moving up

Question
QUESTION: Hello

A very general question, please.   I have a 10 years old KHS Comp mountain bike.

http://www.mtbr.com/cat/older-categories-bikes/2002-full-suspension/khs/fxt-comp

 If I am buying a new good bike,  will I feel any MUCH different in efficiency, pedaling ? Other advantages?   Or, it is more for technical trails that you need the more advanced suspensions which I do not that much need ?

I do light plus trails but I got more into it and would like know whether it is worthwhile or not?   I live in a very small town so I can not really try one here.

Thank you,   Gabe

ANSWER: Hi Gabe,

I was just figuring out the other day that my road bike is going on 15 years old and I was wondering the same thing: how much more better will a new bike be? (I have already decided on a new mountain bike even though my current one is "only" four years old!)

Let me give you some very general answers to the "why" of owning a new bike and the "why" of keeping what you have.

First off, ten years ago your bike rocked! For the price point it was a very nice riding bike. I would consider it an all mountain bike meaning it did a lot of things well but nothing really great. I had a similar bike with a Marin. I used to travel the country and never knew what trails I would run into so it was great. Living in the Upper Midwest and no longer traveling I went back to a hard tail because it just handles better. So that is one "why" on the keep it side - nice all 'round bike.

Like me, however, you might find that going to a 29er (the 29 inch wheels) will better suit your riding. I don't know what your trails are like but if you don't have any huge drops, long rocky downhills, or extreme rough trails, you may find that a hard tail is lighter and more responsive. I did. One "why" on getting a new bike - lighter and faster if it would suit your trails.

You do have old technology. The "Y" framed bikes did a great job at reducing pedal bob, better than the early gen of full suspension bikes. The newest generation of double squish bikes will far out class what you have. There is hardly any pedal bob even when pedaling hard out of the saddle. The soak up bumps with aplomb. And the stiffness of the new through axle make the tracking of the bikes so much better. So you were asking about pedaling efficiency? A new bike will transfer power better. One more "why" for the new bike side.

I don't know if you have had your shocks rebuilt or not, or your chain, gear cluster and chainrings replaced, but if you haven't on a ten year old mountain bike it is time. So you will be looking at a couple of hundred in costs, plus travel time to the bike shop. This is kind of a "why" wash - repair is cheaper than buying a new bike, but if you buy a new bike you won't have to do the repairs. And maybe you have kept up on maintenance and there are no repair costs.

Other advancements? Greater number of gears make for smoother pedaling. Shifters seem to have gotten better - smoother and more reliable. Brakes are way more better - bigger discs mean better stopping power. Frame material, grips, saddles, tires... I'll let the "gram geeks" argue those. To me I haven't noticed huge differences - I was thinking, and still am a bit, about getting a carbon fiber bike. I don't really race any more so I don't know if having a light, stiff, bike is what I need... but maybe!

I know what you mean about living in a small town, I do to. I only live three miles from a trailhead, but I have no shop really close to try a variety of bikes. And it is hard to know if you will like a bike, or it fits your riding style until you do ride it.

I really don't think I helped. This really is a personal decision. If you had a lot of things wrong with the KHS it might be easy, but if it still rides well and you enjoy it (me and my road bike!) you may want to keep it. Yes, a new bike will ride and perform better in many ways, but it may take you a while to come to "know" it if you do switch. There are a lot of things to factor in - time in the saddle, other hobbies, family commitments, cost - these things you have to assess for yourself. I will be glad to help you with the non-personal things, so please ask!

Best of luck!

Tad

PS I do have a very nice Breezer Lightning coming up for sale! ;)



---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Hello again

Thank you very much for such a nice answer.

What is "pedal bob" exactly?

nice Breezer Lightning coming up for sale ?

Anything  that you know/suggest about the Rocky Mountain Element 50 MSL ?  

Thanks  again,   Gabe

Answer
Hey Gabe,

Pedal bob is the absorption of the of your pedaling motion into the bike. A rear shock, one that does not have a lock out, will compress as you press down on the pedals. Basically it is robbing some of your forward momentum and that results in a bobbing motion of the rider on the bike.

Bike designers have long sought after that perfect combination of a bike that is stiff enough to transfer a rider's power into forward movement without being so stiff that the ride is so uncomfortable the cyclist is beat up by the end of his journey. Designers of full suspension bikes have double the trouble; how to build a bike that will absorb the bumps of the trail but yet is not so squishy as to diminish the effect of the pedaling. Manufacturers have tried to accomplish this with various designs, some working much better than others, and shock makers have also made shocks that have a lock out or will not be active until the big bumps. All trying to accomplish the death of pedal bob.

I came from the world of road bikes so the first time I road a full suspension bike I couldn't stand it; it felt as if I needed twice the power to go half as far. Now we are talking early generations of full suspension and things have come a long way since that time. My Marin had the lock out rear shock so it climbed well. What I ended up not liking about the bike, riding the trails around here, was the high bottom bracket and being tall I didn't need to have my center of gravity raised any higher!

I  love the ride of the Rockies. (I have absolutely no association with any brand, just to be said.) I have always thought that the ride of the RM's were what made the brand. I would rate them right up there with my Breezer or a Ritchey for handling - that is hard tail against hard tail. I believe it was the Element that was my first choice when I bought my Marin in 2006. However, I scored a deal on the Marin that I just couldn't pass up. If the bike fits you you couldn't go wrong. (If you read some of my other posts you will see that I am huge on getting a proper bike fit.)

Yeah, I will be selling my Breezer. I joked with Joe Breeze for years that the second he made a mountain bike again I would be in line to get one. So after years of focusing on commuter bikes he made mountain bikes again and I was cued up to get one. Now I want one of his 29ers.

The thing I have always liked about the Breezers was the handling in single track. This bike has saved my butt a few times but has also brought me out of the woods with a huge smile on my face. It is just so fun to ride. Very well balanced, quick, yet forgiving. So I am hoping that the 29er will ride just the same but roll over things more better.

If you do wind up getting a new bike, and you are satisfied with the fit of your current bike, take some measurements to make sure the new one will match the old as closely as possible. A bike that doesn't fit just isn't fun to ride. You are always moving around on the bike trying to get comfortable or you are tweaking the saddle position, or getting a long/shorter stem. A bike should be an extension of you, after a while you shouldn't notice it under you, you should be focused on the road or trail and not worrying about the bike.

You said you lived in a small town, but, just for fun, you may want to take a trip to a city with a couple of shops and go ride bikes (DO NOT bring non-riding spouses/SO's/friends - this trip is about you and bikes!). Not that you have to buy one but try a few different brands. If you find one you like get the spec's on that bike and compare it with your current ride. Then compare it with the Rocky Mountain, if you don't get a chance to ride one. You will at least have an idea of how it will fit.

Best of luck!

Tad