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Trail bike question?

3K views 31 replies 17 participants last post by  Just trails 
#1 ·
My son and I both bought the GT Aggressor pro.
It seems like it isn’t the greatest bike for trails. We go on the Montour trail which is dirt and the panhandle trail which is concrete. I’m 54 so I’m not going to go and kill myself on Mountain paths anytime soon. I’m more of an endurance rider not much for speed. My question is what is a bicycle that is a good climber on trails? It seems like we are struggling with this bike. It has an Acera Mm360 Derailleur. Which is a decent one. I’m 6’ 190 pounds. Just bought the bikes last year so they are pretty new. We live in a very hilly area. We live on the side of a hill and most hills here are steep. That’s why a good climber would be beneficial! Any help would be appreciated!
 
#2 ·
#4 ·
It sounds like you're riding bike paths and smooth trails.
You don't need much of a mountain bike.
Which is good because your bike isn't built for trails. It is designed for what you're riding. . .but it's at the low end of pricing.
That means it's heavy. You can't really fix that without wasting 1500 in buying replacement parts to get the weight down to less than 25 lbs.
The cheapest thing you can do is change to lower smaller knob lighter tires. But you're also on 27.5. 29 wheels on your next bike will roll easier and faster.

There's many here older than you by 10-20 years having fun on the roughest trails. But not on a bike like yours.
Contact the shops in your area about demo days for free test riding real mountain bikes on actual trails. Bring a helmet.
 
#6 ·
You can measure the chain. Look on YouTube for how to check that. I don't think that's a likely problem that'll slow you down.
Check the bearings for the hubs and the crank. If they aren't free rolling you can do a clean and grease to help. 35 lbs is more like the weight, im estimation. Also check the tire pressure and inflate to the maximum allowed.

Buy hey, it's early in the season. Put in the miles and it will be easier by the end of the year.
 
#7 ·
In most areas used bikes sell quick and for top dollar right now. So if you wanted to offload your bike to be able to upgrade, that’s in your favor. The reason why used bikes sell so quickly, is because most manufacturers are way behind and there isn’t many new bikes under $2k to be found anywhere.

You can upgrade your bikes a bit. You can switch to an air fork instead of the heavy coil spring one your have now. That will save you weight. The next thing would be to upgrade to a tubeless setup and reduce the rotational weight of the wheels and tires. A new fork would be about $150-$200 and tubeless including new tires, around another $150. Not the cheapest upgrades but those would provide the most bang for your buck. Down side to these are, you just dumped $300 into a $500 bike.

A better lighter XC (cross country) style bike would provide you with better climbing. But the fitness is still on you. Plenty of bike that fit this category for $1000-$2000. Just depends on how much of an upgrade you want to make.
 
#20 ·
You can upgrade your bikes a bit. You can switch to an air fork instead of the heavy coil spring one your have now. That will save you weight. The next thing would be to upgrade to a tubeless setup and reduce the rotational weight of the wheels and tires. A new fork would be about $150-$200 and tubeless including new tires, around another $150. Not the cheapest upgrades but those would provide the most bang for your buck. Down side to these are, you just dumped $300 into a $500 bike.
This is good advice in general, but for the type of riding the OP does, it'd make more sense to just get a rigid steel fork. I put a Surly Krampus fork (just as an example) on my first upgraditised hardtail, and actually liked it a lot more than a heavy, non-responsive pogo stick. All of my bikes are rigid, now.

A single change that can make a big difference, chainring... Gear it down slightly. Two teeth fewer is all it might take to make the difference without spending a fortune on forks and wheels.
Fitness comes with time and diligence.
Good advice all around. It's also important (looking at responses down the line) to say that telling someone their fitness will improve over time and with effort doesn't necessarily mean they aren't fit in any way, shape, or form. Just not speedy bike fit, which uses a specific set of muscles and such. No shame, just grind it out until you can't.

That's you not the bike.
DJ just "tells it like it is". LOL. And you accused me of sugarcoating things!

