School me on Mountain Bikes

[falcon]

I am buying a mountain bike. I don't know what yet... sicne I don't know anything about them. First off, I'm 6 ft tall. Should I be looking at a med 17'' or large 19'' frame? This is a FR/DH bike I'm looking for.

So far I have my eye on a Specialzed Rockhopper, Norco Six One or Kona Stinky.

Any input? I'm new to this, but I dirtbike and love technical trails... so it should cross over a bit I assume?

[dah_hunter]

Thread Hijack:

Anyone have any opinions about the Norco Sasquatch.. Im thinking about getting one.. but i wont be riding trails that much.. mainly urban riding.. Skateparks, Stairs, stuff like that.. might hit the trails every once and awhile..

[Wolfattak]

I'm selling mine

2009 Specialized big hit 1 (w/extras)

Also has lifetime frame warranty. Pm me if you're interested. /thread jack

[falcon]

Way out of my price range.

Thnx though. I have my eye on a stumpjumper.

[Jeff Chapple]

For your height,(what is the length of your pants inseam?, I would go for the 19". I think the 17" would have you leaning too far forward on the bike.I work at a Norco dealer & I don't think the six-one is what you're looking for,it's more of an all-mountain bike (a REAL mountain bike). I can't say how the others would work for you,perhaps the stink would.a Specialized FSR Enduro may also work for you.It's best to just go into a dealer of each brand & check them out in person.

[Jeff Chapple]

I think the Norco Sasquatch is more of a real mtn. bike & not suitable for what you're describing here. I work at a bike shop that sells Norco & I think that you should check out bikes like the "4-Hun", the "Ryde". the"125, etc. they are more urban oriented (lighter,different geometry) than the Sasquatch.Norco's also have a lifetime frame warranty.

[falcon]

What about a Kona Stinky Garbonzo? Apparently they were made for Whistler bike park employees? I found one with a 888 front fork and fox DX5 rear. Says it's 7'' f/r

[ag9041]

ok falcon for free ride bikes/dh what is your budget? are you weight conscious, middle or heavier is better mentality? do you have a preference over frame materiel? do you want a long travel free ride or shorter travel freeride? is it going to be exclusively donwhill? bike park? or do you plan on biking up the hill lots, little bit? Mechanical or hydraulic disc brakes?

For your personal build, are you a long torso/shortlegs, middle, or long legs short torso? wide in the shoulders or narrow?

My ride is a norco vps drop from 03, 5" travel front and rear, i personally prefer a quick handling bike with a lower stand over height, i went 1 size smaller than recommended, changed stem to be shorter and increased the handlebar width to make it a fast handling bike.

Dah_Hunter are you looking for a fs/ht? single speed/multispeed? preference on fork travel? general build(like i asked falcon)? light duty/heavy duty?

[M13]

I'm pretty sure I have the most exp. on mtb on this forum.

5 years riding, last season I put 2000KM of downhill on my freeride bike with 375+ runs. I had that bike since 2008 summer and it's seen three seasons of WBP and North Shore with bits of exit 27 in WA and Woodlot in the valley. About 100 days @ Whistler on that beast.


Falcon, I just sold my bike. Dammit, it was decked out.


If you are looking for downhill/FR, you have to be more specific.

Many disciplines in that range.

The bikes you posted in interest are not really in the downhill/fr usage, but more for light FR or AM (all mountain)

on a FR bike in general, you wanna keep away from too large of a size. Once again, depends on what your main discipline will be and how often you plan on riding and how long per session.

rule of thumb is to go smaller than what is rated. Too large of a frame size and it will not be maneuverable nor nimble.


For example for my bike that I just sold:

2008 Commencal Furious CG edition
Rockshox Totem Solo Air
DS28 rims front/rear laced to Hadley hubs
Avid Code w/ Straitline levers
Raceface Atlas FR crank/bb
Sram X.0 drivetrain
Marzocchi Roco WC w/ Ti spring
Maxxis Minion DHF on front, Highroller rear.
Wellgo Mg pedals
Thomson Elite X4 stem
Thomson Elite Pro seatpost holding up Cromag Lynx seat w/ Ti rail

7" of travel on front and rear, made to pin it down the hill but more on the freeride and park riding and weighing in at 37.5 lb with no sacrifice on durability. (could have gone down to 35's if I went with single ply tires and lighter rims/ hub combo and brakes)

The Norco Six (past 2007) would be a great bike for you to start actually, it's more freeride oriented and will let you explore little bit of DH. The Kona Garbonzo is not only for the employees but also used as rentals.

