I have been looking at a few different mountain bikes and have a few questions I was hoping you could help with. I am looking for a mountain bike that will help me explore the trails around my house but can also be ridden on the road. There are lots of trails and old logging roads up the mountain around where I live. I also enjoy riding down the highway and local streets. My LBS carries Norco and Giant bikes. The bikes i am looking at are
2021 Norco charger VLT
www.norco.com
2021 Giant Stance E
www.giant-bicycles.com
I wanted a 2021 fathom E Pro but they are all sold out in my area. I also wanted a hardtail as im a bigger guy and worried about breaking the rear suspension ( 5'10 - 280lbs) at some point. I have tested the Norco and was a fun bike to ride but the shifting was clunky which the dealer said was due to it being a brand new bike and the cables need to be adjusted.
My questions are
1) How important is local dealer support? I have a city cycle and a trek dealer 2-3 hours away which gives Trek powerfly 5 and a Cube hybrid reaction as options.
2). How big of difference does the level of components make in shifting? Acera/Altus vs higher end? The norco seems to have lower end components but Im not sure how big of a difference it makes.
3) Is rear suspension a bad idea for bigger riders? I have read that it can add extra maintenance and wear. I don't plan on jumps or drops but there are lots of rocks and roots in the area.
My budget is around $4-5k CAD.
Thanks.
2021 Norco charger VLT

Charger VLT
<p>As e-bikes evolve, riders are starting to find new ways to use the extra kick they provide – like riding to work more often, climbing hills instead of avoiding them, or re-imagining the scale of what rides you even think are possible.</p> <p>The Norco Charger VLT is built to meet the needs of...
2021 Giant Stance E

Stance E+ 2 (2021) | Men Trail bike | Giant Bicycles Canada
Designed with trail-friendly geometry, Stance E+ helps beginner or intermediate trail riders experience off-road E-bike riding at its best. Its lightweight, strong and stiff ALUXX SL aluminum frame with FlexPoint suspen...

I wanted a 2021 fathom E Pro but they are all sold out in my area. I also wanted a hardtail as im a bigger guy and worried about breaking the rear suspension ( 5'10 - 280lbs) at some point. I have tested the Norco and was a fun bike to ride but the shifting was clunky which the dealer said was due to it being a brand new bike and the cables need to be adjusted.
My questions are
1) How important is local dealer support? I have a city cycle and a trek dealer 2-3 hours away which gives Trek powerfly 5 and a Cube hybrid reaction as options.
2). How big of difference does the level of components make in shifting? Acera/Altus vs higher end? The norco seems to have lower end components but Im not sure how big of a difference it makes.
3) Is rear suspension a bad idea for bigger riders? I have read that it can add extra maintenance and wear. I don't plan on jumps or drops but there are lots of rocks and roots in the area.
My budget is around $4-5k CAD.
Thanks.