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Looking for new bike - UPDATE Purchased!

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JulesMaximus said:
Trails here are usually pretty rough. Lots of hills and rocks so I think full suspension would be the way to go.
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Downhill I don't much mind a hardtail. I'm not on the seat anyway.

It's climbing on bumpy trails where I really love my FS. Sit and spin and let the suspension deal with the bumps. Makes it a lot easier to keep traction on tricky rocky uphills as well.
 
Had a great ride yesterday for 2 hours, drove to a trail nearby. Still not a technical trail or a single track but I had fun and enjoyed a new area.
 
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Rode Joshua Creek and Iroquois Shore Ridge Park yesterday, I've almost explored most major trails in my town now
 
BassBomb said:
Any ATOT Mountain Bike experts?

I am in the market for a new bike, probably hard tail. I ride on light gravel trails that are usually maintained so not very technical in terms of roots or trees around.

I went to my local bike shop and they recommended I go 29er.

I had stated a budget of ~$1000 which is flexible in going below but not much above

The guy recommended GIANT over TREK (the two brands they pretty much carry) and in particular this bike:
http://www.giant-bicycles.com/_pdf/bikes/canada/giantbicycles-58313-talon.29er.0.pdf

Any tips on what I should be looking out for? Would this be a strong choice ?
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LULZ! You and I have the exact same bike. :biggrin:

I bought a 2013 Giant Talon 29er 0 last month on closeout. :thumbsup:

Only difference is mine doesn't have fenders.

 
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JulesMaximus said:
Sweet. How do you like it?

Other than it being a tad heavy I'm pretty happy with mine. Been riding it quite a bit.
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It does show its weight, especially since I didn't upgrade the wheels like yourself. I love how it climbs and it makes those sections a breeze compared to my old bike. I feel like I need some sort of change in the stem since I am not a big guy and the frame is a little large.

It is comfortable to an extent, maybe next time I will spring for a full suspension bike.

Tires and front shock are OK just as people post about how those are the worst things on the bike. I think they'll last me for awhile anyways.

I love the drive train, I can't say enough good things about how smooth that is.
 
BassBomb said:
It does show its weight, especially since I didn't upgrade the wheels like yourself. I love how it climbs and it makes those sections a breeze compared to my old bike. I feel like I need some sort of change in the stem since I am not a big guy and the frame is a little large.

It is comfortable to an extent, maybe next time I will spring for a full suspension bike.

Tires and front shock are OK just as people post about how those are the worst things on the bike. I think they'll last me for awhile anyways.

I love the drive train, I can't say enough good things about how smooth that is.
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:thumbsup: I agree with everything you've said. I'll probably upgrade the fork eventually but otherwise it is pretty good. I might go with a narrower bar and maybe a 90mm stem vs the 100mm stem on there now to see if I find that more comfortable but otherwise it is pretty good the way I have it setup now.

I got a killer deal on those wheels. It is a $750 wheelset that I paid $450 for. Dropped a full pound of rotating weight and they are stiffer and roll smoother than the crappy OEM wheels too. I think wheels are one of the best upgrades you can make on any bike.
 
Drako said:
It's always good to see pictures of MBs in their natural habitat - the Dining Room 😀.
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LOL! I don't generally take a camera with me when I ride (other than my cell phone) and I never seem to remember to use it when I do anyway. :biggrin:

That is pretty funny, you actually made me laugh out loud. :thumbsup:
 
JulesMaximus said:
LOL! I don't generally take a camera with me when I ride (other than my cell phone) and I never seem to remember to use it when I do anyway. :biggrin:
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I just thought it was very humorous. My wife would kill me if I brought my "filthy bike" into the house.
 
Drako said:
I just thought it was very humorous. My wife would kill me if I brought my "filthy bike" into the house.
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Oh believe me, my wife hates it when I bring my bikes in the house. It is too dark and crowded in the garage to work on them though.

I'm still pondering bringing the Ducati into the livingroom one of these days just to see what she'll say. Biggest problem with that is I'd have to have it running to get it over the threshold. :biggrin: If I do it I'll make sure to snap a picture of it. 😉
 
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Picked that up yesterday off craigslist for cheap. Wanted something for those days I didn't feel like riding in the dirt. Its a 07 trek pilot. Nothing special but good enough for what I want to do with it.

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Just to fit better in this thread. This is a bit of a frankenbike. I bought the diamondback sortie frame/fox fork/few other little bits off ebay at the start of summer and used everything else from my old gary fisher which was already a bit of a frankenbike. Still need to get around to buying a longer rear brake hose or just break 😉 down and get a new set. Can't make up my mind. The Avid Juicy 5s on it work fine but they are a PITA to bleed.
 
thedarkwolf said:
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Picked that up yesterday off craigslist for cheap. Wanted something for those days I didn't feel like riding in the dirt. Its a 07 trek pilot. Nothing special but good enough for what I want to do with it.

IMG_0624.JPG

Just to fit better in this thread. This is a bit of a frankenbike. I bought the diamondback sortie frame/fox fork/few other little bits off ebay at the start of summer and used everything else from my old gary fisher which was already a bit of a frankenbike. Still need to get around to buying a longer rear brake hose or just break 😉 down and get a new set. Can't make up my mind. The Avid Juicy 5s on it work fine but they are a PITA to bleed.
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How are the Avid's? That's one reason I immediately got a poor response from TREK bike when I was checking out TREK and GIANT. The Avid brakes just didn't feel right to me.

Debating where to bike this Sunday. Saturday looks like rain
 
BassBomb said:
How are the Avid's? That's one reason I immediately got a poor response from TREK bike when I was checking out TREK and GIANT. The Avid brakes just didn't feel right to me.
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Well I can say this. My spare/back up bike has an old shimano something or other hydraulic disc on the front and v-brake on the rear. The shimano came on my gary fisher when I bought it around 7 years ago and set in a box for 2 years after I upgraded that bike to the Avids. I've never bleed that brake and it still feels great every time I drag the back up bike out to use it. The Avids on the other hand I've bleed at least once a year probably more like twice a year and as I said it is a PITA, just did the front brake again last week. I haven't used the newer Elixir series but my juicy 5s feel fine to me. One of the guys I ride with had some higher end elixer brakes on his bike stock and never liked them and switched to shimano XTRs. I'm thinking about going to shimano SLXs next time a really good deal comes around just for the much easier bleeding.
 
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