REVIEWS DEALS BIKESHOPS TRAILS

Not another what bike question!

957 Views 11 Replies 7 Participants Last post by st-rider, Mar 3, 2011

st-rider

Discussion Starter · Feb 28, 2011

Yeah I know the same question has probably been asked a thousand different ways and I've probably read half of those here but here's my twist(s). Just skip to the last paragraph if you don't want to read my rationalizations.

I'm trying to get back into mtb riding but have been left behind and confused by new technology and so many choices. I've pretty well decided on a 29er after riding a buddy's well built Titus Rockstar. I never imagined a mtb could feel that great. (Insert all the standard 29er praise here.) Problem is I'm a starving community college prof. with kids so $3K+ bikes are out of the question.

Here's some pertinent info.

6'3 185 lbs (175 coming soon after new bike purchase)
48 yrs old, been on two wheels of one type or another for my entire life but not on mtb's much for the last 10 years. I discovered that on KTM dirt bikes going uphill is as fun as downhill on a mtb. (I will spend $6K+ on bikes with motors) I made the transition to motos pretty quickly which I attribute to having ridden mtb's since early 1980's. Turns out that was a one way street and riding with a twisty right grip has ruined my mtb skills. I suck now! Not my conditioning but my skills. With a 250 pound bike 12" of suspension travel and a throttle you can just blow through stuff. I ride way gnarlier stuff on the moto than I ever would on a mtb.

My current bike is a 2003 Stumpjumper comp fsr that I bought used last summer thinking it was a cheap way to get a bike made in this century but I haven't been able to get comfortable on it. It corners like crap, feels unpredicatable, and it seems like I'm going over the bars on stuff I used to ride with confidence on my 1985 Fat Chance. I have blamed this on being unfamiliar with suspension behavior. I did own a 90's model Jamis Dakar Sport which I also never liked and I blame for souring me on mtbs.

I've been thinking about getting a Redline d660 ht but my serious mtb riding buddies say I will be unhappy without the dual suspension on the rocky trails of N. AZ (which I thought I rode pretty well BITD on my 1982 Stumpjumper and Fat Chance rigid bikes.) So far I'm pretty unhappy riding those same trails on my 2003 dual suspension bike. Yet, the ride on a 29er has given me hope, that is until I checked into how much they cost.

What bike is right for me?

To get a grip on what is out there I just read every word of the MTB Action Buyers Guide and believe the right type of bike for me would fall between XC and Trail. I love riding ST up and down. Flowing is great, technical sections fun, small air. Although I'm almost half a century old I'm in good cardio shape and really enjoy climbing. I still ride road bikes. The ideal bike would climb like a dream, descend with confidence and pedal like a road bike. The trails around Crested Butte and Taylor Park CO are my favorite on moto or mtb. Brookbank, Sunset, Oldham, etc around Flagstaff are fun to me. 4"-5" travel seems plenty.

Here's the crux of my situation

There is a guy in Flagstaff with a nice Redline d660 (converted to a 3X9 and upgraded to Avid Juicy 3 from mech. brakes) for sale that I could afford. He's asking $1200. Will I hate it for AZ ST riding? I've thought I could ride it for a while and possibly upgrade to a dual suspension 29er frame in the future. By swapping most of the components over it seems I could probably save a significant sum over building a bike from scratch or buying a complete bike. Right now Titus frames are being closed out for $999 due to their sale to On One so I'm wondering how much It would cost to build one of those compared to swapping most parts from the Redline? I could just slowly try to build a bike from scratch but the snow will be melting soon and I want a bike to ride now. What other affordable 29er frame would be a good choice? What 29er dual suspension bike would be the best value if I were to buy one already built keeping in mind that I will be causing great stress for my wife if the price exceeds $2000. The good news is she rides a lot herself so she would eventually get over it. My dream bike would be the Titus Rockstar or maybe a RIP 9. What else would you suggest considering my wife's stress level?

