For all you mountain bikers...

[NorthFaceZJ]

i have been out of the scene for a while. i used to be pretty hardcore moutain biker. i have owned numerous mongooses and a gary fisher...

Anyways...I am in the market for a bike and like i said i have been out of the scene for a while...

my question is...is it really cheaper to build a decent bike versus purchaisng one complete?

-my budget is roughly a grand, i can go over, dont care
-def. goign with XTR compoents (rapid fire)
-hayes hydrolic discs (even though they do tend to rub/scrape from time to time)
-rock shox or manituo
-nice frame, fisher, whatever...
-i am a hardtail junky, but will condsider soft tail for downhill...(most likely going with hardtail)
-clipless...(alreay have nice shoes)

so...what you think? cheaper to build or buy complete? if i can save $100-$200 building my own, thats a plus for me. plus the enjoyment of the build of course.

thanks!

-joe

[ArtCloud]

get a klein, they are awesome

[80glasscj]

REI has great deals on complete bikes. i think that it`s a good platform to start with, and then add all the bells and whistles you want. plus if you join you can get 10% back at the end of the year as a member nice perk i think.

[NorthFaceZJ]

kleins are sweet...thanks for the info.

REI, does surprisngly have some good bikes, but i would perfer to go to a dirty harrys or a similar ma & pa. teh smaller stores will swap certain compenets out or change some parts that you do not like. is there an REI in pgh? i just moved back here and have been out of the scene in da bugh.

thanks guys.

[80glasscj]

there is one down in the southside at the new end. big store and free maintenance when you purchase there.

[80glasscj]

kleins are sweet...thanks for the info.

REI, does surprisngly have some good bikes, but i would perfer to go to a dirty harrys or a similar ma & pa. teh smaller stores will swap certain compenets out or change some parts that you do not like. is there an REI in pgh? i just moved back here and have been out of the scene in da bugh.

thanks guys.

looks like you left co. too soon, i think that i`d rather be on those slopes.

[JeepGeneral]

Don't support REI, they fund/support organizations that fight to shut down lands to ORVs. It's a sad situation, they have some sweet stuff.

[PatF10]

yea i have mixed emotions on REI, I backpack alot so they are great to buy gear from. But then they support the organizations that shut land down for my jeep. But then they have 100% satisfaction guarantee, and ive used that a few times. That is one problem with alot of the outdoor sports (hiking, camping) lot of hippies! But im sure you look into alot of big companies people shop at you could find something about them to not shop there.

[80glasscj]

Don't support REI, they fund/support organizations that fight to shut down lands to ORVs. It's a sad situation, they have some sweet stuff.

did not know that, that sux

yea i have mixed emotions on REI, I backpack alot so they are great to buy gear from. But then they support the organizations that shut land down for my jeep. But then they have 100% satisfaction guarantee, and ive used that a few times. That is one problem with alot of the outdoor sports (hiking, camping) lot of hippies! But im sure you look into alot of big companies people shop at you could find something about them to not shop there.

that 100% satisfaction guarantee is nice, but only the big corp. guys can pull that off.

[xj-shark]

I've looked into getting all new XTR stuff, new fork, and rims for my Fisher and I quickly get to the point where it would be cheaper to just buy a new bike. Wish it didn't because I really like my old steel hardtail. just my .02

[2002wranglerX]

I'm a big fan of dirty harry's.

I know a bunch of people who said good things about pgh pro bikes but i have never had good experience with them. Every time i've gone there they haven't had anything in stock, and the people who i've talked to don't know their head from a hole in the ground. I went in to ask about a simple seat post and they couldn't figure it out. kinda bugged me.

