rasheed

i just got back into biking this past august and i’m already thinking of getting a new bike in the not-so-distant future (maybe next spring/summer, depending on my finances – i have a baby on the way, God willing)... my fisher tassajara has been great, but i don’t think it’s the best bike for the type of riding i want to get into – i’m also looking to getting a full-sus.

i’ve been looking at some freeride/dh bikes like the norco shore, bullit, rm7, rm switch... all of these look like great bikes that i’d want to own one day, but they’re all a bit too pricy for me and some are too heavy for my liking. plus, i don’t think i’ll be doing a lot of hardcore freeriding or any downhilling either, so all of them are a bit too much bike for me.

i want something that can handle a bit more than just cross-country riding... something like light freeriding or what i’ve seen others on this forum call “aggressive cross-country” riding. basically, i want a light bike that’s tough enough to handle jumps and ok-sized drops (between 2’-4’) easily, but still be light enough to pedal up good sized hills.

i visited the LBS close to my work and saw a 2003 fluid 3.0 for around $1200-1300 CAD (before taxes) and i figured that this might be a good bike for the kind of riding i want to do... any thoughts or other bike suggestions? ideally, i’d like to find a bike for around $1500 CAD or less...

Maelstrom 

The fluid is fantastic. Its originaly purpose was to give smaller riders access to the vps series bikes. The normal VPS's are huge by comparisson and many riders find them heavy and cumbersome. The fluid is a great bike. For 2004 you might even want to look at the Norco 6 which is the grown up brother to that bike.

For 1500 and less you are pushing the quality back quite a bit however you are probably near or have access to a sportchek. They sell bikes called Ironhorse SGS series. You may have to ask them to bring one in special but the SGS Sport is a great bike that fit in around 1500 cdn as well. Definately worth considering. The only downfall is having to give sportchek your money.

Past that look for closeouts (2003 year end bikes) on the Norco Drop, Kona Stinky, Kona Dawg and the Fluid. They are all great bikes you should be able to find on close out for around 1500cdn.

BTW from your description you will not want the Norco Shore or upper level Norcos. They weigh a tonne and have some serious bobbing on hills.

rasheed

hey maelstrom, thanks for the reply and the advice.

yeah, i realised that i’d be pushing the quality back quite a bit with the amount of money i’m looking to spend. but with a baby on the way, it’ll be hard to convince the wife that spending $2000-$4000 on a bike would be worth it... heck, i think it’d be hard to convince her it’d be worth it even without the baby coming, heh.

i’m hoping to find a brand new older model bike (maybe 2002-2003) or a good condition used bike. i’d prefer a new bike over a used one cause of the warranty... but either would do.

when i saw the 2003 fluid 3.0 at the LBS i thought it was a pretty good deal for $1300. i just hope that by the time i’m 100% set on getting a new bike that they still have it... if they do, that’d be great.

i took a quick peek at some of the reviews on mtbr on the SGS sport, from the reviews i’ve seen so far, it’s gotten some really good ones. i’ll definitely consider it when making my final decision... again, thanks.

Maelstrom 

No worries I just bought a NEW 2002 closeout bike. Well worth it if you can find something you like in your size and price range...best of luck

mindbogger

hey on oct 18 down by exibition place they are having a retailers convention. Maybe you can get a full suspension for cheaper? They will be selling off 2003 things so you might be able to pick up something for a lot less. Check it out!

iamlucky13

Also check out the Giant AC series...pretty similar to the Fluids I believe. Beyond that, Kona's Stinky looks like a lot of fun, although I've never ridden one.

a2psyklnut

There are a lot of bikes that fit the criteria you listed. Many manufacturer's call them "Trailbikes". Some have coil springs, most have air. Bikes like the GIant AC series. Also the Specialized Enduro line of bikes.

You really just want a bike with about 4 to 5 inches of rear travel and a fork that's about the same.

Then it's a matter of what other components you strap to it. You can go more FR oriented and get a heavy duty wheelset or more XC oriented and go with lighter parts.

