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How is this bike going to be

3K views 45 replies 20 participants last post by  TheSherpa 
#1 ·
So, I'm getting this baby ready for a trip to Mammoth Mt. CA . . . How is this bike going to be for "resort" riding, I really want to get a bighit expert but budget considerations dictate discression (that means I don't have the cash)

What do you guys like better smaller, lighter, more flickable

or

bigger, more plush, bigger brakes, more travel, two chainrings?

also someone said they like this frame because there is lots of room for stickers, I don't think there could be anymore brand logos even I wanted them:

Maxxis, Sun, Ringle', Race Face, Fox, Mt. Cycle, Panaracer, and on and on . . .
 

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#4 ·
Yup........she was nice a few years ago.

DJBiker said:
So, I'm getting this baby ready for a trip to Mammoth Mt. CA . . . How is this bike going to be for "resort" riding, I really want to get a bighit expert but budget considerations dictate discression (that means I don't have the cash)

What do you guys like better smaller, lighter, more flickable

or

bigger, more plush, bigger brakes, more travel, two chainrings?

also someone said they like this frame because there is lots of room for stickers, I don't think there could be anymore brand logos even I wanted them:

Maxxis, Sun, Ringle', Race Face, Fox, Mt. Cycle, Panaracer, and on and on . . .
Nice toe clips too!! Not to be a dick like the others, but it looks like a high end comfort bike that some rich blue hair would ride around. If you do buy it though have a good time!!

Beau
 
#5 ·
Don't base your opinion on looks alone. A buddy of mine has one, and I really like how it felt, despite my distaste for it's appearance. He has his set up with a 6 inch fox in the rear, and a Z-1 in the front. I don't think that the fox fork on the front will perform as well as you want for DH or FR. I say go for it, but upgrade that fork.
 
#8 ·
i'd say find a used big hit

or, if you want a mountain cycle, look at the fury, (more XC oriented) or the sin (more DH/FR oriented)

There's nothing really wrong with that bike, it's just SO UGLY, oh, and that fork....don't use it for DH
 
#9 ·
I reckon you'll be just fine on the resort riding. I used to ride a KHS FXT Team to resorts which probably has the same amount of travel and it can handle blacks just fine. I'd loose the water bottle carrier, that thing looks like it would jabb ya right in the nuts!
 
#10 ·
It's nice to know that . . .

Sooooo many of you CAN'T FREAKING READ!

Most, if not all of you just looked at the picture and barely read the questions I asked?

What gives, age 14 with a 3rd grade reading level (if that) So, let's try this:

Your mom's butt ugly why don't you trade her in!

Your car has crappy tires and wheels, you should upgrade! Doesn't matter if you don't have any money, just do it!

The bottle cage is for my light when I go for night riding, if I'm not riding at night, I'll take it off.

The prices for a new and used bighit are close enough that I might as well just get a new one, that is if I had the money . . . BUT YOU WOULD KNOW THAT IF YOU COULD READ THE ORIGINAL FREAKING POST.

THANKS FOR ALL YOUR HELP GUYS

BITE ME!!!!!!!!!!
 
#11 ·
DJBiker said:
Sooooo many of you CAN'T FREAKING READ!

Most, if not all of you just looked at the picture and barely read the questions I asked?

What gives, age 14 with a 3rd grade reading level (if that) So, let's try this:

Your mom's butt ugly why don't you trade her in!

Your car has crappy tires and wheels, you should upgrade! Doesn't matter if you don't have any money, just do it!

The bottle cage is for my light when I go for night riding, if I'm not riding at night, I'll take it off.

The prices for a new and used bighit are close enough that I might as well just get a new one, that is if I had the money . . . BUT YOU WOULD KNOW THAT IF YOU COULD READ THE ORIGINAL FREAKING POST.

THANKS FOR ALL YOUR HELP GUYS

BITE ME!!!!!!!!!!
I thought I could read, but I guess invisible ink sometimes gets trickier....like you saying you use the water bottle carrier for a light...don't see that written anywhere.

