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any mountain bikers out there

Re: any mountain bikers out there

Got a ride in with my little brother last week on a trail called Catalyst above Lander, WY. It's really rocky terrain and a hell of a climb to the top(9k + altitude). The trail isn't well defined in a few places and you can lose your way easily. The first leg of this run ends with a big drop and then it gets pretty steep and hairy after that. Kicked my a** this time and I'm glad for protective equipment. I forgot to reset the trip computer on the GPS, so I can only guess on the top speed reached on the straights. I love WY and hope to live there again soon(or at least closer than I do now).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WhYAiHwLuaw&feature=youtu.be
 
Re: any mountain bikers out there

wouldn't really call it mnt biking around here just trail riding, cousin has a gary fisher rumblefish 29'er, rides like a cadi.

think he put about 3grand into it.
 
Re: any mountain bikers out there

I have gotten back into riding Mountain Bikes bigtime.
Here are 2 of mine:

IMG_42771.JPG

2011 Giant XTC 29er2
Rock Shox Sid XX w/remote lock out (gonna try to invert the button and put it on the bottom)
Easton EA70XC rims
Race Face Atlas Stem
Race Face Duec XC bars
Race Face Duec crankset
Race Face Duec seat post
Deore LX shifters
SLX rear deraileur
WTB Vigo Ti seat
VP pedals
Yeti grips

IMG_4506.JPG

2012 Giant Reign XO
Fox 32 Talas
Azonic Outlaw rims
SLX crankset
XTR shifters
XTR rear deraileur
XT front deraileur
XT brakes
XT cassette
Raceface Responce stem
Truvative bars & seatpost
Vigo seat
Fox DHX 5.0 rear shock
Cycle Track pedals
Kenda Nevegal tires
Woodman seat post clamp
ODI lock on grips & bar ends

I built up a another Giant XTC29er2 for my wife also.

After 3 recent deaths in my family, another funeral this afternoon & then I get to drive 300 miles to bury my Uncle on Monday, this is my escape when I need to clear my head.
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Stu
 
Re: any mountain bikers out there

Nice upgrades on the XTC29er Stu - I have that same frame. Did a frame up build. The frame is a "sleeper" in the industry - one of the lightest, well designed hydroformed alu frames available.

giant29.jpg
 
Re: any mountain bikers out there

Totally agreed.
The Giant XTC 29er frames are the cats ass.
Here is a picture of my wifes Giant XTC29er2:
IMG_4509.JPG

Purchased this Small frame for my wife.
Used the forks & rims from my bike, my brother sent the brakes & tires, and I picked up the rest here and there.
This was her birthday present last month.
 
Re: any mountain bikers out there

DUDE - you built a heavy bike for Wifie and the light trick reserved for yourself?

I'm calling her and TELLIN'!!!!!!!!
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The gaggle/fleet I maintain: (EDIT - for the fam, not just me)

ninergaggle.jpg

 
Re: any mountain bikers out there

Nice gaggle.
I need to sell a Kona Cowan hardail and a Kona Coiler full suspension bike.
If I can't sell them then I'll try to trade for some better forks & or rims for the Mrs. bike.
Yes it is a bit heavier than mine.
 
Re: any mountain bikers out there

Redman, are you on MTBR.com at all? It a good market place for bikes and parts.
 
Re: any mountain bikers out there

jbell,
I am on there but it's been a while.
There are some posts in the Wa. State section that I put up a while ago.
Honestly the best place to find used Mountain bike parts (that I know of) is pinkbike.com
Click on the "Buy and Sell" top middle, when it opens... on the left side is "United Stats" click that or you will end up with a pile of Canadian stuff mixed in with stuff in Country.
Name is weird I know, but I have picked up some good parts there.(fox forks & fox rear shock for my Giant Reign)
Stu
 
Re: any mountain bikers out there

I have been on there but when I looked at stuff I was intrested in it was always in other countrys, now I know. Thanks! I suppose I should have tried harder haha.
 
Re: any mountain bikers out there

It's all good.
On mtbr.com I go by RedMan*
On pinkbike.com I go by A29erGuy (damn site would let me use RedMan* ... WTF over ?)
 
