Originally Posted by Pamestique

Gentlemen:

Originally Posted by Pamestique

Full downhill rigs go from 8 - 12"

Originally Posted by cryptid01

Someone's not making the approved DH poster list any time soon....

Originally Posted by cryptid01

I guess it just comes naturally for you then.

Reflectors are not a good idea for MOUNTAIN BIKING so please stop recommending them.

Originally Posted by atallen223

I live about 10 minutes south of the OP, and by no means do we have real downhill like you Californians get to enjoy. So I think the OP meant what he said when he said he might be using the wrong terms.

Originally Posted by hybridbkrdr

I assume most adults know they have a choice in buying something or not. So, it's not a recommendation, I'm providing information.

Originally Posted by hybridbkrdr

Is this a cognitive distortion? I assume most adults know they have a choice in buying something or not. So, it's not a recommendation, I'm providing information. It sounds like you want to be intolerant. Reading your other posts, I think you're just joking.

Originally Posted by cryptid01

I guess it just comes naturally for you then.

Reflectors are not a good idea for MOUNTAIN BIKING so please stop recommending them.

Originally Posted by samburger

All flaming aside, the problem is that you also assumed the OP knows enough about MTBing to know which of the components you listed were optional & whether or not they would be appropriate for his needs, which is where all the flaming you're getting is coming from.

The idea is that when someone is totally new to a sport, they don't know what is & isn't necessary, the different styles of the sport, appropriate gear, etc. I would advise against advising a newbie in a manor that only a novice+ can adequately decipher.

Originally Posted by v1rt

Found this guy, what do you think? Price is good!

https://chicago.craigslist.org/sox/bik/3730065330.html

Originally Posted by hybridbkrdr

First, I want to list some online stores where you can order parts: niagaracycle, cambriabike, eBikestop, nashbar, icycles, velo orange, bikeparts, bikeman, wheelworld, harriscyclery, jensonusa, universal cycles, eBay, amazon, chainreactioncycles (uk), saint john cycles (uk), bike24 (Germany), bikexperts (Germany), cyclepath.ca (Canada), smartbikeparts, cheapbikeparts360, bikepartsplace, price point, blueskycycling, performance bike, bikeisland, benscycle, starbike, aebike, airbomb
https://harriscyclery.net/page.cfm?PageID=49
https://www.bikeforums.net/showthread...s-on-groupsets
ribble, shinybikes, probikekit (maybe that's pbk), velomine (e-mail for better price), merlincycles.co.uk
loosescrews, xxcycle
https://www.rosebikes.co.uk/ https://www.rose-vpc.fr/

I agree with the idea of building a bicycle actually partly because if you find some things on sale, you can save a lot of money. I've done more research on touring bicycles but I'll try to give you an idea where your cost can be higher: the frame, crankset, wheels and in the case of mountain bikes, the suspension forks. As far as frames go, the ones I saw that were less expensive were: Leader 516H, Sette Reken and Nashbar mountain bike frame (also the same as the performancebike frame). From the research I did, I believe these frames may all take 100mm suspension forks. (I just ordered a WD Cycle Elite frame today on eBay but that's for a future project that may stay in boxes for the next 9 months lol. Information on this frame was very bleak but I saw pics of it with "recreational geometry" written on it and a suspension fork. Since I wanted an upright riding position and use a suspension fork, I ordered it.) For the crankset, you may not be able to afford a Deore crankset at the price budget you have (although some are sometimes on sale at jensonusa), but you may want to choose an Shimano Alivio or Sugino Impel 150 crankset. (If you choose a square taper crankset, Shimano BB-UN55 have metal cups on both sides.) As far as wheels go, some people have said here that the spokes on machine-built wheels break. But, if you choose a pair of Rhynolite wheels with Shimano Deore hubs for $100, you could always buy new spokes and have the wheels re-built if the spokes start to break. In this case, buying a built pair is not as expensive as buying all the parts individually (unless you find sales and built them yourself). You can save money by buying Falcon friction shifters but some people may not want more than 8 speeds with friction shifting. Places like icycles (site is currently "on vacation" during the holidays) have Shimano Deore LX shifters on sale for cheap. You can always find Shimano Deore shifters and derailleurs on sale. I'd prefer Shimano Deore V-brakes and levers although Shimano Acera brakes and levers still work (I bought Jagwire brake pads because of the comments I read on Shimano brake pads).