They are great bikes for beginners as they have great specs and offerings, but you have to be careful as some are severely abused (as with any rental items) Keep in mind, these bikes see about 150+ days of usage from rental walk-ins, who abuse the bikes bc they don't know how to ride well/don't care/crash lots/don't maintain (or know how to). Some rental bikes are lucky buys however. The garbonzo will be more DH oriented and made for riding gnarlier technicals at speeds, where as the Six is designed more for technical low gradient.

Anyone can ride any bikes and still rip it if the skillset is there, but that will come naturally with time and experience. You need a bike right now that will help you make that learning process a breeze and make you fall in love with biking, not something that will just overwhelm you and not be used to its full potential due to is incompatibility for the style of riding you are trying out.



Ben, the sasquatch is a great bike for what you are planning to do, while offering a lot of commuting abilities. However it will be limited in serious trail riding and park usage.


MX and mtb share a lot of traits when it comes to just flat out launching the bikes, but for technical trail riding, it's a different game, comparable to someone who does long jumps trying out pole vaulting.

ag9041, you're just muttering out a bunch of n00b suggestions that just confuse falcon. Honestly, the bike you have is from the era where mtn biking was a lot different. I've been at this game for years (can ride to back it up) and it's evolved so much. He needs suggestions to get in the right direction then to find out for himself, not to confuse with useless technology (mechanical brakes lol and travel material suggestions)


ask more if you have other questions.

[dah_hunter]

I honestly dont know the first thing about bikes..

the sasquatch seemed like a good pick because of the design, but im open to any other bike suggestions. like i said i dont plan on doing much downhill stuff or to many trails..
It will mainly be used to ride to work and have fun on the way, and then hit the skatepark on the way home kinda thing..

The 4-Hun, Ryde and 125 are good suggestions.. didnt even look at them before..

thanks

[ag9041]

Ya M13 it has evolved a bit, peoples budgets are also something to consider when pricing a bike for someone who isnt a hardcore rider hence the suggestion for shortcuts like mechanicals,, not everybody replaces there rides ever year, and not everybody has a budget for biking like you do.

If your gonna do skatepark and to and from work i would suggest a P-series from specialized, have an 08 p.2 that just feels great in the park, handles a bit of dirt jumping pretty well.

[dah_hunter]

Specialized P series.. never heard of it.. but looks good..

No one ever has the Large frames for sale..

[M13]

Ya M13 it has evolved a bit, peoples budgets are also something to consider when pricing a bike for someone who isnt a hardcore rider hence the suggestion for shortcuts like mechanicals,, not everybody replaces there rides ever year, and not everybody has a budget for biking like you do.

If your gonna do skatepark and to and from work i would suggest a P-series from specialized, have an 08 p.2 that just feels great in the park, handles a bit of dirt jumping pretty well.

mechanical brakes are seriously NOT worth their money anymore.

The "evolution" also involved the increase of users which brought the prices down. WAYYY down.

I do understand that people have budgets and won't spend the amounts I would, but many great bikes could be had if you look at the right places at the right time (end of summer or thx givings sale @ WBP)

For example, my ride was worth about 4700, I just let it go for 1200 after removing a bunch of parts ( full 4 pot hydraulics) and baller shifter and seat/post) Whoever bought my bike WON big time. I was ready to get a new rig for the 2011 season and needed a bit of funds for this summer for other stuff.


I recommend Norco and Specialized for best value. Boutique frames are for the die-hards.

Ben, I know you are as tall as the Eiffel but I'd look into 19" frames at the most. When the riding will require some maneuverability and comfort, smaller sized frames help. I personally know 6'3", 6'7" guys riding mediums (17.5-18") and just absolutely love shredding.

[falcon]

FML. I would have bought it.

My budget is $1000 max. Right now there are a few in that price range I'm looking at. I'm going to be riding in the NS mostly and perhaps BBY mtn and the delta watershed since that's where I live. So more freeride than pure downhill. Something light enough to pedal uphill (rear lockout would be nice) but still strong enough to do drops.

[falcon]

So at 6' should I look at a 17'' frame and adjust the stem/seat post as needed?