Mountain Biking - which one of these bikes do you think is the best?

Which one do you think is the best bike for freeride, dh, djs? And since I have a new thread up would you recommend any other bike instead?

I think a Specialized Bighit would fill the bill.

When you make a poll like this you really need to give more than 4 options. I would say either a Rocky Mountain, Santa Cruz, or Specialized, or a Giant AC1, with the AC1 just being freeride in particular.

I realize that there probably a dozen rides I could put up there that would do what I want to do but... I have a norco and I love it so I thought I would stay with what I know works well. I did put the "Something Else" categorie if you would like to advertise a different ride that you think would do the job for a cheaper price.

I am still curious which one of THESE bikes you think is the best.

You are talking about the exact same frame with different components. They are a sweet ride. I have a similar geometry bike and love the ride. Check the components, your pocket book and figure out which one works. It is a good all round geometry decent for freeriding, dj and mild dh. Obviously they are ht's so that is a limitation :)

Originally posted by Maelstrom
Obviously they are ht's so that is a limitation :)

How is that a limitation? People are doing huge drops on ht's far above anything I'm at right now. The reason I like ht's is becuase I still do some xc so I guess I'm a weight-concious-freerider wannabe... if that makes sense.:D What do you think about some of the Kona ht's?

I didn't know they were the same frames. Well, that makes the question of which one is better answered.

Dude, remember I live really close to the shore and live in Whistler and ride a HT. You can do most things on a HT but in all seriousness you can't drop the same trails (especially when you get older) and going DH on a ht limits speed BIG TIME!!! They aren't limitations if you aren't worried about it but in order to progress to a certain level you will need a dually someday. :D

I ride the Kona Roast from last year. Essentially the same bike and around the same warranty. I love my kona ht and would buy another one if I purchased another aluminum ht (My next ht will be a steel frame for sure). :) But again you have very similar geometry and materials :)

Weight Weenie freerider? Whats that ;) :D

Originally posted by Maelstrom
Weight Weenie freerider? Whats that ;) :D

I have absolutely no idea. I think its a beginner's idea of a beefy xc bike.

which is why I have been eyeing off the Kona Dawg recently.mmmmmm ;)

Originally posted by skdsl
which is why I have been eyeing off the Kona Dawg recently.mmmmmm ;)

Why?...besides the fact that is a hot bike :)

Have you checked out www.supergo.com recently? They've got some sweet deals on last year's K2's Freeride Hardtails. The Disco Monkey and the Flying Monkey!

L8R

I'd rather go with a Giant or a Trek. I personally don't have any experience with Norco.
:beer:

how are K2's quality I've never ridden one? Will they stand up to 5-10 ft. drops?

I looked at the supergo site and for a '01 K2 w/ a Noleen fork and xt/lx components its $880 roughly , for $880 I can get a Specialized Big Hit... okay the components aren't as good maybe but it comes more travel (I don't know what kind of quality Mozo X is).

I am surprised by the number of people voting for something else. If you are looking for a good quality burly freeride/xc ht than Norco makes one of the best. K2 is decent but I don't see many out here. Giant doesn't make a burly freeride ht so they can't even be looked at (I love Giant but they don't have the right geometry for a good ALL round bike to do freeride, xc, and dj's) Kona and Specialized also have ht's that will hold up to the abuse of drops and jumps.

Specialized Big hit is a great bike but I don't think it suits the style you have described previously. Which K2 is it? Also, I thought you wanted a ht?

I did and I still do I'm being open minded and you brought a good point that hts slow down when you go over a drop and when I can get a fs freeride bike that weighs 28-30 lbs. then that will adress my weight concern. Also, I was looking at the Norco site and on the side where they kinda promote the bike that you're looking at it said something to the effect of these ht bikes (Rampage, Torrent and Sasquatch) weigh just about as much as a fs, so thats when I started looking at fs's.

