Mountain Biking - Lurking Rodie. MTB's are cool. BEst bang for the buck on a dual-suspension model?

Any good dual supsension bikes out there for under $1500? I'm a big-ish guy (6'2" 189 lbs)and use a 60cm road frame, I'm guessing an XL MTB.

Thanks for any help. :)

The general rule is not to buy FS under 1000. Since you're use to arough ride however (depending on the types of roads you ride on) you would probably fine with a hardtail.

The general rule is not to buy FS under 1000. Since you're use to arough ride however (depending on the types of roads you ride on) you would probably fine with a hardtail.

OK. Good hardtails then ?

Correct.

I would also seriously play on some bikes. You might find sizing isn't going to match road bikes as you want something a little smaller. You sacrifice some pedal efficiency to protect the boys ;) :p

1000$ dually will get you an ok frame and crappy parts
1000$ ht will get you a good frame and parts and send you on your merry way with the big J in hand :)

For $700 (I'm guessing CND?) you can buy yourself a Norco Wolverine its a strong sturdy bike with decent parks. I ride a 18" and I'm 6 feet and 160lbs so that should be good for you if not you can get 20" if you want...best thing to do is just go to your LBS and test out some bikes see which ones you like and fit you good.

OK. Good hardtails then ?

Look at the Specialized line. I would look at the Rockhoppers and possibly the Stumpjumpers. Not sure at what price the Stumpjumpers are ate, but those are the two I would look at from Specialized.

I'm a fan of Kona and would look at the XC line. If you re looking to get a bike right now then go look at the 2005 models. You will get a double bang for the buck. The end-of-year pricing applies but also because in the 2006 model line it looks like they've lightened the component quality on the XC hardtail line meaning you'll have to spend more next year to get the same components you got this year.

Some people swear by the Gary Fischer Genesis geometry. You'll have to try it out and see if it's for you.

Check out HARO.... Great bikes & very good components...... $1000 - 1500
'05 model's even less this time of year!

WTF is a "Fattie"?

A Double-Duece maybe? Actually most are going to 24 oz.

Check out the Iron Horse Rogue. I have yet to find anything that will touch it for that kind of money.

I've been riding mine for a couple of weeks now and I couldn't be happier with it.

http://www.supergo.com/profile.cfm?LPROD_ID=25875&lsubcat_id=7&lcat_id=7604&referpage= (here)

May I suggest a used FS with dated good frame and high level parts?

WTF is a "Fattie"?

A Double-Duece maybe? Actually most are going to 24 oz.

A large joint.

Check out HARO.... Great bikes & very good components...... $1000 - 1500
'05 model's even less this time of year!

WTF is a "Fattie"?

A Double-Duece maybe? Actually most are going to 24 oz.

Big ole joint...fat and round. Smelling like...well...a joint haha

Keep em coming!

May I suggest a used FS with dated good frame and high level parts?
Too many expensive things go wrong with used FS frames

Keep em coming!

Are you talking about hucking off of stuff or lokking to ride xc?

Check out the big names at that pricepoint.

Giant, Trek, Kona, Specialized.

Maybe Jamis,

Also check out the around $500 bike thread for ideas.

Stay away from used FS in my opinion, unless you know and trust the guy who used it. Like Raiyn said, there are about 15 things that can go wrong with it, and that is just with the rear triangle.

A cheap FS bike is just about the worst thing you can get.

Ya, figure out what you want to do as a mountain bike rider. If it's trail riding, go with a trailbike. If you think you might want to spin and ride fast like when you were road riding then get a xc bike. Don't just tell a salesman that you want a hardtail. You'll be happier if you are more specific in finding what you want than just fs or hardtail. I also used to be a roadie and switched to mtb 7 years ago. Ton's o fun! Good luck, I hope you find a good ride!!!

I say, try and buy a used bike. There are a lot of them on ebay etc. You can, if you want build up some frames as well. If your looking at doing some cross counrty riding, with no huge jumps etc then, I would recommend a cannondale super v. I have been riding mine since 1996, and I still love the ride and durability. Kona and Yeti have some pretty good frames out too.

OK. Good hardtails then ?

