Bicycles!

[choneofakind]

Go for the stirrups on the pedals!! I hate only having one power stroke on the downward stroke.

Fork: don't worry about it. You're looking at somewhere around $175-400 for a fork with more than preload adjustability. Your bike (mine as well) is not worth making serious upgrades. That's just throwing away money. That's why I haven't replaced my fork yet, or my shock, or my shifters, or my brakes, etc. It's just not worth it for such a basic bike. Same reason I never changed anything on my roadie except replacing the stuff that broke.

But I have a question: how are you determining that the fork is too soft? are you bottoming out, or is does it just feel too squishy for your tastes? Forks are meant to be a little soft so they can absorb bumps (and they need to have some amount of rider sag so the wheel can drop down right after you go over things). In fact, longer travel forks (150mm) intentionally go for 'plush' to absorb bumps. Soft isn't a bad thing, TOO soft is. But since it's a budget bike, it likely is too soft. Just curious what your thoughts on too soft are.

Realigning your brake calipers isn't a bad idea either. Since mine are inexpesive units and only clamp from one side, I adjust the inside pad adjuster and play with the adjustment wheel on the lever. That gets the pads where I want them.

[rojoracing53]

Originally Posted by massacremasses

@rojoracing53 give me more info on that MTB race youre doing. I want to ride more, but I should probably upgrade some components before I try and get to serious... Next time youre here in the valley hit me up. My brother in law said there are some dope trails around here in Oroville. I guess around the lake and stuff.


also my brakes are ANNOYINGLY squeaky is there anything I can do? also my rear break makes a nasty grinding noise. Suggestions? Is there pads I can change or what?

you'll love where this race is held

http://lakeorovillebicyclists.org/24-Hours_of_Gold.html

[rojoracing53]

Originally Posted by massacremasses

its constant and loud though. haha but yeah. I dont plan on upgrading anything for awhile. Even though Id like to. Forks are too soft, even on the heaviest setting. Only other thing I might buy for it is those silly things you slip your feet into. My moms has them and I like being able to pull of as well as push down on the pedals.

Another option would be to rent a bike for the weekend. Some shops will rent you a $2500 mtb for the weekend for like $50-100. That way you can have a nice bike with minimal cost.

If your serious your going to want to start pedaling regularly now that way you can do decent in the event and you won't feel like you wasted you money.

[massacremasses]

Originally Posted by choneofakind

Go for the stirrups on the pedals!! I hate only having one power stroke on the downward stroke.

Fork: don't worry about it. You're looking at somewhere around $175-400 for a fork with more than preload adjustability. Your bike (mine as well) is not worth making serious upgrades. That's just throwing away money. That's why I haven't replaced my fork yet, or my shock, or my shifters, or my brakes, etc. It's just not worth it for such a basic bike. Same reason I never changed anything on my roadie except replacing the stuff that broke.

But I have a question: how are you determining that the fork is too soft? are you bottoming out, or is does it just feel too squishy for your tastes? Forks are meant to be a little soft so they can absorb bumps (and they need to have some amount of rider sag so the wheel can drop down right after you go over things). In fact, longer travel forks (150mm) intentionally go for 'plush' to absorb bumps. Soft isn't a bad thing, TOO soft is. But since it's a budget bike, it likely is too soft. Just curious what your thoughts on too soft are.

Realigning your brake calipers isn't a bad idea either. Since mine are inexpesive units and only clamp from one side, I adjust the inside pad adjuster and play with the adjustment wheel on the lever. That gets the pads where I want them.

Yeah it will bottom out. I nearly ate **** flying down a trail in tahoe a few weeks ago. My front forks bottomed out and I about flew over the handle bars. but yeah it does feel to soft too. I know its a budget bike but damn $300 doesnt feel like it.. haha Bikes are so expensive.

mine are inexpensive too, so Ill need to see if they align like the video or like the ones youre talking about. I havent mesed with it yet. I need to mess with my motorcycle chain too.. lol Ive been lazy!

