Why did you choose your bike?

scalpel6

Member
What made you buy the bike you have? Was it because the local shop carries that brand? Or was it the cool guy down the street had that brand?

:hmmm:
 

Jason

JORBA Board Member/Chapter Leader
JORBA.ORG
What made you buy the bike you have? Was it because the local shop carries that brand? Or was it the cool guy down the street had that brand?

:hmmm:

I picked up my epic because it was a closeout and I saved a crap load of cash. Then I went with my heckler because the frame was faaaaaar less expensive then other FS frames on the market.
 

SpartaBard

Well-Known Member
Wow a serious thread... :hmmm:

I chose my epic over the giant trance mainly for the rear suspension technology. If I had other reasons back in August then I forgot. I am sure there was a thread about my decision some where.

I think they are both great bikes and would have been happy with either.

For the MUSS I just picked that one up. I think it was more of an impulse buy, and also b/c I could not talk myself into a 29er ss. There is a thread about that decision somewhere as well.
 

walter

Fourth Party
I bought my Mary back in september, not the bike I planned on buying, but I went into the shop with the intentions of leaving with something. At the time I was riding a Rocky Mountain Flow set up as a ss. The Flow is primarily a dirt jump/urban bike, and even though it was a large frame, I wasnt physically comfortable riding it in an xc environment. I needed to get something that I could enjoy riding.

I told my wife my dilemma and we agreed that I could ditch the flow and pick up something else. I am currently waiting for a sum of cash that is coming to me, not life changing cash but enough to have a nice cushion, so I told her I would just get something to carry me through until then. Once that happened I planned on treating myself to something nice.

I went into the shop looking for a leftover or a middle of the road hardtail, somewhere around a grand, got to talking about different things and the Mary came up, took it for a test ride and well, the rest is history. Oddly enough, I am currently testing different bikes to see what I want to buy, but the Mary has a secure spot in the stable, that bike is just to much fun. My only problem is that I want to buy every damn bike I see and/or ride.
 

Shaggz

A strong 7
All of my mtn bikes were c-dales but I also liked the Giant brand. After my jerkyll mety an unfortunate demise, i bought a giant trance based on reccomendations of riders in my area, my lbs stocks them and i while i loved the lefty, i was tired of dealing with c-dale specific components.
 

scalpel6

Member
So what made you drop the coin on your sweet ride???

I wanted a fast bike and all the fast guys around me were riding Scalpels. So, I went on Ebay and picked up a 2005 Scalpel 3000 with full XTR. Wow, what a great bike. The tubeless rims, Lefty fork, and XTR group were a huge upgrade from my first bike a 2004 Specialized Stumpjumper.

I loved the 2005 but the 2007 Scalpel looked even better. So I put my 05 back on Ebay and sold it. I was very surprised that after a year of riding the bike sold for $150 less then I paid for it.

The 07 is the prefect bike for me. I do most of my riding in Allaire and Hartshorne so who needs all that travel. The new XTR group is smooth, Mavics new Cross Max are even lighter, and the Lefty fork carves so nice.

I understand this bike may not be for everyone. But for me it is the best bike I have ever ridden. Thanks Jdog! The bike makes me faster. At least that is what I tell myself.
 

Mike679

Active Member
06 Stumpjumper Expert

After 10 years of riding hardtails, I ended up with the Stumpjumper last winter after several months of research. I chose the bike based on the suspension design, component spec, and the fact that my LBS that I've been using for the past 10 years is a Specialized dealer and gave me a fair price. The bike's got the right amount of travel for the type of riding that I normally do (though I find it to be a bit of overkill at places like Lewis Morris - one of the old hardtails is a faster ride for those types of rides).

The rear shock (Fox Triad) has been maligned on MTBR, my feelings on it are mixed - some days good, some bad, but not enough of a problem to drop $500 for a PUSHED RP3...yet.
 

Norm

Mayor McCheese
Team MTBNJ Halter's
Same boat as Mike, but I got the Comp. Everyone likes Specialized bikes a lot. Not many people think of them as the greatest. But most people agree that they're pretty damn good. And for the riding I do, a lot of people said the SJ was a good bike. Cannondale and Kona were options, but a lot of people either love or hate both of those bikes. Everything I read about the SJ was positive. And I got a good price so there ya go.
 

jbogner

NYCMTB: President
JORBA.ORG
Gary Fisher demo at Ringwood summer 2004. Went out to try the Cake 5" travel bike and enjoyed it. Rep said "why don't you try out this 29er." I was skeptical, but on the familiar short-track race loop, I could tell how fast and smooth it was. Became fixated on 29ers at that point, and bought a hardtail 29er in March 2005.

My Uzzi Vpx purchase was a result of the right geometry, having a 1.5" head tube for a long-travel single-crown fork, and a price opportunity that I would have been stupid to pass up.

Bought two bikes in early 2005, within two months of each other, and they couldn't be more different. ;)
 

anrothar

entirely thrilled
i bought my karate monkey because of it's versatility. i can mtb, tour, race, play and commute all on the same bike. and if someday i choose to, i can put disk brakes and gears on it. simple, durable and practical.
 

