Tweek

Ok it's been a long time since I've been biking my old job tore me up with the hours, but I've moved and gotten a better paying job with less hours. So I can get back into the grove. I haven't gotten much chance to look at any of the 06 models.

I'm leaning towards full suspension, with decent travel, good components. What can $2000 buy these days?

EJ123

Are you looking for a firmer air shock, or a squishy coil rear shock?

WannaGetGood

Plese Select A Form Of Riding :
-Cross Crountry
-All Mountain
-Freeride
-Downhill
-DJ/Street

a2psyklnut

$2000 will get you a lot of bike. What type of riding do you anticipate you'll enjoy?

Tweek

Oh, sorry it's been a long time guys, by the way hi a2psyklnut

I like XC.

a2psyklnut

Man, I didn't even realize it was you Tweek. How's things?

Tweek

Things are doing great man, I've finally moved out of crime filled Memphis, that place scared me, the crime was getting out of control, it's pretty sad.

I live in Kansas flat land now, but just a hop skip and jump away from Colorado I can't wait to spend a weekend up there with a new bike.


I'm looking at the Trek Fuel EX 8 right now, I like it's specs.

a2psyklnut

Oh yeah, the Specialized Epic or FSR line-ups are very nice for '06 and/or '07.

I'm also impressed with the Iron Horse bikes with their DW-link. Someone was having a huge '06 blow-out sale. Check out www.mtbr.com for info and that.

I've NEVER been a fan of Trek or Gary Fisher's. Don't know why? I guess their geometries never felt right for me, so I built up a bit of a bias.

I've ridden a lot of Giant's in my day and their FS have always just felt "dead" to me.

As far as boutique brands. I'll always have a soft spot in my heart for Yeti's. Their FS XC bikes are very nice rides.

Titus is a custom Specialized. So, they will get my stamp of approval.

Intense, my favorite, but out of your price range.

Santa Cruz. Blur's and Superlites are about $2,500 for a decent rig. Less if you shop around.

That's all I can remember for now. Tons of bikes in your budget though.

EJ123

I love the EX I have. I liked that this bike had the Fox suspension, but it was too much so I got the ex6. https://specialized.com/bc/SBCBkModel.jsp?spid=12791

cream.soda

i think i'd take a fuel ex over an fsrxc... i've never tried out a fuel but from what i've heard the fsrxc is heavier, bulkier and the fsr design makes the rear suspension stiffer than the trek's pivot design.

even though i like speccy

try out different brands though, maybe you don't like the amount of suspension bob in one bike compared to another. always great to compare bike feels, rather than just basing the decision on brand and mix of components alone.

a2psyklnut

My sister lives in Lawrence. Not too far away from you. She loves KS.

Glad you're doing well.

Tweek

The Specialized Stump jumper is nice too

How does the Specialized StumpJumper FSR Comp compare to the Trek Fuel EX 8, they are both in the same price range?

Tweek

When are the 2007 Kona's coming out cause they look pretty nice. There are so many options, I better start visiting dealers, Kona is gonna be a bit hard though, the dealer is 3 hours away. Trek and Specialized are local though.

cream.soda

well depends on how much service you can do on your own... and whether the bike feels so much better to you that you would think it'll be worth it purchasing it from an out of the way dealer.

I would ride all of them first to see which one feels best. if there was a tie then i'd take the one with the components i preferred, if one has more adjustability, if i liked the colour/design more, etc.

see which suspension design you like better; trek's usually feel more plush and specialized's fsr is usually more stiff for their xc models.

Chone

Well I guess if you haven't tried them then might as well not make such a claim what you've heard is worth nothing here most of the time.

Dannihilator

+1 to chone

If you never tried one out, you do not have an opinion, being that you don't have any base knowledge on one of the bikes.

Yes, the FSRXC is heavier, it will also stand up to more abuse, and due to the 4bar horst design, it will pedal, and brake better than the Fuel's walking 4 bar ever will.

