A typical "which bike" thread...

Goran13 · Oct 6, 2012

Hey everyone,

First off, I know this one of the most posted threads on this forum, but I am severely indecisive and I am hoping you guys can give me some insight from personal experience or preference even.

Secondly: a little bit of background.

I have owned a bike the majority of my life... never really fell in love with the sport until the beginning of this season. I purchased a nicer bike (not a walmart bike) HT Haro Flightline Comp in 2009 and only rode it a bit until about April of this year. In April something got into me, I couldn't help but think about the damn bike all the time. I dreaded the minutes spent between bike rides and I imagined flying through my local trail system. Since then, I have expanded my horizons and started riding different trails around here (Ontario, Canada). I ride a lot of XC, but I definitely enjoy thrashing the bike down descends and hitting a few jumps here and there. I never thought I would notice a difference in bikes until I really started to push myself. I am getting the feeling that I may have exceeded the limitations of my bike.

Thirdly, I want to go full suspension, but I don't know if it's the right move or if its worth it. Never really rode a FS bike before so I'm inexperienced in that aspect. I've researched the general big three companies for their bikes and I do enjoy the trek fuel ex8 and the stumpjumper even though they are not in the same category. I also know that there are a ton of other bikes that I should look into but I honestly don't really know where to start.

My plan is to pick up a new bike next Saturday at our fall bike show, more like end of year clearance, and get it for a good price. Around 2 to 2.5 grand I'm looking to invest.

My questions:

Is it worth going to full suspension or is it more headaches in the end?
What would you suggest in the full suspension range regardless of travel (not a downhill bike)?
What is more important to you when buying a new bike, good components or good frame and suspension set up (weight, stiffness, axles, etc.)?

Thank you for reading this far and thank you in advance for your help and insight.

Goran

big terry · Oct 6, 2012

Welcome, and yes this question has been beat to death. You seem to present it with more clear-but ideas than most, however

If you have 2500 bucks to drop on a new bike, you are in good shape. Not only will you get a good frame, with great geometry, but you will also be able to afford one that comes with very good components as well. I would say that you would be well within your rights to go for an FS ride since you like jumping and bombing downhills. You dont *need* to have an FS bike to do it, but it will certainly make it easier for you if you do. Most full-suss XC bikes run in the 4" travel range (100mm), and that is definitely suitable for getting some air too. Obviously not sendin' it Crankwerx style, but nice jumps, or several foot drops, are well within the means of many of the 4" bikes out there- especially if you aren't a clyde.

Climbing on a full-squish may or may not be easy. If you go cheap, and get a rear shock without propedal or something equivalent, you're going to suffer from some power loss through pedal bob...but most bikes that you are going to get for $2K+ are going to have a well-appointed rear shock, and pretty much eliminate those problems.

Also, at that price point, you are looking at quality throughout. You really cant get horrible frame geometry nowadays, generally speaking- after all, the fit of the bike is specific to you. One person may not fit it at all while you fall right into it. Test ride several, and as often as you can. Riding around the parking lot of the LBS is not a good way to get a feel for the fit of a bike; try to get to a trail with it and actually ride it.

Or, you can stick with a hardtail, and get even better components and an overall lighter bike.

Bear in mind that unless you are dropping $5k+ on a new ride, you are probably gonna end up with mediocre wheels. After cockpit upgrades (seat, pedals, grips), you'll probably be wanting to get lighter hoops with better hubs. You didnt specify what it was that you are checking out, so you may get lucky, but wheels is where most mfg's tend to short the rider, just to get the bike in their hands at a lower price point.

Good luck and keep us posted!

eb1888 · Oct 6, 2012

You've had good use out of a 26" somewhat heavy HT with a usable low end fork.
A major upgrade and completely different riding experience would be a light responsive 29" HT with a top end fork. Something carbon like a Scott Scale 29 Expert 2012 or 2013 930. These would be 8-10lbs lighter and ride at any skill level. And yes, you could still upgrade the wheels...and the brakes to SLX....and the rear derailleur to Shadow +.

Goran13 · Oct 6, 2012

Thank you for the responses.

