Best Mountain Bike for XC Racing??

Question

I have a lot of mountain biking experience, but am getting at a higher level of competition in MTB racing. What is the best bike for me? Should I ride a hardtail or full suspension bike? Which brand has the lightest bike for a $650-$750 price range. Appreciate the imput. Thanks!

Answer 1

I'll be honest i don't know that much about mountain biking, but i'll give it a shot. For xc riding, i would recommend a hardtail. They're more efficient with your pedal strokes.  But depending on the difficulty, a soft tail would work too, but they are usually heavier and more expensive. In your price range, i would worry more about components instead of weight.  Key components would be the wheels, fork (around 100 mm trave)l, and the crankset. You'll probably be replacing parts of your drivetrain often, so i wouldn't put a lot of money in it. Anything by shimano or sram will do fine as long as you keep them clean and tuned. Sorry I couldn't help you more, but perhaps you'll figure it out with this!

Answer 2

honestly i don't think you will get much of an xc bike if your going to be racing it for $750 but look at giant, speacialized, trek and go down to ur local bike shop and check out the bikes ask for a ride and if its too expensive look for the same bike on ebay or something. Also regarding full suspension or hardtail, i ride a full sus bike and find it hard pedaling up hills sometimes, so only get a full suspension bike if you really need it or if it has lockout mode.