Second the motion to look at Specialized Rockhoppers and Stumpjumpers.

Carry the motion. Stumjumper hardtail- great neutral geometry. You should easily be able to find a 2005 model on sale. The geometry is classic 71/73 and they are a great bike to start with. They should not be used as a DJ bike.

Def. look at Haro or Iron Horse. I think they make some of the best bikes for what you pay.

Carry the motion. Stumjumper hardtail- great neutral geometry. You should easily be able to find a 2005 model on sale. The geometry is classic 71/73 and they are a great bike to start with. They should not be used as a DJ bike.


The geometry is classic 71/73 ........ used as a DJ bike Please translate? Thanks :)

Please translate? Thanks :)

71 to 73 degrees. Its the head angle of the frame from horizontal. makes for a stable bike while still being quick steering. Look at a Haro. :D

Please translate? Thanks :)

The second part that wasn't translated was, "They should not be used as a DJ bike."

Bikes with a 71 to 73 degree head angle should not be used as a Dirt Jump bike.

Although it was alluded to in a few posts, what you have to specify is what kind of riding you plan to do. Given that you're a roadie, I assumed it would be Cross Country (XC).

The other general types, with my spin on things:

XC - Cross Country. Riding along some sweet single-tracks with some obstacles like rock gardens, a few small drops (3'), some climbs, some descents.

DJ/UA - Dirt Jumping. Urban Assault. Trick riding. Think of BMX riders that have grown up and want a bike with shocks and more than one gear but still want to do what they did on their BMX bikes.

FR - Free Ride. XC with more of everything. Bigger drops, jumps, etc. Beefier bikes than XC.

DH - Downhill. Take a ski lift or a ride in a vehicle to the top of a mountain and let gravity be your friend. These are big hefty bikes with long suspension travel and with little need of pedaling efficiency. Climbing a hill with this bike is just plain tough.

There are other terms that may or may not be just some company's marketing terms. "All Mountain" comes to mind. In this case I think All Mountain is similar to Free Ride.

Anyway, of these classifications, what is it you want to do?

The second part that wasn't translated was, "They should not be used as a DJ bike."

Bikes with a 71 to 73 degree head angle should not be used as a Dirt Jump bike.

Although it was alluded to in a few posts, what you have to specify is what kind of riding you plan to do. Given that you're a roadie, I assumed it would be Cross Country (XC).

The other general types, with my spin on things:

XC - Cross Country. Riding along some sweet single-tracks with some obstacles like rock gardens, a few small drops (3'), some climbs, some descents.

DJ/UA - Dirt Jumping. Urban Assault. Trick riding. Think of BMX riders that have grown up and want a bike with shocks and more than one gear but still want to do what they did on their BMX bikes.

FR - Free Ride. XC with more of everything. Bigger drops, jumps, etc. Beefier bikes than XC.

DH - Downhill. Take a ski lift or a ride in a vehicle to the top of a mountain and let gravity be your friend. These are big hefty bikes with long suspension travel and with little need of pedaling efficiency. Climbing a hill with this bike is just plain tough.

There are other terms that may or may not be just some company's marketing terms. "All Mountain" comes to mind. In this case I think All Mountain is similar to Free Ride.

Anyway, of these classifications, what is it you want to do?

Proablay XC - I'm friggin' 45 years old man! :o Hardtail would be good for that? :) Thanks for the info

In my opinion a hardtail would be great for that since (in my area at least) there is lots of uphills, so you dont always want the bob from a FS. It's a trade off. FS better for on the downhills of xc but its harder to go uphills. On hardails, It is way better up hill but not as great going downhill. All you have to do is use your legs on a hardtail to soke up the bumps more and your set.

Hope this helped.

Yeah, what santiago said. 71 head angle/ 73 seat angle is classic olde-skool xc race geometry and works for darn near everything. It's stable at speed, nimble in singletrack, etc. I used to have a xc fs bike, but bought a hard tail last year. I found that I was letting the rear suspension do all the work for me when I got into the technical stuff, and I was losing basic riding skills. I might go back to FS someday, but for now I'm really happy to be challenged again by the old trails I know so well. I don't think that's super-relevant to your question, but if you want to get mad skillz, hardtail is the bishizzo for you. Werd.