My bike is what many consider a "Trailbike" as it's got 4.5" of rear travel with a 5" travel Psylo. I'm a big guy, so my bike is built for abuse. DH rims, chromoly cranks, short DH stem....etc. My bike weighs easily 33 to 35 lbs.

By swapping out the cranks and the wheels, I could get this down to the sub30 range w/o too much trouble. That's about where you want/should be for what you described.

The IronHorse is a sweet bike for the price. Also look into the K2 Tirade line of bikes. Haro bikes makes their Extreme X2 and X3 model which are well spec'd and good bikes. Very reasonably priced too!

L8R

rasheed

hey everyone, thanks for the suggestions. i had a couple questions though...

first, other than feel, what are the differences between coil and air springs? i’d think that the coil spings would be much more durable and be able to take more punishment than the air springs... but i dunno, is my thinking here correct? is there a big difference in the durability and performance of one over the other?

also, in checking the specs for the SGS sport, the enduro comp and the ’03 fluid 3.0, i noticed that the SGS and the enduro seem to have some higher end components on them than the fluid does. i don’t know too much about this stuff yet... so my question here is: is there a big difference between the regular deore components on the fluid and the deore LX/XT components on the SGS and enduro? i’m guessing the main difference would be the weight... but is there a big difference in their durability and performance also? also, similar to the deore/LX/XT question, is there a big difference between the marz EXR on the fluid and the pyslos on the SGS and enduro?

as for the other bikes, i’m gonna try to check out the info on them when i get home from work. they all look like really nice bikes... this looks like it’s going to be a hard decision, heh.

Maelstrom 

Finding a trail bike is hard because there are so many choices. Best of luck with the choice

rasheed

hi everyone,

i’m still searching for that “perfect” (closeout) bike – one that would be good for the type of riding i want to get into for a fairly low price that i can live with (without my wife killing me, hehe)...

just cause it was suggested, i went to the closest sport chek to check out the SGS, but they were sold out. maybe that’s better cause i’d rather give my money to a bike shop, heh.

so far the “best” deals i’ve found were for ’03 fluid 3s – there’s the one (which slightly differs from the stock specs found on the site) at the LBS close to my work presently going for just over $1300 CAD before taxes and i saw two sell on ebay just recently, one went for $700 USD and the other went for between $500-$600 USD. i would have bid on one of these but neither was my size (i ride a small).

i’m going to try to check out that bike show mindbogger mentioned going on in toronto on the 18th, but i’m getting kind of antsy... i can’t wait to go and see what deals i can find, heh.

so far though, it looks like the fluid 3’s the bike i’m going to end up getting – unless of course, i find something at that closeout show)...

this leads me to my next set of newbie questions – sorry if they’re super dumb.

1. the fluid 3 runs a set of 2.1 kendas on a set of sun cr 18 double walls laced to standard shimano hubs (according to the specs on the site). would i need to get a different set of rims in order to run wider tires?

2. is this wheelset tough enough to handle some rough trail riding with jumps, drops & maybe some urban stuff like jumping stair sets or whatever? i mean, would getting a DH wheelset be overkill for me or are these stock wheels fine?

3. would i need a better fork or is the stock EXR sufficient for the type of riding i described above?

any input would be appreciated.

Maelstrom 

1 - no the rim should handle wider...probably up to 2.7 safely
2 - no...I would dish out some extra cash and upgrade...ryn lites are a good cheap rim that are pretty strong
3 - The exr will work but be warned it is a low end fork. Replace ASAP. It did last me a year and I am 250pnds and am not smooth. It will be acceptable but other forks feel better and are much stronger.

rasheed

ok... here’s the situation i’m in now... (along with some more newbie questions)

if i don’t find anything at that bike show on the 18th, the fluid 3’s going to be the bike i get (big surprise huh? heh)... and if i can find the it on ebay for a price close to the ones i saw sell for $500-$700 USD that’ll give me some funds left for some upgrades.

on the immediate list would be a new wheelset and fork. on the “not so important but things i’d want” list would be a of hydro discs (instead of the mechs that come stock on the bike – unless of course i like the feel of the mechs, in which case i’d keep them – any of you guys who’ve used both have any input on which work better?) and maybe a new stem. (of course there’ll be other upgrades in the future, but these are the one’s i’d want to make sooner than later).

