[Frandy-FreeRide]

Hey guys,
Im from Australia and this is my first time on a bike forum, im luving DH/Freeride bikes ATM and i think that i need to buy myself a half decent bike, not a fullon $10k frame bike, but sumthin round the $2-3k mark, maybe 2nd hand, and i was wondering, any advice of Types of bike/forks/brakes and the value for money out ther... I think that a bike with Avid Juicy 7's on it would be freekin awesome, cause i luv the look of em, in 8" and they are good products as well. Plus i want forx that hav bout 180-200mm travel, lyk Boxxer's or sumthin, iv heard they're good as well. I just want tripple clamps. I was lookin at a Giant STP-1 not too long ago, with an idea to do it up cause it was cheap, but a friend of mine said that triple clamps bugger up the headset of the frame, so stay away from Triple Clamps on a STP. Is this true?? Whats your advice, either a dual suspension or hardtail bike would be good, not too much DH involved, but would be good if i could :thumbsup:
cheers guys
Any advice/comments welcome

EDIT: I was just thinking....A Giant Faith would be alrite, then all i would need is Triple Clamps and then it would be everything i wanted...how much does an '06 Faith Retail for??

 

[gemini2000]

$2-3k dont spend this much but you should be able to get ANY bike you want second hand and trust me its the way to go you can sell it on later and not loose much when you finnaly realise what riding suits you .

 

[Err]

Used is a good way to go. If you don't know much about bike mechanics then get a friend that knows a fair bit to help you out. I pretty much always buy atleast my frame used and frequently the whole bike. There are plenty of lightly used freeride rigs out there, just look around a bit and be patient.

For others who may respond, $3k AUD is equal to about $2200 USD.

 

[Erci]

There is a 05 GT DHi on eBay right now going for 2k shipped. Seller has size M and L. It's an amazing DH bike with pretty much top of the line parts. Definitely the best deal out there right now. The next best deal is IronHorse Kumicho at PerformanceBike. If you get a performance membership and use a 10% off coupon, the bike can be had for way less than 2k!
It's exactly what I did (got the Kumicho).. upgraded few parts and I'm amazed how well that thing rides!
I used to have a 02 Turner DHR and I gotta say, Kumicho feels very very simlar to DHR! It *might* be the new shock technology though (I'm running DHX 5.0 vs Vanilla RC on Turner).

 

[offtheedge]

buy used!

 

[mack-a-nator]

one word
used

 

[HJB]

1) Do your research, read the forums, read the reviews here, ask questions.

2) Ignore the reviews in the mags, for the most part they're way to biased in favor of the manufacturer.

3) Buy used (although used is not *always* the best bang for your buck, see #1) and be patient, don't jump on the first deal you see. Nothing sucks worse than finding out you overpaid.

4) Be prepaired to upgrade as you progress. It's a guarantee that the latest and greatest gizmo you but today will be obsolete very soon, maybe not in reality but at least in your mind. But for many, including myself, upgrading is half the fun of it all. There's way worse things you can do with both your time and your money.

5) Have fun.

 

[Frandy-FreeRide]

Cheers guys! :thumbsup:
Now ill just research for a bit before making a decision! Thanx for the advice on the Mag Reviews, thats a good one Now....anyone know anything about the '06 Faith, iv heard its a pretty good bike, and i got a good chance of gettin it 2nd hand with triples, so, any1 own one, or know something about it?
Cheers