Oh, those K2's I was talking about were the '01 brass monkey, '01 flying monkey and the '01 zed 5.0

Keep in mind that these ht's are burlier than the equal weight fs. There are no good 28 to 30 pnd freeride bikes. You really have to figure out what you want because in the price range you are asking you won't find

1 - burly durable freeride
2 - light weight good pedaler xc bike
3 - reasonable price

In order to find that you need to be willing to spend MUCH more. Don't get the Zed series as they do break under the conditions you describe. K2's dually's aren't the most durable. Ht's do just about everything although 10 ft is pushing it a bit (depending on rider skill and parts on bike. But 10 ft on a 1000$ dually is equally scarey as they aren't built for it and WILL break. The big hit would handle it but won't be good for xc as it is built for big hits. For what you keep saying you want I think a heavier ht will be better than a lighter dually.

I don't know about the states but here K2 is a supermarket brand bike found in sporting good stores not bike stores. That always makes me a little warry of them. Again I am not sure how they are represented in the states.

thanks for all the info Maelstrom, so do you think the Big Hit (the regular one not the comp or DH) will be able to take big hits? I think my ride will probably be a less xc and dj and more freeride now that I'm exploring more bikes. If I wanted to do some xc then I'll probably need to get a ht freeride bike right? The K2's that I've seen have only been in bike stores but then, this isn't whistler where the average person probably spends a easy couple grand on their bike (wish I lived there).:D

1 - That particular build is like a burly xc...the suspension is single pivot and not really perfect for big hits. It should hold up and specialized has a great warranty. A better bike imo and much improved is Ironhorse SGS Sport (http://www.supergo.com/itemdisplay.asp?parentid=21094&secid=7559&subid=7&compflag=1&company=Iron+Horse) Good for dh and freeriding and will definately take the hits. 1.5" headset with a reducer and very good components. Imo Ironhorse is producing the best value bikes this year. This one is really no exception.

2 - A freeride ht is great for xc and dj and freeriding. The geometry isn't perfect for everything but it is good for everything. It is a little slack for xc and too upright for true dj's.

3 - :)...Whistler is nice...

Ironhorse makes me weary because I've seen those in department stores.

I agree, in the past. But ironhorse will make a huge comeback this year and next. The bikes rock. The new linkage on the higher end ones are really strong and the bikes are going to be very competitve.

If you are seriously looking at the big hit for doing big hits jump up to the sport. Double the price but much better suspension system :)

The specialized bighit is a good beginner bike, and if you had enough skill it could handle some big stuff. I sat on one and the rear is very soft....you'd need to get a stiffer spring if you weigh over 160lbs. The fork isnt too great, but I am sure with some kind of adjustment you could make it better. With ironhorse their lowest end FSR bike is $1400, and at that point you could start thinking about a specialized bighit comp for a hundred more or so.

I went to my favorite trail today and I saw this guy and his gf or wife or somethin pull up in this VW golf and on the back of his ramp (car) was a Norco Team Shore I think and a Santa Cruz Bullit my jaw dropped and I couldn't stop staring at that bike... those bikes. And then this lady picked the SC and took off up this hill and she was hauling. Now I kinda wondering if I can justify getting a bike instead of a car even though those bikes are way over my head... someday I'll get one.:D

I was going to suggest that bike but I knew it was outside your limit...Very sweet bike...the Norco is awesome too :)...built for shore by the shore :)

I'm thinking the bullit will be my next bike, I'll have to make an exception and stretch my limits.:D :D

i ride a '01 norco rampage at the moment adn have had no problems with it. I love the norco hardtails they are built pretty strong of freeride with out costing a ton of cash. I have had to upgrade a few componets due to breakage but thats just from riding them hard. If your looking for something that u can just ride a half hr through the woods or on the roads to get to your fav. drop then i would recomend any of those. All depending on what maelstrom said before about compnets. If your componet crazy go with the torrent. cost more though. I have to admit thought the 5" junior T's on the rampage make it look pretty mean.

I have been donig 6 to 8 footers a lot last summer as well and my rampage frame has held up to those fine. I had to upgrade the rims though. I have no idea how the Alex DX rims are. I've never heard anything about them. Just remember to make sure hitting a tranny when landing or it will do some damage. 3 footers to flat haven't been to bad but are still a little rough on the bike.

Specialised BiG Hit they wiegh about 18kg you would only want downhill with a lift at the bottom.
Free Ride and Downhill are massively differnet bikes.
If you are Heavy then Downhill type only
If you are light you should get away with most bikes.
Just take the bikes you like for a quick peddle around the block as most people can tell straight away if they Hate a bike. That eliminate some.
Good Luck