i’ve been searching the net for some wheelsets and forks that i can possibly upgrade to if/when i get the new bike...

for the fork: i’m looking at the z1 drop off II that they got on jensonUSA... i’m not sure if it’ll fit on the fluid though because of the extra travel, maybe you guys will know. and if they got a ’03 model of this fork that’d be better cause i should cost less.

the wheels: there’s two i found on bikeroom.com that interested me, 1) XT/sun rhynolites, 2) XT/mavic 219s... the XT/mavics cost a bit more, but not much. any input on which ones would be better for me? if the mavics are a lot better than the rhynos, i’d be willing to spend the tiny bit extra it’d cost for them (and they’re black which i’d prefer to the silver rhynos, heh).

thanks in advance.

oh yeah, any good tire suggestions? i’d want something wider than the 2.1s that come stock on the fluid. so far the trails i’ve been riding are mostly hard packed clay (if that helps any).

Maelstrom 

Hayes mechs blow chunks. Almost no stopping power in comparrison to any other disc. I used a set for 6 months before I gave them away. If you want reasonable priced good stopping power look at the avid cable actuated...very nice feel and power

Wheels - I like the xt/ryno lite setup. Very strong for light freeriding and light enough to still be decent on trails. Not sure about those particular Mavic's.

Bikeroom has great prices on forks why not look there?

killerasp

Damn, someone here is loaded enough to give away free stuff.

a2psyklnut

If you want a sweet deal on a great fork and a wheelset, check out what I ordered here: https://www.bikeforums.net/showthread...threadid=38295

It's a 2002 model Z-1 with the QR20 mm thru axle. I also ordered a set of wheels. Rhino Lytes with a Marz, QR20 front hub and an XT rear hub. I also order a new set of springs for the forks, with shipping was under $600!

L8R

Maelstrom 

If they are crap I can't justify selling them. To far beyond my concience...

rasheed

yeah, i was reading that thread hahaha. did you get the goods yet? and what’d the wife say?

the 03’ marz z1 drop off II and the xt/rhynolite wheelset on bikeroom.com with shipping/handling should come up to around $800 CAD or less (that’s if i gotta pay all the taxes we got here in ontario)... that’s roughly $600 USD and i don’t gotta pay the duty i would if i had ordered off an american site, hehe.

shimano_cranker

this summer i went 2 canada and we got RENTAL yes i repeat RENTAL cannondale jekyll 500s. they were so nice. manituo (sp) black fork comp and XT components. but the thing was they had fox float L rear suspension. this has a lockout mode (for speed and performance and road riding) xc riding (just the norm xc) and freeride (u get the picture). basically these bikes were amazing. if u find ur not riding offroad, then just flip the switch and your a hardtail. i would STRONGLY recomend this bike. and make sure 2 get the black fork over the headshock. good luck.

rasheed

looks like i won’t be waiting until that bike show on the 18th to find a new bike after all...

i found a brand new ’03 fluid 3 on ebay and just won it today for about $751 USD which is roughly about $1000 CAD. the seller’s here in toronto so i’m going to try to pick it up to save on shipping/handling fees. now, i can hopefully find some good deals on a new wheelset, fork and brakes to put on the new rig when i check out that bike show on the 18th.

my wife’s been looking to buy a digital camera, so hopefully if she gets one soon, i’ll be able to post some bike porn for all yous.

thanks to everyone for the suggestions – a lot of the bikes you guys suggested are bikes i want to get... only if i had the funds *sigh* (hahaha).

rasheed

i picked up the new fluid today, it's dope!

and maelstrom, you were right, the hayes mechs suck kak. no stopping power at all. gonna upgrade to a pair of hydros pronto.

still no camera yet... i'll post pics as soon as i get one.

sparticus

have you looked at the kona coiler, light freeride is prolly 5" travel. I have a kona bear up for sale, and its taken 6'+ drops fine. 4" of air shock front and back.

sparticus

whoops too late...haha enjoy, the fluids @ my lbs look cool