New bike recommendations

"Richard Thomas" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

It's time! I'm a roadie that has seen all you guys having fun in the

dirt

Quoted message said:

for too long without me. Besides I just bought a house and it's pretty

much

Quoted message said:

an all dirt ride down Penasquitos canyon to my work. Plus doing a

little

Quoted message said:

single track but no hairy jumps yet. Did a little research on bikes and would like to get a full
suspension

frame

Quoted message said:

if I can. The guys at the LBS are selling an '02 NRS 3 but I've looked

at

Quoted message said:

the Treks there as well. The Hard tails trek 6700 and 8000 look pretty

good

Quoted message said:

as well as the C'dale F600. Price range is around 800-1000$ and I

would need

Quoted message said:

to use the parts til I can replace em. Suggestions? O yea, about 5'10" 200 lbs

This post is almost exactly the same as my situation! Roadie, wants to get into off-road stuff,
roughly the same height and weight.

What is your reason for going full-suspension? I've been looking at hardtails mostly with some
duallies catching my eye... I will ride mostly singletrack stuff with not much jumping (chicken) and
maybe race XC. I'm a bit unsure whether to go for a light-ish XC bike (e.g. Kikapu) or to get one of
the beefier "freeride" bikes (Sasquatch, Dawg (dualie), Giant AC or NRS (dualie), etc).

I already have two rigid mtb's: 1 is a GT Talera which is cro-mo and heavy with [censored] brakes and the
other is an Avanti Montari which is alu and has good brakes but is kitted out for road commuting
with slicks and rigid fork, etc.

Basically I'm just reading posts like these to find out what people use certain types of bikes for.
Hopefully this will make my choice easier. I'll be sticking with the GT for now but would love to
get at least a bike with disc brakes and front suspension fork.

I've been looking at Kona, Norco, Specialized and Giant... Are these brands good? What others should
I examine? I am in Australia, btw.

Which should I choose: dualie or hardtail? How do I know which would suit the conditions better?

Anyway, good luck with your purchase - hopefully there's some useful comments from some experts...

cheers hippy

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

<snip>

Quoted message said:

I've been looking at Kona, Norco, Specialized and Giant... Are these brands good? What others
should I examine? I am in Australia, btw.

Which should I choose: dualie or hardtail? How do I know which would suit the conditions better?

Anyway, good luck with your purchase - hopefully there's some useful comments from some experts...

cheers hippy

All of those bike manufactures have some great FS bikes. Try test riding as many as you can before
settling on one because fit/feel is extremely important. For me personally I lean more towards
Specialized & Norco, but this is manly to do fit; Giants seem to run a little large for my taste.

I really don't know much of anything about hardtails, which is why I'm not commenting on them.
--
Slacker

"Richard Thomas" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

It's time! I'm a roadie that has seen all you guys having fun in the dirt for too long without me.
Besides I just bought a house and it's pretty

much

Quoted message said:

an all dirt ride down Penasquitos canyon to my work. Plus doing a little single track but no hairy
jumps yet. Did a little research on bikes and would like to get a full suspension

frame

Quoted message said:

if I can. The guys at the LBS are selling an '02 NRS 3 but I've looked at the Treks there as well.
The Hard tails trek 6700 and 8000 look pretty

good

Quoted message said:

as well as the C'dale F600. Price range is around 800-1000$ and I would

need

Quoted message said:

to use the parts til I can replace em. Suggestions? O yea, about 5'10" 200 lbs

The first thing is to purchase what fits best and what you are comfortable on. Just going from a
rigid bike to a front suspension is an odd feeling in my opinion, so I would suggest testing a
hardtail or two out before commiting fully to a full suspension. Personally, I own both but spend
more time on the hardtail because it just feels better.

For the money you are willing to spend on a full susser you can get an hardtail with excellent
components or a rigid single speed with even better components. (for you B.W.)

Also, you don't have to go hog wild on a bike in the beginning, money-wise. Look at mid-range price
bikes, ask to take them for test rides, and whittle down to your choice like you probably did for
your road bikes. A lot of what dictates the ranges are the components. If you settle for a mid-range
you can upgrade or change out the components with the money you saved.

Lance

hippy said:

"Richard > This post is almost exactly the same as my situation! Roadie, wants to get into
off-road stuff, roughly the same height and weight.

