matt_occ

I currently have a Specialized HardRock Pro Disc bike and I bought it at the end of December last year. I really bought it because I wanted to make sure I was going to like the hobby before buying a really good bike. Well, I love the hobby and I want to buy a full suspension bike.

Some things I'm interested in:
Disc Brakes
Fork with atleast 110mm travel
9-Speed Cassette would be nice

I'm still very new to the sport, components, and bikes but these are a few things that I have picked up over the few months of riding that I would like on my next bike.


Spending limit $1100 bucks

Help me out here and give me some ideas.

jump

Are ya talkin freeride or xc?

Have you seen the new $800 BigHit?? That thing's wicked awesome man!! It's everything the original BigHits are, except it was designed so it could be made cheaply for people without a lot of cash for a humungo bike. It's not cheaply built as in bad cheap.

It comes with front and rear mechanical disc brakes, a 9-speed (I believe), about 7" suspension rear suspension, and it's only about 2 pounds heavier than the 1,500 dollar bikes. If I were to buy a bike, that would be it.

moabrider47

What type of riding are you leaning towards? XC, freeride, DH, or are you just out for fun and don't necessarily think you'll be racing soon? You can get a lot of bike nowadays for that amount of money. Like mentioned earlier, the BigHit is a great value for the money if your into that type of riding. I would look at offerings especially by Giant and Specialized. Nearly every other company also has an offering that would fit the description that you listed. Giant's NRS lineup and Specialized's FSR full suspension bike work great and come spec'ed well. Jamis has been appearing more and more in the mags lately as well.

-Moab


EDIT: I just noticed that you listed a fork with at least 110mm of travel. You're probably looking at a trailbike/freeride setup. The Specialized Enduro line and a few offering by Kona come to mind. I don't think you will want to go with the NRS line like I mentioned earlier. The Giant VT (I think thats the right model) might be worth a look though. Are you looking for anything in particular suspension related like lockout or other features? Is weight much of a concern? Good luck!

dirtbikedude

My recomendation is a bit out of your price range but I would say take a look at the new Giant VT. It is a very sweet rig. My LBS has them and we have been testing one on our local trails riding it on technical ST, dh w/drops up to 8' and long climbs on fire roads. It handles all with out any problem. It is probably, in our opinions, one of the best all-'rounders made.

dirtbikedude

Giant
VT 2
$1,999.99

The VT 2's compact four-bar linkage is lightweight, responsive and has a low center of gravity for great balance. The Manitou Swinger resists bobbing and is super sensitive to the terrain. Suspension travel is adjustable front and rear, from 5 to 5.75 inches in back and the RockShox Psylo XC is adjustable from 3 to 5 inches on the fly! The VT 2 also features sweet stuff from Avid, Race Face, Shimano and Titec.

Here is a pic

KleinMp99

Get $300 more and i'll sell you my beautiful rocky mountain instinct.

Cdude

Hey Man, give me back my bike, you took that outta my garage last night.

just give it back to me anytime soon, no questions asked

matt_occ

I do trail riding only, really. I'll take a look at the Bighit and also the Giant VT today, thanks. I could prob do $1100 because I get 10% off at all of my LHS's because I'm a member of a local bike club.
I won't be doing any XC for a while.


I was looking at the specs on the BigHit and the back shock doesn't really look up to par. Is that shock any good? Doesn't look like it

urbanking

need help spending money eh?? send your spare cash to;
David Kolbasovsky
472 Buchanan st.
Sudbury Ont. Canada
P3C-1E5

moabrider47

The shock brand sounds vaguely familiar - Some freeride and DH guys here would know how it rates with other long-travel shocks. The next level up would get you the Fox Shock, but would put you above your price range. If you're looking to do trailriding, the BigHit probably isn't for you anyways. I have always thought of the BigHit as something more free-ride/jump oriented. Something like the Giant VT would be more what you were looking for in a trailbike. Kona also makes some good trail bikes. The Specialized Enduro might also be worth a look. Like dirtbikedude, I too have heard some very good things about the VT. One of the recent MTB mags had a review on the Giant VT. Also, don't forget about www.mtbr.com for reviews and to see if long-term users of the bikes you are looking at have experienced any problems.

