Any Mtn Bikers on RME?

[Kevin B.]

Thinking about ditching my front 180mm Tektro for a BB7 with a 200mm G2 Clean Sweep, $70 for the set right now on Amazon. Thoughts? Is there a better brake/rotor combo under $100?

 

[glockman]

I haven't ran BB7's but I have ran Tektro's. I am running shimano xt's and love them. Huge upgrade from the Tektro's. They are probably the highest reviewed brake anywhere near their price point. I picked mine up off amazon from Backcountry.com for $99 without rotors. If I were you I'd get an XT brake now and upgrade to ice tech rotors (they can be had around $35) later. I ran the stock elixir 5 rotors for quit a while with the xt brakes.

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[sixstringsteve]

Do it. There's nothing better for under $100. A set of deore or slx hydraulics would be ideal, but it'll be more than $100.

You'll love that big rotor up front.

 

[Kevin B.]

I'm sold on hydraulic, I'd love to convert. Not this year though.

edit - or maybe not? If I picked my options right, I could get this setup for under $100? http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/us/en/shimano-deore-m615-disc-brake-rotor-bundle/rp-prod124962. Or is that pretty low end stuff that won't end up being much of an upgrade?

 

[sixstringsteve]

bb7s are amazing. Not quite as amazing as hydraulic, but almost.

 

[sixstringsteve]

Kev, get these:
http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/...9OvHZULQHZxgcsZ1VtV3bRoCFlzw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds

You'll still need a rotor and the adapter, but you wouldn't be able to tell a difference between these and mine if you were blindfolded.

 

[Kevin B.]

Kev, get these:
http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/...9OvHZULQHZxgcsZ1VtV3bRoCFlzw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds

You'll still need a rotor and the adapter, but you wouldn't be able to tell a difference between these and mine if you were blindfolded.

That's the same thing I linked upthread, right? Same thing but in a bundle with rotor and pads and adapter and such. I think I might have to do that.

 

[sixstringsteve]

Oops, I didn't click on the link, I thought they were BB7s you linked to.

Yeah, your link with the rotor is the better deal. Go with that setup, you'll love it. 203mm up front, 180 out back.

 

[Kevin B.]

Aww yiss...

Old crusted and the new hotness.

Chainreaction shipped quick, I ordered over the weekend and had my parts yesterday. The 203mm rotors were out of stock and I didn't want to wait, so I ordered 180mm, and of course the 203s came back in stock RIGHT after they shipped my order . I can always use it to upgrade the rear if I decide I still want 200 in front. The rotor is ever so slightly tweaked, which is annoying, but I've been needing to buy a truing tool anyway I guess. I took it for a spin and it already brakes better than the Tektro and it's not even broken in yet, so I'm stoked.

 

[sixstringsteve]

so you got 180s front and rear?

 

[Kevin B.]

Didn't do the rear yet, but it's next. It's a 160 Tektro now, I'll buy another Deore caliper and lever, move the 180 disc to the rear, and put a 203 on the front. That should stop me and 40 pounds of baby trailer on even the steepest hill.

 

[glockman]

You are going to love those. Shimano brakes are the bees knees.

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[Rock Taco]

what do you bike experts think about this bike?

http://www.ksl.com/index.php?nid=218&cat=191&ad=35876412

Here are some additional pics I had sent.

 

[sixstringsteve]

Honestly, I think it's about $400 overpriced. It was a nice bike in its day, but it's pretty dated. You could do better.

 

[Rock Taco]

Not saying i would give him what he is asking. But from research I have done he seems to be at least in the ball park. I know of a same model bike that recently sold for 800. Im trying to keep my budget around 1200 at most.

What makes a newer version any better? Im not planning on hitting huge drops.

 

[sixstringsteve]

The comp is Specialized's lowest-end on their models. Look at the chainring. All the teeth are pretty hammered. It just shows that this bike was ridden hard and parts weren't replaced regularly. It needs a handful of parts to make it fresh again. $1200 will get you a much better bike if you're patient.

