Question: What full suspension mountain bike to get?

[Jskier]

Hey all, I'm looking to buy a new mountain bike the one I currently own is a hard trail Tarpon 15in frame (or is it 15.5? i don't remember) by Gary Fisher. so im looking for some advice for getting a full suspension mountain bike. I would like something thats not so pricey but also performs on technical trails big drops etc. any ideas at what to look at ?

Thanks all

 

[bounceswoosh]

Hard to even start to answer without defining "not so pricey", "big drops", "technical trails." What's your budget? How big is a big drop? Are technical trails in your area loose rock, slickrock, roots, sand, ....? How much vertical on a normal ride?

 

[Jskier]

oh sorry about that, I would like to keep the bike around 2k if possible,1-3foot drops, wet loose rocks,roots and bumpy the vertical would be around 900ft
Does that cover it ?

 

[bounceswoosh]

This is where I'm hoping some of our other MTBers will come out of the woodworks to offer suggestions =) I haven't been watching the market for bikes recently ... what brands are the shops in your area selling?

 

[Jskier]

The shops mostly sell Treks, Gary Fisher treks, Cannondale,Zaskar, and GT most are found at Bert's Bikes. Them Cannondale bikes look pretty nice

 

[altagirl]

Are you looking for something that performs as well climbing as descending? I've been very satisfied with my Trek Remedy for that. Mine is well over your budget but the Remedy 7 is $2600, which is at least getting close.

A Giant Reign/Reign X is a decent option too and you should be able to find one of those in the $2K range.

Now, mind you, my opinion on bikes leans towards my opinion on skis where I tend to recommend fatter skis (and also tend to recommend longer travel bikes) especially since both are getting better and better at doing more things well. Meaning, you're not sacrificing as much like you used to.

That said, if you're all about the climbs and want more of an XC race machine style full suspension bike, I'd lean towards something like a Giant Anthem or Trek Top Fuel. But if you want to have more fun on those drops and go faster through rough terrain, I'd go longer travel.

 

[bounceswoosh]

Coming from a hard tail, won't any suspension feel pretty cush? Or you could argue the other way and say, since you already have a hard tail, might as well go extreme in the opposite direction, and keep the hard tail for less bumpy trails.

For 1-3 foot drops, I agree with AG that more suspension feels better. Of course you'll pay for that, to some extent, on climbs. So - what's your preference? Are you fit enough that you don't mind extra work on the climbs so that you can bomb downhill in comfort? Or would you rather not make the climb any harder than it needs to be? Or will you be taking this bike to lift-serviced terrain where you'll pretty much only be going downhill, anyway?

 

[abc]

900' doesn't sound like a lot of vertical. But depends on how steep, it may or may not matter what kind of bike you choose.

My experience in long travel bikes are limited (mostly rentals & demo's). I can climb on them fine, albeit slightly slower on shallow to moderately steep terrain. The steeper the grade, the more I feel the sluggishness of the heavy bike. They do eat up the rocks and roots better than x-c oriented full suspention bikes. And they make scary steep descends perfectly easy. ;-)

I think in terms of money, the market place is gearing towards the all-mountain (the old "free ride") bike as the entry level for dual suspension. So you'll probablyl be looking at 4~6" suspension depending on exactly the model. I think that setup is fine for most of mixed riding.

 

[Jskier]

I'm going to be taking my bike (mostly) to a lift serviced area so its going to be all downhill that being said I would prefer something that I could bomb down hill in comfort.

 

[abc]

If you're taking it up the lift, get a downhill bike!

It might not be cheap though... altagirl would know more

 

[bounceswoosh]

Are you willing to consider used bikes?

 

[altagirl]

I'm going to be taking my bike (mostly) to a lift serviced area so its going to be all downhill that being said I would prefer something that I could bomb down hill in comfort.

So do you need to be able to climb on it at all or is this just for shuttling and lift served riding?