Originally Posted by rojoracing53

you'll love where this race is held

http://lakeorovillebicyclists.org/24-Hours_of_Gold.html

I dont think I can handle that... haha not even the 8 hour version. If you come do it though let me know and Ill come say hi

Originally Posted by rojoracing53

Another option would be to rent a bike for the weekend. Some shops will rent you a $2500 mtb for the weekend for like $50-100. That way you can have a nice bike with minimal cost.

If your serious your going to want to start pedaling regularly now that way you can do decent in the event and you won't feel like you wasted you money.

that may be a good option. Id probably want a good one after that though. And unfortunately I have too many hobbies. Cars, motorcycles, bikes, etc. Wife wants a house too... sooo not much money right now.

[nycsteve]

Okay guys, need help.

I've thought about it in the past and now I'm thinking about it again; I want to get into bicycling. My injuries (accident) will prevent me from riding comfortably for a while (plus I need to get a new motorbike), so I think I'm going to get a bicycle. The cardio will help me try to stay (read: get) into shape while I'm healing up as well since I haven't been able to exercise and it seems like it'll be a while before I do.

Anyway, I'm a total noob to this and have read up on this thread in the past and have skimmed through it recently has well. Still confused and not sure what I should get. I know the first recommendation will probably be to go to a LBS, but I would just like to get some info from you guys first.

Use: I plan to use it for commuting to work and school. At the very least, it will be used for going to school which is about 1.5 miles away. If I can get to work without being all sweaty and gooey, it'll be at least 10 miles to work.

What kind of times would an average or less than average rider be looking at?

Body:
5'6"
150-155lbs
30" inseam
Not the best of shape, but I've recently completed a workout program so I don't think I'm totally out of shape.

I figure I'll be riding 95% road because of school starting up and winter coming through. I guess it's somewhat similar to what Justin was looking for? Should I start a new thread so that this thread can stay more general?

Thanks in advance!

[massacremasses]

mountain bike with road tires maybe?

Id say road bike but you have to be on the road 100%

You dont have to start another thread. This started being a thread about what bike I was going to get. Its now a bike bullshit thread. Im sure Mark, Jason, chris, etc can help you out.

[rojoracing53]

If you want to maximize your speed to shorten your commute time while not working to hard, something with skinny slick tires would be best. If you want to be a bit more comfortable and don't mind your commute taking another 10mins then a skinny tire towny bike(like a mountain/beach cruiser cross bread) would be best. The town will suck for future group riding with road riders you meet so its going to be a commuter and earned runner only.

How much are you will to spend and are you mechanically inclined?

No harm in talking to your LBS and getting to know them because Chandra are you'll be back there for repairs or parts sometime in the future. Talk to them get some info on the type and level of bike they think will suit your needs then take a look at your local Craigslist and see if there's anything that matches what they suggest at a better deal. Try haggling with your LBS on your second or third visit after you know a bit more, its 50/50 wether they'll drop the price much but it happens from time to time. Called up a shop and BSed them and got a $6500 bike for $4000 and it was a special order they had to bring and build for me. A year later my dad drags me to another shop to buy a bike for himself, they won't budge from the $2200 sticker so while he's haggling I call up the shop that hooked me up and bam $1900 for the same bike, Sold

Between my dad and my self we have 5 bicycles each worth nearly twice as much as the Ninjette. But we all started on bargain bin stuff in the past to get up to speed. I worked my whole summer vacation of my sophomore year in high school just to by my first Mtb of my own(not a gift from the parents). It was a trek 8500 alloy hardtail for $1000, the thought of buying a my first car never even crossed my mind

[Oahull]

Originally Posted by nycsteve

Okay guys, need help.

I've thought about it in the past and now I'm thinking about it again; I want to get into bicycling. My injuries (accident) will prevent me from riding comfortably for a while (plus I need to get a new motorbike), so I think I'm going to get a bicycle. The cardio will help me try to stay (read: get) into shape while I'm healing up as well since I haven't been able to exercise and it seems like it'll be a while before I do.

Anyway, I'm a total noob to this and have read up on this thread in the past and have skimmed through it recently has well. Still confused and not sure what I should get. I know the first recommendation will probably be to go to a LBS, but I would just like to get some info from you guys first.

