I'm currently looking to make the leap into SS and have a few very intriqueing options. My thoughts for the use of the bike would be as a city/commuter with the option of taking it off the road and doing some XC riding. The XC riding may well happen more than I anticipate if I become an addict as some have predicted.

Options:
1) 26" Fully rigid ('06 Bianchi MUSS ~ $700)
2) 26" Front Suspension ('05 Specialized Hardrock SS Disc ~ $350)
3) 29" Fully Rigid ('06 Redline Monocog 29 ~ $469)
4) 29" Brame Build (This could get very expensive and go way beyond my budget.)

Notes:
MUSS - A bit out of my price range but it sure looks sweet.

Hardrock - The Hardrock was $550 but is new old-stock. The fork isn't primo, but it's not total crap. Fantastic deal but the aluminum frame may be a bit rigid for me. I believe that it would be good for the pavement, but on the dirt it may be another story.

Monocog 29 - Not quite sure about this 29" thing. I'm big (6'3"-230lbs) and I worry about the durability of the wheels and also the sheer weight of the bike.

Frame - I've been looking at Karate Monkeys and I've found a good deal for the frame and fork, but not having any other components is a daunting future expense. I wonder if it wouldn't be a bad idea to buy a cheaper 29 and then strip it for its components and then sell the other frame.

Anything wlse I may have missed? Please let me know your thoughts.

bianchi- cool bike. you might just be paying for the name. but i love bianchis.

specialized- cool but, y'know not very unique

redline- good price, heard they're heavy as a mo'.

frame- could get expensive but you'll most likely love the bike way more.


so, i say bianchi or frame build.

is today mountain bike day over here???

at 6'3" you should be looking at nothiong BUT 29ers imho.

i am also 6'3" and after riding one it was clear i'd never go back...

that redline is about as much bang as i have ever seen for the buck. before my 29er i had the 26" version and that was the damn sweetest riding bike i ever owned (with baby wheels on it ).

if i hadn't blown my wad and gone custom i'd defintiely have the monocog 29er right now. those bikes are heavy but they ride so nice you'll never know it.

that said this guy will make you a damn nice custom bike for about as much as you could spend on a higher end stock bike.

https://www.waltworks.com/

walt is also a great guy to work with! this bike is the best thing i ever did for my mtn biking. 1300 (or so) dollars VERY well spent.

here is mine (sorry to all of you who have seen it before)



in my opinion at our size bigwheels turn into normal sized wheels...

Would the components on the RL Monocog 29 swap over to a Karate Monkey frame?

That would put me on a nicer frame and then I could sell the RL and recoup some cash.

One thing I have thought was the use of CX wheels instead of dedicated SS wheels for the option of going 1 x 9 in the future. Any drawbacks I should consider?

Nashbar has 29er Monocog frames on sale:
https://www.nashbar.com/profile.cfm?c...All%20Products

I (6'3" 205) bought a Bianchi CuSS late last summer, and it's a fun ride. I will say that with the mtb SS ratio (2:1) it's WAY undergeared to be an effective city commuter, unless you really don't want to get to work all that quickly --on the streets I find myself doing the bmx style spinspinspin-coast riding, which I can't see doing for 14mi to work....

I vote 29er, but not the Monocog, not as a commuter.

why no love for the monocog??? i have no evidence but i bet the karate monkey frame isn't much lighter... surly's are (also) tanks.

but tanks in a good way...

if you want cheap and light(er) there is this...
https://www.jensonusa.com/store/produ...Ebb+Frame.aspx
you even get an ebb so you can run disks really easy.

Well, I rode the Hardrock SS around the streets last night and I was impressed. The SS really took me back to the days of my Schwinn Black Phantom. I may like this SS thing..

Anyone have any thoughts on the GT Peace 29"? I'm probably going to take a look at one over the weekend.

The new Schwinn brought the Black Phantoms back. Complete with the 1 1/8 headtube.

I had a Specialized Hardlyrock SS. Once I hit the trails that thing was a tank, in the bad way. I used the parts to build up a Surly 1x1. Soo much better. If my funds and wife would let me, the 29er monocog would be my next build.

For city riding and/or commuting give some skinny arsed 700cc wheels some thought. You'll never look back if you haven't tried it before (I haven't, anyway). That'll obviously limit you a bit for 'off-road' capabilities, but man, is it worth it.

i think someone was smokin when they designed the peace...

why spec and ebb AND vbrakes? it makes no sense....

you got any shops around you that stock jamis? they make a pretty nice trailworthy 29er. the raliegh XXIX also gets good reviews though i do here that "tank" word thrown around a little in the discussions i have read about it.

+1, all style on that one. Same as a Redline except fancier tensioning (EBB), no disc capability, and a non-sus corrected fork. It does look pretty though.

uhh, ebbs aren't just for discs. They work equally well with v's or cantis. You can remove the rear wheel super easily, and not have to futz with resetting perfect chain tension every time you remove the rear wheel. And not have to re-adjust the rear brake every time you change ratios or whatever.

It makes plenty of sense.


But yea, the lack of disc mounts or the fork/frame is a glaring flaw.

not to me...

it's just adding the extra pound (or whatever an ebb weighs) for no good reason.

think of it this way, you only have to adjust the brakes if you change ratios with track ends. if you change ratios on this you still gotta mess with the ebb which messes with the spot the bb is in. if your anal about bike fit, that would drive you nuts. i am not anal about bike fit but i think it would still drive me nuts.

if i had disks i'd go with an ebb; with v's (for me) it makes no sense... and i forgot there aren't even mounts to put disks on...

they should rename that bike the gt "too many bong hitz"

Okay, so now I am stuck between 29", 26" and a few models:

26" Camp:
GT Ruckus SS ($489)
+ front fork would ease out the bumps
+ steel frame would be less harsh
- may be a bit heavy, but so am I
- no local tryout available
Specialized Hardrock SS ($385)
+ already test ridden
+ nice color
- did not blow me away on test ride
- frame may be too small for me
- I've had aluminum hardtails before and I do not miss them

29" Camp:
GT Peace 9r (looking at one locally tonight $550)
+ pretty bike, very clean lines
+ suspension fork-ready geometry
+ eccentric BB = QR wheels--don't need to worry about carrying a wrench with me to change a tube/tire
+ decent component spec
- no disc brake bosses
- heavy?
Redline Monocog 29 ($450)
+ decent reviews
- brown?

I'd love to do a frame build, but the whole point of this was to get something relatively cheap that I could use for commuting and city riding as well as doing some XC training. If I did a frame build, I know I would bling it out and defeat what I set out to do.

To put things in perspective, my other bikes are a Jamis Eclipse and a Giant NRS C1.

The fork on the Peace 9r is NOT suspension corrected (unlike the Monocog).
There's a reason it's so popular. Last year, shops couldn't keep them in stock.

Thats too bad

Have you thought about building up a SS CX? Would be like a twentyniner but more roadworthy. I think all you'd need is a 700c track wheelset, CX tires, and any SS frame with enough clearance.

How about a 36er?

Actually, the fork on the Peace 9r is suspension corrected for an 80mm fork. I come by this information via Michael at GT.

he wants something that will work well for xc. That is not a cx bike.

My mistake, sorry. You are right.

It's okay. I love to call manufacturers and ask them questions. I've found that they love to talk to people that use their products.

Isn't XC just offroad touring?