If you don't need the climbing ability, get a real downhill bike. If you need to be able to climb sometimes, then you want a freeride bike. I think my Transition Syren is ideal for that - it does climb but doesn't climb that well, but it's just great descending.

(Hehe, mine is for sale too.... if you're interested). Now in terms of new DH bikes, $2K is a pretty tight budget, but you might be able to get close to that. You could definitely find a used one in that range.

Also - how tall are you? If you're quite short, you're going to be limited on DH frames just to find the right size.

 

[Jskier]

The bike would just be for shuttling and lift serviced biking. I don't have a problem with getting a used bike and im 5'2.

 

[altagirl]

The bike would just be for shuttling and lift serviced biking. I don't have a problem with getting a used bike and im 5'2.

I think you're probably looking for something in an XS then, but there are options out there.


New, late model XS Giant Glory DH $1800:
https://wheelworld.com/product/08giant-glory-dh-8337.htm

I was trying to find some other examples, but yeesh - just a new Fox 40 fork that comes on there retails for $1800. Granted, it's a couple years old, so you're missing the latest bells and whistles, but that's still a great deal, and probably has been sitting because it's an XS and those can be tough to sell... (and tough to find, for that matter). For a starter DH bike, that might be tough to beat. And I was just looking at my local shop's website to see if they have anything close to your price range - not a chance. You could get a small Ventana frame for $999, but then you need the rest of the bike, which would be tough/impossible to build for $1000 (you'd be looking at some crap used parts), and their new DH bikes are more in the $4K range. You can certainly find used bikes out there in the $2K range, but it's hit and miss with how well they've been taken care of and how hard they were ridden, you know?

 

[bounceswoosh]

Honestly, I would worry about the quality of a new $2k downhill bike. For the same reason that I worry about the quality of a new full suspension bike for less than $1200 (although those numbers may be dropping with time and technology). Especially considering what you're trusting that bike to do for you ...

At Keystone, I've seen a number of used bikes for sale, just sitting near the lift stations. Maybe they do something similar in your area. It's just really hard to gauge the wear and tear on a used bike; on the other hand, you should be able to take it for a test ride pretty easily if it's right at the lift, whereas I had to "demo" my downhill bike in a suburban neighborhood - couldn't tell much.

I can tell you that I bought a downhill bike from AG, and it was incredibly well maintained (until, of course, I got my grubby hands on it) - so I can vouch for AG as a reliable source for used bikes, since AG mentioned that Syren for sale ...

 

[abc]

I'd grab that Giant!

Your budget pretty much limits you to either deeply discounted new ones that's been sitting around a while, or used. The problem with used isn't so much about condition (it IS important) but in this case the availability of size.

Short riders have a hard time finding used bikes. There simply not so many of us around so a much small pool of used bikes (or buyer if you want to unload an XS sized bike!)

 

[Jskier]

Yes that Giant looks mighty nice for the price. I think i'll be snapping it up in the next two months(hopefully it still will be available :D!) then in the next few years ill have a bigger budget for something nicer. Thank you all for helping me out on my tight budget !

 

[canadianjem]

Giant trance....I have a cypher....but they don't make it anymore....trance is the exact same thing. I ride it lift serviced down hill and cross country. I had a norco 6-2 before that. I found it a little heavy and difficult on technical.... Cypher is flowy, pretty much floats around berms, takes little drop off like a dream....great, great, comfortable, enjoyable ride all over the mountain

 

[WhistleStop]

Big drop =

Can you say crazy!?

 

[snoWYmonkey]

I would look for a used higher quality downhill/freeride bike. For up to three foot drops you would not really need massive suspension. A lot of us ride the terrain parks and such on freeride bikes and hardtails even, though they are better suited to smooth jumps.

If you have a bike shop you trust or a bike mechanic friend, you could have them look over the used bike. With cheap new components and shocks you will end up spending the same as a better quality bike just in parts replacement within a few years. Even the higher end bikes need a fair bit of work to keep them handling beating upon beating.

Best of luck to you, and enjoy that full suspension ride...so much nice on the joints!