Use: I plan to use it for commuting to work and school. At the very least, it will be used for going to school which is about 1.5 miles away. If I can get to work without being all sweaty and gooey, it'll be at least 10 miles to work.

What kind of times would an average or less than average rider be looking at?

Body:
5'6"
150-155lbs
30" inseam
Not the best of shape, but I've recently completed a workout program so I don't think I'm totally out of shape.

I figure I'll be riding 95% road because of school starting up and winter coming through. I guess it's somewhat similar to what Justin was looking for? Should I start a new thread so that this thread can stay more general?

Thanks in advance!

If you want to do any amount of mountain biking in addition to commuting, you might look into getting a hardtail mountain bike (only has front suspension) that has the option to lock-out the fork, and equip it with lower resistance tires. You'd be able to commute with that decently, but not lose a whole lot in the way of mtb, especially if you got an additional set of tires to swap out when you take it mtbing. Being able to lock out the fork is important, because on the road, having the front suspension not locked out will just cause you to lose efficiency.

I'm not sure what your price-range is, but some decent entry level mountain bikes are the Giant Revel 1 (my first bike, loved it to pieces), Specialized Hardrock, or Trek 3700 disc. Not positive if all of those lock out (I know the giant does, not sure about others). They're all in the $550 range hardtails with disc brakes. You're pretty much getting all (or mostly) entry-level equipment on them, but from my experience with the revel, it really won't hamper you from taking it on pretty intense trails.

Your other option is a hybrid bike, which is better for commuting, but riding a hybrid bike down single track is challenging at best, but dangerous at worst, especially for a beginner unless you have pretty low key trails in your area.

As far as times on commuting goes, it will just depend. If you're worried about time, consider this: taking 15 minutes to get to school would be riding at 10 minutes/mile or 6 mph, which is the pace of a very light jog). A 10-12 mph speed is a good speed to shoot for, which would get you to school in about 7.5-9 minutes if school is 1.5 miles away (someone double check my math, lol).

If you don't think you're going to do any mountain biking at all (but trust me, once you try it once, you'll want to keep doing it!! ), go for just a standard road bike. You can get decent ones cheap used from the people who decided they were going to start commuting to work, bought a decent bike, hated it, and are now selling it in spitting condition.

PS -- Hi everyone! I'm new to the forum (and new to motorcycles) and was pretty happy to see a bicycling thread!

[choneofakind]

If your use is 95% commuting on street, I'd go with a hybrid bike with 29" (700C) wheels. You're likely going to want something with either a very short travel suspension fork, or a rigid fork, likely with a frame that's similar to a basic hard-tail MTB frame.

Maybe more basic than this, but something like this:
http://www.giant-bicycles.com/en-us/...0/14821/66246/

Good to see you looking at bikes after your accident Steve.

To add to Olivia's note on pace:
On an MTB or MTB-based hybrid, expect somewhere around 10-12 mph for an average rider, 15 if you're really trucking.
On a roadie, or road-based hybrid, 15-16 mph is easy without pushing too hard, 19-22 if you're in shape and trucking along at race pace. If you're worried about pace and commute time, do a few dry runs and see how it goes. 10 miles is right on the edge of what I'd attempt without getting sweaty. Take it slow and you should be just fine.

Like olivia said, many places to get good prices on used bikes. Many options out there. All about finding the bike for you and your riding needs.

[YunMing]

Originally Posted by choneofakind

Helicopter ride?? Swweeeet! Hope you're doing alright after that one!

I survived but it definitely wasn't the way I wanted to spend my days off haha. I ended up with a lot of road rash, few teeth knocked loose and 13 stitches above my eyebrow. That's what I get for squidding

[nycsteve]

Great info so far, thanks guys and gals.

Well speaking to a friend of mine who rides, he will be GIVING me a MTB tomorrow most likely! Not sure of the brand or components yet, but he's gonna help me order some road tires for it, and he will also adjust seat height and all that good stuff before I get out on the road.

He does have a Davinci that he is willing to sell to me for about 1100. Good looking bike with quality components he says. He'll sell it only if I get some experience first and to make sure I'm not throwing money away if I realize I don't like riding much. Good guy!