Big Terry:
That is a ton of info to process and I've come to the same conclusion from reading about the specs on bikes. Everything that is in my price range comes with entry level wheels and hubs. I figure, like you said, everything will be upgraded in time. haha My biggest worry was the climbing, but you have confirmed along with a bunch of people I've talked to, that the pro-pedal options work on the newer bikes and that is no longer an issue with technology.

eb1888:
I'm not really a 29 type of guy. haha I'm a smaller person at 5'9 and about 170 pounds. I enjoy throwing the bike around a trail and a 29er does not inspire that confidence in me. It may be just psychological though. I may check them out a bit more.

Would you guys have any suggestions on FS bikes to keep an eye out for when I am at the year end show?
anything in particular?

Merf · Oct 7, 2012

I was in a similar position, been riding road regularly for years but just really picked up mtn biking last season, and have been riding on a mid-entry level hardtail (GT Karakoram 2.0). Decided to step up to FS, due mainly to some back pain, and desire to hit larger drops/jumps and ride more aggressively in general.

I was looking mainly for specialized's (Stumpjumpers and Cambers, with 6" and 5" of travel respectively) and after scouring my local CL, and losing some bidding wars on eBay I was pretty discouraged. But I started looking into New 2011 and 2012 models from shops around me, and found out that the deals were pretty decent, although the selection was kinda limited. After a few weeks of looking with no success I decided to expand my search to include Giants and Treks, and came across an amazing deal on a New 2011 Giant Trance X3. Although still pricey ($1350 W/ tax) the warranty and lifetime service on a new bike make it well worth it, and the difference while riding it is RIDICULOUS! No more pain, and I've gained a huge amount of confidence on the trails.

From my experience, I'd say FS is definitely the way to go.
Call around your local shops, asking for New Old Stock 2011, or 2012 models (usually 30+ % off)
Look at the company websites for distributers kinda near you, (an 2-hour drive for the right bike is always worth it!)

Good bikes to keep an eye out for
- Specialized Stumpjumper FSR
- Specialized Camber (Comp or Elite) ( Elite is well worth the extra $ IMO)
- Giant Trance (any- although the X4's aren't great)
- Giant Anthem (any)
- Trek Fuel (EX 7 or above)
- Trek Rumblefish (any- Yeah its a 29er, but believe me they are VERY fun!)
- Santa Cruz Superlight
- Santa Cruz Heckler
- Most Other Santa Cruzes

All Great well-know FS bikes, with solid company backings and warranties that can be had for $1400-$2000 with the right deals!

mimi1885 · Oct 7, 2012

Goran13 said:
Thank you for the responses.

Big Terry:
That is a ton of info to process and I've come to the same conclusion from reading about the specs on bikes. Everything that is in my price range comes with entry level wheels and hubs. I figure, like you said, everything will be upgraded in time. haha My biggest worry was the climbing, but you have confirmed along with a bunch of people I've talked to, that the pro-pedal options work on the newer bikes and that is no longer an issue with technology.

eb1888:
I'm not really a 29 type of guy. haha I'm a smaller person at 5'9 and about 170 pounds. I enjoy throwing the bike around a trail and a 29er does not inspire that confidence in me. It may be just psychological though. I may check them out a bit more.

Would you guys have any suggestions on FS bikes to keep an eye out for when I am at the year end show?
anything in particular?

Don't count on Pro-pedal, it just putting band-aid on the issue. You are buying a bike with suspension on both end, transition properly and learn to ride efficiently without PP, let the bike do the work for you. Most of my bikes have some type of PP, I don't use them.:thumbsup:

Unless I missed it, what is your budget?

For FS stick with reputable brands, don't worry about the components. Use it til the parts break then upgrade the frame design is pretty much the most important. If you can find demo event in your local area give some a try.

socalrider77 · Oct 7, 2012

I just made the jump from a budget HT (giant Yukon) and bought a used trek fuel ex 5 on CL. It's a night and day difference. The trails where I would have to brake the whole way down I can just bomb with no brakes. For me, the ex 5 is plenty. I find myself hardly ever using pro pedal on the fox rear and when it's off there is very little pedal bob if any. Definitely recommend FS

Sent from my iPhone 4s using Tapatalk

StageHand · Oct 7, 2012

This is my only contribution to most of these threads, but I think it bears repeating: ride ride ride. Look for demo days, find shops that rent bikes, borrow bikes from friends. Whatever it takes, ride ride ride. Once you ride enough, you'll figure out what features are worth what kind of money to you. You'll figure out what's a non-starter, what's a must-have. Nothing I have to say about any bike is worth anything unless I have the following: what bike we're talking about, what you like about it, what you don't like about it, and what each component on that bike is worth to you.

