MTB guru's asking for your help!

[freeride53]

To the R3V MTB Guru's:
I'm looking to get back into the game.
I've been doing lot of road cycling when I'm not rowing/training on the erg.
I currently have a pretty heavy Ironhorse 7.3. It's heavy and the frame is too small for me now (bought it freshman yr of high school).

I'm looking to get a new full suspension MTB frame, used.
I'm 6'2.5", 185 lbs. I want to get something that I could ride the trails with, enduro riding, downhill, a little freeridng mixed in...singletrack, all that good stuff I used to do.

Here are my current Mtb frames that are both on their way out:

I need to sell the 7point3 cause I barely even rode in this summer.
All it can really do for me are the chair-lifted trails like Northstar Tahoe.

Between this heavy ass frame, and my single-speed hardtail, i need something versatile to replace both of them. I live in San Diego during the year, so I don't get to see Tahoe or the SF Bay Area wonderland of trails very often anymore...only for 3 mos out of the year.




What does R3v recommend? I'm looking to spend under $700 for a frame.

Thanks!

[jaywood]

Kona stinky!!

[freeride53]

How much do those weigh?
I used to race 4x, dual slalom and DH when i was younger but when I started rowing, i pretty much fell out of mtb almost completely...

[jaywood]

Honestly I have no idea. It's not too heavy. It's a pretty small frame

[quikveedb2]

Kona stinky!!

Biggest pile of shit bike ever. Don't do it. Look at Yeti, Transition, Cove, or even Specailized or Trek, but for the love of cycling don't buy a fucking Stinky.

[jaywood]

Biggest pile of shit bike ever. Don't do it. Look at Yeti, Transition, Cove, or even Specailized or Trek, but for the love of cycling don't buy a fucking Stinky.

Haha, lol.

I've had my stinky for 4+ years. I freeride, DH, ride up trails, etc..It's been a great bike. GREAT bike.

[quikveedb2]

I've been a professional bike mechanic for 10 years and I stand by my statement.

[quikveedb2]

Let me qualify why they suck a little more. They pedal bob like crazy, they're heavier than hell, they have shitty geometry, the chainline sucks, and they love to crack at the welds. Winter Park Resort used Stinkys as their rentals for a few years and they didn't even hold up to the abuse of remedial rental bike customers. They finally ditched Kona & picked up Specialized, Yeti, and Scott. I'll happily take a sawzall to the top tube of any Stinky I get a chance to.

[jaywood]

You clearly have more experience than I do with bikes. But like I said, my stinky has been perfect for me for the past 4 years.

[quikveedb2]

Im not trying to shit on your personal bike, just speaking from LOTS of expereince with Stinkys. I've probably laid hands on upwards of 50 of them in the past 4-5 years.

[Ratbastage]

Santa Cruz superlight or Blur. Titus Racer X comes to mind as well

I'm 6'6" 220 and have been on a Blur for 4 years, no issues beating it like a rental beyond the typical shit.

Coop is 290 and has been on a Racer X for 6 years, finally broke the triangle this year. Of course Titus is out of business now.

[cale]

I'll 2nd the "fuck stinky's" :P

First off give us a price to work with. The price is really going to narrow down manufacturer's big time. Small production companies who do their work in North America will be quite a bit more than something offshore. Also, why just a frame?

I can tell you right now, technology has improved a lot since you were riding and you'll benefit from all new everything. While the frame helps shed a lot of weight, the components add up too. No sense dropping big bucks on a new light frame to still have a 36-37lb trail bike when maybe an extra grand will let you buy a whole new-to-you bike that'll weigh in closer to 30. With the improvement of technology and materials things got lighter without sacrificing strength. So what was a reasonable weight for an XC bike half a decade ago is now the norm for an AM build that can handle just as it's name suggest, all the mountain. My cousin shred's Whistler on his Blur built to around 31lb's. Mind you he's a very smooth rider, but he still tackle's everything on the hill...he's just not getting to the bottom of Schleyer first.

What I'd suggest for do it all bikes are first and foremost a Santa Cruz nomad, with two sets of wheels (light and heavy) you can honestly do everything except have podium's in XC or DH. I'm seriously considering getting one with an angleset (angled headset to slacken the bike out) and doing all my DH on it. Reign X's are nice as well and slightly more affordable.

29er's are here to stay, so if you're going to be spending a serious amount of your time going up the hill without much spent in the air or super technical descent don't discount them.

[mcruz121]

You should really read the first post. 700 is his aim

[Joe G]

you're gonna be hard pressed to get anything worth its weight at $700, especially for DH and the other types of riding you mentioned. Shop used, and shop smart.

[5Toes]

Rocky Mountain bikes.. always wanted one growing up!