Best bike for the ranches - Heil, Hall, Walker, White?

I have ridden all that on a 80 mm hardtail so it's hard to judge.

My FS had made me slower....but so has my age.

But FS is more comfortable and the DH is much more pleasurable.

Specialized makes a Stumpy 29'er - sounds perfect for you.

So basically a hardtail - unless I am looking for comfort. Is a 29er going to be hard on the turns and rock gardens?

Whoa - not so quick there djanis99. I bet you'll get a lot more input, and people do value lidarman's and
jake7's opinions more than say...hmmm...skaredshtles's, but...
:lol:
I, for one, prefer FS rides rather than hard tails even for XC and the Ranches. When I 1st went FS, I thought it would slow me down, but it did not seem to.
Of course FS isn't necessary, as we ALL rode hardtails or full rigid "back in the day".
Try a few demos out and see what ya think.
I recently had an old hardtail as my main ride (by default), and am now back to FS, but now I have both in the quiver, and that will be great.
Much to the dismay of my SS/hardtail friends, the FS will regain status as my main ride now.
Can't really give any input to the best one for the job in your price range, but I'm sure many other people will chime in here.

all of the ranches are a flippin' BLAST on a 29'er HT ;-) just sayin'.... no issues whatsoever. in fact, i'd argue they're more fun .. but that is my personal experience and opinion ;-)

go test out a few!! see what suits your style and fancy ;-)

jj

Once you throw in White Ranch you put yourself in full suspension territory. Preferably something 5 & 5.

SkaredShtles said:

Once you throw in White Ranch you put yourself in full suspension territory. Preferably something 5 & 5.

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NOWAY, MAN!!!

nahhhhh.....

the 29er rolls perfectly all over that lovely ranch.

:thumbsup:

jj

jenamin said:

NOWAY, MAN!!!

nahhhhh.....

the 29er rolls perfectly all over that lovely ranch.

:thumbsup:

jj

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I'm sure it does...

SkaredShtles said:

I'm sure it does...

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hahha... what are you saying ... rolling eyes ;-)



are you doubting my opinion and personal experiences, or are you being sarcastic!?!?

but i definitely think that the OP should test a few out.... that would be wise

jj

For $2-3k you can get a bike with suspension on both ends that pedals nice with few, if any, compromises compared to a hard-tail.

As for 26 vs. 29, you can make either work, but I'd recommend demo'ing a couple 29er's to see if the trade-offs are worth it for you.

Personally, if I needed to buy an off-the-shelf everyday / anywhere bike right now in that price range, I'd be looking real hard at a Giant Trance X2.

topmounter said:

Personally, if I needed to buy an off-the-shelf everyday / anywhere bike right now in that price range, I'd be looking real hard at a Giant Trance X2.

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Good advice there.

For reference I ride a 33 pound Commencal Meta 6 everywhere on the Front Range. I have a hard tail in the build process as well.

Will the hard tail pedal better and be lighter? Yup! Will the 6" bike smoke the hard tail on the descents, you bet your buttocks it will.

Or...SPAM warning! Hit me with a PM and I can tell you about Commencal prices! The Meta 5 or Super 4 fall into your category.

lidarman said:

I have ridden all that on a 80 mm hardtail so it's hard to judge.

My FS had made me slower....but so has my age.

But FS is more comfortable and the DH is much more pleasurable.

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I also blame my slowness on my FS and age.Thought I was the only one. The downhill is so much smoother though.

jenamin said:

hahha... what are you saying ... rolling eyes ;-)



are you doubting my opinion and personal experiences, or are you being sarcastic!?!?
jj

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Heck no! I'm just saying your personal experience would likely be in the minority when it comes to appropriate bikes at White Ranch. Full sus is appropriate there.

topmounter said:

<snip>
Personally, if I needed to buy an off-the-shelf everyday / anywhere bike right now in that price range, I'd be looking real hard at a Giant Trance X2.

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This mt biker speaks WISELY...

Good advice, whether you like 29ers is a personal choice. If going ht, a 29er does roll a lot smoother than 26 and would be my choice if not going with a fs bike.

My personal preference would be a light 26" fs bike. Giant Trance is worth trying out, I'd also look at a Trek Fuel for that price range, their new ABP sus. is very sweet.

+1 on 29er HT.

I use to have a 5 inch travel fs and sold it after picking up the 29er HT.
I just don't see the need for a 5 inch travel bike with the majority of the trails on the front range. I am forced to ride a little bit different with the HT but the positives outweigh the negatives for me.

+1 on the Fuel EX series.. Just switched from a HT to the EX9 and I am very happy w/ the FS around the "Ranches".

Q

If you have a pair of testicles and still remember what they're for, get a hard tail. If you're a Nancy boy, get a 29er. If you ride with all the grace of a horse turd hitting the trail, get a full squishy.

DWF said:

If you have a pair of testicles and still remember what they're for, get a hard tail. If you're a Nancy boy, get a 29er. If you ride with all the grace of a horse turd hitting the trail, get a full squishy.

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i love your sense of humor :thumbsup:

you have something for me to try out!?!??

jj