I will still be looking around for other bikes though. Maybe a road bike next spring in a more entry level price point of $5-800. I'll be looking for a hardtail MTB in the meantime (thanks to chris and olivia)! Olivia had some suggestions on brands and specific models for my needs, any others that I should compare them to? That roam 0 looks awesome btw!

[choneofakind]

Good deal!! Free bikes and supportive friends are the best! That's how I got into road biking.

$500-800 gives you lots of options in the hardtail MTB dept. I personally started on a Raleigh Mojave 4.0 in this price range. Solid frame, basic components, did the job.
Giant Revel
Giant Talon 4 (27.5" wheels, I want to check this one out in person, looks like a well rounded bike with lots of goodies for the price)
Raleigh Talus 4.0 or 5.0 (also check their 29" line-up)
Trek 4300 (probably best option components-wise)
Trek 3700 (buddy has one. Basic, but can take a thrashing)
Specialized HardRock sport (29" is an option)
Specialized Rockhopper 29 (just a touch above your $800 limit, again, better components than some I'm listing)


I think $800 is about that cut-off between price point and solid bikes. Below it you'll find basic bikes with basic forks, above it, you start finding more desirable components and/or forks, but not the whole package. You picked a good price range to find lots of bikes that will start you off on the right foot.

Also, I'm a Giant fanboy. (on my second one) You might have to take my suggestions with a grain of salt and hunt through some bais.

[nycsteve]

Thanks Chris! I'll start looking for info on those bikes when I get home tonight. I'm really excited about this already, can't wait for tomorrow neither!

[choneofakind]

Dude, getting a bicycle is the best feeling in the world. Like Rojo, when my HS friends were getting cars, I got a bicycle.

I'm eagerly (and not patiently) awaiting my new ride to get assembled and prepped by the shop. Should be done soon.

[nycsteve]

OMG. trying to find a bike is ridiculous. Many different generations with many different frame sizes on top of all the different models. Even with the limited models mentioned here. It's absurd! Craigslist alone is giving me a headache...

[choneofakind]

Yepp. I never started on CL until I knew which two models I was deciding between. Too much to choose on.

[nycsteve]

Also, I should let you guys know that the bike will be used for commuting in NYC, so a beater will do me good. It will have to be locked up outside of school and on a rack in the garage at work.

[nycsteve]

Is there a big difference in wheel size? A few selections are 26" vs 29". Also, I hear you can put 2.3" tires on 700c rims on MTB that come with 26" tires.

a qoute from MTB forums that a few people have agreed with and shown proof.

a 23c tire on a 700c rim is about 26" in diameter, a 2.3" tire on a 700c rim is called a 29er"

Hence, 700c wheels with small tires working quite well in 26" mtb frames

So, should I worry much about which of the bikes you guys mentioned in terms of tires? I will most likely be putting road (or "fast") tires on the hardtail that I choose.

Edit: And where the hell is @Apex ? Would like to hear from him as well. If not, Giant will be getting my money without contest lol

[Oahull]

Yes, there's a pretty big difference. 26 inch wheels accelerate quicker, but take more effort to get going at a top speed/maintain that speed. 26 inch wheels are more agile and easier to maneuver, but 29 inch wheels roll over things better/with less effort. Those are the biggest differences for me.

For what it's worth, I prefer 29 inch wheels.

As far as tires go, if you're going to put road tires on them, you'll want a second pair for mountain biking. Road tires will be sliiiick on dirt. Tires are easy to swap in and out though. I can't comment on the bolded part because I really have no experience there, but if there's a lot of support for it on reputable forums, it's likely okay.

And giant is a really great brand! Can't go wrong with them. Just remember that if you buy used, it voids their lifetime frame warranty.

[nycsteve]

Thanks again for the info Olivia. Glad to have you around on these forums!

That warranty bit has me leaning toward buying new, although I have yet to hear/read of someone trashing a bike so bad that warranty was needed outside of using bikes for what is wasn't intended to do. I do want to buy new regardless, but I have seen some decent deals on used bikes.

