Mamasita vs. Paragon G2

Grande · 2008-12-20

anybody ride em? anybody lucky enough to ride both? thoughts?

TR

· #2 · Dec 20, 2008

2

I have not ridden the Paragon but the Mamasita rides very nicely indeed.
The bladed carbon stays seem to provide a nice flex in the rear.
It climbs well and feels fast on the flat. It also descends predictably.
I have done several longer (4-5 hour) rides on mine and have found it quite comfortable over this distance.
Not sure whether it is the new geometry of the 2009 Reba but it also seems much quicker through the twisty stuff than my previous hardtail with an older Reba.

Paragon vs Mamasita seems a strange comparison to me. The Mamasita is right up there with the Air9 and Superfly in my book.

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NCtrailX

· #3 · Dec 21, 2008

Take a close look at the Mamasita. A friend has one and loves it - smooths out the trail a bit. Plus - to top it all off it's a sweet looking bike!

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Guitar Ted

· #4 · Dec 21, 2008

I've ridden both..

The thing is though, the Mamasita has a slight change to the geometry for '09. They backed off the head angle a bit in deferance to the fork manufacturers going to longer offsets. So the older Mamasita, (pre '09) is a steeper head angle bike. 73 degrees, and the new one is 72, just like the Selma, which I have also ridden.

So, the comparison? Well, they both ride exceptionally well in single track. (Actually, I prefer the new Mamasita/Selma geometry here over the previous Mamasita) The Paragon rides more racy than the Mama, which has a muted, softer touch to the rear end, but is no less snappy.

I would be hard pressed to choose between them.

I will say that there is a cosmetic flaw that appears on some Mamasitas where the carbon meets the aluminum. The paint likes to crack there a bit, but it's not a structural concern. Still, some people freak about that, so I thought I'd mention it.

The Paragon does lock you into the Fox Fork with the 51mm offset being proprietary to Fisher. There has beeen cases of frame breakage reported there too. Fisher has an excellent warranty policy though, but it bears mentioning that some Paragons have broken.

Still, I like either bike really well and as I said, I'd be hard pressed to choose between them. That's why I would go with a Selma.

Single speed and all!

Of course, there is the Rig.....

Dang it all! I'm back where I started!

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ShoMyOFace

· #5 · Dec 21, 2008

First and foremost, BUY THE ONE THAT FITS............they are completely different bikes/geometries.

Having said such, I have owned/ridden both, and I feel that the Paragon rides like a slug in comparison to the Mamasita. Thus, I prefer the later. After a year of riding, the carbon/scandium joint on my Mama is still like the day I got it.......but then it's cosmetic anyway.

One thing you may wish to think about is whether you will convert to rigid in the future. The 2 degree different HT angles may make a big difference in after market fork purchases.

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C-Hog

· #6 · Dec 21, 2008

"the Paragon rides like a slug in comparison to the Mamasita"

I could not agree more. I had owned nothing but (pre-G2) Paragons since 2003. And loved them. Then last summer I got to ride a buddy's Mamasita and was blown away at how well it cornered and how quickly it accellerated. It was the first bike I had riden in years that immediately grabbed you by the throat and said "You have to have me."

A week or two later, I went to a Trek/Fisher demo days to test the new G2. Actually, I hoped that I would like the G2 better than the Mamasita. The shop I ride for could get me either bike, but could give me a much better deal on the Paragon. I rode the heck out of that new Paragon... just hoping beyond hope to like it. TOTALLY UN-INSPIRING. It didn't do anything wrong... It just didn't do anything.

Paragon = Mini Van :nono:
Mamasita = Mini Cooper :thumbsup:

Which would you want to race?

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29ERCAT

· #7 · Dec 21, 2008

I own both,for sprint short track rides I take out my mama...and for 2-4 hours rides I turn to my g-2 fisher.I love them both,so I would rate them

paragon-bmw
mamasita-subrau wrx

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ShoMyOFace

· #8 · Dec 21, 2008

29ERCAT said:
I own both,for sprint short track rides I take out my mama...and for 2-4 hours rides I turn to my g-2 fisher.I love them both,so I would rate them

paragon-bmw
mamasita-subrau wrx

Wouldn't it make more sense if your Paragon was a Buick, not the BMW.....