tdg1x07

I'm saving up my money for a new bike and my budget is around $1000. I currently have a giant rincon with a few upgraded parts. I like it but I'm finding the fork to be inferior on anything more than 3.5ft drops. I was gonna get a fox fork but decided that imma just buy a whole new bike and use the other one for commuting and college in 4 years.

The problem is all the bikes that i look at in my local bikeshop have like one thing that i really really like and then like other things i dont. I like the feel of giant's and specialized but everything i've found so far doesn't have like the greatest components. I want something with a better fork than a dart 3 and no suntours unless they are like really nice. Maybe a reba, or tora. At least 100mm of travel. Maybe 120mm if i can fit it in my budget but very doubtful. I want something better than deore. They dont impress me for some reason even my alivios feel about as good as the deores. A deore front deraiuler is fine though. Also has to have disc brakes.

I dont really know what brands make bikes that i'm looking for in my price range. My Lbs has good prices on everything so i should be able to get them to order anything specialized or giant. I may be able to push 1100 if it means i will be getting a better bike. However thats about the top of my limit.

Thanks for any help, I really need it.

ed 

Save the Rincon for XC.
Buy a Jamis Komodo II from Jensonusa.com for $700 for bigger drops and "fun riding".
Spend the other $300 on a Rockshox Tora for the Rincon.

tdg1x07

I was auctually gonna ask about the komodo. My friends bro got one and i rode it recently. Its a nice bike it handles big drops and rough terrain like no1s business which to me is weird cause wasnt it supposed to be like a big air/park bike? i mean i can see the big drops but that thing handles on trails amazing.

ed 

Well freakin' buy it!

tdg1x07

The problem is that his is an 07' and since none of my local shops have Jamis then idk what the new frames feel like. Are they any different than the say 06
and 07s?

ed 

Feel about the same. The one at Jenson has a shorter fork (marz dj) with a 1" ish A2C deficit. This is good for Urban riding. The fork is nice. It's most likely better than the one on your bud's unless it's aftermarket.

This will compute to a quicker handling bike that feels slightly lower up front. If you don't like it...sell the DJ, take the exra 300 plus the DJ money and get a Lyrik or PIKE. I'd leave the DJ on it and enjoy a burly rig. If you do really high speed DH runs...you may feel a little uncomfortable due to the quicker handling, but I doubt that you're doing that with your current rig. It will feel a little more relaxed than what you have now. Probably slightly shorter in the cockpit...as well as a little more upright. It will be a more "aggressive" feeling bike. Lots of fun.

You will prob. get to the point where you say "Damn the weight...I just want to ride the Komodo on my XC trails." That's what I do with mine.


Seriously man...it's a good price. If I had the coin, I'd buy one and use it as my Commuter...so I can commute off stairs and commute off ledges/drops on the way to work.

ed 

Another option that I just noticed...

https://www.jensonusa.com/store/produ...I+Bike+09.aspx

They are doing the super closeout thingy. Parker is $1099!


Wow!

ed 

Crap man!

The XAM is $1189!

https://www.jensonusa.com/store/produ...0+Bike+08.aspx

samburger

Oh no, you got chelboed all hot & bothered.

dminor 

^^ . . . and he's broken so many Jamises that the scrap let Ford do a whole year's-worth of Fiesta engine blocks .

tdg1x07

haha its auctually funny that you say that because my favorite trails are reddish knob and second moutain which are both fairly high speed. If i can do it on my suntour cheap ass fork im sure that the dj will be a huge upgrade hahaha and i saw the other two links. If only i had every bit of the cash saved up and id jump on the komodo or parker. Honestly though the full suspension ive ridden i didnt like as much as my rincon. It was a yukon by giant but still i figured itd have a better feel than the rincon. Surprisingly it jus feels too bouncy for me.
Thanks for all the help ive decided to either buy the komodo or the trek 6000 when i have the money saved up. Do u have any experience with the trek?

ed 

You can't judge a dually on the first ride. I had to ride mine several times before I could start taking advantage of it's superior'ness'ity. Properly adjusted dampers are a must.

If you're looking at the Trek 6000...you're undoing everything I've built up in this thread. You would be buying an XC/Trail bike. You already have one. If you get the Komodo...you can shred the bigger gnar...and still have your XC/Trail bike for the smoother, tamer trails. I've tried to beat the piss outta my current Komodo frame (FRHT) and I just can't break it. It's pretty tough. If you buy the Trek...you will be stuck with two of the same bike. (slightly different build)

The Parker is a slopestyle bike and the XAM is an AllMountain bike.

tdg1x07

Well all the stuff ive been reading is dont but a bike without riding it! ive ridden the komodo but idk abt the fully suspensions. I have personally ridden the trek and i liked it a lot, i am starting to get more and more into slopestyle/downhill riding recently so maybe i would be better off with a full suspension, I jsut dont kow if i will like the Jamis full suspension.