[Magnus357]

I've recently decided that I'd like to get back into riding. When I was younger I did my fair share of BMX and flatland riding and really enjoyed it, but that was a long time ago. I have a lot of question, but from what I've read here, y'all seem like a helpful bunch.

Here in Austin we have quite a few trails, PLENTY of hills, and even a few dirt jump parks, so I've decided it would be a good idea to take advantage of them. Not to mention it's a good way to get back in shape

I need a bike that both capable of handling freeriding, dirt jumps, and cross country/trail riding with my girlfriend. I've been looking around the net for a few days at bikes, but none of the complete bikes I've seen have been both the type of bike and need and fit within my budget. So, I've decided to piece one together from individual parts. I'm not really worried about the actual assembly as I'm confident in my mechanical skills; however, I am worried about the pieces I select and making sure that I actually purchase all the necessary parts.

What I've decided on so far (all subject to change though ):

Frame - KHS Rigid One - for only about $165 it seems like a pretty decent frame. I like the fact that it is a slightly larger frame because I'm a tall guy (6'2"), but will it be big enough? It is not equipped for rear disks, which kind of turns me off, but I'm going to go with an Avid mechanical disk in front (185mm or 203mm) and V-brakes in the back. Will this be sufficient for freeriding?

Fork - If I buy new I'll probably go with a DJ3. Is this a good choice? I'd really like to get a decent - good fork, but damn are these things cost prohibitive! I'm going to be looking for used forks, but I'm not really sure which ones I should be keeping an eye out for. What do most people around here suggest?

Drive Train - I want a 9-speed set up, and I think I'm just gonna go with SRAM or Shimano components. Keeping in mind I'd like to keep the price down, are there any real specific parts I liked to stay away from/gravitate towards?

I'm also really unsure about what crankset I should get? What are some quality suggestions?

Wheels and hubs - I'm really unsure in this area? I need suggestions on what to get and even where to get these for freeriding.

Tires - I need a good set for both freeriding and trails

I can handle seat posts, saddles, handle bars, and such

Other parts - I see people referring to things like bash guards and other things, but I'm not yet hip to all the freeriding lingo, so I need to know what all I left out.


I know I've just asked a ridiculous amount of questions, but if someone could help me out I'd be really grateful.

Thanks again,

- Matt

 

[TheSherpa]

Ok,

Forget about the KHS for anykind of freerindg or dirtjumping. Not much more anyone can say until we know your price range. DJ's are good for budget anything but you'll prob need to be lookin at something used.

-TS

 

[Magnus357]

The Rigid One is that bad eh?

Well, about the max I'd really like to spend is $1200, but I'd be willing to go higher if needs be. It'll just be longer till I have a bike .

What are some other frame suggestions?

- Matt

 

[TheSherpa]

The Rigid One is that bad eh?

Well, about the max I'd really like to spend is $1200, but I'd be willing to go higher if needs be. It'll just be longer till I have a bike .

What are some other frame suggestions?

- Matt

What kind of riding will you wanna be doing specifically and do you want hardtail or full suspension? Like how big of drops.....

-TS

 

[COmtbiker12]

Look at the Kona Out of Bounds hardtails, they're fairly well equipped it seems. Also, they look like they have a good price. Considering you're looking at $1200 at the most, you could easily upgrade parts to your fitting, and even sell some of the leftover parts from the stock stuff. Maybe check out the Santa Cruz Chameleon, frame's a bit more than it seems you're looking for, but you could easily get a moderately used chameleon complete for a good price, or even just the frame. Hope that helped some.

 

[Magnus357]

I'm defintely looking for a hardtail as a full suspension bike is out of my price range. The type of riding I plan on doing on this bike in the order of importance - Freeriding/Trail riding/Dirt Jump/Commuter. As I'm just a beginner (or a re-beginner if you will), the size drops I'll be doing will depend on how much sac I can muster when I get back in the saddle.

COmtbiker12,

Thanks for the lead on the Chameleon. I hadn't seen that particular bike/frame before. How do you think it would hold up to freeriding/dirtjumps?

- Matt

 

[TheSherpa]

Chameleon will hold up to anything you can throw at it as will the Kona frames. Also look at the Cannondale Chase and Specialized P. Series. All badA bikes that will take loads of abuse.

-TS

 

[9 Lives]

The Big Qusetion, and some Answers

I've recently decided that I'd like to get back into riding. When I was younger I did my fair share of BMX and flatland riding and really enjoyed it, but that was a long time ago. I have a lot of question, but from what I've read here, y'all seem like a helpful bunch.

Here in Austin we have quite a few trails, PLENTY of hills, and even a few dirt jump parks, so I've decided it would be a good idea to take advantage of them. Not to mention it's a good way to get back in shape

I need a bike that both capable of handling freeriding, dirt jumps, and cross country/trail riding with my girlfriend. I've been looking around the net for a few days at bikes, but none of the complete bikes I've seen have been both the type of bike and need and fit within my budget. So, I've decided to piece one together from individual parts. I'm not really worried about the actual assembly as I'm confident in my mechanical skills; however, I am worried about the pieces I select and making sure that I actually purchase all the necessary parts.