$2500 isn't worth a thing if you don't like what you got with it.

Here are some questions I can answer, though:

Goran13 said:
Is it worth going to full suspension or is it more headaches in the end?

Full suspension adds some moving parts to a bike (the number depends on the design), and moving parts need to be maintained. None of it's complicated, but shock maintenance must be done carefully, cleanly, and usually specifically.

Goran13 said:
What is more important to you when buying a new bike, good components or good frame and suspension set up (weight, stiffness, axles, etc.)

This actually depends on the model I'm looking at. Every brand sets up their bikes a little differently, some models reflect an investment in components, others an investment in frame, others both. If you look for nicer components on a cheaper frame, you need your upgrade money all at once. The other way around, and you can do it piece by piece. However, if you find a hardtail with a nice set of components, you'll save some money on the initial purchase, but the cost of the upgrade goes up somewhat.

In this situation, I would look for a complete bike that didn't need any upgrades and be willing to spend a bit more for it. Anything I'm likely to be unhappy with will most likely be contact points, handlebars, tires, and anything else that needs some experience to develop preferences.

Good luck.

eb1888 · Oct 7, 2012

Goran13 said:
Thank you for the responses.
I'm not really a 29 type of guy. haha I'm a smaller person at 5'9 and about 170 pounds. I enjoy throwing the bike around a trail and a 29er does not inspire that confidence in me. It may be just psychological though. I may check them out a bit more.

You're not really small. Nino Shulter won 3 World Cup Championships on a Scott Scale RC. He is 5'7". He won this year's championship on a 650 with the same geo. You should test ride a medium Scott Scale 930 and then look for a 2012 Expert. I'm 5'10' and take a medium. They also make a small. There's a new one on ebay for 2100. It has compliant seat stay engineering, short chainstays and a slack ht angle for stable but responsive steering. You could easily have a 21lb bike to throw around.

Goran13 · Oct 7, 2012

Wow, that's a lot of things to consider from what StageHand is saying. I guess I should have done more hands on homework during the season. Hmm, there really isn't a good way to find a good bike by reading. lol :madman:

I guess I'll try to find a comfortable posture on anything that i'll be looking to buy.

Oh and Mimi1885, my budget is 2k-2.5k Canadian.

Thanks again for all your time and input guys and gals, I absolutely appreciate it.

Goran

desertred · Oct 7, 2012

Goran13 said:
...... I guess I'll try to find a comfortable posture on anything that i'll be looking to buy. ........

A lot of good information has been provided in the previous posts. However, of all things mentioned so far, your quoted statement is the key ingredient. No mater what the price, brand, components, if the bike doesn't fit and you are uncomfortable, you will likely have a $2500 garage ornament. I find that reading will give you some great information as to what are good bikes to consider for your riding style and budget. You mentioned two already; the EX8 and the Stumpjumper. The latter, by the way, is in the same category as the EX8 (assuming you were looking at the Stumpy in FSR guise). There are others. Don't get caught up in analysis paralysis. Of the bikes your considering, get out and try the ones that are available to you and see which provides the best fit and is the most comfortable. That will give you the answer your looking for.

Goran13 · Oct 17, 2012

Hey everyone, I'd like to thank you again for everything. I purchased my bike this past Saturday and I got a Trek Fuel EX8. I got the chance to sit on and roll (not ride, haha) all the bikes I had my eye on and the Trek's geometry felt the best. I picked it up for 2100 bucks and I'm absolutely happy with it now that I've riden it.

I was going to post a pic, but it seems I haven't figured it out yet.

Thanks again.

Goran

A typical "which bike" thread...

Goran13

big terry

eb1888

Goran13

Merf

mimi1885

socalrider77

StageHand

eb1888

Goran13

desertred

Goran13

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