ArmyOfNone

Well-Known Member
bought my giant yukon because at the time it was the best for what i could afford. Not like i can afford a new bike at the moment. Wish i could have afforded better, knowing what i do know about things but it was all i could do. It got me into riding so i guess it did its job.

My SS was a great find. I managed to find a caad2 cannondale. Started to build it up then bumped up to a caad3 frame thanks to Jdog. The rest is history.
 
D

DANSPANK

Guest
'06 Stumpjumper

Old faithful was a Mountain Cycle Fury but it is a heavy bike. I then bent the rear brake rotor and kept on popping spokes. A squeak developed too so i kinda-sorta justified that I deserved a new bike. I picked up my '06 Stumpy in September. 8lbs lighter, Sram X.0 and XTR drive train, shiffters and brakes. Super quick and super light plus the 5-6" of travel is plenty for what's around here. I love it!

I'm going to beef up the Mountain Cycle Fury and use it for light downhilling and stuff so that I have a beat-me-up bike for new and gnarly places.
 

bonefishjake

Strong like bull, smart like tractor
Team MTBNJ Halter's
ok, since i'm not typing on the child sized keyboard of my treo anymore here is the usual excessive edit:

I bought the fuel b/c I have been riding a trek since like 1990. started with an 850 that got stolen and replaced it with the 970 currently running road duty. when i decided i wanted to ride again, i went to the same shop i'd been going to since like 1990 and asked what i should ride. the ex7 was the first choice. full squish was a dream after riding the rigid. after some mods, the bike really is perfect for me now.

the single speed bug bit me and i bought the hardrock...which quickly became the hard-for-jake-to-ride-without-issues-rock. fantastic frame, great geometry, but not a good ss for me. in the looking process the 29er thing came up and the mary.

i rode bobw's karate monkey and loved the 29er action but not the bike's geometry. since my new LBS stocked haro's, after a quick demo ride i was hooked. I also wanted a haro forever and now can say i'm riding with ryan nyquist. :D
 
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The Rose

New Member
I was replacing my 00 K2 disco monkey and I wanted a mid travel bike that I could afford. I also didn't have the heart to replace the K2 ( made in USA) with a bike not made here. So I dug around for a reasonably priced frame. I tried Ellsworth but they had stopped production of the distance frame ( single pivot) in favor of the linkage bikes. So I poked around somemore and found the Marin Attack trail. It's an 04 so Marin was still making frames here. So thats what I went with. I love the bike, but my collection of bikes was becoming a bit large so I kicked around the idea of selling it, but I just could'nt do it. So now it stands as my main "do everything ride" .
 

Allamuchy Joe

Not White House Approved
JORBA.ORG
I grew a fleet of bikes this year. Perhaps I should change my screen name to "Admiral Joe". :hmmm:

In 2005 I was sick of my C-dale Jekyll -- it was way too bouncy while pedaling and it sucked for me at climbing. So, on a recommendation by John from Cycleworks, I ordered a 2005 Trance 2 and I love it! I could not believe how much better a climber the Trance was than the Jekyll. It weighs about the same, but the suspension is so much more efficient. That bike is perfect for Allamuchy. Amazing.

I got a great deal on an NRS on ebay as a backup FS bike (when the Trance is at the vet) and a "lend out to friends/family" bike. I alternated this bike with my Trance at the 24 Hour race and it worked out pretty well. (Would be nice if I could trade this NRS for a Cyclocross bike, but I digress)

Then singlespeed mania took over for a bit. I built one up from an old frame to try, found I liked single speeding, sold that bike then I bought a Bianchi SISS. I then tried Bob W's Karate Monkey and I just loved the 29er feel -- so, I now have a Monocog 29er SS.

Whew. Confused? -- Yeah, me too. :p
 
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Not So Fast

Member
05 Sj

I bought my Stumpy (FS) after 3 years on a Hard Tail Trek. I wanted to FS so I asked a friend what he recommended. He suggested the Enduro, but I didn't like the look. He then said Stumpjumper. He called his LBS and they hooked me up with a nice price and ordered it. My bike is great for me. The Fox Septune was just Pushed this past December after locking down. The only upgrade had been a XT cassette, rear Landmax wheel, Resolution tires, chain and grips. Looks like a new saddle this year and upgrades on whatever else breaks. I got my moneys worth out of my ride:p
 

The Rose

New Member
How do you like the pushed shock? I'm thinking about sending my RL out for "pushing" in the spring.
 

walter

Fourth Party
I bought my Stumpy (FS) after 3 years on a Hard Tail Trek. I wanted to FS so I asked a friend what he recommended. He suggested the Enduro, but I didn't like the look. He then said Stumpjumper. He called his LBS and they hooked me up with a nice price and ordered it. My bike is great for me. The Fox Septune was just Pushed this past December after locking down. The only upgrade had been a XT cassette, rear Landmax wheel, Resolution tires, chain and grips. Looks like a new saddle this year and upgrades on whatever else breaks. I got my moneys worth out of my ride:p

What are your thoughts on the resolutions?
 
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