Newer bikes won't ride tons better, but when it comes time to buy replacement parts, it's getting tougher to find local replacement parts for older models, ans the wheel size, headset size, fork size, and shifters and chains are no longer compatible with what's on the new bikes. They do this on purpose. They've convinced everyone that the "old" tech is garbage. It's not. It's just tough to find replacement parts.

With the whole tire size changes of late, it's making it tougher to get tires, tubes, rims, forks, spokes, etc. for some of the older bikes. I'm the world's biggest 26" fan, but it gets old when a bike shop only has 2 26" tires to choose from. There are lots of little things on this bike that need attention, which usually means some of the bigger things need attention too (things like suspension bearing/pivot rebuilds, fork rebuilds, shock rebuilds, etc). It's got a lot of wear on it. Yes, it has fox forks, but chances are good it needs new seals and an oil change. The brakes are less than desirable. The headset is standard 1 1/8" instead of tapered. It's almost impossible to find a new fork that is compatible with this frame. Will this bike work? Sure. If you want it to ride smooth, reliably, and trouble-free for the next 3 years, you'll need to dump a $200-400+ into it. I'd wait for a similar bike that's been ridden a lot less.

Also, with how tall you are, you might prefer a 29er (I can't believe I'm saying this). If you're not going off jumps or drops, you should be ok on a 29er with a solid wheelset.

 

[sixstringsteve]

Just a few examples

This may not be the exact model you're looking for (I'm not sure how you plan to ride it), but it's 2x the bike of that specialized. And I'll bet you could get it for $1200.
http://www.ksl.com/?nid=218&ad=35951462&cat=191&lpid=&search=&ad_cid=7

And this bike is much better than that specialized.
http://www.ksl.com/?nid=218&ad=35940860&cat=191&lpid=1&search=&ad_cid=6

A little out of your price range, but this is 3x the bike of the specialized.
http://www.ksl.com/?nid=218&ad=35939577&cat=191&lpid=1&search=&ad_cid=7

 

[Rock Taco]

The comp is Specialized's lowest-end on their models. Look at the chainring. All the teeth are pretty hammered. It just shows that this bike was ridden hard and parts weren't replaced regularly. It needs a handful of parts to make it fresh again. $1200 will get you a much better bike if you're patient.

Newer bikes won't ride tons better, but when it comes time to buy replacement parts, it's getting tougher to find local replacement parts for older models, ans the wheel size, headset size, fork size, and shifters and chains are no longer compatible with what's on the new bikes. They do this on purpose. They've convinced everyone that the "old" tech is garbage. It's not. It's just tough to find replacement parts.

With the whole tire size changes of late, it's making it tougher to get tires, tubes, rims, forks, spokes, etc. for some of the older bikes. I'm the world's biggest 26" fan, but it gets old when a bike shop only has 2 26" tires to choose from. There are lots of little things on this bike that need attention, which usually means some of the bigger things need attention too (things like suspension bearing/pivot rebuilds, fork rebuilds, shock rebuilds, etc). It's got a lot of wear on it. Yes, it has fox forks, but chances are good it needs new seals and an oil change. The brakes are less than desirable. The headset is standard 1 1/8" instead of tapered. It's almost impossible to find a new fork that is compatible with this frame. Will this bike work? Sure. If you want it to ride smooth, reliably, and trouble-free for the next 3 years, you'll need to dump a $200-400+ into it. I'd wait for a similar bike that's been ridden a lot less.

Also, with how tall you are, you might prefer a 29er (I can't believe I'm saying this). If you're not going off jumps or drops, you should be ok on a 29er with a solid wheelset.

Thats the kind of info I need! The owner said it has been for service a couple of times this year but what services were performed I'm not sure. I have only test ridden a handful of bikes at this point (No 29ers) I am planning on riding more. I do plan on doing some jumps and some drops just nothing huge. I'm old and still have to work for a living.

 

[sixstringsteve]

a 26" bike will be fine, just realize it's going to be tougher to find tires in stock. That just means you'll want to order tires and wheels online. No biggie.

If you can find a Santa Cruz Tallboy in your budget (and size - size is SUPER important), you'd be golden. They're a little more $$$ though, so don't push it if you can't afford it.

 

[Kevin B.]

Troy, you need to ride a 29" bike.