Any mountain bikers in here? Noob needs help!

[quikveedb2]

there's still more flex in full suspension rear ends, they are inherently less efficient than hard tails. i have both.

[priapism]

Hm lots of MTB people here.

My first modern-day bike (I'm old) was a Kona Dawg. Got it cheap, then ran over it with my truck.

After that I shopped for a good MTB and heeded the "get a hardtail" warnings. I posted...somewhere and everyone said that if I had experience riding (both MTB and dirt bikes), in my price range there's no real reason not to get a full suspension. Opinions?

I was shopping in the ~1500 range for either a hardtail or a good full suspension XC but got an absolutely smoking deal on a leftover Kona Dawg Deluxe.

[Dj Buttchug]

What if you have a lockout on the rear shock?

most high dollar rear shocks have whats called "propedal" basically it limits the amount of bounce you get when pedaling. It works but not real well. I still get tired. Im sure some shocks have full lock tho. Air shocks sometimes have this option which is nice for cross country and trail riding

[quikveedb2]

everyone said that if I had experience riding (both MTB and dirt bikes), in my price range there's no real reason not to get a full suspension. Opinions?

in my experience, you can ride most of the same XC trails on either hard tail or squish bike, a hard tail just demands different line selection to be fast & smooth. i think in the long run riding a rigid or hard tail bike gives you better bike handling skills. both styles of bikes have their virtues, i'll ride my hard tail, 6" travel squish bike, or even a full on downhill rig & have a blast on all of them. it's just different riding styles.

most high dollar rear shocks have whats called "propedal" basically it limits the amount of bounce you get when pedaling. It works but not real well. I still get tired. Im sure some shocks have full lock tho. Air shocks sometimes have this option which is nice for cross country and trail riding

propedal is fox shox brand of a threshold system, these kinds of systems are only available on air sprung shocks, afaik. with the fox system, propedal keeps the shock partially active, with roughly the first 30% of the overall travel of the shock available when activated. when sufficient force is applied (the threshold) the shock becomes fully active (temporarily) to absorb the impact, and returns to the limited travel setting.
a properly tuned propedal can work great, i feel after a good bit of tuning on these systems that a properly set up propedal can be almost as efficient as a hard tail, as it can keep the rear wheel planted under load in instances where a hard tail may lose traction. i rebuild 2 today, a rp23 and a rp23 dcrv, i'm moderately familiar with the technology. in the grand scheme of things rider talent has more to do with being quick on a bike.

[JGood]

What are everyone thought's on this bike? Particularly the price vs value, for a beginner?

http://allentown.craigslist.org/bik/2039716952.html

Pretty much stock Trek 6000 in the Metallic Orange/Metallic Black color. Lightly ridden on only local XC stuff and selling to make room for a new bike.

- Fork was replaced last year with a RockShox Tora 302 Coil U-Turn with 90-130mm of adjustable travel.
- Tires upgraded to Panaracer Fire XC PRO front and back.
- Brake Levers upgraded to Avid Speed Dial 5s.
- All Shimano Deore Drive Train
- Origin 8 Lock on grips

Full Spec List

Frameset
Sizes 21.5"
Frame Alpha SLR Aluminum
Wheels Shimano M475 disc hubs; Bontrager Ranger rims

Drivetrain
Shifters: Shimano Deore, 9 speed
Front Derailleur: Shimano Deore
Rear Derailleur: Shimano Deore
Crank: Shimano M442 44/32/22
Cassette: SRAM PG950 11-34, 9 speed
Pedals: Alloy platform

Components
Saddle Bontrager Select
Seat Post Bontrager Sport
Handlebars Bontrager Crowbar Sport, 25mm rise
Stem Bontrager Sport, 10 degree
Headset Aheadset Slimstak w/semi-cartridge bearings, sealed
Brakeset Avid BB-5, mechanical disc

[crm103]

Looks like a decent bike for a decent price. I have alot of the same components on bike, and I beat the hell out of it. The Tora is a pretty good fork. Its no Fox or Marzzochi, but will def. get the job done. My Dart 3 (the model below that one) is great. If you get it, upgrade to the BB7 brakes. They are cheap and work almost as good as a hydro brake. Trek bikes are great bikes and can easy be upgraded. I ride a 4500 and i've upgraded to BB7's and Dt swiss hubs/ mavic wheels. It handles anything i can throw at it.

[JGood]

Looks like a decent bike for a decent price. I have alot of the same components on bike, and I beat the hell out of it. The Tora is a pretty good fork. Its no Fox or Marzzochi, but will def. get the job done. My Dart 3 (the model below that one) is great. If you get it, upgrade to the BB7 brakes. They are cheap and work almost as good as a hydro brake. Trek bikes are great bikes and can easy be upgraded. I ride a 4500 and i've upgraded to BB7's and Dt swiss hubs/ mavic wheels. It handles anything i can throw at it.

What I don't understand is, why all the component upgrading? I have a 10 year old Trek 820 with a 60mm front shock and v-brakes. It's a $300 bike, basically the cheapest front suspension bike you can by... 10 years ago. I have no idea what model/brand the components are. I've never had a problem with anything, the brakes work awesome in the dry, the shifters work perfectly every time, nothing has ever broke, etc...

The only things I've ever had a problem with is A: Mud getting into the brakes (v-brakes...) and B: Bottoming out the suspension on every rock. So I'd think disc brakes and a ~100mm fork would make me happier then a pig in shit. I don't understand the need for expensive components, if my current shitty 10 year old bottom of the line stuff works good. Or am I missing something? I'm not the craziest rider out there thrashing the bike around, by any means, but I'm not a Sally on the trails either...