-Moab

matt_occ

Alrighty I have been looking around on mtbreviews and have came up with this list of bikes. Please tell me which one you think would be best and has the best components. I don't know a lot about the components, so that is why I'm asking you pro's.

Cannondale Jekyll 500 - https://www.cannondale.com/bikes/03/cusa/model-3VN5.html

Giant Warp DS1 - https://www.giant-bicycles.com/us/030...18&model=10639

Specialized Rockhopper FSR Comp Disc - https://www.specialized.com/SBCBkMode...untain&my=2003

Please let me know which bike weighs less. Which would be better for me and also which bike has the best components.


Thanks!

moabrider47

Heres what I got from looking at all the specs.

Each bike has its own pros and cons. Overall I think that the Giant is the worst of the picks you have come up with. Usually I would recommend a Giant right off, but this one looks less than spectacular. Nearly every component is no-name or lower than those found on the other bikes. I have also ridden a Warp (last year's) and found it to be heavy on the scale and noticeably heavy when riding. The design also seems causes lots of pedal-induced bobbing.The Drivetrain is also noticeably lower-spec'ed than the other two bikes.

The other two bikes come with the same rims, front derrailluer, and shifter. The Cannondale comes with an XT rear derraileur as opposed to the LX on the Specialized. You also get
Shimano fully-hydraulic discs on the Specialized instead of the Cannondale-branded V's on the Cannondale. You get clipless on the Specialized as opposed to the clips and straps on the Cannondale. For Cranks, the Cannondale comes with "Shimano" cranks, while the Specialized comes with in-house Strongarm cranks. I have heard from people who are impressed with the cranks and Specialized's in-house stuff in general. The Specialized also comes with Specialized Roll-X tires. These have gotten great reviews in some of mags lately. The Cannondale comes with Hutchinson Scorpions. I haven't ridden them and can't comment. It would be worth a look at mtbr . The Cannondale comes with the Manitou Black as opposed to the Manitou Axel on the Specialized. I'm not super-familiar with the Axel, but from what I know, I have the impression that the Black is beefier and intended for harsher riding.

The Specialized seems to have the majority of the better specs - The Cannondale only beats it in the rear derrailleur and the fork - not saying that the Manitou Axel could not handle your riding. Someone who knows the lineup of Fox's rear shocks and where they fall in order could tell you how those rate compared to each other. The Specialized's FSR suspension design is well-known as being superior to many. The Jeckyl's has had some criticism in the past, though a review of a more recent Jeckyl in one of the mags was not as bad as in the past. It will come down to which fits best and which company you feel most comfortable with in the end, but based on the specs I just researched, I would go with the Specialized. Raiyn has a version of the FSR and from reading his posts it seems as though he is happy with the quality. We've disagreed on recommendations of bikes and what we think of Specializeds in the past, but I'll go with the Specialized here. I'm still not totally crazy about some of Specialized's bikes, but out of the three you've picked it seems to be the winner without being able to tell which of the bikes will fit you better.

-Moab


Edited: To make it readable. I type too fast.

matt_occ

Thanks for all of the information. Yes, I was looking at the Giant specs and I noticed a lot of the components were in-house made and that sorta told me to be skeptic of it.

How does the rock hopper compare to this enduro? https://www.specialized.com/SBCBkMode...untain&my=2003

Is it worth the price difference?

a2psyklnut

Don't forget Haro. Someone here (can't remember exactly) recently bought an Extreme X.3 and is extremely (pun intended) happy with it! Nice spec for MSRP of $1100.00.

www.harobikes.com

BTW, around here, the shops offer the 10% discount to club members on "accessories, clothing...etc" not on new bikes. You should check it out with the local shops. I'd hate for you to count on that discount and not be able to afford it.

L8R

matt_occ

yeah I saw the haro bikes, but i had never heard of them before.. are they good bikes?

Rotifer

I'll give you an alternate idea. Ride your bike for a season and learn to use it. Take note, this is not criticism but advice. The bike you currently have is well beyond your capabilities (by your own admission), purchasing the rigs listed above will only lengthen your learning curve. In addition, FS bikes are complicated machines, you'll do yourself a favor if you spend some time getting acquainted with bicycle mechanics.