All Around Mid Fat Full Suspension MTB

So you getting a bike this weekend?  why put it off?  Warren miller would say one more weekend without a bike is one less weekend killing it in the woods.   29er, 150travel,  lock out shocks, dropper seat, traditional tires.  BOOM you are ready to rip everywhere.  From fire roads to downhill at the bowl. Screw the budget. Carbon fiber all the way.   Trek has a deal where you can buy it and pay it off interest free for a year.  So go in and give them the 3500(that's the budget for the wife) then make payments for the next year interest free out of your lunch money.  5500 will get you everything pretty much top of the line in 2019 and the bike will be treating you well till you are collecting SSI.
Do it do it.

a new bike gets me out the door and fired up again. It’s not just a toy, it’s an investment for your overall mental and physical well being.

tjf1967 wrote

So you getting a bike this weekend?  why put it off?  Warren miller would say one more weekend without a bike is one less weekend killing it in the woods.   29er, 150travel,  lock out shocks, dropper seat, traditional tires.  BOOM you are ready to rip everywhere.  From fire roads to downhill at the bowl. Screw the budget. Carbon fiber all the way.   Trek has a deal where you can buy it and pay it off interest free for a year.  So go in and give them the 3500(that's the budget for the wife) then make payments for the next year interest free out of your lunch money.  5500 will get you everything pretty much top of the line in 2019 and the bike will be treating you well till you are collecting SSI.
Do it do it.

LOL...

This is gold, I am definitely using it.

This is solid too.

My daughter now wants a bike. She sees me ripping around in our woods and want in.  Her first bike might take precedence over my second.

Awesome!! May as well get the Mrs. at the same time.  

Harvey wrote

This is solid too.

My daughter now wants a bike. She sees me ripping around in our woods and want in.  Her first bike might take precedence over my second.

Mtb is an all body as well as mind workout.  More importantly, its the best workout to prepare yourself for ski season.  

Next summer trip we take to Placid I fully intend to do a half day of lift/van served mountain biking at Whiteface with the boys......but, damn, am I afraid to.

No, not because I’m worried about crashing.  Rather, I’m afraid of how much fun it will be, and what it would “require” me to spend.

I know that a great bike is a long term investment.  Spend three grand plus maintenace and you have it for 10 years, 20?  Heck, the Fisher Hoo Koo I have is pushing 20 years old and still works great.  Your equipment cost per year over time is low, no lift tickets required....all in all over the long term it’s quite cost effective I suppose.  Heck, probably even cheaper than a new soccer ball and boots every couple of years.  

That said, the initial layout is a big nut!

Haha, not really.

It’s expensive as hell! If you are really getting after it they break down pretty quick. After three years of hard riding they start to become really problematic.

well dude you are a maniac.


PULL THE TRIGGER!! PULL THE TRIGGER!!

raisingarizona wrote

Haha, not really.

It’s expensive as hell! If you are really getting after it they break down pretty quick. After three years of hard riding they start to become really problematic.

Well yes and no.

Depends on what you have for bearings and such.  You can probably bank on a bearing replacement for the suspension linkage around that time if you ride a lot, maybe sooner.

I haven't had any drivetrain for more than two years except my crankset.  Cassette, chain, chainring all need to be replaced.

If you have good hubs they'll last forever with bearing changes and minimal maintenance.  I'm a fan of DT ratchet system.  Pretty much bulletproof.

My last frame lasted me two years before a problem reared its head.

Bars, stems, etc don't really wear out if you have good ones.  If you have cheap shit it might break and kill you, so I suggest against that.

Forks and shocks are easy to rebuild back to pretty much brand new.  As long as you don't break the lowers or chew up the stanchions, basic service will keep them going until they are obsolete.  My current fork is older than any frame I've had.

RIms get trashed if you ride hard, but are actually pretty cheap if you don't use carbon.  Getting a bike shop to lace up a new one isn't bad either.

Brakes are pretty reliable but plan on pad replacements every 1-2 years depending on what you ride.

The big thing is really your frame - once that cracks or gets wore in certain places, it's toast.  If it cracks under warranty, usually not an issue as you'll get a new bike for free provided you buy from a manufacturer that actually honors their warranties.  That's why I have a strong bias to the bike companies I listed.  Spec is actually pretty good I think though.  No idea about Giant.  Also the good companies will help you out with a good crash replacement if you break out of warranty or break due to a wreck.  Usually a heavily discounted frame.  Not free, but better than buying a new bike.

So it really depends on what you do.  If you build your own bikes, you can transfer stuff over you like, like your suspension and wheels assuming you find a compatible frame.

