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any mountain bikers out there

Re: any mountain bikers out there

^ Thats very true and its also nice to support the local shops.
 
Re: any mountain bikers out there

Advice well taken"...........it has been the bike shop that has drive n me to the web.........I shall try another shop or two till I find someone that isn't a bonehead and only seein dollar signs

Thx
 
Re: any mountain bikers out there

I had a nice iron horse i built the shit out of. Avid brakes, Mavic wheels, fox shock, and XTR components.

And then some jackass stole it.
 
Re: any mountain bikers out there

Outstanding..... so did you build another? guessing so, and if so what did you use for parts...

I am compiling a list of gear in case I build my own...
 
Re: any mountain bikers out there

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Wolf22</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Advice well taken"...........it has been the bike shop that has drive n me to the web.........I shall try another shop or two till I find someone that isn't a bonehead and only seein dollar signs

Thx </div></div>

Yes that can be a problem too. Best bet is to go to a cycling forum like this and maybe ask around to see about a good shop in the area.
 
Re: any mountain bikers out there

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Wolf22</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Outstanding..... so did you build another? guessing so, and if so what did you use for parts...

I am compiling a list of gear in case I build my own... </div></div>

No, i have yet to build another. That is next on my list however.
 
Re: any mountain bikers out there

Here is a update on the WTB Mutanos after several rides in a lot of conditions. First off I am very impressed, for a 2.4 they roll great, they carve corners and accelerate very good. They have great high speed controll in the rough stuff. They do very good in rocks and climb very good. In short they hook up. The only place where I get loose is on wet roots but I havent found a tire yet that hooks on wet roots (which there are a metric shit ton of in Maine especially in the spring). If you are looking for a good all mountain tire I highly recomend them.
 
Re: any mountain bikers out there

Its been a while since i did trail rides, I still have my old iron horse FS works from back in the day its been a really good bike for me over the years, back 4 years ago I decided to buy a road bike since I can just jump on and take off up the road and ride for a couple hours where with the mt bike I have to pack up and take it to trails a 1/2 hr away. I did do a couple of rides for diabetes when I was riding.

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Re: any mountain bikers out there

This is what I rode back in the day:

Steelman ST
xtr/raceface
Marzochi fork.

I mostly ride my Seven Alaris in the early mornings to get the heart pumping.

The trails in Ohio pale to the ones in SoCal. But hell, I can own suppressors now.

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Re: any mountain bikers out there

My fisher 29er has the egg beaters. Besides a few failures I love the he'll out of them!
 
Re: any mountain bikers out there

My brother races road and mountain. Here is one of his bikes

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Cannondale Scalpel II Team Edition
 
Re: any mountain bikers out there

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: redirt78</div><div class="ubbcode-body">My brother races road and mountain. Here is one of his bikes

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Cannondale Scalpel II Team Edition
</div></div>

Where is that photo taken?
 
Re: any mountain bikers out there

Damn I miss home! We should start getting some cool pics of trails from all over the country posted up on here.
 
Re: any mountain bikers out there

I finished the build on my '08 Turner 5-Spot (NIB with Fox RP23 shock from Ebay). Color? Gun Metal Gray of course! Found a 2011 Marzocchi 44 RC3 Ti 160mm fork, but it has QR15 axle so was forced to buy new set of Mavic Crossmax ST's (PricePoint.com had 2011 on sale for $599). I took everything else off my '04 Burner. XT cranks, XTR derailleurs, Hayes carbons disc brakes- but went up to 180mm front rotor. Just got the whole pkg sorted out at a fantastic mtb park south of Buffalo NY- Sprague Brook park.
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Rode with a buddy who chose to bring his Litespeed hard-tail with 80mm Marzocchi fork- the trails were really rooty/rocky, but with awesome flow. We were grinning like kids the whole time. He had to pick lines carefully where all I had to do was point and shoot- the 5" bike just swallowed everything. The RC3 fork is amazingly supple and the whole bike weighs as much as my old 4" Burner (28 lbs). I could easily hang with the 20 pound Litespeed Ti-framed/all-XTR bike. Quite the eye-opener. My buddy is in same shape as me, we're really competitive but he's got 5 more years experience on me and is 8 years younger. But I bet his butt feels all those roots today, whereas all I have are sore legs! LOL

