[schoolisbad1]

I love the preston, and might be right for me to snatch one up now. The best fork option seems to be the domain, offered in 180mm or 115-160. If I got the U-turn one, it would bug me not set in the 160 mode, and i see many used ones with the 180mm option. Would the most recent preston be unbalanced with a 7 inch fork up front??? I can find the prestons much cheaper than BR and v2 coverts.

 

[dustyrider]

Save yourself the trouble and save some money up so you can upgrade the frame.
There is a reason the preston is so cheap!

 

[schoolisbad1]

have you had one? whats your reasoning, suggestions for something comparable. its either a nomad, 09 sx trail, and i rather get a little less travel/some brake jack and have a brand new frame for cheaper than a used either of those.

 

[dustyrider]

Yes in fact I went through 2 my roommate went through 3.
The last one gave up the go just after production had stopped and the only real alternative was the new covert which cost me a lot of coin to swap over to.

My experience with the preston is not indicative of all prestons but I am not alone and the fact that transition no longer makes the preston should be enough to raise some concern on your behalf.
With that said...

I would save up a little more money and buy a new transition frame that is still in production.
Your looking at the right company to save money on purchase price but I think your looking at trying to save too much money with a preston.

If your not too tall go for a bottle rocket you can scoop up a complete demo from transition for cheap right now on their store.
Perfect when you consider your desired fork length and shock travel.
I do believe there is an ad on this forum for bottle rocket frames going for around $1000. I don't know how cheap you can get a new preston frame for but unless it's under half that purchase price it wouldn't be worth it to me.

There are also the first version coverts available.
We have a complete one at the shop that is a steal, I think we are only asking a few hundred more than the BR frame is going for.

The 1st gen is slightly less comparable to the preston and has it's own quirks but seems to be able to stand the test of time unlike the preston's in my experience.

I don't know much about other bike lines I do know one thing "you get what you pay for" no matter what the name brand is. Buying into Transition is a great way to extend your buying power, they are an awesome company and will be able to support you no matter what bike you decide on. I just think you have to consider the limitations of that support with the purchase of a bike frame that is out of production.

 

[schoolisbad1]

thanks man, ill look into that stuff. Its just a pain, to many choices

 

[cbgoring]

What kind of riding will you be doing the majority of the time? I agree with dustyrider though, I would get a preston only if you couldn't afford anything else. If you are looking for a AM bike more than FR bike, you can find some smokin deals on Covert V1s right now. I picked up a brand new late production on for $650.

 

[flowrider13]

T he Peston FR is a sick bike if you want a stout frame that doesn't feel like a couch and gives you enough suspension to take he edge off. Preston is a very playful bike on the trail. Though I would love to get my hands on a new Covert I am going to ride my Preston to failure and then make the switch.
I run mine with a 160mm Lyric and the bike feels like an aggressive bike should. It feels balanced and ready to charge whatevery I wanna ride on any given day. Other than my hardtail this is the only other bike I own and it keeps me happy!

 

[schoolisbad1]

i currently ride a 01ish kona stab with a stratos S8, on all rides. I weight about 155-165 with gear. I did do downhill and hucking for a while, im sick of pushing my bike to top, its 52 pounds. You could say its a little much. Im looking for something so I have some feeling not just numb bouncyness. I ride pretty hard, rocky steeps, smooth flowy, and some ladder type stuff/med size drops and jump. I'm planning on a building a beefy bike that will get me up in the seat and have a little more feeling to it. But i have my doubts about the preston and think I might miss having extra travel. Even though im riding the 5 inch travel mode lately. - BETD link.

 

[cbgoring]

It sounds like the Bottlerocket would be right up your alley.

 

[schoolisbad1]

i like them, but they have brand new prestons for 730-800 bucks, but i have seen bottlerockets around 800 used. with the BR the seat tube angle is so slanted back you need a huge seat post, and maybe sitting far back when fully up. anyone ride a BR with seat all down? i might just be over thinking this, but i figure ill have the bike for a long time

 

[cbgoring]

How tall are you? I'm 5' 7" , 145lbs. Due to my height and weight I was able to raise the seat post high enough for good leg extension. And I built it up fairly light so it wasn't too much of a pig. I used my Bottlerocket as a AM bike 95% of the time. Every trail I rode I had to climb to the top. It wasn't the best climber, but it can be done. If you are riding trails where you have to ride to the top, but you have ladders, drops, berms, and jumps going down, its perfect.

 

[adi518]

The Preston is able to take up to 180mm on the front. Above that and you're out of warranty. Btw, I have a '07 Preston for almost 3 years now and its still kicking...no signs of cracks or anything like that.

Just got some new wheels for it:

 

[schoolisbad1]

that thing is sweet, do you have any gripes? it looks a lot like how mine would be built up. Do you feel its enough travel for the weight? pedalling up? Also what spring rate do you have. Your weight?

 

[adi518]

Well, yeah I have some gripes. Its kinda heavy at the rear but that's the penalty of wanting a bike that can handle jumps and drops. Another thing is, if you have a coil shock. If you have a coil shock you have to figure out the right lbs for you otherwise the bike doesn't feel right. Get a very soft shock it bottoms out easy, get an overly hard shock and it no longer responds to small/medium bumps...maybe getting a '09 fox dhx would help cause they now feature a propedal trigger...easy to turn on, easy to turn off. Btw, I talked to Transition and they say that the Preston was discontinued since the new Covert basically rounds up to the capabilities of the Preston. I tend to believe them but it'll be at least one more year before I try out a new frame.

 

[blue109]

nice preston! i scored a 06 frame w/ swinger coil for 300ish, and i have my old enduro full of nice parts to build it with. should make a fun beater/urban bike to save some wear and tear on my main bike.

 

[adi518]

Just got a brand new fox shox spring 400lbs @ 2.45 to replace the original that came with it (500lbs @ 2.35) and the bike feels great! Btw, in the pic above I had a titanium spring @ 300lbs but unfortunately it was too soft...172g though! Makes your DHX coil weigh like a DHX air!