New bike recommendation?

[376]

I just started riding this summer. I purchased a Trek 4300(no rear suspension). I thought this bike would be great for a couple years. Since, I've started riding Lebanon and am thinking about an upgrade already. I would really like: front and rear suspension and disc brakes. Also I don't want to spend more than $1000. I really like the guys I worked with at Penn Cycle in Eagan and would like to go back there. Any recommendations.

[BKocka]

any reason why you want both front and rear suspension?

and the eagan guys are great- i know them all very well. If you are going to get a full susp. bike I would go with a Fisher or Trek.

unfortunatly you are not going to get away with buying a full susp. bike for $1000.00. the cheapest trek is the Fuel 70 for MSRP of $1049.99.

other options... Fisher CAKE 3 dics, just over 1100 or the Fisher Caliber (there was no msrp listed for that.)

just call up penn eagan and ask for Ryan and talk to him about it. He's a good one, and one of the managers there.

[376]

I guess I thought front and rear suspension would make life a lot easier on some of the more advanced courses in the area. I have a motocross background and like to ride very aggressive. I guess this maybe should be in the riding tips forum, but for those of you with more experience: would front and rear suspension make a big difference for me?

[transplant]

I don't think you really NEED a full suspension on most of the Metro trails. Yeah, there are some rough spots here and there, but just taking it easy at first and getting used to to the trail will help. You should be able to ride pretty aggressively on a hardtail. As a matter of fact, I have an FSXC that gets little use nowadays. It seems like a little overkill to me. I have more fun on my SS and geared hardtails. I also spent 5 years in Arizona where the terrain is a little more extreme, so you have to factor that in.

Bottom line: Spend your $1000.00 on a decent hardtail, ride the crap out of it then upgrade to an FS in a few years if you want. My $.02.

[BKocka]

if you are buying a full sus for easier riding, then that is stupid.

if you can't get over a log pile with a hardtale because it's too hard- then getting a full sus will be harder and make you a terrible rider. this is my problem, too.

i ride with people that ride ridgid bikes. They know what it really takes to get over any obsticle (these people ride the XX at leb on these suckers- single speed- its amazing). I however have been relying on my suspension to get my over obsticles- and that is the wrong technique and will get you in trouble. I did that (relyed on my sus) on a log pile in the XX loop and totally ate it because I didn't ride with it the proper way... aka lifting the front tire- instead i just rolled at things.

if you want a full sus for these reasons then get one- but know that it really wont do you justice and you wont be a better technical rider.

if you want it for being more comfortible because of extreme riding conditions (this colorado mountain biking) then I say get one, and ride it right.

and like tom... thats my $.02.

[crux]

I guess I thought front and rear suspension would make life a lot easier on some of the more advanced courses in the area. I have a motocross background and like to ride very aggressive. I guess this maybe should be in the riding tips forum, but for those of you with more experience: would front and rear suspension make a big difference for me?

Think that riding your hardtail for a bit longer would make you a better rider vs switching over to a FS ride right away. If you do want to go FS then wait it out a bit test ride all the FS stuff that your thinking of then go with that one, don't limit yourself by a price point as you can oftern find better deals if you leave your options open.

[Nickel]

Hey Joe
I am riding the same bike as you are, though I am a much newer rider. I haven't been on the XX loop at Lebanon but I rode the intermediate and expert one and didn't have any trouble (for what I can do). I have raced on it too. When this one dies I will likely upgrade to a better hardtail like others have suggested. I can see myself upgrading the derailers though.

The bike has worked well for me for road riding too. I recently did a century (road and trail) on it and last summer 84 miles (mostly road).

[transplant]

If you do it right and do your homework, you can get a pretty good hardtail for $1000.00. Look at the frame. If you get a good one you can upgrade components as they break or wear out. A lot of companys use one frame and then add different levels of components and forks to them to reach a broad price range. My geared hardtail is a '96 Rocky Mountain Blizzard in steel. Great, durable frame. I've abused the snot out of it, raced on it and it's still hanging in there. Aluminum won't do that (this is another debate for another time).

[Paul Swenson]

The bike has worked well for me for road riding too. I recently did a century (road and trail) on it and last summer 84 miles (mostly road).

You did a century on a Trek 4300? That's a lot of pedaling. I hope for your sake you had slicks.

