-
Posts
-
-
I ride a trail bike currently with 120mm of travel. It does amazing on the up hill climb but I dont feel real confident when descending. I feel like I want to go much faster and corner quicker than my bike can handle. My budget is about $2500. I have looked into a GT Force, Cannondale Trigger, Fezzari Nebo peak, Lapierre Spicy, and the Scott genious What bikes would you recommend in my budget.
-
Giant reign 2015 1 sweet color enduro beast and just in your price range on pinkbike
-
Lots of good bikes out there. Here’s my two cents; hope this helps. If you are willing to look at a used bike like on Craigslist, then you can get a very good AM bike for $2500. This is especially true if you are in location with a big used mtb market. For used bikes 2013 and back, you probably want to consider going a size up also, to give yourself a little more reach (long center) and more stack for DHs. Going a size up also lengthens the wheelbase, adding stability. 2015 has been a great year for AM geometry improvement for most companies, and sizing up is not as needed. You might try to get into a 2015, but a lot bikes might be outside your price range. I’m going to wait 2-3 years and hopefully get a used 2015 Yeti 5c or 6c. The 2015 Ibis Mojo HD3 gets great reviews too. Both these bikes should descend fantastically and still climb surprising well but are pricey. The 2015 Nomad is an awesome descender. For earlier years and more likely in your price range, it sounds like the following might be good bikes; Mojo HD (definitely check a size up), Kona Process 134 or 153, Evil Uprising, Turner Burner, Pivot Firebird (again definitely check a size larger), specialized enduro (from 2013 climbs much better). Get on the net, and read, read, read. And then go out and test ride. And then go back and read some more. Repeat until you develop some confidence. Again I hope this helps.
-
My thoughts are that once you hit the 120mm suspension range, (if the bike fits and is set up properly) you are at the point where it is more about rider than bike. (unless it is just not a decent shock or frame) The caveat to that is tires can make a huge difference.
That being said, even though I live in Florida and there really is no where more than 120mm is ever needed, I would jump on a 160mm Giant Reign 27.5 1 if I had the spare money.
-
It’s not just about the amount of travel, it’s also about geometry. Slacker angles really add confidence to descending.
If you have access to a Rocky Mountain dealer, I recommend you check out the Thunderbolt line — the Thunderbolt 710 runs $2299 MSRP while you may wish to stretch the budget a bit and upgrade to the Thunderbolt 730 at $2899MSRP. The T-bolt is still a 120mm travel bike, but it rides like it has much more. It also has the ‘ride 9’ chip which allows a quick geometry change so you can vary your angles to make a much more downhill friendly bike. You get more confidence inspiring downhill without sacrificing trail quickness and agility.
The Breezer Supercell is another 120mm trail bike that is extremely comfortable when the trail turns down. The basic model has a MSRP of $2624.
If you really are looking for more travel, prices jump pretty quick. As Mongwolf said, used may be the way to go if you want a bigger hit bike on a budget. This is especially true if you are willing to get a 26er, which people are dumping hard.
-
I can’t say enough good things about Kona’s Process line. I’ve got a 153 and it’s the most fun bike I’ve ever owned. If I had to do it again, I may buy the 134 or 111 instead. The least expensive Process model is $2,899, but they also have the Precept line which takes the geometry of the Process bikes but uses a more budget-friendly suspension design and parts spec.
And like John said, it’s more the geometry than the travel itself.
-
Hey thanks for the comments and advice. I will have to some more research and ride some more bikes. I like to do up and back trails mostly that have a good challenging climb yet love to fly back down the mountain. Does it sound like I should be riding an all mountain bike with the type of riding I like and do most?
-
Just a thought – reading your initial post, what you want is a better whip for DH stuff. “Faster”, “corner quicker” and “more confidence”. I understand needing an excuse for buying new gear (I use any day ending in a “Y” as a reason to buy new gear), but before you drop a few g’s on a new rig spend a few hundred on a dropper seatpost. I just picked up a KS Lev post, gently used, for under 2 bills. The Lev is a great dropper, BTW. Others droppers get high marks as well.
Regardless of slacker geometry, wheel size, bike color or a cooler looking bottle cage, dropping your saddle during downhill will give you more control = greater confidence = faster speeds. Just sayin’….
-
I NEED to have a dropper post with my bike so I will have to make sure the bike I get comes with or I can afford to get one on it asap.
-
I just added a KS Eten dropper, only 100mm drop but also only $140. It is very well built, and for me makes a huge difference going over obstacles.
-
Also, take a look at the Mondraker range. The zero suspension technique is really good and you can ride the bike very very fast thanks to the forward geometry.
-
What do you currently ride (year and model)? A few tweaks (meatier tires, wider bars, shorter stem, and a dropper) might be just the thing you need.
What are your “local” trails like? Do they have drops, jumps, large rock gardens? Since you’re riding up and back on the same trail, it sounds like drops probably aren’t included.
Depending on what the down portion of your trail is like, more suspension might not be the answer. It could be a geometry issue, like John and many others already said. With more suspension, you usually get get slacker angles, but you can find slack angles around the 120mm rear suspension mark also, or even shorter. I have two friends that ride the Giant Anthem SX and they love it. It has 100mm travel in the rear.
I (and I think others) are not trying to talk you out of more suspension, but more suspension costs more, and is heavier, than less. For the same amount of cash, you might be able to get a “better” bike with less suspension that will more than fit your needs.
-
All the suggestions here are great. I would like to add the Santa Cruz Heckler R build to the list. $2500 and comes with some good quality components and geometry. I’ve had my eye set on a Heckler for awhile – might just be my next bike.
I’m riding a 2011 Giant Reign 2 that I bought on Craigslist for $500. It’s been a great bike, so I can attest to the quality of the Giant Reign line as well.
-
Right now direct from COmmencal USA, the Meta AM V4 Ride: 150mm travel, monarch RT3, Pike, DB5 brakes, Sram GX $2400.
-
if you want an immensely great bike and can just switch all the components over to it….in your price range I recommend
<h1 class=”entry-title sub-heading”>Evil The Following</h1>
-
You must be logged in to reply to this topic.