Paul H
Fearless OOS Poser
Give me $600 more and I can go carbon"Go carbon or go home!!!"
Give me $600 more and I can go carbon"Go carbon or go home!!!"
I am starting to become a weight weenie but I am conflicted. I want the bike to be able to take abuse but want this thing to be light too. I am thinking... no point if its going to be heavier than my Hightower. I am figuring the alloy version will be around 26-27lbs. I think my cheap ass Talon is about the same weight which kinda pisses me off lolGo steel ! They say it's fo real !.....Seriously though, I've had both steel and alloy HT's, and have ridden carbon as well(demos). For me, steel wins. Rides the best, and takes all the abuse you can dish out. The weight penalty is, at lest in my eyes, worth it, unless you are planning for this thing to be a race whip. If I didnt want my Knolly so bad, I never would have parted ways with my 456. Luckily, I still have my steel SS, which they will have to pry from my cold, dead hands. It dont ride as well as my 456, but still better than any alloy HT i've owned.
I am a fan of most those bikes and some interesting ones I haven't heard of. I love hardtails!!!
I am pretty much on the same boat. Its all about $$Steel is great, and I love my steel hardtail, that being said...
The only thing that's keeping me from riding carbon is $$. Significant weight penalty on my steel frame.
You shouldn't worry about breaking a frame. And legitimate manufacturer has a great warranty and they're super reliable now anyway. Plenty of shitty steel frames break.
I'd even choose an aluminum frame if it road well, which is entirely possible. And then even there the $$ is the only reason I ride what I ride.
I haven't researched the Ritchey all that much but just at a glance, I didn't see anything that is a boost.Ritchey p29er nuff said!
Niner.....Down for LifeI am pretty much on the same boat. Its all about $$
If we are talking about Niner, the aluminum is cheaper... way cheaper than the the RDO or the SIR
Here is another kicker.... for shits and giggles, lets just say I get the RDO. This only means I am going to want to put fancier components which means more $$. Do I want to spend all that much on a bike that I would prolly ride 20-30% of the time? I am pretty sure the Hightower will get the lion's share of saddle time.
If I get the aluminum, I can get away with installing slightly cheaper components.
I haven't researched the Ritchey all that much but just at a glance, I didn't see anything that is a boost.
EDIT: Nevermind.... just visited their site.
The Ultra is 5.6lbs and P650 is 4.8lbs. The Niner Air 9 AL is 3.5lbs and SIR is 4.4lbs. Niner wins
All I know is that I am definitely conflicted here.... sure I want a fancy carbon bike.... I mean just the lines are sexy as hell without them nasty welding marks.
Maybe I should just screw all this and keep my cheap ass Talon and be happy with it lol