Looking for MTB recommendations

bomba <[email hidden]> had this to say
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Quoted message said:

On Mon, 08 Mar 2004 04:41:54 +0000, Boyd

Speerschneider said:

The other guys I've talked to at the shop (all hard-core
MTBers) have told me this would be a mistake, even if I
intend to race. They've suggested I buy a full-suspension
bike. FWIW, I'm 5'9" and about 145lbs.

UMM, they're just trying to make a sale.

Quoted message said:

Hmm, well seeing as you're in Tampa, I'd totally agree
with your bike shop buddies and suggest you get something
with loads of suspension to cope with all those huge
mountains.

yes, yes. By all means. RUN, don't walk, and get thee to the
FS quickly!

"Penny S" <[email hidden]> had this to say
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Dan Volker ran this through spell check:

Quoted message said:

"Penny S" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

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> be very technical by the trail builders, to make up for
> not having mountains---the dominant bikes on "these"
> trails are full suspension bikes, not hardtails ( and I
> have yet to see a ss rigid biker at Alafia or any of
> the other technical trails in Florida :-)
>
> Dan V

what does any of that have to do with my general
comments about skill building and various kinds of
suspension? I don't care where you ride: Florida,
Colorado or Egypt... if you sit your butt on a FS and
let the bike take the hits for you, you don't learn much
about skill building and bike handling. Period.

penny

If the vast majority of locals and people in the state,
have decided to ride full suspension bikes at trails like
Alafia, then maybe you should consider the possibility
that the trails can be better enjoyed with full sus bikes---
at least until you ride it yourself and can have an
informed opinion.

Dan V

Dan, you really should mellow out. I'm offering some
general friendly advice to an admitted newbie to MTB...
nothing more, nothing less. I don't care what kind of
trails someone rides... flar florida or techinical
mountain, the concept is the same; some people substitues
suspesnsion for bike skills.

penny

I vote we ban him!, or at least take him out back and beat
the [censored] out of him 🙂

"KeithF" <[email hidden]> had this to say
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Quoted message said:

"Dan Volker" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

"Penny S" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

> be very technical by the trail builders, to make up
> for not having mountains---the dominant bikes on
> "these" trails are full suspension bikes, not
> hardtails ( and I have yet to see a ss rigid biker at
> Alafia or any of the other technical trails in
> Florida :-)
>
> Dan V

what does any of that have to do with my general
comments about skill building and various kinds of
suspension? I don't care where you ride: Florida,
Colorado or Egypt... if you sit your butt on a FS and
let the

bike

Quoted message said:

take the hits for you, you don't learn much about skill
building and

bike

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

handling. Period.

penny

If the vast majority of locals and people in the state,
have decided to

ride

Quoted message said:

full suspension bikes at trails like Alafia, then maybe
you should

consider

Quoted message said:

the possibility that the trails can be better enjoyed
with full sus bikes---at least until you ride it yourself
and can have an informed opinion.

Dan V

I'm a lurker here, but I have to make a comment on this.

I live in Tampa and ride at Alafia quite often. IMO, it's
one of the best trails in the area that is available to
the public at large. The trail builders did a great job
with the terrain that they had to work with. There are
some technical and challenging areas. However, let's not
forget that this is Florida.

Alafia is 100% completely rideable with a hardtail. I do
it every other weekend. Recommending that somebody get a
FS because they're going to be heading to Alafia is
overkill. Indeed there are numerous FS out there. Some are
transplants from other states where a FS would be more
appropriate. Some are enthusiasts who know actually what
they're doing. A significant percentage are all-the-gear-no-
idea types with too much money in their pockets, who
happened to pickup the lastest bike magazine buyer's
guide. A FS bike in Florida is just not necessary.

Quoted message said:

Suggesting that he get a FS because many other people have
them too is hardly an excuse either.