I'll post up links to any that I find and wait to hear back from you guys.

Again, thanks for the info to everyone. I feel like I'm bleeding you guys dry

[rojoracing53]

Originally Posted by nycsteve

Is there a big difference in wheel size? A few selections are 26" vs 29". Also, I hear you can put 2.3" tires on 700c rims on MTB that come with 26" tires.

a qoute from MTB forums that a few people have agreed with and shown proof.

a 23c tire on a 700c rim is about 26" in diameter, a 2.3" tire on a 700c rim is called a 29er"

Hence, 700c wheels with small tires working quite well in 26" mtb frames

So, should I worry much about which of the bikes you guys mentioned in terms of tires? I will most likely be putting road (or "fast") tires on the hardtail that I choose.

Edit: And where the hell is @Apex ? Would like to hear from him as well. If not, Giant will be getting my money without contest lol

Haha your so confused you can't change wheel sizes on a bike normally so your type of frame sets that. You can change tire width and thread patterns and that make all the difference in rolling speed. 700c wheels typically come with a narrower rim grove so they hold a thin 23mm wide tire better. The 26" or 29" wheels typically Mtb wheels come with a wider rim to better hold a 2" or bigger tire. The narrower the tire the light the wheel and easier it is to get up to speed. The wider the tire the heavier the wheel and slower to get up to speed.

You shouldn't give a rats ass about how quick it turns because its a ****ing bicycle, they all turn to easy already. Just remember Wider tire are more comfortable and narrower tires are faster. The 26", 29", 650c, 700c are an afterthought to the other more important things your looking for.

If you get a 26" wheeled bike you can run specialized fatboy tires that are 1.5 inch slicks and roll very fast. My first dozen or so group road rides were on my Mtb with fatboy slicks. All the roadies wearing team gear were all dumbfounded that they could drop the kid wearing cargo short, pull over cotton t-shirt riding a **** Mtb going 28mph.

[rojoracing53]

Originally Posted by nycsteve

Thanks again for the info Olivia. Glad to have you around on these forums!

That warranty bit has me leaning toward buying new, although I have yet to hear/read of someone trashing a bike so bad that warranty was needed outside of using bikes for what is wasn't intended to do. I do want to buy new regardless, but I have seen some decent deals on used bikes.

I'll post up links to any that I find and wait to hear back from you guys.

Again, thanks for the info to everyone. I feel like I'm bleeding you guys dry

If your going carbon then by new but if you go steel or alloy used is fine. I don't know of anyone personally that's broken an alloy frame aside from getting run over by a car. On the other hand I have lots of friends that have broken carbon frames and had to use the warranty to replace it for free. I personally have broken to trek Mtb frames and I just took it in to the shop and two weeks later I had a brand new frame 3 years newer then the previous.

[nycsteve]

Edit:

For a cheapish price I'm looking at these bikes from BD: http://www.bikesdirect.com/products/dawes/hay1200xi.htm & http://www.bikesdirect.com/products/...ht_new_xii.htm

Downside to that one would be the Shimano Shifters, that's if I get on the trails much.

Other than that I only have found like 2 from CL that I like and that I think fit the bill.

[choneofakind]

I have a dawes road bike. It's served me well. But it's cheap, it knows it's cheap, and it doesn't try to hide that. It does it's job and was a GREAT starter road bike. I hope that theme continues with their MTB's. Expect Dawes and Motobecane to be a good starting point, but don't expect them to be a fancy, new, high tech MTB.

When they talk about tire size, those are all labeled wheelsize X width. Typically, 26" rims with 26x2.1 tires are the 'standard' for mountain bikes. But that's all changing. Now there's 29er(700c), 27.5er(650b) and 26er rims with all kinds of different tire widths ranging from 1"-2.5" wide based on their intended use.

Correct me if I'm wrong Jason, but 700c are the same size as 29". I think Mark uses roadie 700c tires on his 29er mtb for street use. Only difference is mountain bikes refer to wheels as 29ers where roadies refer to their wheels as 700c.


