[jmurphy]

I have decided that what I am looking for is a freeride bike. I am wanting to do a build and I wanted to see what your guy's thoughts about this frame were.

Sette Shadow

I also wanted to know what would be the pros and cons of a 29er v. 26

Thanks for all your help so far!

 

[rdhfreethought]

1. That is a DJ bike, not a FR bike.
2. There are no proven 29'r FR bikes yet, probably only 2 capable 29'r bikes that I know of, Intense prototype, LENZ.

http://www.lenzsport.com/detail.php?prodID=5
http://dirt.mpora.com/news/intense-2951.html

I can't imagine building one properly for less than $5k. If you are looking at Sette (a bargain brand) you are probably not in the market. To build a proper 29'r would mean many sacrifices. "Strong, light, cheap", pick any two goes the saying. In this case you need to pick strong and light as possible (since 29'r are inherently weaker and heavier to start with). Thus every part will have to be expensive, top-of-the-line stuff to make it work.

 

[jmurphy]

O and did I mention I also want a hardtail not a full suspension

 

[rdhfreethought]

Oh that is easy then...there exists no such bike. There are however many custom builders that would build one for you. You would want a Ti or Steel frame. To handle the abuse it would probably have to be in the 7 lb range, which is heavy for HT. Also, the amount of stress on the wheelset would be insane. I think the new crop of tires should handle it, I would ask in the 29'r section for the most durable tires for your type of riding. But, I would suspect you will go through plenty of rims, which is fairly common for even 26'rs.

I am curious though. Do you have much experience with FR? I would definately try a 26 HT on freeride trails to see if that is something you want to put your body through. It is akin to asking Yamaha to build you a hardtail MX. It is common for even novice freeriders like myself to do 20ft gaps and tables. I wanted more of a HT type feel, so I bought a Banshee Rampant. Previous experience with a Santa Cruz Jackal (hardtail) made me realize that stiff and burly just means my feet, ankles, knees, and legs had to do all the suspension work. No thanks.

It is true a 29'r will roll better, but a hardtail is still a hardtail, and the vertical component of whatever you are rolling over, jumping, or dropping...will still be near 100% absorbed by your body. I will pass on that kind of pain TYVM

 

[perttime]

Depends on your definition of FR.

What exactly do you want to do with the bike?
How much can you spend?

 

[jmurphy]

I want something more suitable for jumping and meanuvering than my XC trek 4300. I come from bmx riding, so I want something that I can take to a free ride park and hit jumps but still ride hard on trails.

 

[rdhfreethought]

So why in the world do you want to spend 5k on a 29'r when you can get something like a Surly Instigator for 400 bucks?

What you want is a 26 inch 4" full suspension dirt jump bike. My top three would be 1. Banshee Rampant, 2. Transition Double, or 3. Blackmarket Killswitch

If you must stick with a hardtail, you should check out the HT bikes from those manufacturer's. In all honesty there are lots of good hardtails out there, but none of them will work very well for free ride parks. Even 4" travel is extreme in the self-abuse catagory. And most people would just call it stupid. But, I say go for it. However, I would borrow a HT and try to ride it at Whistler for a day. Or better yet, rent a real park bike for a half day, then go to the HT and see which one you want at the end of the day.

Good luck!