Official Mountain bike Thread!

I test rode on my local trail, 29er, Fullsuspension, Fullsuspension 29er and I gladfully went back to my Hardtail.
I like it when the bike beats the sh!t out of you, the chain slaps against the chainstay and it sounds like the thing is falling apart any minute now!

My Hardtail feels especially compared to the Full-29er I rode like a rocket, fast, agile, direct, handles like a BMX bike, accelerates like a road bike.

Is it overall faster, certainly not, is it as much fun as hammering through stuff with a full-susser....mmh....debatable.

No FS for me for a while.

Originally Posted by LowDog

Alright i thought there was like a special reason to get a fully, but if all it does is give some more support sacrificing speed/torque i don't need it.

That's not exactly what a FS bike does...

Buying a suitable bike frame is very subjective. It's all about personal preference, riding style, experience, talent, etc.

The suspension is there to absorb rocks/bumps/uneven trail and allow you to travel over those obstacles at a higher rate of speed. Having a properly adjusted suspension allows the wheels to almost constantly contact the trail surface. This allows for much greater control, specifically important on descents.

Suspension design is a very tricky thing to master, requiring long R&D and high development costs. That's why cheaper FS bikes are subject to pedal bob. A lot of newer shocks offer full and partial lockout to virtually eliminate pedal bob while engaged.

There are so many options out there now so the only way to know for sure is to test bikes yourself. Many manufacturers have a demo fleet they travel the country with and any good local bike shop will have several demo bikes that you can rent and/or test.


There is no golden rule in frame selection. I've been on highly technical trails and passed riders on bikes with 5"+ of travel and then passed other riders riding the same trail on fully rigid bikes. It's all about what works for you.

Originally Posted by Breyton-BMW

Finally got her built up.



Being assembled by the mechanic. He wears flipflops to work.



One more pic before I bring her home.




All loaded up.



Home at last!





**** yeah!!! Help out the economy.





Can't wait to ride it tomorrow.

So sick! How's the ride? And how do you like those Crank Bros. wheels?

Originally Posted by 330CK

So sick! How's the ride? And how do you like those Crank Bros. wheels?

The ride is very plush as can be expected from a 5.5 inch suspension bike. I can go much faster on a same downhill section on this than my old bike (Trek Fuel EX8). The craftsmanship and quality is way up there. There is very minimal pedal bob. The weight came up to about 26.8 lbs. Not bad for an XC bike with 5.5 inches of travel. As for the CB Cobalts, they do look very nice but looking back I should have gone for a more traditional style wheelset. I've had it less than a year and one of the spoke hangers gave way as I was powering up a short uphill section. It was quickly replaced under warranty though. CranK Bros customer service is one of the best out there. I might stick with it a few more months and probably get a Mavic SLR.

What clothes do you guys do XC in? Can you recommend anything? Summer is coming to an end here so it will soon start to get really wet, cold and windy. Also what kind of helmet do you use?

Also, i saw this bike in germany and thinking about buying it, but i am not that much into specs and names, is that bike worth anything? It is about $900-1,000. And does anyone know if that fork got remote lockout?

http://www.bike-discount.de/shop/k95....html?mfid=594

Originally Posted by Breyton-BMW

Home at last!




Can't wait to ride it tomorrow.

Very nice!
Needs white seat though.

Originally Posted by dogdaysunrise

Very nice!
Needs white seat though.

Thank. I have a Selle Italia SLR n white lying around somewhere. I'll try it on one of these days.

Originally Posted by Breyton-BMW

Thank. I have a Selle Italia SLR n white lying around somewhere. I'll try it on one of these days.

Do it, post it! Gonna look...

Originally Posted by LowDog

What clothes do you guys do XC in? Can you recommend anything? Summer is coming to an end here so it will soon start to get really wet, cold and windy. Also what kind of helmet do you use?

I have a long sleeve Addidas shirt that I stumbled across at Ross or Marshalls or some discount store a while ago. I think it's actually a running shirt, but I wear it for riding all the time.

It's fairly bright yellow without being neon, and it has silver stripes at the wrists that are reflective, so it helps me be visible when I'm on streets. It's one of those synthetic fabrics, so it stays fairly cool. It's light weight and breathes pretty well, but it keeps the sun off my (extremely damn white) skin. I hate sunblock, but I burn to a crisp without coverage. It's a little oversize, which is comfy for me. I'm probably giving up 0.000783 mph of speed because of the wind resistance, but I don't really care.

I think it was less than $10 at the discount store.