OH! and I noticed you referred to a 26" mtb earlier. When you mention a size with the bike, that's typically the frame size. For example, my current roadie is a 56cm bike with 700c wheels. That means my effective top tube is 56cm long and the frame has been proportionately sized to use that measurement as the reference without changing the angles of the geometry. I'm pretty sure you meant a mountain bike with 26" wheels, but just want to make sure you don't sound funny at a bike shop asking for a 26" frame That would be a huge bike.

[nycsteve]

Well, that was from the quote not from me specifically lol.

I have used a few bike frame calculators and know that a bike for me would usually be around 17" or 43cm. Regardless, I'll still go to a LBS to determine final sizing and whatnot. Maybe I can get a test ride tonight although I doubt it. I will be hitting up a couple LBS's tomorrow and see if I can get a test ride. There is even one near me that holds monthly free classes on basic maintenance and a few other things that I already signed up for!

Anyway, so it doesn't matter if I get a MTB with 26" tires?

[choneofakind]

Nah, just pick a bike that you like and that feels right!

You're measuring 17" on the back part of the frame right? That should be a relatively med size frame, you shouldn't have an issue finding bikes in stock to test ride.

[rojoracing53]

Originally Posted by choneofakind

I have a dawes road bike. It's served me well. But it's cheap, it knows it's cheap, and it doesn't try to hide that. It does it's job and was a GREAT starter road bike. I hope that theme continues with their MTB's. Expect Dawes and Motobecane to be a good starting point, but don't expect them to be a fancy, new, high tech MTB.

When they talk about tire size, those are all labeled wheelsize X width. Typically, 26" rims with 26x2.1 tires are the 'standard' for mountain bikes. But that's all changing. Now there's 29er(700c), 27.5er(650b) and 26er rims with all kinds of different tire widths ranging from 1"-2.5" wide based on their intended use.

Correct me if I'm wrong Jason, but 700c are the same size as 29". I think Mark uses roadie 700c tires on his 29er mtb for street use. Only difference is mountain bikes refer to wheels as 29ers where roadies refer to their wheels as 700c.


OH! and I noticed you referred to a 26" mtb earlier. When you mention a size with the bike, that's typically the frame size. For example, my current roadie is a 56cm bike with 700c wheels. That means my effective top tube is 56cm long and the frame has been proportionately sized to use that measurement as the reference without changing the angles of the geometry. I'm pretty sure you meant a mountain bike with 26" wheels, but just want to make sure you don't sound funny at a bike shop asking for a 26" frame That would be a huge bike.

Yes but a wheel labeled 700c is going to be a road quality wheel and be very narrow 1.5" wide tire max, and only the cheap ones will have the needed disk brake rotors. I also think axle width may play a factor but I haven't cared about these things in years since picking up my second bike.

If a wheels labeled 29er then is a mtb quality wheel and 1.5" wide tires are probably the minimum.

[rojoracing53]

Start liking some of the bike brands on facebook and checking for their demo days. I went last weekend to the Downeyville classic mtb race and demo'd some Niner bikes. They let me clock in over 5 hrs of riding on the two bikes and over 35 miles. It's so awesome you just show up with a helmet fill out a demo form and get them your drivers license and your off, guy tells me to just be back before 5pm

So fast forward a week and after several emails negotiating parts and price, I just dropped more on a bunch of parts to build my new race rig then most ever spend on a ninjette

She'll looks something like this


I'll post pics of the build in a few weeks when it'd done

[choneofakind]

I get the single speed; I've been debating giving that a try. But a solid fork?? Idk man, that takes some dedication. That sounds brutal on your arms to me. I gotta find me some demo days around here.

Just cleaned my chain to prep for my trip tomorrow. ****. My chain was full of mud and left a pile of mud on the floor from dripping off hahaha! no wonder it was so gritty feeling! It's gonna need replaced anyways, the teeth on my cassette are looking like shark fins now :/ that's 2 chains/cassettes this year between 2 bikes.

Still trying to decide if its worth it to upgrade to a recon fork, on my bike or not. My derailleur a are low end SRAM and i think they might need attention because I keep bashing the rear one. I don't want to end up replacing everything, might as well buy a new trance with 27.5" wheels and be done with it.