The good economic side of the story is that it pays to buy quality stuff- I sold the '04 Burner frame for what I paid for it after riding it for 5 years, sold the '08 Crossmax wheels for $400, '05 Marzocchi MX Pro ETA fork for $200... all told it only cost me a grand to upgrade to a 'new' 5 Spot which would have retailed for around $3800 as it sits.
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You don't have to buy all Shimano stuff either- the SRAM cassettes are as durable as XTR Shimano but half the $$, and replacement chainrings by Blackspire are also incredibly durable- mine are 3 years old with minimal wear- I broke a SRAM 971 chain after 2 years, and a new one fit perfectly. Usually you change cassettes at the same time... not any more!
 
Re: any mountain bikers out there

2ndSecuresTheRest

I love the Spot! Mine is a mad machine for sure! It hammers on everything.
 
Re: any mountain bikers out there

For all you mountain bikers here, I'm looking for a bike to ride for cardio with occasional off road use. While I can still run, my knees do kill me.

No big jumps or other crazy shit ya'll do for fun, just simple trail & black top riding for cardio.

what say the experts?
 
Re: any mountain bikers out there

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: wnroscoe</div><div class="ubbcode-body">For all you mountain bikers here, I'm looking for a bike to ride for cardio with occasional off road use. While I can still run, my knees do kill me.

No big jumps or other crazy shit ya'll do for fun, just simple trail & black top riding for cardio.

what say the experts? </div></div>
I will let you borrow mine to see if you like it. Take a trip to Bodcau and test her out.
 
Re: any mountain bikers out there

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: wnroscoe</div><div class="ubbcode-body">For all you mountain bikers here, I'm looking for a bike to ride for cardio with occasional off road use. While I can still run, my knees do kill me.

No big jumps or other crazy shit ya'll do for fun, just simple trail & black top riding for cardio.

what say the experts? </div></div>
I am not an expert but I have been dabbling in it for 20+ years and can make a few suguestions. First what is your budget? Second how hard are you willing to work whial riding? After you answering those I would then recomend a hard tail frame set up for 29" tires. If you really want a work out do that in singlespeed. I like to ride titanium American made hardtail, or aluminium American made full suspension frames and Sram components, not cheep or is it for everyone but neighter are the guns I shoot. I would stay away from carbon frames inless you have a big budget and dont mind replacing a frame now and again. If you start looking and feel like there are too many choices just stick with a big name builder and you will be good to go. Also find a local shop that has people who love to ride, you will know when you find one. They will be the most help to you in your start to ridning. If you have any questions feel free to PM me. Enjoy!
 
Re: any mountain bikers out there

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: wnroscoe</div><div class="ubbcode-body">For all you mountain bikers here, I'm looking for a bike to ride for cardio with occasional off road use. While I can still run, my knees do kill me.

No big jumps or other crazy shit ya'll do for fun, just simple trail & black top riding for cardio.

what say the experts? </div></div>

I'm no expert, and to be honest I haven't really rode my bike hard since college, but here is my $.02. Simple trail and street riding doesn't require a fancy mountain bike. I have had a Specialized Rock Hopper for years. It is a simple hard tail and it doesn't have a lot of frills. It has always been reliable and it would be plenty of bike for what you are doing. When I rode it really hard, I would ride if off of any ledge that looked like fun. I had to replace the wheels because I flattened the actual wheels (not the tire the wheel) that come on the bike. However, it doesn't sound like that will be an issue for you. I would pick a hard tail bike from a major manufacturer and I would make sure that it had disc breaks. I think they are pretty standard now days, but that will help you a ton if you are on the street riding at faster speeds or going down steep inclines.