Bite your mom!!
 
#12 ·
Let's say I don't have the money for a different fork

what don't you like about the FOX, I thought it was one the the best 125 mm forks out there?

Is there a way to tune it to make it work better? Change oil weight? Change oil amount? Change spring rates?

I mean if I could spend $600 or $800 for a new fork, why wouldn't I just put that money (if I had any) towards a bighit?

That's my question: How can I make this bike the "best it can be" for resort riding without spending more than $150 bucks or so?

What do you think?
 
#13 ·
Your comments were not as bad as the others

So my rant was not directed at you per se, and I do agree with you about the bottle cage.

I was looking for some feedback on my original question:

Smaller, lighter, more flickable?

or

Bigger, heaver, more travel, less chainrings?

Which no one has even commented on yet, just to tell me my bike is ugly! (not you but others)
 
#14 · (Edited)
For what it is worth…

I rode a 4 year old Turner Burner with Fox vanilla RC (3.75") rear and Marzocchi (4") Z1 on my honeymoon at Park City Utah, Rode the lifts for two days and had a hell of a good time including a few runs down the Cup DH course. I had no disks nor builtproof wheels either, so that might give you a feel for what your bike will do. Take into consideration that after that experience I soon got a bullit with disks so that also shows that there were many times that I had the crap scared out of me as well.

You may also want to pull a link or two out of your chain for the trip as it wiil keep the chain on better and if you are going to be climbing most likely you will be in the granny anyway considering the elevation and the techincal nature of most mountain park climbs.

have fun.

re: the fox: i have one on my bullit and love it for all the techincal riding and descending we have here in AZ, I see no need to swap it out to hit a resort unless you find the braking power adequate on the flats, if that is the case the only legit way to upgrade the braking power is to go to a 7" disk because the 8" option will crush the fork leg (direct from FOX) and void the warranty. If you love the brakes set the low speed compression clicker full right and the lockout knob at the lowest setting (This lets you lock out the fork for climbs but still maintain travel if you forget to unlockat the top of a descent and gives you a ride that should allow you to stop under control to unlock it), also set the rebound a little slower than normal to prevent extreme rebound under g-outs and surprise drops.

and ignore all those redbull drinkin', pre-runner drivin', DHers whose only advice is based on $$$$ and aesthetics.
 
#15 ·
You don't have to spend $600-$800 to get a new fork. What you do is put your Fox up for sale. You can probably get $250.00 if not more for it. Take that money and get a used 04 Z-1 for $350 or so, or better yet, find an 03 Z150 for 400-450. That extra inch of travel will go a long ways to making your ride more resort worthy. The fox is a great XC fork, quite possibly the best, but for resort riding, and general FRing, it will not hold up, or take the hits as well as a Zoke.
 
#16 ·
DJBiker said:
So my rant was not directed at you per se, and I do agree with you about the bottle cage.

I was looking for some feedback on my original question:

Smaller, lighter, more flickable?

or

Bigger, heaver, more travel, less chainrings?

Which no one has even commented on yet, just to tell me my bike is ugly! (not you but others)
Generally, resorts have ski lifts and you go down far more than up...so my vote is bigger, heaver, more travel, less chainrings.

Back to your original question...The only change you need to make is put the seat down a little for some downhill action...the tires are fine, shocks are fine, handlebars are fine. If you're comfortable on your bike, you should be able to ride just about any terrain.
 
#17 ·
i wouldn't touch a mountaincycle after seeing what happened with my friends, he's been on it about a year now it's the noisiest roughest peice of junk now, he has a set of super T's on it that put huge indents in the frame *even with rubber bumpers* from it's turning radius it's to flimsy it's garbage but hey that's just my opinion lol.
 
