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Any Mtn Bikers on RME?

CobraNutt

CobraNutt

Active Member
Location
Salt Lake City
Trip report for the White Rim trip has been posted! What a great trip!

We missed you guys, Kevin! Hope Ian is recovering well and you can make it down again this fall. If so, I might be able to drive for ya...we'll see. :)
 
Kevin B.

Kevin B.

Not often wrong. Never quite right.
Moderator
Location
Stinkwater
Ian is good, thanks for all the well wishes. We went for a ride on the parkway Saturday morning and he did great.
 
sixstringsteve

sixstringsteve

Well-Known Member
Location
UT
It's a bummer he crashed early on, and on the last switchback too! But there were sketchier spots on days 2 and 3 that would have worried me for him to ride.

Glas to hear he is back on the bike already.
 
moab_cj5

moab_cj5

Well-Known Member
Supporting Member
Location
The Village of Kay
So, i am getting into more real Mountain Biking (actual trail riding now), and have found my bike to be less than adequate for downhill. I ate it the other night and was grateful to walk away with just some road rash on my knee. I am looking to upgrade, but have the conundrum of cost. New bikes are super spendy! I am looking for advice on a new bike so as to not over pay for used, but get a better bike than the cost of new... If I am going to spend up to $1500, what should I be looking for?

I saw this for 500:
http://www.ksl.com/index.php?nid=218&ad=33968508&cat=191&lpid=&search=&ad_cid=32
I know very little other than Santa Cruz are a high end bike, but is this old? Is this a great deal? What should I be looking for?

I also found this:
http://www.ksl.com/index.php?nid=218&ad=33971839&cat=191&lpid=&search=&ad_cid=17

I know fit and feel are important, but where do you go to find the value of a bike before picking up the phone to call some of these sellers and wasting time if they are asking WAY too much for a bike?

Thanks for the help!
 
sixstringsteve

sixstringsteve

Well-Known Member
Location
UT
moab_cj5 said:
Where do you go to find the value of a bike before picking up the phone to call some of these sellers and wasting time if they are asking WAY too much for a bike?
Click to expand...

Unfortunately there's no NADA or bluebook for bikes. You'll have to educate yourself a bit. You'll need to learn about the components, and what's desirable and what isn't. As you keep your eye on bikes, you'll start to get a sense of what's a total ripoff and what isn't.

And of course, you have us. :) Just keep posting links of bikes you're interested in and we'd be more than happy to tell you what we think they're worth.


In order to steer you in the right direction, the following info would be really helpful:

1) how tall are you? what do you weigh?
2) how aggressive do you ride?
3) what's your MTB experience?
4) how often, how far, and where do you plan on riding the most?
5) are you more interested in riding for:
a) fitness
b) fun/recreation
6) are you more into:
a) climbing
b) going downhill
c) all-around
 
sixstringsteve

sixstringsteve

Well-Known Member
Location
UT
^ both those bikes you linked to are entirely different bikes for entirely different riding styles. Ones kinda like a subaru (the superlight) while the other one is like a trailered buggy (the bullit). The bullit is also pretty old, which isn't a bad thing if it's been taken care of, but bike technology changes so fast that a bike older than 4-5 years is considered quite old and isn't worth a ton (though there are a couple exceptions). This is good news for people who want a great bike at a great price. There are lots of great older bikes out there that were super fun in their days, which means they'll be super fun now too (though not as high-tech).

Anything with a triple-clamp fork (like the bullit, which resembles a motorcycle where the fork stanchions extend all the way to the handlebars) is not going to be meant for pedaling uphill at all. Those are typically downhill-specific bikes that are meant to be shuttle to the top of the trail via a ski lift, or a truck. These bikes are strong, but are quite heavy and unfriendly for climbing.
 
moab_cj5

moab_cj5

Well-Known Member
Supporting Member
Location
The Village of Kay
I currently ride a 2005 Trek 4300. I have found it to be a good bike for road riding, and isn't horrible for climbing, but scares the crap out of me going downhill (maybe every bike will, I only know my Trek). From what I have read already, and talked to the bike shops about, it is an entry level bike that is has been lapped a few times by current technology and components.

1) how tall are you? what do you weigh? 5'9" with short Legs. I am looking at Medium or Large Frames as my arms are long and my legs are short. Weight is changing currently, but when I stop losing, should be in the 180-190 range.
2) how aggressive do you ride? I am new, so not too aggressive right now.
3) what's your MTB experience? I am new. Rode my first real trail last week in Sun Valley Idaho, and wrecked on the Bikers Edge Loop in Kaysville on Saturday.
4) how often, how far, and where do you plan on riding the most? I ride almost daily right now, on the road at least, and will be riding more trails as I gain more experience and comfort. When I ride on road, I do ~10-14 miles. On trails the furthest I have ridden is ~7 miles. I will ride anywhere along the Wasatch front, but mostly Farmington North in Davis County, and Snowbasin this summer.
5) are you more interested in riding for: I ride for fitness and fun right now. I don't care if I am climbing of downhill right now, but the downhill scares me a lot more than climbing.
a) fitness
b) fun/recreation
6) are you more into:
a) climbing
b) going downhill
c) all-around

I appreciate all the help!
 
sixstringsteve

sixstringsteve

Well-Known Member
Location
UT
good info. Depending on the bike model, you'll be between a medium and a large. Bikes used to measure their size by how tall they were. Recently, the difference in a medium and a large is the length of the top tube, not so much the seat height (though that plays into it too).

