Best type of mountain bike to "learn" on?

You were typing with passion

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Here’s another question for you guys…

What are the practical differences between the different levels of suspension? Am I really going to notice any difference between the Performance/Elite/Factory lines?

Not at first, no. Most of them can be upgraded later as well these days.

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I’d go with a hard tail and plus size tires. I prefer 29+ (Trek Stache), others prefer 27.5+. You’ll find the plus size more forgiving on line choice and very grippy but still a ton of fun. Also generally easier maintainence and better components at a given price point. And once your hooked, you’ll know what you want for n+1.

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I am guessing that you copy/pasted from some site and that formatting came along for the ride. I removed the “#” at the beginning of the text (same method used in the forum tools) and it is “normal” text now.

Not rich enough :worried:

I sorta disagree. I think the line is blurred at the top end but the lower-grade stuff is going to limit your progression. Since you are buying used and have a healthy budget, I’d be looking for the best bike/components you can find. Here’s an excellent build of the bike that I recommended, under your budget:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Medium-2016-Santa-Cruz-Tallboy-3-0-CC-XX1-with-ENVE/123871894340?hash=item1cd7571b44:g:wzAAAOSwqktdPJNy

I should have been more specific that the Fox Performance forks and the new 35mm chassis Rockshox forks can be upgraded with the better dampers.

The shocks are not easily upgradable and I def agree that used is the way to go value wise.

I have the original SC Hightower. 135 rear, 140 front. I came from a roadie/tri background and it’s been a great bike for me to learn on. It’s a bit of a “big” bike for XC and marathon distance races but I have used it for both and it’s gotten the job done. I’ve also taken it to Park City and Northstar and ridden it as a “downhill” bike.

Technical riding is definitely my weakness and the bike allows me to, most of the time make mistakes without consequences. Many times I’ve made a poor line choices and thought “I’m going down!”, but the Hightower just plows right through the rough stuff. At the same time for a bigger bike it pedals pretty well.

I think I’ll eventually get something faster as XC and Marathon are the type of events I gravitate towards, but for now it’s been a great bike.

I’ll put another POV out there.

Full suss bikes can be a pain to clean if you are used to a road bike. I bought a 120mm ‘trail’ bike and being honest 99% of the time jump on my 100mm XC hard tail instead. This is usually purely down to cleaning time and where I ride - local woods (mainly flowy trails with some technical bits) and Hadleigh Park (2012 Olympic XC venue). The full suss is far more capable but isn’t necessary. Maybe if I was based on some mountains it would get ridden more.

What Boombang says!

Whilst I’m a little old school and feel that learning on a hardtail teaches skills without becoming over-reliant on technology to get over obstacles, so much depends on local conditions.

Where I used to live in the UK, all I needed was a hardtail (I was SE England as well and raced at Hadleigh a few times) There were very few situations where a FS was necessary, and certainly not enough to warrant the extra expense. Where I now live in Australia the trails are much harsher (extremely rocky) whilst I could get by on a hardtail rides could potentially become very unpleasant, which, if I was a beginner would sap my motivation) I bought a FS (Trek Top Fuel) shortly after arriving and sold my hardtail not long after. I may end up moving elsewhere in Australia where the trails are smoother and a hardtail my again become the sensible choice.

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I went through a similar thing. I’m a roadie with very little MTBing skill or knowledge.

I bought a Trek Stache 29+ and absolutely love it, so far it has been super forgiving on choosing bad lines. I’ve competed in a 80km and 50km XCM ride and rally enjoyed it. I have a 100km coming up.

For my style of riding and terrain I’m very happy with the HT.

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Honestly for OP, start by renting a few different mountain bikes and if you happen to be near a lift-access area, take a beginner lesson.

That will quickly help you figure out what you will enjoy.

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I’m not exactly located in a hot bed of MTB activity, but I do have the ability to work remotely whenever I want and travel. I’m actually going to be in Breckenridge, CO in a couple weeks and was thinking about trying to demo a few bikes while I’m out there.

I agree that if you have the opportunity to rent/demo a few different brands and types of MTB, it’s the best way to find out what suits you. I started out on a hardtail and graduated to a FS XC bike after a year or so (after demo-ing a few). I’m faster on just about every trail on the FS. In hindsight I’d have been better starting out on the FS as it’s more capable and therefore more fun but the HT was more affordable, and now I have both!