Blaine's what to buy FAQ is a good place to start: bdbauer.tripod.comnewbikeOpen ↗

Quoted message said:

What is your reason for going full-suspension? I've been looking at hardtails mostly with some
duallies catching my eye... I will ride mostly singletrack stuff with not much jumping (chicken)
and maybe race XC. I'm a bit unsure whether to go for a light-ish XC bike (e.g. Kikapu) or to get
one of the beefier "freeride" bikes (Sasquatch, Dawg (dualie), Giant AC or NRS (dualie), etc).

This is where you need to analyze what your gut tells you that you will do the most. Some folks have
a bike for every different thing. FWIW, I'm on a King Kikapu, which JD hates but I love. I chose
this bike.... mainly XC rider, no big air or DH in my future, nice and light which at my size (
small female) is pretty critical and I bought a cherry condition used at a great price. analyze your
budget... you get lot better bike for your buck with a nice HT over a FS.

Quoted message said:

I already have two rigid mtb's: 1 is a GT Talera which is cro-mo and heavy with [censored] brakes and
the other is an Avanti Montari which is alu and has good brakes but is kitted out for road
commuting with slicks and rigid fork, etc.

Heh. some folks will tell you to turn them in SS's

Quoted message said:

Basically I'm just reading posts like these to find out what people use certain types of bikes
for. Hopefully this will make my choice easier. I'll be sticking with the GT for now but would
love to get at least a bike with disc brakes and front suspension fork.

I've been looking at Kona, Norco, Specialized and Giant... Are these brands good? What others
should I examine?

Good is relative. Some brand seems to have a lot of frame breakage tendencies. Take everything here
with a grain of salt.

Quoted message said:

I am in Australia, btw.

Seen any kangaroos lately?

Quoted message said:

Which should I choose: dualie or hardtail? How do I know which would suit the conditions better?

That's totally a riding style choice. There are those myself included that believe that riding a HT
before you go to a FS gives you better bike handling skills. More likely to use your body and less
likely to "depend" on suspension

Quoted message said:

Anyway, good luck with your purchase - hopefully there's some useful comments from some experts...

You've got my 2¢.

Penny

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

Quoted message said:

"Richard Thomas" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

It's time! I'm a roadie that has seen all you guys having fun in the

dirt

Quoted message said:

for too long without me. Besides I just bought a house and it's pretty

much

Quoted message said:

an all dirt ride down Penasquitos canyon to my work. Plus doing a

little

Quoted message said:

single track but no hairy jumps yet. Did a little research on bikes and would like to get a full
suspension

frame

Quoted message said:

if I can. The guys at the LBS are selling an '02 NRS 3 but I've looked

at

Quoted message said:

the Treks there as well. The Hard tails trek 6700 and 8000 look pretty

good

Quoted message said:

as well as the C'dale F600. Price range is around 800-1000$ and I

would need

Quoted message said:

to use the parts til I can replace em. Suggestions? O yea, about 5'10" 200 lbs

This post is almost exactly the same as my situation! Roadie, wants to get into off-road stuff,
roughly the same height and weight.

What is your reason for going full-suspension? I've been looking at hardtails mostly with some
duallies catching my eye... I will ride mostly singletrack stuff with not much jumping (chicken)
and maybe race XC. I'm a bit unsure whether to go for a light-ish XC bike (e.g. Kikapu) or to get
one of the beefier "freeride" bikes (Sasquatch, Dawg (dualie), Giant AC or NRS (dualie), etc).

If you saw the thread about types of riding styles, XC, freeride, DH, etc... that is something you
have to seriously consider, and find out what you want to get out of the bike. the categories don't
matter to me but weight will matter. racing XC on a 35 lbs DH bike may be a little difficult when
you are peddling uphill with a grade of 10%.

when discussing bikes with people you will find there are bikes that don't fit in a category, look
at giants line they have the AC's, the NRS's, VT's, etc...

Examine what your territory is like, and be honest with yourself,

Quoted message said:

I already have two rigid mtb's: 1 is a GT Talera which is cro-mo and heavy with [censored] brakes and
the other is an Avanti Montari which is alu and has good brakes but is kitted out for road
commuting with slicks and rigid fork, etc.

Basically I'm just reading posts like these to find out what people use certain types of bikes
for. Hopefully this will make my choice easier. I'll be sticking with the GT for now but would
love to get at least a bike with disc brakes and front suspension fork.

