[DaveVt]

So, a friend is looking for a new bike. She's been on a steel HT and want a fully. She doesn't want a Santa Cruz but beyond that has no Idea. She asked me, and I have no Idea about suspension bikes so I'm asking the masses....
She is: 5'6"
Strong
Rides alot in NVT
Wants 4"+ inches of rear wheel travel, less the 6"
Doesn't want to break the bank

Let's hear them?!

 

[mcstumpy]

Pivot Mach 4. So stiff it hooks up like a hardtail, but your back doesnt feel like you have been riding a hardtail. you can keep them pretty light too. Demo one first.

 

[indyfab25]

Good call on the Santa Cruz...they suck.

What about a Kona? Inexpensive(kind of), reliable and a great company to boot.

 

[bicycleexpress]

Kona! Tell her to check out the lisa series at www.konaworld.com They start at a good price, and offer some of the top technology, and components along with a great company to back up the warranty. Tell her to give me a email, We are having a christmas sale. :thumbsup: Ezra

 

[bicycleexpress]

Kona! Tell her to check out the lisa series at www.konaworld.com They start at a good price, and offer some of the top technology, and components along with a great company to back up the warranty. Tell her to give me a email, We are having a christmas sale. Ezra

 

[sniggledan]

Christmas sale:skep: May have to take a trip to NField:thumbsup:

 

[radair]

Is there an echo in here?

She doesn't want a Santa Cruz because...

Jamis seems to have some decent FS bikes at reasonable prices. Never owned one but might be worth a look.

 

[Severum]

What is her realistic budget? What is her ideal travel bike? More of an xc or am rider?

 

[yogreg]

I would also second the Lisa series from Kona. For 2008 it was the Lisa Four/ 2009 is the Lisa 120..

GT also has some cool womens specific suspension bikes offering big bang for the buck. The Marathom W.

 

[Banshee Rider]

For $400 more you could also look at the Giant Cypher. http://www.giant-bicycles.com/en-US/bikes/women/2290/32078/ Small upgrades over the Lisa, but the main one is the fork. With the Dart being a rather low end fork that will eventually need replacing, the Fox will be a servicable fork that will prevent the $400+ upgrade in the future.

 

[DaveVt]

Anyone know where I can peep a pivot mach 4 or 5 women's bike in the vermont area?

 

[mcstumpy]

Southern NH there are a few of us with Pivots.
JRA in Medford Mass has them.

 

[DaveVt]

What other bikes have you ridden, how do they compare? Have any broken?
Thanks.

 

[Evil Sylvain]

I currently ride a Yeti 575 and would recommend this bike especially they now make pretty much all sizes. But it's 5.75" of travel.

For an efficient pedaling (DW-Link) bike with 5" of travel I would check the last generation of IronHorse MkIII. They slackened the head angle slightly and reduce the weight by approx. 1lb compares compared to the model I had (2005). The 2008 Elite weight around 28lbs and they are often discounted.

 

[mcstumpy]

Before the Pivot I had a Stumpy FSR that was great, broke the rear shock twice, lots of flex in the rear of that bike but Fox always fixed the issues.
I have had GT, Trek and Giant before that, i have never disliked a bike that I have owned becuase I always DEMO them before I buy something. I have taken a few demos that I have not liked, but you have to wonder if your the 5th or 50th person that has ridden the bike and what kind of maint did the shop put in.
Nothing i have ridden even comes close to the Pivot but I have not tried an Ibis Mojo yet and I hear they are really good too.

 

[JeffSkisMontana]

How about a Titus?

Titus Moto-Lite might be a good option. You can buy it frame only or fully built up. Titus seems to be blowing them out right now due to a model change coming up.

 

[Tinshield]

Pivot might be a bit heavy for her. I would stick to a 4" travel XC/Trail bike. Yeti ASR, Trek Top Fuel, etc.

 

[mcstumpy]

Yeah Titus on the back of this months Colorado looking good for cheap.
Pivot Mach 4 is 26 lbs, how light is she looking?

 

[Tinshield]

Yeah Titus on the back of this months Colorado looking good for cheap.
Pivot Mach 4 is 26 lbs, how light is she looking?

Pivot's are crap.

 

[VMBA]

Kona

I hear these are solid bikes........

http://www.konaworld.com/09_minxy_u.cfm