[paintballpunk687]

Hey guys i currently have a 06 Kona Coiler and a 07 Haro extreme x6 which are both full suspension, im looking at getting a nice hardtail to replace my haro but i dont know what to get, i need something that i can really beat up because i ride very hard. I was looking at the Transition Vagrant but what others would you suggest?

P.S. Would it be better to buy a frame and build the bike from the ground up myself? Pricewise...?

 

[SuperbMan]

This is pretty well-traveled ground onthese forums.

1. The Transition is a great bike as is the Chromag or Banshee Scirrocco, or my personal favorite, the Sinister ridge, as is the Jamis Komodo, etc-it comes down to money-but they are a lot of good bikes in the alll mountain H-Tal category.

2. The Buy a complete bike vs. a frame-the complete bike will always be a lot cheaper. But, often the best frames are sold "frame" only so there will be a quality difference and how big that is depends on the bike in question.

 

[perttime]

Depends on how hard you ride.
My Scirocco is my XC bike I am no lightweight and my XC is a bit rougher than I imagine XC race courses. The frame can take more.

Looking for value for money, buying a complete bike is better, unless you already have the parts to build up or spend a lot of energy looking for bargains.

 

[VTSession]

There are a couple of Vagrants on Ebay now.

http://cgi.ebay.com/2007-Transition-Vagrant-Medium_W0QQitemZ190233437975QQihZ009QQcategoryZ98083QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

http://cgi.ebay.com/2006-Transition...ryZ98083QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

http://cgi.ebay.com/2006-Transition-Vagrant-White-Medium_W0QQitemZ190234974464QQihZ009QQcategoryZ98083QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

I love my Vagrant, I use if for freeriding, all mountain riding, xc, urban.........it can really do anything.

If you're willing to spend more I've heard nothing but great things about Sinister Ridge and Evil Soveriegn. Santan Cruz Chameleons are good choice, one of those may be easier to find - they're fairly common bikes,