Over the past 2 years, bikes have been getting longer and longer. This is good for people with short legs and long arms (like me), or people who like to ride aggressively. So a large from 2005 might still be shorter than a medium 2015.

If you end up going with a large, I highly recommend a super short stem for you (50mm).


I recommend going to a few bike shops and see what they recommend for size. Ride a few bikes around in the parking lot, paying attention to whether the bike feels like your weight is over the front wheel, center, or back wheel. Pay attention to how far you have to reach on each model too. then come back and tell us what you learned.

Another good option would be to rent/borrow as many different bikes as you can.

It sounds like you don't need anything super beefy right now. A good 3-4" suspension trail/all mountain bike with 26" tires should be just fine for you for the wasatch front. For ski resorts like snowbasin, more travel is always a good thing, since those trails get chewed up and choppy pretty quick, and since you don't have to pedal to the top, there's no penalty for more suspension and more weight.
 
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moab_cj5

moab_cj5

Well-Known Member
Supporting Member
Location
The Village of Kay
At the bike shop, they said I am between a M and L frame, so it will depend on the Bike Model and what fits best. I haven't ridden any yet because I gag on the price of a new bike. I will stop by one evening soon and throw my leg over a bike in the parking lot.

As for tire size, every other bike at my house is a 26, and I am not opposed to 29 or 27.5, I have never ridden anything besides 26.

I am ruling out carbon because weight isn't a concern for me (I need the exercise anyway) and prefer the durability of Aluminum.

Thoughts on this?
http://www.ksl.com/index.php?nid=218&ad=33963526&cat=191&lpid=1&search=&ad_cid=20

Or this (Great Condition with a flat tire...:()
http://www.ksl.com/index.php?nid=218&ad=32901195&cat=191&lpid=1&search=&ad_cid=17

or this:
http://www.ksl.com/index.php?nid=218&ad=33306080&cat=191&lpid=1&search=&ad_cid=15
That Scott is out of my range unless that is a killer bike for a good price.

Or this:
http://www.ksl.com/index.php?nid=218&ad=33965740&cat=191&lpid=1&search=&ad_cid=1
Also out of my range unless well worth the money.

There are so many bikes on KSL for sale, I guess I need to narrow my search some how...
 
nnnnnate

nnnnnate

Well-Known Member
Supporting Member
Location
WVC, UT
Dave, Bountiful Bicycle took really good care of me last year. I stopped by to take a peak at what they had as I was going farther north and after being impressed with their service bought my bike from them. They were doing their yearly sale for like 10 or 15% off normal price. When I had a couple issues with my wheel staying true they replaced both with a pretty decent upgrade. I know many of the guys in my company go to them as well.
 
C

cackalak

Active Member
moab_cj5 said:
At the bike shop, they said I am between a M and L frame, so it will depend on the Bike Model and what fits best. I haven't ridden any yet because I gag on the price of a new bike. I will stop by one evening soon and throw my leg over a bike in the parking lot.

As for tire size, every other bike at my house is a 26, and I am not opposed to 29 or 27.5, I have never ridden anything besides 26.

I am ruling out carbon because weight isn't a concern for me (I need the exercise anyway) and prefer the durability of Aluminum.

Thoughts on this?
http://www.ksl.com/index.php?nid=218&ad=33963526&cat=191&lpid=1&search=&ad_cid=20

Or this (Great Condition with a flat tire...:()
http://www.ksl.com/index.php?nid=218&ad=32901195&cat=191&lpid=1&search=&ad_cid=17

or this:
http://www.ksl.com/index.php?nid=218&ad=33306080&cat=191&lpid=1&search=&ad_cid=15
That Scott is out of my range unless that is a killer bike for a good price.

Or this:
http://www.ksl.com/index.php?nid=218&ad=33965740&cat=191&lpid=1&search=&ad_cid=1
Also out of my range unless well worth the money.

There are so many bikes on KSL for sale, I guess I need to narrow my search some how...
Click to expand...

At your height, with short legs, I would go Medium. A slightly smaller bike will be more flickable and give you better TT (Top Tube) clearance, so you don't go making yourself sterile.

As for the wheel size, you should demo different wheel sizes to see what feels good for you. I used to endo on a regular basis on a 26" until I switched to a 29er. Much better roll over and better traction climbing (keep in mind that I ride a hard tail, not Full Suspension). Lots of bike shops have demo's available to take out. They all charge for it, but will apply it to your purchase. (I've been treated well at Bountiful Bikes in Bountiful. Not much experience at the one in Kaysville).

Bike wise, I would probably go with the Stumpjumper, given your choices. Not sure about that particular year, but they've got a good trail geo. ~69 deg head angle, longer chainstay, means nice stable ride, up and down. Also check out Giant bikes. Their maestro suspension tech is really nice, and they're usually priced better than Specialized, Santa Cruz, etc. Trance would be a good fit for you, in their line up. They've been promoting the 27.5 pretty hard, which if I were to go Full Suspension, that's the wheel size I'd pick.

Lastly, throughout the summer, many bike shops and bike manufacturers will put on demo days, so keep an eye out for those.

EDIT: I'd offer this guy maybe $1,100 - $1,200:

http://www.ksl.com/?nid=218&ad=33638519&cat=&lpid=1&search=giant trance&ad_cid=8
 
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