Re: any mountain bikers out there

I figured its time to pull this thread out of hibernation. Well I dont usually ride much in the winter here in Maine (too damn cold and too much snow), but we have had a run of warm weather with a lot of rain that has melted most of the snow. So I decided to get the lungs burning again. The good thing about the rain and warm weather is the snow that is left is hard and very easy to ride
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. But the bad thing is the ammount of ice on the trails
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. It was a blast all in all especially after I got the hang of the ice riding/sliding. Here are a few pics of my first ride for 2013:

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Re: any mountain bikers out there

I raced the 24 Hours of Moab solo class for 4 years on TEAM SOWF (Special Operations Warrior Foundation). I have a Maverick American and a Trek Scapel. About 10K miles of single track between the two.
 
Re: any mountain bikers out there

Kilmore, was your 24H a solo event or was it a team relay style? I would love to find a 24H event close to me. I did my first 12H mountain bike race this fall. It was a blast, I road solo and also in a singlespeed calss. I think I did pretty good, but see a ton of room for improvement. I got 63 miles in (7 laps) which got me 4th in my class. I am most proud that I crossed the finish line at 11 hours and 58 min, they will let you complete the lap you are on even after the 12H mark as long as you are on the trail 45 min before the race ends and that lap will count. However now that I have one under my belt I know I can add at least 1 more lap to my time. It all comes down to logistics.
 
Re: any mountain bikers out there

me..
I have been riding about 20 years (47)
Raced, travelled, etc..
Use to own a custom mountain bike shop called Hammerhead Bikes in Austin, that is stll in business but relocated to Tulsa.
http://hammerheadbicycles.com/
They are launching a new line of 29ers
If you watch the video I am the guy in the black and grey jersey...
The video was shot at a trail called Thumper that is located here in Austin..

Did a 4 hr ride yesterday...
It was a great weekend in central Texas..
Spent Saturday afternoon at the range.
Riding, shooting and hunting is what consumes me

My bike, Turner Sultan 29er
cokersultan.jpg
 
Re: any mountain bikers out there

ccoker, first off sweet Sultan! Second that Thumper is a good looking bike. It says the frame is made by Titus, so is it too made in the USA? Also it looks like the pivots use bushings insted of bearings, correct? If so are they greaseable as on your Turner? The price they have on their website is pretty sweet, $3400 for a XO build is nice.

How do you like the Sultan? I keep thinking I need to get a 5" or so bike to screw off on for a break from my SS. I was a diehard Ellsworth fan but after owning a 5spot I really like Turners too. I just cant decide on 26 or 29, the 26s are just fun to ride where the 29 seem a little dead to ride.
 
Re: any mountain bikers out there

The original Hammerhead I came out with in 2002 was made by Titus for me.
That project ended in 2005/6

The new frames are being made in the same factory as Pivots in Taiwan.
Great rising frames

I don't have anything to do with them other than riding some prototypes and providing feedback.

I dig the Sultan
It is a killer rocky technical terrain bike
I rose an Ellsworth Evolve for several years and an Intense Spyder 29er

I am 100% a 29er guy
I think good stiff wheels help a lot
I run Industry Nine with Flow rims set up tubeless.

I raced 26" hardtails and made the FS transition in the later 90s.
Now I just want a bike that gobbles up rocky terrain
29ers climb so much better in technical stuff

Nice Gunnar BTW!

One of my buddies, and the guy that bought the shop from me runs TrueFab bikes out of Austin
Custom steel frame builder
Check them out

He sold the shop last year to Scott the guy running Hammerhead now.
 
Re: any mountain bikers out there

True Fab looks very good, you dont see a lot of steel road frames. Thank you about the Gunnar, I like it a lot. Its the firts bike that was not AL in the alst 15 years for me. I have been tring my best not to sell it now that I am enjoing the SS thing to get a Moots! I have wanted one sence round about 1991. I have a friend who rides a Seven and it is so sweet. There just seems to be something about the lines of a 26" Rigormootis that I like!
 
Re: any mountain bikers out there

wow didnt think i would see this topic on here, i have a santa cruz super lite 3.2 i just built. all x9 components mavic rims with chris king bullet proof hubs. saved some weight by running on cont.race kings.mountian biking and shooting so much fun..
 
Re: any mountain bikers out there

Viper, get some pics up. I love me some mountain bike porn almost as much as I love me some gun porn
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Re: any mountain bikers out there

Hey guys, I am selling my Gunnar that I have posted several times in this thread. I am going to build a different SS hopefully before it thaws out up here. So if anyone is intrested give me a shout, I have it listed on Pinkbike and also here on the hide:

http://www.snipershide.com/forum/ubbthre...760#Post3898760

It is a kick ass bike in like new condition, I just want to tweek a few things for how I ride.
 