[rojoracing53]

No rigid fork for me that why I said something like this

Ill be running a 2014 SID XX 100mm, that's the brand new all black stealth version. I'm trying to swing some carbon wheels but **** there's so expensive and there's like zero deals out there. I did find a set of single speed alloy Chris king wheels with a few rides for about 50% off retail so ill probably go that route.

I was sold on the niner as soon as I saw the fat carbon frame and god the orange

[choneofakind]

That's a really nice fork man. That's the lightest XC fork they offer right? Damnnnnnnn I'm just looking for a Recon or Reba

You have any spare parts lying around that I might interested in?



That is a pretty bike. I'm still unsure about carbon on mtb's. I know I'm nowhere near that level yet, but I'm not so sure about them. Also debating heartsick vs FS for my next bike. I have a few years to decide

[nycsteve]

Ok, so I test rode a Giant Revel 3 and a trek 8.3DS. The Giant left a little to be desired, but that was after I rode the 8.3DS which isn't a fair comparison. The trek bike was pretty solid, but not the bike I wanted to test ride or buy initially. I'll be test riding the 3700 on Tuesday to get a feel for it.

So I've narrowed down the bikes that I would like to get so far. I've attached the comparison charts so you guys could help me choose the best bike for me in terms of components/riding habits and whatnot. Also, I could get the 8.3DS for ~$550 (MSRP $670). If you have other bike(s) in mind, just let me know.

My purchasing price for a bike will be around <$550. I plan on using the rest of the money for accessories like lights, racks and/or panniers. Clothing and other stuff too. Plus I have to buy the extra tires and safety equipment including tubes and repair kits!

Thanks all!

[nycsteve]

Check this out. Responding to him now JIC.

http://newyork.craigslist.org/que/bik/3993519302.html

Edit: Forget it, in my haste I didn't realize it had v-brakes...

Here are a few more I was looking at:

http://newyork.craigslist.org/mnh/bik/3992789614.html - This has no "lockout" feature

http://longisland.craigslist.org/bik/3988736394.html - This has v-brakes but does have tabs for disc brakes.

--I guess I should keep looking...

[choneofakind]

Give the 3700 a try and see how you like it. Those are a pretty nice package for the price.

[massacremasses]

Fun fact: Trek uses my company's paint booth to paint their bikes in.


That is all.

[choneofakind]

How many of them? What models? Discount? Pics???

[Apex]

My HRS is a 29-er. I'm running 35c road tires on it. I could easily squeeze down a size or two. The added "fluff" the tire gives is nice over the roadie. However, it does add some rolling resistance....noticeable too.

Always an option to any roadie.


It is for sale too! hahhaha

[rojoracing53]

Originally Posted by choneofakind

That's a really nice fork man. That's the lightest XC fork they offer right? Damnnnnnnn I'm just looking for a Recon or Reba

You have any spare parts lying around that I might interested in?



That is a pretty bike. I'm still unsure about carbon on mtb's. I know I'm nowhere near that level yet, but I'm not so sure about them. Also debating heartsick vs FS for my next bike. I have a few years to decide

I've got a 2006 reba world cup(full carbon brace and steering crown) disk brake only I think 100mm of travel and was setup to remote lockout both front and rear with one lever. It's got the old standard 1-1/8 steering tube if your interested. It's off my 2006 trek fuel ex 9.5(top end then) but I cracked the swingarm so they gave me a brand new fuel ex 9.9 to replace it and since the new frame had 120mm in the rear I upgraded the forks to match.

Broken carbon mtb frames are not uncommon but I've never heard of anyone having problems with the rockshox world cup forks.

[rojoracing53]

Originally Posted by Apex

My HRS is a 29-er. I'm running 35c road tires on it. I could easily squeeze down a size or two. The added "fluff" the tire gives is nice over the roadie. However, it does add some rolling resistance....noticeable too.

Always an option to any roadie.


It is for sale too! hahhaha

[Apex]

This is how it sits now. Rear rack, and currently running some CrankBros pedals. Those pedals will go to my road bike, as will the rack.