What I've decided on so far (all subject to change though ):

Frame - KHS Rigid One - for only about $165 it seems like a pretty decent frame. I like the fact that it is a slightly larger frame because I'm a tall guy (6'2"), but will it be big enough? It is not equipped for rear disks, which kind of turns me off, but I'm going to go with an Avid mechanical disk in front (185mm or 203mm) and V-brakes in the back. Will this be sufficient for freeriding?

Fork - If I buy new I'll probably go with a DJ3. Is this a good choice? I'd really like to get a decent - good fork, but damn are these things cost prohibitive! I'm going to be looking for used forks, but I'm not really sure which ones I should be keeping an eye out for. What do most people around here suggest?

Drive Train - I want a 9-speed set up, and I think I'm just gonna go with SRAM or Shimano components. Keeping in mind I'd like to keep the price down, are there any real specific parts I liked to stay away from/gravitate towards?

I'm also really unsure about what crankset I should get? What are some quality suggestions?

Wheels and hubs - I'm really unsure in this area? I need suggestions on what to get and even where to get these for freeriding.

Tires - I need a good set for both freeriding and trails

I can handle seat posts, saddles, handle bars, and such

Other parts - I see people referring to things like bash guards and other things, but I'm not yet hip to all the freeriding lingo, so I need to know what all I left out.


I know I've just asked a ridiculous amount of questions, but if someone could help me out I'd be really grateful.

Thanks again,

- Matt

Matt, hi there and welcome to the form! I will try to give you some ideas on what you have questions on. Granted I'm no expert on XC or Downhill/Freeride. These are ideas to think about. After reading your post, right off the bat your going to have to decide what your going to use this bike for. Because, now days there's no one purpose ride out there! Example is, I own 2 bikes...a 2003 Foes Fly FoesRacing used for (downhill/freeride) and a 2001 GT 3.0 GTBikes that I upgraded last summer; used for (XC / Marathon Runs). The wife has the same GT 3.0, we ride XC togather. So building a bike from parts is an involving process when you don't know what parts you need. You might concider buying something in your price range and upgrading from there as you ride different stuff. Another issue is; frames for freeride bikes vs XC bikes are very different. Example is; XC frames are lighter smaller tubes = lighter frame total weight, where freeride frames use biger tube sizes better gussets near the steering tube and on the rear chainstays i.e. boxed chainstays. All this adds weight but for the pressures of Dirt Jumping and Freeriding it comes with the territory. So check that KHS up by the steer tube to see how thick the gussets are where the upper and lower tubes inter the steer tube. If there a space between the upper tube an lower one then that's an XC frame not good for DJ or FR!

Forks; Again XC forks and FR forks are 2 different worlds!
XC; I use a Rock Shox WorldCup Air fork at a price of $725.00, I know what your thinking! It's a high end fork there other that will get the job done for much less say $350 - $500.00 bucks. The Marz. DJ III is a dirt-jump is a middle of the road freeride fork. (Middle of the road does not mean cheep!) It's will do well on a hardtail bike or FS bike, but doesn't use a 20mm front axle. Those are for heavy duty DJ an FR use!
My WorldCup travel is 63 to 80mm or upto 3" just right for a bike that never leaves the ground above curb hight. The DJ III is 130mm travel and can handle small drops ( 3 to 6ft.) or the smaller dirt jumps or doubles jumps. A term that comes to mind is All Mountain, it's a type of bike set-up that's stiffer than a XC bike, but not as heavy duty as a hard core FR or DH bike. Your 6'2, I don't know your weight but you don't want to build something to light for fear of braking parts all the time i.e. cranks, seats, hubs, or forks.

Ok, Brakes; my take on these parts are this; I used pinch brakes for years but when it comes to FR, DJ or DH you will thank your self in the morning, investing in a good pair of disk brakes! Hayes is the most used on FR, DJ and DH bikes, there are others check out some on line bike order pages, or use the product reviews at this sight.

Drive Train; If FR, DJ and DH is what your building then you want a good strong crank and bottom braket i.e. BB. I use on the Foes Fly a Raceface DH North Shore crank and a giga-pipe BB. NO CARBON CRANKS!!! If it's XC then the Next LP Carbon by Race face is the way I go, Shimano LX, XT or XTR are all good for this role. Rear and Front Derailleur; DH bike you don't have to get high price SRAM's X9 for the rear or XT or LX Shimano are good choices for the rear. Front Shimano Deore or LX are good. XC bikes you want the best rear derailleur you can affore, I use XTR on the GT's and XT on the fronts. Reason you do a lot more shifting and low speed riding on a XT bike, and a freeride bike goes downhill so once you get up to speed shifting is not a big issue. Unless your racing the bike! Rear Cassette; most LBS bikes come with 11-32 set for normal riding. There are other ratios like 11-34 and 12-34. 12-34's give you a great ratio for hill climbing but you loose the top end, on the other hand 11-32's gives you great top end , but on those 1st gear climbs your legs will catch fire before the top, unless your Mr. Pro Racer! Chains; Go with the best you can afford. Oh, FR and DH cranks arm lengths 170 gives better ground clearence, 175's gives better pull for climbing hills.

