Brandt was an engineer for Hewlett-Packard, and a Stanford graduate who grew up and later settled in Palo Alto, but also served in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in his ancestral home of Germany, where he remained working for a couple of years after his military service. Among his many professional accomplishments was input on the design and performance of the Porsche 911. Scott was an eccentric who could repel people with his caustic demeanor, and yet was still an influential figure in cycling circles. Tom Ritchey attempts to describe this complicated figure. Those looking for a solid bike that will eat up the miles should take some of their models into consideration.
If the pride of the brand lies in its excellent touring models, road enthusiasts will find their happiness in a quality catalog at affordable prices. Again, at this price level, having quality brakes is unusual. We’d have preferred disc brakes on both wheels, but that would have just pushed the price up. The brakes are very responsive and will stop you on a dime. It’s hard to get passed the point that this bike has disc brakes on the front, and rim brakes on the front.
It is one of the few low-cost full-suspension trail bicycles with a 3×7 drivetrain that has a wider range of speed options. Some may find the 3× drivetrain more complicated to shift, but it’s a better learning curve for newbies. It’s a much better learning curve for the novice, because afterward, whether the bike is replaced with a 2× or a 1×, you’ll be able to master it more quickly. It is very rare to find such workmanship at such a low price.
With its proportions, and tapered headset it can have many higher end components added the bike to make it comparable to bikes much more expensive than it is. This includes new forks, better derailleurs, better handlebars and so much more. I must say, a lot of people don’t like low end bicycles with a full suspension, as supposedly the rear shocks tend to bounce and it makes for a pogo stick affect. It can be rated as one of the cheapest mountain bikes with good value for money.
Plus, the lightweight alloy wheels add to the bike’s speed and agility. The matte black finish with neon accents is sure to turn heads on any trail. Upgrade your mountain biking game with the 29″ Genesis Abstract. “If you understood the culture back then, the lightweight road bike wheel of course existed, but they didn’t have any large tires available for it.
Both Peter Johnson and Tom Ritchey were regulars on the Jobst Ride. Suffering was a constant factor in these rides, but Brandt can be rightfully considered the father of the Adventure or Epic Rides that have become an institution today. Specialized also launched a Peter Sagan genesis mountain bike collection with a largely gold frameset a few years ago. We’ve got to say, though, that we’ve never seen anything like the head tube on Adam Blythe’s bike. We showed you 3T’s Strada ICR a couple of weeks ago, with a ‘nose’ extending forwards at the front of the head tube.
However, if you’re a more experienced cyclist, you’ll want something better. The MTB pedals also have low clearance, and that’s a little bit of an issue, but you can easily upgrade them to a decent pair. The wheels are 27.5” and have decent traction; you should be able to maintain your grip on most surfaces easily. We’d have liked the wheels to be tubeless-ready, but that might be asking too much, considering how little you’re paying here. It’s made from high-strength aluminum, so it’s also very light-weight.
Tom Ritchey Sr. was also an avid cyclist who taught his son how to repair tubulars, and by age 15, to braze frames. An accomplished Junior racer, Tom Ritchey Jr. built his first frame in 1972, using it as his own personal race bike genesis mountain bike and using it to good effect in local races, and he was later selected to the U.S. Once the frame building bug bit him, however, Ritchey dove headfirst into the pursuit, approaching it with his characteristic enthusiasm and zeal.
The brakes are used with disc brakes on the front and rear of the bike, making for a nice look. Braking is done by using front disc brakes and genesis mountain bike rear rim brakes, that are both wire driven. The Liv Tempt 4 is relatively more expensive and uses a lightweight ALUXX-grade aluminum frame.