OK, I'm about to pull the trigger on a custom frame, but I need some help with my final decision.
I'd written off the Rig as an option because of my fit and handling concerns with Fisher geometry. But I'd never actually ridden a Fisher 29"er, and since the Rig is going to be such a rippin' good deal I thought I'd better test ride one just to make sure I'm really making the right decision. Plus the comparison would give me insight into how I want to design my Vulture.
Unfortunately I don't have an LBS that stocks the "real" Fisher 29"ers, just the Dual Sport models. But according to the Fisher website, the Montare and Rig have identical geometry. Now I know that's not actually, because I measured the BB height on the Montare and it's a good inch lower than the Rig's going to be, but some quick checks with the measuring tape tell me it's otherwise pretty close. Now I can't do this test with "real" 29" tires since the Montare's got 700x42s on it ... but since my Karate Monkey is currently outfitted with the same size tires for commuting, I bought it into the LBS with me so I could test both bikes back-to-back at least using similar-sized tires.
So after a 40 minute test ride, mostly urban with some hills and some dirt involved, here are my observations:
OK, so there's your ride report. If you've managed to read this far, please help me overcome an obstacle in my decision making. Basically it comes down to money. The $2k or so it will cost me to build up a custom bike is about double what it would take to get me into a Rig. If I'm honest with myself, the reasons I'm buying a bike right now are that (1) I need a second mountain frame so I can dedicate the KM to fulltime commuting and stop swapping parts, (2) I'm tired of horizontal dropouts with discs and need an EBB, and (3) I want a higher bottom bracket, especially important now that I'm switching from rigid to front suspension. Unlike a lot of custom buyers, geometry hasn't been my major reason for looking at that route. The Rig does satisfy those 3 must-haves that I just listed. Sure, custom fit would be nice, lighter weight steel would be nice, and a fancy paintjob would be fantastic, but they are not why I'm doing this. Those are not must-haves -- although they are definitely nice-to-haves, no question. It's going to be a big financial stretch for me to go custom, and the Rig's cost is a whole lot easier to swallow. The custom route adds some nice extras, including potentially longer frame life, but I'm having a hard time deciding whether those things are worth the additional grand to me. As nice as those things are, a recent car theft reminds me that anything can disappear and there's something to be said for not owning too many expensive things -- especially things that are easily stolen.
At least at this moment I'm really torn on what to do. Ultimately, I think the deciding factor is going to be whether I can live with an aluminum frame or not. Have modern aluminum frames, with their butted and carefully chosen tubing, evolved to the point where they dampen vibrations almost as well as steel, as road bike makers would have us believe? And on a mountain bike how much does it even matter? Also, how's Fisher's track record as far as frame reliability is concerned?
So where am I? What questions am I here to ask the forum? Sorry, I'm really not sure. This time I don't think I'm asking for technical advice, but help in making what's really an emotional decision. I guess since I'm kinda stuck, I thought I'd just share my thoughts and see what comments people have. Thanks for your patience in reading this, and in any insights you can give.
I'd written off the Rig as an option because of my fit and handling concerns with Fisher geometry. But I'd never actually ridden a Fisher 29"er, and since the Rig is going to be such a rippin' good deal I thought I'd better test ride one just to make sure I'm really making the right decision. Plus the comparison would give me insight into how I want to design my Vulture.
Unfortunately I don't have an LBS that stocks the "real" Fisher 29"ers, just the Dual Sport models. But according to the Fisher website, the Montare and Rig have identical geometry. Now I know that's not actually, because I measured the BB height on the Montare and it's a good inch lower than the Rig's going to be, but some quick checks with the measuring tape tell me it's otherwise pretty close. Now I can't do this test with "real" 29" tires since the Montare's got 700x42s on it ... but since my Karate Monkey is currently outfitted with the same size tires for commuting, I bought it into the LBS with me so I could test both bikes back-to-back at least using similar-sized tires.
So after a 40 minute test ride, mostly urban with some hills and some dirt involved, here are my observations:
- Fit: Although the Fisher's TT length and clockpit length are nominally 0.5" longer than what I'm used to with the KM, it wasn't really noticeable. I'm sure on a long ride it would matter, but I easily take care of that by dropping the stem from 70mm to 60mm without adverse consequences. (Also standover is no problem, even for me at 5'7" on the small Fisher: in fact, I had to run the seatpost a tad low to avoid exceeding maximum extension!) It sure is one thing to stare at geometry charts, getting worked up about a small discrepancy on one little measurement, and quite another to get on the bike and ride it. Bottom line: This bike can be set up to fit me just as well as my KM, no problem. Of course a custom bike will fit me even better, but of course the question is will it fit me $1000 better?