Wheels/Hubs; Wheels; Weight comes to mind for XC bikes you want light but strong Mavic, Syncros to name a few make good XC rims. DH, FR and DJ go with Mavic rims if you can afford them some Mavic names are DeeMax (top of the line), CrossMax SL, there are others check the product reviews section at this site! Hubs; XC hubs it's all ways the rear hub that is most important, it takes the most abuse so again it's a money thing. My take is Chris King (top of the line) big $$ though good for XC to DH others not so big buck are Sun Race, or look in the used section for a good price on a wheel set!

Tires; This is the hardest question, because you have to deal with weight, tread pattern and size width. Width for XC range from 1.95" to 2.30" and for DH/FR 2.35" up to 3.00" wide at 26" tires as width goes up so does the weight along with tread pattern on a given tire. The best way I know for chasing parts is money( can I afford it?)... Can I really use it? (read product reviews to get real time advice)...weight (if that is an issue, light for XC heavy for DH, FR or DJ's).

You said something about bashguards; that's a freeride / downhill part that replaces the outer ring on your crank to protect the other 2 inner rings from rocks, tree trunks, low clearence issues. Cheap fix if your likely to hit stuff so you don't ben or break a crank ring on the trail.

Bottom Line; Do a lot of research before spending any money! Talk to Local Bike Shops (LBS's), ask a lot of questions and get different stories on the parts your looking at. Come up with guide lines on what you want to really do with the bike and stay within those lines. Don't over build i.e. If you never jumped a bike don't fall for the real bad ass parts when you can use something that fits your style for how you ride now, YOU CAN UPGRADE LATER!!!. If money is an issue, and it allways is look for good used parts when you decide to buy something. Examples of used items are cranks, wheel sets, bars and seatposts diskbreak sets. I left out forks because you don't know how bad off thay could be when used. Frames are a good used item as long as you see a picture of it before you put down the bucks!

Closing; I hope this helps you. Like I said I'm no expert on the subject. So try to find some you trust that is! If you have more questions I'll be glad to help if I can. Good luck on the new project bike.
9 Lives.

 

[COmtbiker12]

I'm defintely looking for a hardtail as a full suspension bike is out of my price range. The type of riding I plan on doing on this bike in the order of importance - Freeriding/Trail riding/Dirt Jump/Commuter. As I'm just a beginner (or a re-beginner if you will), the size drops I'll be doing will depend on how much sac I can muster when I get back in the saddle.

COmtbiker12,

Thanks for the lead on the Chameleon. I hadn't seen that particular bike/frame before. How do you think it would hold up to freeriding/dirtjumps?

- Matt

Sure, I have no idea how it will jump, I've seen it setup as anything from a lightweight xc bike to a beefy freeride bike. Its actually next on my list of bikes(ineed a hardtail), if I somehow get it I'll probably set mine up as a freeride/trail bike. Probably stick a Psylo or a Sherman fork on it and just make things beefy, but somewhat conservative weightwise. Good luck with the bike.
Tony

 

[NRTH SHORE]

delema

1200 usd right. even so your in quiet a delema id say if u could save up a few extra $$$ i say buy a norco 4x4 its full suspention and should suit your needs. its about $2200 CAN.
or look at a snipes frame $500 Can and you can get it as a compleat bike.
http://www.norco.com/bikes/2004bikes/4by.htm
http://www.snipesbicycles.com/pages/208530/index.htm

have fun picking out your new bike its always hard to choose.

 

[9 Lives]

Under $1200.00 US...

1200 usd right. even so your in quiet a delema id say if u could save up a few extra $$$ i say buy a norco 4x4 its full suspention and should suit your needs. its about $2200 CAN.
or look at a snipes frame $500 Can and you can get it as a compleat bike.
http://www.norco.com/bikes/2004bikes/4by.htm
http://www.snipesbicycles.com/pages/208530/index.htm

have fun picking out your new bike its always hard to choose.

Check this out from Devinci
The 2004 Devinci Hucker
Price $1150.00 US

Hucker
2004

FRAME SPECIFICATIONS
Freeride frame
FORK
Marzocchi Dirt Jumper III 130mm
REAR DERAILLEUR
Shimano Deore LX M570
FRONT DERAILLEUR
Shimano Deore M511
CRANKSET
Truvativ Hussfelt RG/38/28T
SHIFTERS
Shimano Deore LX M570
WHEELS
Atomlab Aircorp/Shimano M475
TIRES
WTB Weirwolf DH 26x2.5
BRAKES
Hayes HFX-9 HD 8 Hydraulic
STEM
Kalloy AS-159
HANDLEBAR
Kalloy AL-029
SEAT POST
Kalloy SP-359
SADDLE
WTB Power V Comp
Price U.S. $1150.00