[NotQuiteClimbing]

I've been biking for the better part of 2 months. I have an old Hard Rock from the late 90's that I've been riding. It has front shocks and could get me down most things.

I've been doing 15-20 mile rides over single track in South Lake Tahoe and Marin trails in the Bay Area. The past couple of rides I've done had long downhill sections that wore out my brake pads and I'm thinking I could hit them a lot harder with a FS bike. So, I was looking for an upgraded bike with FS and disc brakes.

Both Mike's Bikes and another shop has the 2009 Rize 3 for $1699. I rode it today and it felt fine. It was only around the shop and not on trails. Since I don't have any experience with bikes and/or parts, is this a decent bike? I saw some reviews online but the reviews are over a year old. I don't know if things have changed since then or not.

 

[Pedalphile]

Nope - things haven't changed. They renamed the bike in 2010 and split it into 120 and 140mm models, but nothing's changed about the older Rize. I had trouble finding anything solidly negative about the Rize before deciding to get an RZ140, but like you, I had trouble finding any full reviews.

The Rize is a great all-around bike and I think would work well for your purposes. Are there any other bikes you're considering? If you have a short list, that will help people to help you compare and figure out which is best for you.

-Pete

 

[ziscwg]

It's a great bike still. They just had some trademark issues with "Rize."

Those are some great prices for that rig. Make sure to get a shock pump too. The stock cdale speced setup is too soft for me on the Lefty.

Also, dump the tires. Those Maxiis Rendez things are kind of weird on the trail. I hated them. a pair of Nobby Nics or Mountain Kings would be a great choice. Since you are at mikes bikes you could also look at the Spec Captain tires, 2.2 on front and 2.0 on the back. :thumbsup:

 

[NotQuiteClimbing]

Thanks for replying. I ended up pulling the trigger and buying it. I got a pair of Specialized Comp Mtb shoes for the pedals. It's my first time with clipless so that'll be an adventure as well.

 

[BadBoyNY]

Thanks for replying. I ended up pulling the trigger and buying it. I got a pair of Specialized Comp Mtb shoes for the pedals. It's my first time with clipless so that'll be an adventure as well.

Make sure you practice unclipping and clipping on a nice safe trail before you do anything too serious.

I have a 2009 Rize 3 in red , its a great bike .

 

[ziscwg]

Thanks for replying. I ended up pulling the trigger and buying it. I got a pair of Specialized Comp Mtb shoes for the pedals. It's my first time with clipless so that'll be an adventure as well.

Great, Spec makes some good shoes too. They maybe a bit heavy handed at times, but they still make some good stuff. I love their saddles and shoes. Not enough people put much thought into what they have making contact with their body from the bike. If you feet or knees hurt after 90 min on the bike, those "on sale" shoes aren't worth it.

 

[NotQuiteClimbing]

I did my standard lunch time loop with my new setup. I shaved 1 minute off my top time. So, $2k to cut my time down from 57 min to 56 min. Seems like a good deal!

The bike feels great. As you mentioned though, the tires seem a little off, like they're too slick. Perhaps a little less air would help.

 

[BadBoyNY]

I did my standard lunch time loop with my new setup. I shaved 1 minute off my top time. So, $2k to cut my time down from 57 min to 56 min. Seems like a good deal!

The bike feels great. As you mentioned though, the tires seem a little off, like they're too slick. Perhaps a little less air would help.

Nice looking bike, but the red ones are faster

Have you adjusted the air pressure at both ends yet, I'm not a fan of the Rendez either ,but air pressures in the shock and fork make a lot of difference to overall handling and feel.

 

[Pedalphile]

You may also want to experiment with running your tires tubeless if you haven't already. Since going tubeless, whenever I've run a tube for whatever reason, my tires feel rock hard, bouncing off rocks and sliding around in curves. Running standard tires tubeless can also be a good way to reduce rotating weight right where it counts the most. Unless I get into downhilling or something, I can't see myself ever going back to tubes.