Hardtail 29er or FS

JWill said:
The first is, damn I had no idea how much fun this would be. Never thought at 31, I'd be as excited to fly down trails on my bike and hit jumps, as I was when I was 13.
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31! I did not even start MTB till I was 35, and my last trip to the ER was at 48. I am expecting at least another one now that I am 50 so I can have at least one in each decade 😀
 
ilnadi said:
31! I did not even start MTB till I was 35, and my last trip to the ER was at 48. I am expecting at least another one now that I am 50 so I can have at least one in each decade 😀
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Awesome !!! From one "old timer" to another, keep it up!! 50 is the new 37.😱
 
JWill said:
Anyhow, I'm considering a Rocky Mountain Vertex 29er(Jensen has it for $1300) or a used FS.
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you and I are from the same Area, i grew up in Union Beach, i started riding Hartshorne woods as my home based park and fell in love with it, nice singletrack, nice climbs and technical challenges. My first bike was a hardtail and for most of the parks in NJ a hardtail will work for you, that is depending on if you have a bad back. I had to switch due to a cracked vertibrae from high school football, now i ride a FS bikes.
One thing i do want to say is try not to buy from an online store, you should support your local bike shop (LBS) establish a relationship with them, you will find when your bike breaks down and needs a tune up, the online companys arent going to do it for you, your local LBS will, so stick with them we have a llot of great guys on this forum who own or work from some really great bike shops..hit up jdog i heard he's the shiznit 🙄

Oh and PS..hit up Allaire state park every tuesday night beginner rides.. the wookie is a great friend and the group will teach you allot and have a great time doing it too... so tuesday nights at 600pm hospital road lot..
 
gt2brew said:
Ozzie is a legend, there's no denying that.🙂
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Saw Ozzy this past December at the IZOD ctr. He rocked the house!! He had so much energy! played a whole bunch of Sabbath songs...Looked a lot better than Rob Halford who opened up for him...Halford had a big beer gut!
 
Daily_Minefield said:
Saw Ozzy this past December at the IZOD ctr. He rocked the house!! He had so much energy! played a whole bunch of Sabbath songs...Looked a lot better than Rob Halford who opened up for him...Halford had a big beer gut!
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Yes, Ozzy O. is a legend and I'm sorry to confuse. I was actually referring to one of Allaire's locals who is 68 hrs young and still rides. He's an inspiration and my hero!
 
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gt2brew said:
Yes, Ozzie O. is a legend and I'm sorry to confuse. I was actually referring to one of Allaires locals who is 68 hrs young and still rides. He's an inspiration and my hero!
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I'm still gonna picture him as the Prince of F**king Darkness, Riding a completely blacked-out "right down to the nuts & bolts" fully rigid carbon fiber beast, with an old-school black leather roadie helmet, black fingernails, and some black eyeliner running down his face!! yeah!! Thats cool!!

but...I should have guessed by the spelling on that one.. (Ozzie.....not OZZY)...
 
gt2brew said:
Yes, Ozzy O. is a legend and I'm sorry to confuse. I was actually referring to one of Allaire's locals who is 68 hrs young and still rides. He's an inspiration and my hero!
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+1. He gives me something to look forward to when I turn 68 (in about 36 years)! Hope I can ride that long.
 
Thanks to everyone for the suggestions. People here are cool and thats why I seem to find myself reading posts almost daily. I think I'm going to ride the 4300 until the wheels fall off or atleast until I can test ride a few FS bikes. I think spending alittle more and stepping up to a decent FS bike might be the way I should go, otherwise I'll just get a new HT and be dreaming of a FS. Plus my LBS has a good price on a new Trek Fuel Ex8, which looks awesome. Think I'll check out jorba fest as well before I pull the trigger.
 
JWill said:
Thanks to everyone for the suggestions. People here are cool and thats why I seem to find myself reading posts almost daily. I think I'm going to ride the 4300 until the wheels fall off or atleast until I can test ride a few FS bikes. I think spending alittle more and stepping up to a decent FS bike might be the way I should go, otherwise I'll just get a new HT and be dreaming of a FS. Plus my LBS has a good price on a new Trek Fuel Ex8, which looks awesome. Think I'll check out jorba fest as well before I pull the trigger.
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sounds like a good plan, what size frame would you be looking for...?
 
Im 6'2 and have found that XL/21in frames seem to fit me the most. I've sat on a few 19in bikes and they felt slightly cramped.
 
JWill said:
Im 6'2 and have found that XL/21in frames seem to fit me the most. I've sat on a few 19in bikes and they felt slightly cramped.
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I was at a similiar crossroad last October with needing a new bike and being undecided as to FS or hardtail. I opt'd for a Trek Fuel EX 8 which you noted you are considering. I'm very happy with the bike and as I had felt cramped on the bike I had prior I opt'd for the 19.5 frame which feels nice and big for me at 6'. ( long arms/torso, short legs bias me to a larger frame ). I'll be a JorbaFest, if you are considering a Fuel EX 8 in that frame size, rather than 21.5 just let me know and you can take it for an extended test ride. Seems like a tough call at 6'2" you might fall right between the two sizes ( if in doubt I prefer a larger frame )

- W
 
Another thing is if you run a HT with a tubeless setup you can run lower psi and that makes a big difference in taking some of the bite out of the bumpy or rocky sections you might ride. It's not like having rear suspension but it makes a big enough difference that I think whatever you buy tubeless is the way to go.
 
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