When I do charity rides, I wear a riding jersey, but that's because I'm usually part of a team.

When I mtb, I have baggy padded shorts, when I'm roadie, I have regular riding shorts.

Lightweight socks, gloves. I have only bought two helmets, so I can't give much advice there, except to try on about 8 or 10 different kinds before you decide. Go with fit first, features second, looks third.

So, I found a pretty spectacular trade for that 930 Hybrid. I wound up with an older (1991) Trek 2100 Pro carbon composite road bike with very few miles on it. The original owner passed away, and his brother has kept the bike in his shed - unused - for 17 years. Aside from needing new tubes, some lubrication, and a wipe down - it's pretty much brand new. I'm very excited to get out on it. The thing is about 1/2 the weight of my MTB!

What does everyone think of this? I want to get a mountain bike, but not looking to invest a whole lot right now.
http://raleigh.craigslist.org/bik/1938158224.html

Back in the early 90's this was THEE bike to own. Once you pick it up, you'll know why. It's an all aluminum Trek, 8500 with Shimano XT shifters and front derailer. The rear derailer is Shimano LX. The fork is a period correct Rock Shox air spring fork that holds air very well. It's a 21 speed set up with Zoom alloy bars and stem. The head is 1 1/8 so if you want to replace the fork in the future, it's a very common size.

What does everyone think of this? I want to get a mountain bike, but not looking to invest a whole lot right now.
http://raleigh.craigslist.org/bik/1938158224.html

Back in the early 90's this was THEE bike to own. Once you pick it up, you'll know why. It's an all aluminum Trek, 8500 with Shimano XT shifters and front derailer. The rear derailer is Shimano LX. The fork is a period correct Rock Shox air spring fork that holds air very well. It's a 21 speed set up with Zoom alloy bars and stem. The head is 1 1/8 so if you want to replace the fork in the future, it's a very common size.

not bad for $140...just make sure it's your size

Originally Posted by ken@bimmertools

So, I found a pretty spectacular trade for that 930 Hybrid. I wound up with an older (1991) Trek 2100 Pro carbon composite road bike with very few miles on it. The original owner passed away, and his brother has kept the bike in his shed - unused - for 17 years. Aside from needing new tubes, some lubrication, and a wipe down - it's pretty much brand new. I'm very excited to get out on it. The thing is about 1/2 the weight of my MTB!

pretty cool...those Carbon frames have a habit of breaking, so be on the lookout for that.

Originally Posted by LowDog

What clothes do you guys do XC in? Can you recommend anything? Summer is coming to an end here so it will soon start to get really wet, cold and windy. Also what kind of helmet do you use?

Also, i saw this bike in germany and thinking about buying it, but i am not that much into specs and names, is that bike worth anything? It is about $900-1,000. And does anyone know if that fork got remote lockout?

http://www.bike-discount.de/shop/k95....html?mfid=594

I always wear lycra.

Originally Posted by Ghostie

pretty cool...those Carbon frames have a habit of breaking, so be on the lookout for that.

Thanks - this is an early carbon bike that featured just the main tubes in CF. They are bonded to Aluminum gussets. The front fork and tail section are aluminum composite.

The bike weighs in at 22 pounds with heavy MTB clipless pedals. I've been riding it daily, and it is awesome - and quite solid.

Just found this forum. Here's my bike:



However, in need of more suspension any suggestions? I'm consider a yeti 575.

Still looking for a new bike, and have stumbled across this one



Giant Talon Zero
Features:

Frame: AluxX Aluminium, FluidForming***8482;
Fork: RockShox Recon Silver, Remote TurnKey-Lockout, SoloAir, 100mm
Shifter: Shimano SLX 30G
Rear Derailleur: Shimano SLX
Front Derailleu: Shimano SLX
Crank Set: Shimano M552
Cassette: Shimano SLX 10f.
Transmission: 42-32-24 Z. / 11-34 Z.
Brakes: Shimano M445, hydraulic disc brake
Brake lever: Shimano M505
Rims: Giant S-XC2
Hubs v/h Giant Tracker 9QR / Shimano M475 Disc
Tires: Schwalbe Smart Sam
Features: Shimano Dyna-Sys 10

How are the specs looking? It's gonna be about $1400

Pretty solid bike for that price. I see it comes with the new 10 speed drive train.

Originally Posted by Breyton-BMW

Pretty solid bike for that price. I see it comes with the new 10 speed drive train.

Do you know if its the 2011 model? Because when i google the bike none of them look like this one. This one looks more pimped out