Originally Posted by hollenjf
Heya.. I'm fron northeast PA so there arnt many bike shops around here so I'm quite limited with information, anyhow i was wonderin if someone can reccomend a mountain bike thats fits what I'm looking for.
*16" or 15.5" frame, softtail.
*Front suspension with very small travel. I hate riding a bike with huge front shocks and the handle bars way up in the air.. I like my handlebars low and front end/neck close to the wheel for better stability.
*Looking for something that is solid that I can jump, manuver easily, take very rough terraine, go fast, beat up, but has good enough gears to tear uphill too.
I currently have a NISHIKI AMBUSH that is perrfect for what type of riding I do, but its old and starting to fall apart.
The style of riding I do is a mix of wooded trails, downhills, rocky terraine, uphills, and obsticle paths.
Thanks to anyone that can help.
Josh!
it really depends on what you consider rough terrain... as it looks like from most people's point of view you want freeride bike toughness, xc-race short travel suspension as well as xc climbability.
you will definitely have to look for a compromise between the various styles of mountain biking.
are you sure you want a softtail specifically or simply full suspension?
these days small travel forks are rarely made for tough, huckable bikes... what is your view of short travel in the front? 90mm? and for downhilling, a long travel fork with handlebars high up in the air would be more stable and comfortable, not to mention a safer riding position.
from your post, you want it to:
-jump, take very rough terrain, beat up
-maneuver easily, go fast, good enough gears to tear uphill.
-short travel full-suspension
those are completely seperate qualities found in opposite ends of the mountain biking continuum, thus you must make a compromise...
reasons why tough, jumpable, rough terrain, beat-upable bikes don't have good enough gears to tear uphill: third chainrings, sometimes even the smallest as well, are taken out and replaced with a bashguard and boxguide/chainguide for ground clearance and the fact that when you take rough jumps, a lot of times you'll land rough and your chain will fall to the bottom bracket area, no matter how good your bike or how plush your suspension is, unless you choose your line and land well every single time. the stance for a bike like this is laid back, saddles usually tilt upwards a bit, long travel forks in the front make it for
xc bikes are made to go fast and are designed to save weight = lighter, so easier to maneuver and go uphill, faster. you usually ride them with a stance close to that of a road bike, without the drop handlebars.
speaking along the lines of specialized, there are two 'compromise' bikes that may or may not suit you:
the enduro line (sx trail and sxtrail2 included) and the stumpjumper fsr, with the latter being more xc-oriented and generally faster, more maneuverable and easier to 'tear uphill', where the former is tougher, can take very rough terrain, and more beat-upable. the stumpjumper fsr would probably cater more to you if you absolutely hate huge-front-travel forks with handlebars so high they make you feel like you're being born again.
both are full-suspension bikes, if that's what you meant by softtail... which according to earlier posts than mine, no.
you know, you can just get both a kona stab supreme and a cannondale scalpel and call it a day...stick it in a half-truck-half-car like a subaru baja and you've got the best of both worlds!