So ever since I started riding MTB's at about 13 (29 now) I've more or less always had a budget bike, and always had a hard tail. My current bike is a Giant XTC, 2003 model, medium frame hardtail. It's treated me well but man has bike technology come a long way over the years.
Anyway, I've been looking at new bikes from 26 to 29ers including Giants new Anthem X and the Stump Jumper FSR. In doing my research I have come across threads talking about how you can build a bike that is as good as a 4-5K stock bike for 2,500 bucks or so (my budget).
So, holy ***** is there a lot to consider. Here's what I know: I'm 6' tall and get crazy neck cramps during long rides on my current bike. I know I want full suspension but unsure if I stick with 26 rims or 29, or maybe even the 650. So many things I'm probably not even considering. Thoughts, advice, direction APPRECIATED!!
Good point. I ride a pretty various amount of trails. From open fire roads to technical tight single track. Many trails out here are pretty rough in the sense that they get fairly rocky.
I'm looking for an all around full suspension bike that can handle any trail type. I don't need, although I do want, any specific bike for one type of riding.
You can't really build an arbitrary high-dollar bike for $2500. What you can do is piece together the stuff that ends up on closeout. Much of the time, the selection is actually quite good, but I think the best way to approach this kind of a project is to start by looking at what frames are available.
I'm a hardtail guy myself, and my first instinct was to think, "You could really pimp an XTC for $2500," but this is your project.
A lot of people say that 5" travel trail bikes are the most versatile and fun for adults who aren't shuttling or racing XC. Some companies have been pushing the travel on their trail bikes. So if I were you, I'd start by looking at EBay, bikeman.com, Jenson, chainlove.com, maybe performancebike.com, etc., for the frame. That'll start giving you some limitations on the other stuff. Don't ignore deals on complete bikes either - in new, retail gear the best deal is on complete bikes, and I suspect that's still true when shopping closeout or used.
Depending on what sort of local bike shops you have, they are a great place to start. I refer to a "shop" being relatively small one of a kind and carry frames and parts more than complete bikes, opposed to a Bicycle Village or Performance.
Look at frames from Niner, Lenz, Salsa, to name a few. For wheels check out what you can get from Stan's NoTubes through your LBS. I have found a shop is way more likely to come off retail prices than a store.
As an example, my race bike for this year was originally going to be a Specialized Epic 29er S-Works. Instead, I built a Niner Jet9 that is about .5 lbs heavier but less than half the price, using all top end components (X.X group). I even decided to get a new hardtail to match.
So yeah, if you are comparing to top of the line name brand you pay a lot extra for not much when you can build something for less and have as great a ride.
Nice thanks guys. Just went and looked at a 2008 Stumpy expert this evening. For the price I may save the hassle and pick it up. If I get it I'll throw up some pics.
just a quick look at the specs on those two bikes and they look like they will handle quite differently. You might want to take a look at all the bikes you've owned. get their specs if you can and decide what you liked best about each of them to determine what you'd like to have in a bike with regards to how it handles in different types of environments. As andrwswitch indicated it is possible to shop the deals and do pretty darn good on parts. Patience is critical though. If you choose to do so you can select bars and such that are fairly light without buying the top names for very cheap. E-bay can also be a good source for brakes and hubs for cheap. Especially if you're willing to get what is not the most popular color. I picked up a set of wheels (silver dt swiss cartridge bearing hubs and silver mavic 317 rims with rotors) for around 200 dollars I think it was. Avid juicy 7's can be a bargain if you choose carefully also on e-bay. I've found some awesome deals on forks on mtbr and craigslist.
I did a tone of research, got pretty excited and almost bought it. My father in law rides a Rocky Mountain with similar setup and loves it, were about the same build height weight wise.
You will end up spending more than 2500 if you want parts that are as good as the ones on the complete bike. I would go with the complete bike that thing is sweet plus its carbon and you cant beat the price. Just make sure you order some protection patches for the frame.
You will end up spending more than 2500 if you want parts that are as good as the ones on the complete bike. I would go with the complete bike that thing is sweet plus its carbon and you cant beat the price. Just make sure you order some protection patches for the frame.
You may be right, I am talking with a guy that runs a local shop tomorrow to get his thoughts. No doubt the 50 is nice and priced well but I see things I will need to upgrade fairly fast. My thoughts on some of the main components (would love to hear yours):
Frame (Excellent)
Fork (Excellent)
Components
* Formula RX Hydraulic Disc brakes 180mm with Formula RX levers (Great)
* Shimano SLX Rapid Fire shifters 9spd (Great)
* Shimano SLX Direct Mount front and XT rear derailleur (Great)
* Race Face Evolve XC crankset; 170-175mm 44/32/22T (Poor)
* Race Face Evolve XC X-Type BB (Poor)
* Shimano PD-M520 pedals in white (Plan to replace anyway, I love Time pedals)
* Shimano SLX-9 11-34T cassette (Good)
* Race Face Evolve XC 30.9mm seatpost (Average)
* WTB Silverado Race SL saddle (Great)
I am pretty sure that rear hub will have to be replaced fairly fast. Good news is I have a newer Chris King Hub on my current bike that I may just swap it out with from the get go. Will need a new crankset fairly fast as well. Anyway the only thing holding me back is the likelihood that I may have to drop another $600-1000 into the bike after one season.
If my local guy cant beat this thing I will be buying it.