#18 ·
I have three - hopefully - useful upgrade opinions for resort riding the Mountain Cycle. First, lose the front triple chainring and instead go 2-rings with a basher or, better yet (though more expensive) an Evil DRS chainguide system. Second, the stem looks very XC-ish. Lose it in favor of a burly 4-bold faceplate FR/DH rated one, with a bit less rise (10 deg or so should do). This will stiffen up the steering interface as much as possible, and make the riding position better when you (third suggestion) chop down the seatpost so you can slam the seat all the way down for riding the steep stuff.

Other things you could consider would be to replace the front tire (the rear Highroller is good) with something like a 2.5" Maxxis Minion (or Mobster) of the Slow Reezay variety. Also, stick a pair of BMX-style flats on...and if you do, wear shinguards.

Also, to everyone who bagged on the bike's looks right away, give the guy a break! :rolleyes: He didn't ask for an aesthetic appraisal; I don't think the bike is as ugly as all that, either. And since when did riding become a fashion contest if the bike performed well and wasn't purple annodized? Granted, the MC doesn't have the lines of a Foes Mono or anything, but it ain't a Huffy, either!

Hope this helps. Cheers. And have fun!! :D
 
#19 ·
I took this bike to Mammoth last year . . .

I too and in AZ and this was my XC/Trail bike for about a year and a half . . . Boy I'll tell you what, dat, dum mum gum single pivits suck on rock step up climbs (or maybe my abilities just suck) but this baby is not a climber, not on Dreamy Draw, or SoMo or anything,

So I got a lighter 4-bar "Trail" bike and have moved this ride into the FR/Resort duties . . .

Had the 02' XT 6' discs for last years Mammoth trip and I burned through a set of pads in one run, so yea I know what you mean about wanting/needing a bigger front rotor!

I may just have to learn to "finess" my brakes better and scrub speed somewhere else on the trail.

Also I don't think I can take a link out of the chain cause I use the big ring on trails like "Big Ring" and the "Kamakashi Downhill" (sp) and as you say, I need the granny ring for climbs at 10 Thousand feet my lungs and leggs don't work as well as they do here at sealevel.
 
#20 ·
The new 9.5s rock. I think mountain cycles are cool bikes. I would ride one. If you are getting a really good deal go for it. With the small upgrades sprung shoulders told you about it will work ---- for a while. For serious DH riding it won't have a very long life span. For casual cruisers and small jumps it will be fine. The bike is not ugly. All these guys that say it is are just jealous.
 
#21 ·
Thanks, all good suggestions

Yea, this bike ain't a DHS Mono, but the frameset alone is $3 grand for one of those and they are top of the line DH machine. I wanted to build one for my trip but with the cost it's just out of the question.

I could get a better stem and some flats.

I got the stem for fit (it's tough to fit a long legged person on this bike, with the BB being so high I ended up in the stratosphear with seat height for XC riding) So I can look into one of them Azonic Shortie stems. (but the XC one I'm using is a 4-bolt model)

I do wear body armor when I ride at resorts, and I just got a new set of Troy Lee Combat knee/shin pads so I may just check out some nice flats . . .

What do you think about Sun ZuZu's?
 
#22 ·
DJBiker said:
Sooooo many of you CAN'T FREAKING READ!

Most, if not all of you just looked at the picture and barely read the questions I asked?

What gives, age 14 with a 3rd grade reading level (if that) So, let's try this:

Your mom's butt ugly why don't you trade her in!

Your car has crappy tires and wheels, you should upgrade! Doesn't matter if you don't have any money, just do it!

The bottle cage is for my light when I go for night riding, if I'm not riding at night, I'll take it off.

The prices for a new and used bighit are close enough that I might as well just get a new one, that is if I had the money . . . BUT YOU WOULD KNOW THAT IF YOU COULD READ THE ORIGINAL FREAKING POST.