Go to the biggest store that is closest to you and see what they carry. Whatever brand they swear by is probably a good one because they will be able to work on it for you.

Good luck.
 
Re: any mountain bikers out there

Here I am awhile back, haven't been on the bike in awhile, had 2 rotator cuff surgeries in a row.

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Re: any mountain bikers out there

Hey NP on the Muntano's I think you will love them! I have been very impressed so far!
 
Re: any mountain bikers out there

Thanks for the tips and help. I ended up purchasing a 17.5 Specialized Hardrock 29 Sport Disc Hard Tail.
 
Re: any mountain bikers out there

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: wnroscoe</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Thanks for the tips and help. I ended up purchasing a 17.5 Specialized Hardrock 29 Sport Disc Hard Tail. </div></div>
It didnt happen with out pictures
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Enjoy the bike but be careful its addicting!
 
Re: any mountain bikers out there

white is SO 4 years ago
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"Murdered" (all black/mostly flat black) is in.

Rattle can them white hubs and rims!

References above to "fancy" - the two critical components to a good mountain bike are the frame and the wheelset. After that comes the fork. After that, quality aluminum bar, stem, seatpost - most of your makers these days are mass producing these elements across their mid and top line bikes, so you get the same parts under a grand as you do over.

The bicycle industry does not want you to know this, but the vast majority of riders are slower poorer riders with rear suspension, and a carbon frame is a poor value. Hydroformed aluminum these days is awesome, even on the sub-$1100 bikes.

In the fork area, Sram released an OEM only "real" fork this year that has made its way on to several bikes in the $1400 range. The Specialized Carve comes to mind as one of them.

If you are at all serious about the sport, a set of Stan's wheels with tubeless Maxxis tires will make a night and day difference on now the bike performs. Throw these on the Carve, sell your stockers on CL, and you are still in the sub-$2K range. Match the rim to your weight and the tire to your terrain. Love the Stan's/Maxxis system.

The Sram 2x10 drivetrain is awesome, though this is another area where the market has driven things that are beyond what the rider needs. I love 2x10, and living in the mountains, I use almost all the gears, but in reality a 1x9 or 1x10 is all one really needs. The second front gear and shifter are superfluous and add weight. We got to 3 speeds on the front of MTBs by in the early years adapting touring bike parts to the mountain bike, plus starting at 6 speeds on the rear. With 9 and 10 speed rear cogsets these days, only a single gear is needed on the front to achieve a very usable gearing spread.

No doubt there are variants of the sport where rear suspension makes sense, but cross country type trail riding is not one of them.

BTW all comments above relate to 29ers except the last sentence, where with big tires the 26ers have great dynamics and are very well developed platforms. The extra volume of the 29er tire coupled with the longer wheelbase and lower bottom bracket really do change the way the rear encounters trail obstacles, obviating the "need" for rear suspension on a cross country bike.
 
Re: any mountain bikers out there

Can anyone recommend a brand that makes good bikes but not over priced ones. But also makes good mountain bikes that can work one the road to. Because I'm going to buy a cheap 100 target bike just to get good with bikes, since I don't even remember how to ride since it's been so long.
So if and when I get good at riding than I'll want to upgrade to something that can handle thousands of miles. Because for some reason i want to bike to different parts of the US from Chicago, call me crazy which I am but it's sounds like a neat adventure.
Also if your wondering why I want a mountain bike because long trips on the road suck with a car so a bike I can imagine being worse, so of course I'd like to have the opinion to have stupid fun
 
Re: any mountain bikers out there

Just picked up a new bike. Its a Gunnar Ruffian 29" with a 1x9 drive train, Reba RLT. It also has a ridge fork and singlespeed wheel ready to swap out so I can run SS when I want to.

