[Bombardier]

Welcome to Singletracks!

Another Floridian, and who sez FL doesn’t have mountainbiking? 😏

I’ve noticed that although there’s not a lot of big terrain in Florida, neither are a majority of MTB riders weight-weenie XC-fiends. In my conversations with FL MTB’ers, for the average rider the most desirable bike has 5" of travel with some sort of pedal resistance on the shock/fork, weighs between 28-30lbs, can stand up to small-to-moderate jumps/drops, and tires which work well in dry, loose dirt/sand.
While back in Florida recently, I noticed a lot of riders who’ve pressed Wallyworld Specials into service as everyday trailbikes. Since there’s no really big climbs, heavy bikes aren’t as much of an issue to them. Still, I most often heard of the Intense Spider or 5.5 29’er, the Gary Fisher Hi-Fi or Pro/Supercaliber, SantaCruz BlurXC/LT, Giant TranceX, or Specialized StumpjumperFSR as being their ideal bikes. Even BMC (the Trailfox & Four-Stroke) was mentioned by a couple guys, and those bikes would be great for Florida’s trails.

Anyways, watch out fer ‘rattlers…. & run tubeless tires w/ sealant, regulars don’t hold up too well against fangs. 😉

[Bombardier]

Hey, welcome to Singletracks!

My wife is from Tampa, and I lived there for a good portion of my life (MacDill, Brandon, & North Tampa).

Never did any riding there though, although Linz bought her Fisher Hi-Fi from Carrolwood Bicycle Emporium (in Tampa on N. Dale Mabry). However, I did see something that I thought would be very fun to ride on a DJ or freeride rig.

Check out Edward Menard State Park, which is just outside of Valrico on SR.60. Near the main parking area there’s some really far-out dirt mounds & IIRC trails. If you’re in the area, it might be worth exploring.

[Bombardier]

That’s…. bright.

But hey, bright colors don’t show off scratches quite as readily. Then again…. can’t take care of scratches with a Sharpie like on my black Nomad. 😏

[Bombardier]

In one of my previous posts on this subject, I mentioned that I was considering a Hi-Point for defensive purposes.

This is now what I think of Hi-Point’s handguns….

In some cases the price doesn’t reflect shoddy quality, but not in the case of the Hi-Point. These handguns are heavy, awkward, unreliable….. and ugly. The big slide throws it’s weight around while reciprocating, making the handgun difficult to control and does little to tame felt recoil. Making quick multiple shots land accurately is iffy at best due to this particular design flaw. And because the Hi-Point is an oversize & overweight sidearm, it’s not conducive at all to carrying concealed or otherwise.

The only possible thing I can recommend a Hi-Point for is when conducting an activity where the handgun may be lost, like boating or skiing.

I’ve found a handgun that suits me well for all purposes; it’s effective, well-built, highly dependable, easy to carry, attractive, and best of all….. cheap.

It’s a Norinco Model-213 semiauto in 9mm Parabellum. It holds 8+1 rounds and fires single-action. The M213 is actually a Chinese copy of the Soviet Tokarev TT-33; which in turn is a virtual copy of the Browning 1911 & Hi-Power 1903. The TT-33 was designed to fire the 7.62x25mm round & accepted in 1930, was in Soviet front-line service until 1954, and has been copied & made by many other ComBloc nations which still use them.

The Tokarev TT-33 looks almost exactly like the venerable .45ACP Colt 1911, but it differs in a few small details. The biggest of which is that it lacks any sort of manual safety, having instead a half-cock which catches the hammer if constant pressure is not maintained on the trigger. When TT-33s were imported here, ATF regulations required that a manual safety be added, and almost all TTs have an import-added safety lever which either blocks or disconnects the trigger. The hammer/sear is also contained in a single removable unit, which simplifies maintenance & cleaning.
Another difference between the TT-33 & the 1911 (besides caliber), is the dimensions. The TT has a more slender frame & slide, and a grip-angle closer to 90 degrees than the 1911. The grip-angle causes the handgun to shoot naturally a bit low from point-of-aim, but in most cases that’s not a bad thing.
The biggest reason I picked the TT-33 was because it is such a slender piece. It’s very easy to carry concealed without "printing" through clothing, and is comfortable when carried inside the waistband. That it’s not very heavy makes it more pleasant to wear all day or while doing strenuous activities.