[Mountain Jam]

If I were you I would spend a little more, but for $1000 I seriously think about the Kona Kula. It's a hell of a bike for $1099. I think it exactly what your looking for.

[bigwheel]

if you are buying a full sus for easier riding, then that is stupid.

if you can't get over a log pile with a hardtale because it's too hard- then getting a full sus will be harder and make you a terrible rider. this is my problem, too.

Yeah, yeah. You will forever be a lousy rider unless you are riding a rigid fixed-gear 1-speed. Don't let them talk you out of the bike you want.

I ride both a SS hardtail and a FS gearie. The FS is definitely nicer and easier to ride in the rough stuff. It floats over rocks/logs better, and is way faster on the downhills.

If you are coming from a motocross background, you already know the benefits of having lots of suspension. Just be aware of the drawbacks. Particularly the weight and losing energy to bounce while climbing. And the extra cost. ($1k is not enough)

Say hi to Todd and Ryan when you are there.

[Sevadari]

would front and rear suspension make a big difference for me?

I agree with most comments so far on how FS bikes tend to make your riding a bit sloppier, that is unless you are really making a concerted effort to maintain and increase your riding technique. I do believe that having ridden rigid for most of my MTBing life has really helped my technique.

Having done most of my riding out in Utah, Colorado and California, I have to say that FS is probably overkill for just about any of the metro trails (i've ridden Leb, T. Wirth, Hillside, Salem, Terrace, and River Bottoms). Riding a hard tail is completely "sufficient" for the conditions here in MN...the real question is just how comfortable you want to be-although there are many who would probably say that just about any ride is comfortable if you do enough riding and get used to it.

PS Ironicially...I ride an FS rig out here, but that's just cuz I only had enough money for one bike and knew that I'd still be doing a bunch of riding back in UT and CO every year and didn't want to miss out on some of the gnarly stuff there.

[Mountain Jam]

By the way it's a hardtail. Your not going to find a full suspension bike that worth a damn for $1000.

[BKocka]

Yeah, yeah. You will forever be a lousy rider unless you are riding a rigid fixed-gear 1-speed. Don't let them talk you out of the bike you want.

dude you cant tell me that if you ride a full suspension and make the suspension do all the work that makes you a great technical rider. It you want to be a good technical rider, then ride the bike right whether it is ridgid, full sus or a hardtale. It's not about ss-ridgid bikes-i dont ride one. but it is a known fact that if you let the suspension do all the work for you then you are not riding the obsticles right.

[nigel]

How about ya get whatever is going to make you enjoy riding, then it does not matter what you ride as long as you are out on it! Then as far as the hardtail/full/singlespeed arguments go, you may just end up with one of each and then your hardest decision will be which one to ride :crazy:

[BKocka]

How about ya get whatever is going to make you enjoy riding, then it does not matter what you ride as long as you are out on it! Then as far as the hardtail/full/singlespeed arguments go, you may just end up with one of each and then your hardest decision will be which one to ride :crazy:

well said. well said.

[376]

I appreciate all the responses from everyone. I'm thinking I might just beat on the 4300 for a while and save my money until I get into more serious riding. Thanks everyone.

[tedsti]

You ride obstacles differently depending on what suspension you have and how much of it you have. It still takes skill to get a FS bike over a log pile or through a rock garden. The timing of your weight transfers changes etc. Suspension generally lets you go faster over the same obstacles. Having suspension does not make you a worse rider, it just makes you better at riding a suspension bike. If you let the suspension do all the work for you, then you are riding a suspension bike perfectly.

Take someone who is used to riding ridgid, and they will not ride a FS bike as fast as someone who is used to riding FS. There is skill in both so just run what ya brung.

dude you cant tell me that if you ride a full suspension and make the suspension do all the work that makes you a great technical rider. It you want to be a good technical rider, then ride the bike right whether it is ridgid, full sus or a hardtale. It's not about ss-ridgid bikes-i dont ride one. but it is a known fact that if you let the suspension do all the work for you then you are not riding the obsticles right.

[Sevadari]

Since you asked...you might want to check out this bike:

http://ibexbikes.com/Bikes/ASTA-COMP-Details.html

or this one (i've got an '05):

http://ibexbikes.com/Bikes/APG-SPT-LT-Details.html

Don't want to start an LBS v on-line retailer flame war :eyeroll: (especially since I support my LBS whenever I can and it's a dumb, non-starter of an argument anyway), but this could be the ticket if you REALLY to get into a decent FS ride.