I've been looking at Kona, Norco, Specialized and Giant... Are these brands good? What others
should I examine? I am in Australia, btw.

Which should I choose: dualie or hardtail? How do I know which would suit the conditions better?

Anyway, good luck with your purchase - hopefully there's some useful comments from some experts...

cheers hippy

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

Quoted message said:

Blaine's what to buy FAQ is a good place to start: bdbauer.tripod.comnewbikeOpen ↗

I'll check that out tonight, cheers!

Quoted message said:

This is where you need to analyze what your gut tells you that you

will do

Quoted message said:

the most. Some folks have a bike for every different thing.

Yeah, that's me 🙂 This will be the 8th that I'll have to find space for in a 2 bedroom unit...

Quoted message said:

analyze your budget... you get lot better bike for your buck with a

nice HT

Quoted message said:

over a FS.

That's one of the main reasons to go with HT for me... plus I don't want to miss out on skills by
riding a dualie. Most people seem to say that they are better riders because they went from rigid to
HT to full.. Plus I'd rather look like a total newbie on a cheaper bike, rather than wheeling out a
$10k wonder machine and struggle over a pothole 🙂

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

I already have two rigid mtb's: 1 is a GT Talera which is cro-mo and heavy with [censored] brakes and
the other is an Avanti Montari which is alu and has good brakes but is kitted out for road
commuting with slicks and rigid fork, etc.

Heh. some folks will tell you to turn them in SS's

You don't know how long I've been planning to convert a bike to SS! I actually bought the GT to do a
SS conversion on it but then got into trials and used it for that instead. It's now nearly back to
normal and I use if for trail riding. I think I'll wait for a total bomb with horizontal stays to
come along free/cheap before doing the SS thang...

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

I've been looking at Kona, Norco, Specialized and Giant... Are these brands good? What others
should I examine?

Good is relative. Some brand seems to have a lot of frame breakage tendencies. Take everything
here with a grain of salt.

Which brands?

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

I am in Australia, btw.

Seen any kangaroos lately?

Nope, but I ran over a tiger snake the other week! I really need to practise my bunnyhops -
poor thing 🙂

Quoted message said:

That's totally a riding style choice. There are those myself included

that

Quoted message said:

believe that riding a HT before you go to a FS gives you better bike handling skills. More likely
to use your body and less likely to

"depend" on

Quoted message said:

suspension

That's what I've heard and what I plan to do - hence not rushing out and buying a suspension bike
right away. Stick with rigid for now.

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Anyway, good luck with your purchase - hopefully there's some useful comments from some
experts...

You've got my 2¢.

Thanks muchly! hip

Quoted message said:

Penny

hippy wrote:>> Plus I'd rather look like a total newbie on a cheaper bike, rather

Quoted message said:

than wheeling out a $10k wonder machine and struggle over a pothole
🙂

the word for that i s"poseur".

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

I already have two rigid mtb's: 1 is a GT Talera which is cro-mo and heavy with [censored] brakes and
the other is an Avanti Montari which is alu and has good brakes but is kitted out for road
commuting with slicks and rigid fork, etc.

Heh. some folks will tell you to turn them in SS's

You don't know how long I've been planning to convert a bike to SS!

Bill he's all yours....

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

I've been looking at Kona, Norco, Specialized and Giant... Are these brands good? What others
should I examine?

Good is relative. Some brand seems to have a lot of frame breakage tendencies. Take everything
here with a grain of salt.

Which brands?

heh, I'm not going to touch that one. Depends on who's preaching what gospel on what day
around here....

penny

Richard Thomas said:

It's time! I'm a roadie that has seen all you guys having fun in the dirt for too long without me.
Besides I just bought a house and it's pretty much an all dirt ride down Penasquitos canyon to my
work. Plus doing a little single track but no hairy jumps yet. Did a little research on bikes and
would like to get a full suspension frame if I can. The guys at the LBS are selling an '02 NRS 3
but I've looked at the Treks there as well. The Hard tails trek 6700 and 8000 look pretty good as
well as the C'dale F600. Price range is around 800-1000$ and I would need to use the parts til I
can replace em. Suggestions? O yea, about 5'10" 200 lbs

I'd suggest going for a hardtail at that sort of price. You'll get a very good one, whereas you'd
only get a mid-range FS. The hardtail should last you longer, perform better and teach you the
necessary skills quicker. In addition, hardtails are pretty much of a muchness, whereas different
suspension systems will suit different styles of riding, and you don't know how you ride yet.

