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If you could only have one mountain bike (in this scenario you can have as many road bikes as you like) what kind of bike would you choose & why?
I only have 1 mountain bike, by choice.
160/150 Bronson. Does everything I want, and is way more capable than the buffoon riding it. 😊
Just clearing out a HT, XC, and enduro bike rar now. Will replace with a 2021 giant anthem 29er - not actually out yet but awesome-ness is to be expected for this particular bicycle.
I already have the only MTB that I could ever want. Stooge.
Would have to be my S Works Enduro, closely followed by the Turbo Levo
I had a few, now I have only one MTB, plus 4 drop bar bikes.
The MTB is a Specialized Turbo Levo SL. Does everything, and is great fun.
Probably a short-travel FS in 'downcountry' guise like the new Tallboy / SB115. Would do everything I need and still be fun.
I only have 1 , A trek slash . That would do.
My Anthem 29. I sing more on this bike than any of my others.
My current Stumpjumper FSR 29er.
Nice responses so far (though I had to Google a few)
I currently don't have a mountain bike, but am trying to find one - hence the question. There's not a whole lot of choice, so I'm definitely interested in what people feel is the best all rounder.
I sing more on this bike than any of my others.
Best reasoning so far 👌
I also only have one MTB, a mk2 Cotic Solaris. Its bloody great but...If I was gonna buy one to do it all, it'd probaly be a 120mm(ish) travel full suss 29er.
Only one, only one, I dare not say how many are about here.. thought long and hard on this and I’m afraid to say it would be my Cotic Solaris. Always works, works everywhere, can ride miles on it, from ‘softer’ DH tracks to longer rides with lots of road. Could have been a Comencal, but though amazing in places, you wouldn’t want to ride a long way on one, could have been a LEVO SL but though very impressive, it just couldn’t be my only bike, last Bird was a great all rounder and terrific enduro bike but again couldn’t be the only one. I’m sure lots of other people have lots of alternatives as an only bike choice and I’m interested to hear about them.
How many BMXs and trials bikes are we allowed?
I only have one MTB, a Stumpy 29er. It's just about all the MTB I need these days TBH.
In day gone by I'd have said a 5" forked HT, but these days I do appreciate the tail end bounce a bit more, but I can't imagine wanting a longer travel bike now.
I'd be tending towards a Ti Stooge. Something with room for big tyres. Maybe a girder fork
And a bit of rack action. Reminds me need to email Andy.
If I had to pay for it myself I'd just keep my stage 6.
If this is a fantasy exercise, I'd have the new version with a more fancy custom build (but not a load of tacky coloured Hope bling).
Probably a mid travel 29er FS. Evil Offering maybe if money was no object.
It would be a tough call between my Solaris Max and Stooge, both great fun, Cotic probably!
I only have one as well and its done me proud for 7years, Nicolas Helius AC29er with 160/140 travel. Love it. Though now I'm hankering after a Geometron...
I only own one, a Signal.
I've had a cathartic clear out of my drop bar bikes.
My Liteville 301 mk12 always makes me smile although a Stooge mk3 to build might change that ???
Once, I would have said my FS.
These days, it would probably be a full custom Kingdom Vendetta, or a Waltly with full custom geo.
If its one I already own then I'd keep my Whyte S-150.
Its got enough travel to tackle anything I'm likely to throw at it and I'm not fit enough to worry about it slowing me down or the flat bits or the climbs
My fatbike ( salsa beargrease). I might have to put an ebike kit on it tho
Or something from the shand range.
Like loads of other people have said, I only have one bike. Geometron G16.
It climbs better than much lighter bikes with bigger wheels and goes down better than any DH bike I've ever had.
If I had money to burn I'd buy a G1 with EXT shock and probably the new EXT fork if it's any good. But that would be thousands of quids for marginal gains.
Either
Something like my 2015 Camber but with better mud clearance - pretty much ideal for all my normal riding.