Here's my humble opinion to the OP. You've already stated
several times that you are on a tight budget (under
$1500). A decent hardtail will serve you well in Florida,
the South East states in general, and pretty much anywhere
else if you have built up the skills. Penny S and others
have often cited that skills are developed more solidly
when learning with a hardtail rather than a FS. There's
merit in that idea. Use your employee discount, get
yourself a decent hardtail and build some skills while you
determine whether or not you really like the sport and
want to stick with it.

Also, check out the vids on Pete's site (btw, great stuff
Pete) and you will see hardtails on trails out west that
just plain embarrass Florida trails. If hardtails can
work there, they can work anywhere. It's the rider, not
the bike.

Take it for what it's worth. Now, back to lurking.

And it is worth every word. Congrats KeithF for getting it!

Dave W <[email hidden]> wrote in :"]news:[email hidden]:

Quoted message said:

bomba <[email hidden]> had this to say
"]news:[email hidden]

Quoted message said:

On Mon, 08 Mar 2004 04:41:54 +0000, Boyd

Speerschneider said:

The other guys I've talked to at the shop (all hard-core
MTBers) have told me this would be a mistake, even if I
intend to race. They've suggested I buy a full-
suspension bike. FWIW, I'm 5'9" and about 145lbs.

UMM, they're just trying to make a sale.

Uhhh... considering they will make zero $$$ off of the
transaction, why would that even come into play?

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Hmm, well seeing as you're in Tampa, I'd totally agree
with your bike shop buddies and suggest you get something
with loads of suspension to cope with all those huge
mountains.

yes, yes. By all means. RUN, don't walk, and get thee to
the FS quickly!

Another very helpful wise old MTB sage blesses us with his
infinite wisdom.

- Boyd S.

BB <[email hidden]> had this to say
"]news:[email hidden]

Quoted message said:

Penny S said:

Life is good. Checking up on this thread, alternating
with Queer Eye For the Straight Guy while I'm doing the
ironing and eating cold pad thai after some fun and
games. Life doesn't get a whole lot better than this on a
monday night..

Oh, contrare! I'm kicking back and resting from a long
ride. It was 70 degrees and sunny today, and I went home
early and rode my cruiser all over the countryside! It was
as nice as it can be without being on dirt (I got in some
dirt roads, though).

Absolutley!. I had a nice 20 mile, 3 hr ride yesterday. 72
degrees ,and the trails were butter. Plus, I'm trying out my
new camera. I had a blast.I'll try and get them up soon..

Quoted message said:

Downside is, I'm making up for it by working now, but I
have scripts running in the background as I peruse a.m-b.

Hope that clears up for ya..

Dave

Corvus Corvax said:

"Dan Volker" <[email hidden]> wrote

Quoted message said:

In any event, Alafia and many of the other Florida trails
are made to be very technical by the trail builders, to
make up for not having mountains---the dominant bikes on
"these" trails are full suspension bikes, not hardtails (
and I have yet to see a ss rigid biker at Alafia or any of
the other technical trails in Florida :-)

Quoted message said:

manage your momentum and you can clean the most technical
of climbs on any Florida trail I've ever seen. Mind you,
I'm not that good, but I know guys who are. There is a
vibrant singlespeed community in Florida! It's perfect
terrain for it.

CC

I am certainly speaking from lack of experience, but that
seems very logical to me. Colorado, OTOH, does not seem
ideal for SSers, lots of long, long climbs, elevation,
technical ... but I've seen plenty of animals and freaks
here do it and do it well. I may be a freak, but I'm not one
of those 🙂
--
Craig Brossman, Durango Colorado (remove ".nospam" to reply)

"Penny S" <[email hidden]> wrote

Quoted message said:

Life is good. Checking up on this thread, alternating
with Queer Eye For the Straight Guy while I'm doing the
ironing and eating cold pad thai after some fun and
games. Life doesn't get a whole lot better than this on a
monday night..

