UKC

I rode many a MTB mile back in the last century. I've been self-employed for the last 20 yrs and now looking to get back into MTB, XC, trails and occasional centres. Does Mountain Bike Orienteering, Trailquest still exist?

My Orange 06E is looking a bit tatty even though it has not been very far in the last 20 yrs.

Bikes have moved on, in many directions. Not interested in Electric, I'm looking for something that is basic, something that has less things to go wrong and bits that do go wrong I can maintain myself, at home and on the hill.

Kona Lava Dome was my first MTB and I'll be looking at a Cinder Cone later.

Any other suggestions, Bike shops in the Midlands that I can have a look at Old School MTB's

One further question, how do I choose a size? 5' 10", 100kg not looking to break any records but I'd like to get out on my local hills Shropshire and welsh Marches.

Thank you for your suggestions.

Mountain bike orienteering is still happening, check out the MTBO website for fixtures.

Regarding bikes, have you looked into a modern fully rigid xc bike? Lots of the benefits of modern bikes without the complexity of modern suspension! These types of bikes are often very competitive in MTBO events.

Very similar tale here. Rode loads up until children arrived and all but stopped. Went out to look at bikes expecting to spend £2-3k and ended up buying a Boardman MHT 8.9 (~£1k). Bombproof and did everything I needed it to do. I also acquired a Cube Reaction Pro hardtail (also ~£1k but was given to me) which is sharper on downhills but less flowing on the trail. Overall I probably prefer the Cube to ride but it feels heavier and I ride the Boardman more often.

The biggest change seems to ve in value for money and in the shift to 12 speed. The main issue with 12 speed is that if you ride on fast trails there simply aren't enough cogs to go flat out; you spend a lot of time freewheeling which is annoying.

https://www.genesisbikes.co.uk/genesis-longitude-vargn22530

Check out the 2nd hand bikes - Gumtree is good for local pickup.

I got a 2013 Rockhopper hardtail for <£200 in lovely condition, and also a 2010 Stumpjumper carbon full-suspension for £600 - also lovely condition (but spent £140 on a rear shock service). Both 26" wheels though.

I'm 5'9" and 82kg, both bikes are Medium size.

I used to ride a lot when much younger then stopped for some reason. Now getting back into it - can just about still manage the Reds at trail centres. I also use the Rockhopper to save on long walk-ins when Munro-collecting. I'm 71 BTW.

12 speed doesn’t necessarily mean that you will end up spinning out, and bear in mind that this is what xc pros use, but you may have too small a chain ring for your cycling style. The Boardman MHT is listed as having a 32 tooth chain ring with the smallest gear on the cassette being 11 speed. At a cadence of 100 RPM this would correspond to a speed of just under 25 mph (exact tyre diameter will affect this) which off road is pretty quick. If you want to achieve higher speeds than that or don’t like spinning at 100 RPM then you could change to a larger chain ring. Swapping to a 38 tooth chain ring would take that theoretical cadence of 100 RPM to just under 30 MPH. The frame will have a max chainring sizer that you will have to check. IMO 32 tooth is a bit small for most people

 10t small cogs are available for 12 speed, I'd use a 10-51 if I was going 12 speed. 

Same for me when my old Marin Pine Mountain got relegated to shopping duties.

Ended up with a Cube Reaction Pro. Not super hi tech. Has rack mounts for bike packing

Had concerns about the 29 wheels but I find them great in anything loose compared to 26" wheels.

1X is fantastic, I can go quite fast enough for my aged bones.

I think the geometry on new bikes is just better. They might look big and cumbersome compared to something from 30 years ago but they do most things better.

Future goal?

https://www.scottish-orienteering.org/news/world-masters-mountain-bike-orie...

Embargoed areas published this week for two years time. 

More have moved to full suspension, but low travel rears. Less vibration means easier to read map over all terrain. But a hard tail is more than adequate. 

A lot of the time if you find something so steep and awkward lower gearing is needed it's quicker to jump off and run a short distance up a hill, then get going again (which is allowed within mtbo rules).

I have an old Carrera 3x7 (yes it's old). At the back it had a 14-28T and a 28-48T at the front. This is a range of just 1:3.4 (i.e. ratio between the highest and lowest gear).

This mean hills were very much a struggle.

I swapped the freewheel for a 13-34T (biggest I could find) and this has improved the range to 1:4.5.

With the suitably sized 12 speed I could get a range of 1:5.1. Depending on the front sprocket size this could simultaneously improve both hill climbing and downhill speed. Very tempted.  I'm planning on replacing the rear wheel with a freehub type anyway as I want a better selection of cog sizes, plus I don't really like the inherent weakness of freewheel axles, although it's probably fine for what I'm doing, but it is tempting to swap over to a wide ratio 1X whilst I'm at it.

I may go down a 1X9 route as I think my derailleur will work with it, chain will be fine, for now, I could just modify my crankset to a single ring, so the only other thing I will need to buy is a new shifter and and this should match my current range of 1:4.5.

I was talking about the fast gears - a 10-51 with a 32 upfront is about the same as a 11-51 with a 36 I believe. You can even get 9 tooth little cogs now. 

To prevent chain drop on a 1x conversion I would recommend to swap out your chainring for a narrow-wide one and quite possibly also use a chain retention device, especially while using a non-clutch derailleur (not sure if there even are any clutch derailleurs with 9 speeds with the major groupset manufacturers). 

I would pass on anything that doesn't have disk brakes and Aheadset. No-one will ever persuade me to return to rim brakes off road. Hypocritically, I'm still charmed by old skool mtb's like Konas and Kleins, but the technology then was miles behind what a mtb is nowadays. Doesn't stop me looking at those old bikes though (I had a few old Konas and Treks back in the day).

I hung on to my 13 year old Scott Scale for a long time, convinced I didnt want to give up my 3x10 gearing range, or get a bike with "modern geometry" because it wouldnt be so good for long XC rides... Then last year I bought a Specialized Chisel (1x12 speed, modern XC bike) and I have to say I just love it. Despite being an alloy hardtail, it is super comfortable, it is lighter by about 3kg than the Scott, so certainly feels quicker uphill / on the flat (non to mention easier to lift over stuff), and is in a whole another world in terms of downhill ability - there is no scenario where its not just a lot more pleasant to ride.