Anyway, i bought a Gary Fisher Paragon in 06. I'm runnign Sram X9 components and i'm really happy with them. I know urbanek is running some XTR stuff on his hi-fi and has had some serious issues.

the big thing in mounting bikes is 29" wheels. There's a bunch of variations like 69r's (26" rear 29" front), full sus 29'rs, and hard tail 29r's.

i'm a big heavy guy and i like a light bike, so i prefer a hardtail (why i bought the paragon) BUT the 29r really takes a lot of the abuse OUT of riding. the 29" wheels handle the bumps better, they're smoother, and it's easier to be fast on.

there are some differences though, in technical stuff you'll notice they're taller, which takes some serious getting used to. But if you like rhythm and really doing some fast singletrack, try out a 29r. If you're a bigger guy like me, you'll realllly like them.

i think i paid 1650 for my paragon (which i thougth was a good deal). then i upgraded to a chris king headset, ritchey stem, carbon bars, and extended the front reba to 100 mm of travel.

I'm thinking about going to the SRAM X0 stuff (it's CF and just looks sick!) and upgrading my front rotor to a 7 or 8" rotor (rear is a 6"). Also, i'll probably switch my hydrolic fluid over to mineral spirits (brakes are hydro disc).

i think i'm weighing in around 24lbs, but with a wheelset and a set of Ti pedals i should be in around 22-22.5. I'm 245lbs so i try to balance weight with strength.

I have killed one frame though. This is what's nice about trek/gf. the lifetime warrenty took care of that since i bought the bike through a dealer. If you buy a frame and build your bike, you won't get that.

anyway, i know i just typed a book. but bottom line is you need to go ride some. I highly recommend Dirty harry's, and they now carry niner bikes! which are pretty sick!

[2002wranglerX]

Ok, there are TONS of manufactures out there, some better than fisher/trek, some not. Lets just use GF as a starting point (since you've had one before)

if you wanted to get into an entry level 29r, you could start on something like this and upgrade the pedals (i have a set you could HAVE), pedals are cheap. and i'm sure Dirty harry's will get you in under a grand.

http://www.fisherbikes.com/bike/model/cobia

if you wanted something a little more competitive (and WOW i hate teh color, mine's bright yellow but this color is HORRIBLE) you can do a paragon like this (although they did downgrade some stuff for 07 and 08 but they upgraded to a fox air shock)

http://www.fisherbikes.com/bike/model/paragon
For more of a traditional hard tail, you could do this

http://www.fisherbikes.com/bike/model/tassajara

you're getting the hydrolic disc brakes (WOW what a difference) but since it's still fairly entry level, your components are mid range.

you could step that up and go with something like this

http://www.fisherbikes.com/bike/model/hoo-koo-e-koo

Now that gets you into avid juicy 3's (for reverence i have juicy 7's) as well as some decent X9 components.

or something up to this (if you like 26" hardtails a LOT)

http://www.fisherbikes.com/bike/model/big-sur

Keep in mind all those prices are "retail" and most places will beat them by a few hundred bucks (at least that's my experience).

Bottom line is you get what you pay for. I'm all about buying used parts and building a bike (i'm building a commuter as we speak so i don't have to park my 2500 dollars worth of bike downtown) and i'm using all used/craigslist parts. But that won't be my woods bike.

Ask steve how light my bike is he's picked it up lol. if you want to do singletrack and ride the stuff around here (frick, north park, hartwood, etc) lighter is defenitely better.

[jeepxj3]

IIRC Joe had the Big Sur, sick bike! I think ill stick to wheelin though... Joe its tempting to get back into biking, but buying a new bike would be too much.

Oh, and if you do buy a new bike put your LA's and 33's on hold for another year...

[2002wranglerX]

IIRC Joe had the Big Sur, sick bike! I think ill stick to wheelin though...

I have more into my mountain bike then my YJ!

a few other good bike companies to look at are niner bikes, specialized have some decent bikes on the upper end, cannondale also but they're a little quirky to me. Trek uses a shorter top tube than gary fisher for a more upright riding position, Marin, redline salsa, santa cruz, surly, titus, and Yeti are all quality as well.