No [censored]. Between Danno puffing his chest about what a Mighty
Roadie he is, Trav the athsmatic felon lying his way into
the Army and jimbat ranting psychotically about polygamy and
Stephen Hawking, this group has rarely been more
entertaining. We're in for an excellent 2004 season, boys
and girls!

CC

[email hidden] (Corvus Corvax) wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

"Dan Volker" <[email hidden]> wrote

Quoted message said:

In any event, Alafia and many of the other Florida
trails are made to be very technical by the trail
builders, to make up for not having mountains---the
dominant bikes on "these" trails are full suspension
bikes, not hardtails ( and I have yet to see a ss rigid
biker at Alafia or any of the other technical trails in
Florida :-)

Quoted message said:

manage your momentum and you can clean the most technical
of climbs on any Florida trail I've ever seen. Mind you,
I'm not that good, but I know guys who are. There is a
vibrant singlespeed community in Florida! It's perfect
terrain for it.

CC

Absolutely! This is a pic of me with my Florida singlespeed:
bikecult.combwireguy.jpgOpen ↗

/s

"Corvus Corvax" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

"Penny S" <[email hidden]> wrote

Quoted message said:

Life is good. Checking up on this thread, alternating
with Queer Eye

For

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

the Straight Guy while I'm doing the ironing and eating
cold pad thai

after

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

some fun and games. Life doesn't get a whole lot better
than this on a monday night..

No [censored]. Between Danno puffing his chest about what a
Mighty Roadie he is, Trav the athsmatic felon lying his
way into the Army and jimbat ranting psychotically about
polygamy and Stephen Hawking, this group has rarely been
more entertaining. We're in for an excellent 2004 season,
boys and girls!

CC

Will,

We were up your way last week. We attended the TO Bike Show.
We thought of you and the Mrs. as soon as we hit Buffalo. We
wanted to give you a ring but we didn't have your number.

- CA-G

Can-Am Girls Kick Ass!

RE/

Quoted message said:

Since when is "roadie" a synonym for klutz?

Watching whatever that road racing event in Philly is
(involves the Manyunk wall)..I saw racers jumping
surprise traffic dividers that would have put me in the
hospital on my FS.
--
PeteCresswell

[email hidden] (supabonbon) wrote

Quoted message said:

Absolutely! This is a pic of me with my Florida
singlespeed:
bikecult.combwireguy.jpgOpen ↗

Working on your spin again, Gordo?

CC

Craig Brossman <[email hidden]> wrote

Quoted message said:

Colorado, OTOH, does not seem ideal for SSers,

[...]

Quoted message said:

I may be a freak, but I'm not one of those 🙂

But bless their pointed little heads. Having also ridden in
Durango, I can say that I stand in awe of anybody who can
negotiate those trails in 2:1, or on a single in general.

CC

"Carla A-G" <[email hidden]> wrote

Quoted message said:

We attended the TO Bike Show.

So, how was the show?

CC

You moved? TwesT

"Corvus Corvax" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

"Carla A-G" <[email hidden]> wrote

Quoted message said:

We attended the TO Bike Show.

So, how was the show?

CC

Boyd Speerschneider <[email hidden]> had this to say
"]news:[email hidden]

Quoted message said:

Dave W <[email hidden]> wrote in
:"]news:[email hidden]:

Quoted message said:

bomba <[email hidden]> had this to say
"]news:[email hidden]

Quoted message said:

On Mon, 08 Mar 2004 04:41:54 +0000, Boyd Speerschneider
wrote:

> The other guys I've talked to at the shop (all hard-
> core MTBers) have told me this would be a mistake, even
> if I intend to race. They've suggested I buy a full-
> suspension bike. FWIW, I'm 5'9" and about 145lbs.

UMM, they're just trying to make a sale.

Uhhh... considering they will make zero $$$ off of the
transaction, why would that even come into play?

Sorry, I thougt by your comment "the guy's I've talked to at
the shop" meant they worked at said shop. If not my mistake.