Anyone recommend a good and solid X Training bike - Have a basic Trek hardtail, but naturally can't keep up real well on road coarse stuff, don't want a race bike/street bike, but something that can do some off road ditch work as well as travel faster over smooth road work.

Or is this a lost cause and one to buy 2 bikes, which ain't gonna happen.

Thoughts from the Zen masters??

Was pondering the Giant Roam 0 I think it was last year or so. but do not like the idea of cables running down the front of the frame...
 
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Well, it sounds to me like you are in the market for a Cyclo-cross bike. Now a little more info on how and where you are planning on riding will help. But you can do about anything short of freeride and down hill on one of these. As far as which bike that will be dictated by your budget. I would say go to a local shop and talk it over with them as they will know your area and its specific needs the best. I also like to support my local shops as much as I can...
 
Well , just an old country kid looking to ride paved trails around lakes or ?? and then hit some of the dirt trails and such or cut through some woods once is a while for a thrill or to cheat 'death' by playing successful chkn with a tree or two.

Guess I shoulda added the price range, although the range is flexible potentially if I don't get raped by more taxes or with 2012taxes. $700-1400. Had hoped to leave that out to see what y'all would come up with for ideas.

Really liked the blue and white Giant XTC 1 or something like that, but wonder if the 29's give better speed over smooth sfc?

Tried to support a local shop and lets just say it was Freaky. Will try others, but clearly not having much luck for straight info and no BS or sales pressure BS
 
Ole Redman has some good taste right there. Nice looking machines.

Hardtail is preferred as well. That I do know. Something built to last and not toss.

Problem I have had with Trek and others, if your standing with the bike, turn the h-bar to parallel frame and push down a bit on the inside grip.......the Stem pops liek the bearing sfc or ? that area is weak.
 
Look on Pinkbike and MTBR, of course Ebay too, used will get you the best bang for your buck. I have been at this sence '91 so I know a little about it (I am no expert) but am willing to help, shoot me a PM with any questions. At first it sounded like a cross bike would be the ticket (more for speed/endurance traning on and off the road) but you would proab be better off with a straight up mountain bike to go out and thrash around on and have fun!! Hardtails are nice but full suspension rigs have came such a long way. I will not say you can have more fun on a full suspension bike B/C I ride a SS hardtail exclusively now but I do that for the challenge of it. You can just ride longer and harder on a full suspension with out getting beat all to hell as a "beginner". Its just a thought but see if any local shops have demos you can ride to see the difference for your self. Its a great sport, very addictive with some great people like shooting...
 
Saw this thread on mountain bikes after the road bike thread!

Litespeed custom Ocoee with Shimano XT
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My only pic of my newest mountain bike with the matching road bike. The Wonder Twins Cannondale Scalpel 29r Hi Mod Carbon 1 and Cannondale SuperSix Evo Hi Mod Racing Red Team
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Disclaimer: I'm in the cycling industry.
 
I love the Litespeed! I grew up just just out side of Collegedale TN and wanting a LS since my first true mountain bike in 1991. But that was back when Dave Lynskey was with them. They seem to have trimmed their Mtn bike line up down some, that one looks like a 2007-08 frame (I think). How does it ride? The matching Cannondales are very cool, something you dont see very often.
 
Thanks, the frame was finished in the fall of 2008. Litespeed pretty much priced themselves out of the market relative to the carbon fiber market. I had it built to the same exact geometry as my steel Rocky Mountain Altitude from 96. It's a very fast and responsive bike, but compared to the Scalpel it feels slow. I might swap out the rear dropout and make it into a SxS and get a carbon fiber form to complete the build.
 
That is a good idea. I am building a Ti SS right now and am going to give the carbon fork a try. It should be light but I am kinda worried that it will slow me down too much in the rough rocky rooty ground here in Maine so I have a 100mm Reba on stand by. I cant wait to get this build finished, but I have time. It is snowing like a bastard right now and we are supposed to get 18". Damn spring comes slow up here!!
 
Where are you in Mass? I occasionally ride down there. My company is HQ in Milford MA, so when I have to go down for traning I bring my bike and ride Vietnam. It is a great trail network. However I havent been able to ride it for a few years now b/c the only time I go down is in the winter anymore, bummer...
 
Off rt 2, 20 minutes east of 495.

Sent from my SGH-T999 using Tapatalk 2
 
The wife and I have been wanting to start getting into mountain biking together but besides a trip to the local specialty shop, we really don't know what we're looking at. We both tried out a 'standard' bike with no real suspension and then when trying out the nicer bikes my wife didn't even want to be in the same room as the 'cheap' ones.

