[the_law_man01]

Ain’t nobody want to ride in Africa, Asia, or South America cause they’re afraid a Lion, Tiger, or Puma will take them for dinner.

[the_law_man01]

I’m intrigued as to the thorn flats as well. I get them every time I ride one of my favorite trails within a 2 hour drive. They puncture right through my Kenda Nevegal Lites and the tubes. Is a specific tubeless tire that much stronger?

[the_law_man01]

Yes. Agreed. Being a terribly irresponsible person and mounting your phone on your bars is a bad combo. However, if you’re an adult and able to act as such, mount away and use it for GPS, tunes, or whatever else you can dream up.

QuadLock is the way to go!

[the_law_man01]

I figured the cog would probably need some attention. The cassette is a pretty broad range so we’ll see. I’m just gonna start riding it and see if I want to change anything after a while. And, I don’t I have stronger legs than you, but they aren’t too bad.

[the_law_man01]

Ok. Waiting for my bike to get here 😬 Should be here on Tuesday and I’ll be gone. Should be able to assemble and ride next weekend. 😃

By the way, I know it’s another "non-namebrand" but, I bought a Diamondback Atroz Comp. I got 20% off their current price so, since components were similar, I went for it.

Here it is:

http://www.nashbar.com/bikes/Product_10 … 1___204867

Hope it’s gonna be a good one. My buddy has 2 Diamondbacks from nashbar.com and absolutely loves both of them. I looked up a lot of reviews, videos, etc on the Atroz Comp and they were all pretty darn good. We’ll see.

[the_law_man01]

You know how it is these days. If something seems too good to be true, it probably is. I guess I’m just looking for conformation that ordering one of the previously mentioned bikes would be a good deal rather than a "too good to be true" situation. I’m pressing the order button today.

I can’t remember for sure where I read it, but I did read something lately that claimed LBSs were only making like $80-200 per bike. That can’t be right at all. There’s no conceivable way their business would last unless they really make a lot off of labor charge for maintenance/repair/tuning.

[the_law_man01]

"MJMoquin" wrote

If you’re open to 650B, this is at the same price point as well.

Yet another one I could add to the list. It’s crazy!

I’m not opposed to a 650B. I don’t have any experience with the modern MTB so I really have nothing to compare it to other than back when I was younger and that was a crap bike by today’s standards so nearly anything today would be better than the bike back then.

One LBS tried to sell me a Trek Stache 5 today for nearly $1800. Anyone have any expereince with it? It’s a 29+, not a fatbike, not a normal bike.

[the_law_man01]

"Alvin Mullen" wrote

I have been on and off MTBs for many years but never with a serious bike. spent all my serious time on motocross motorcycles. But now getting back to bikes and just bought my first full suspensions bike. I looked at the site you are checking out and they have good deals. If you are sure you can finish the assembly and maintenance without it detracting from your enjoyment of the bike, go for it.

I used to do all my own motorcycle maintenance, so was sure I could do it my self and was planning to buy from them, but in my test riding bikes at local shops to find out what I wanted in a bike I ran across a 2015 Giant Stance I really liked for $1300.
The comparable bike I was looking at from bikesdirect was $1000, so for me having free year of service and a bike set up and ready out the door was worth the $300.

I’m confident that I can do basic/intermediate maintenance on a bike and assembly shouldn’t be a problem either. I have a local bike shop who doesn’t care where I buy a bike. They just want me to start riding. They’ll do any maintenance/repairs that I can’t do at the same price they charge all of their local customers so no worries in that department.

I realize there might be some design differences, especially on frames, but I’m looking at bikes that are listing the same components as the "name brand" but are charging a fraction of the price. That’s what I apparently am looking for reassurance on. The frames are made of the same material, formed the same way, even have similar looking designs. Why in the world are they so much cheaper on say bikesdirect.com, nashbar.com, airbornebicycles.com, etc?

I can’t make myself buy a Trek when there’s a Motobecane, Airborne, Diamondback, Giant, etc with the exact same components for less money. I can’t make myself buy a Motobecane, Airborne, Diamondback, Giant, etc because they’re cheaper than a Trek for some reason. What is it? Is the middle man really gouging us for $1000 a pop? I doubt it. I bet the shop doesn’t even make 15% off of every bike they sell.

AAAAARRRRRGGGGHHHH!!!!!

[the_law_man01]

"schwim" wrote

The Trek website shows the Superfly FS as being $1,999. If you find any shops with 15 or even 14 inventory, you should be able to pick it up for less.

Right. I was reminded last week that I’m not a "normal" person. No one in my area has anything bigger than a 17" in closeouts. The Superfly is no more so you won’t be finding deals that good on a FS anymore. They replaced it with the Top Fuel. I can’t remember for sure what "sticker" price was on that, but I’m thinking it mirrored the Fuel EX 8 and up prices.

[the_law_man01]

"schwim" wrote

Welcome to the forum and the sport!

I think that’s a solid bike for the price. This Airborne also fits your pricepoint and is something to think about.

As for not being able to afford the more popular brands, almost all of them offer models in different component sets and you can get the same model from your pricepoint to Donald Trump’s. Not to talk you out of the Motobecane, but your options aren’t as limited as you may think.

I haven’t been able to find, for example, a Trek full suspension even in a base components model for less than $2000. Maybe it’s just my area.

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