If you don't care about any of that, which most people don't, just buy a decent built bike and service the suspension and drivetrain regularly.

tjf1967 wrote

So you getting a bike this weekend?  why put it off?  Warren miller would say one more weekend without a bike is one less weekend killing it in the woods.   29er, 150travel,  lock out shocks, dropper seat, traditional tires.  BOOM you are ready to rip everywhere.  From fire roads to downhill at the bowl. Screw the budget. Carbon fiber all the way.   Trek has a deal where you can buy it and pay it off interest free for a year.  So go in and give them the 3500(that's the budget for the wife) then make payments for the next year interest free out of your lunch money.  5500 will get you everything pretty much top of the line in 2019 and the bike will be treating you well till you are collecting SSI.
Do it do it.

or at least until you crash and need SSDI

I have had my bike for 6 months ..burnt through a set of brake pads(15$) fix.. Bike is starting to creak a lot , so time to grease the piviots etc...I will probably replace the chain at seasons end (cheap fix)..

But getting a new bike is like 100 xmass days rolled into one...

Cunning where do you ride?

JasonWx wrote

I have had my bike for 6 months ..burnt through a set of brake pads(15$) fix.. Bike is starting to creak a lot , so time to grease the piviots etc...I will probably replace the chain at seasons end (cheap fix)..

But getting a new bike is like 100 xmass days rolled into one...

Cunning where do you ride?

Yeah, if you ride park you'll go through pads a lot faster.

I'm in western NY but ride all over NY, but I've never been to the stuff down in the Hudson Valley which I would like to check out (Blue Mountain Reserve?) and Elm Ridge WF in the Catskills.  They are both really far for me and my riding friends are lame about taking trips.

I pull my bikes apart once or twice a year and clean and regrease everything.  It doesn't cost me anything, just time, but it makes my bikes ride a lot better.

Also, I didn't mention tires, but they can last 1 ride or 100?  depending on where you ride and how lucky you are.  I'm going on 3 years on one set - zero punctures run tubeless the whole time.  They are starting to crack around the knobs though.  I'm afraid I land a jump or drop one day here and they are going to explode.

Yeah, I have to admit, I’m not very good at mechanics and I’m lazy.

How the heck do you burn through pads in six months?  Do you peddle with your hand on the brakes?  

I've had my bike for like six years, usually ride it about 30 times per year.  I changed the pads once had two derailleur incidents and changed the tires.  I grease the pivots a lot more often than when they squeak and clean the chain check the pressure in the shocks.  Oh I had the dropper post freeze up to.  

They are pretty cheap to maintain.  I ski about 40 times per year and have more maintenance with the skis than I do with the bike.  

Syracuse area?  Where is the best biking around there.  I've been hitting highlands

tjf1967 wrote

Syracuse area?  Where is the best biking around there.  I've been hitting highlands

Way farther west.  I don't think there is shit in Syracuse.  Best thing I know of in that area is south in Ithaca.

http://www.wnymba.org/

http://www.mygroc.com/

Not much lift served biking over here.  Swain used to have some but they pretty much gave up I think.  Holiday Valley doesn't do lift served.

Lots of guys here drive all the way to Mtn Creek.

I think I ride around 70-80 days a year but I have two bikes.  I don't necessarily split the ride time equally, but definitely chains and cassettes wear out.  I try to clean and lube my chain after each ride.

I'm trying to think what I've broke besides a frame, but not much.  I seriously damaged a rim but I was able to get it back into riding condition.  It has a big hop, but I don't notice riding it.

I had a caliper leak that I couldn't find that kept contaminating pads - just replaced that caliper and problem was gone.  Not common I don't think though.

Brake pads and tires.

Rebuilding suspension components.  If you do it yourself it costs next to nothing.

Most stuff I bought was upgrading or experimenting with something new.

tjf1967 wrote

How the heck do you burn through pads in six months?  Do you peddle with your hand on the brakes?  

I've had my bike for like six years, usually ride it about 30 times per year.  I changed the pads once had two derailleur incidents and changed the tires.  I grease the pivots a lot more often than when they squeak and clean the chain check the pressure in the shocks.  Oh I had the dropper post freeze up to.  

They are pretty cheap to maintain.  I ski about 40 times per year and have more maintenance with the skis than I do with the bike.

Come ride Mt Creek or some of the gnarly stuff in Ringwood..You'll burn through your pads..The stuff is so steep I have tire marks on my ass..

thinking of riding in Port Jervis tomorrow..The place has some nice flow and interesting features..