Why Nobody Wants Mountain Bikes Anymore

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[lastpme]

I think problem is the price and the technology keeps changing. I have gravel, mountain, and a road bike. Bikes are too expensive to replace the ones I currently own.

[GregAspenson]

40 years old here. Started Mountain Biking 2 years ago. Going out about once a week. I make time for it and my health, mood, relationships are better for it. Just have one hardtail, that's all I need, and I keep my wheels on the ground most of the time.

[Iggy]

I love my do-it-all hardtail Kona Honzo and wouldn't trade it for anything. Playful, fun, multi-purpose bike. I dont even need to be on a trail all the time, just riding around neighborhood and being a kid again is AWESOME. I am 44. 😊

[casestudymtb]

As much as the industry wants you to be on a 1-3 year bike purchase cycle, the reality is that these investments will last. If you bought a bike within the last 5 years, geometry hasn't changed much and that bike can be ridden for another 10 years or more with proper maintenance. I own multiple bikes, but I'm at a place now where my needs are met. There just isn't
a sufficiently compelling alternative to my current bikes to make me want to purchase something new anytime soon.

[ToxicGamer]

A lot of us have jobs that require fully functional limbs and health insurance is also getting really expensive. One fall that isn’t even too bad could completely derail your life.

[rogercole]

I’ve been riding my budget gravel bike for the exact reasons you mentioned. The only upgrade that makes a difference in mountain biking is to move to an area that you can pedal to the trailhead.
Electronic shifting, electronic droppers, flight attendant suspension have all made analog bikes as expensive as e-bikes.

[magicunicorn]

It seems like mountain biking became synonymous with steep, technical downhill and jump lines, but for me, mountain biking is exploring off road, on all sorts of trails. I've owned a lot of bikes, and the bike that is MY Jack-of-all-trades is a cross-country hardtail mountain bike. I have fun with it in the city, on paved roads, dirt roads, single-track trails, bike paths, etc. It's fast enough to keep up with my road-biking friends, and climbs hills easily. The front shocks give my sore shoulders a break. I've had bikes with drop bars in the distant past; too narrow, too low, don't like 'em. But I also don't like super-wide mountain bike bars either. Too hard to squeeze through narrow places. The flat bar on my XC bike is in-between, which for my purposes is just right.

[GodLovesBachelors]

The main reason why (I Think) is the fall back from the coof. A lot of people lost their jobs, fell back from their mortgage payments, debt in general, the rise in taxes and they have to work more hours or get a second job just to keep their head above water.
They don't have time to go mountain biking let alone think of even buying a new bike. I know a lot of mountain bike shops are now suffering because of it. Another thing I notice and I don't know if any one else notices is that their are no more people on the trails. Bikers and hikers, There were a lot before and during the coof but not now.

[paul]

I tend to ride every weekend here in Maryland and usually see the same people on the trails. I recently went XC and utilize it for everything from gravel, trails, and road. I bought a Specialized Chisel ($1, 300) and made some great upgrades (dropper, grips, and carbon bar) that makes me enjoy the heck out of the bike. I recently went to my local shop and the NEW Status 140 2s are $3, 500. I have the last status 140 and paid around $2, 100 for and there is no "big" difference between the two. The price of bikes these days is crazy. Enjoy what you have and ride.

[chuckjoga]

Everyone who wanted a bike, got one. Mountain Biking is a lot of fun, but the flip side is that it is very hard. When I buy a bike, I plan to ride it for 4-5 years because current bicycle technology is state of the art with over 100 years of refinement. And, you pay big for that state of the art. I'm hoping to pick up someone's lightly used super bike in a couple years.

[wldtrak]

The one thing that got me back into biking more often is an E-MTB. Yep, I said it. Due to work and other obligations, I wasn't riding as often which meant my fitness dropped - so when I finally did go ride, it was painful and really not that fun. Now, I can grab my E-Bike and go ride without the dread of suffering, stopping to rest, and being completely worn out after the ride. I still get great exercise and can go so much further or do more laps. The downside, I have NO idea how to work on the E-bike. To me, that's the biggest downside to them.

[ronaldgainsford]

30 Years ago, I bought a GT Outpost All Terra. I still have it. The only thing I did was fit narrower all terrain tires, which has less road resistance.
It's a good commuter and adventure bicycle.

[pascalbruyere]

I agree. I have a 26” full suspension from 1999, rim brakes, good enough for what I am doing. Bearings cost $10, chains $20 brake pads $10 so I can always run on a new bike.

[sedohrj]

I just bought my first MTB 2 weeks ago. Trek Marlin 8 plus.

[ryancale]

For new mountain bikes sales, I feel like tech has leveled off. If you own a bike that's less than 4 years old, there's really no reason to upgrade unless you're moving to a different style of bike. Around me mtb still going strong it's the road scene that died. Lot's of people moved from road to gravel, mtb or stopped riding years ago.

[MattPula]

the logic path you break down on different advancements in MTB (dropper posts, suspension, etc) is exactly why my main trail bike is over 10 years old - nothing has changed that drastically to make it seem like it's worth upgrading (and I can upgrade individual components if I want) - and most importantly the terrain isn't changing rapidly either.

eMTB is the only new advancement that is appealing to me, and that's largely just to make it more convenient - it would make it less of a chore, and make it feel like I'm able to do more with the limited time I can spend mountain biking.

[medina]

I am a lifelong MTB rider, and you are preaching 100% truth. The points in my life where I took a break were due to the factors you mention in terms of convenience, high barrier to entry (on a daily basis) that sometimes life doesn't allow. But that said I'll be riding till I die... and hopefully that isn't on the trail. Keep up the meaningful content.

[aaronrominske]

I have to drive 45 minutes to get to a decent trail system. you're right, if i go to ride a hour and a half away, it can easily be a half day or more till I get home. I have been riding BMX cruisers alot lately, just riding for fun is what it's all about.

[seano]

Ya know what's better than a gravel bike? A hardtail. The front suspension allows for a more comfortable ride. You can ride anywhere and anything with a hardtail. Wanna ride road, get a road bike. Wanna ride off road, get a mountain bike. Why ride a rigid frame off road? You ain't doing your joints any favors.

Besides, to anyone that complains about driving to a trail... whats wrong with finding places to ride around your neighborhood? Practice on rocknislands in parking lots, find stair sets to ride down and up, curbs, various walking trails that have a single track next to them all easily accessible from your garage. Get out and explore what's around you, it's not that hard and it's fun to find things!

[ekims_echoes]

I started riding mountain bikes in the early 90s, when most of us were riding steel rigid bikes on fire roads and relatively smooth singletrack. These were shared use trails without big jumps or drops. Basically, what we were riding back then was similar to what gravel riding is now - maybe a bit rougher than typical gravel riding, but not by a whole lot.
As you were saying, going to "proper" mountain bike trails takes time whereas I can jump on my "adventure" bike (a rigid 29er with alt bars that started as a hardtail from 2010) and go for a rad ride from my house, hitting dirt along the way. I think that style of bike is great for just going for a ride nearly anywhere.