I currently own two Tokarev variants; one is a Polish version, the other is the Norinco. Originally I bought the Polish Wz48 (w/ removable muzzle compensator for target-shooting) as an addition to my collection, but it became quickly apparent that it would be ideal for carry use. However, the 7.62x25mm round isn’t ideal for self-defense, as it is too small and travels far too fast. These rounds are actually capable of penetrating both sides of a Level-III kevlar vest or hardened steel, and were designed that way. But if used on a 2 or 4-legged predator, it’s likely to simply leave two .30" holes and keep going. Therefore I kept looking, and one day stumbled across the Norinco at my favorite gun-store…. for $170! Not only was it inexpensive, but it appeared to be completely unfired and was a 9mm, which is much better for self-defense.
Both the 7.62 & 9mm versions of the TT-33 are very easy to shoot with little felt recoil due to their all-steel construction, and are capable of excellent accuracy.

I carried the Norinco on the one long ride I’ve done in the mountains, and it didn’t poke me in the kidneys or add weight uncomfortably. Yet it’s still a full-size handgun, and for riding I’d like something smaller that doesn’t sacrifice power or cartridge capacity. As an everyday handgun though, it’s perfect for me.

So I’ve decided on the Soviet Makarov or CZ-83, which is an improved Czech copy. It’s about the size of a Walther PPK, fires the 9mm Makarov round (a little less potent than a 9mm Para, but more than a .380ACP), and has ambidextrious controls. The CZ-83/Makarov is lightweight, and exhibits typical Russian simplicity & durability.
Oh…. they’re cheap too (<$250)!

The Hi-Points possess none of the TT-33 or Makarov’s qualities (or history), and cost nearly the same. So if anyone here is considering a Hi-Point for any reason, pass on it and get a Tokarev or Makarov/CZ instead.

[Bombardier]

I had a bit of extra time today, so I put the some finishing touches on the Klunker. 😎

After remounting the wheels and shortening a chain to sit on the middle chain-ring, I took it out for a quick test spin. I quickly ascertained that the Sturmey-Archer XF8 front drum-brake wasn’t gripping hard enough. The problem stemmed from the brake-arm which clamps to the fork leg. The clamp provided in the XF8 kit was too big for the slender springer fork leg, and even though I had stuck a makeshift spacer under the clamp, it was exhibiting too much play, letting the brake-arm move which made the brake lose power.

After screwing about with a couple aluminum discs that I cut out & bent, I found a thick, hard rubber bushing from my Wife’s old ’55 Buick’s shock absorbers. It’s internal diameter was exactly the size of the springer fork’s leg, and I decided to dispense with the XFD’s stock clamp. Instead I used a plain old hose-clamp, which I tightened over the brake-arm and around the bushing. After taking another test spin, the drum-brake now has more than enough power to haul the Nirve down from speed…. even though it’s still not as efficient as it could be. Because the bike has a springer fork instead of a rigid one, under braking the springer fork tops-out before full braking-power is achieved.

I also swapped out tires, from the German-brand 1.8" XCs, to some 2.1" Kenda Klaws that were laying around. The Nirve has gobs of tire clearance, so I could even go up to 2.5"s, but that would be overkill. I still have to rig up a chain tensioner so that I can mount a front derailleur, and not have to stop and manually drop the chain from chainring to chainring (resizing it or sliding the back wheel in the process). Either that, or eventually I’ll just knuckle-down and get a SRAM 8-speed internal hub and go with a single chainring up front.

This is gonna be a fun bike on the fireroads! 😼

[Bombardier]

If you’re heart’s set on a Blur, I suggest looking for a used ’05-’06 BlurLT; they’ve got the updated VPP linkage, more travel, and a strengthened frame over the older models.

But…. Even though I’m a loyal Santa Cruz fan-atic, since you’re mainly a roadie, I suggest taking a good hard look at an ’08Gary Fisher SuperCaliber, or an ’07 Gary Fisher Hi-Fi Pro.
The Fisher Genesis2 geometry is a huge improvement over standard MTB head-tube & fork geometries. Check out Fisher’s website for the technical in’s-&-out’s of the G2 geometry. But to make it short, the G2 setup greatly increases steering sensitivity at low speeds without sacrificing stability, making it twitchy at high-speed descending, or being prone to wandering while climbing.
Fisher’s rear suspension setup is fairly simple, responsive, durable, and in ’07 they fixed a problem with the swing-link on L/XL frames.

