Official Mountain bike Thread!

^Nice pics!



Been raining hard here the past week so I wasn't able to get much saddle time. Been busy going around shops for parts though. Just got this today. It's for a new build I'm doing. A Voodoo ti 29er hardtail. Planning to race a bit for fun.





It's a Crank Bros 29er wheelset shown here with a King headset and a carbon seatpost



The frame will take a little over a month to get here from the US.

Ordered my 2011 Specialized Hardrock sport disc today! Told myself not to spend a ton of money because I'm not sure if I'll actually end up having time to ride it regularly while I open my karting track. If I do get back into it full swing, I'll sell this one and buy something nice during the off season. Ordered some cheap shimano pedals to go with it for now.

What's funny is the major bike dealer in Cincy, pretty much the only Specialized dealer, didnt have much in stock that I wanted. It's so nice here today that I probably would have stepped out of my budget just so I could ride this afternoon, but they didn't even have a basic Rockhopper or Rockhopper Comp in my size available. Oh well, not too long of a wait. Will post videos of me breaking myself when it comes in!

Just went through this whole thread. It seems a good price point to start at is $400 for a noob like me? Something like a trek 3700 Disc.? I don't really know anything about this other than I used to ride Gt Dyno's and loved to make ramps for those bad boys when I was younger (~10yrs ago). I'm 5'5" what do you guys recommend for a noob looking to do a little bit of beach riding and street riding as well as trail riding in the desert and mountains which i'll do most of.

So where do I start?

TIA

^People are quick to say you need disk brakes and suspension and this and that, but I learned on a rigid steel frame mountain bike from the 80's and I think it makes you a much better rider. Once you have exceeded the limits of the bike and understand them more you can decide whether you want to spend more on a full suspension bike or road bike or whatever. I still enjoy that old bike because it's efficient on the street and dirt and always a fun challenge.

A hardtail is good enough for the way most people ride. I haven't used my full suspension bike in 6 months. Loving my hardtail 29er with rigid fork. That thing climbs like a mountain goat. I also use my full rigid steel single speed bike for rides around the city and some light trails. The only problem i see with cantilever brakes are they are pretty much useless when they become wet unlike discs be it mechanical or hydraulic.

If you guys dont know already, I'd advise you to watch the UCI DownHill world cup that streams live from this site in good quality...... the first 3 have ben insane!!! the tracks are ridiculous! USA rider Aaron Gwin is leading right now.... he's an animal... I think Athertons second.


you can stream live and watch replays from this site...

http://freecaster.tv/

Originally Posted by kuksul08

^People are quick to say you need disk brakes and suspension and this and that, but I learned on a rigid steel frame mountain bike from the 80's and I think it makes you a much better rider. Once you have exceeded the limits of the bike and understand them more you can decide whether you want to spend more on a full suspension bike or road bike or whatever. I still enjoy that old bike because it's efficient on the street and dirt and always a fun challenge.

I guess you never rode in rain/mud with normal v brakes before, otherwise you would recommend disc brakes to everyone and their moms.

Originally Posted by Clean_3

Just went through this whole thread. It seems a good price point to start at is $400 for a noob like me? Something like a trek 3700 Disc.? I don't really know anything about this other than I used to ride Gt Dyno's and loved to make ramps for those bad boys when I was younger (~10yrs ago). I'm 5'5" what do you guys recommend for a noob looking to do a little bit of beach riding and street riding as well as trail riding in the desert and mountains which i'll do most of.

So where do I start?

TIA

Good job on reading the entire thread, you're on the right path...I'd say the first place to start is your nearest bike shop.

Buying a bike is much like buying a suit, it's all about fit and feel....go have fun test riding as many bikes as you can, if the 3700 is in your price range, then go for it

Damn Breyton, you build more bikes than anyone I know...seriously, jealous



I love those Crank Bros wheels, I saw them on 26ers last year when they first released them....didn't know they made a 29 version

Originally Posted by kuksul08 View Post
^People are quick to say you need disk brakes and suspension and this and that, but I learned on a rigid steel frame mountain bike from the 80's and I think it makes you a much better rider. Once you have exceeded the limits of the bike and understand them more you can decide whether you want to spend more on a full suspension bike or road bike or whatever. I still enjoy that old bike because it's efficient on the street and dirt and always a fun challenge.

I guess you never rode in rain/mud with normal v brakes before, otherwise you would recommend disc brakes to everyone and their moms.

But it's all true. It does make you a better rider and you don't really need dics, v-brakes with ceramic rims are very (disc-like) powerful. Not so much in mud, yes.
Would I wanna go back to v-brakes, no, but do I need discs, no.

I also learned to ride in the 80s, rigid and not even v-brakes...cantilevers, lol!
And I went 54mph down the mountains...no suspension, no discs.

Disc brakes don't neccesarily generate more stopping power than Vs....their main advantage is the increased lever modulation (i.e better braking control, which can help you brake harder, but also when needed, it can also help you brake less)...as well as obviously riding in adverse conditions (mud etc)

I held on to my v-brakes for a while after everyone had upgraded, but my 'epiphany' finally came to me one day as I slid sideways down a steep rocky hill with both wheels locked up (all I wanted to do was feather the brakes a little, to keep speed in check)

Originally Posted by Ghostie

Damn Breyton, you build more bikes than anyone I know...seriously, jealous



I love those Crank Bros wheels, I saw them on 26ers last year when they first released them....didn't know they made a 29 version

I stopped modding the car so I have a bit more to spend on the bikes.

Originally Posted by LowDog

I guess you never rode in rain/mud with normal v brakes before, otherwise you would recommend disc brakes to everyone and their moms.

Hehe, I have indeed ridden with cantilever brakes in all weather conditions except snow. They are definitely worse in that case, but at least they aren't annoying and squeal like disk brakes in the wet.

I think a big benefit of disk brakes is that the pad adjustment doesn't change if you dent your rim. The power and modulation really depends on the type of brake. I've used some hayes that were equal or worse than the cantilever brakes with some nice koolstop pads. Then again I've used some Avid Elixirs that blow everything out of the water.

Either way, I was speaking more to the suspension matter. A nice rigid or hardtail (maybe 29er, but I've never ridden one so I can't suggest it) with disk brakes would be a lot better than a crappy full suspension bike. Once the beginner finds out their limits and what kind of riding they want to pursue, they can buy a better bike for that type of riding. Personally I went from a rigid mountain bike to another, larger rigid mountain bike, to s 8.5" travel downhill bike which was overkill, and then to a 6" travel all mountain bike.

Originally Posted by Breyton-BMW

I stopped modding the car so I have a bit more to spend on the bikes.

You were probably joking, I did indeed buy me a wheelset that would have easily gotten me some nice 19" wheels for my car.

Originally Posted by dogdaysunrise

You were probably joking, I did indeed buy me a wheelset that would have easily gotten me some nice 19" wheels for my car.

Yeah, bike parts can be crazy expensive. Especially those made with exotic unobtainium.

Just bought this project....need brake work but I like working one them

freeride is amazing, ride the **** out of that bike

yesterday's fun <3

Been thinking about getting back into this. What new bike would you suggest for almost n00b

^we've had a bunch of discussions on newbie bikes in this thread already, just go back a few pages or do a search

Nice stoppie, //13