First of all I'm not three hundred pounds I'm 190 and 6 ' that's not far off from the average size of somebody my age. Second of all my son has the same bike and is 20 years old at 150. He runs on the treadmill and says he gets a better workout doing that than riding his bike. He says he can't stand riding it because he feels he's not going anywhere when he's on it and doesn't find it enjoyable. A few years ago he had a GT Talera 3.0 and he found it to be a better bike on the trails. I've been riding the trails for about 10 years.
Most importantly, I think there was little need for you to get defensive at this point in time. A few posts later on seem to have been mockingly made because you got offended. Not defending that "hazing" kinda attitude, but just saying that when you ask for advice, you may not like all of it, and hell it may be no good, but don't get in a tizzy over it. So for these climbs, how long are we talking, like 0.3-1 mile, or longer, even? At a certain point depending on the path leading up to the climb, it just turns into a long, slow slog uphill whether you like it or not. That's what I love about gravel road riding is those damn roads that every turn you swear is going to be the end of the hill only to round the corner and find you've got at least 0.25 miles left to go. I say take it easy, but take it.
 
#8 ·
My son and I both bought the GT Aggressor pro.
It seems like it isn't the greatest bike for trails. We go on the Montour trail which is dirt and the panhandle trail which is concrete. I'm 54 so I'm not going to go and kill myself on Mountain paths anytime soon. I'm more of an endurance rider not much for speed. My question is what is a bicycle that is a good climber on trails? It seems like we are struggling with this bike. It has an Acera Mm360 Derailleur. Which is a decent one. I'm 6' 190 pounds. Just bought the bikes last year so they are pretty new. We live in a very hilly area. We live on the side of a hill and most hills here are steep. That's why a good climber would be beneficial! Any help would be appreciated!
A single change that can make a big difference, chainring... Gear it down slightly. Two teeth fewer is all it might take to make the difference without spending a fortune on forks and wheels.
Fitness comes with time and diligence.
 
#10 ·
My son and I both bought the GT Aggressor pro.
It seems like it isn't the greatest bike for trails. We go on the Montour trail which is dirt and the panhandle trail which is concrete. I'm 54 so I'm not going to go and kill myself on Mountain paths anytime soon. I'm more of an endurance rider not much for speed. My question is what is a bicycle that is a good climber on trails? It seems like we are struggling with this bike. It has an Acera Mm360 Derailleur. Which is a decent one. I'm 6' 190 pounds. Just bought the bikes last year so they are pretty new. We live in a very hilly area. We live on the side of a hill and most hills here are steep. That's why a good climber would be beneficial! Any help would be appreciated!
It seems like it slows down while I'm climbing which in turn tires me out.
That's you not the bike.
That's exactly what I was going to say. It's you fitness that needs upgrading not the bike.
 
#11 ·
First of all I’m not three hundred pounds I’m 190 and 6 ‘ that’s not far off from the average size of somebody my age. Second of all my son has the same bike and is 20 years old at 150. He runs on the treadmill and says he gets a better workout doing that than riding his bike. He says he can’t stand riding it because he feels he’s not going anywhere when he’s on it and doesn’t find it enjoyable. A few years ago he had a GT Talera 3.0 and he found it to be a better bike on the trails. I’ve been riding the trails for about 10 years.
 
#13 ·
First of all I'm not three hundred pounds I'm 190 and 6 ' that's not far off from the average size of somebody my age. Second of all my son has the same bike and is 20 years old at 150. He runs on the treadmill and says he gets a better workout doing that than riding his bike. He says he can't stand riding it because he feels he's not going anywhere when he's on it and doesn't find it enjoyable. A few years ago he had a GT Talera 3.0 and he found it to be a better bike on the trails. I've been riding the trails for about 10 years.
I see you're in Pennsylvania. The bikes you and your son are on are pretty low end. You can both be quite fit (and I bet you are) and not enjoy riding those.