As for specific bikes, it's all about trying them out to find which ones are comfortable. However,
as a word of advice, I'd steer clear of C'dale - they have a reputation that isn't great, and are
currently in Chapter 11, meaning that there could be future warranty complications.

--
a.m-b FAQ: t-online.deambfaq.htmOpen ↗

b.bmx FAQ: t-online.debmx faq.htmOpen ↗

"David L" <[email hidden]> wrote in message "]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

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

Quoted message said:

"Richard Thomas" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

It's time! I'm a roadie that has seen all you guys having fun in the

dirt

Quoted message said:

for too long without me. Besides I just bought a house and it's pretty

much

Quoted message said:

an all dirt ride down Penasquitos canyon to my work. Plus doing a

little

Quoted message said:

single track but no hairy jumps yet. Did a little research on bikes and would like to get a
full suspension

frame

Quoted message said:

if I can. The guys at the LBS are selling an '02 NRS 3 but I've looked

at

Quoted message said:

the Treks there as well. The Hard tails trek 6700 and 8000 look pretty

good

Quoted message said:

as well as the C'dale F600. Price range is around 800-1000$ and I

would need

Quoted message said:

to use the parts til I can replace em. Suggestions? O yea, about 5'10" 200 lbs

This post is almost exactly the same as my situation! Roadie, wants to get into off-road stuff,
roughly the same height and weight.

I'm a bit shorter, not quite a newbie, and about 195.

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

What is your reason for going full-suspension? I've been looking at hardtails mostly with some
duallies catching my eye... I will ride mostly singletrack stuff with not much jumping
(chicken) and maybe race XC. I'm a bit unsure whether to go for a light-ish XC bike (e.g.
Kikapu) or to get one of the beefier "freeride" bikes (Sasquatch, Dawg (dualie), Giant AC or
NRS (dualie), etc).

Why full-sus? Because by most accounts it sounded good and I wanted to spend some decent money on a
decent bike and I enjoyed the feeling on the (very short) test ride and after a lot of research. I
ride similar to you by the sounds of it. I don't race (except against myself) and I do mostly what
you'd pigeon-hole as 'XC' riding with lots of tarmac, fields, tracks and earth, a few drops, bumps,
banks and holes. No major jumps although I have been known to try flying in strange places at
strange times.

Quoted message said:

If you saw the thread about types of riding styles, XC, freeride, DH,

etc...

Quoted message said:

that is something you have to seriously consider, and find out what you

want

Quoted message said:

to get out of the bike. the categories don't matter to me but weight will matter. racing XC on a
35 lbs DH bike may be a little difficult when you

are

Quoted message said:

peddling uphill with a grade of 10%.

I was going to say the same thing. Don't get too hung up about what category you are 'in' or even
weight unless you intend to race. It's all shades of gray anyway and they are pretty general
categories, and they mostly weigh the same...sort-of. Your average recreational rider is not gonna
worry about a pound or two or three difference.

Kinda like saying that there are only three types of car in the world. Sportscar, bulldozer and
family car. Which do you drive? Having said that, as Dave says, some bikes are better at some things
than others. Sometimes that difference is only small but there may be a difference.

Quoted message said:

when discussing bikes with people you will find there are bikes that don't fit in a category, look
at giants line they have the AC's, the NRS's,

VT's,

Quoted message said:

etc...

I have an NRS2. At first glance, the Giant AC range is puzzling. They look virtually the same as the
NRS series but they are designed to be a heavier duty bike than the NRS but not as heavy or specific
as a downhill bike. My NRS still takes some pretty big hits and keeps going. eg yesterday at the end
of a hard ride i stuffed up a small fast downhill drop of all of 18" completely. Bike hit the deck
on it's side under me and I kept going. Almost like I stepped away from the bike except that one
foot and all my weight went on one tyre and rim and then onto the other foot on the top tube.
Despite that, no harm done. I had felt the bike and rims bend and flex under me. You're not supposed
to do that to a 'XC' bike.