WTF is a "Fattie"?It's different than a chubby, that's for sure. I've got a good story about that...

In my opinion a hardtail would be great for that since (in my area at least) there is lots of uphills, so you dont always want the bob from a FS. It's a trade off. FS better for on the downhills of xc but its harder to go uphills. On hardails, It is way better up hill but not as great going downhill. All you have to do is use your legs on a hardtail to soke up the bumps more and your set.

Hope this helped.

It pains me to say this but I'll have to disagree. I bought a dualy this spring and it climbs way better than my hardtail does (neither bike is a slouch.). The suspension makes the wheel stick to the ground better so that you don't have to use as much body english to climb.

There are a lot of places where the FS stinks however. Anytime you have to ride long flats or ride on pavement, you might as well drive a car. It just sucks up energy that the hardtail doesn't. There is also the issue of tuning. The suspension requires much more futzing than the hardtail. It has taken me nearly 6 months to get the tuning right on the FS, mostly because the values that the manufacturer uses for set up are great in the parking lot but stink on the trail.

I'd second the Stumpjumper line. Both of my mountain bikes are Stumpys and I like them. The lower level SJ starts at around $1300 but I've seen them for as little as $950 here. The non-disc is a better value since it has a slightly better component mix for $200 less. My hardtail has v-brakes and I've never had problems stopping it.

[QUOTE=cyccommute]It pains me to say this but I'll have to disagree. I bought a dualy this spring and it climbs way better than my hardtail does (neither bike is a slouch.). The suspension makes the wheel stick to the ground better so that you don't have to use as much body english to climb.

Very good point I never thought about that.

burp

Since you stated in the original post you wanted to look at FS for under $1500, I would try the Specialized FSR, XC Comp. Discs, dually, Rock Shox fork, you may have to settle for a 06 leftover to get it under $1500. I paid $1125 for my 05 purchased in early 06.

burp

This thread is over a year old since you started it. Have you not gotten yourself a bike yet?

If you want dual suspension, and don't mind low-end components, Kona has a decent bike for that range:

Kona Kikapu -- http://www.konaworld.com/bikes/2k7/KIKAPU/index.html

This thread is over a year old since you started it. Have you not gotten yourself a bike yet?
No, not a mtb . I have a roadie, but I have finally saved up for an off-roader. Just want to be able to ride trails. No extreme stuff! :o

real quick, what is a rodie and is lurking a common thing amongst these things? Sorry, I was trying to think of bike suggestions but had to get the whole rodie question off my chest first.

A "roadie" is a road biker, you know the fast skinny bikes. So what's your budget now? I think your best bet is to go to your LBS and tell us what they stock. BTW since you don't want any serious stuff, get a hardtail as was posted a year ago :p

well I know what a roadie is, it is the rodie I am having a hard time with. Even wiki has no definition for rodie except for a peer to peer file sharing thing.

If you were to look at Trek, Fuel 6 ~a little under $1500, full suspension.
8000 ~ a little over $1500 hardtail.

I don't know what makes these bikes better than others, but they're in your range, and you could test ride them. Personally, I have no experience with them, because i'm ride a 4300 which is a lot cheaper

I've seen Giant Anthem 2 bikes for around $1600. I have read phenominal things about the bike and Bicycling magazine called it the "Best Bang for the Buck" in the '06 preview edition. The 22" will fit you like a glove. I have a 22.5" NRS C1 and I love it! (6'3" @ 225#)

Best part about getting a bike like this is that you won't have EXTREME buyer's remorse in three months and wish you had gotten the best thing possible.

Anthem 2
FRAME TECHNOLOGY
Featuring Giant’s lightweight ALUXX SL butted alloy tubeset, titanium shock hardware and aggressive XC racing geometry, Anthem is the clear choice for Adam Craig and the entire Giant Mountain Bike Team as they battle week-after-week on the NORBA and World Cup circuits.