- Handling: This is where it gets interesting. Yes, the Fisher had slower handling and the KM was noticeably quicker, as expected. But the difference was less than I expected: the Fisher did not feel choppered-out or handle like the yacht that I'd built up in my mind. In fact, I'd say it's as quick as the 26" bikes I've owned. Sure, the KM is quicker and is easier to flick around on tight singletrack, but both are pretty easy to hip-steer. To be honest, I don't ride tight singletrack any more often than I do long rides on forest roads and desert doubletrack where the "slower" GF could actually be an asset. Like many riders, I can only afford to own one "real" mountain bike, and that bike needs to be a compromise that works reasonably well in all the conditions I ride in. Bottom line: I think either bike would handle just fine on almost all of the trails I ride. I like the KM's quickness, but even if I go custom I'll probably aim for handling somewhere in between the two bikes.
- Ride: One one level, hard to judge: the Fisher had a Manitou South fork but a rigid seatpost, whereas my KM has a rigid fork and a Thudbuster. I will say that despite a lot of movement on the part of that South fork, it did less to absorb bumps at the front end than my Thud does at the back end. Beyond that, my concern is of course with the aluminum frame. I know aluminum frame designs have come a long way in the last 4-5 years, but I have bad memories of my last aluminum bike, a '00 Rockhopper with a beer can sized downtube that transmitted every little vibration from the rear wheel straight up into the handlebars. I didn't seem to sense pavement/gravel/dirt irregularities coming into the handlebars on this ride, but there was a noticeable buzzing feeling at the bars from the tread of the Mythos XC Slick tires themselves. I used this same tire on my KM for commuting last month, and remember it being pretty buzzy on that bike too. Whether it was as strong as on the Fisher, I can't recall. Bottom line: Not sure. Will have to re-mount the Mythos on my KM and see whether the steel dampens the tire's vibrations more than the Fisher. How does everyone else feel about the ride of their Fisher hardtails?
- 29" wheels: Despite the differences, both bikes rolled over stuff way better than any 26"er and demonstrated the low-speed stability that I love about 29"ers. Just confirmed once again that 29" is the way to go.
OK, so there's your ride report. If you've managed to read this far, please help me overcome an obstacle in my decision making. Basically it comes down to money. The $2k or so it will cost me to build up a custom bike is about double what it would take to get me into a Rig. If I'm honest with myself, the reasons I'm buying a bike right now are that (1) I need a second mountain frame so I can dedicate the KM to fulltime commuting and stop swapping parts, (2) I'm tired of horizontal dropouts with discs and need an EBB, and (3) I want a higher bottom bracket, especially important now that I'm switching from rigid to front suspension. Unlike a lot of custom buyers, geometry hasn't been my major reason for looking at that route. The Rig does satisfy those 3 must-haves that I just listed. Sure, custom fit would be nice, lighter weight steel would be nice, and a fancy paintjob would be fantastic, but they are not why I'm doing this. Those are not must-haves -- although they are definitely nice-to-haves, no question. It's going to be a big financial stretch for me to go custom, and the Rig's cost is a whole lot easier to swallow. The custom route adds some nice extras, including potentially longer frame life, but I'm having a hard time deciding whether those things are worth the additional grand to me. As nice as those things are, a recent car theft reminds me that anything can disappear and there's something to be said for not owning too many expensive things -- especially things that are easily stolen.
At least at this moment I'm really torn on what to do. Ultimately, I think the deciding factor is going to be whether I can live with an aluminum frame or not. Have modern aluminum frames, with their butted and carefully chosen tubing, evolved to the point where they dampen vibrations almost as well as steel, as road bike makers would have us believe? And on a mountain bike how much does it even matter? Also, how's Fisher's track record as far as frame reliability is concerned?
So where am I? What questions am I here to ask the forum? Sorry, I'm really not sure. This time I don't think I'm asking for technical advice, but help in making what's really an emotional decision. I guess since I'm kinda stuck, I thought I'd just share my thoughts and see what comments people have. Thanks for your patience in reading this, and in any insights you can give.