Jump to content
IGNORED

Opinions on Buying a New Bike


AustinBike

Recommended Posts

3 hours ago, AustinBike said:

That is an interesting bike. The price is right, but the travel is only 120mm on the fork with the only dealer being out in Dripping Springs. Will add it to the rotation and see what happens.

Joe at Monkey Wrench can get them and may be able to discount even further. Don't believe he has a demo but he rides one himself. They've got some great deals on last year's Primer as well (130mm/140mm) and you are welcome to try my size large anytime if interested.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

45 minutes ago, throet said:

Joe at Monkey Wrench can get them and may be able to discount even further. Don't believe he has a demo but he rides one himself. They've got some great deals on last year's Primer as well (130mm/140mm) and you are welcome to try my size large anytime if interested.

Will keep that in mind. Heading out of town for a couple weeks, so all of the bike demo fury started and ended pretty quick. One down, several more to go.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yesterday, demoing the latest Ripley

"Wow, I like this bike, just don't know if it is THE one...someone send me a sign"

<Starts pouring>

 

Later, at the brewery...

"Yeah, I liked it, just not sure if it is the one, I really need a sign"

<Literally a goddamn rainbow appears>

 

One last jaunt on the greenbelt this morning...

"Starting to warm up to this bike, I just wish I knew if it was the right one, I need a sign"

<Starts raining again>

 

I just wish I knew for sure...

  • Haha 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I get Gene Hamilton (Better Ride) emails once a month or so.  Today he's  blogging about Choosing a fun and confidence inspiring mountain bike.  He discusses new-ish geometry trends, including reach,  and how they make a bike climb and descend better and safely do both and also discusses brands and models that have adopted this approach.

 <snip>   

Quote

Usually, year to year bikes don’t change that much, but in 2019 the industry as a whole is catching on to some design ideas that some smaller companies (and one bigger company, Kona) have been doing for quite a few years now.

The first is slackening head angles (gradually over the last decade from 71˚ to 63.5˚!) for bikes designed with both climbing and descending in mind. 

 

 <snip> 

Quote

The next big change is to reach measurements. Reach is the horizontal distance between a plumb line dropped from the center of the top of the head tube to the center of the bb.     Bikes are getting much longer which makes them more stable, gives you a bigger sweet spot (where all your weight is on the pedals) allows you to hinge more at the hips (lowering your center of gravity and creating more sag in your bodies’ suspension.  https://betterride.net/blog/2018/mountain-bike-body-position-the-fundamental-movement-video-tutorial/

 

Edited by June Bug
Link to comment
Share on other sites

The Transition Smuggler would be more of what I am looking for. ~$4K, ~140mm, 29". Seems like there are a bunch of bikes in that range. STA is 75.8deg, so a bit steeper than I would like.

Rode a Specialized Stumpjumper around the parking lot. That had the seat tube angle that I prefer. It had fallen off the list but is now in contention with the rest of them. 

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, ATXZJ said:

This will definitely be the frame for my next 29er build. After spending just a little time on my current high pivot bike, I'm sold on the witchcraft. 

https://www.forbiddenbike.com/products/druid

Match that Druid up with a Motion-Ride fork and you'd have suspension front and rear that responds only to bumps, with no dive or squat effects from brake or pedal inputs.

https://www.motion-ride.com/en/

Link to comment
Share on other sites

If  seat tube is non-negotiable you could look at closeout Yeti SB4.5 frames.  I went from a Niner like yours to a 4.5 and my impression was that it was very similar feeling, just better in every way. 73 degree seat tube, and the suspension subjectively feels a lot like CVA.

Now they're about $1k cheaper too.

Edited by Kyle
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I love Yeti but HATE those little pistons on the SB4.5. Basically it is a.) a proprietary design, b.) probably a pain to service and c.) something that will have to be serviced. I want a bike with a rear shock, not 3, that is only going to bump up the service costs and make tuning it a pain. The SB100 looks more like my style, but that is only 120mm and configured bikes start ~$5100, so after discount it will probably still be $500-700 more than the competition. I'd get one in memory of Anthony (had a great demo the last time I saw him) but the premium is a bit steep.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

It doesn’t have 3 shocks to tune. It has one shock with a suspension system that has 2 sliders on one of the pivots. Those sliders just happen to be kashima coated. They are just hollow tubes and you tune the suspension the same way you would with any other Fox DPS air shock. Probably not even that hard to service.