That's my long story and I'm sticking to it. Any tips would be appreciated.

Thanks.

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BruceBrown

· #2 · Feb 28, 2011

st-rider said:
Just skip to the last paragraph if you don't want to read my rationalizations.

Problem is I'm a starving community college prof. with kids so $3K+ bikes are out of the question.

6'3 185 lbs (175 coming soon after new bike purchase)
48 yrs old, been on two wheels of one type or another for my entire life but not on mtb's much for the last 10 years. My dream bike would be.....or maybe a RIP 9.

Now you're talking with those last few words underlined.

Pick up an extra class or two for the semester to get the course overload $$$ and get yourself a RIP 9.

There's a fully built XL RIP showcase/demo bike on eBay at the moment you could bid for and save some money compared to buying new.

That's the advice from this same weight, 6'3", 49 year old, college professor with kids and the wife/stress anything over $2K syndrome. Get the dream bike and enjoy the next 5 - 10 years riding it.

BB

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st-rider

Discussion Starter · #3 · Feb 28, 2011

That bike looks weird the way they photographed it with the seat mashed down and the bars so low and twisted. I like the orange color since it goes with my KTMs. I'll have to watch this one.

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rojogonzo

· #4 · Feb 28, 2011

competitive cyclist has ventana's on sale very cheap in the xl sizes
for a full squish
$799 if memory serves

edit: frame only..

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protsi

· #5 · Feb 28, 2011

maybe this help you.....

st-rider said:
Yeah I know the same question has probably been asked a thousand different ways and I've probably read half of those here but here's my twist(s). Just skip to the last paragraph if you don't want to read my rationalizations.

I'm trying to get back into mtb riding but have been left behind and confused by new technology and so many choices. I've pretty well decided on a 29er after riding a buddy's well built Titus Rockstar. I never imagined a mtb could feel that great. (Insert all the standard 29er praise here.) Problem is I'm a starving community college prof. with kids so $3K+ bikes are out of the question.

Here's some pertinent info.

6'3 185 lbs (175 coming soon after new bike purchase)
48 yrs old, been on two wheels of one type or another for my entire life but not on mtb's much for the last 10 years. I discovered that on KTM dirt bikes going uphill is as fun as downhill on a mtb. (I will spend $6K+ on bikes with motors) I made the transition to motos pretty quickly which I attribute to having ridden mtb's since early 1980's. Turns out that was a one way street and riding with a twisty right grip has ruined my mtb skills. I suck now! Not my conditioning but my skills. With a 250 pound bike 12" of suspension travel and a throttle you can just blow through stuff. I ride way gnarlier stuff on the moto than I ever would on a mtb.

My current bike is a 2003 Stumpjumper comp fsr that I bought used last summer thinking it was a cheap way to get a bike made in this century but I haven't been able to get comfortable on it. It corners like crap, feels unpredicatable, and it seems like I'm going over the bars on stuff I used to ride with confidence on my 1985 Fat Chance. I have blamed this on being unfamiliar with suspension behavior. I did own a 90's model Jamis Dakar Sport which I also never liked and I blame for souring me on mtbs.

I've been thinking about getting a Redline d660 ht but my serious mtb riding buddies say I will be unhappy without the dual suspension on the rocky trails of N. AZ (which I thought I rode pretty well BITD on my 1982 Stumpjumper and Fat Chance rigid bikes.) So far I'm pretty unhappy riding those same trails on my 2003 dual suspension bike. Yet, the ride on a 29er has given me hope, that is until I checked into how much they cost.

What bike is right for me?

To get a grip on what is out there I just read every word of the MTB Action Buyers Guide and believe the right type of bike for me would fall between XC and Trail. I love riding ST up and down. Flowing is great, technical sections fun, small air. Although I'm almost half a century old I'm in good cardio shape and really enjoy climbing. I still ride road bikes. The ideal bike would climb like a dream, descend with confidence and pedal like a road bike. The trails around Crested Butte and Taylor Park CO are my favorite on moto or mtb. Brookbank, Sunset, Oldham, etc around Flagstaff are fun to me. 4"-5" travel seems plenty.