THANKS FOR ALL YOUR HELP GUYS

BITE ME!!!!!!!!!!
that bike will definetely not do for racing mammoth, or riding any trails like bullit, or velocity, but for the easier, less knarly trails there it will do fine.
whats your budget, because if u look hard there are always awesome deals out there somewhere
-rtth
 
#23 ·
pedals, chains, and stems, oh my!

DJBiker said:
Yea, this bike ain't a DHS Mono, but the frameset alone is $3 grand for one of those and they are top of the line DH machine. I wanted to build one for my trip but with the cost it's just out of the question.

I could get a better stem and some flats.

I got the stem for fit (it's tough to fit a long legged person on this bike, with the BB being so high I ended up in the stratosphear with seat height for XC riding) So I can look into one of them Azonic Shortie stems. (but the XC one I'm using is a 4-bolt model)

I do wear body armor when I ride at resorts, and I just got a new set of Troy Lee Combat knee/shin pads so I may just check out some nice flats . . .

What do you think about Sun ZuZu's?
you are from Phoenix, no? Check out the supergo shorty stem at Supergo (it's down in Tempe somewheres), they are like, $25 and while not the lightest or prettiest can save you some serious clams over any other manufacturer stem. Check out their Wellgo flats while you are there too, again not pretty, but functional, cheap, and comfy. I am also certain that some brake manufacter makes disc replacement pads that are a higher wear version (full metallics I think) that may also suit your purposes in CA, I had a pair in Tucson but they just didn't cut the mustard on anything other than downhills, then they right honched.

More than likely removing one link set will just eliminate the ability to do large-large gear crossovers, otherwise it will not effect any other combinations in the set and will definitely decrease the chainslap and chances of derailing. I just did this on my wifes steed and it made a huge differences in downhill performance and she has yet to crossover the large-large combo, so all is well.

ZuZu's are old school flats with a forged parallelogram body, sealed bearings and replaceable pins. Very similar to the old bmx pedals on GT's and Robinsons. The only drawback to these is that the pedal has very little concave to them and thus you will find a little less grip when loads increase. Otherwise they are seriously built pedals. Cool lookin' in a old school kinda way.

I love how you mention that you have this bike and want to spec it to do a little more aggro' riding in CA and all the yahoos come out of the woodwork and dis' your bike thinking that you are going to buy it not that you already own it, then they dis' on your set-up even though you obviously are not a DH racer on that bike, then they even mention that you should not race that at mammoth (no sH¡t) even though you just said that you are going to ride there. Maybe the DH-Freeride forum should have a minimum reading level that allows one to post otherwise the surfers can just look at the pretty pictures. Morons.
 
#24 ·
re: the big hit or better still…

As an aside you could get a bullit frame for less scratch and put all of your parts, pretty much, from the san andreas onto it and have quite a capable freeride/resort fun bike. Then just replace stuff as you need, more than likely starting with the fork (double crown or z150 or sumptin' and to get you an 8" front rotor). You could also check out a Yeti ASX which can run the sherman breakouts (7"). Both of these are capable bikes with 7" travel or so, and with the Progressive 5th element you will find that rock steps and general AZ climbing performance is heads and shoulders above your S.A. I use the bullit in Tucson and can either outclimb, descend, or both all my riding partners on most trails in southern AZ.

just my 2¢.
 
#25 ·
I think the bike would work well for what your doing. I would reccomend selling the fork, and looking for a used 5 or 6" travel fork. You could probably find a used boxxer race for about the same price you could sell your fox for. This should also help slacken the angles a bit.
Get some better pedals, and some 2.5ish" tires (wtb 2.5's @ price point for $15), and you'll have lots of fun at mammoth
 
#26 ·
Fulton said:
I think the bike would work well for what your doing. I would reccomend selling the fork, and looking for a used 5 or 6" travel fork. You could probably find a used boxxer race for about the same price you could sell your fox for. This should also help slacken the angles a bit.
Get some better pedals, and some 2.5ish" tires, and you'll have lots of fun at mammoth
Also, if you have any cash left, see about upgrading to some larger rotors.
 
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