[quikveedb2]

equate it to a car. pretty much any car will be fine for the normal person who wants reliable, comfortable transportation. these are your wal-mart-bought bike riders. the bike is a means to an end, transportation, and that's it. this is your trek 820.

then there are car enthusiast, who will make modifications to their car to improve their enjoyment, small changes that anybody else may never notice. these are devoted mountain/road riders; if your bike becomes something you do for fun you inevitably end up spending a lot of time on it, you develop specific tastes in fit & performance, and also stuff wears & breaks as your ability level rises. i don't know about you but i'm a replace and upgrade kind of guy, so when i break something on my bike i upgrade.

[crm103]

equate it to a car. pretty much any car will be fine for the normal person who wants reliable, comfortable transportation. these are your wal-mart-bought bike riders. the bike is a means to an end, transportation, and that's it. this is your trek 820.

then there are car enthusiast, who will make modifications to their car to improve their enjoyment, small changes that anybody else may never notice. these are devoted mountain/road riders; if your bike becomes something you do for fun you inevitably end up spending a lot of time on it, you develop specific tastes in fit & performance, and also stuff wears & breaks as your ability level rises. i don't know about you but i'm a replace and upgrade kind of guy, so when i break something on my bike i upgrade.

Exactly! couldn't have said it better.

[kylekrueger]

Just a couple thoughts.

What ever bike you ride don't get a shimano drive train. I rode for a team for two and a half years and Shimano just does not make good components, they tend to break, a lot. I would recommend Sram whenever possible, they actually make their components out of metal. Also, don't get a GT, they are garbage bikes, same with Giant, they are not the best. Specialized, even though they are so main stream I guess you could say, they still do make pretty good bikes with decent components in your price range. Also used bikes cam be, in my opinion, the best option.

I don't know what kind of mountains you ride on, but if you are really looking to go out and bike and have a great time and get an awesome workout, I might recommend a single speed. I once had a steel frame single speed with v-brakes, some Chris King hubs, pretty nice wheels an old fox fork, xtr cranks, and it weighed 17lbs. That bike was so much fun to ride but its better if you don't have really high percentage grades if you are just going out for fun, if you really want to train though, a single speed on a steep grade that will give you a hell of a workout.

Also, I hope you ride clipless pedals, if you don't its a good idea to do so, its going to make your life much easier and enjoyable on the bike.

quikveedb2 seems like an excellent person to talk to if you want to talk about the best bikes in that price range though.

[JGood]

equate it to a car. pretty much any car will be fine for the normal person who wants reliable, comfortable transportation. these are your wal-mart-bought bike riders. the bike is a means to an end, transportation, and that's it. this is your trek 820.

then there are car enthusiast, who will make modifications to their car to improve their enjoyment, small changes that anybody else may never notice. these are devoted mountain/road riders; if your bike becomes something you do for fun you inevitably end up spending a lot of time on it, you develop specific tastes in fit & performance, and also stuff wears & breaks as your ability level rises. i don't know about you but i'm a replace and upgrade kind of guy, so when i break something on my bike i upgrade.

Understood. I guess my riding abilities just aren't to the point yet where I can notice those little things. I think I'm going to get a lower end used bike, better then what I have, but not $1000+, and ride for a year or two to see what level of interest I have and where my abilities are, riding a decent bike.

Check your PM's lately?

Thanks everyone for the advice, I'm trying to jam it all into my brain to remember when I'm bike shopping.

[gearheadE30]

My bike has the ProPedal feature along with full lockout and full open. The ProPedal is nice, but once you get your speed up, it can make the bike really loose over fast impacts. Lockout is really nice for climbs.

Yes, hardtails are more efficient. My hardrock pro comp was great for acceleration out of corners and everything else, and I agree that it really helped my bike handling skills. For me, though, switching to full suspension and then tuning it cut me over a minute a lap on my local half-hour loop trail. I could put power down in places I never could before with the hard tail, even if it's not quite as efficient.

[JGood]

What do you guys think about this deal?

2008 Jamis Parker 18" (L) Mountain Bike - $550

Selling my 2008 Jamis Parker. Size Large, 18". Bought the bike new as a second/backup bike, but never got any real use out of it. Ridden a total of probably less than 20 miles. It's all stock, has a RockShox bar shock and recon 351 travel adjust fork. Maxxis ignitor tires. Great versitility- 4" travel, responsive enough to put the seat up and ride XC, nimble enough to ride slalom/light gravity type of terrain. Email with any questions. Looking for 550. Thanks!

I'm having trouble finding any info about this bike. Seems like there was a 1.0, 2.0, and 3.0 of that model in that year? I think this is a 1.0? Seems like it's a decent bike for all kinds of riding conditions, according to the reviews on mtbr.com

[JGood]

I picked up that bike tonight. It's literally in like new condition, less then 20 miles on it. Paid $500. Retail was $1350 in 2008 from what I can tell. Turns out the guy I bought it off of works with a good friend of mine, and I think we'll probably end up hitting some trails together sometime. Very cool and knowledgeable guy.

[quikveedb2]

reroute your front hydraulic line through the fork uppers & lowers where it's supposed to go, so it doesn't get fucked up or jack up the fork stanchions. same with the rear hydaulic hose, get it down on the routing points on the seatstay before it gets sucked up in the wheel. the front quick release lever is on the wrong side. whats the parts spec? looks like a deore level drivetrain? parkers are a good entry level bike imo. the rockshox rear shock of that generation is meh, but it'll do the trick until you outgrow it. good score for $500!