Been many, many years since I've owned mountain bike. I've decided to pick one up but the choices are confusing (29er, hard tail, full suspension).
I'm looking at doing mostly single track riding. From what I can tell, 29ers seem to be the hot item with many people suggesting going with a hard tail. Good choice? What I would I miss by not having a rear suspension? How much travel does a front fork need?
I'm also confused by mountain bike fit. I'm 6' tall with a 33" inseam. I ride, for the most part, 56cm road frames. When I look at the dimensions for a mountain bike, I'm especially confused by top tube length. In general, a 56cm road frame will have about a 56cm top tube (give or take and virtual of course for sloping top tubes). But the frame sizes I think would fit (around 20"), seem to have super long top tube measurements. Is this measurement not comparable to a road bike?
Thanks.
I'm looking at doing mostly single track riding. From what I can tell, 29ers seem to be the hot item with many people suggesting going with a hard tail. Good choice? What I would I miss by not having a rear suspension? How much travel does a front fork need?
I'm also confused by mountain bike fit. I'm 6' tall with a 33" inseam. I ride, for the most part, 56cm road frames. When I look at the dimensions for a mountain bike, I'm especially confused by top tube length. In general, a 56cm road frame will have about a 56cm top tube (give or take and virtual of course for sloping top tubes). But the frame sizes I think would fit (around 20"), seem to have super long top tube measurements. Is this measurement not comparable to a road bike?
Thanks.