buying full suspension in the spring.

stb222 said:
yes, it is a valid questions but someone has to fight for the little wheels. Also, how tall is MIG, for the smaller guys I think 29er's aren't as good of an option (fire away boys)



This is why a fs is good for MIG. At this time it doesn't look like he can drop mucho cash for a ton of bikes. IMO is you are going to have one mtb bike, a FS is a good option and you can ride technical stuff and be sloppy and not pay dearly for it.
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yeah im not terribly short, but im not tall either. im 5'8 and i have the Miller curse.... long torso and short legs. i have have a 30 inseam, so getting fitted for a bike is kinda painful. i had to sacrifice a little bit of clearance over the frame for the length of my arms. so i ride a 17 inch bike now. looking at the giant trance(s) i see that they make a small(which is 16 inch) and a medium (which is 18 inch). i rode a medium cannondale rush at jorbafest and i was very comfy on it. so im definetly going to get refitted before i buy.

also, a reason id like to buy brand new is because ive only been riding for under a year now. so i COULD in theory go out and buy a used frame and build up but im not terribly part savy yet, so i really dont know what i need to buy for it, etc. also call it a lame excuse, but im a real instant gratification kinda guy. i like to know that everything on that bike is perfect out of the box. i could buy a steal from someone, but id hate to get on something i dropped a few g's on and hear a noise that i know will not be there on a brand new bike. its kinda like buying your first brand new car, after you do that its hard to buy a used one. you get spoiled by the new car smell.... i want the new bike smell, lol. i think going forward once i know my bike or ANY bike top to bottom and what im looking for... THAN ill consider used. im still a newb(ish) to all of this. but im not afraid to ask question(hense this thread). but thanks for all the suggestions thus far and keep them coming!
 
MEAN IRISH GUY said:
yeah im not terribly short, but im not tall either. im 5'8 and i have the Miller curse.... long torso and short legs. i have have a 30 inseam, so getting fitted for a bike is kinda painful. i had to sacrifice a little bit of clearance over the frame for the length of my arms. so i ride a 17 inch bike now. looking at the giant trance(s) i see that they make a small(which is 16 inch) and a medium (which is 18 inch). i rode a medium cannondale rush at jorbafest and i was very comfy on it. so im definetly going to get refitted before i buy.
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I am the same hieght and inseam as you. I rode an 18" trance and I always thought it was a tad big but was never uncomfortable since Jdog did a fit after I had the bike. The 16" was too small though. This led to the bike be slightly less flickable. I did ride a 100mm stem and it helped make the front end more responsive.

When I got my rush, I got the medium which is around a 17". It fits my perfectly.
 
not sure that it really matters but , what's your height and weight ?

as far as riding a FS and a FS 29'er.

Some will say that 29'ers are not good for the little guys.

Jim will tell us that it doesn't matter your size ,anyone can ride a 29'er and I'd have to agree.
 
I would recommend a Giant Trance X also. For what it's worth I demo'd an '08 Trance X1 at Jorbafest and ended up buying one. The '09 models have the same frame and suspension travel. In your price range you can either get a 2009 Trance X4 for around $1500 or an X3 for around $2050. Main difference between the two is with the X3 you get Fox suspension and some other component upgrades. I would definitely recommend demo'ing one at Waywayonda later this month.
 
The deal you get on a used bike is too huge to be concerned with a few small parts going wrong. All you have to know to look out for is the frame (cracks, etc), the front shock, and the wheels. Those are all your real big cost impacts. You can learn what to look out for there. As long as the other components don't look visibly ripped up you should be good. Replacing a rear derailer would run you $100, nothing huge. Anyways, i had the same concerns as you and i bought new, it is only looking back that i wish i didn't. Because at the price you are considering, and i was at, you are going to get pretty mid/low level components. I probably didn't need to spend so much on upgrades and could have continued riding the mid/low level parts. but each upgrade made a pretty big difference in how the bike felt and my confidence in my ride.

A 5" travel bike like the Trance X series is great. You can pretty much do anything on one of those.
 
Stocky said:
not sure that it really matters but , what's your height and weight ?

as far as riding a FS and a FS 29'er.

Some will say that 29'ers are not good for the little guys.

Jim will tell us that it doesn't matter your size ,anyone can ride a 29'er and I'd have to agree.
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im 5'8 and a little over 200 pounds. steadily losing some pounds at the moment. aiming for 185 by springtime



tonyride said:
I would recommend a Giant Trance X also. For what it's worth I demo'd an '08 Trance X1 at Jorbafest and ended up buying one. The '09 models have the same frame and suspension travel. In your price range you can either get a 2009 Trance X4 for around $1500 or an X3 for around $2050. Main difference between the two is with the X3 you get Fox suspension and some other component upgrades. I would definitely recommend demo'ing one at Waywayonda later this month.
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yeah i was actually checking that bike out last night online. i hear nothing but good things about the trance and seem to be an excellent bang for the buck for sure.
 
Forgot to mention - make sure you test ride any bike before you buy it. Especially if this is your first FS. There are differences in feel and rides with the different brands. I'd start with a list of 2-4 bikes in your range and then test ride them to see which one feels the best to you.

Getting advice from the board is a great start, but ultimately this is a bike that you're going to ride for the next 3-5 years, so the important thing is that whichever bike you end up buying is the best fit for YOU.
 
Don't let people talk you out of a FS because they say they dont climb good or pedal good. A good suspension design make these non-issues. On my trance, I can stand up and mash on fireroads in the big ring without pedal bob. On climbs, the FS works out to be better alot of the times because the rear end stays planted better on rocks/roots/etc.

I like the feel of the trance x. I never had a chance to ride one that was setup for me, but the frame has a comfortable geometry that makes it good for long trail rides. It also doesnt feel like a 5" bike, in a good way. Some 5-6" bikes just feel like they suck the energy out of you after not too long.
 
I finally got to demo a medium Gary Fisher 29er this weekend (THANKS JIM) and I can say it felt SMALLER than my medium Cannondale Jekyll. I could see where the hard tail and tires make a noticeable difference. If i was going to have one bike i'd personally stick with the FS. I've had mine for 4 years now and still love it. That being said I am currently doing more research on the 29er. It can't hurt to have a 3rd bike can it? :D Couldn't believe how little the GF felt! Oh, i'm one of those vertically challenged types at 5'7.

Like others have mentioned get out and ride/demo every bike you can.
 
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