Mountain Biking - The Truth about F/S rigs

Okay, my current scoot is a Klein Attitude hardtail. However, I'd like to take the plunge into the world of F/S. A few new rides have caught my attention. They are:

-Trek fuel OCLV
-Santa Cruz Blur
-Ellsworth Truth

I'm looking for a lightweight F/S rig that I can race, but also ride the technical trails with my F/S bros. So, I'm guessing that I want 3-4 inches of suspension, but having not ridden a F/S bike - I'm really guessing here.

If anyone has any experience on any of these machines, please chime in with your thoughts. Or, if you have another recomendation - please do tell.

ThanX!!!! :D :D

Intense Spyder
Gary Fisher Sugar
Specialized Epic
Specialized FSR XC
Turner XCE (I think????)

All excellent bicycles!

And since you currently own a Klein have you looked into the Adept Pro?

L8R

good luck getting your hands on a blur or a spyder anytime soon!

Originally posted by a2psyklnut
And since you currently own a Klein have you looked into the Adept Pro?
L8R

ThanX for the bike suggestions. Yup - I looked @ the Adept Pro, but I think it came in a bit heavy for my liking. The Palomino also looks good, but again, it's a bit heavy compared to some of the others. I do really like my Klein though. The bike still looks and rides well after 4 years of serious use and occasional abuse!

Originally posted by MtnBikerChk
good luck getting your hands on a blur or a spyder anytime soon!

I most probably won't make my move until the Spring. Hopefully, these bikes will be more readily available by then. The Blur is on the top of my list, thus far!

If you didn't know already. Trek owns Gary Fisher and Klein, so all their bikes share a lot of technology.

The Trek Fuel, the GF Sugar and the Klein Adept all are similar takes on the same design principal.

They each have their own geometries, but the concept is the same.

If you want a stock off the shelf bike, these are good bikes as well as many others.

If you want a custom build, then the doors wide open. There are sooo many new designs available. It's really a matter of finding one to match your budget and your style. The one's listed are just the beginning of available bikes.

The fun has just begun. I love shopping for new bikes. Let me (us) know if we can further help.

BTW, if I were in the market for a new lightweight XC bike, the production bike of choice (for me) would probably be a Specialized FSR XC. I like the geometries that Specialized has. If I were going custom, I'd go with a Santa Cruz Blur and wait till they're available. If you didn't want to wait, perhaps an Ellsworth or the Turner.

If you want lightweight, will race some, but not all the time and want a good lightweight all around bike, the Intense Tracer always gets good reviews and can be built up lightweight and they're more readily available.

L8R

I am a huge fan of Kona bikes. Have you checked out the KingKikapu? It is a sweet fs xc race bike and can handle hard riding as well. Here is a link to it:

KINGKIKAPU (http://www.konaworld.com/kw_index.cfm)

All the bikes you mentioned are good bikes. However, I have never riden any of them so I can not comment on how they ride.

Slainte:beer:

Have you looked at the new klein palomino? I test rode one at a demo day a few weeks ago against a trek fuel 100, it is by far a better bike than the trek. If you can swing the cash look at the palomino.

Giant NRS is a great race bike and a great value, too. Not as supple as other designs, but you won't need to mess with a lockout during a race.

If you're looking for a cushy ride there are better choices. But for a racer, the NRS mixes hardtail efficiency and the control of FS perfectly.

I just got an email newsletter from Supergo. They have Intense Tracer frames on Sale! For $1,350!!! Normally $1,750!!!

L8R

Originally posted by bac


I most probably won't make my move until the Spring. Hopefully, these bikes will be more readily available by then. The Blur is on the top of my list, thus far!

don't count on it.

"they" say, if you want one by spring, put your deposit down now.

heh heh.

Don't listen to Woody - he's always pushing that NRS :)

The Trek Fuel is a sweet bike. I can tell you from experience though that the best thing to do is to go to the biggest bike shop you can find. Then spend an afternoon riding everything they have. And don't just ride each one for a minute or two, ride it over curbs, on a flat, up and downhill if possible, every kind of terrain available and then decide. Also you can wear them down on price by driving them nuts like this. I found one of my favorites this way, and it turned out to be a bike I hadn't even considered. Just ride several, narrow it down to 2 or 3 favorites, then ride and ride some more.

Another thing you will hear alot about is pedaling induced "bob" in some duallies. If a bike that you like otherwise has this trait, give it more of a chance. On alot of bikes this is something that you can eliminate with saddle time just by altering your form. Don't let a salesman talk you out of a particulat bike just because of this...

Originally posted by MtnBikerChk
Don't listen to Woody - he's always pushing that NRS.

You mean there are other bikes besides Giant?:confused: