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what to get, what to get??

750 views 22 replies 12 participants last post by  his dudeness 
#1 ·
howdy all! first post so be gentel on the newb. so i'm looking for everyone's opinion for a dh bike. currently i have an 07 kona dawg primo. love it over all but am looking for something bigger for the freeride, downhill, hike-a-bike thing. we do a lot of hike-a-bike so weight is a consideration but not necessarilly the most important. i have been looking around but would still like some more opinions as i'm not ecucated on all of the options out there.

a bike i am seriously considering is an 07 kona stinky supreme with a tripple 8. the bike is basically in perfect/brand new condition (very very few miles) and would cost me $2000.
seems like a decent deal and i know i like stinky as my main riding buddy has one.

i also could pick up an 08 chumba f5 for around $4000. again with very few miles and completely geeked out. don't know the exact details but everything on it is top of the line. (do know that is has a fox 40 on it)

also rode an 08 chumba evo and really like it but i'm 99% sure i want at least a 7" bike. but dam that was a nice bike.

looked at a really nice v10 for $2000 and probably would have bought it but the frame was too small. never rode it out of the parking lot so i'm not sure about the VPP?

also saw a nice looking RMK on craigslist but heard they have a lot of bearing issues.

if money wasn't an issue i think i would go with the ellsworth dare with a fox 40 but not sure if the wife would be real excited about dropping 6-7 grand on a bike. i could probably pull it off but don't know if it is really worth it....?

i think it would be a lot of fun to build something up myslelf but then that would be more expensive than just buying used. my goal is to have a 7 or 8 inch bike that weighs right around 40lbs +- (obviously - would be better). btw, i'm a little over 5'10" and weigh in between 190 and 200 lbs. (always trying to loose that 10lbs....) so please let the opinions flow and sorry for the long first post! thanks.

pv
 
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#3 ·
ak pura vida said:
howdy all! first post so be gentel on the newb. so i'm looking for everyone's opinion for a dh bike. currently i have an 07 kona dawg primo. love it over all but am looking for something bigger for the freeride, downhill, hike-a-bike thing. we do a lot of hike-a-bike so weight is a consideration but not necessarilly the most important. i have been looking around but would still like some more opinions as i'm not ecucated on all of the options out there.

a bike i am seriously considering is an 07 kona stinky supreme with a tripple 8. the bike is basically in perfect/brand new condition (very very few miles) and would cost me $2000.
seems like a decent deal and i know i like stinky as my main riding buddy has one.

i also could pick up an 08 chumba f5 for around $4000. again with very few miles and completely geeked out. don't know the exact details but everything on it is top of the line. (do know that is has a fox 40 on it)

also rode an 08 chumba evo and really like it but i'm 99% sure i want at least a 7" bike. but dam that was a nice bike.

looked at a really nice v10 for $2000 and probably would have bought it but the frame was too small. never rode it out of the parking lot so i'm not sure about the VPP?

also saw a nice looking RMK on craigslist but heard they have a lot of bearing issues.

if money wasn't an issue i think i would go with the ellsworth dare with a fox 40 but not sure if the wife would be real excited about dropping 6-7 grand on a bike. i could probably pull it off but don't know if it is really worth it....?

i think it would be a lot of fun to build something up myslelf but then that would be more expensive than just buying used. my goal is to have a 7 or 8 inch bike that weighs right around 40lbs +- (obviously - would be better). btw, i'm a little over 5'10" and weigh in between 190 and 200 lbs. (always trying to loose that 10lbs....) so please let the opinions flow and sorry for the long first post! thanks.

pv
my vote goes to the F5... Had mine since August and absolutely love it... Corners very well and flattens out the rough with the plush rear. The progressive rear end in which Chumba is known for also makes it feel virtually bottomless. The geometry is just dialed too... Note though that i am sponsored and that my opinion might be biased, but i'm sure there are quite a few others with experience with F5s that will share my view... Here's a pic of mine and buddy Tom's... His weighs in at 43lbs and mine is at 40.5lbs

 
#6 ·
Use the search button, you'll find a lot of good stuff to consider.


Instead of just throwing out a bunch of different setups why don't you go and RIDE what you're interested in and base your decision solely off that? We're all different people and we all will have different opinions of how we want a bike to ride. All of us are going to be biased one way or the other, some will say VPP is the way to go and others will say four bar, or single pivot, or dw link, or maestro, well you get the picture. So yeah, ride bikes and pick the one you like.
 
#7 ·
welcome to the forum

first off it is your first dh bike so you should buy something used and thrash that bike instead of a new bike while you learn your skillz.

I think a stinky or coiler would be a good starter bike because you are basically riding same suspension but just over all way better with shock and extra travel.

with that being said.....I would no way pay 2000 for that 07 stinky supreme....spend about 700 to 1200 on a used stinky or coiler
 
#8 ·
11.7, that's not as bad as i thought. i have rode a few dh/freeride bikes, stinky, stinky 9, f5, evo, a cannondale, coiler, etc. the issues is i live in alaska so riding in winter is a bit of an issue. can and is done but different than the main summer riding season. believe it or not there is not a huge dh scene here. it is getting bigger every year but still fairly small. i guess part of what i was looking for was anything specific to stay away from. bikes seems to have evolved quite a bit the last few years and still are. just didn't know if there were any breakthrough years or years to stay away from.

so is $2000 over price for the 07 stinky as described? seemed pretty good from what i have found up here.
 