Suspension forks is still an area I'm researching. From the comments I've seen so far, some people insist on minimum $175 suspension forks. The bottom-level ones may be ones you'd want to use as temporary until you have more money (the $50 ones).

Again, from the comments I've read, you may want the bottom bracket and crankset installed by a bike shop.

I know I didn't mention disc brakes but after seeing a picture of someone's finger when he tried to work on his, I prefer V-brakes. But, there you have it. If you build a bike on your own, you can choose what you want on it. If you wanted Friction shifters and save a lot of money there and spend $250 on a suspension fork, you can put more or less money exactly where you want it.

If you choose a frame and wheels that take both disc or V-brakes, you could choose inexpensive Shimano Acera brakes and levers and change them later with disc brakes if you want.

Shimano parts hierarchy:
Tourney
Altus
Acera
Alivio
Deore
Deore LX (trekking in Europe)
Deore SLX
Deore XT
Deore XTR

I think XTR is really for racers. And some people would want minimum Deore while others would accept Acera as a minimum. To me, Deore LX shifters and derailleurs on sale is where it's at (although I'd prefer regular Deore for V-brakes and levers).

If you click on "buying guide" in this link, you'll see a whole list of sizes for different heights:

https://www.chainreactioncycles.com/M...=75508#mtbsize

List of parts needed to build a bike:

frame:
fork:
handlebars:
stem:
grips:
headset:
headset spacers:
seatpost:
seatpost clamp:
saddle:
crankset:
bottom bracket:
front derailleur:
rear derailleur:
brake levers:
brakes:
shifters:
cassette:
chain:
pedals:
rims strips:
wheels:
tires:
tubes:
wheel reflectors:
spoke protector:

Originally Posted by Zephyr11

Most downhill bikes are several thousands of dollars. They'll run you well over $750 for just a bare frame with nothing else on it. For example, the absolute cheapest complete Specialized Demo is $4400...even the bare frame is $2750. Your best bet is to check Craigslist and hope something like a Kona Stinky comes up, which is a freeride bike that people sometimes sell for a reasonable price. Just make sure it hasn't been abused *too* badly. The other option that I sometimes see D posting about is the Airborne Taka, which is only $1400 and probably the cheapest you'll find, by far. It's currently sold out, but the website makes it sound like there will be a replacement by this spring.

Originally Posted by TauLepton

If I were you I'd be looking for a used Iron Horse 6point or 7point: Like this one! (but maybe try to get a better deal than that.) It's probably the closest you can get to a downhill/all mountain bike in your budget. The Giant Revel is absolutely not a downhill bike, but then again it sounds like you don't actually want one. If you have the money to spend, try to get Shimano Deore / SRAM X5 or better components. And a better fork.

Originally Posted by jimc101

If your looking at taking a Giant Revel on that is between 2-3 miniutes on the Vimeo link, would budget for a new bike every ride, that bike will be lucky to be in one piece by the end of a single ride if ridden like the vid; at 2.27, takes care of the fork & wheels.

Originally Posted by jimc101

If your looking at taking a Giant Revel on that is between 2-3 miniutes on the Vimeo link, would budget for a new bike every ride, that bike will be lucky to be in one piece by the end of a single ride if ridden like the vid; at 2.27, takes care of the fork & wheels.

Your budget is still way to small for anything that will do what you want.

You haven't indicated that you can do any of this type of riding, the riders in the vid are very handy on the bike, which takes years of practice; and a good bit of natural talent; would look at investing a lot of time, and money on skills courses if you want to get anywhere near their standard.

For the 26" vs 29er, you will get lots of different answer and opinions on this, you need to add 27.5/650b to this, for an answer, come back in 20-30 years, it may have been resolved by then again, maybe not

Originally Posted by Zephyr11

I agree that that segment of video is some pretty intense singletrack. However...I have a hunch that the OP doesn't quite realize how steep and technical it is, since video tends to flatten things out a bit.

Check this picture (not mine):


My buddies and I used to ride here all the time on our cross-country weenie-mobiles (I've seen people ride it full-rigid too, but that never looked like all that much fun to me...). Now, we talking stuff like this? Negotiating technical stuff like that? Or when you say jumping, we talking BMX-style dirt jumping? Because then, once again, we're into a new territory of bike. Probably want a burly hardtail if you want it to be able to handle true dirt jumping AND trail riding, but not break the bank.