OR
Something rigid, light and moderately slack with option of 650b+ or 29 wheels and single speed or geared because I'd be confident it would never have forks or shocks sent away or sloppy frame bearings that needed a trip to the LBS.
Of those if I could REALLY only have one the rigid might just sneak it (although I chickened out of buying a Mk1 Stooge when I bought the Camber).
My cotic soul. It's really odd that when I go out with the dog on it I feel there's three of us having fun.
My Doctahawk when it gets built, mainly because it will be my only bike.
My surly krampus with a 120mm fox 32.
Absolute hoot to ride, precious little to go wrong and (to me at least) is just a bit special compared with most trail traffic.
Obviously no e-bikes allowed.
... and how many wheelsets are we allowed?
If it's one wheelset, too, I'd go with my SolarisMAX, though i'd drop the Fortus 30 wheels for something a bit nimbler.
2 ebikes in the first 6 posts..
Well obviously it's not possible to have only one mountain bike but just to honour the fantasy theme, I'd have my pink one. It's pink and steel and is also rad.
[url= https://live.staticflickr.com/4754/28174741589_3ede330a63_c.jp g" target="_blank">https://live.staticflickr.com/4754/28174741589_3ede330a63_c.jp g"/> [/img][/url][url= https://flic.kr/p/JVGV5H ]POka. December 2018[/url] by [url= https://www.flickr.com/photos/79912681@N06/ ]blackteaonesugar[/url], on Flickr
Ibis Ripley 2 is what I currently have but would upgrade to the Ripley 4
Anthem 29 for me too, far better for my local trails which is where most of my riding happens
I’m currently wishing I could have two...
Currently have a top spec Trek Remedy and love it. Pretty happy that my space for one bike is currently well allocated!
However it would be interesting to try some 29ers again, I fancy a second bike with a more xc bent. The new transition spur looks beautiful or a Stanton Sherpa ti
The question is pointless if the desire is to find a bike to buy based on the feedback.
You're asking people across the country with different views on fun, different types of terrain, different levels of fitness and so on.
The amount of different answers tells you that.
A short travel XC bike like a Yeti SB100.
A modern trail bike. Probably a Yeti SB140 or Ibis Mojo
My Cotic Flare.
Does everything from a pootle to the shops, all day epics in the Cairngorms and weeks in the Alps.
I only have one, a TallBoy 2 with 120mm fork.
Busy looking for a replacement, so looking at Blur, Oiz, Spark, Synonym, all in 120mm guise. The new TallBoy has moved to trail for what I want, but don't want the full gaz 100mm race bike.
A Surly 1x1.
I'd sell my Geometron G16 27.5 er and my G13 29er and replace them with a G1 with all the mutators, 29er and 27.5er forks/wheels.
The variations you can run that in are massive.
My Smuggler is my only mtb, love it. Perfect for long days out where I live in the lakes.
If I could afford it, I'd replace it with that new Transition Spur, that looks even more perfect...
Got quite a few bikes here, but the one I almost always grab is the Zenith LSL, so I guess that answers that.
I have one bike mountain bike. It seems to do everything I want but I have only owned dduring lockdown. Canyon Neuron if that matters. 130mm travel 29er with not that trendy geometry
I guess it all depends what your one and only bike is for. No point in getting a hardtail if all you ever do is downhill. I think a good rule is get a bike for 90% of what you do and 10% of what you may do. If I HAD to have one bike I would have my Solaris Max (maybe trade it for a 160 BfeMax) - its totally capable of all the trails locally to me and back home and I could do some bike packing on it with a few adjustments.
I spend almost all my riding time on my hardtail - a beautiful, new (to me) Custom Kingdom Vendetta. But honestly, if I could only have one bike, it would probably be a full suss. If I’m on unfamiliar territory, or out on a long ride with my mates, my Bird Aeris is a lot more forgiving than any HT, even my Vendetta.
Perhaps I would choose to only have the HT at home, but then rent a Full susser on the occasions when I go to BPW or Fortwilliam?
