Official Mountain bike Thread!

Originally Posted by Xcelratr

I'll let the gearheads give you more specific component advice. Most of the OE forks I see are made by RockShox (brand of SRAM) or Fox. So as far as brands go, I think you're pretty safe with either of them.

Your fork has a preload adjustment according to this: http://www.mtbr.com/cat/older-catego...1_1515crx.aspx

Have you tried adjusting the preload to see if you can make the shock handle more to your liking?

There also appear to have been different spring kits for different weight riders, see page 4: http://spoke-n-word-cycles.com/Techn...e%20Manual.pdf

FYI, the two links above may refer to a different year or model fork than yours. But you get the idea, I think.

I busted the adjustment knob a long time ago, it just spins now. I do know that I could go up to the firm spring set but by the time that I bought the springs and put them in I think Id rather just get a new fork that I can lock out when I need it. Plus I am not exactly sure when I got the bike but the fork can't be any newer than 7 years old, so I think it might be a little worn out. Thanks for the advice though.

yup, i posted my Faith II a few pages back. It's FR/DH but I used it got DH.

About forks:

Rock Shox and Fox are the most widely available. Rock Shox makes a wide array of models, from low end to high end, so you have to do a little research what model will work for you. Fox really only makes high end forks - the only thing to be wary here when buying used is knowing age. Magura makes very excellent forks, but is more esoteric and commands quite a high price. Certain Marzocchi are good, and some Manitou are okay, but most are trash. I would read reviews on mtbr.com for each specific model.

whats a good decent mountain/roadbike for around $500. im want to get back into biking so i dont know anything about anything. any help?

Originally Posted by IDriveRealSlow

whats a good decent mountain/roadbike for around $500. im want to get back into biking so i dont know anything about anything. any help?

There's no good place to start here - you don't even know if you want a mountain bike or a road bike.

ya your right that was dumb. so if i wanted a mountain bike for around 500

fox forks are pretty good. The high end rockshox are good but the low end ones suck.

Originally Posted by IDriveRealSlow

whats a good decent mountain/roadbike for around $500. im want to get back into biking so i dont know anything about anything. any help?

The first thing you have to decide is where/how you're going to ride.

Can you go for rides from your home or are you going to have to drive to wherever you're going to ride? Are you thinking you'll be riding for fun/fitness or is this going to be a mode of transport?

Do you have easy access to pavement (roads with no traffic, roads with bike lanes, or paved bike paths)? Are you a fitness guy/jogger type where thrills aren't that important and what you love to do is just hammer out miles? If yes, you may be best served by a road bike.

Or do you have easy access to dirt (dedicated single track, fire roads, multi-use dirt trails)? Do you like roller coasters, like getting bounced around, enjoy developing technical skills and want your rides to be as much adventure as workout? If yes, you may be best served by a mountain bike.

Road bikes are generally only good on pavement, but when it comes to riding on pavement, nothing compares to their speed. Mountain bikes are more versatile because they can be ridden on either pavement or off road, but they're not as fun as a roadie on pavement because they're not as fast. Disclaimer is that if the pavement is really crappy, an mtb might actually be more comfortable to ride than a roadie.

If it's a hassle to ride cuz you have the wrong kind of bike for the type of riding that's most available to you, you won't ride. The bike will sit and collect dust. So that's why you really have to answer all the above questions for yourself first.

Once you do, you can find a lot of mtb discussion ITT. If you decide a roadie is what you need, you can find lots of info here: http://forum.e46fanatics.com/showthread.php?t=830630

Here too: http://forum.e46fanatics.com/showthr...hlight=cyclist

And here: http://forum.e46fanatics.com/showthr...hlight=cyclist

Originally Posted by 330CK

About forks:

Rock Shox and Fox are the most widely available. Rock Shox makes a wide array of models, from low end to high end, so you have to do a little research what model will work for you. Fox really only makes high end forks - the only thing to be wary here when buying used is knowing age. Magura makes very excellent forks, but is more esoteric and commands quite a high price. Certain Marzocchi are good, and some Manitou are okay, but most are trash. I would read reviews on mtbr.com for each specific model.

Originally Posted by kuksul08

fox forks are pretty good. The high end rockshox are good but the low end ones suck.

All good to know, thanks. That being said all of that is way out of my price range. My bike retailed for $550 in 2005 so Im not putting anything high end into it. At a certain point it makes more sense to just upgrade to a better overall bike, so Im keeping what I put into this bike to a minimum. I want to spend about $120 on a fork, $140 max. I know it won't be the greatest but almost anything would be an upgrade from what I have now. I bounce around a ton riding up hill. Any suggestions in this price range?

