FS bike best suited for NJ riding
- Thread starter mtb1
- Start date
Cassinonorth
Well-Known Member
Not who you replied to but I would highly, highly recommend getting to a demo day before dropping thousands of dollars on a bike that you may not even really like. I ran through 5(!!) MTB's in my first year before finding one I really liked. I didn't lose any money since they were all used but the knowledge from throwing your leg over a bunch of different geometries and components really helps you figure it out.
a.s.
Mr. Chainring
+1 👆
I sat on a few treks, a giant, and a stump jumper. My favorite of those I actually sat on was a fuel ex but they were not going to be available for several months. I read all I could and people love the pivots and Santa Cruz light trail bikes but they were out of my price range.
Canyon and Yt both had bikes available within a few weeks. They both have good return policies if you get it and don’t like it.
Canyon in particular let’s you return it within 30 days if you don’t like it. You test ride it on the street to test fit but not a trail obviously.
It wasn’t maybe the best solution but I figured low risk to give it a try.
I tried that bike out but didn’t really like the 64.5 head angle. I felt it was too hard to turn. The front tire is really out there.
Robson
Well-Known Member
I have a friend who owns Canyon Spectral and he loves the bike. I'm thinking about CF9.
Bike arrived on time and was a very easy assembly. I still need to tune the suspension and setup the controls for my fit. I took it for a spin around the block and it was comfortable. Everything seems to be nice quality. I think it’s a keeper but still have 29 days to decide.
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Cassinonorth
Well-Known Member
I did a Ride Wrap kit last month:
Pros:
- Changed my frame from gloss to matte
- Easier to clean/less mud sticks to the frame
- Not worried about rock chips (my frame's paint is super delicate)
- It was my first application and it came out great
- Plan 2-3 hours to apply it and if you have OCD (another hour poking holes to get bubbles out the next day with a needle)
- Used frames trap some dirt under (not applicable to you)
- Pricey for the full wrap coverage
Great info thanks. You answered my next question also. I am anxious to get ride this thing and would rather not wait until the kit comes. I guess it was not that much harder to apply after you had ridden it?
Cassinonorth
Well-Known Member
If you're going to do that, you need to get it basically back to factory clean before applying or the dirt under will be trapped and lead to potential peeling. Depending on the suspension will determine how easy that is. A hardtail would be easy. This entire area is going to be a PITA:
JDurk
Well-Known Member
Depends on where you do most of your riding. I'm in SJ and ride rocks occasionally in PA. None of my bikes have protection other than locations of cable rub.
Question about your dropper post. Is the collar of the post sitting down on the seat collar? Don't think I've ever seen that and not sure I would want it to.
I put it as low as I could not sure yet what height I needed. Is that the wrong approach?
JDurk
Well-Known Member
Not sure, but you won't be able to go any lower if needed. Here's some good information that I used when deciding if a 150mm dropper vs 125mm that I currently had would work with my bike.
5 Simple Dropper Measurement Steps
There is only one sure fire way to kill the buzz of getting a new bike part: when you unpackage your new upgrade, get to your work bench and realize - “s#!%, it’s not going to be compatible”. We’ve been there with all types of components and it’s not a good feeling. To help you avoid this when...
www.pnwcomponents.com
general consensus is you want the longest dropper you can fit in your frame without the seat being too high in the extended position. This puts that collar as close to the seat post clamp as it can be. If your seat is a good height there when extended then leave it, but as noted you don't have any room to lower it so if your seat is too high when extended you will need to get a shorter post to accomodate.
knobbyhead
Next off the Island.
You can get your tail bone measured for seats.