If I had to have one bike it would probably be a Pipedream Moxie. I like the look of them but couldn't justify one as it covers too much ground in terms of what I already have. It's probably a far better climber than my (old) Trailstar, is as capable as that and my Pitch (and probably my Norco Shore as well) and I've seen one built around an Identiti XCT fork that would work well as an all day / Bikepacking setup. Maybe not the best at everything there but certainly capable of doing them all well enough to justify its existence.
I'd go for a mid travel 29er, with a light wheelset for xc riding and a burly wheelset for racing Enduro and bikepark trips
I still have never ridden a full sus bike. I have one bike which is a Trek Roscoe. I really like it and suits what I am able to ride. Did a day out in the peaks two weeks ago and it was fine. Legs were pretty beat up after bits like potato alley but at least maintenance is minimal.
I should add, one MTB really doesn't work for me though, I ride a real variety of trails and like to have a choice of bikes to suit.
For me it'd be either my Epic or, more likely, the latest version of that.
I only have one bike in total. If that one bike had to be an MTB it would be a high end Scott hardtail XC bike I would think.
I too only have one. A current (last) gen Cotic Soul. If I could have one with an unlimited budget it would be a Swarf Contour. Prettiest bike ever made to my eyes, has just a little travel and still looks like a hardtail.
Currently just a Nomad 2, but strongly looking at the Transition Spur.
I'm not up on recent models but it's be:
29" wheels
140mm fork
Hardtail, likely steel, slightly slacker than pure XC geometry
Screw-fit BB
Shimano XT build
Not sure what fits that critia.
My Remedy. Now on my 4th version, they just work (for me) on everything. Uplifts, XC, Peaks, Welsh weekenders. Does it all, comfortably!
singlespeedstu
I’d sell my Geometron G16 27.5 er and my G13 29er and replace them with a G1 with all the mutators, 29er and 27.5er forks/wheels.
The variations you can run that in are massive.
You should do that anyway 🙂 G1 is worth the upgrade. There are some sale frames on Nicolai site now (with Marzocchi coils, but you could grab an EXT later)
Out of my current crop of bikes it would be the Bird Zero TR, a 27.5" 130mm hardtail, ditching the knackered 26" 120mm FS bike (Canyon Nerve XC) and the 27.5 rigid mtb commuter (Brand-X HT-01/Exotic Forks), presumably could keep the 24" street trials bike, hurrah.
If just one MTB and no other bikes, then I'd want something that would serve me for commuting , XC/Trail, and trials (which I'm poo at). Rigid forks, 27.5" wheels, clearance for 2.4" tyres, maybe a DJ based frame (meaning 26" wheels) with gears (Sam Pilgrim recently 'hybridized' his DJ bike with gears AND a front brake). 90+% riding from doorstep, mix coastal/urban/xc.
If I was going the other route, 1 x MTB, + road bike + trials bike, then I think a 130mm XC bike would probably do it, though I'd be very tempted by 140mm trail bike and really a 120mm XC bike would probably do for my local riding - would need to test ride (not something I've ever really done). Mix commuting to 50% MTB 50% road bike. I'm really curious about 20" trials bikes.
I only have 1 mtb aand thats a Whyte S150, does everything I need.
my Stanton Slackline.
I've just converted my Kona Unit back to single speed because I've ridden it all of once since I got it, because the Stanton just does everything better, so I figured putting the Kona back to SS is sensible, as it means I've not got something very different to ride.
If i could only have 1 mountain bike then i probably wouldn't do mountain biking as much, this question comes up a lot and the reality is that folk who try a 1 bike solution end up limiting what they can do and rarely enjoy it as much as before, unless they do a limited range of biking.
It would have to be my Bronson because the bike is perfect for the kind of riding that excites me most. I would really miss my Superlight round the local woods though. Can I keep my gravel bike for winter though, or I wouldn't get out much?