Quoted message said:

Examine what your territory is like, and be honest with yourself,

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

I already have two rigid mtb's: 1 is a GT Talera which is cro-mo and heavy with [censored] brakes and
the other is an Avanti Montari which is alu and has good brakes but is kitted out for road
commuting with slicks and rigid fork, etc.

Basically I'm just reading posts like these to find out what people use certain types of bikes
for. Hopefully this will make my choice easier. I'll be sticking with the GT for now but would
love to get at least a bike with disc brakes and front suspension fork.

I've been looking at Kona, Norco, Specialized and Giant... Are these brands good? What others
should I examine? I am in Australia, btw.

Which should I choose: dualie or hardtail? How do I know which would suit the conditions better?

The choice is yours. Full-sus isn't a magic bullet. But it can be really nice too. Skills? I started
on hard-tail but I wouldn't say that the full-sus is making me lazy or a less skilled rider (bear in
mind that we're not talking skilled anyways). Somedays I enjoy the hardtail even though it's heavier
than my full-sus just because it zooms up climbs better and _feels_ faster. But with less shock,
jumps and bunnyhops are a joy on the springloaded and launched full-susser.

Do some more research and consider budget too. Good luck.

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Anyway, good luck with your purchase - hopefully there's some useful comments from some
experts...

cheers hippy

Westie

Penny S. said:

hippy wrote:>> Plus I'd rather look like a total newbie on a cheaper bike, rather

Quoted message said:

than wheeling out a $10k wonder machine and struggle over a pothole
🙂

the word for that i s"poseur".

ATGNI!

--
a.m-b FAQ: t-online.deambfaq.htmOpen ↗

b.bmx FAQ: t-online.debmx faq.htmOpen ↗

"Plus doing a little single track but no hairy jumps yet. Did a little research on bikes and
would like to get a full suspension frame if I can. The guys at the LBS are selling an '02 NRS 3 but
I've looked at the Treks there as well. "

Get something a little more plush eh? Once you loosen up you'll regret getting a HT/XC:FS.

"The Hard tails trek 6700 and 8000 look pretty good as well
as the C'dale F600. Price range is around 800-1000$ and I would need to use the parts til I can
replace em. Suggestions? O yea, about 5'10" 200 lbs"

Don't get a crack'n'fail. They're pricey for no real quality difference.
Trek are overpriced and under-spec'd BUT the frames are pretty good so as you break the bits - just replace them with higher spec'd stuff.

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

Quoted message said:

Penny S. said:

hippy wrote:>> Plus I'd rather look like a total newbie on a cheaper

bike,

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

rather

Quoted message said:

than wheeling out a $10k wonder machine and struggle over a pothole
🙂

the word for that i s"poseur".

ATGNI!

All The Gear, No Idea?

Andy Chequer, hungover on Sat thanks for asking ;-)

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

Quoted message said:

Penny S. said:

hippy wrote:>> Plus I'd rather look like a total newbie on a cheaper

bike,

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

rather

Quoted message said:

than wheeling out a $10k wonder machine and struggle over a pothole
🙂

the word for that i s"poseur".

ATGNI!

I still really like that acronym. Heard another mainly relating to skiers, SPORE. Stupid People On
Rental Equipment. It could apply to some 'touristy' mtb destinations.

Mike

[nip it]

Quoted message said:

I really don't know much of anything about hardtails, which is why I'm not commenting on them.

"F" that. I don't know [censored] about those hyped up, full susp, heavy, needless POSes that some people
think they need, but I still comment on them.....DON"T GET ONE is my comment.

Peace, Bill( I know it all) Wheeler

The mind serves properly as a window glass rather than as a reflector, that is, the mind should give
an immediate view instead of an interpretation of the world.
:-]

bomba said:

However, as a word of advice, I'd steer clear of C'dale - they have a reputation that isn't great,
and are currently in Chapter 11, meaning that there could be future warranty complications.

I demo'd a C'dale, I absolutely loved how stiff it felt. I can't speak for the durability.

Peace, Bill The mind serves properly as a window glass rather than as a reflector, that is, the mind
should give an immediate view instead of an interpretation of the world.
:-]

Penny S. said:

Quoted message said:

You don't know how long I've been planning to convert a bike to SS!

Bill he's all yours....

Too easy. Sounds like he'll come around on his own.

Peace, Bill The mind serves properly as a window glass rather than as a reflector, that is, the mind
should give an immediate view instead of an interpretation of the world.
:-]