Look for a deal on craigslist, thats all i can recommend. Its not even worth it IMO to use a crappy fork.

I got my first mtb about 10 yrs ago when I lived in Tucson and just went out and started riding with some buddies. I've ridden on and off since then, but I'm really entirely self taught.

On Saturday, I went to REI's Intro To Mountain Biking Class. The one I went to was done by the Manhattan Beach store at Bonelli Park in San Dimas. But I get the impression REI stores all over the place do them at various locations. Click here, find your local store and then search for Cycling classes.

The class was cool. You can bring your own bike, or they had loaner Novara bikes, which were pretty basic 26ers with full suspension, no lockouts, SRAM drivetrain. I opted for a loaner just because I like trying different kinds of bikes (see above about the Specialized demo).

We had about 10 students, half men, half women and two instructors. We started out with some basic pre-ride bike inspection. Then we used the parking lot for basic skills like body position for really hard braking, going over some curbs, etc.

The stuff we worked on was really pretty basic, but for me it was valuable to pick something simple and then just practice it over and over and get feedback from the instructor. I learned to bend my elbows differently to get my upper body lower when I really need to hammer the brakes. We also worked on the difference between cornering and steering, which I'd never thought about before, and was good to learn.

After working on the various skills in the parking lot, we went on a pretty easy trail ride around the park. Our instructors were really cool, good communicators, fun to be around, very encouraging.

If you're a total stud mtber, the class may be a waste of time. But if you're a self-taught average rider like me, it might be worth looking into.

^ Great post, good information to have. Even though I technically work for a competitor of REI I really love that company, good gear and they provide great ways to get outside.

So I have a bit of a dilemma. I've been hesitant to put any money into my bike (see above) because I am moving to China in August. Im moving to an area where there should be abundant trails and opportunities for fun biking. On another forum it was suggested that I take my bike with me since the selection in China won't be too great. By the time I buy a bag to transport my bike over there and pay the associated fees I would be getting close to the original purchase price of the bike itself. So Im thinking about one of two options if I take a bike with me. Option one would be to upgrade my current Raleigh M80. The only thing that makes me slightly hesitant to upgrade that bike is that it is crazy heavy, I don't know the exact weight but forum posts make it sound like its between 30-33 lbs. as a hard tail. The other option Im thinking of is getting something like a vintage RockHopper and building it up into a halfway decent single speed.

Anyone have any thoughts on either of my ideas? Any input would be appreciated.

Picked this up 2 weeks ago.

Originally Posted by JaaPee

Picked this up 2 weeks ago.

my bike normally 650 bucks i only paid 270

Originally Posted by SDKmann

^ So Im thinking about one of two options if I take a bike with me. Option one would be to upgrade my current Raleigh M80. The only thing that makes me slightly hesitant to upgrade that bike is that it is crazy heavy, I don't know the exact weight but forum posts make it sound like its between 30-33 lbs. as a hard tail. The other option Im thinking of is getting something like a vintage RockHopper and building it up into a halfway decent single speed.

Anyone have any thoughts on either of my ideas? Any input would be appreciated.

My dad spends a lot of time in Argentina. He ended up buying a frame down there and bringing the upgraded parts he wanted in his checked luggage. He has a quality bike that he knows how to fix, but when he's tooling around it doesn't scream touristy american with lots of $$$ to rob.

hardest part for him was finding shops/parts, etc. Most people get by with bare minimum repairs if anything breaks.

Originally Posted by rohde88

My dad spends a lot of time in Argentina. He ended up buying a frame down there and bringing the upgraded parts he wanted in his checked luggage. He has a quality bike that he knows how to fix, but when he's tooling around it doesn't scream touristy american with lots of $$$ to rob.

hardest part for him was finding shops/parts, etc. Most people get by with bare minimum repairs if anything breaks.

Thats a great idea, thanks a lot! I could probably cannibalize most of the better parts on my Raleigh for that bike and minimize cost. Ill probably end up doing that now.

Selling my Gary Fisher Sugar 3 full suspension if anyone in the Orange County is interested. PM me

Originally Posted by serdar255

my bike normally 650 bucks i only paid 270

whats the weight on that bad boy?

Originally Posted by Bananaboy

whats the weight on that bad boy?

about thirty one lbs, yeah its heavy still, i love it

Picked up a wally world bike computer for 12 dollars, its a bell and should do the job