The advantage about the Fuel though is that you get a better rear shock depending on the models you are comparing. I know that the FSR XC comes with an Xfusion rear shock, it's a decent, shock but it has nothing on the Rock Shox Rear shock though that is on the fuel70 or the EX6.

My advice is try out a bunch of bikes in that price range, and whatever bike in that range feels best to you and you like it, go with it.

biker_lad

What about Scott Bikes?

ed 

Where in Kansas do ya live? I'm in Topeka.

You should have a look at the Specialized Epic line if you're into XC and want a dually. They're pretty nice. The Giant Anthem is a great choice as well. The new Gary Fisher Raceday looks like a nicer XC racer, but it's only like 3" of travel.

Giant, Specialized, Trek, Gary Fisher, and Klein are the main choices here in Topeka. That's what Capp's Bike Shop sells, so I like to stick with what's easy to warranty.

This is a great time of year to catch the '06 closeouts too.

If you're local, lemme know. We'll hit the trails. We go on Tues and Fri. I go every other day that I can.

The Stumpy is a good All Mountain bike. If you're leaning toward the long travel XC instead of a normal XC bike. Check out the Giant Trance, Capp's has a Stumpy that I drool over for $2030. I'm not too into Fisher Cake's. Trek Remedy looks nice.

ed 

You could always build one. I just built a Jamis Dakar XLT 5" bike with a Fox Vanill R 130 fork, XT components, Juicy 5 Hydro's, Easton/Raceface cockpit, XT Rhyno Lites, Kenda Nevegal 2.35's, and Saint Crankset.

I have about $850 in it and it would run around $2700 to buy new. If you do your homework and take your time, you can make some good deals.

myenzo

I like the giant line. If you are looking to go strait up xc you should look at the anthem 3 it goes for 1600 and has some good components on it. I felt one of these things and they are light! If you are looking to go a little more agressive you should look into the trance 3, or if you can spare an extra 200 dollars, the trance 2. I got to go out and ride on one of those and they are really nice. Hope this helps.

Peek the Geek

Well, I hope this thread has cleared everything up for you. Are there any brands that haven't yet been recommended and slammed?

My recommendation would first be to figure out what type of rides you'll be doing most often, and with that information decide on how much travel you want. 4, 5, 7 inches? Once you figure that, you can compare specific bikes.

Next, determine what your purchase options are. I.e., what brands do the shops you'd consider buying from carry?

Since you've already given a price, narrowing it down to travel length and a few brands will make it a whole lot easier for everyone here to give you advice. Whether that advice is worth a rat's butt remains to be seen.

Tweek

I think I've narrowed it down the 07 Specialized Stumpy FSR Expert (4.75" rear travel, 5.5" front)

But now I'm all confused after reading a big argument thread on mtbr.com about XC and AM bikes, what I gathered is that XC bikes can't do jumps or drops (not even small ones??) XC is for shaved legged weight wienies that just care about the fastest time and not the fun factor??

Don't All Mountain bikes weight a lot more, have less gears usually and just meant mainly for doing jumps on and not really trail riding?

Anyway what I'm looking for in a bike is a good trail bike that can handle small jumps and drops but also decent weight and full gear range. Doesn't that sound like the Stumpy is good for me?

Roxter

If you want to ride XC i would suggest the Specialized Epic. Great XC dual suspension bike, very light.

Tweek

The Epic is nice but I'd like the greater suspension travel of the Stumpjumper FSR

Can the Stumpjumper FSR hold up to jumping and drops? (I don't mean huge ones like in videos like New World Disorder, just stuff you might find on a technical trail.)

Peek the Geek

The categories can be tricky. Nowadays, there's a category between XC and AM---"Trail" bikes. Basically, that means they pedal more efficiently than the all mountain bikes but are more rugged and plush than the lightweight XC bikes. In the Specialized line, the Epic is the XC bike, the Enduro is the all-mountain bike. The Stumpjumper is the trail bike, and it sounds like the best fit for you. Sturdy enough for the drops and jumps you'd encounter on a technical trail, yet light and efficient and with a geometry suitable for tight singletrack.

If the Stumpy is what you like, get it. Sounds like it'd be just right for you.