Here's the crux of my situation

There is a guy in Flagstaff with a nice Redline d660 (converted to a 3X9 and upgraded to Avid Juicy 3 from mech. brakes) for sale that I could afford. He's asking $1200. Will I hate it for AZ ST riding? I've thought I could ride it for a while and possibly upgrade to a dual suspension 29er frame in the future. By swapping most of the components over it seems I could probably save a significant sum over building a bike from scratch or buying a complete bike. Right now Titus frames are being closed out for $999 due to their sale to On One so I'm wondering how much It would cost to build one of those compared to swapping most parts from the Redline? I could just slowly try to build a bike from scratch but the snow will be melting soon and I want a bike to ride now. What other affordable 29er frame would be a good choice? What 29er dual suspension bike would be the best value if I were to buy one already built keeping in mind that I will be causing great stress for my wife if the price exceeds $2000. The good news is she rides a lot herself so she would eventually get over it. My dream bike would be the Titus Rockstar or maybe a RIP 9. What else would you suggest considering my wife's stress level?

That's my long story and I'm sticking to it. Any tips would be appreciated.

Thanks.

Hi there look this bike HARO ALLY XC 2009 maybe 600.00 new at sun ski
i buy one and spend some buck in new hydraulic with 180 disc new stem with carbon handelbar new seat with seat post allso carbon with afterburner crank 10 spd. go tubeless and the bike now is 28.7 pounds i believe not bad for under 1k and ride sweet really sweet:thumbsup:

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BruceBrown

· #6 · Feb 28, 2011

st-rider said:
That bike looks weird the way they photographed it with the seat mashed down and the bars so low and twisted. I like the orange color since it goes with my KTMs. I'll have to watch this one.

In spite of that, the seat does adjust and the stem bolts will loosen to straighten out the bars. Maybe they had it crammed in storage and to get more bikes stored in the shop warehouse, they turn the bars like that. Who knows?

Used RIPs get advertised in the classifieds here and on eBay every now and then. There were closeout deals on all the 2010 RIP frames a couple of months ago which would have saved you a lot, but I don't think many of those are still available. But it's worth checking the internet to see if any closeout 2010 frames still exist in your size.

BB

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protsi

· #7 · Feb 28, 2011

protsi said:
Hi there look this bike HARO ALLY XC 2009 maybe 600.00 new at sun ski
i buy one and spend some buck in new hydraulic with 180 disc new stem with carbon handelbar new seat with seat post allso carbon with afterburner crank 10 spd. go tubeless and the bike now is 28.7 pounds i believe not bad for under 1k and ride sweet really sweet:thumbsup:

sorry i forget to mention is a hardtail and the fork is m29 best buy for the buck even better then reba.

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TwoNin9r

· #8 · Feb 28, 2011

You could also LOL at the specialized camber. I believe they cone in around 1600 and that's brand new.

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st-rider

Discussion Starter · #9 · Mar 2, 2011

Although it is a bit out of my price range the Salsa Spearfish looks like a great bike for a great price. Around $2250. Anybody have a comment on this bike?

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p nut

· #10 · Mar 2, 2011

If you like hardtails, get a hardtail. Or at least demo one on the trails. You can also get a Cane Creek Thudbuster.

For under $2k, Specialized Stumpjumper, Giant XTC 1, Trek Paragon come to mind.

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max5480

· #11 · Mar 2, 2011

st-rider said:
Although it is a bit out of my price range the Salsa Spearfish looks like a great bike for a great price. Around $2250. Anybody have a comment on this bike?

http://forums.mtbr.com/showthread.php?t=681329

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st-rider

Discussion Starter · #12 · Mar 3, 2011

I've never even ridden a hardtail. I went straight from a rigid bike to a not very satisfying full suspension bike.

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