When I have more time, I’ll answer any questions you’ve got on this subject, m’kay? 😎

[Bombardier]

I’ve still got all of ya’ll beat. 😼 $5200, and that’s just for starters on my bike. My Wife shelled out around $4200 for hers at the same time, and I’ve done some upgrading to my Santa Cruz since then. And IIRC, her newest GF was about $2600.

But there’s no need for all that, unless someones shooting for their "dream bike", which is what we did. It’s entirely possible to pick up a top-o’-th’-line for ’06 bike used for 1/3-1/2 the cost of a new ’08 model. Or as many here have done, buy a $500-$800 starter rig and upgrade it later on. Bear in mind though, it’s always more expensive to buy new components than it is to buy a bike with them already fitted from the factory.

[Bombardier]

I’m happy you’ve gotten back on two wheels, and picked yourself a decent bike to start with. Jamis makes very nice & well-equipped rides for not a lot of coin, only they’re just a little heavier than comparable bikes. Not that it’s a bad thing, as unlike lesser heavy bikes, the extra weight in a Jamis means extra strength (& downhill smiles!).

I would’ve suggested you look into the Gary Fisher Genesisters line of full-suspension MTBs, specifically the Hi-Fi GS, but I didn’t get to ya in time. 😉 But if you get a chance, I [i:1r4nqdgp]highly[/i:1r4nqdgp] suggest that you find one to demo or test out sometime. You’ll be blown away at how well they ride & perform, as well as provide a better fit & comfort than just riding a smaller men’s bike. 😀

[Bombardier]

I personally prefer Gary Fisher bikes. Even if the bikes in question are dead-even in component spec, and the GF is a little more pricey, I’ll still go with a Fisher. The reason being that their customer service is top-notch, their frame geometry is nicely thought-out & effective, and the frames themselves tend to be a bit lighter & stronger than most comparable hardtails.

[Bombardier]

While the Response’s frame is a little heavy for a hardtail (not by much though), the Response Comp comes fitted with components that are only found on comparable hardtails from Trek & Specialized for $200-$300 more.

But even if you started with a lower-end Response, they’re still excellent frames to upgrade. You won’t break it without difficulty! 😎

I bought one myself to mess around with & upgrade to test the limits of the bike.

[Bombardier]

"steve32300" wrote

….he rides this bike he bought from target,I think or whatever,and the rear axel sheared off…

Just the other day one of my neighbors knocked on my door to ask me about replacing the tires on her "free" bike, so that she could go riding to get in shape. Said bike is a Murray, and it’s got to be the worst bargain-bike I’ve ever encountered. It’s got 26-2/3" wheels, dropouts that are stamped unevenly and held in place by crimped seat/chain stays (and four tiny booger-welds each), and places where I can see daylight through the junctions on the frame tubing.

And my neighbor was insisting that I fix the bike so she could hitch a kiddy trailer to it, and put a kiddy seat behind her as well. When I told her it would be incredibly dangerous to do so, she decided to just buy a new one from Walmart. I informed her that that wouldn’t be a good idea either, and she didn’t seem to understand why it wouldn’t be any safer to buy a new bike from Walmart.

The word has gotten out in my small section of neighborhood that I’m a skilled bike mechanic, and that I’ll fix bikes for barter (soft-drinks, food, cigarettes, candy). In the past week, I’ve worked on eleven Walmart/Target/AAFES bikes to get them ridable. Of those eleven, eight were less than three months old!
One of them; a new Roadmaster "All-Terrain" bike, was the worst. In less than a week of riding on surface streets to/from the cornerstore; the headtube bearing surfaces/races were ovalized, a rear dropout was about to fall off, all the spokes on both wheels (they looked like toasted-tortillas) were barely threaded into the spoke-nipples, the bottom-bracket lockrings weren’t even finger-tight (cranks had over 1" of side-to-side play), and the derailleur wasn’t installed correctly resulting in it dropping the chain behind the low-gear…. and the derailleur cage got sucked into the wheel because the stop-screw was missing.
I told the owner that his bike was garbage, there was no hope for it, and to buy a better bike next time. Crestfallen, he thanked me and took his POS Roadmaster away.
No more than three hours later, I heard another knock on my door. It was the same neighbor, and he asked me if I could tune his bike up again.
Huh?
He wheeled his new bike (complete with wheel placards) over, and it was a Mongoose from Walmart! He proudly informed me that instead of a $70 Roadmaster, he paid over $150 for the Mongoose because I told him to buy a better bike! He figured that since it was over $100, it had to be better!
The guy had just bought the bike, and it was already insisting on dropping the chain. The shifters/derailleurs would only shift up or down one gear before automatically reverting back, the brakes didn’t work, and the seat & stem/handlebars were loosely flopping around.
My naive neighbor assumed that all bikes operated like this when they were brand-new; that they just needed a tune-up, and needed to be "broken-in". I told him the "break-in" period was already taken care of, as it was definitely broken by someone! 😏