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Re: any mountain bikers out there

Well I have a few rides on the Gunnar now and am loveing it! I should of gone to a 29" hadrtail years ago. I am having more fun than I ever had. I have for got how to ride a stiff rear end but am getting it figured out again and the big hoops are hard to flick around but that is coming too. What I love best is the very technical slow sections that I used to get my ass kicked on I am now cleaning. I also love the 1x9 drive train. It has a new XTR deralluer with a Paul thumbie that is super cool and fun to ride. It is weighing in at 23.5-24 lbs as pictured but I am going to shave some weight soon. Maybe new cranks and a high end set of hydraulic brakes (XTR perhaps). Ill try and post some more pics this weekend before I mess up the paint. I need some new tires any good suguestions for light 29" tubeless Maine is rocky, rooty, wet and sandy? I like to push hard in the corners and climb everything so traction is a must! I currently have a 2.4 mountain king I up front and a 2.2 mountain king II out back. I like the mountain king II and may get one for the front, the 2.4 is just BIG!
 
Re: any mountain bikers out there

Don't have a recommendation on tires for ya, but I dig that hard tail 29er!! Alot! I've got a hard tail Trek(but it's not what I consider "high end"). Now that I have a Transition, I need to get a high end 29er, but I'm not sold on a hard tail as of yet...I've been lucky to have time to ride this year. Only been out 3 times and living in flat-ass Eastern SD is really depressing me. It's a good place to live if you like flying fukin' kites, and that's about it.

I have yet to build a bike like I build ARs...but I know that is coming once I move and get closer to mountains again. For some reason, I feel like I need rear suspension. Other than slope riding(like Teton Village), where I ride is rocky as shit. I feel like I would get beat up w/o full suspension.
 
Re: any mountain bikers out there

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Saito</div><div class="ubbcode-body">living in flat-ass Eastern SD is really depressing me. It's a good place to live if you like flying fukin' kites, and that's about it. </div></div>

I would build a 29" singlespeed on a bad ass Ti or steel frame. I am liking the steel, just make sure you frame is built with Reynolds 853 steel.
 
Re: any mountain bikers out there

I have several rides on the Gunnar now and have been playing with the air psi in the tires and have made my way down to 28 psi front and rear. When I went from 30 to 28 psi the bike started hooking up like crazy. I am now able to throw it into the corners and it rails them, climbs better too. I also think the bike is slightly softer. But I have no worries of burping the tires off the rims at this pressure. I may take it down to 23-25 psi range and see how it feels. I have yet to go to SS but would like to. I am running the 34T chain ring now but am going to drop to a 32 so I can stay deeper in my cassette to run a better chain line on hard climbs. Well here are a few more pics, Im loving this bike!

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Re: any mountain bikers out there

Just getting into mountain biking, even though I live in the flat lands!

Been riding a buddies Trek Fuel EX8 & ordered a Santa Cruz Tallboy carbon that should be here Monday! Can't wait.

Should be a good & fun way to get my big butt back into shape

ETA: Pic
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Re: any mountain bikers out there

I got bored today so I installed the Paul single speed hub. I also dropped to the 32T Surly single ring to make it a little easier on me in the hills. I cant wait to get it out in the woods!

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Re: any mountain bikers out there

I took the singlespeed out to night and what fun! I was a bit suprised to realize how much I depend on the lower gears and the torque generated to help with low speed balance. I went down one time because of it, and it took me a second to figure out what happened. I did have to walk a few spots that I normally can ride but I think with time Ill be able to clean them again. I was able to maintain speed on tight rough singletrack much better than I thought I would and was actually a little faster in some spots because I could not gear down. I need to find a different rear tire I did not like the Mountain King I 2.2 on the rear as much as the Mountain King II I had been running. Also 28psi was not enough for this tire I hit the rin a few times and it felt very sluggish at times. All in all it was very fun and I am excited to get back out and give it an other try!
 
Re: any mountain bikers out there

Check out Maxxis tires. WTB is mid quality, some of their treads are better than others. Kenda is also another good brand.
 
Re: any mountain bikers out there

Hey&#65292;i know its winter but i want to prepare for biking season. So are there any really good trails in ct that have good technical stuff, good loops, some drops/jumps, man made stuff like bridges throughout the trees etc. Also any lift operated trails throughout the biking season would be fun.
 