Now people, take your bike suggestions over to the proper thread.
http:// https://austinmountainbiking.com/index.php?/topic/1361-opinions-on-buying-a-new-bike/


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, AustinBike said:

I love Yeti but HATE those little pistons on the SB4.5. Basically it is a.) a proprietary design, b.) probably a pain to service and c.) something that will have to be serviced. I want a bike with a rear shock, not 3, that is only going to bump up the service costs and make tuning it a pain. The SB100 looks more like my style, but that is only 120mm and configured bikes start ~$5100, so after discount it will probably still be $500-700 more than the competition. I'd get one in memory of Anthony (had a great demo the last time I saw him) but the premium is a bit steep.

Make sure you read up on the issues with the SB100 too if you end up considering it.   While it's not universal, quite a few people have had issues with creaking and then a ton of flex after the 'fix' from Yeti.  I know of at least 2 folks in town who had issues and ended up getting rid of theirs due to it.  

I really wanted one because it checked off a bunch of boxes of stuff I like, but decided against it.  I'll probably look at the Mach 4 SL when I want another XC bike.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

14 hours ago, TheX said:

It's amazing that the Stumpy is relevant year after year.

Another bike that has been a great all-arounder for the past several years is the Trek Fuel. Rode a rental in Cali back in June, which was either a 2018 or 2019, and it was a very nice riding bike pointed up or down.

A newcomer that I would love to wrap a leg around is the Canyon Neuron. The Geo is very well suited for around here, and not near as progressive as some of its competitors in this category (HTA at a modest 67.5 degrees). Just haven't really figured out how Canyon operates and where you could possibly try one.   

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'll offer a bit of heresy, I suppose:  Don't bother with test rides! 

Read reviews from riders who test ride for a living, decide what you 'should' like, and pick a bike based on how many boxes it tics off. 

There are so many variables when test riding - from bike set up to trail conditions to how you feel, etc - that I know I can't really tell how well a bike is suited for me.  Hell, when I jack around with my bike's set up, I can go from loving it to meh.   And set up can be everything from suspension to cockpit config, etc.  Granted, I may be especially sensitive. But then again, if you're not, then it may be impossible to accurately assess a bike, let alone differentiate.  Like me, you'll more than likely 'adapt' to the bike you get, once you get it set up optimally for you.

Test riding extremes may be worth while - very steep STA or slack HTA, lots or little travel, for example.

My last 3 bikes have been bought, ridden, and loved with test rides... YMMV

  • Like 4
Link to comment
Share on other sites

36 minutes ago, ssorgs said:

I'll offer a bit of heresy, I suppose:  Don't bother with test rides! 

You raise a really good point I think. If being able to ride the bike ahead of purchasing is an absolute requirement, you're probably eliminating 75% of the bikes that might work for you.  

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

56 minutes ago, ssorgs said:

I'll offer a bit of heresy, I suppose:  Don't bother with test rides! 

Read reviews from riders who test ride for a living, decide what you 'should' like, and pick a bike based on how many boxes it tics off. 

There are so many variables when test riding - from bike set up to trail conditions to how you feel, etc - that I know I can't really tell how well a bike is suited for me.  Hell, when I jack around with my bike's set up, I can go from loving it to meh.   And set up can be everything from suspension to cockpit config, etc.  Granted, I may be especially sensitive. But then again, if you're not, then it may be impossible to accurately assess a bike, let alone differentiate.  Like me, you'll more than likely 'adapt' to the bike you get, once you get it set up optimally for you.

 

Couldn't agree more. 

It's a bicycle, not a house. The only bikes I bought/demo'd at an lbs was in 2012......20+ bikes ago.

They're always going to feel odd or different when on a demo. It takes weeks to adjust to a new bike, but you adjust to it. Bikes are so good now, it's really hard to go wrong.

As above, find what ticks the most boxes and click "buy". 

Edited by ATXZJ
  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...