I only have one MTB. In fact each of my bikes are in very different categories so there's little overlap
My MTB is a rigid Mk1 Solaris. I do have a suspension fork for it but I haven't used it in a couple of years now I think. Perfect bike for riding round my local area and for bikepacking, which are its main activities. But has also ridden in some more adventurous areas and been just fine. Gives me a good excuse for being slow
A mid travel (~140 mm) full suss 29'er
Seems the most all-round to me, and is essentially what I have as my main MTB (a Hightower with 135 rear, 150 front). Handles everything from longish XC rides to uplift days better than I can.
this question comes up a lot and the reality is that folk who try a 1 bike solution end up limiting what they can do and rarely enjoy it as much as before, unless they do a limited range of biking.
Not true in my case. I can do every type of MTB riding bar downhill on my bike and I’m too old with too little skill to do that any way. I also thoroughly enjoy it all too. A lot of folk can only afford or only want the one MTB as evidenced by a lot of the answers so far. If you’re talking one bike for all riding though then that’s a different kettle of fish.
this question comes up a lot and the reality is that folk who try a 1 bike solution end up limiting what they can do and rarely enjoy it as much as before, unless they do a limited range of biking.
You missed the caveat the OP gave us, we can have as many road bikes as we like (I'm counting gravel/adventure/CX bikes as "Road").
I only have one MTB now, it's not used much in wet weather anymore, I also have three drop-barred bikes and a fixie, the only thing that none of them are any good for is hitting rough trails and gnarlier stuff, which is naturally the use case for my one MTB. I would gain nothing from having multiple MTBs, trust me at my peak I think I owned four and it was just more cost and maintenance for less actual riding time. Sometimes 'less is more'.
My fitness and riding ability are far more limiting than the actual tools I have available...
this question comes up a lot and the reality is that folk who try a 1 bike solution end up limiting what they can do and rarely enjoy it as much as before, unless they do a limited range of biking.
I agree, if I had to go from my trail bike and 29er hardtail down to one MTB, I could do it.
I would either keep the Bird 120LT, or replace it with a slightly more travel enduro full suspension (I've always craved a Bronson).
BUT Either way, I'd be giving up XC riding, and maybe being a bit more reluctant to go out in bad winter weather. I personally would not enjoy slogging a sticky tired squish bike around roads and bridleways.
I'd be replacing this with either running, or road/gravel riding (new bike required) for mid week excercise, bad weather etc.
Basically I'm not willing to give up trail and light downhill (I'm a wimp) riding on a nice full squish bikes - the pinnacle of my enjoyment, and I'd be prepared to sacrifice/change the bulk of my miles/excersise to achieve this.
I only have one and it's an Orange Clockwork Evo. For me it's just the ticket and there is no conscious desire to have just one, it does what I want it to and it's fun.
Ibis bow Ti.
That’s not going to happen so a carbon short travel 29er. Probably an Anthem.
Something almost exactly like my Remedy 29.
Do I need to pay for it and the upkeep? If so I´d keep my Laufey hardtail. Fox 36´s and 65º head angle, it´s brilliant and dead simple.
If not then I´d have my Rallon. Fox 38´s, coil shock and it´s up for anything. I´ll be a little slower on the climbs that with the Occam but I´ll get there eventually. I´d miss having an e-bike for lots of things but it´s the one I can live without, although I reserve the right to change that answer in 10 years!
Something almost exactly like my Remedy 29.
Did you get anywhere with the modded front triangle idea?
The one I already have.
My Cotic Soda Max.
Steel FS 160mm or Steel 150mm Hardtail
Right now my fav bike in my stable is my steel torrent. I have quite a few nice bikes but always go back to it.
tomhoward
SubscriberDid you get anywhere with the modded front triangle idea?
A little way- found a couple of good options for getting it done, did some measuring, settled down to decide exactly what sizes I wanted, got a new hardtail which made me think more about that, then, coronavirus. So it's all on pause til the words "financial security" don't make me laugh