[Bombardier]

"af_juicy" wrote

If you look good at the Mongoose Bikes from Wal-mart there is sticker on the frame that states NOT FOR OFFROAD RIDING. Now how crazy is that? This is there way of covering them selves if you get hurt. I purchased a Mongoose XR-250 about a year ago. Road it about twice on the road and had to pull the Crank and Bottom Bracket all apart. These bikes are put together very poorly. There was no grease at all.

There are MANY reported cases of those Wally-world/Kmart/Target/etc. "mountainbikes" simply snapping at a head-tube, seat-tube, or bottom-bracket weld…. simply from riding off of a 4-5" curb! But you don’t hear about those instances because the corporate monsters who sell the bikes have reams of legal outs for themselves, as do the manufacturers. The most you’ll be able to get from a bike that failed catastophically is a simple refund towards the price of a new bike (if that!!!).

Walmart/etc. bikes are put together by the stock-people in the back of those stores; most likely without even glancing at the assembly instructions, or any knowledge of torque specs and values. Hell, 99% of them probably don’t even know how to use a torque wrench; nevermind knowing how to properly tighten spokes or a headset/bottom-bracket.

In addition, a Huffy or Murray "mountainbike" frame alone will weigh more than the weight of a complete SantaCruz Blur or Trek hardtail! Tack on the cheapest "alloy" wheels, derailleurs, one-piece "alloy crankset, etc., and you’ll have a bike that weighs more than a full-on Downhill race-sled! 😏

Ugh…. now I gotta stop…. rant off. 😉

[Bombardier]

Welcome to Singletracks, Sophia! Glad you could join us.

There are lots of good trails & trail systems here on the Front Range. I’m unfamiliar with your area, as I’m in the ‘Springs, but I’m sure everyone together here will help you find the sweet singletrack!

The event AAbiking spoke of is Singletracks Durango 2008, which will run from Friday, September 5th @ 2pm, thru Sunday September 6th @ 12pm. It’s still in the final planning stages, just a couple important things to cover and set up for the riders and Singletracks that’ll ensure all attending will have a great time.

This is the schedule (tentative) for the event:

Registration cut-off: August 1 (early, $75), August 22 (late +$20), no onsite registration
+ $20 for shuttle fee; No refunds/cancellations after August 22. Limited to 80 slots.

Friday, September 5
Registration open 2pm-10pm

Dinner on your own (in Durango or cook on site)
Pre-ride the trails if you like.
7pm – Social at pavilion (snacks, BYOB)
8pm – Night ride (guided)

Saturday, September 6

7-9am – Breakfast (light: bagels, fruit, juice, coffee, oatmeal, etc.)
9am-6pm – Ride! + Activities: TBD (vendor demos, clinics, ride demos, games)
11am-1pm – Lunch on the trail (sandwiches, chips, drinks, fruit, cold towels)
6-7pm – Dinner (grill hamburgers, brats, corn on the cob, pasta salad, etc. – or possibly catered!)
8pm – MTB movie, slideshow, charity raffle

Sunday, September 7

7-9am – Pancake breakfast (pancakes, hard boiled eggs, pastries, fruit, oatmeal, etc.)
9am – Ride on your own or with friends.
12pm- Checkout
_________________________

So, feel free to ask any questions you may have about our favorite sport & bike-related issues. Unfortunately, I’ve been severely curtailed in the amount of time I can spend on Singletracks due to the Army (and budgetary constraints 😏 ).
But….. if I catch a question you’ve posted on the board or emailed/PM’d me; when I do manage to check the site or my inbox, I’ll waste no time in giving you every bit of information and knowledge I’ve got to answer said question.

Good riding; and see ya’ll on the trails (in spirit for me, I don’t ride much anymore).

[Bombardier]

"Beaker" wrote

I’d love to see some MTB pics from the Pfalz. Lived in Landstuhl for 3yrs (’85-’88) But did lots more road than MTB.

