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hardtail mountain bikes
cmc4130:
--- Quote from: jonathan on November 26, 2014, 08:37:41 AM ---I don't ride BMX anymore. sorry. I have been doing everything else that's possible with a bicycle lately though.
I ride a "small" custom built Surly Karate Monkey 29er (1x9 gearing, 80mm squish fork, giant tires) even though most would say I should be on a size up for my height. maybe I prefer the smaller frame from years of riding little bikes. I find that I avoid a lot of the really "interesting" trails around here. the terrain has lots of gnarly exposed rock with some steep descents and drops and I hesitate to even go near that stuff. I have taken some of it a few times, but usually because someone led me out there and I could not find my way back home by myself.
so I want a bike that's more confidence-inspiring and I think all the marketing hype around 650B wheels is getting in my head. FS bike is not in the budget, so if I wanted a more capable HT, what have you bmx-gone-mtb guys experienced on 29"/27.5" tire-ed bikes?
--- End quote ---
How did this work out?
jonathan:
I ended up getting a "large" (aka medium) 17.5" Soma Juice. it's about the same size as a 18" Karate Monkey of the same vintage. I wanted to get a sized-up KM but I was working at REI at the time and something had soured between REI and Surly, so we could no longer pro-deal Surly frames or bikes. (oddly enough, REI is now a Salsa dealer, which is owned by the same company.) anyhow, I was able to get Soma stuff through BTI. I have ridden it on places you probably know: BCGB, Walnut, SATN, and recently rode the Texas Chainring Massacre on it. it's single-speed most of the time, but I have a 1x10 setup that goes on it occasionally. I have ridden it with a Reba at 120mm, 100mm, and a Salsa rigid fork. I might enjoy something different, but I had very limited choices at the time. I don't think it's holding me back.
29" tires definitely do very well for me on Austin terrain. Glad I did not get a 650b. chucky trails and smaller wheels seems like a bad idea to me, especially on a singlespeed where every little inch of momentum you can save is crucial. I only wish the chainstays on the Juice were shorter. the shortest setting on the dropouts is 17.5", which is quite long by today's standards. I think getting up ledges and maintaining rear traction while climbing would be easier if I could take a link out of my chain, but that would mean just buying a whole new frame. I don't work in a bike shop anymore, so it's harder to justify paying full price for anything. I have written a bit about it on my blog, but i need to write more about this bike's trail capabilities- http://sidewallthorn.blogspot.com/
Update- the long chainstays on the Juice have always bugged me. Shopping for a new frame now.
cmc4130:
--- Quote from: jonathan on March 06, 2017, 02:37:50 PM ---I ended up getting a "large" (aka medium) 17.5" Soma Juice. it's about the same size as a 18" Karate Monkey of the same vintage. I wanted to get a sized-up KM but I was working at REI at the time and something had soured between REI and Surly, so we could no longer pro-deal Surly frames or bikes. (oddly enough, REI is now a Salsa dealer, which is owned by the same company.) anyhow, I was able to get Soma stuff through BTI. I have ridden it on places you probably know: BCGB, Walnut, SATN, and recently rode the Texas Chainring Massacre on it. it's single-speed most of the time, but I have a 1x10 setup that goes on it occasionally. I have ridden it with a Reba at 120mm, 100mm, and a Salsa rigid fork. I might enjoy something different, but I had very limited choices at the time. I don't think it's holding me back.
29" tires definitely do very well for me on Austin terrain. Glad I did not get a 650b. chucky trails and smaller wheels seems like a bad idea to me, especially on a singlespeed where every little inch of momentum you can save is crucial. I only wish the chainstays on the Juice were shorter. the shortest setting on the dropouts is 17.5", which is quite long by today's standards. I think getting up ledges and maintaining rear traction while climbing would be easier if I could take a link out of my chain, but that would mean just buying a whole new frame. I don't work in a bike shop anymore, so it's harder to justify paying full price for anything. I have written a bit about it on my blog, but i need to write more about this bike's trail capabilities- http://sidewallthorn.blogspot.com/
Update- the long chainstays on the Juice have always bugged me. Shopping for a new frame now.
--- End quote ---
Are there any 29'ers with less bb drop? It seems like part of why 29'ers feel so glued to the ground is not just the long cs, but also the bb being way below axle level....
This guy did a custom 29'er dirt jumper. Whatever the pros and cons of that, it's interesting that the bb appears to be at or slightly above axle level.
http://plussizebmx.squarespace.com/blog/2012/4/3/bike-check-custom-dobermann-29er-dj-bike.html
LeonLikesToRock:
FGFS have high BBs. http://breakbrake17.com/portfolio/bb17-serpent-29-freestyle-frame/ . It's easy enough to run a bmx hub in the back but you're limited in terms of brakes and you'll be sticking to rigid forks. Probably run for dicking about on and could do trails but no way you'd take it MTB riding.
jonathan:
I ended up buying a used Niner ROS 9. I like it so far. It has an eccentric BB, so the center of the cranks can be mover aroud quite a bit. I started with the BB up/back for pedal clearance with rocks but I am trying it down/back now as well. It a singlespeed drivetrain, you only have a few options for BB positioning.
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