FEATURES
∑ Light and stiff RockShox Reba SL, 80mm suspension fork and Fox Float RP2 rear shock
∑ Shimano Deore shifting with Race Face Ride XC crankset
∑ Lightweight Easton EA50 handlebar and stem
∑ WTB LaserDisc XC rim/ sealed-bearing hubs wheelset

size 14.5", 16", 18", 20", 22"
color Team Blue / Brushed
frame ALUXX Butted aluminum, 3.5" Travel. Frame Set Available
fork
RockShox Reba SL, 80mm travel
shock Fox Float RP2
handlebar Easton EA30 low rise
stem Easton EA30
seatpost Easton EA30, 350 x 30.9
saddle WTB Silverado Race
pedals NA
shifters Shimano Deore Rapidfire
front derailleur Shimano Deore
rear derailleur Shimano Deore top normal
brakes Avid Juicy 3
levers Avid
cassette SRAM PG950, 11-34
chain Shimano HG 53
cranks RaceFace Ride XC
BB RaceFace SRX ISIS
rims WTB LaserDisc XC
hubs Mavic Alloy Sealed Bearing
spokes Stainless Steel
tires Hutchinson Piranha, folding 26x2.0

I've seen Giant Anthem 2 bikes for around $1600. I have read phenominal things about the bike and Bicycling magazine called it the "Best Bang for the Buck" in the '06 preview edition. The 22" will fit you like a glove. I have a 22.5" NRS C1 and I love it! (6'3" @ 225#)

Best part about getting a bike like this is that you won't have EXTREME buyer's remorse in three months and wish you had gotten the best thing possible.

Anthem 2
FRAME TECHNOLOGY
Featuring Giant’s lightweight ALUXX SL butted alloy tubeset, titanium shock hardware and aggressive XC racing geometry, Anthem is the clear choice for Adam Craig and the entire Giant Mountain Bike Team as they battle week-after-week on the NORBA and World Cup circuits.

FEATURES
∑ Light and stiff RockShox Reba SL, 80mm suspension fork and Fox Float RP2 rear shock
∑ Shimano Deore shifting with Race Face Ride XC crankset
∑ Lightweight Easton EA50 handlebar and stem
∑ WTB LaserDisc XC rim/ sealed-bearing hubs wheelset

size 14.5", 16", 18", 20", 22"
color Team Blue / Brushed
frame ALUXX Butted aluminum, 3.5" Travel. Frame Set Available
fork
RockShox Reba SL, 80mm travel
shock Fox Float RP2
handlebar Easton EA30 low rise
stem Easton EA30
seatpost Easton EA30, 350 x 30.9
saddle WTB Silverado Race
pedals NA
shifters Shimano Deore Rapidfire
front derailleur Shimano Deore
rear derailleur Shimano Deore top normal
brakes Avid Juicy 3
levers Avid
cassette SRAM PG950, 11-34
chain Shimano HG 53
cranks RaceFace Ride XC
BB RaceFace SRX ISIS
rims WTB LaserDisc XC
hubs Mavic Alloy Sealed Bearing
spokes Stainless Steel
tires Hutchinson Piranha, folding 26x2.0

I just bought a copy of the UK bike rag ("What Mountain Bike)"that this review is in. The Giant is sweet for the $$$ it seems

buy a cannondale rush and thank me later.

if you don't believe me, go ride one.

you will be a believer. Listen to none of the haters as they don't know what they are missing.

Check out a Jamis Dakkar XLT 1.0 Great bike for the price.

My friend has a Cannondale Prophet, a 2005 model. I rode it once, and I thought it was pretty neat. I'm not sure how much they go for since the price isn't on the site, and my LBS isn't a cannondale dealer, but it sure does ride nice. It cost my friend $2100, but I'm not sure where on the model scale it was. (there's different levels of them)

Truthfully, most any of the bikes recommended will be great. The fun part is going out and test riding them.

Be sure to work with a shop that has a good return policy in case you hate the bike after the first real ride you take.

Try out the different types of suspensions: four bar, VPP, single pivot, etc.. You'll find the one that suits you and your style. Since you'll be doing mostly XC, I'd stay away from anything with more than 4" of travel to make the ride a little lighter for climbs.

Above all, don't let your wallet make your decision. Trust your endorphins.