On a severly negative side – I was at the ’88 Ramstein Air Show Crash. That was creepy.

Here you go…. I’ve got more pictures, but they’re on a harddrive that’s currently kaput. 😢

These were from the Neustadt a.d. Weinstrasse area, on Haardt/Weinbiet (a mountain, "Weinbiet" being a resteraunt at the top), & at the Wolfsburg ruins.

Weinbiet is behind the Wolfsburg ruins in this photo, at the top of the mountain. Trails start directly from the back of the ruins, leading either up a steep, rocky, many stair’ed climb along the ridgeline; or to the left heading around the side of the mountain, following the elevation contour on a fairly easy trail that starts rather rough, but evens out not far down the trail.

Heading the easy way is also the longest route to the top of Weinbiet, and if you desire, will snake all the way ’round the mountain, eventually ending at Deidesheim on the edge of the mountains/Rhine River valley. Going up the ridgeline is a tough hike-a-bike until you reach a three-way fork in the trail. One keeps going up, another follows the contour line around the mountainside, and the last heads back down to Neustadt.
About halfway to the top of Weinbiet, there’s a scenic overlook called "Konigsberg" IIRC. This area also has the rockgardens we’re riding on in the pictures.
The actual mountain is laced with many trails, mostly wide multi-use, but there is also steep singletrack & switchbacks interlaced with them.
If you’re standing at the Wolfsburg ruins, looking directly across the valley, there’s another vast network of trails on those mountains as well. These aren’t as busy or well-groomed as those on the Weinbiet, and are a bit more difficult.

North of Neustadt, there’s Bad Durkheim.

While we didn’t extensively explore those trails, there is a large network in the mountains around the town and it’s two ruins; a monastery & the largest castle ruins (The Hardenburg) in Germany. Once at the Hardenburg, trails lead off in several directions from the castle, and there is a very good imbiss next to the place which has excellent wursts, flammkuchen, and deserts. Again, the main trails are multi-use and nothing is too crazy, but they are a little narrower and less populated than those around Neustadt.

We also rode in the Dahn/Nothweiler area, in the southern Pfalz.

Unfortunately, most of these pictures are on the broken HD. Especially around Dahn, there are hundreds of kilometers of trails. Many of them lead to the castle ruins in the area, and none are particularly difficult or purely singletrack. However, they’re 80% on dirt, and it’s worth putting together an epic ride to hit the castle ruins (AltDahn, NeuDahn, Drachenfels). Dahn itself is a nice little town that has a good selection of eateries, highly affordable gasthauses, and pubs. The red sandstone rock formations in this part of the Pfalz are another sight that must be seen, as they look as if they were transplanted directly from the American southwest deserts.

[Bombardier]

Welcome to Singletracks, B40!

Yeh, I was in Germany (Mannheim) for 3 years as mentioned. Cut my teeth on mountainbiking while I was there.

I recently demo’ed a ReignX, and I gotta say…. it’s a sweet ride. Even with 6.7" of travel, it pedals very well uphill. Much better than my 40lb Nomad. 😏

[Bombardier]

You won’t have any problems fitting a RS Tora on your Trek; steering or otherwise. It’ll slacken your head-tube angle a degree or so; if even that much, once you figure in sag. With that RST fork your Trek already has, you’ll be lucky to actually get 63mm of travel…. 40-50mm of pogo-stick bounce is more like it.

But instead of spending the coin to upgrade your fork and drivetrain on a Trek 3700, you would get more for your hard-earned dollars (or tax rebate check 😀) if you just bought a bike with higher-end components already hung on it. Buying aftermarket parts seperately is much more expensive.

[Bombardier]

Trek’s stated MSRP for the Remedy7 is $440 more than the EX8. I’ve tried discerning what components account for the increased price.

——————–
Equipping the Remedy7 with a RockShox Lyrik IS Solo-Air definitely accounts for the higher price-tag, as does the extra 1.3" of rear-wheel travel given by the Remedy’s AM frame (those inches are expensive!). I’m not familiar with the Remedy’s Fox RP2 "XV" shock, so I can’t say if it’s any better function-wise than the EX8’s Fox RP2.

The Fuel EX-8 has slightly better brakes than the Remedy7 (Avid Juicy5’s vs. Juicy3s); however, the Remedy has larger brake rotors (203mm vs. 185mm) so the braking power & resistance to fade is better.

SRAM’s technical specs for the Juicy5 & 3’s outline a few differences.

