*** Update: Bike Purchased. All Mountain bike for short/light person (5'6" 145lb)
So here's the deal: I've been riding a custom build Giant XTC 17" hardtail for way too long, and i want to upgrade to a full suspension.
I do mostly XC riding (i.e. lots of climbing and fast descents). However, when i'm ripping downhill, my hard tail is all over the place and i want something more stable.
I'm a huge fan of light-weight bikes, but i realize i'm going to have to sacrifice a little to get some travel in the rear. Over time, i built my hardtail to weigh in just over 22lbs.
My current set-up:
Giant XTC Frame 17"
Manitou Fork (80mm travel)
Sram 2x10 set-up
Spinergy Spox 26" Wheels
I don't need my fully to be super light weight, but i think given the weight of myself (145lbs) it's an absolute must to keep it under 30lbs.
The terrain i'm riding isn't super rutty, but i love drops and riding my bike hard.. until it eventually kicks and rides me :/ (the joys of riding hardtail).
I really don't know how much travel i need. I'm going to do a drop-seatpost so i can be more aggressive on the dh, but other than that i'm lost. I know i should go demo a few bikes, but quite frankly i don't have the time, and San Francisco sucks for this reason.
Any help/suggestions/questions are welcomed... Thank you!
** EDIT: I should also add i'm really only looking to spend <$2,000 on one.. and i have some patience to look/shop for a used bike to get more for my money. Also i'm not getting any bigger at my age... maybe just ~5lbs over the next 5/10 years.
So here's the deal: I've been riding a custom build Giant XTC 17" hardtail for way too long, and i want to upgrade to a full suspension.
I do mostly XC riding (i.e. lots of climbing and fast descents). However, when i'm ripping downhill, my hard tail is all over the place and i want something more stable.
I'm a huge fan of light-weight bikes, but i realize i'm going to have to sacrifice a little to get some travel in the rear. Over time, i built my hardtail to weigh in just over 22lbs.
My current set-up:
Giant XTC Frame 17"
Manitou Fork (80mm travel)
Sram 2x10 set-up
Spinergy Spox 26" Wheels
I don't need my fully to be super light weight, but i think given the weight of myself (145lbs) it's an absolute must to keep it under 30lbs.
The terrain i'm riding isn't super rutty, but i love drops and riding my bike hard.. until it eventually kicks and rides me :/ (the joys of riding hardtail).
I really don't know how much travel i need. I'm going to do a drop-seatpost so i can be more aggressive on the dh, but other than that i'm lost. I know i should go demo a few bikes, but quite frankly i don't have the time, and San Francisco sucks for this reason.
Any help/suggestions/questions are welcomed... Thank you!
** EDIT: I should also add i'm really only looking to spend <$2,000 on one.. and i have some patience to look/shop for a used bike to get more for my money. Also i'm not getting any bigger at my age... maybe just ~5lbs over the next 5/10 years.