If you can hack the on-line thing, you end up getting quite a bit of component and frame bang for the buck with Ibex; just check out their specs and their manufacturer's forum on mtbr.com and you will see. I've ridden my Ibex Apogee for about 550 miles so far (40% off-road) and it has performed like a real champ! I'm a fairly big dude (6', 210 pounds) and it has put up with all the abuse I've dished out without any major problems. Not saying their perfect bikes, but they do have their strengths for those of us that can't shell out bokoo bucks for a ride but still want something decent. I'd also check out their HTs when you're in the market for one.

Personally, given the info you mentioned above, I'd say follow the good advice given by others so far. Don't rush into a FS rig right now. Ride what you've already got some more, improve your riding skills and then down the road some time re-evaluate to see what you really need/want.

(If that's my opinion then why did I bring up Ibex? Well, sometimes people too beholden to the "normal" way of doing things or the big names fail to see that there are other options :D.)

[transplant]

There is skill in both so just run what ya brung.

True words. As long as you're riding, that's what counts.

I truly think most of us here just want him to get the best bike possible for $1000.00. I'd rather ride a hardtail with, say, Avid BB7 brakes as opposed to an FS with Tektro or Shimano Deore v-brakes. A crappy bike can kill the experience pretty quickly.

[BKocka]

You ride obstacles differently depending on what suspension you have and how much of it you have. It still takes skill to get a FS bike over a log pile or through a rock garden. The timing of your weight transfers changes etc. Suspension generally lets you go faster over the same obstacles. Having suspension does not make you a worse rider, it just makes you better at riding a suspension bike. If you let the suspension do all the work for you, then you are riding a suspension bike perfectly.

see but i totally disagree with that, and working at many a bike shop in my day i think a lot of other people would, too.

Suspension isn't meant to decrease your riding skills so you can "lay back and enjoy the ride" it's meant to increase your comfort.

If it wasn't made for that then they wouldn't use say, a suspension fork on a trek 7100 and explain the usage for it as "made to be used for on road riding and slight gravel with suspension to increase comfort".

(but dont get me wrong, i like FS as well as hard tale as well as single speed- im just rambling you know...)

and yea suspension will "generally let you go faster over the same obsticles" but when did mountain biking become about being fast- and only fast? To be a great mountain biker one must ride their bike, whether FS, SS, or HT, beautifully with perfect technicality- and speed is just a part of technical riding.

[Nickel]

You did a century on a Trek 4300? That's a lot of pedaling. I hope for your sake you had slicks.

Ha ha, nope it was for the recent Tour de Trails day so my knobbies were on.

[Sevadari]

True words. As long as you're riding, that's what counts.

I truly think most of us here just want him to get the best bike possible for $1000.00. I'd rather ride a hardtail with, say, Avid BB7 brakes as opposed to an FS with Tektro or Shimano Deore v-brakes. A crappy bike can kill the experience pretty quickly.

Great point, I totally agree!

Not to be too pesky, but....the Ibex Asta, an FS rig (the 1st of the two links above) runs Avid BB7s plus a fair number of other solid components. ;)

I still think you should go with yer gut and ride what you've got for a while and then upgrade when your skill and wallet have both had time to improve! :D

[bigwheel]

dude you cant tell me that if you ride a full suspension and make the suspension do all the work that makes you a great technical rider. It you want to be a good technical rider, then ride the bike right whether it is ridgid, full sus or a hardtale. It's not about ss-ridgid bikes-i dont ride one. but it is a known fact that if you let the suspension do all the work for you then you are not riding the obsticles right.

When you add another 30 years of wear and tear to your body, we'll have to discuss this again. Riding with a full-suspension bike saves your back, wrists, fingers and knees. For my joints, it is the difference between doing 2 leb laps and 4.

I almost exclusively rode a hardtail SS from November through May, and don't think that I am any better of a technical rider because of it.

There are all sorts of ways to make your bike harder to ride, and make you a better technical rider. All of the arguments for hardtail also go for rigid forks and maybe removing your seat. Ideally, we should all be riding unicycles if balance and skill are our only goals. However, some of us just ride to have fun, and don't consider every ride to be training for some observed trials competition.

BTW, I'm not anti-hardtail. I rode my ss hardtail all weekend.