Mountain Biking - Next Bike?

The owner of the shop where I work wants to pick up another line of bikes. I've suggested a couple, but I'm curious as to what would be the most popular. We currently carry Cannondale, Gary Fisher, Haro and Jamis. I think he's thinking more high end or custom. Vote in the poll please!

Will probably build up my next one from a steel hardtail frame (Ritchey?). For the sake of argument, I'd consider a stock Kona.

At first I was going to say Giant, because they are so value packed. But then I read the comment about high-end to custom. I would go Rocky Mountain or Santa Cruz. Santa Cruz makes awesome bikes and they cover pretty much every type of mountain biking. Rocky Mountain has a wide variety of MTBs but I don't think they do custom, whereas Santa Cruz does.


DG, if you read this post don't think that I am dissing Giant.

Originally posted by fubar5


DG, if you read this post don't think that I am dissing Giant.

Thanks Fubar, But honestly I thought the same thing. I was gonna vote Giant too until I read the last line about high-end or custom. But you're right about bang for your buck too. I think Giant has everyone beat in that respect.

Giant has everybody more than beat,but I don't know what that is.

It's funny how when I lived on the East Coast Santa Cruz was considered a very high end and exclusive bike. Now that I live in North Cali., about an hour from Santa Cruz, they are a dime a dozen. You see way more Santa Cruz's than C-dales, or Rocky mountain. I would even go as far as saying that you see as many Santa Cruz's out here as you do Treks.

Oh I forgot to mention what my next bike would be. It would have to be an Intense Tracer with Chris King Disco-Tec hubs, Magura Louise brakes, the new Manitou Black fork, and Race Face Next LP cranks. ISIS of course...

I voted other. My dream frame is a Waterford 2400.
http://www.waterfordbikes.com/
A true WORLD CLASS frame! More a piece of art than anything. You almost don't want to build it and ride it, but NA! I know the "trend" is going to FS Rigs but there is nothing like this hardtail on the planet.
Components would be Race Face, Suntour, White Brother's, Sun, SDG, Jag Wire, Bullseye, Profile.

While I am a full-suspension advocate, I have to say that those Waterford Frames are works of arts. Amazing...

Pozer, you aren't a hardtail freak? I kinda want a Fisher Sugar 4 or something as my next bike but everybody I ride with says it is unnecessary.

Not a hardtail freak at all. In fact, I'm the complete opposite of a retro-grouch. I have a Carbon Fiber Full suspension bike with lock outs in the rear shock and front suspension, plus disc brakes.

What exactly do they mean it's not necessary? I would much rather spend four hours on a Full-suspension bike than a Hardtail. I don't consider a backache the next day part of the experience.

I don't know why it is unnecessary. Maybe the terrain isn't rough enough or something. I am kinda torn between retro-grouch and bring on the new.

If you are looking for something up-market, good and different, try Pace.

If I hadn't gone for the Kona recently, then I would have chosen the Pace too.

I'm not too sure what the availability of Pace bikes are out in the states, but for Aluminium bikes, they're pretty hard to beat...even unseating Santa Cruz bikes in the hardtail stakes.

Check 'em out at www.pacecycles.co.uk

Keep on trucking!

Rich :)

See'ins how Florida is a lot like Texas(east) I would recommend Specialized. Great line of bikes(hardtail, fs and st), very versatile. And a better deal than most because they pack a lot of their own parts on them. But for high end those Ibis's are just damb neat. The softtail ti will probably be my next bike.

Hey Vfboom-
I'll vote for anything (hardtail) that comes in steel or chromalloy. I'm currently looking for a new bike that suits my style of riding...and i could go into detail why i think that aluminum is not as desirable to steel or chromo for me....but the bottom line is that most the bike stores that carry mid and high level bikes around here, don't have the frame material i want, unless i go "custom" which i'm considering. Then it's usually some obscure non-USA made company (which is important to me). The responses i got while on my shopping expedition from the boys/girls who run the register at these bike stores said that aluminum was the only way to go because that's what they sell the most of. (OK!?!?)....however the people in the back with the dirty fingernails and scars on their legs said they stay away from aluminum for the same reasons i have. That was good to hear....but what has happened to steel and chro-mo? Hasn't the cost of electricity and the number of returns due to broken/distored frames made from aluminum made it less desireable in the long run yet?
thanks again!

Jamis Komodo

LiteSpeed or Serrota or Cove bikes. All three brands are simply awesome!!!!!! Especially Serrota and Litespeed. The most highend bikes available imho.

Holy smokes...another 2 year old thread...my god.

Mael... sometimes its nice to bring the old ones out.

i didn't even realize it was a 2 year old thread...who keeps bringing them back?

Giant AC 1 with a boxxer up front probably somewhere around the '98 to '99 vintage:D

Originally posted by mindbogger
i didn't even realize it was a 2 year old thread...who keeps bringing them back?

Remeo :)...

Originally posted by romeo_14_
Mael... sometimes its nice to bring the old ones out. It was dead and GONE the decision was made TWO YEARS AGO. Let dead threads die.






ironically I'm perpetuating this thread with this post :rolleyes:

If i were the dealer, i would do Specialized or Santa Cruz. The big S does have S works... but santa cruz are rare

Its interesting how important companies like Schwinn, and GT just dissapeared out of the picture since they were bought- 5 years ago we wouldnt have imagined it

ritchey ni-ti, would be my choice, one reason is mr.ritchey was the main ht frame developement artist of the mtb. And he doesn't shout about it, just welds good stuff, and has never given up designing parts for us to grind.

Strong
http://www.strongframes.com

Hey everyone, I wouldn't be too hard on Romeo.

He probably did an innocent search in a search engine and came across bikeforums through someone's response in the NEXT BIKE? thread. That's how I found this place.

Maybe, threads over a year should be removed by the administrator.

As for my next bike...not for a while but it would be a full suspension freeride/DH by Brodie, Balfa, or Cove.

I think the banshee scream.... I love hardtails and that is supposed to be the best fr ht around :)

Hmmm... Its still quite a good thread.. who cares how old it is? :)

I think the banshee scream.... I love hardtails and that is supposed to be the best fr ht around :)
i think you might be thinking of another bike... maybe the morphine? the scream is a full squish.

It may be an old thread but it's good.

A good high end and American made bike: Yeti

I have a duallie race frame on the way for my next project:

LOL... well dont i look like a bit of a ** now :P.... Yeh your right... Sorry about that, I only saw it today in school in my mag and it instantly stood out.... Ok... Next bike i get is the Banshee Morphine

It may be an old thread but it's good.

A good high end and American made bike: Yeti

I have a duallie race frame on the way for my next project:

Yes, it's nice to hear what new bikes are on the market that people want. I'm sure that's changed from two year ago so it's actually a new thread at this point.

Yeah, whatever happened to the heavy hitters like GT?

Actually, my response was to someone's post -- which was removed by the moderator -- because he was name-calling the poor fellow who resurrected this old thread.

I don't think that really warrants getting upset and flaming someone. There's worst crimes being commited on the internet.

If someone doesn't like a thread, the solution is simple...skip it. How easy is that? :)

Well, I think a dead-bang winner in terms of popularity in the market would be Santa Cruz, but my next bike appears to likely be a Maverick American.

Norco!

I think the banshee scream.... I love hardtails and that is supposed to be the best fr ht around :)

Ummm the scream?...its a bighit long travel dually...:)