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Mountain/Touring bike - need advice

Old 09-17-20, 03:18 AM
  #1  
brasio
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Mountain/Touring bike - need advice

Hi all,I am looking for a mtb with the following features, with a budget of 1500 - 2000 euros maximum (preferably 1500):

1) shimano xt/deore or sram gearbox in 3x9 / 10 version or in single chainring 12-speed version
2) front suspension fork
3) no rear fork
4) eyeletes for mounting rear rack and fenders on the frame

I would like to use it for touring but some light hardtail sometimes happens and I prefer a mtb frame. I had seen the Genesis Longitude and Bombtrack Beyond + models, they are nice bikepacking steel mtbs, but unfortunately they have a rigid fork and I am not going to spend money to change it. I also like the completeness of the Cube Kathmandu SL, but the frame is for touring.

Would you suggest me any models?
Thanks for your help.
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Old 09-17-20, 08:29 AM
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Hi brasio, welcome to the forum

I can't help with bike selection, don't keep up with new models that way. You can make almost any mountain bike a touring bike these days by using bikepacking bags and fenders or racks back be mounted if there are no eyelets or on a suspension fork using adapters or dedicated products. If you want more of a mtb than a trekking bike (like the Cube), look at a Surly Karate Monkey or Surly Krampus for inspiration. Kinda in your price range.

But for clarity so others can respond:
  • The euro is about 1.19USD right now so the prices are about equal. 2000 euros being 2300USD.
  • 3. says no rear fork but I assume that means no rear suspension. That design is called a hard tail (suspension in front - rigid in back).
Cheers.
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Old 09-17-20, 09:55 AM
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I fear what you are hunting unicorns. Mountain bikes don’t usually come with rack mounts and many of the bikepacking bikes out there don’t come with suspension forks. The ones that do are likely to have a subpar suspension fork that is a cousin to the pogo stick, once removed.

While building your own bike isn’t a cheap route, it may be your best route here. Some less expensive mountain bikes still have rack mounts. The Trek Marlin 7, for example, has rack mounts and a coil spring fork with lockout. It’s not the level of componentry you want but it’s close. The wheels are a bit weak for touring but those could be replaced or respoked with DT Alpine III spokes to make a wheel that is strong enough for the extra load. It’s a pretty good platform to start with and you can spend some money to make it better either upfront or over time.
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Old 09-17-20, 02:47 PM
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One thing you can do, like I did, is buy a rigid mountain bike designed around bikepacking but with a suspension-corrected fork and look for someone selling a nice sus fork taken off a new bike. I'm riding a surly karate monkey with a nice, basically new fork I got on pinkbike. The total cost was well within your budget. There's a nice list of other options here https://bikepacking.com/index/rigid-...touring-bikes/ .
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Old 09-17-20, 04:02 PM
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Most of the people that use this forum are in USA. And we have a lot of bikes available to us that are not sold in Europe. And a lot of the bikes sold in Europe are not sold in USA. So, you might not get the best advice here.

Good luck in your search.
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Old 09-18-20, 03:42 AM
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Thanks. Karate Monkey has options for a RockShox 35 Gold RL suspension fork and for a RockShox Sektor RL one. I have no experience with the SRAM NX Eagle derailleur, it seems an entry level one.
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Old 09-18-20, 03:47 AM
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Originally Posted by dunkleosteus
One thing you can do, like I did, is buy a rigid mountain bike designed around bikepacking but with a suspension-corrected fork and look for someone selling a nice sus fork taken off a new bike. I'm riding a surly karate monkey with a nice, basically new fork I got on pinkbike. The total cost was well within your budget. There's a nice list of other options here h t t p s://bikepacking.com/index/rigid-steel-off-road-touring-bikes/ .
It's a a wealth of information! I hope some bikes are available in Europe. I'm going to check that.
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Old 09-18-20, 08:20 AM
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Originally Posted by brasio
...I have no experience with the SRAM NX Eagle derailleur, it seems an entry level one.
Not really. What it does have is the factory ability to handle a 10-50 cassette and clutch. https://www.sram.com/en/sram/models/rd-nx-1-b1
You aren't going to find that capacity out of the box with most derailers without DIY modifications like a Roadlink wolf tooth extender. https://www.wolftoothcomponents.com/products/roadlink

I've been running SRAM derailers on my fatbike and am pretty impressed with them.
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Old 09-19-20, 10:08 AM
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I was also looking at the Giant Toughroad SLR 1, the price is good. What do you think about it? I don't know if frame is resistant and which sizes of tires are allowed. They are tubeless too, I have no experience with them.
EDIT: no suspension fork, but it seems that these kind of bikes usually have rigid forks.
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Old 09-19-20, 12:22 PM
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The Toughroad is 700 x 42. Frame shouldn't be an issue unless you plan to haul tons of gear and get big air off of drops.