What is your goal? You're not that old. Do you want to stay on the kinds of trails you are currently on or would you like to get on more difficult trails? Do you want to stay on the trails you're riding but have a more climbing friendly bike? What's your budget?

I would recommend something like a Giant Stance 2. Giant tends to make good bikes at reasonable price points. It's full suspension but doesn't use their high end "Maestro" design and has 29" wheels with reasonable gearing to help on the climbs and comes in at $1550.

I suspect after riding on better bikes for a while, you'd both be inspired to "up your games" on tougher trails.
 
#14 ·
We were both thinking about a Cannondale. I noticed more road bikes available used for high prices. The best bike I’ve been on as fas as a good climber was the Cannondale F4 I was going to buy it and was test riding it but the one he was selling was too small for me.
I need a large or 19” frame. It was 17”. But seemed shorter. I unfortunately lost my job due to Covid-19 so money is tight. But like another person said people are over paying for bikes right now. So I’m weighing what options I have right now.
 
#15 ·
We were both thinking about a Cannondale. I noticed more road bikes available used for high prices. The best bike I've been on as fas as a good climber was the Cannondale F4 I was going to buy it and was test riding it but the one he was selling was too small for me.
I need a large or 19" frame. It was 17". But seemed shorter. I unfortunately lost my job due to Covid-19 so money is tight. But like another person said people are over paying for bikes right now. So I'm weighing what options I have right now.
My inclination would be to just keep what you have, rather than getting a (you don't say what year) used bike. Newer bikes have much better geometry and components, even at the low end. Especially if you're looking at 10 year old bikes. I don't think you'd get a bump in performance for the money.

I'd hold off. A new bike under the circumstances just may not be in the cards.
Regardless, FIT is hugely important, don't accept anything that doesn't fit.
 
#16 ·
It sounds like you're riding smooth, but hilly, terrain. Have you tried your son's GT to see if it has the same sensation of "slowing you down". If it does, then that sensation isn't likely due to the bike.

You say you've been riding trails for 10 years. Were they as hilly and steep as what you're riding now? Were the rides as long?

Gravity and fitness may be the issue here. Climbing is hard. Not being grossly overweight doesn't equal fitness sufficient for climbing hills. That takes time and sweat. Keep at it, you'll get better.
 
#17 ·
He has the same GT but smaller. I’m riding on the same trails. I had a Giant Cypress at one time it had the same effect but I did ride 30 miles that day with it. Cannondale has had the reputation for years for being good quality bikes. When working I averaged between 10,000 to 15,000 steps a day. So I do get a lot of exercise.
 
#18 ·
All exercise isn't equal. Once I did a Triathlon ,didn't train for the swim ,one of the last out of the water. Got on the bike ,started passing people left and right . Finished the bike part , the people I passed never caught me on the run. There isn't much substitute for saddle time. If you are riding once or twice a week ,you aren't going to get much stronger. When it comes to quality ,bikes in a price range are pretty equal. They use mostly the same parts. There ways to to increase your hill climbing ability ,as mention changing to lower gears can help ,having less rolling resistance ,less weight (you and the bike) rotating weight is important tires and wheels mostly. You have already noted sizing ,that can be adjusted somewhat to make climbing a little easier.
 
#28 ·
Bike riding is hard. Climbing is harder. Unless you are bike fit it will be hard. Your bike is fine for simple gravel and paved paths and probably not the issue. If you come to steep short climb you will slow down. Especially when you go to an easier gear. This can make it feel like you are going no where. If you want to go faster you have put out more power. This applies to any bike you ride.

And if you swap that bike out for a 15lbs road bike and climbing will still be hard. You will just be going 1-2 mph faster.
 
#29 ·
Bike geometry is another variable to consider. A highend road bike requires a different seated position versus a DH mtb or XC mtb. On a paved hill, the road bike will be faster, on a dirt hill or single track climb, the XC mtb will be faster. And the DH mtb will blast by all others on an mtb downhill trail.

I'd be hesitant to consider upgrading or purchasing anything until the desired geometry is vetted.
 
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