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new bike
NB: Originally posted elsewhere on the Global Riders Network and appears via syndication.
Im looking for a new bike. i need it to do a bit of downhill and cross country. i dont want it to be more than $2000. any suggestions?
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ive found a giant reign 2 (2013). will this be able to handle downhill and xc?
There's no one bike that will do these two disciplines well as they are at the extreme opposite ends of the spectrum in terms of mountain biking.
If you build up a Reign with a 160mm fork, strong wheels and big tyres it'll do some DH alright. However with the extra weight and rolling resistance it'll be hopeless for XC.
I know people that have done 100km XC races on a reign but that was with skinny XC tyres, 140mm fork and light wheels.
Hope this helps somewhat.
I've build a '13 Reign 2 up for light downhill (wide bars, short stem, minions, chain guide) and it is more than enough for the downhill runs at Goatfarm/KC. I have no issues on the uphill parts of KC with it locked out front and rear. It might be much slower going up but if your not interested in racing XC having that extra bit of travel makes the downs/jumps/drops a lot more enjoyable!
thanks for the replies. ive got til the end of the year to decide though.
goatfarm/kc? never heard of them. where are they?
Goatfarm http://www.everytrail.com/guide/goat-farm
KC (Kalamunda Circuit) http://www.everytrail.com/guide/kalamunda-circuit
they look nice. but i dont think im going to western australia anytime soon haha.
If your talking about Enduro discipline? Then go for the reign
ive got a reign. it is a superb bike. mine is a more freeride model (reign SX) but it still climbs really well. im running dual chainring and 10 speed rear which allows me to climb and bomb down hills great. Tyres ive got Kenda Nevegals which are good for DH but are light enough for XC or AM riding. i would recomend a 160 fork. they are fantastic for jumping and drops but still small enough to have a resonably easy climb..
racing xc though..... i wouldnt use one. it would be a bit to much hard work.. you would be better of with a Giant Trance or something of that style..
but if your just casually riding the reign would suit. it gives the freedom to hit most jumps and drops as well as easy enough for the flat and up hill. (dropper seat post would be ideal for this sort of bike)
i was originally looking at the reign 2 for xc riding. but i would rather get a more dh/fr bike. i did look at the reign sx 2011 model but it was a bit outta my price range. i have been offered a new marin quake 7.8 for $1500 because its a 2009 model. i could save $3500 for a reign sx but i need some help deciding.
if the components are marzocchi i wouldnt buy it. ive heard so many problems about them.
if you looking for a cheap reign tuggerah bike shop (Cycology) is great. thats where i got mine. They have plenty of bikes and will be able to order something in possibly
tuggerahs not that far from where i live. so ill check out what they have in stock and will keep an eye out for other deals as well
Hopeless for XC 'racing' is probably what you meant. So, if Bigred666 isn't too worried about exactly what placing they get in a race (if they even decide to race), then the Giant will be a great bike for XC riding.
In fact, it will probably be an even better bike for XC riding than most XC bikes given the extra travel, comfort and error correcting geometry.
I've seen many a new rider enter the MTB world, buy a XC bike and then scratch their head at where all the fun went and ask themselves 'why is my arse sore? I've got a dually, haven't I?'.
XC racing is a small slice of XC which is a small slice of MTBing.
BigRed666 - devils number is 616 - recently confirmed; 666 was a historic typo!
@bigredd,
I am considering selling my 2011 Santa Cruz Nomad with Fox 160 TALAS, SRAM 1 x 10 drive chain, reverb dropper post
for about 2K if you are interested? also have the bits for a triple up front to go with it if you want more gears.
Hijack! More info on the SC?
how would this fit the bill for what im doing? (am/fr/xc)
http://www.specialized.com/us/en/bikes/mountain/...
Useless.
Look for something around the 6" / 150mm travel mark with slack-ish head angle.
Don't forget that a good rider can use a lesser travelled bike on a DH course better than a pleb on a super plush DH sled.
Google Fabien Barel or Brian Lopes and the bikes they used in Canberra for the 2009 Worlds. Granted they didn't win but the did bloody well on bikes with single crown forks and around 160mm travel.