You may want a suspension fork but it isn't a deal breaker if you want a touring bike that is capable of some moderate off road riding. If you want to do really hard off road you probably want a full suspension bike anyways. no touring capable bike is also going to be great at technical mtb.

FWIW, I mtb with a couple of different bikes. A rigid 26" I put a cheap suspension fork on (also tour with that frame).





A rigid fatbike (also tour with that frame).





And a rigid 26" single speed.



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Old 09-21-20, 04:19 AM
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Beautiful landscapes, happy feet!
I think I will need to test some bikes in a shop. I'm realizing that a do-it-all bike does not exist. My 'big dilemma' is about the suspension fork. I have always had one, I find it confortable even when I use my bike to go to my office in my city, which is a full of potholes paved road. I have had in the past a cargo bike too (kona ute) with a rigid fork, I used to bring my children to school with it, but it was not a confortable experience, too many vibrations on my hands, and eventually I sold it. I should test a bike with a rigid fork and large tires, I have no idea how much they can dampen vibrations, what happen with potholes, what is the confort in an offroad trek and roll resistance of large tires in paved road.
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Old 09-21-20, 07:47 AM
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Originally Posted by brasio
I think I will need to test some bikes in a shop. I'm realizing that a do-it-all bike does not exist. My 'big dilemma' is about the suspension fork. I have always had one, I find it confortable even when I use my bike to go to my office in my city, which is a full of potholes paved road. I have had in the past a cargo bike too (kona ute) with a rigid fork, I used to bring my children to school with it, but it was not a confortable experience, too many vibrations on my hands, and eventually I sold it. I should test a bike with a rigid fork and large tires, I have no idea how much they can dampen vibrations, what happen with potholes, what is the confort in an offroad trek and roll resistance of large tires in paved road.
brasio, if you have always had a suspension fork and find even city riding too uncomfortable with a rigid fork, it may end up that this is a problem. Realize that sometimes too high tire pressures will make a bicycle uncomfortable and keeping an eye on pressures and trying out different pressures to feel the difference is important.
Some riders never think or care about checking tire pressures, and it requires both an interest and a pressure gauge that works.
just know that often just a bit less pressure in the front tire will result in a less harsh ride and easier on your hands. I live in an extremely potholey city and too high pressure in the front tire, no matter which bike and tire width I'm using, can and will result in a harsh ride.

Another big factor in hand comfort is both handlebar shape and position, as well as better grips that are shaped better for reducing hand pressure, like Ergon grips.

good luck in your quest.
which country by the way?
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Old 09-21-20, 12:09 PM
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brasio
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Originally Posted by djb
brasio, if you have always had a suspension fork and find even city riding too uncomfortable with a rigid fork, it may end up that this is a problem. Realize that sometimes too high tire pressures will make a bicycle uncomfortable and keeping an eye on pressures and trying out different pressures to feel the difference is important.
Some riders never think or care about checking tire pressures, and it requires both an interest and a pressure gauge that works.
just know that often just a bit less pressure in the front tire will result in a less harsh ride and easier on your hands. I live in an extremely potholey city and too high pressure in the front tire, no matter which bike and tire width I'm using, can and will result in a harsh ride.

Another big factor in hand comfort is both handlebar shape and position, as well as better grips that are shaped better for reducing hand pressure, like Ergon grips.

good luck in your quest.
which country by the way?
Thanks djb, I will check. I use to inflate the tires at half in the pressure range allowed and I'm just 65 kg. Maybe aluminium frame of my cargo bike was too rigid too and it was better a suspension fork in that case.
I live in Italy.
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Old 09-21-20, 04:41 PM
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Re pressures, unfortunately I am not familiar with using BAR with tire pressure, here we use psi, but in psi on a tire maybe 37mm wide, if I reduce pressure from 40 to 35, it will be less harsh.
with 28mm tires, going from 90 to 80 or 75 is less harsh
oh, and I weigh a bit less than you, a few kilos less.
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