Juicy5- 397g
Juicy3- 404g
(Not that big of a difference)

Juicy5 Fluid- DOT 5.1
Juicy3 Fluid- DOT 4
(DOT 5.1 handles heat/cold better than DOT 4)

Juicy5 & Juicy3- Tri-Alignâ„¢ Caliper Positioning Systemâ„¢, Power Reserve Geometryâ„¢, Ambidextrous

Juicy5- Split Clamp/Matchmakerâ„¢ compatible, Drip-free bleeding, Indexed reach adjustment
Juicy3- Wonder Clampâ„¢, Drip-free bleeding

Brake-lever reach adjustment is a nice thing to have; but the rest of the mounting options are generally frills that aren’t absolutely needed or affect brake performance. It’s just a comfort thing. So the brakes on the Remedy7 don’t add much to the $2,859 pricetag.

As for drivetrains between the Remedy7 and EX8, they’re exactly the same (LX/XT Shadow).
Wheels on the two are predictably different, with both being quality wheelsets that fit each bike’s intended purpose. Bontrager Rythm wheels have gotten very good reviews for All-Mountain riding, without being too heavy, flimsy, or expensive.
The Rythm 26" wheelset is $549 (Trek’s MSRP).
The EX8’s Race 26" wheelset is $879.

As for cockpit components, the Remedy7 & EX8 are basically the same, except the Remedy has a better headset (Cane Creek). Trek’s website lists the EX8 as coming with Shimano clipless pedals, whereas the Remedy is pedal-less.
——————-

Having had the chance to really paw the Remedy & new Fuel EX bikes during the Fruita FTF, I gotta say I’m really impressed with Trek’s new suspension design. Both Trek & Gary Fisher load a lot of value & quality onto their bikes by using Bontrager components, and they’ve not skimped on fork/shocks in a long while.

If I had to choose a XC/Trail bike with 5" of travel, I’d still pick the Fisher Hi-Fi. But the Fuel EX is definitely close behind, and I don’t think anyone could go wrong with a Remedy either.

[Bombardier]

Use the UBB tags

Insert the picture link (http://www.picturehostwebsite.com/yourpic) between the two tags. Make sure there are no spaces.

[Bombardier]

"CraigCreekRider" wrote

Welcome back to 2 wheels C-Mike. Funny, I rode a 10 speed everywhere until I was 16 years old. Cars and other interest took over, and did not ride consistently again until I was 46. Now you can’t pry me off of a bike. Glad you made the rebound (hopefully earlier than me).

Sounds like Bombadier has got you covered on all things MTB – German. I believe he has some good German MTB photos stored around here somewhere.

Yeh, I did the 10-spd (circa 70’s Schwinn LeTour) thing as well for most of my teenage years. In fact, I didn’t get my drivers-license & first real car until I was 19, due to me being able to ride (or catch a car-pool) anywhere I needed to go. 10-speeds just tend to curtail those back-seat extracurricular activities…. 😏
After riding that Schwinn for 30-50mi daily (avg: 30mph most days) for close to seven years, I had some pretty awesome legs and a wash-board midriff that kinda made up for not having a car to make-out in. So the bike didn’t cramp my style too much. 😼

I do have a ton of Germany pics around somewhere, and my wife has more. I’ll see if I can’t scrounge them up.

[Bombardier]

Welcome to Singletracks, Cmike!

I myself lived in Mannheim from ’03 to ’06. Our regular riding-grounds were around Neustadt, Kaiserslautern, and Dahn. Basically the whole of the Pfalz was our play-area.
My first MTB was an HM FSL, which has been discontinued. Unfortunately, the FSL (& ’06 Moab from sold at Menco) was HM’s best mountainbikes. ’07 Moab’s are rehashed FSL’s, only with cheaper components. I did see some K2’s on sale at BikeMax that were just rebadged HM FSLs, but I don’t think they’re made anymore either.

Since you live in Germany, I’d suggest looking into a Ghost or Cube full-suspension bike when it’s time to upgrade. Your HM Snakehead is a license-built NEXT bike, and you’ll rapidly outgrow it. Hell, if you’ve got the geld, go sink it into a Nicolai! 😼

My wife & I were also avid ruin explorers, and we crawled all over the German countryside looking for obscure and out-of-the-way castles/ruins which most tourists didn’t know about. We took lots of pictures as well, and they gave us reasons to do epic rides on our bikes, with a bonus at the end. 😀

[Author]

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