Which $1k Hardtail to Get?
 

I'm just going to start riding off-road this coming spring. I will be riding in NE Ohio at Ray's, Westbranch and Quail Hollow. Right now I have an old rigid Schwinn Mesa Dinglespeed conversion, but I have had it for over 10 years and will be needing something a bit different.

I guess I am basically looking for a AM trail bike in the $1000 range. I am 6' 150lbs and won't be racing, but I need something that will be able to climb decently. This bike will be for singletrack, crawling over boulders and everything I can find and some trials like stuff. I LOVE the looks of the Santa Cruz Chameleon and Cove Stiffee FR and would buy them in a heartbeat, but they both seem to be out of my price range. I don't want to have one of the big brands (Trek, Cannondale, Giant, Specialized) if at all possible. The looks of the bike will play a part too.

What I need...
-Disc Brakes
-26" Wheels
-Aluminum or Steel
-Low or Sloped TT (will help a lot for the trials stuff)
-Under 36lbs

Is there something like the Stiffee or Chameleon I can get around $1k? Help! It's starting to get nice out.

Thanks

The one with the most carbon... wait ... what? I kid, I kid.

I personally always loved the Chameleon, never had one of my own, but it is a lust bike for me. Granted, some will rally against this because you need to "feel" the bike, but check out some of the deals / frames on hardtail frames / completes over at pricepoint or jenson. Might get more bang for your buck and get to avoid the bigger brands like you state you want to.

I got my GT Avalanche (Expert) for 950. I've seen last year's Zaskars (again expert) in your price range as well.

A+

Chameleons are only a thousand?? Aww man! :mad:

HA! I wish.

a handjob?

Some good suggestions here. I need to look into the Norco Bigfoot and Sasquatch too. They seem like they might fit the bill. I have never been a huge fan of GT's TT/Seatpost junction, but I think I could live with it. That Avalanche looks like a nice bike.

I was trying to stay away from building up a frame myself. Wanted a complete bike that I can just upgrade as I go.

Marin Hawk Hill SE
$699.00 will give you room to upgrade right away

How about the GT Avalanche? Although I'm not sure about the low top tube part-
I saw a picture here:

http://www.qbike.com/cgi-bin/mountain-bike-finder.cgi

For sure it's under 36 lbs. though. And under $1,000. I didn't see
the Chameleon listed, but that would be a steal under a grand!

Without a doubt, my top pick for an AM hardtail would be the Banshee Scirrocco. good'n'cheap frames can be found with a little googling. Very versitile and tough.

Specialized Rockhopper Comp is what I ride. I think it is a great sturdy bike with pretty good specs for just under a grand. With the quality of the frame it is worth upgrading going forward. All my opinion and subject to scrutiny of course.

http://rbikes.com/merchant/482/image...rocco_Dust.jpg

Ain't she purdy??!!

He he!

(Is she riding tonight?)

Looks great, but I would really like a complete bike and not just a frame. I will keep an eye out for a used built up one though.

I keep seeing these Huffy pictures . . . .

The Rocky Mountain Trailhead is a very similar bike in shape to the Cove Stiffee, and the frame is excellent. Its also within your price range.. The only thing i'm not sure about is whether the bike is really appropriate for anything other than XC use.

I really really didn't want to take the time and money to build up my own bike, but it seems that it might be my best bet for getting what I really want. I have a Ultimate stand and all the tools so I might as well. My budget is also slightly larger at about $1400, but less is better. This build is around a Transition Vagrant, but depending on availability and possible deals on frames I might find, that could change.

I have decided to use a spare set of wheels I have so that means no TA fork, but that does mean a bunch of money saved. I will upgrade my fork and wheels next spring. What I need help with is what would be a good, possibly used fork to get me through the year? Do you see any problems with my parts or possibly something I can do to keep the price a bit lower? Will that headset fit?

I will be looking on ebay allllllllll night trying to find better deals on this stuff.


http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c8...preadsheet.jpg

What's wrong with big brands? Big companies like Trek, Specialized and Giant show a lot of innovation, and offer great bikes at competitive prices. To exclude them from your bike search would be foolish.



And Santa Cruz is small.... ish.

I'll make one suggestion, ditch the integrated brake/shift levers. I'm not a fan, and if you ever decide you want hydros or something different you won't need to replace the whole setup.

You can definitely find a cheaper cassette too if you want.

Wait, what's a "dinglespeed"?

I was just about to post that exact question

Wrong Pacific :D

Dude thats clearly a NEXT lol.