Yeah I hate those shimano hubs I cant figure out why they put them on a mtb. Here in Europe we get a 2 year warranty I had those hubs fail 3 times in 6 months. I ended up getting a new better wheel set from Focus on warranty. I would say get the bike you have another one. Take the parts off (crank hub) throw them on Ebay and order a new XT\SLX crank or something like that. I would jump on the bike its better than my bike and it costs less plus its carbon it will be so comfortable. I would order a carbon post bars and a carbon crank if I had the money the bike will be super fast. However I am wondering is 140mm to much travel for your riding style? I know with the lockout and pro pedal the bike becomes almost a rigid.
I think even if you want the crank would be ok for a long time if not throw the pedals and the crank on Ebay get 100 or so bucks and put it to a new crank. You said your budget was 2500 the bike is 2400 plus 100 for the crank you got 200 dollars for a new crank. Man I am jealous wish I was shopping for a new bike thats a good deal.
Another thing that chain sucks a§§ you will need a new one in like a month. Other than that I would snatch it up if I were you they may sell out of your size.
Yeah I hate those shimano hubs I cant figure out why they put them on a mtb. Here in Europe we get a 2 year warranty I had those hubs fail 3 times in 6 months. I ended up getting a new better wheel set from Focus on warranty. I would say get the bike you have another one. Take the parts off (crank hub) throw them on Ebay and order a new XT\SLX crank or something like that. I would jump on the bike its better than my bike and it costs less plus its carbon it will be so comfortable. I would order a carbon post bars and a carbon crank if I had the money the bike will be super fast. However I am wondering is 140mm to much travel for your riding style? I know with the lockout and pro pedal the bike becomes almost a rigid.
In regards to my riding style i think I ride more like I'm on a full suspension than a hardtail as is. My friend always laughs at the lines and speed I take on super rocky sections. Sometimes I literally have a hard time seeing because my eyes are rattling in my head so much that my vision gets blurry.
This 50 is my #2 if my local guy cant step up.
What I did find interesting is that Jenson has the 70 discounted as well but only in XL while they are selling the 70 L frame. The components on the 70, aside from the cranks again, are better all around. I'm going to call them tomorrow to see if they would strip an XL and put it on the L frame they have and give me the same deal. Probably end up saving me money in the long run.
Have you considered used at all. There are a lot of good deals out there if you know what to look for. Not to pimp my bike but for reference, I've got a Titus Motolite for sale with top of the line stuff under your budget two years old.
Have you considered used at all. There are a lot of good deals out there if you know what to look for. Not to pimp my bike but for reference, I've got a Titus Motolite for sale with top of the line stuff under your budget two years old.
Yeah I have. Ive looked at a couple on Craigslist. One guy had the full Carbon Scott up yesterday for 2K but sold it same day. I have a friend who rides for KHS who has a 2008 stumpy FSR expert with crank bros wheelset and some other nice upgrades. Problem is it is XL so I am concerned it may be too big. I've been looking used for about 2 months, just haven't found anything I totally like.
In regards to my riding style i think I ride more like I'm on a full suspension than a hardtail as is. My friend always laughs at the lines and speed I take on super rocky sections. Sometimes I literally have a hard time seeing because my eyes are rattling in my head so much that my vision gets blurry.
This 50 is my #2 if my local guy cant step up.
What I did find interesting is that Jenson has the 70 discounted as well but only in XL while they are selling the 70 L frame. The components on the 70, aside from the cranks again, are better all around. I'm going to call them tomorrow to see if they would strip an XL and put it on the L frame they have and give me the same deal. Probably end up saving me money in the long run.
Nice :thumbsup: I am jealous the 70 is nice way better than my bike let me know what you go with. I don't think the shop will be able to come close to that I know my shop cant.
Nice :thumbsup: I am jealous the 70 is nice way better than my bike let me know what you go with. I don't think the shop will be able to come close to that I know my shop cant.
So I ended up going with my friends bike, pretty damn good value.
2008 specialized FSR expert:
Suspension Rear: Specialized AFR Shock w/ remote Trail Tune inertia valve
Suspension Front: Fox F120 RLC, 120mm travel
Wheelset: Crankbrothers Cobalt
Crankset: Shimano XT
Easton Carbon bars
Sram X.0 front and rear derailleur and shifters
Avid Juicy 7 brakes and levers
Chris King headset
Thomson Elite seatpost, WTB saddle
Other small details like super light hardware kit (forget what he called it, the nuts, screws etc)
No pedals, I ended up buying the Crankbros Candy SL's that are on sale at Jenson. Would have liked to get the Time ATAC's but for the price I'll try the Candy's first.
Thing's surprisingly light. I'll try and throw some pics up.
So I ended up going with my friends bike, pretty damn good value.
2008 specialized FSR expert:
Suspension Rear: Specialized AFR Shock w/ remote Trail Tune inertia valve
Suspension Front: Fox F120 RLC, 120mm travel
Wheelset: Crankbrothers Cobalt
Crankset: Shimano XT
Easton Carbon bars
Sram X.0 front and rear derailleur and shifters
Avid Juicy 7 brakes and levers
Chris King headset
Thomson Elite seatpost, WTB saddle
Other small details like super light hardware kit (forget what he called it, the nuts, screws etc)
No pedals, I ended up buying the Crankbros Candy SL's that are on sale at Jenson. Would have liked to get the Time ATAC's but for the price I'll try the Candy's first.
Thing's surprisingly light. I'll try and throw some pics up.
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