They had her looking at a 2013 Giant Anthem 29er that she liked and I was riding around on the Giant Trance X3 (mine was cheaper than hers!) but besides the fact that we noticed the quality in the bikes, we have no real idea as to what can be had at this price range. We didn't mind spending this much (for bikes, this is middle of the road) as we didn't want to get really into biking and come back 8 months wanting a better bike, but can anyone make some suggestions or reaffirm that we are looking at something quality for the money?

Thanks
 
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Giants are a leader on price/performance/capability/design. On both bikes you mention, make sure they are both 29ers, and look at the women's specific depending on your wife's proportions.

Not sure where you are in UT, but Chili Pepper Bike Shop in Moab is big on Giants and generally has demos available for cheap.

My local shop does a bang up mail order service, very knowledgable for the bikes you are discussing.

http://bigkahunabicycles.com/
 
This is like everything else, what is your budget? Keeping in mind that you will be way better off getting the best that you can afford even if you have to put it off for a bit and save up some (as you said). Also where or what type of terrain do you think you will be riding the most? That is really going to determine what type of bike you will need to look at. I would guess one of the newer "all mountain" or "trail" bikes will be the ticket for anything except all out down hill and pure XC racing. Also how tall are you and your wife and how much do you weigh? I ask because if you both are short then the 29" wheel bikes may not be so good for you and if you are on the lighter side then you typlically can go with a shorter travel bike and still do very well. Also you may want to keep the weight down on the bikes if you are smaller as it will be easier to handle and require less pure strength to ride. These are just some basic questions that can help direct you to a style of a bike. From there then you can start looking at brands and options. I hope this helps. Feel free to post up the answers to these questions and Ill try to give you my thoughts on which way to head in the search. But most important welcome to the club, its a killer community full of great people (not much different than shooting).
 
What kind of riding are planning to do? The Trance and Anthem are 2 very different bikes once you start riding them.

Depending on how tall you are, I'd pass on the 26" wheel bikes. Riding a 29er in a shorter travel bike (Giant Anthem or a Cannondale Scalpel) is going to easier and faster riding than a 26" wheel Trail style bike. I've ridden a hardtail for majority of my life. I've had 26" Full Suspension bikes like the Santa Cruz Heckler, SuperLight, Cannodale Jekyll, Felt Virtue, Giant Trance, Giant Trance X and a Litespeed Niota. But I always sold those a year after I bought them and have always gone back to my hardtail. Then the 29rs came out and they did not do anything for me till I tried out the Cannondale Scalpel 29er Carbon and the Giant Anthem Advanced 29er. I'm never going to go back to a hardtail except when I am towing my kids. But anyways, I like riding cross country and I don't do a lot of riding down the side of a mountain. If I lived up further North in New England, I might consider a bike with more travel. But I doubt it, I like keeping my wheels to the ground and my jumping days are over.

Are there any larger mountain biking groups where you live? We have an advocacy group here in the Northeast and manufacturers will bring bikes to their larger events for people to demo. You can also look up the bigger races to see if there is bike/shop sponsor that has demo bikes for you to try out. Test ride a bunch of different bikes on the same trail, but make sure you get them set up for your weight first. It's not that hard to make a really nice bike feel like a pig with the suspension not set correctly.

In terms of cost... The frames within a line up will stay the same (Trance X1, X2 and X3 all have the same frame). The drivetrain, suspension and wheels get upgraded as the price goes up. At some point, the frame material will change as well for some manufacturers. At the $3k price point, you are going to get a pretty good bike in terms of parts regardless. You can always upgrade stuff down the line, but it will cost 20-30% more. Bike companies make more money selling complete bikes. It used to be that you could do an a la cart build and you could save a few bucks. But if you look at the frame prices versus the cost of the entry level bike with the same frame, you'll see what I'm talking about.

If your wife liked the Anthem, have her check out the Cannondale Lexi.

For you, look at a 29r bike like the Anthem, Cannondale Scalpel or Specialized Epic.
 
Spend as much as you can to get the best frame and fork you can. Most of the other parts are relatively cheaper to upgrade than the frame or fork. The first upgrade many people do are wheels as most off the shelf bikes often skimp on wheels.

And with that said here are my off road rides:
Gary Fisher Ferrous 29er, 2x9 SRAM X9 drivetrain with FSA crank, Reba Race, Salsa Delgado disc/DT Swiss 240,
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IRO rigid Single speed 29er
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I love the IRO, are those Paul cranks? The chain ring dont look like Paul but the crank arms do...
 
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