a NICA coach saw many kids on FS rigs, the ones using long travel bikes didn't did as good; 120mm isn't long travel in my book.


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## freebiker (Mar 19, 2006)

Walt said:


> A 120mm trail bike will do just fine in any kind of XC race you want to use it in. Get some racy tires if you want, otherwise, just ride it. 99% of the result will be you, not the bike.
> 
> If you're on a budget though (and don't already own a bike) and your mail goal is racing, just buy a hardtail. Cheap, fast, and perfectly competitive for anything but enduro/gravity events.
> 
> -Walt


Legit


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## TraxFactory (Sep 10, 1999)

If that is your only choice than yes for sure! better to smile than not.


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## maddslacker (Mar 13, 2009)

jdhutch5454 said:


> My question is: can you race (not legally, but as in, _is it a good idea to do so) _to race a 120 mm trail bike such as a Spesh Camber or Rocky Mountain Thunderbolt in a high school race, maybe with the shock hard or should I just scratch this idea?


My daughter placed 2nd in the Colorado South Conference (Sophomore) and finished 9th in the State Championship on a 27.5 pound 120mm Ibis Ripley with a dropper post, whilst wearing baggy shorts. This earned her an upgrade to Varsity. The only changes we're making for Varsity are a wheelset upgrade and an e13 9-44t cassette.

So the short answer is yes, you can, and you can be competitive.


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## baumbaum (Apr 23, 2021)

Hi,
One of my students wants to get a 120-mm trail bike. How do I dissuade him?
It has a more downhill oriented geometry, but probably it's not the point. I don't see any reason why he should pay more, if he can consider cheaper (and better) options.


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## brex17 (Jan 31, 2019)

Better for what? And why dissuade a kid from getting the bike they want?
My son raced NICA on a 22 lbs 120 bike and was always in the pointy end group. His Sr year was last year, so he's done now, but a 120 bike is an excellent choice for NICA kids. Of course, here in Utah the courses actually have tech and downs to them rather than the grassy knolls many other states ride on.
Let the kid get the bike he/she wants, that way they will actually enjoy their time with the team and also go riding on their own and enjoy it. Make them ride some ancient ideal of hardtail, steep, 100 mm travel at max and they will grow to really dislike riding because some jerk made them get a stupid bike they don't want.


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## Silentfoe (May 9, 2008)

baumbaum said:


> Biker's Edge: XC bike vs a 120 mm trail bike in a fast essay by Conor Barry: How Much Travel Do You Need?
> Hi,
> One of my students wants to get a 120-mm trail bike. How do I dissuade him?
> It has a more downhill oriented geometry, but probably it's not the point. I don't see any reason why he should pay more, if he can consider cheaper (and better) options.


Never, ever "dissuade" a student from a bike they want to spend their own money on. Especially if it's unsolicited. If they specifically ask you what you think, give them a simple pros and cons list of different styles of bikes and what they work for or don't work for. Then whatever they get, congratulate them on the awesome new bike.

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