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Hmm, well seeing as you're in Tampa, I'd totally agree
with your bike shop buddies and suggest you get
something with loads of suspension to cope with all
those huge mountains.

yes, yes. By all means. RUN, don't walk, and get thee to
the FS quickly!

Another very helpful wise old MTB sage blesses us with his
infinite wisdom.

Glad to be of service. Now hurry, or that FS will get away.

Quoted message said:

- Boyd S.

[email hidden] (Corvus Corvax) wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

[email hidden] (supabonbon) wrote

Quoted message said:

Absolutely! This is a pic of me with my Florida
singlespeed:
bikecult.combwireguy.jpgOpen ↗

Working on your spin again, Gordo?

CC

Yep. And, apparently, a handlebar moustache to match the...
uh... handlebars. TIGHT! /s

Boyd,

Since you work at a bike store, maybe you could try out a
few before you buy one.

Also, in the long run, you'll miss the quality of a better
bike (or anything) if you go cheap than the money if you
spend more.

You might also want to consider buying Ned Overend's book on
riding tips.

T o m Dillon Lakewood, CO

Change email Z to S

RE/

Quoted message said:

Also, in the long run, you'll miss the quality of a better
bike (or anything) if you go cheap than the money if you
spend more.

Here's a devil's advocate view: if you can afford it, buy
cheap and move up.

That way you get to know what a cheap bike feels like and
you appreciate the diff when you move to the next step up.

One mitigating factor cost-wise might be that while you're
riding that low-end bike, you're becoming more savy about
bikes in general and you then have a higher probability of
scoring a good used bike for about 1/3 or 1/4 what you'd pay
for the same thing new on your next step up.

--
PeteCresswell

Pete Cresswell sez:

Quoted message said:

Here's a devil's advocate view: if you can afford it, buy
cheap and move up.

That way you get to know what a cheap bike feels like and
you appreciate the diff when you move to the next step up.

One mitigating factor cost-wise might be that while you're
riding that low-end bike, you're becoming more savy about
bikes in general and you then have a higher probability of
scoring a good used bike for about 1/3 or 1/4 what you'd
pay for the same thing new on your next step up.

Good points. Buy the most you can afford if you _really_
know what you want. That's hard to do with bikes or even
tires for that matter.

Maybe the way to do this would be to buy a really cheap bike
and ride it to death, then buy something good. That way
you'd have a bit of experience riding so you could make a
better choice about what you'd want in a bike. It'd help if
there was a way to test ride more bikes too.

T o m Dillon Lakewood, CO

Change email Z to S

bomba <[email hidden]> wrote in message

Quoted message said:

Despite what else is going on in the thread, I'll give you
the advice that we give all newbies. For your budget, and
at your level, you'd be best off getting a hardtail. This
is even more reinforced by where you ride.

I was in a bike buying situation just recently. My
background was not riding a mountain bike for over 5 years,
dusting off my ~$400 rigid rockhopper and hitting the trails
a few times. I realized that mountain biking was something I
did want to get into, and the beater bike wasn't cutting it.

So for me, I gave myself a ~$1000 budget, which was pretty
big considering I hadn't yet commited to the sport. Long
story short, I bought a Bianchi Denali and swapped out the
stock handlebar for an Azonic riser.

It's been several months and many rides later... I'm having
a blast on the hardtail and my technical skills are
progressing. I have a feeling that I've been bitten by the
bug and in a year or two I'll be looking at the latest

Quoted message said:

$2000 full suspension bikes. But to have gone there right

now, given my riding ability and past experience, would have
been premature.

Another important thing to consider is who you plan to ride
with (got this tip from Mtb-action magazine). Most of my
buddies are recreational hard-tailers, so until I decide
I've progressed beyond that, riding a similar setup to them
makes our rides more fun. Likewise if all my friends were on
long-travel free-ride bikes and I stayed with the hardtail,
it would be hard to keep up with them on some terrain, and
I'd smoke them on the climbs (well, probably not
🙂).

-Dave