Something like a Giant Reign with a Fox 36 Van or float could be a good all rounder for you.
thanks for telling me. its good to have advice when looking for a new bike
what about something like this?
I'm believing that you have not got a bike atm , go too a local bike shop have a demo & see what you like , I love my Scott spark 29er it goes where I like, riding without issues but doesn't mean it will suit you , I myself have been thru 6 bikes to find the one that serves me well at the moment . That could change next year again ... have fun riding is what say
I ride a 2012 Specialized Enduro with 160mm travel front and rear. I ride it for downhill, XC and everything in between. It is not the fastest bike up a hill, but there arent any hills I cant climb that my mates on shorter travel bikes can. On the way down a downhill track, the difference between my bike and the mates 150mm travel bike is considerable. My bike cost $3500 new last year, so a second hand Enduro could be in your price range. With your focus on downhill, I would suggest you buy a bike with at least 160mm front/rear. I think you will need the travel and the slacker head angle.
scrap the marin. looked at it today, it was a size small ( id need medium).
is there an older model reign sx that i could get anywhere?
There were a few on Rotorburn classifieds last time I looked near Sydney.
Can't vouch for condition.
http://www.torpedo7.com.au/products/KHBMAN2L7/ti...
says fr/am. but wasnt to sure.
also is it buy online only or is there a torpedo dealer?
Would be good downhill but would be a push uphill bike. Weighs 17.6kg (very heavy), has coil suspension and only one chainring up front. Would only be a downhill shuttle bike, and not suitable to pedal about on.
i dont mind a bit of pushing up hill, because im a terrible climber on a hardtail (yes, im that bad). but i would still like a bike that can at least peddle on flat or a small climb
how would this bike handle something like ourimbah?
and how is it going uphill?
The reign or any similar 6" bike such as an Enduro will be more than capable on both the DH and XC.
You just won't be the fastest on the XC. On the DH track, it's just down to skill. I heard somewhere the DH track record isn't on a DH bike. The DH is very pedally and flat. Recent changes to the track also cater for all levels opening it up more to other bikes. Just buy a full face and some armour.
When I first got into riding my Enduro got me around everywhere at Ourimbah. Used to do a lap on the XC then ride up and do the DH. The Reign would be similar. This is how I started out and then over time went for two bikes as I posted earlier.
It would be nice of it had a TALAS. This could be an upgrade later which would help you drop the front end a bit to improve climbing and cornering on tight XC tracks. You probably wouldn't need to replace the fork to upgrade. Just add a TALAS cartridge to the air spring side of the fork during a service, this used to be very easy and cost around $300. I assume nothing's changed. The different model forks all ran the same design with different internals.
I'd add an 8" rotor on the front and put the 7" on the back. But I'm used to brakes with DH feel and like my bikes to each feel similar.
The air shock and fork make it easy to change sag settings between DH and XC. More sag means better cornering on the DH track. You just will be more prone to bottoming than a DH bike. The reign has a fair bit of progression (stiffens as travel increases) in the rear to help reduce this. I also believe there are some mods you can do with spacers to ramp the shock air spring rate up more.
A few people will talk about pros and cons of air vs coil. If you own one bike air gives you a lighter bike and ease of adjustment. I find air feels different in the early stroke as the preload is different but once you have weight on it I dont notice. It is good enough for the forks of many World Cup DH racers and is standard on Boxxer WC DH forks.
The Reign used to have longer chain stays than the Enduro. This meant the Enduro had more weight on the rear with more preference to DH. But they all work fine and more to do with rider preference. I like short chain stays and longer top tubes for a given wheel base length.
so reign would be a good option?
yep the reign is good. if you want FR then dont get a 29er they ruin the ride for DH/FR riding. sure they can climb but so can 26er's
Reign is good.
hopefully i can get it around julyish for my birthday. just gotta save some cash
but i think i may have found the bike. http://knollybikes.com/bikes/chilcotin i havnt really heard of knolly bikes before but they all seem to have positive reviews. it seems to have decent specs and nice geo, right amount of travel for what i want (mainly dh/am, not alot of xc) has anybody had any experience with knolly before and can anyone verify price? it says $2450 on the website but id like to be sure before driving to wollongong just to look at a bike.
thanks
They seem to make cool bikes & it would be something unique to show off on the DH track!
