Opinions on Buying a New Bike

[RegisteredUser]

Good to know I'm not the only one that doesn't demo a bike before buying. Besides a quick ride in a parking lot to make sure the frame size will fit me I just buy off of specs. 

[AustinBike]

1 hour 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.

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

I actually agree with this. I would not make the final purchase unless I had some saddle time, but in all honesty, the geometries of all of the bikes in my class are strikingly similar. As are the components. If you are spending in my budget, there is about a 90% chance I can tell you most of what you are going to buy, regardless of the manufacturer.

More to the point, bodies adjust. I rented a canondale in Chicago a couple of weeks ago. For the first 10 miles I was all over the trail. But for the second 10 I had my brain dialed in and I rode it like it was mine. No matter what I buy it will be different from what I am riding now, so I am going to have to adjust. The first ride told me a half dozen things that I needed to know about these newfangled "modern geometry" bikes. Pretty sure that ride would be similar to all the others.

The biggest thing for me is the checklist: XT brakes, 130mm fork (preferably 51mm offset - Fox is preferred), XT drivetrain but would settle for SRAM GX and decent wheels (DT Swiss is a leading contender).

And with that being said, Santa Fe is off the agenda for this weekend and I might try to demo again. Stay tuned. 

[Anita Handle]

I do think there is value in sampling different geometries. For example, you *think* a Ripmo would be a horrible choice for you but an Ibis bike with 160mm of fork travel will probably ride way different than a Gorilla Gravity with 130mm. Ibis, in general, are more XC oriented. Maybe it isn't the best fit but I think you'd be surprised that geometry impacts the way a bike rides more than a specific travel number. 

[Teamsloan]

34 minutes ago, AustinBike said:

Santa Fe is off the agenda for this weekend and I might try to demo again. Stay tuned. 

You're bailing on a weekend of art shopping in Santa Fe with the wife to demo bikes? That's dedication!

[fontarin]

16 minutes ago, Anita Handle said:

I do think there is value in sampling different geometries. For example, you *think* a Ripmo would be a horrible choice for you but an Ibis bike with 160mm of fork travel will probably ride way different than a Gorilla Gravity with 130mm. Ibis, in general, are more XC oriented. Maybe it isn't the best fit but I think you'd be surprised that geometry impacts the way a bike rides more than a specific travel number. 

Yep, I just picked up an Ibis Ripmo.  I thought it'd be way too much travel for me.  After riding it and the Ripley, it only gave up a little on the climbs and made bigger drops/rock gardens feel so much better and is a blast at Spider Mtn.   

I will say the steep STA takes some getting used to.  I felt unusually fatigued after the first few rides but I feel like I've adapted mostly and it's starting to feel more natural.  It still isn't really a bike I'd pick up for 80 mile rides on mixed terrain - I'll likely do the EB on a much shorter travel bike, where I'll have to be more careful at BCGB and City Park but the majority will be easier to pedal.

[AntonioGG]

15 minutes ago, fontarin said:

Yep, I just picked up an Ibis Ripmo.  I thought it'd be way too much travel for me.  After riding it and the Ripley, it only gave up a little on the climbs and made bigger drops/rock gardens feel so much better and is a blast at Spider Mtn.   

I will say the steep STA takes some getting used to.  I felt unusually fatigued after the first few rides but I feel like I've adapted mostly and it's starting to feel more natural.  It still isn't really a bike I'd pick up for 80 mile rides on mixed terrain - I'll likely do the EB on a much shorter travel bike, where I'll have to be more careful at BCGB and City Park but the majority will be easier to pedal.

Would you do the EB on a Ripley then?

[fontarin]

24 minutes ago, AntonioGG said:

Would you do the EB on a Ripley then?

Hm, maybe?  Still has the steep STA  that I feel isn't as good for lots of long flat road miles, but I'm still getting used to it.  That may change after I get more than 3-4 rides on the bike.  

Also you probably wouldn't have the absolute boat anchor of a tire that is the Maxxis Assegai (seriously, they weigh nearly 1200g a piece and came front/rear stock) on there.  They're super awesome for grip and confidence, but you can feel them anytime you're on something smooth.  I may swap out to something like a Minion front and Rekon WT rear at some point, which would make the Ripmo more likely to be a longer day bike. 

[AustinBike]

1 hour ago, Teamsloan said:

You're bailing on a weekend of art shopping in Santa Fe with the wife to demo bikes? That's dedication!

No, between work, school and some other commitments it was gonna be too tight. Busy week this week, Bentonville the next, I just couldn't swing a second trip.