#9 ·
mrpercussive said:
my vote goes to the F5... Had mine since August and absolutely love it... Corners very well and flattens out the rough with the plush rear. The progressive rear end in which Chumba is known for also makes it feel virtually bottomless. The geometry is just dialed too... Note though that i am sponsored and that my opinion might be biased, but i'm sure there are quite a few others with experience with F5s that will share my view... Here's a pic of mine and buddy Tom's... His weighs in at 43lbs and mine is at 40.5lbs
:rolleyes: :rolleyes:
 
#13 ·
SJensen said:
A lot of people give me sh1t for not stating it... so i did... and apparently i get it as well... lols

ak pura vida said:
SJenson, so what do you ride? mrpercussive, so you hook a brother up on a f5 frame and fox 40.... what's retail on an f5 frame? where's the "best" place to buy one?

pv
Give Chumba a call and ask for Walter... ask him if maybe he has any demos or anything lying around... :thumbsup:

http://www.chumbaracing.com/contact_us.shtml
 
#14 ·
thanks for the link and the name. actually i'm talking with chumba now. buddy just bought an evo that they were demoing. he's getting pricing on a couple different f5 options as we speak... was definitely thinking used as i would be able to save a lot of money. personally i would prefer to stay with a smaller bike company, like chumba, although they are getting bigger. the demo's are sweat bikes but i just can't buy a specialized, just too big of a company. i know, i know, stupid reason but that's just how it is.

so any "boutique" companies out there worth looking into...?

pv
 
#15 ·
mrpercussive said:
my vote goes to the F5... Had mine since August and absolutely love it... Corners very well and flattens out the rough with the plush rear. The progressive rear end in which Chumba is known for also makes it feel virtually bottomless. The geometry is just dialed too...
Corners well? Really? When I rode the F5 it cornered like poo because the wheelbase is too long. The F5 felt great on really techie sections and could absolutely plow through rock gardens, but taking tight sections, jumps, and pinning berms wasn't as good as my DHR. The F5 has a crap-load of brake jack as well, apparently even with the floater (According to my friend). Travel feels good, but bottomless is an overstatement, you want bottomless travel? Ride a V10.

Poh, I like the F5, its a pretty good bike, but you make it sound like its the best DH rig out there, its not. I'm glad you like yours, but if you're going to reccomend it to someone you need to give a fair and biased review, not a one sided fanboy omg it rawk lolololols XD XD response.

That said, you said you could get a nice V10 for $2,000, which is a good deal. I'm not crazy about the Stinky, and you said you're concerned about weight, so throw that out. I think the V10 is worth a look and a test ride if possible.

Another affordable DH rig is the Giant Glory. Maestro feels pretty good and does a good job keeping the rear wheel planted on the ground in rough sections. The Glory is a little on the heavy side, but its built super sturdy.

You listed a lot of options, so I'm not so sure where to even start. But based on what you gave me, I would look into the V10 more than anything else.
 
#16 ·
ak pura vida said:
thanks for the link and the name. actually i'm talking with chumba now. buddy just bought an evo that they were demoing. he's getting pricing on a couple different f5 options as we speak... was definitely thinking used as i would be able to save a lot of money. personally i would prefer to stay with a smaller bike company, like chumba, although they are getting bigger. the demo's are sweat bikes but i just can't buy a specialized, just too big of a company. i know, i know, stupid reason but that's just how it is.

so any "boutique" companies out there worth looking into...?

pv
I wouldn't worry about the size of the company. That's a pretty retarted reason to not buy a bike from Specialized. Keep in mind that Spesh DOES have a whole lot of other companies beat with their LIFETIME WARRANTY on their frames. I'm not sure what Chumba is but it's probably the industry standard 1-2 years. Also Spesh has some of the best customer service in the industry. Then again there is the FSR/Horst link rear suspension that all too many companies are STILL trying to copy but can't quite get right.

While I do like a lot of other companies out there, especially the smaller brands I still think Spesh takes very good care of their customers.

But if you have to go boutique, and you want the most badass ride out there I think it's time for you to get an Appalache. www.appalachecycles.com They're about as boutique as you can get, and this is by far the best single pivot design I've ever ridden. No brake jack, accelerates like a mofo, and is the best cornering dh bike I've ever thrown a leg over (including a lot of other designs).
 
#17 ·
Transition Blindside! Great company, solid bikes, great customer service. I can't speak from experience on the blindside personally, but will hopefully be able to speak to it this spring. Have heard nothing but good things from it as an all around DH machine. Does well as a FR bike as well, mainly it's geometry is well suited for jumping and you can get a floater kit to make up for the brake jack. and to top it off, you won't kill yourself on the price. I'd say do some research on it as an option.
 
#19 ·
yeah i know that is a very dumb azz reason not to buy a bike but that's just me. the trek dh rig looks pretty sick to but again, it's a trek. horrible reasoning i know and i know they make nice stuff. nothing wrong with either one what so ever. anyway, the appalache looks pretty sick too. will have to check that out some. i probably would have bought the v10 but it just didn't fit me. the frame was a small and i'm 5'10". didn't work unfortunately. so why to you say the v10 is specific to dh only? what makes it not work for more free riding stuff? i've have looked at the transition bikes and have heard some really good things but haven't had a chance to ride one. they also seem to be fairly reasonably priced. good opinions, thanks. at some point i will just have to make a decision and go for it because i know everyone will say something different. oh, anyone else have and issue with brake jack on the f5?
 
#21 ·
Raptordude said:
Also another thing to keep in mind, Chumba only makes the F5 in ONE size.
The F5 comes in Sm and Med. I was toying with the idea on buying one before I got my Turner.
OP - If you like smaller brands, check out Turner, Sinister, Morewood, Intense... ****, having a brain fart, can't think of more right now, but those are a good starting point.
 
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