[jeepxj3]

I have more into my mountain bike then my YJ!

exactly why ill stick to wheelin, although bikes are self powered, the initial purchase can be WAY more expenisvie... IMHO, wheelin is more fun anyways, the flex pictures speak for themselves.

[jeepxj3]

http://cgi.ebay.com/Gary-Fisher-Moun...QQcmdZViewItem

this is a pretty sick bike.

[2002wranglerX]

http://classifieds.mtbr.com/showcat.php/cat/4

also an option

[2002wranglerX]

http://cgi.ebay.com/Gary-Fisher-Moun...QQcmdZViewItem

this is a pretty sick bike.

ya the old scool Y frames are cool, but kinda heavy IMHO.

it all depends. if you want to go fast downhill, weight isn't as much a factor. you want strength, big knobby tires, and long suspension travel.

for trails, quick, light, and manageable is the name of the game.

[NorthFaceZJ]

thanks for the input guys....

i purchased a big sur from dirty harrys in teh past, the whole 9 yards: hayes hydrolic disc, XTR, Manitou front, etc.... They even swapped the fork on that i wanted at no cost. 1st tune up is free too.

we should plans some group rides in the spring / summer / fall. there are some sick trails at harwood acres, deerlakes, 7 springs, etc....

[NorthFaceZJ]

exactly why ill stick to wheelin, although bikes are self powered, the initial purchase can be WAY more expenisvie... IMHO, wheelin is more fun anyways, the flex pictures speak for themselves.

wheeling is more fun, but they are hard to compare. one plus wiht MTB'ing is that you can go alot faster and you can jump your junk wihtout worrying about breaking it! lol.

also, you can fall of bridges with your bike, jump back on and ride away.

[jeepxj3]

also, you can fall of bridges with your bike, jump back on and ride away.

one of the biggest reasons I dont ride anymore... My wrist still hurts me to this day from that...

[Sycotik Skier]

i have a fisher hoo koo e koo i think it's like an 04 I love it. I use to work at Hite's bike shop and test rode a lot of different bikes before i decided on my fisher. i wish i still rode my bike as much as I use to. More times than not it is cheaper to buy a complete bike than it is to build one assuming you don't have a lot of parts lying around. although seldom people are completly happy with the stock components on a bike but the way i've always looked at it is i'll upgrade when i break it. my bike now has mostly lx components ( crank, derailiuers, shifters,) and I love them. I've noticed in the past that xtr components require constant attention to keep them shifting smoothly. my fisher in "race trim" weighs like 22lbs and thats a 19.5 inch frame. sealed bearing wheels are something I don't think i can live with out anymore. hell sealed bearings on everything. if you want light pedals Crank brother's eggbeaters are hard to beat weight wise but there is a lot of float. I have not heard one bad thing about dirty harry's i just went to Hite's because i worked there and it was two miles from my house.

[stesul411]

Get hold of trailerrails from BLWA.ORG, he's a manager at Pittsburgh Pro Bikes in Squirrel Hill, he may be able to hook you up.

[2002wranglerX]

Get hold of trailerrails from BLWA.ORG, he's a manager at Pittsburgh Pro Bikes in Squirrel Hill, he may be able to hook you up.

I'm sure he's more competent than the morons I talked to. the guys I worked with took 30 mins to find a seat clamp. I asked him about a thompson seat post (the bike was there mind you) and the one he brought out and tried to sell me was waaaaay too short. when I told him this he completely dismissed me.its not like I was in there with a huffy. I had a modded paragon with a 600 dollar hid light on it! (i ride at night too. I highly recommend it!)ill stick with dirty harrys. those guys always invite me for a beer, always bs about bikes, jeeps, everything for hours... just my .02

[MF Steve!]

I like to push hard, so I bought a heavy downhill bike. I enjoy it for everything. Diamondback XTS-07, it weighs around 40LBS...it's very heavy, but I'm not exactly a lightweight either.