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Rethinking my current ride....bike curious

6K views 46 replies 21 participants last post by  Mark in Baltimore 
#1 · (Edited)
Currently I have a 2011 Trek Fuel EX8. I got a good deal on it last year as a left over so I went for it. So far I went tubeless, changed tires, pedals (of course), and bike computer. So I am not into it too deep. Lately I have been thinking of a 29er. Most everyone here rides one and I just got a chance to take a short ride on a Specialized Stumpy FSR comp 29er (mouth full). It felt really good over roots and rocks almost cheating. It did feel slower around corners. In the bikes defense I just threw a leg over it, dont know the tires well and its a 29er not a 26er. So I have been doing some bike searching. I have been stalking the Trek stache 8, Cannondale F29-2, and the Stump jumper FSR comp 29er. It is kind of a wide spread for bikes. I mostly was looking at a HT but after talking to the cannondale/specialized dealer he said from his experience If you like a FS stay with a FS. So thats why the stump jumper is on my list. My concern with the stumpy is it may be more bike than needed in middle ga.Most everyone here rides a hard tail but like I said every bike I owned since 1997 has been a FS. I also want to keep an open mind on the HT thing. I want to keep the weight down also. Currently my bike is around 27-28lbs. I have not weighted it since the pedels, tires, and tubeless. I am not a weight weenie but want something as light or lighter. I called a few dealers and one of the dealers has a 2013 stumpy for $2600 and they take trades. I found a Stache 8 (not in my size) to at least see in person. The guy there told me a couple employees already bought the frame/fork option.....that says something if they jumped on the bike so quickly. The local Cannondale shop has the oh so sweet looking F29-2 in my size. I really liked how nimble the F29 felt in the parking lot (for what it is worth) and love the lefty and how light the bike feels. The shop claims about 23lbs on their scale. Most all the bikes need some sort of upgrade for my taste. I can appreciate the simplicity of the HT also. I ride rooted trails and sometimes get to smooth trails. There are no real long down hills or anything too technical.There are some rooty steep climbs. I enjoy flowing single track varying terrain. No drops more than 2-3 ft.

Cdale - Needs tires, not sure about the BB30 mated to the M525 crank needing an adaptor. Seems to be really fast bike .Love the lefty. Seems really light. Is it tought enough bike? Looks great in person.

Stache 8- Best equiped for my taste. Does the G2 geo handle well on the trail compared to the F29 (no one has one to demo)? Tires seem fine. Love the green parts. Still have not seen it in person. It has a ruggedness that appeals.

Specialized - Is it too much bike for around here? Felt tall/big compared to the F29 and even my EX8. Its a FS like I alway have had. Not a fan of SRAM shifters and Elixer 5 brakes. The bike almost seems to be an All mountain bike. Felt really solid. Would I be sacrificing climbing to go down hill? Should I own another FS bike?
 
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#34 ·
17.5" is what I need. My LBS said they would put one on B.O. and it could show up earlier. I need to get past the holidays before I commit to a new or second bike. At this point I am ok with holding until the demo in atlanta in Feb.
 
#40 ·
3 months ago I bought the 2013 Stumpjumper Carbon Comp FSR 29. I made a deal with the LBS and upgraded the cassette and cranks to Sram XO. The bike is a size XL and it weighs 12.715kg without pedals. I love this bike, it handles really well and it is fast, I find myself setting up for turns much earlier than I used to and looking down the trail further than I used to.

I think the Avid 5's are ok, plenty of power and good feel. I hate the SLX shifters, they are too fat in the body and I can't get them into a good position on the handlebars. The X7 front derailleur will only shift up in the higher gears. Those two bits will be swapped out for XT's in the near future.

Excellent bike, it will do anything and go anywhere. If I had unlimited finance I would have bought the S-Works version.
 
#41 ·
I still like the stumpy. I have had good luck with my SLX shifters but I dislike the sram X7 shifters. My fuel is mostly SLX. The elixer 5's I have stop but have little feel/modulation. I will probably still try to ride the stumpy also at the ATL expo. The stumpy seems to have a more appealing package than the camber does for my taste.
 
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