Yep they are a Canadian bike. Flow Mountain bike magazine tested one and gave it a great review. They look the goods!
$2450 is for the frame only. Flow's test bike came in at $6400.
Bike Exchange have 3 options from Knolly on there. They start at $6400 for the Chilcotin and go up to $7400 for the Podium. A little outside of your original price range I would think.
A bike shop in Brissie has a brand new 2013 Reign 1 for $2400, or you could go for a Reign 2 for an almost even $2k.
that they are frame only now. shame it looks like such a nice bike
is anywhere able to order in reign sx's? not looking at new because i will most likely be buying 2.
how trustworthy is buying online? http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=c... this has one for $1330 but it ships from Indonesia. im not sure how legit it is though.
... it usually is too good to be true.
Domain now gone by the looks of things... that should be evidence enough that it was a scam site.
If they can't do it on bPay they're not legit.
bPay gives you some protection.
They often have the bPay logo but don't actually use it.
someone is selling on ebay a similar price you want to pay & is in Sydney take a look it's the best option for you instead of buying OS from Indonesia
Have you looked into bicycles online
http://www.bicyclesonline.com.au/mountain-dual-s...
Apparently they've recently opened a showroom in Manly.
They do a Reign X comparable bike (6.3") which could be a good option for you.
i was acutally looking at polygon. i havnt heard much about them but they seem to have some good reviews.
how is the 2012 marin attack trail 6.7? i am able to get it for $1500 new from lbs.
Heard good things about Marin. However they don't have much of a foothold here in Aus. That could be an issue for warranty work in the future should it arise.
My advice would be to keep chipping away with the savings and get something in a few months when the 2014 editins are released (around Aug I think).
You've been looking for a bike for a while now so you must be packing away additional savings by now
If you're interested, I know a guy selling a medium sized Commencal at around $1200.....I think.
been offered the commencal. looks nice but dad said no buying used
which sucks because theres alot of nice used bikes lying around. tbsm.com how reliable are they? they have a shop in sydney and have a Marin attack trail 6.7 online for $1684, does anybody know if its all buy online or if they can order it in and pay cash in store?
**edit: no marins in size medium
the search continues...
Hey red
You've been through about every brand out there
Why not get Dad to take you out to some shops looking for any brand in the 130 -150mm travel category
If you're stumping up the funds for a new bike a test ride is mandatory, and make your decision from there
Trawling the internet looking for bikes and then opinions on those bikes will just lead to confusion and indecision
ive looked at a reign, the Marin, a commencal meta am ( which my friend has dibs on) gt force? i think it was. gotta find shops with more brands though.
mate youve been bangin on about a bike for months , and with good reason,2k is a lot for a bike, n gettin the right bike is the most important thing,,,a lot of people have said get a reign , and they are right..ive owned 2 reigns from new.a 2006 reign3 ( heavy upgrade from oe spec. is slacker n more travel than mates 2010 reign x) and stock 2007 reign 0. the reign3 is like a mini dh bike and the 0 is more trail and jumps etc....point being.. im yet to find a bike as capable and adaptable as a reign..the older generations like mine had less front travel, steeper head angles, shorter wheel bases than current models.. but one thing has stayed the same, true value and performance for money..i ride these bikes every weekend and still love em, its cheaper to add bigger tyres n brakes n forks later on than to buy a new bike every 2 years.. you cant go wrong with giant reigns mate...my only real advice is to get to know the components from different bike manufactures, understand what the different angles, heights etc really mean(geo)..the more $$$$$ you have the more choices, set ya sights on a bike drop the reddies and blast ya trails, everything else falls into place given time....reign for life!!!!!!!!!!!
you could spend every weekend for the next 6 months looking at more brands
And weighing up the little pros and cons of each brand and spec list etc
Or you could get specific and choose Giant with a reign at the top of the list
Make a final decision based on test rides, buy one and get out there and ride it hard
We can guarantee you will not be disappointed