Mountain Bike question

I do MTB triathlons almost exclusivley after eight years of road tri's. I ride a duel suspension Specialized M4 Rockhopper. Most MTB tri people and mountainbikers ride duel suspension cross country bikes. However, you can ride a hardtail ( no rear suspension) and do quite well on one. It is cheaper too.

If you live/train in upstate NY then I would imagine that the area is relativly flat with not a whole lot of rugged technical downhill. So your better off saving your cash and get a fast rigid hardtail.

Good luck

Jim - You don't think they have as kickin trails in Albany as we do in the Santa Monica Mountains? Probably not. Go XTerra!

If you are looking to buy a mountain bike that will be used ina road tri, get suspension with lockouts. I ride a dual suspension Canondale with lockouts on both front and rear. Hardening up the suspension while road riding makes the shocks waste a lot less of your energy.