[AustinBike]

30 minutes ago, fontarin said:

Hm, maybe?  Still has the steep STA  that I feel isn't as good for lots of long flat road miles, but I'm still getting used to it.  That may change after I get more than 3-4 rides on the bike.  

Also you probably wouldn't have the absolute boat anchor of a tire that is the Maxxis Assegai (seriously, they weigh nearly 1200g a piece and came front/rear stock) on there.  They're super awesome for grip and confidence, but you can feel them anytime you're on something smooth.  I may swap out to something like a Minion front and Rekon WT rear at some point, which would make the Ripmo more likely to be a longer day bike. 

Yeah, most of the EB is managing to get by, not tackling the really technical. I'd almost recommend a light steel hardtail, but CP would really suck and so would Thumper. Everything else would be great.

[Tree Magnet]

I’ve done the EB three times on a 170 mm front and rear Nomad. Its just pedaling. I’m certainly not going to win but all that travel is nice when your getting your ass kicked in Thumper and can’t stand up over every little bump.


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[brentb]

See the Ripmo AF?

Starting at $2999 with NX, $3999 with SLX and 4 piston brakes. $4300/GX.

[AustinBike]

7 hours ago, brentb said:

See the Ripmo AF?

Starting at $2999 with NX, $3999 with SLX and 4 piston brakes. $4300/GX.

Yes, I looking for carbon. The Carbon Ripmo is close to the price of a carbon Ripley, but I prefer ~130mm of travel, not 150 or 160. That is too much bike for my riding style. 

[ATXZJ]

1 hour ago, AustinBike said:

Yes, I looking for carbon. The Carbon Ripmo is close to the price of a carbon Ripley, but I prefer ~130mm of travel, not 150 or 160. That is too much bike for my riding style. 

Have you considered buying a newer niner? 

[AustinBike]

32 minutes ago, ATXZJ said:

Have you considered buying a newer niner? 

The Jet 9 RDO is in my range (price/specs/etc.) but with a recent bankruptcy and the value of the warranty is diminished. I would call them a back burner choice at this point. I have had 5 or 6 frame breaks in my life, so I am sensitive to the warranty piece.

[ATXZJ]

10 minutes ago, AustinBike said:

The Jet 9 RDO is in my range (price/specs/etc.) but with a recent bankruptcy and the value of the warranty is diminished. I would call them a back burner choice at this point. I have had 5 or 6 frame breaks in my life, so I am sensitive to the warranty piece.

Makes sense. How old were these frames that you're breaking? 

You can also try and buy one cheap enough that it doesn't matter, especially if the parts are worth more than the bike. I've gotten over 40% off by calling and negotiating. 

https://www.cambriabike.com/collections/mtb-bikes?page=1&rb_vendor=Niner

https://www.jensonusa.com/Mountain-Bikes?brand=Niner

[notyal]

53 minutes ago, ATXZJ said:

Makes sense. How old were these frames that you're breaking? 

What was your weight when you were breaking those frame? 

[Chief]

I've had three MTBs since 2013. Didn't test ride any of them. Bought these bikes off of real rider reviews from forums like MTBR. My first bike was a '12 Niner RIP9. It was a good bike for the trails around here but took a little bit to get it to where it felt comfortable, the RP23 shock was a POS and I added offset bushings to slacken the HA and drop the BB. Currently riding a V1 Following which is a great bike right out of the gate. Built all my bikes from new previous year parts at a good discount compared to buying complete. I recently rented a Ripley in Durango not the new version but the last model it was a very capable bike and felt very much like my Following except for the steeper seat angle which was really nice on the climbs. I had no problem letting the bike go on the descents and it handled very predictably. It was 120/120 and punched above it's travel especially considering where I was riding it. I don't recommend testing more than say 4 bikes, too many bikes gets confusing and you start to second guess your thoughts. Always trust your gut, the one that feels good right away is usually the best choice. Like mentioned earlier there really are no bad bikes out there right now it's just a matter of getting used to the bike and how it feels.

[Ridenfool]

^^^^ What @Chief said.

I trust the opinion of people who routinely ride a bunch of different bikes more than I do my ability to discern any degree of subtlety. My spending a few hours on test rides is less likely to be an accurate measure.

When I read how these experts were agreeing on the benefits of recent geometry changes I have faith that what they have found to be true will be true for me in the long run. All while simultaneously realizing I'll take weeks or months to get a bike dialed in. To expect to get anything from a test ride with all those variables at play (suspension settings, seat position, stem length, etc.) is unrealistic.