Re: any mountain bikers out there

Here's mine, Specialized Epic Comp w/ Fox Brain. Running Panaracer Kevlar tires for the NC muck.

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Re: any mountain bikers out there

Very nice ride S.D. how do you like running the flats? I have been thinking about some platforms for my SS but still need all the help I can get on the tough climbs.
 
Re: any mountain bikers out there

Also a update for all who may be thinking about going to singlespeed but are on the fence. I now have several rides on my SS and am hooked. Last Monday I went out with a group that I normaly ride with and can usually be at the front of the pack with a geared bike. I am by no means the best rider out there but I can hold my own. So I decided to give the SS a try with them, I had a ball!! I was purposely haniging in the back of the pack so I didnt hold anyone up but I found that I was eighter on the breaks or passing a lot of the time. I even passed a few times on some steep climbs. The only time I had to push was when I broke traction on a climb. I found that I was a bit more tired at first and slow on most climbs as compaired to when I rind a geared bike, but after about 30 min I was in the zone and cought my second wind and was good to go. I had to spin hard on the road insted of kick back like the rest inbetween trail heads but hey its good for ya right
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. One thing I like about the SS is that I am always in a gear to accelerate fast when coming out of a rough section or out of a hard switchback. Bottom line they are fun!
 
Re: any mountain bikers out there

Jbell, I actually like them a lot. Fits my riding style, they actually are clip less on the other side. I've had Everything from egg beaters to XTR combos, even the specialized platforms on my old Heckler, but when I moved to Raleigh my riding style changed, so I ended up spending a lot less on these and have really enjoyed them.
 
Re: any mountain bikers out there

Thats cool, whats the riding like there? Here on the coast of Maine its pretty flat with short steep climbs. There are a lot of rocks and roots and its usually wet, gets greasy fast. I have been using the Time ATAC carbons for the last few years and love them. I was on the SPDs for ever but these have been a big improvement. I like the extra float they have but also I dont pop out ever, best of both worlds.
 
Re: any mountain bikers out there

You guys have some really nice bikes. I ride road now but I would really like to add a MTB to the mix if I could find one for the right price.
 
Re: any mountain bikers out there

What do you all thank of the trek fuel ex. I am lookin to get in to ridin to get back in shape.
 
Re: any mountain bikers out there

Trek makes a damn solid bike. The Fuel is a proven design that has stuck around for a long time and remained popular. I would say the new EX series would be a great 1st bike it will offer 130mm of travel to help the learning curve of mountain biking and also provide you enough to get out on some gnarly trails and not get the crap beat out of you and still be light enough to not kill you and demotivate you. Find a good local shop and work with them on which model and parts spec based on your size and budget. Have fun and throw up some pics and your thoughts. Enjoy!
 
Re: any mountain bikers out there

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: jbell</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Thats cool, whats the riding like there? Here on the coast of Maine its pretty flat with short steep climbs. There are a lot of rocks and roots and its usually wet, gets greasy fast. I have been using the Time ATAC carbons for the last few years and love them. I was on the SPDs for ever but these have been a big improvement. I like the extra float they have but also I dont pop out ever, best of both worlds.</div></div>

Jbell, the bike rides great, especially with the brain locking out the rear suspension when I need to go fast in a short burst. The terrain is probably similar to Maine, hilly, sometimes wet, sometimes dry, lots of roots and rocks, and usualy hot a shit. My but rides a Team Scalpel which is retarded nice, make me wish I had a spare 10k lying around.Carbon frame is sooooo fast, especially on or trails. Love the Lefty setup, especially when you get it dialed in right like his.
 
Re: any mountain bikers out there

Very cool! I just registered for a local 12 hour race and am going to do it solo on the singlespeed. I cant wait, I hope my knee holds up! It is on my local trails that I ride all the time so I know them well but none the less they are not smooth hard pack, lots of rock and roots!!!