the best new bicycle for offroad use

[wafoAkoTalaga1]

I am new to bicycle adventures here in our country and I would love to hear/know more about the best off road bicycle and what material should it be made?...tnx....

[waynemyer]

Yes.

[waynemyer]

To be a little more exact, we need more context.

Every material has its benefits and drawbacks.  No single material is categorically the best in all situations.  Are your priorities durability, speed, or price?  You get to pick two of those and reality will set the third parameter.

[ishan]

i have note ridden bicycle from last more than 20 yrs..and now after few months planing for a long trip from lhasa to kathmandu..can anyone help me to select an mountain terrain bike...how shall i select it???

[Bikearound]

Find a bike store where you can test ride as many bikes that feel suit the type of riding you anticipate doing. Riding on dirt and gravel roads does not limit you to mountain bikes. My suggestion would be to look at bikes like the Thorne Sherpa or the Koga Miyata World Traveler just to name a couple of bikes that are well traveled. Google "Fully Loaded Touring Bikes" and you will find a large photo library of touring bikes with the brands of the bikes listed and see if any of those are available in your area. Most any bike will do the job of getting you from point A to point B on a map but what fits you best should be your first priority.

[velo]

Material doesn't really matter. It'll almost certainly be aluminum or steel unless you have the budget for titanium. More importantly look for the features you need.  Is this mountain bike touring or more off an gravel road affair? Those are pretty different in terms of needs. Most likely I could see doing dirt touring on a ridged 29er with mountain parts and maybe a Rohloff Speedhub for the drivetrain. Your ideal is probably going to be different.

If you are going in the mountain direction look for bikes people use on the Great Divide Route or similar dirt tours. One thing to consider is if you want or need suspension.

For more of a dirt road touring situation something with 26in, or 29er wheels, fat tires (2in) and braze ons for full racks might be the ticket. A Salsa Fargo is one possibility that I've seen around.

My best advice is to do try out a bunch of bikes at a good shop. Find a shop that knows touring stuff and see what they recommend. After you have ridden a few bikes you will be way better equiped to figure out what you need and want. Good luck!