I tend to purchase bikes on closeout, primarily because they have the most reviews by a wide variety of professional riders and I can filter for my use while reading many, many reviews. The bike I ride now is a Transition Covert 29 that was purchased from PricePoint at a significant discount as a complete bike a few years after its introduction, and a year after its production. (The fact that Seth sold one without breaking it around the time I was looking figured into my decision as well.) It was over a year of adjusting little things to get a really good fit from the bike. This included shortening the Stem and moving the Seat rearward a tad, as well as suspension tweaks, adding a volume spacer, and replacing the fork. A recent handlebar change is still being evaluated, and has alleviated some shoulder pain.

Bottom line, I approach the bike search mostly as a data gathering mission based upon the experience of people in the habit of moving often from one bike to another and who can more effectively notice the differences and put them into words. Then, filtering their reviews based upon my riding style, trail surfaces ridden, and similar details I can pull from these reports in order to firm up one bike over another.

Nearly any bike in production today will work for nearly every rider. Exceptions being any with radical departures from proven tech. The differences between bikes being considered are more likely to be so subtle that it might take a hundred hours in the saddle, making minor adjustments, to eek out that nth degree of advantage for the rider.

Edited September 14, 2019 by Ridenfool

[bestbike85]

1 hour ago, Chief said:

Like mentioned earlier there really are no bad bikes out there right now it's just a matter of getting used to the bike and how it feels.

This is truer than ever before. 

I went from a Scott Genius 27.5 with 65.5 HTA, 75.3 STA, 445 reach, 1,197 wheelbase, Fox 34 and DPS, to a Norco Sight 29 with 67 HTA, 74.1 STA, 432 reach, 1,159 wheelbase, Fox 36 and X2. 

In short I went from an enduro bike with trail suspension, to a trail bike with enduro suspension. Complete 180, and it’s awesome! They ride totally different, but you learn what the bike needs from you, and what each bike does differently from the other and you just run with it. 

Bikes are rad right now  

 

[AustinBike]

2 hours ago, ATXZJ said:

Makes sense. How old were these frames that you're breaking? 

 

Broken frames were:

Gary Fisher Sugar 3+ - ~2 years cracked rear triangle and front triangle (Blue pics below)

Hammerhead 100 (Titus racer X modified) - ~4 years (silver pic below)

Knolly Endorphin - ~2 years, went through 3 chainstays due to a design flaw (black pic below)

I was anywhere from 180-200LBs during that time, so I was a lot heavier than I am now, but probably about average size for the typical central TX rider.

 

[AustinBike]

1 hour ago, Chief said:

Like mentioned earlier there really are no bad bikes out there right now it's just a matter of getting used to the bike and how it feels.

I am 90% sure that all of the bikes will feel pretty similar to me and all of them will feel very different from my current ride. And whatever I buy will be comfortable like a glove after a handful of rides. 

But, if you have the time and demos are available, it is worth taking a shot, what have I got to lose.

[Anita Handle]

Benefits of test rides on your local trails:

• Riding bikes on your local trails is kewl
• Something to blog about
• Possibly learn something that informs your sizeable purchasing decision

Downside of test rides on your local trails: 

•  

[notyal]

The story of my last few trail bikes:

Prolly 2009 or so and moving up from 26" wheels to a 29er (which were pretty much all XC at the time), a friend wanted to sell me his wife (girlfriends?) barely ridden Ellsworth Evolve. I rode it at least 5 times, liked it, wanted to love it, but didn't. I took one demo ride on a Giant Anthem and knew that was the bike for me even though the Ellsworth was a way better deal and component spec.

Rode the Anthem for 5 years or so, wanted slacker, more travel so I bought a Banshee Prime on closeout from Jenson. Banshees were getting stellar reviews both here (Mojo) and nationally, so NBD on the no test ride. Again, I liked it, wanted to love it, thought maybe I did, then I rode a Stumpy 6fattie my buddy was trying to sell. That was love. I wasn't even looking for a new bike at the time, and if I was, that bike wouldn't have even been on the radar. I rode the Banshee once more and promptly bought the Stumpy. 

The point is, yeah all bikes are good these days, but love is a special thing that you can only feel by riding it. You may not get lucky enough to find your bicycle soulmate this time around, but numbers on a spreadsheet only get you so far. AND, sometimes you find love in unexpected places. Maybe you should try some of the bigger travel options or some fat tires. Who knows?

I'm not a smart man, but I know what love is. (-Forrest Gump).

[RidingAgain]

Loving these geometry specs on the Stumpjumper 6fattie... Especially the long TT on the xxl.



 

[ATXZJ]

37 minutes ago, RidingAgain said:

Loving these geometry specs on the Stumpjumper 6fattie... Especially the long TT on the xxl.



 

Take a hike Tubby McGee.